Response to Reviews

Thank you to Kingdom Hearts Guy, Pancakes, ZeroMK7, HunterHQ, Electriuser, Naruto1999, Cosmic Cat, Donkeyboy100, KingOtakuOverYou, Edgar, T.V. 2000, Pikachu99, Akechi, Anonymous, Fusion, Portal, Magic Dragon, Cyber Warrior, and Duck Dogers for reviewing Chapter 72 of Obscured Truth.

Hi, everyone! As always, I hope you're doing well and are happy wherever you are in the world. I must say, I'm happy all of you enjoyed the chapter, especially the duel between Raguel and Haru. I hope you look forward to what comes next as we move onto the next half of Season 2, especially the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc. Trust me when I say this: There will be surprises to come.

I also wanted to thank you for answering the question regarding Miyu, as it was something that was on my mind, and your feedback helped. So thank you to those who took the time to answer the question.

But enough talk. Let's get to the reviews:

Kingdom Hearts Guy: You're right. Just one chapter until Blue Girl learns the truth about Yuhiro's relationship with Miyu.

Pancakes: In actual truth, Herald has a recording of the duel between Raguel and Azrael. Whether Yuhiro will share that or not will be determined in the story.

ZeroMK7: Sadly, Earth only has Link monsters in his Extra Deck for the time being. Though the future is bright, and anything can happen. For Blood Shepherd, recall in Chapter 53 that he used Ritual Summoning against Raguel. As for the future, expect him to utilize one other summoning method along with Fusion and Synchro summoning. As for Ritual, I got something planned.

HunterHQ: Sadly, Blue Maiden will be dueling against Haru, as I unfortunately have to follow anime canon. Though anything can happen, so if you have ideas, feel free to share them with me. Progleo growing up enabled him to evolve into Rasterliger and gain new abilities. Watchman has data, which combined with the Spatial Cube, enabled him to see into the future. Let me remind you that Ace is masquerading as Emon at the moment, and the world thinks he's trying to redeem himself. So Emon was able to take advantage of that and acquire supplies for the Hanoi. Aside from the waitress, the restaurant was empty, and Emon bribed the waitress so she can stay quiet. Let's just say Yuhiro had a bad experience with Chinese food, which is why he hates Mapo Tofu. And something tells me Yuhiro's going to suffer more for the rest of Season 2 moving forward.

Electriuser: Haru wasn't the protagonist of the chapter. He was the antagonist, as well as being able to keep up with Raguel and regain the advantage in the duel.

Naruto1999: For some reason, I wondered how Naruto would react if he indeed had Mapo Tofu. Lernaean Hydra isn't like Cyberse Clock Dragon. Rather, it's different as he can attack multiple times and gain attack points in exchange for no other monsters attacking that turn. That, and I loved Bakugan as a kid (the remake is horrific. Do not watch it. Watch the original one from Season 1 – 4). Yeah, Cyreath Providence is one of the best cards in Raguel's deck, but not the best one.

Cosmic Cat: Glad you liked the chapter and the Fusion monster.

Donkeyboy100: Happy you liked the chapter. I didn't use your 'Hydradrive' cards, as they'd be spoilers otherwise. Maybe later on.

KingOtakuOverYou: Happy you liked the chapter. Sadly, I have to follow anime events, meaning Blue Maiden must defeat Haru. But considering the cards Haru showed off, I will promise you this: Haru will put up a more challenging fight. If, however, you have a different idea, I encourage you to share it with me. In my defence, if I had the information I had now three years ago, I would have made massive changes to the story. Still, I appreciate you pointing out that "Holier than Thou" trope, and it will certainly be addressed in the next few chapters. After all, both Yukage and Yuhiro are aware of the crimes they've committed over the years. They aren't saints at all, as they're anything but pure. This will be brought up, which is something I promise you, so be at ease. Unfortunately, like I said before, I must follow anime events. Still, I'm glad you enjoyed a portion of it. Better than you liked a part of it than nothing at all. Nevertheless, I do hope you're looking forward to what comes next. I think it'll surprise you.

Edgar: Well, anything can happen in the story, and I promise to surprise you later on. Also, Miyu isn't limiting Yuhiro, as he's finally found a reason on why he wants to fight. And don't worry: I will address this as well later on. So be at ease. To point something out: I can't remove Miyu. It's impossible, as she's part of the anime.

T.V. 2000: Believe it or not, Herald's actually created a card based off of Achilles from Fate/Apocrypha. He also created cards from Circe (which was revealed in Chapter 67) and Super Orion. Herald will create cards based off of Asclepius, Odysseus, and Perseus as well.

Pikachu99: You honestly made me laugh with your review. Spamming monsters is important when it comes to dueling, along with power and logic. Good one.

Akechi: Hedwig was an owl that sacrificed his life in Book 7 of Harry Potter, not a dove.

Anonymous: Yuhiro will certainly inform Gekiryushi about what happened to Dancho. Regarding what Rasterliger said, he was speaking with logic and analysis. Good observation you made on Bohman's goals in comparison to the Matrix. Well, Yuhiro's going to go through a lot in the next bit, that's for sure.

Fusion: You'll just have to see what happens next moving forward.

Portal: Believe it or not, I do have a Raguel vs Playmaker duel planned, and once it's revealed, it will blow you away. There will certainly be chapters between Seasons 2 and 3, and if enough people request it, I will do a fan service duel for you guys as a special treat. To point something out: Arashi interacted with Yusaku, Takeru, and Kusanagi as well. But don't worry: He'll be interacting with someone different soon. As for who, you'll just have to read on for yourself. As for Miyu, you don't have to worry about it at all, for she will be living at Café Matsuo with Yuhiro and Roxy. This I guarantee.

Magic Dragon: I don't see Infearno as Darth Vader. Rather, I see him as a combination of Lex Luther and Count Dooku. For Malf, I see him as a combination between Majin Buu and Cell from Dragon Ball Z. As for Azrael, inspiration for him came from Vergil, who was from the Devil May Cry video game series.

Cyber Warrior: Glad you liked the duel. And I doubt Yuhiro will use the high ground, as only Obi- Wan Kenobi succeeded in using the tactic.

Duck Dogers: Keep in mind that all the other OCs are strong duelists, and will obviously fight with everything they've got. And your comment regarding Miyu... well, I'll start off by saying that I'm glad someone out there supports her and Yuhiro being a couple. In terms of their relationship, keep in mind that relationships take time to develop. For your comment on Terminus, he did inflict damage on Zahhak sooner than Morningstar or Persephone, and even managed to almost win the duel. It'd be interesting to see a duel between Lord Kazuma and Terminus, in my opinion. As for Azrael dueling against Zahhak, I'd say he has a fair shot.

With all reviews answered, it's time for the chapter to commence. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 73: Target Locked On

(This is the opening. If you have suggestions, don't hesitate to send me a PM or input it in your review.)

In a desolate landscape under a bloody sky, two pendants, one white-ruby and one white-sapphire, fall to the ground before transforming into Excalibur and Muramasa. Their owners, Raguel and Azrael, grab their swords before charging at one another, the blade lock resulting in a flash of light flooding the screen. When the light fades, LINK VRAINS is shown before being replaced my Mirror LINK VRAINS. The Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS logo then appears, with the words "OBSCURED TRUTH" to ominously appear underneath it in rainbow colours. Two symbols also appear underneath those words, with the first one consisting of a dark-orange demonic crest that had lion fangs on the sides, as well as Excalibur slashing it down the middle. The other symbol consisted of a dark-blue demonic crest that had two mirage blades making an X, as well as Muramasa slashing it down the middle.

Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, and Arashi are sitting around a table at Café Nagi, looking at duel footage as they discuss strategies they can use to counter their enemies. At a nearby table, Roxy, Kusanagi, and Greg are chatting, a hamburger in Roxy's hand, and a hotdog in Kusanagi's hand. Rachel is shown nearby playing with Rasterliger, Salamangreat Balelynx, and Linkuriboh, until the four of them turn their heads to see Herald, Ai, and Flame chatting on the best type of entertainment in the world. All four of them go towards the three chatting Ignis and scare them with a large shout. This causes Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, Roxy, Kusanagi, and Greg to laugh at the three Ignis, who are still flustered by the prank.

Kengo Dojun looks down at the hospital bed his mother is on, gritting his teeth before making a fist with his right hand. At another hospital room, Yuhiro, Roxy, and Aoi are shown, where they look down on Miyu resting on her hospital bed. Yuhiro puts his hands on the sides of his head, a panicked and stressed look on his face as Roxy and Aoi try to calm him down, his anxiety settling in. Red, glowing cracks start to spread over his body before dimming on and off. Behind him, shadows form, one of which consists of a girl in her pre-teens wearing a white and blue Greek-styled dress, along with sandals twirling around, her shoulder-length blond hair flowing down behind her. The girl's eyes glow red as she raises her right arm in front of her and places her left hand on her chest, as if she were singing. After she disappears, a black-armored knight that had a spiked plume on his helmet, along with dark-steel plates on his arms appears in her place. Strapped to his sides were a pair of jagged, chained blades, each one having a demonic red-orange glyph pattern on them. Attached to his back was a long sword with a massive blade, as well as a set of arms that had large hands, each one having three claws. The multicolored shapes resembling eyes glowed as the knight pulls out all three blades and slashes the screen completely.

Raguel and Playmaker appear, riding parallel to one another on their duel boards, with Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode and Firewall Dragon following after them. Next is Soulburner and Slipstream, with Salamangreat Heatleo and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon following after the second duo. Last but not least, Blue Girl and Numera appear, with Trickstar Holly Angel and Geomathmech Final Sigma following after the third duo.

At SOL Technologies, Akira, Hayami, Queen, and Pawn are looking at a monitor that showed Go Onizuka in the training dome, having won a duel against a virtual Playmaker. While the first two individuals frowned with concern, the second two had satisfied smiles on their faces.

In a dark abandoned room, Yukage narrows his eyes as looks at a happy memory of him and Yuhiro playing together as children by using the memory scanner. Blue, glowing cracks start to appear on his right hand, causing Yukage to take deep breaths to calm himself down. After looking at his pendant for a few moments, Yukage puts on his duel disk before he and Wraith raise their right hands to the sky and log into the network. Haru is then shown training under Azrael's tutelage in another room, having faced off against multiple upgraded Bitboots with Hydradrive Nagini, Scyllonic Hydradrive Kragun, and Medusoid Hydradrive Gorgun behind him. Nearby, Azrael and Wraith watch the match, wanting to see how much stronger Haru has become.

The screen then shifts to the interior of a palace, where Bohman is sitting cross-legged, his eyes closed as he begins to meditate. His eyes open before they glow a rainbow color, the glow also spreading to his chest as the room briefly lights up before dimming down. But in the shadows, Malf's eyes glow red as he proceeds to lick his mouth, hunger on his mind.

Silhouettes of Yua Kogami and Katsuya pop up before they morph into their VRAINS personas Demeter and Percival, where the screen goes back to one room of the palace. Windy, who is wearing a cape and eyepatch, commands Stormridership Bahamut Bomber to attack Demeter, who responds by having Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty intercept the attack. In another room, Jin Kusanagi stands with Lightning as the latter snaps his fingers, causing a small squad of Armatos Legio Decurions and Centurions to appear behind him. Armatos Legio Legatus Legionis, along with a young, light-skinned warrior wearing roman armor and a purple cape strapped to the back of it who rode a chariot that was pulled by two armored horses also appeared behind Lightning. Percival growls as Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon rises from behind him, and two copies of Phantom Knights' Spear appear in his hands.

A silhouette of Ace is shown above Uchida Industries, his right hand outstretched over the company. Drachen faces off against a squad of Bitboots with Red-Eyes Black Dragon behind him, hellbent on getting it back from Ace. The screen then flips over to show Electrolyzer trying to escape his restraints using PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta, with Jericho ominously laughing in the background.

Smoke appears in various areas of the central station in LINK VRAINS, which has been attacked by multiple Bitboots. Phoenix and Gil stand back to back, with Nephthys, the Scared Flame and Abyss Actor – Evil Heel beside the duelists as they confront one Bitboot each. SengokuQueen and Ghost Girl do the same, with Secret Six Samurai – Rihan and Altergeist Memorygant beside the duelists as they too confront one Bitboot each. Stregone is shown arriving to assist both groups, Quintet Magician and Enlightenment Paladin behind him. Nearby, Rosetta confronts Ace, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon rising from behind her before roaring at Ace, who has Dystopia the Despondent rise behind him in response.

Watching these events using the Spatial Cube is Watchman, who is in his server. A disappointed look appears on his face before he pulls out a total of six long and slender swords that resembled rapiers with short hilts, three in each of his hands. Watchman's eyes glow with a purple color before three copies of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord appear behind him, which proceed to fuse into Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord as the screen is covered with purple cubes.

Raguel and Azrael are then shown facing off against one another in a matrix-like battlefield. Turboblaze Dragon, along with three other monsters, appear behind Raguel before combining to form a tall, white-colored bipedal dragon with red irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with the two protrusions on his head having merged to form into a long, bright and blazing one. His four arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his glowing, fiery claws. On his head was a golden piece of armor, with fiery-golden armor pieces on his feathered chest and body. Each of his feet had large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. The jet-like engine tail's bands expanded outwards, with the feathers in it spiking upwards before a massive blast of fire erupts from it.

Teravolt Dragon, along with three other monsters, appear behind Azrael before combining to form a tall, purple-colored bipedal dragon with blue sclera and white pupils, as well as a small horn-like protrusion on the tip of his snout. His head sported a thundercloud-like crest tipped with yellow coloration, along with pieces of golden armor as well. At the base of his neck, his shoulders, knees, and wings was a black, stud-like feature resembling that of armor, with spikes appearing on the shoulders. His large wings consisted of a fanned shape that expanded outwards to show three spikes tipped with electricity. Strapped to his back was a halo with three spikes on it. Attached to his arms were baseball-mitt-like formations, with three-clawed hands on the undersides that glowed with electricity. His three-clawed feet also glowed with electricity as well. His tail now consisted of two electric generators with a spike at the end, which hummed before releasing electricity from it.

In a garden of Asagao flowers, Miyu sees Yuhiro on one knee, having grabbed the hilt of Excalibur to try and stand up on his feet, the sword having been planted on the ground. She run over and helps Yuhiro stand up on his feet, the both of them having grateful smiles on their faces. The both of them look upwards as the screen jumps to the bright sky and the glowing sun.

In LINK VRAINS, at Lightning's palace...

Lightning, who was on the duel disk strapped to Jin's arm, and Wraith were inside a room containing a fountain of green liquid as they fired data beams into a large bubble in front of them, which contained Windy inside. While Wraith removed the pieces of Malf from Windy's body, Lightning in turn fired an antivirus he created into Windy's body so he can recover. After what the Knights of Hanoi infected Windy with a virus that had Malf's remains in it, Lightning couldn't afford to waste any time, which was why he led a strategic retreat while the multiple Bits and Boots distracted his enemies.

As much as Lightning wanted to demand answers from Azrael, Wraith, and Malf on where they were during the escape, he couldn't focus on that due to the matter currently at hand. Wraith had promised to inform Lightning on what happened on their end once the issue in front of them was settled down.

"Okay, all of Malf's remains have been removed." Wraith said.

"Excellent. Then the antivirus will work smoothly and restore Windy to normal." Lightning replied, as the two of them gently put Windy inside the fountain, where he can recuperate for the time being.

"Keep in mind that Windy won't be fully restored, as the wounds Malf inflicts can't be permanently healed." Wraith reminded Lightning.

"I'm aware of that, Wraith, but it's better for Windy to be alive and scarred then be whole and dead." Lightning countered, before he turned his head to look at Wraith. "Now explain why you, Azrael, and Malf weren't there to help with my escape."

"Apologies, but we had to take care of a loose end. While we sent Malf to assist you, it seems SOL Technologies' bounty hunters intercepted him before trying to capture him." Wraith said, as he turned his head to look at Lightning. Even though what Wraith was saying was partially true, Malf in reality was sent to hunt down opponents and get stronger. As a result, Malf got some new cards for his deck, just like he did after defeating Dancho.

Lightning, in response, raised an eyebrow. "Loose end? What did you mean by that?"

"Simple. The Hanoi had a device that prevented myself, Azrael, and Malf from escaping. So in response, Azrael prevented one of the Hanoi from logging out before forcing the others to escape and leave their comrade behind." Wraith answered. "I believe the one we injured was named Lord Kazuma, one of the Hanoi's strongest duelists."

"You say the Hanoi trapped you three, yet I find that hard to believe." Lightning glared at Wraith in anger. "I've seen Azrael escape from my trap before, which raises a question: Why didn't the three of you-?"

SLAM!

The door burst open as Azrael and Malf stepped inside the room, a look of pure fury on the former's face.

"You disgraceful bastard!" Azrael shouted, as numerous blue-mirage blades were fired at Lightning, who attempted to try and dodge them, only for a few of them to pin him to the wall. More blue-mirage blades also managed to pin Jin to the wall as well, who didn't react in response. Hearing the commotion, Bohman and Haru immediately ran into the room.

"What's going on here?!" Bohman demanded, before blue-mirage blades ran down from above and trapped him and Haru.

"Oh, great. Not this again." Haru complained. Bohman immediately broke through the blades and destroyed the ones surrounding Haru, but before either of them could move, more blue-mirage blades surrounded them, each one pointing to different places on their bodies.

"So you destroyed the Cyberse World, huh? Goes to show that you're not as noble as I thought you were." Azrael commented, which made Lightning gasp in response.

"H-H-How? How do you know that?!" Lightning questioned out of panic.

"Raguel shared this piece of information with me during our duel, and after I defeated him, all I had to do was put the pieces together." Azrael answered, as a blue-mirage blade appeared on his right side before pointing itself at Lightning's face. "I will tolerate your weakness no longer." The blue-mirage blade then sped towards Lightning, intent on skewering him to the wall.

"I killed Dr. Kogami!" Lightning immediately confessed, which caused the blue-mirage blade to stop a few meters from his face at the last second. Seeing this, Azrael had the blue-mirage blade moved away from Lightning before the pain from the blue-mirage blades pinning him to the wall lessened.

"Speak."

"I found Dr. Kogami running simulations on when the Ignis would turn against humanity, so I infiltrated SOL Technologies' systems and infected him with a powerful computer virus to silence him for good." Lightning quickly explained.

"Is the Hanoi aware of this?"

"No. The Hanoi believes that SOL Technologies was responsible for Dr. Kogami's death." Lightning quickly answered, before turning to Wraith. "You said you didn't like stagnation a long time ago, Wraith. What I did was the only way I can make things move forward."

Wraith nodded back in agreement. He certainly agreed with Lightning's statement, as he preferred things to move forward without stopping. To put it simply, when something happens, there is always a consequence that happens afterwards. As if on cue, all the blue-mirage blades turned into particles, which not only freed Lightning and Jin, but also allowed Bohman and Haru to freely move around as well.

"It seems I have underestimated you, Lightning..." Azrael admitted, as Lightning tended to his wounds.

"My lord?" Malf asked out of curiosity.

"What Lightning says makes sense, Malf. He got rid of a potential and deadly threat before it became worse." Azrael responded, with Malf nodding back in understanding.

"A cowardly tactic, just like the one you did with Miyu Sugisaki." Bohman reprimanded Lightning, as he crossed his arms. "At the same time, it's understandable, given the circumstances."

"Dr. Kogami was a great threat, Bohman, especially with how he's the creator of the Ignis. If he lived, the Hanoi would have wiped us all out a long time ago!" Lightning pointed out, before turning to Azrael. "You think you're so high and mighty, Azrael? You've committed lots of crimes yourself before you and I met! What's more, you said you eliminated the Hanoi, yet they're still alive!"

"You're right, Lightning. I did commit lots of crimes myself over the years, so I'm anything but pure." Azrael acknowledged. "As for the Hanoi, they won't be bothering us for a while. Not after two of their members have been incapacitated. In addition, if they were easy to eliminate, then they wouldn't have shown up after Playmaker and Raguel defeated them three months ago."

Lightning stood up on his feet. He saw logic in Azrael's argument, as the Hanoi were certainly resilient, even though it took them longer to regroup thanks to Azrael stealing their resources.

"Enough! We are allies, not enemies!" Wraith exclaimed. "Any conflict between us only benefits our true opponents. Raguel and his little allies, along with the Hanoi!"

"Wraith is quite correct, Lightning. We can't afford any power struggles." Bohman told Lightning, who glared back at response.

"Not when we're at war against our enemies." Haru added in support.

Upon hearing this, Lightning calmed down. "You're right. As much as I hate saying this, I agree with your logic." He turned to Wraith. "Both of your logics."

"Given what's happened, it's likely Revolver provided protection programs to Playmaker and the others in the real world. Or to put it simply, programs that repels attacks from AIs coming from the network and into the real world." Wraith stated.

"And even if you wanted me to do something like that again, Lightning, I will not do it." Bohman immediately told Lightning, which made him narrow his eyes. "I trust this petty dispute is over?"

"It is." Azrael confirmed.

"Good."

"Bohman, Haru. I need you to head over to Mirror LINK VRAINS and make sure that everything is ready for the coming war." Lightning instructed them. "As for you specifically, Bohman, I need you to begin the syncing process. Haru will keep an eye on you in the meantime."

After Bohman and Haru nodded in confirmation, they left the room, but not before looking at Azrael one last time, the events that just happened still on their minds. As a result, Azrael, Wraith, and Malf were alone with Lightning, Jin, and an injured Windy.

"There can be no mistakes moving forward, Lightning." Azrael warned Lightning, as he walked forward to him. "Do you have a plan to destroy the algorithm our enemies stole from you?"

"I'll take care of that in time, Azrael. But I'd advise you to never do something like that again. Otherwise, I won't be as merciful next time." Lightning countered. Before he could say more, Azrael slashed him upwards with the Muramasa and cut off his left arm. As a result, Lightning fell off the ground and screamed in pain.

"What's wrong, Lightning? Do you need a hand?" Azrael humorously taunted, before he, Wraith, and Malf left the room, leaving an injured Lightning and Jin alone nearby.

Lighting growled as he slowly stood up before healing himself once again. Damn Azrael! Damn Wraith! Damn Malf! Once Bohman was at full power, all three of them would know their place! No. All three of them would suffer before dying! This was something he'd ensure with all his power!

The next day, at SOL Technologies...

Akira walked down the hallway before turning right, trying to gather his thoughts together. After what happened yesterday between himself, Go, Queen, and Pawn, he had been trying to find a way to end the AI chip project down before anyone gets hurt. But how can Akira do so when both Queen and Pawn were on Go's side, as well as the fact that so much money and time had been invested in it?

In addition, Akira was also thinking over what Akairo told him the Turf War, especially in how Ace seized Uchida Industries. According to the news reports, the whole public believes that Emon returned to the company as CEO to help those that were affected by the Turf War. Uchida Industries had also been acquiring the acquisition and partnership of those companies as well. Whether it was a power play, or something darker was going on, Akira didn't know the truth, and it was something he had to find out himself before it was too late.

And on top of that, there was the news Playmaker gave Akira last night at the harbor regarding numerous topics. First was the potential war the Ignis will bring on humanity. More specifically, the war that the Light, Wind, and Space Ignis's will bring on humanity. If Lightning, Windy, and Wraith weren't stopped, they'll cause even more damage than the Tower of Hanoi did.

Second was how the Ignis were backing Ace, Azrael, and Malf. If Akira was being honest, he was surprised to hear this information, as it was something he didn't expect to hear at all. That helped him connect the Turf War events, the Cyberse World's destruction, and the attacks Malf brought on LINK VRAINS together, which was something Playmaker confirmed for Akira.

Third was the fact that there were next generation AIs supporting the Ignis. Mainly, Bohman and Haru. Playmaker proceeded to tell Akira about their appearances during the day LINK VRAINS reopened, as well as how much of a threat they've become thanks to the Turf War buying time for them to get stronger. More specifically, the time it took Bohman to not only recover, but acquire the necessary modifications needed so he can fulfil his mission.

Before leaving, Playmaker said that he and the others will be counting on Akira, and left before he even had the chance to turn around.

All in all, Akira was stressed to the limit. He didn't know what to do with all this information, which scared him to the core. But luckily, there was something he can do with one of the three issues at hand.

If Akira can make a compelling case about Uchida Industries and its potential criminal activities to Queen and Pawn, perhaps the AI chip project may be temporarily delayed or even shut down. This would give Go the time he needs to rest, enabling him to further utilize the chip without risking his entire health.

Eventually, Akira found the room where he was looking for, and saw Queen and Pawn look at a digital screen in front of them.

"So you see here, Queen. Go's once again able to beat his record of defeating Playmaker." Pawn said, as he pointed to a green number in comparison to a red number, the former obviously greater than the latter. "At the rate things are going, he'll be fit and ready to go hunting."

"Indeed." Queen agreed with a smirk.

"Queen. Pawn." Akira stated, having interrupted their conversation.

"Zaizen, what are you doing here? Can't you see we're in a conversation?" Queen pointed out.

"My apologies, but I wished to address a concern with the both of you." Akira replied, which made Queen sigh in response.

"Very well. Speak."

"I wish to inform you about the threat Uchida Industries is posing at the moment. Not just to this company, but to other innocents as well." Akira began explaining, which made Pawn interrupt with a laugh.

"Really, Zaizen? You think Uchida Industries poses a threat?" Pawn questioned.

"Akairo told me that Ace has stolen the company during the Turf War, and considering the accusations being thrown at Emon Uchida since three months prior, there's a great chance that Ace is masquerading as him to do who knows what!"

Queen narrowed her eyes. "How exactly did Akairo get this information, Zaizen?"

"He got the information after trying to stop Ace from stealing Uchida Industries' code key." Akira immediately responded.

"Did you order him to do this? If I recall, I ordered you to focus your efforts on the Turf War at the time. So did Akairo act on his own whims or not?"

Akira frowned and gathered his thoughts. He honestly didn't know who ordered Akairo to investigate Uchida Industries, and that was something he wanted to look into himself. What's more, Akira was put in charge of the bounty hunters by Queen herself, so any actions the bounty hunters did affected him. After a while, he said, "No, Queen. I did not give Akairo the order. I do, however, believe that someone else hired him to investigate the matter on Uchida Industries."

"I see." Queen gathered her thoughts for a moment, trying to contemplate what she just learned.

"Look, Zaizen. Let's say what you're saying is true. Even if Ace is responsible for what's going on with Uchida Industries, we can't do anything about it until we get evidence. That's how it works." Pawn reminded Akira, the latter nodding in agreement.

"Then give me time to gather evidence. I promise you I will-."

"This is about Go, isn't it?" Queen suddenly deduced with a smirk, which made Akira gasp in response. Hook, Line, and Sinker. "Like I said before, Zaizen, we've invested too much time and money in developing the AI chip to stop now. And last I checked, Go wanted the chip, am I not correct?"

"You are." Akira confirmed with a nod, which pleased Queen. That was unfortunately true. Go made the choice to accept the AI chip of his own free will. If Go had been forced to take the chip, then a completely different conversation would be happening right now. Even after Akira warned Go about the risks the chip would bring, he still chose to take it.

But still, there was one card left that Akira can play. One that can hopefully at least work out.

"You put me in charge of the bounty hunter task force, right Queen? That means I am responsible for their wellbeing, and since Go is still a bounty hunter, his physical and mental health is my responsibility."

Queen frowned upon remembering she was the one who put Akira in charge of the bounty hunters. Pawn also thought this over for a few moments before speaking up.

"Zaizen's right, Queen." Pawn commented, which surprised both Queen and Akira. "All projects at SOL Technologies must comply with a list of ethical codes and guidelines, one of which is reducing the potential harm or injury of participants."

"But the AI chip project isn't violating any ethical codes and guidelines, Pawn. As for Go-." Queen began speaking.

"I looked at Go's vital signs, and it seems he's not only lost some weight, but also neglected to eat food and drink water as well." Pawn immediately interjected. "You are right, however, Queen. The AI chip project isn't violating any ethical codes and guidelines. However, we can't take any risks." He turned to Akira. "Zaizen, I order you to have Go sent home for a twenty four hour recuperation period. Make sure he's getting enough food, water, and rest so he's ready for his mission."

Akira nodded back in response, glad that something good came out of this conversation. "Certainly, sir. Good day to the both of you." He then walked out of the room, a grin on his face. Well, at least something good happened today so far.

Looking at the watch, Pawn smirked. "It seems that Bishop needs some assistance from me, Queen. See you in a bit." He also left the room, leaving an annoyed Queen in her office alone.

Pawn and Zaizen are so bound by codes of conduct and ethics that they fail to see opportunity, she thought in her mind, a smirk slowly appearing on her face. And where there's opportunity, there's success, and where there's success, there's rewards.

A plan then formed in Queen's mind. One where, if executed carefully, she can get what she wanted.

After all, since when did something stop Queen from getting the job done? The answer: Nothing.

A few hours later, at Green Park...

The limo Akira was in pulled up at the entrance to Green Park, with Isomaki exiting the limo before opening the door for Akira, who proceeded to exit the vehicle.

"Thank you, Isomaki." Akira said. "Would you mind parking the limo at the nearby parking lot? The conversation may take a bit longer than I expected."

"Of course." Isomaki complied, before driving away to the nearby parking lot. Akira then walked towards the gazebo, where he saw Greg standing there.

"About time you came here, Akira." Greg stated, as he proceeded to shake Akira's hand.

"Apologies, Greg. I had a bit more work to do, especially considering recent events." Akira responded.

"Don't we all?" Greg agreed. That was honestly true. Since the Turf War, the workload of people ranging from company employees to service workers increased, as the restrictions for in person work were fully lifted. Not just that, but multiple businesses were affected by the Turf War, so employees had to work hard to ensure its operations kept running.

Both Greg and Akira walked through Green Park, appreciating the warm weather.

"I'm assuming you're calling me here not just to hang out, huh?"

"I'm afraid not." Akira replied. "I wish to share some information with you that I obtained from Playmaker."

"Playmaker?" Greg repeated. "You met Playmaker in the real world?"

"Well, not exactly. He made me face the wall and not turn around at the harbour, or else the conversation would be pretty much done." Akira clarified.

"Makes sense there. In times like this, it's important to protect ones identity." Both Greg and Akira proceeded to sit down at the nearby bench. "Now about this information of yours."

"Yes. It's a lot to process, so play close attention." Akira then proceeded to explain about the potential war the Ignis will bring to humanity, as well as how the damage can end up being far worse than what the Tower of Hanoi did, to the point where the network may end up in a state of beyond repair. He also informed Greg about how the Ignis were backing Ace, Azrael, and Malf, with the likelihood that they were the ones behind the Turf War in the first place.

"This is a lot to ponder on." Greg commented, as he put a hand to his chin. "The Light, Wind, and Space Ignis's declaring war on humanity, with the Dark, Fire, and Time Ignis's on our side. That leaves at least two Ignis's who are neutral at the moment."

"Correct. I intend to find them first before SOL Technologies' bounty hunters does first." Akira said, a frown appearing on his face.

"Stressed out, huh?"

"Yes. With everything that's happening, I've experienced nothing but stress." Akira admitted, before turning to Greg. "How are you able to keep it together in times like this?"

Greg gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "Well, Akira. I keep going by reminding myself of all the important people in my life, and how I make a difference in their lives, and vice versa. I also make sure to take care of my physical and mental health, as both things are important when tackling problems. Finally, I remind myself that I can't control everything, and how all I can do is my best."

"I see. Thank you, Greg. I appreciate this advice, as I've also been feeling powerless lately."

Greg nodded back in agreement, knowing what it was like to feel powerless at times. "On the topic of Ace, we can't track him down."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"We can't find where his body in the real world is." Greg emphasized. "To put it simply, someone's hiding him at a discrete location. One where even our best agents are unable to find it."

"And Athaliah and Speckles? Can't we-?"

"Both are dead. Someone killed Athaliah with a combination of the Another Virus and a piece of Malf before I can even get a chance to get information out of her." Greg interrupted, which made Akira gasp in response. "As for Speckles, we found out his death from an anonymous tip. Killed the same way as Athaliah was."

Akira narrowed his eyes. That wasn't good, as it meant a reduced chance of finding out where their enemies were in the real world. "Do you think Azrael may have a hand in their deaths?"

"It's possible. I too have my suspicions on him. Maybe I can ask Yuhiro his opinion on the matter." Greg suggested.

"That would be a good idea. He's allies with Playmaker, so he can also help with figuring all this stuff out." Akira agreed, before something else popped up on his mind. "Greg, there's something else you should know, and it's about Brion."

"Brion? What happened to him?" Greg asked, before Akira proceeded to tell him about Brion trying to escape with the AI chip, intent on reporting both it and incriminating knowledge about SOL Technologies to the authorities, as well as how Pawn managed to defeat him in a duel. As a result, Brion was arrested and put in Den Jail, but only because of his royal status preventing the authorities from putting him in Den Penitentiary. "My God..."

"While Brion had good intentions, his reckless actions could have resulted in multiple people losing their jobs, as well as SOL Technologies shutting down for a while, if not for good." Akira finished. "Still, I am disturbed by what I learned during that day, especially on how SOL Technologies has been acquiring materials from the Black Market in exchange for money. You could say they have multiple clients from the various branches."

"I will launch an investigation and question all the detained Black Market branch leaders." Greg decided. "The Guzik Family is cooperating right now with us, so they'll be willing to help us out on the matter. Clarice and Creknurt are too vile and proud to even agree to help us, and according to a report I obtained a while back, Gardai was killed while on the run."

"I see." Akira turned to Greg. "I'm glad there's good people out there like you who are willing to do what's right."

Greg smiled back. "Well, Zaizen. I serve the people, so I have to be authentic and honest in my work anyhow. And you don't have to worry about Brion, as I know a very good lawyer for the situation at hand."

Akira's phone suddenly vibrated, which he took out and looked at it. It was a notification for a meeting with Emma within fifteen minutes. "I have to go, Greg. Thank you again for agreeing to talk. It... really helps to know there's someone I can talk to and get all this stuff out."

"Same here." Greg replied, as Akira stood up.

"You're fine with Rachel helping Aoi, Emma, and Gekiryushi out, right Greg?"

"I trust Aoi and Yuhiro in taking care of Rachel when I'm not around, for the both of them made a difference in her life. As long as either of them is with her, it'll be okay. And besides, Akira. Rachel knows how to handle herself."

Nodding back, Akira then walked to the exit to Green Park, where he walked to the parking lot before heading to the parked limo nearby. After Akira entered into the limo, Isomaki started up the vehicle before exiting the parking lot. With almost everyone having been kept in the loop of current events, now was the time for Akira to form a plan.

One that, if all went well, will ensure that the remaining two Ignis will not only be protected, but join the side of humanity as well. For no one wants a war, especially if there's a chance of a peaceful resolution at hand.

Fifteen minutes later, at Emma's hideout...

After the limo pulled up near the entrance of an abandoned apartment, Isomaki exited the limo before opening the door for Akira, who immediately exited the vehicle.

"I'll call you once business is done." Akira told Isomaki.

"Understood." Isomaki responded, before getting into the driver's seat and driving away from Akira. Once that was done, Akira walked into the entrance of the abandoned apartment, where he found Emma, Aoi, Gekiryushi, and Rachel in a nearby room, all four of them sitting on chairs and trying to get work done.

"There you four are." Akira said, which got their attention.

"Hey, Akira. We were wondering when you'd show up." Emma commented.

"How'd the discussion go with Greg?" Gekiryushi asked.

"He knows all the information I got from Playmaker." Akira answered.

"Playmaker? You met with Playmaker? When was this?" Aoi questioned.

"Come now, Aoi. Considering how things are going right now, it was only logical for Playmaker to book a meeting with Akira to inform him on some important stuff." Rachel explained. "And nice idea meeting him in the real world, as the chances of privacy increases compared to the network."

"So what did you learn from Playmaker, Akira?" Aoi inquired, which caused Akira to inform the four girls on the potential war the Ignis will bring to humanity, as well as how the damage can end up being far worse than what the Tower of Hanoi did, to the point where the network may end up in a state of beyond repair. He also mentioned how the Ignis were most likely backing Ace, Azrael and Malf, with the likelihood that they were responsible for the Turf War itself. Akira then talked about the new generation of AIs on the side of the Ignis, and how because of the Turf War, they ended up getting stronger, thus making them just as responsible as the others were for the countless deaths.

Emma, after hearing all this, whistled. "Well, that's one heck of an info dump."

"It most certainly is." Akira agreed.

"Okay, so then what good news do you have for us?" Aoi inquired, which caused Akira to turn to her.

"I never said there was any good news."

"You know, you really need to work on your phrasing of things, Akira."

"Be that as it may, I can't stress enough the dire nature of this situation."

"You've done a great job of that, Hun." Emma commented. "But for all your doom and gloom, there's a tiny glimmer of good news that you missed. Ai, Flame, and Herald are still on our side."

"Yes and no. They're on everyone's side since they're hoping for a peaceful resolution." Akira pointed out.

"Do you think that's actually possible?" Gekiryushi asked.

"That is the question. I would say no if it were anybody else." Akira answered, having narrowed his eyes in determination. "But Playmaker and Ai have surprised me before."

"I guess that's better than nothing." Gekiryushi replied, as she and Emma pondered this information over.

"What about the other two Ignis? Earth and Aqua? Whose side do you think they're on?" Rachel questioned.

"They appear to be neutral for now, but sooner or later, they'll have to choose a side." Akira answered, before turning around and preparing to leave. "And that decision will ultimately determine who wins this fight."

"Then maybe we should try and recruit them." Emma suggested. "Not to brag or anything, but most people have a really difficult time of saying no to me."

"Only because of your flirtatious gestures." Gekiryushi commented with a snark, which made Emma turn to her.

"What was that?"

"I mean, flirting is one of your greatest assets. Though whether it's useful or not ultimately determines based on the job." Gekiryushi told Emma. "And I mean, since when does flirting work with an Ignis?"

"Hey! I managed to charm an Ignis with my flirting!" Emma told Gekiryushi.

"Oh, really?" Gekiryushi taunted back.

"Enough, both of you!" Aoi shouted at both Emma and Gekiryushi, which practically silenced both of them. "Like I said before, the both of you act like little girls sometimes."

Akira, upon seeing this, quietly smiled. He couldn't believe how much Aoi had grown up after all this time. While she was fierce, she did have a compassionate side for others.

"So, um. What's the plan for getting the other two Ignis to our side here?" Rachel inquired.

"Well to start off, I'm going with Emma and Gekiryushi, and you can't stop me, Akira." Aoi said, with Akira nodding in agreement. And before Emma could speak up, Aoi shot a glare at her, which managed to silence her once again.

"I could go speak with Yuhiro. I mean, since he's in league with Playmaker, he'll be more likely to pass down information to us at any point in time." Rachel added.

"Alright. Just be careful." Akira replied, before leaving the room.

Aoi then turned to Rachel with a concerned expression. "You sure you can convince Yuhiro to help us?"

"I'll try, but..." Rachel began replying, before a downcast expression appeared on her face.

"Rachel?"

"He lost a duel against Azrael recently, and it's majorly affected him physically and mentally, along with everything else right now." Rachel sadly told the other three girls, which made all three of them gasp in response.

"So whoever this Azrael is, he was able to defeat Yuhiro. He may likely be on Playmaker or Soulburner's level, or even higher than them." Emma muttered, which made Aoi shiver. While she understood how strong their enemies were, the fact that there was someone out there who not only defeated Playmaker, but was able to defeat Yuhiro scared her to the bone.

"You do your best, okay Rachel?" Aoi said, with Rachel nodding back in response. Getting off her seat, she then left the room. As Emma and Gekiryushi got to work, words began to replay in Aoi's mind.

"After I made an alliance with Epsilon, I was heading home when I saw Yuhiro nearby. From our conversation, I can tell that something's not right. It's as if he's been affected by a personal event. One that's slowly turning him into a different person."

"I can't share everything with you, Emma, or Akira. Because if I did, you'd likely tell your brother, who would then be forced to tell his higher ups. I can guarantee you that the situation would become ugly if that happened."

Both Aoi and Akira were on the bullseye here regarding Yuhiro, as based on what Rachel just said and Akira's encounter with Yuhiro, something was seriously going on with him. Something that may have affected Yuhiro physically and mentally, and Azrael certainly had a role to play with it.

But the questions on Aoi's mind were the following: Aside from losing against Azrael, what else affected Yuhiro's physical and mental being? And how would it play a role in the battles to come?

Meanwhile, at Café Matsuo...

"We're just gonna sit around here and do nothing until we get a lead? I don't like this."

"But I thought sitting around and doing nothing was your specialty, Ai."

"It is when it's my choice. Not when I'm forced to. Big difference, Flame. Big difference."

"Well, in the real world, the lead doesn't just suddenly pop up because you want it to."

"It really should, though. It really should."

This exchange of words was said between Ai and Flame, which was shown through a screen at Café Nagi. With everything that's happened, Yuhiro and the others immediately proceeded to try and find any traces of Earth and Aqua, wherever they were. This way, they can both find and hopefully convince Earth and Aqua to work with them. Should they succeed, not only would Yuhiro and the others protect two more Ignis, they may be able to work with them as well in stopping Lightning and Azrael.

Yuhiro also shared the protection program he got from Emon with Arashi and Roxy, while Yusaku did the same for Kusanagi and Takeru. After what happened to Miyu and Jin, the last thing any of them needed was any more real life attacks done by either Bohman or Azrael.

"But regardless, we need to find Earth and Aqua before Lightning and Azrael do first." Herald commented, with Ai, Flame, and everyone else nodding in agreement.

"If memory serves, Aqua went missing before the Cyberse World was attacked." Ai recalled. "Earth's most likely searching for her as we speak."

"Then we should go after Earth first. If we find Earth, we find Aqua." Roxy decided. And maybe Aqua can help with curing Miyu, she thought in her mind.

"The good news is that we have some clues to start with regarding Earth." Yusaku said.

"Yup, and it's a good thing we got our newest program ready." Roxy added. "Right, Kusanagi?"

"Right you are, Roxy." Kusanagi agreed, before sharing maps of LINK VRAINS, each one having numerous red dots all over it. "You see, when an Ignis travels through LINK VRAINS, they leave a tiny digital trail behind. So using the algorithms from Ai, Flame, and Herald, we were able to create a tracker that would identify any pieces of data relating to an Ignis."

"Usually, it's so faint that we can't track it, but since Earth has been popping in and out of LINK VRAINS, we were able to do it at a very fast rate." Roxy finished.

"Woah! He's been everywhere!" Ai realized.

"Ai, recall that Earth's searching for Aqua." Yuhiro reminded Ai. "So it'd be only logical for him to try and find her whereabouts."

"Yeah, but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack." Takeru pointed out. "And during the search, you may end up finding something you don't want to find."

"Like a trap laid out by Lightning to capture either Earth or Aqua." Arashi deduced, with the others nodding in agreement.

"With all those spots, it seems we'll have to divide and conquer to find Earth, though I don't like it at all." Herald admitted.

"I don't like it either, Herald, but we'll be able to cover more ground this way." Flame said.

"Thus making it our best plan for the time being." Takeru added in support, before an idea came to his mind. "Why don't we split into two groups? Yusaku and Yuhiro will search a few spots together, while Arashi and I will look into a few spots as well. This way, we'll at least be able to eliminate any surprises together rather than being picked off one by one."

"That's a good idea, Takeru. The last thing we need right now is any surprises." Roxy commented.

DING-DONG!

Roxy, Yuhiro, Arashi, and Herald heard the doorbell ring outside of Café Matsuo.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll join you in a bit." Roxy then got up from her seat and headed to the door, wondering who was there.

Yuhiro then turned to the others before saying, "Let's get this done." While Yuhiro, Yusaku, and Takeru headed to their sealed rooms, Arashi went upstairs to the living room. More specifically, one of the two couches there.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!"

In LINK VRAINS...

Earth was with his support avatar, which was on his duel board as he looked around the network. Thanks to the scan program Wraith gave him, he was able to make fast searches at faster rates. What's more, Earth was close to narrowing his search by applying the multiple filters from the program, and hopefully find Aqua really soon.

Aqua. Where are you, he thought in his mind. "Initiating Scan." The lines on Earth's body glowed orange as he scanned the general area he was looking at. After doing so, he saw a large, yellow piece of data that resembled a crack. Jackpot. "There." He then sped into the crack, having finally been able to pinpoint Aqua's location.

When Earth arrived, he spotted a female, light-blue figure imprisoned in a circular cage. Dark-blue lines ran over her body, which resembled teardrops. She had acorn-shaped pink eyes with a single lash that projected away from her face, a teardrop-shaped head, and inverted teardrop-shaped pigtails.

"Aqua..." he muttered out of relief, as his duel board landed on the ground, which caused Aqua to cry in joy upon seeing Earth.

"Did you come to save me?" Aqua asked, having recognized the same orange digital humanoid being with brown markings all over his body, square blue eyes, a square head and no neck, and elbows, knees, hips, and ankles all bulge with hexagonal shapes she spent time with all those years ago in the Cyberse World.

"Of course... Aqua." Earth assured her.

"Aqua?"

"Yes. That is... your name in this world. Do you... like it?"

"I love it!" Aqua happily confirmed.

"They call me... Earth." Earth reintroduced himself to Aqua. "Let me free you." He reached forward to the bars and attempted to pull them apart. Unfortunately, this caused his arms to be covered in blue electricity.

"No, don't! You'll hurt yourself!" Aqua pleaded.

"So... what?" Earth pulled the bars apart and created an opening for Aqua to get out of the cage. Unfortunately, this caused rust to spread to his arms.

"Are you okay, Earth?" Aqua asked out of concern.

"Yes. Because you're... free." Earth replied, before motioning Aqua to jump onto his support avatar, which she did. Once that was done, Earth exited the yellow crack of data, with a freed Aqua in tow.

"Here. Let me heal your hands." Aqua had Earth place his hands in a bubble of water, which enabled her to heal him completely.

"Thank you." Earth responded. "Aqua, why were you... locked up?"

"Because the Light Ignis put me there." Aqua immediately replied.

"What? No." Earth's eyes widened, unable to believe what he just heard.

"He wanted to meet in secret, saying he had something important to tell me, and only me." Aqua began explaining. "And then he locked me in that cage so I couldn't warn the others of what he was about to do to the Cyberse World."

"How dare he hurt you... Aqua." Earth muttered. "I won't forgive the Light Ignis for this."

"But I'm fine now, Earth. Because of you." Aqua gently told him. "Say, how were you able to find me?"

"The Black Ignis, Wraith, and Azrael gave me a scan program to pinpoint your... location." Earth answered.

"Wraith? And Azrael?" Aqua repeated.

"Azrael is Wraith's Origin." Earth explained. "They wanted me... to join them, but not until... I found you first. I must now go find them... and answer their question."

"Question?"

"Whether I'd be willing to join them... or not." Earth clarified.

"Earth... I can't make that decision for you. Only you can decide which side to join." Aqua gently reminded him. But before she can say anymore, she saw a bright light behind her. "Someone's behind us."

"The Light... Ignis?"

"No, it's someone else. Someone human." Aqua answered, as she and Earth saw a robed man on a duel board chase after them.

Meanwhile, in another area of LINK VRAINS...

Soulburner and Slipstream were in a part of LINK VRAINS, scanning the area to see if Earth was nearby. As for Raguel and Playmaker, they were in another area doing the same thing.

"Guys, I've found the Ignis! Both Earth and Aqua are being pursued by someone!" Kusanagi said over the comms. "Sending you guys the coordinates now."

"Well, it looks like they're closer to you and Raguel, Playmaker." Soulburner stated.

"Raguel and I are on it, Soulburner." Playmaker replied before hanging up.

"Right." Soulburner ended the call before ending the call and turning to Slipstream, who nodded in response as both duelists sped towards the location the coordinates locked onto. Hopefully, they can reach it and assist their allies.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

Soulburner and Slipstream ended up dodging numerous energy shots being fired from someone nearby, who revealed himself as Blood Shepherd, much to their surprise.

"Aw Hell no..." Flame muttered.

"Not you again." Soulburner commented.

"It seems we meet again, Soulburner. I did promise you I'd hunt you down again the last time we met." Blood Shepherd reminded Soulburner. "So why don't you just hand your Ignis over to me and-?"

CRASH!

Slipstream ended up hitting Blood Shepherd with his duel board so hard that it pushed him away from Soulburner.

"Why, you-!" But before Blood Shepherd can react, a Pac Man-like energy chain clasped itself onto Blood Shepherd's duel disk, which glowed yellow after doing so. Within mere moments, a screen popped up on Blood Shepherd's duel disk, where it showed files being deleted. "WHAT IS THIS?!"

"Sorry, Blood Shepherd, but you ain't getting any Ignis today." Slipstream told Blood Shepherd, before turning to Soulburner. "Log out of here, Soulburner! I'll handle this scumbag!"

"Right! And thank you, Slipstream." Soulburner responded, before he logged out with Flame, much to Blood Shepherd's fury.

"These Pac Mans... you were the one who interfered in my duel against Soulburner!" Blood Shepherd furiously exclaimed upon recognizing them.

"Hey, you don't have any right to hunt down a living being. None of you bounty hunters do." Slipstream responded.

"Is that so? Then allow me to share some breaking news." A grin appeared on Blood Shepherd's face before he continued speaking. "Thanks to my duel against Soulburner, I managed to acquire all of your identities."

"WHAT?!" Now it was Slipstream's turn to be surprised. "How did you-?"

"All I had to do was trace Soulburner's identity and do some searches. It may have taken longer than I expected, but the effort paid off in the end." Blood Shepherd stated. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question: What the Hell did you do to my duel disk?!"

"Oh, that's simple. You lose the duel, all your files not only go to me, but are deleted from your system." Slipstream answered with a grin, which made Blood Shepherd snarl.

"You will regret doing that, vermin. Because once I put you in your rightful place, your friend is next!" Blood Shepherd proclaimed.

"Bring it on, bub!" Slipstream said back.

Meanwhile, at another area of LINK VRAINS...

"There he is!" Herald said, as he pointed downwards. Raguel noticed and sped downwards on his duel board with Playmaker, the both of them pursuing the robed man that was chasing Earth and his support avatar.

"Herald, we found Earth!" Ai stated, before turning his head at the two people ahead of him. "Hey, Earth!"

Earth, upon hearing his name being called out, turned his head. "Ai? And... the White Ignis?"

"And their pals Raguel and Playmaker," the robed man commented.

"Who are you?" Playmaker inquired.

"I'm disappointed, Playmaker. Just like everyone else, you forgot about me, haven't you?" the robed man responded.

"Wait? Is it really you?" Raguel asked, before the robed man tore off his robe, which revealed a much thinner Go Onizuka, to the shock of the humans and Ignis present.

"It's Go!" Playmaker stated, having recognized the man in front of him.

"You're too late to the party, bubs. Because I already challenged this Ignis to a duel, and you can't do anything about it." Go told Raguel and Playmaker before turning back to Earth. "As for this duel, it'll be one where I come out on top."

"I won't lose, and you won't... hurt... Aqua!" Earth declared.

"We'll see about that, bub." Go replied, as he and Earth began their Speed Duel.

"We're too late." Raguel said. "If we were only here seconds earlier..."

"Now's not the time to dwell on the past, Raguel. Now we must hope that Earth defeats Go in this duel." Herald told Raguel.

"But why has Go lost a lot of weight? It's... a little unsettling, if you ask me." Ai pointed out.

"For once, I'm with Ai. There's something off with Go." Playmaker agreed, as evident by the dim eyes on Go's face.

Elsewhere, at another area of LINK VRAINS...

"Speed Duel!" Blood Shepherd and Slipstream shouted in unison.

Blood Shepherd: 4000 LP

Slipstream: 4000 LP

"I'm going first. My turn!" Blood Shepherd said, before looking at the cards in his hand. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Slipstream narrowed his eyes. That's it? Two face-down cards and no monsters? That's all that Blood Shepherd did? Regardless, Slipstream was no fool. He saw the footage from Raguel's and Playmaker's duels against Blood Shepherd, and the sooner he defeated him, the better. "My turn! I draw!" Slipstream drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Speedroid Dominobutterfly from my hand to my field." A mechanical butterfly whose wings consisted of two dominoes, one white and one black on each side appeared on Slipstream's field. Its had arms, with the right fingers being colored black, white the left fingers were colored white. Its head consisted of a small, single scope in the middle of it.

Speedroid Dominobutterfly ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LV: 2 Scale: 8

"And as I control a Wind monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand to my field." A blue, red, and yellow humanoid robot with very thin arms and legs appeared on Slipstream's field in attack position.

Speedroid Taketomborg ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"I now tune the Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly with the Level 3 Taketomborg!" Slipstream declared, as a bolt of green lightning struck him and the world greyed out before his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one black and white, along with one yellow, appeared before turning blue and merging. Five blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "2 + 3" in front of them. The screen changed to "5" as light surged through the rings.

"Lively soul of swordplay, sharpen your edge for the battle against the competition!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 5! Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!" A humanoid monster sitting on a massive blade appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Hi-Speedroid Chanbara ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 5

"That's one of the Synchro monsters you used against Electrolyzer." Blood Shepherd said, having recognized the monster on Slipstream's field.

"Indeed, and it will be the one that ends you." Slipstream replied.

"Warning. If you attack, the face-down card on the right will be activated, and you will lose." Blood Shepherd's AI suddenly stated.

"Will you shut up, you wretched AI?!" Blood Shepherd demanded.

"Sorry, sir. I am just pointing out the facts."

Slipstream frowned. He didn't expect to hear advice from an AI of all things, especially from an enemy's AI. But regardless of whether or not this information was true, Slipstream still had a few contingencies to get through whatever Blood Shepherd had in mind. "I Set one card face-down. Battle! Hi-Speedroid Chanbara attacks you directly!" Chanbara charged forward, only for Blood Shepherd to gesture to his field.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Drone Barricade!" Blood Shepherd interjected. "While this card's on the field, your monsters can no longer attack directly, and you can't target Spell or Trap cards except this one on the field with card effects!"

"That may be a problem for me, if it weren't for this! Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Mystical Space Typhoon!" Slipstream responded. "This card lets me destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field. I destroy Drone Barricade!"

"In that case, I activate Drone Barricade's second effect! Once per turn, by banishing this face-up card on my field, I can Set a copy of 'Drone Barricade' directly from my deck. In addition, I can activate it this turn." Blood Shepherd interjected, as Drone Barricade turned into particles before it was replaced by a Set card on Blood Shepherd's field. "And since the target's no longer on my field, the effect doesn't resolve."

"Are you kidding me?!" Slipstream exclaimed, having been caught off guard by what just happened.

"And just like before, I activate the second copy of the Continuous-Trap card, Drone Barricade." Blood Shepherd continued. "Like before, your monsters can no longer attack directly, and you can't target Spell or Trap cards except this one on the field with card effects!"

Slipstream grit his teeth. At this rate, there was nothing he could do right now. "I end my turn," he concluded.

Meanwhile, at Go and Earth's duel...

Go grinned, a confident look on his face. In response to the attack launched by King T-Wrextle, Earth not only negated his monster's effects, but also Special Summoned a 'G Golem' token, where it gained defense points equal to the Link rating of one Link monster in his Graveyard times 800. What's more, King T-Wrextle lost 800 attack points equal to the Link rating of one Link monster in Earth's Graveyard, and since Earth targeted Invalid Dolmen, that meant King T-Wrextle lost a total of 2400 attack points. "Not too shabby, Ignis. You're certainly skilled, but I won't be going down easily, especially now that I got this! Expanding Thought Capabilities! BRAIN HACK!"

Suddenly, Go screamed as his entire body was surrounded in electricity.

"W-What is he doing?" Raguel questioned out of concern, with Playmaker also gasping as well. As for Ai and Herald, their eyes widened upon looking at what Go was doing.

"What is going on?" Playmaker muttered.

"Well, whatever's going on, it isn't anything but good!" Ai panicked.

Sure enough, it wasn't anything but good, as Go used Dinowrestler Eskrimamenchi's effect to add him back to his hand and Special Summon Capaptera back to his field. After doing so, Go played the Quick-Play Spell card Tyrant Dino Fusion, which enabled him to perform a Fusion Summon using King T-Wrextle and Capaptera as Fusion Materials.

"Now, King T-Wrextle! Feel the power rising up within you, and become the monstrous tyrant that tears my enemies to pieces!" Go chanted. "Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Dinowrestler Chimera T-Wrextle!" A maroon-skinned humanoid dinosaur wearing black pants with red stripes, along with bone armor all over his body appeared on Go's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The shoulder pads resembled that of the top portion of a dinosaur's jaw, each one having red stripes on the top, along with long, spiked bones protruding out of them on the back. On Chimera T-Wrextle's chest was a piece of armor resembling that of a mouth, as evident by the teeth. Bones were also wrapped around his forearms and legs as well. Lastly, Chimera T-Wrextle wore a bone mask with spikes and red stripes on top, along with light-purple hair on the back of his head.

Dinowrestler Chimera T-Wrextle ATK: 3500 DEF: 0 LV: 8

"And thanks to Tyrant Dino Fusion, the first time Chimera T-Wrextle would be destroyed by battle or card effects, it isn't." Go added, as Chimera T-Wrextle roared so loudly that it caused shockwaves, which made Earth and the others shield themselves with their right arms.

"What did you do to yourself, Go?" Raguel demanded.

"I can now see what neither of you never will." Go replied, as his eyes glowed orange. "To put it simply, SOL Technologies put an AI chip into my brain, which has granted me super human intelligence!"

"They what?" both Playmaker and Raguel said at the same time.

"That AI chip can play havoc with your brain cells to the point beyond repair." Ai warned Go.

"You got it all wrong. I've taken the uniqueness of human creativity and the calculating processing speed of AI and merged it into one to enhance my dueling skills!" Go responded.

"But at what cost?" Raguel muttered quietly.

"He combined with an AI..." Playmaker commented.

"What you're doing Go will only cause you pain in the long run!" Herald told Go. "Are you willing to sacrifice your own health just for a selfish goal like defeating Playmaker?"

"YES I AM, IGNIS!" Go shouted back, which made everyone gasp. "I refuse to be treated like trash any longer, and this duel will bring me one step closer to reclaiming what's rightfully mine!"

"Go..." Playmaker muttered. To think that Go would actually risk everything just for his goal in reclaiming the number one spot. Even though Herald pointed out that Go was only causing himself pain, it looked like he didn't care at all.

"Now shut your traps and watch as I bring this Ignis one step closer to oblivion!" Go stated, before having Chimera T-Wrextle attack the G Golem token, as he couldn't attack Crystal Heart while it was on the field. However, this benefited Go, as not only did Chimera T-Wrextle deal piercing battle damage, his strength also increased by 500, which made him stronger than he was before.

Earth: 3400 – 1100 = 2300 LP

Dinowrestler Chimera T-Wrextle ATK: 3500 + 500 = 4000

"Go's become stronger than the last time we faced him." Playmaker said, he and Raguel having saw how he was able to still deal damage to Earth after he set up a strong defense.

"That may be the case, but Earth will still win this duel!" Ai replied, having declared his support for Earth.

"I end my turn here." Go concluded. "Now let's see what you got, Ignis. Because I can feel my mind working like never before, feeding me strategies and how to stop them!"

This human... has no qualms in hurting me, and most likely... others, Earth thought, as a memory of him speaking with Aqua popped up in his mind. Aqua, you wanted me to choose which side... to join. However, at the rate things are going, it seems... I have no choice... but to fight the humans! Earth narrowed his eyes, now knowing what he must do.

He must defeat Go Onizuka, the man in front of him.

And once that was done, he will find Azrael and Wraith before joining their side.

Even if it meant Aqua was his enemy down the road.

Elsewhere, at Slipstream and Blood Shepherd's duel...

"My turn! I draw!" Blood Shepherd said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I summon Drone XL from my hand to my field." A light blue, grey, and orange plane appeared on Blood Shepherd's field.

Drone XL ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 2

"I also activate the effect of Scud Drone from my hand. As I control a 'Drone' monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field as well!" Three missiles connected to a tripod appeared on Blood Shepherd's field.

Scud Drone ATK: 800 DEF: 1100 LV: 3

"I'll now forge my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Drone' monster. I'll set Drone XL into the Link Markers!" XL went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Deploy! Link 1! Battledrone Sergeant!" A white and blue plane appeared on Blood Shepherd's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Battledrone Sergeant ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"XL's effect! When this Normal Summoned card is used as Link Material, I can Special Summon a Drone token to my field!" Blood Shepherd added, as a purple and green propellor appeared on Blood Shepherd's as well, only in defense position.

Drone Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"I'll now forge my circuit for a second time!" A second Link Portal appeared above Blood Shepherd. "The summoning conditions are two non-token 'Drone' monsters. I set the Link 1 Battledrone Sergeant, and Scud Drone into the Link Markers!" Sergeant went into the left arrowhead, while Scud Drone went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Deploy! Link 2! Battledrone Warrant!" A gray military jet with a red and black nose appeared on Blood Shepherd's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Battledrone Warrant ATK: 1200 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

"But why stop there, when I can forge my circuit for a third time!" Blood Shepherd said, as a third Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Drone' monsters. I set the Link 2 Battledrone Warrant, and the Drone token into the Link Markers!" Warrant went into the left and right arrowheads, while the token went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Deploy! Link 3! Battledrone General!" A massive black military jet appeared in Blood Shepherd's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Battledrone General ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️

"I activate General's effect! Once per turn, I can target one 'Drone' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to a Main Monster Zone it points to. Now come, Scud Drone!" Blood Shepherd continued, as Scud Drone reappeared on his field in the Main Monster Zone General pointed to.

Scud Drone ATK: 800 DEF: 1100 LV: 3

"Scud Drone's effect! As it was Special Summoned from the Graveyard by the effect of a 'Drone' monster, I can draw one card from the top of my deck!" Blood Shepherd drew the top card of his deck, and upon looking at it, he grinned. Yes. This card will end him, he thought in his mind. "I activate the Equip Spell card, Double Arms, and equip it onto General. While General's equipped with this monster, any effect damage it inflicts is doubled!"

"What?!" Slipstream shouted. In his mind, he had to get rid of that card. Fast. "Trap card, activate! Speedroid Dupligate! By banishing a Wind monster from my Graveyard, I can target one card you control and return it to your hand. I banish Taketomborg from my Graveyard and-!"

"You'll do no such thing! Continuous-Trap, activate! Drone Cordon!" Blood Shepherd responded. "While this card is on my field and I control a 'Drone' Link monster, you can't target my 'Drone' monsters with card effects, and your Link monsters can't attack!"

"...!" Slipstream gasped. His last chance of countering Blood Shepherd's cards was... gone.

"In addition, I activate General's second effect. Once per turn, I can target one 'Drone' monster I control with 1000 or less attack points and have it attack you directly this turn. I target Scud Drone!" Scud Drone was surrounded in a green aura, having been targeted by General's effect. "Battle! Scud Drone attacks you directly! At this point, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Limiter Removal from my hand. Now the attack points of all Machine monsters on my field are doubled until the end of this turn. But at the End Phase, all of those monsters are destroyed." Red auras surrounded Scud Drone and General, which doubled their attack points.

Scud Drone ATK: 800 X 2 = 1600

Battledrone General ATK: 2400 X 2 = 4800

Scud Drone fired the three rockets attached to its body at Slipstream, which caused him to wince as his life points dropped.

Slipstream: 4000 – 1600 = 2400 LP

"General's third effect! When a 'Drone' monster inflicts battle damage by a direct attack, I can tribute that monster and inflict damage equal to its attack points. And thanks to Double Arms, that effect damage is doubled!"

"Oh no!" Slipstream exclaimed.

"I honestly thought you were more of a challenge, but it seems you were nothing more than a waste of time." Blood Shepherd commented. "With Scud Drone's attack points and Double Arms, you take 3200 points of damage! Farewell!" Scud Drone turned into a massive ball of light, which hit Slipstream so hard that he fell off his duel board screaming before landing on a nearby island, his life points having reached zero.

Slipstream: 2400 – 3200 = 0

"Damn... I didn't see that coming..." Slipstream admitted, as he tried to get up on his feet. Blood Shepherd, however, jumped down on the island he was on and aimed his right arm at him before charging it up.

"Regardless of whether you were weak or not, you still were allied with Playmaker, which means you have a bounty on your head." Blood Shepherd told Slipstream. "Now prepare yourself for-."

WHOOSH!

Watchman appeared out of nowhere and smashed Blood Shepherd into the large tree nearby with his shoulder. He immediately threw two long and slender swords that resembled rapiers with extremely short hilts at Blood Shepherd's shoulders, which pinned him to the tree before he can even react. Within seconds, electricity emitting from the rapiers, which surrounded Blood Shepherd's body as he screamed in pain.

Seizing the opportunity, Watchman sped forward and grabbed Blood Shepherd by the face before electricity emitted from his hand, which made him scream in pain even more.

"DAMN YOU! GET YOUR HAND OFF ME!" Blood Shepherd shouted, having never felt this type of pain before. He couldn't move his arms not just because they were pinned to the tree, but because of the pain circulating around his entire body.

"Obliviscatur Soulburner's Est Realis Identitatis!" Watchman chanted, before the electricity in his hand enveloped in yellow energy, as if it were draining information from Blood Shepherd's brain. "Obliviscatur Raguel's Est Realis Identitatis! Obliviscatur Playmaker's Est Realis Identitatis! Obliviscatur Slipstream's Est Realis Identitatis! Obliviscuntur Realium Identitatum Soulburner, Raguel, Playmaker, and Slipstream!"

"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Blood Shepherd snarled out of pure fury, before the energy fully enveloped his head.

"Kyrie Eleison." Watchman finished, before a glow of energy suddenly engulfed the area, which made Slipstream shield his face with his right arm. When the glow faded, Blood Shepherd's body was limp before he was forced to log out of the network. Watchman then fell onto one knee afterwards, as Slipstream ran toward him.

"What did you do to him?" Slipstream questioned.

"I deleted whatever information he had on your real-life identities from both his servers and his mind. Though doing this takes a toll on my body." Watchman answered, having got up on his feet with Slipstream's assistance. "I used the neuralyzer Raguel gave me as insurance should it not work."

"But how were you able to-?"

"I followed after him, though I didn't want to give my presence away until it was right. Until we meet again, Slipstream. Oh, and tell Soulburner that whatever fears he had about Blood Shepherd discovering his real-life identity have been completely assuaged." Watchman then logged out of the network, leaving Slipstream alone on the island.

Raguel. Playmaker. I hope you guys are having better success than I am, he thought on his mind, before logging out of the network as well.

Meanwhile, at Go and Earth's duel...

"You think you'll win this duel, Ignis? Think again." Go defiantly told Earth.

"We'll see about that, human." Earth replied, before his support avatar threw a wooden spear with a metal blade at the end right at Go.

"Earth wins!" Ai proclaimed.

"Not yet!" Go suddenly said, before bulging veins spread around his eyes. "Expanding Thought Capabilities! BRAIN HACK LEVEL 2! I activate my Skill! Anti-Skill!" His hand glowed with energy as everyone gasped upon hearing this.

The spear pierced Go right through his body as Earth sped right past him, a look of shock and anger on his face. Within seconds, the spear disintegrated afterwards.

"Once per duel, I can negate the activation of your Skill, Ignis. In addition, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Go triumphantly explained, as he drew the top two cards of his deck.

"I end my turn." Earth concluded, the look of shock and anger still on his face.

"A Skill that stops the opponent's Skill?!" Playmaker exclaimed.

"That's not fair at all!" Ai commented.

"I think we've moved past the point of fair now, Ai." Herald pointed out. "Though I'm still peeved that Go had a cheat code to use to stay in the duel."

"A Skill like that is something dangerous. One that we must be careful of." Raguel told the others, who nodded in agreement.

"Playmaker! Raguel!" The duo turned as two individuals came up to them from behind.

"Blue Girl! And SengokuQueen!" Ai said, surprised. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I came to give a hand to the Ignis." Blue Girl answered.

"So have I." SengokuQueen added, before she and Blue Girl looked down to see Earth and Go's duel. "What's the duel status?"

"Well, Earth still has the advantage." Raguel began explaining.

"But Go used the ultimate cheat code in the form of Anti-Skill to stay in the duel." Herald stated.

"Anti-Skill?" both Blue Girl and SengokuQueen repeated.

"A Skill that negates the opponent's Skill." Playmaker clarified, which made Blue Girl and SengokuQueen widen their eyes out of shock.

"But regardless, Earth still has a Link 4 monster and more life points than Go. So I believe that Earth will still win this duel!" Ai declared, confident that Earth will still win after everything that's happened so far.

Down below them, Go and Earth continued to face off against one another.

"I sealed away your Skill. Do you still intend to continue with this duel, Earth Ignis?" Go questioned.

"Of course." Earth immediately answered. "You may have sealed away... my Skill, but you have... no monsters on your field, and a few life points... left. I'll protect Aqua, and defeat you!"

Go narrowed his eyes. The way that Earth was dueling... disgusted him. As if it reminded Go of how weak he was back then. How Go was unable to reclaim his spot as the number one duelist ever since Playmaker appeared on the scene. How Go became nothing more than yesterday's news, and how he was cast aside for an unknown celebrity in Playmaker. "Your style... It's like looking at my past self. A self that I need to eradicate once and for all! My turn! I draw!" After Go drew the top card of his deck, he proceeded to summon Dinowrestler Coelasilat and Eskrimamenchi, the former as he had no monsters on his field, and the latter without tribute as he controlled a 'Dinowrestler' monster. He then proceeded to use both monsters to Synchro Summon, much to the shock of everyone present.

"Prehistoric king! Become the epitome of terror, and make the opposition surrender before your strength!" Go chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Dinowrestler Giga Spinosavate!" A purple-skinned humanoid dinosaur with long horns and two spiked spines, one very long and one small, appeared on Go's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore golden spiked shoulder pads that had white spikes protruding from the back of them, along with an orange orb on the sides. Attached to his white gauntlets and the back of his legs were a pair of spines that protruded outwards, as if they were spikes. He also wore dark-blue pants with black stripes, as well as golden kneepads. On top of Giga Spinosavate's head was a white mask with small spikes protruding from the top, as well as two long horns on his sides.

Dinowrestler Giga Spinosavate ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 8

"A Synchro Summon..." Earth muttered out of fury.

"First Fusion Summon, now Synchro Summon." Playmaker said.

"Go Onizuka has certainly grown stronger." Blue Girl commented.

"Yes, he has." SengokuQueen agreed angrily. To think that another honourable person like Go would fall so far that he'd resort to any means necessarily just to get stronger. It disgusted her to the core.

"But Earth has a Link 4 monster with 4400 attack points. He'll be able to survive this." Ai pointed out optimistically.

"Regardless, the duel isn't over yet, Ai. What happens next will determine the outcome of this duel." Herald countered.

Raguel, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. If Quinton were here, he'd be infuriated with what Go had become. Not just him, but the children in the shelter and the orphanage as well. If Raguel was being honest with himself, he wanted to do nothing more than to tear that AI chip out of Go's head by any means necessary. After all, that chip could be a great weapon in the battle against Lightning and Azrael.

But if Raguel did that, he'd be no better than his enemies, and he was afraid of that.

After Go Synchro Summoned Giga Spinosavate, he proceeded to activate the Spell card Spacetime Transcendence, allowing him to banish Dinosaur monsters from his Graveyard to Special Summon one from his hand or Graveyard that equals the total level of those monsters, but it can't attack this turn. As such, he banished Pankratops and Martial Ampelo to Special Summon Chimera T-Wrextle back to his field. When Earth questioned why Go would do such a thing, Go simply replied that it was all a part of a bigger plan for his victory.

To prove it, Go then used Giga Spinosavate's effect to target and destroy a card on Earth's field, only for Earth to use Dignified Trilithon's effect to negate and destroy Giga Spinosavate. In response, Go activated Giga Spinosavate's second effect, allowing him to destroy a different card on his field instead. As such, Go chose to destroy Chimera T-Wrextle instead, and then announced that upon destruction by card effect, he can destroy all attack position monsters on Earth's field, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"It seems Go has decided to take a page from Revolver's book in using a monster that acted as Mirror Force." Herald observed.

"The destruction effect doesn't target either, so Dignified Trilithon's effect can't stop it." Playmaker said.

"Thus leaving Earth's field completely empty should it go through." Raguel finished.

"This is bad!" Ai exclaimed, as the specter of Chimera T-Wrextle proceeded to fire black, gooey vines at Earth's monsters.

Luckily, Earth activated the effect of Gravity Protection, allowing him to tribute an Earth monster and equip it to another monster he controls. By doing so, it not only can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, it also gained half of that monster's attack points. He immediately proceeded to tribute Dignified Trilithon and equip it to Crystal Heart, protecting it from Chimera T-Wrextle's effect.

G Golem Crystal Heart ATK: 0 + 1600 = 1600

"Now Giga Spinosavate can't end him." Blue Girl commented.

"Earth should be able to survive this turn." SengokuQueen said out of relief. But before she can say anymore, her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Raguel asked her.

"He still has cards in his hand to use. Ones that Earth must be careful for, or it will cost him everything." SengokuQueen realized.

"I will tell you again… and again: You won't hurt… Aqua. You won't hurt… Crystal Heart. And this duel will end…. in my victory!" Earth exclaimed.

"After performing every calculation in my mind, you're partially right, Earth Ignis. This duel will end really soon, but it will end with me as the victor!" Go countered, his eyes glowing orange. "This is because I am the first human-AI hybrid, where I can see a world that you can't. A world that gives me everything I require to achieve victory at all costs. A world where you... die!"

"What?!" Earth exclaimed. Was Go now hellbent on killing him?

"Battle!" Go thrusted out his right hand. "Dinowrestler Giga Spinosavate attacks G Golem Crystal Heart! I also activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Dino Roar! Since my Dinosaur monster is battling, I can send one Spell or Trap card you control to your Graveyard! The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation!"

"NO!" Earth exclaimed.

"I send Gravity Protection to your Graveyard!" A resounding roar launched out of Dino Roar, which hit Gravity Protection to his Graveyard and decreased Crystal Heart's attack points back to its original amount in the process.

G Golem Crystal Heart ATK: 1600 – 1600 = 0

"STOP! DON'T DO IT! DON'T HURT AQUA! DON'T HURT CRYSTAL HEART!" Earth pleaded.

"Hurt Crystal Heart? Hurt Aqua? I'll smash your Crystal Heart beyond repair, and kill your little girlfriend once I see her!" Go sadistically promised, a demented smile appearing on his face before he leaned forward with bloodshot eyes. "Giga Spinosavate, finish this pathetic Ignis off with Claw Dive Chasse! Show him how I duel when I'm one with an AI!" Giga Spinosavate's foot was surrounded in blue energy as he entered into a diving kick, which destroyed Crystal Heart upon impact, just as Go wanted. An explosion happened soon after, which caused Earth to nearly lose his balance before his life points dropped to zero, much to the shock of those watching the duel.

Earth: 2300 – 3000 = 0

"No. No. Aqua, I'M…. SORRY!" Earth cried out of heartbroken agony, before he slumped forward in despair. Within mere moments, his body broke apart into data that was absorbed into Go's duel disk.

"The Earth Ignis has been captured." Go triumphantly said smugly.

"Well done, Go! You have done remarkably well, my superstar!" Pawn praised Go through the comms, which made the latter smile out of victory.

"No way..." Blue Girl muttered.

"What in the world?" SengokuQueen whispered, her eyes widened upon seeing how Go won.

Raguel grit his teeth. "Go... how could you?"

"We gotta do something, Playmaker." Ai said mournfully.

"Of course we have to do something, Ai. An Ignis's life is on the line." Herald agreed.

"Release Earth now, Go!" Playmaker angrily demanded. "If you don't, I'm going to have to force you to do so!"

"I sure hope that's a challenge, Playmaker, because that's what I wanted to hear!" Go replied. "After all, everything I've done to myself was-!"

"No! I'll be the one dueling you, Go, and I will get Earth back, even if it means tearing that wretched AI chip right out of your brain!" Raguel interjected, which made everyone gasp out of shock. Even Go was surprised by what he just heard.

"Raguel..." Blue Girl muttered out of concern for her friend. Based on what Raguel said just now, along with the information Akira and Rachel told her about him, it seemed that all the trauma Raguel went through was affecting him... for the worse. And if everyone was not careful, they'd pay a horrible price down the road.

"You being ruthless, Raguel? That's a trait I didn't expect you to have at all." Go admitted, before he pointed his finger at Playmaker. "As for you, Playmaker, I'll have you know that I didn't care about the Ignis. All I wanted to do was draw you out so I can come out on top and make everyone forget about you, just as it happened to me!"

"We used to be allies, Go. It's not too late to rectify your mistakes." Playmaker told Go, which made him narrow his eyes before he looked at the ground below him.

"Sorry, Playmaker, but my mind can't rest until I defeat you. But don't worry: Once I defeat you for good and capture all the other Ignis's, I'll resign as a bounty hunter forever." Go promised, as if a part of him regretted his actions. As if there was a part of his former self that was trying to fight back. But before he could continue speaking, his body began flickering on and off. "Looks like our duel will have to wait, Playmaker. But I will defeat you the next time we meet." He then turned to Raguel. "As for you, Raguel, please don't get Stregone involved in this anymore than he already has." Go was logged out forcibly after saying those words.

"He got away." Blue Girl said.

"And took Earth to SOL Technologies." Playmaker finished.

"This isn't right!" Ai exclaimed, having fallen onto his knees. "THIS ISN'T RIGHT!"

"It isn't right at all, Ai. It isn't right." Herald agreed, who was just as sad as Ai was.

"Yuhiro!" Roxy suddenly said over the comms, which got Raguel's attention.

"Roxy? Where were you all this time?" Raguel inquired.

"I was talking with Rachel, and she needs to talk to you as soon as you can." Roxy explained. "And Arashi has some news of his own to share with us."

Raguel frowned. What would Rachel want with him? Considering what's happened, there wasn't anything else to do right now, especially now that Go captured Earth and brought him to SOL Technologies. "Very well. Tell Rachel I'll be right there." He then turned to the others. "There's nothing we can do for the time being. I'll see you all in the real world." Raguel then logged out of the network, with Playmaker, Blue Girl, and SengokuQueen doing the same thing as well.

Meanwhile, at Lightning's castle...

Azrael and Wraith watched the digital screen in front of them, which showed a replay of Go using Giga Spinosavate to destroy Crystal Heart and reduce Earth's life points to zero. Immediately after, Earth turned into particles that went into Go's duel disk.

"What? A human defeated Earth?!" Wraith exclaimed, having actually been caught off guard by what he just saw. A human using an AI chip to defeat an Ignis... this was something neither Azrael nor Wraith expected, as the both of them knew that Earth would defeat a clown like Go. But it seemed that it wasn't the case. Based on the duel, Azrael learned how strong humans can get when pushed to their limits, as well as the lengths they can go to get more power.

"Based on what we're seeing on the screen, Wraith, yes." Azrael confirmed reality for Wraith.

"Then we should go hunt this guy and tear him apart! Earth didn't get a chance to make his choice in-!"

"We will not do such a thing." Azrael interrupted in a demonic tone, which practically scared Wraith so much that he couldn't speak for several seconds.

"What? Why not?"

"Because it isn't a threat to the overall plan." Azrael answered. "And besides, I'm not wasting any time hunting down a human on the verge of self-destruct like Go."

"I don't understand." Wraith commented.

"Think about it like this, Wraith. One way or another, the Earth Ignis will come to us, regardless of whether he comes on his own, is with Raguel and his allies, or is now going to be a part of SOL Technologies' project." Azrael began explaining. "What's more, Go Onizuka is so obsessed in defeating Playmaker that he won't be a threat to us. Why get revenge when we can let others do the dirty work for us?"

Wraith thought it about it for several seconds. As much as Wraith wanted to avenge Earth, Azrael made a logical argument. Their plan wasn't being affected one way or another, and there were far better things to do than go after a mere human like Go. In addition, Earth will come to them one way or another when the war begins, regardless of the form he's in. "I guess you make a good point, Azrael. Let others do our dirty work and avenge Earth instead of us."

"Glad you agree, Wraith." Azrael said. "Looks like we have give the bad news to Lightning about Earth."

"And what about Aqua? Should we tell him about her?"

"No." Azrael replied, before the two of them walked to the throne room, intent on sharing the information they learned with Lightning.

Elsewhere, at SOL Technologies...

In a large, octagon-shaped room was a holographic globe in its center with control panels attached to it. Multiple employees of SOL Technologies, along with Queen, Pawn, Go, and Akira were present, the last two laying on opposite walls.

After capturing the Earth Ignis, Queen gave the immediate order to log Go out, as the Ignis were the top priority. Apart from Queen and Pawn, no one else knew what would happen next.

The globe in the room's center showed three scientists in a different room, looking down at their equipment before looking at Earth, who was chained to a small, circular table. Within seconds, Earth opened his eyes before he looked at his surroundings in confusion.

"What? Where am I?" Earth muttered.

"You gave us quite some trouble, Earth Ignis." Queen said, as she walked closer to the globe. "For us to collect the data, we have to dissect you. If it's any consolation, you're contributing to the advancement of human technology."

After she nodded to Pawn, he gestured to one of the staff members, who immediately proceeded to give the scientists the green light. The equipment then came to life, and the scientists started cutting down Earth's body piece by piece with lasers, which sucked the data into itself.

While Go maintained a neutral expression, Queen smiled and Pawn smirked, and Akira couldn't help but close his eyes before looking away from the scene.

"STOP THIS! YOU CAN'T... DO THIS TO ME!" Earth shouted. "I AM A LIVING BEING LIKE...AAAAGH!" He then felt more of his body being sliced apart by the scientists, unable to speak for several seconds as a result of the pain.

But amongst the pain, memories began flowing in his mind. From Earth's conversations with Aqua, to warning Ai to back off, to speaking with Herald and Wraith, each one played out before it started glitching. However, in spite of this, there was one small thing on Earth's mind. One that never left him.

"Even if my memories are fading away, even if my body is being torn apart, I will always remember you... Aqua." And with that, Earth was no more.

"Dissection's a success, ma'am," one of the scientists said.

"Excellent. Transfer the collected data into our Data Bank in the mother computer and place it under strict surveillance. Only myself and the higher-ups are allowed access to the data." Queen ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the scientist complied, a few seconds passing before the task was done. "Transfer complete."

"Well done, gentlemen. You're all dismissed for now. Expect a great reward for your assistance." Pawn replied, before the globe vanished. He then turned to Queen, the smirk still on his face. "My apologies, Ohi. I guess you were right after all. It looks like Go didn't need rest prior to his mission."

"Glad we're on the same page, Hyodo." Queen responded, before the two of them shook hands, glad they were able to get the matter resolved.

"If it's all the same to you two, I'll be headed back to the training chamber. I need to prepare for my match against Playmaker." Go stated.

"Of course. You've earned this time for yourself after everything you've done today, my superstar!" Pawn immediately complied, before Go left the room.

Queen then narrowed her eyes before turning to Akira. "Something the matter, Zaizen?"

Akira immediately snapped out of his trance, having spent so much energy trying not to look at what happened in front of him. The way Earth was dissected without any mercy or reprieve scared him quite a bit. "No, Queen. Just... a little lightheaded." He then left the room, having no more to say on the matter. After all, what can he say next? That what Queen and Pawn did was wrong? He just couldn't say it, and had to gather his thoughts for the time being.

Suddenly, Pawn's phone vibrated in his pocket. After pulling it out, he looked at it for a few seconds before putting it back in his pocket and turning to Queen. "It seems my meeting with the Kings is coming up within a few minutes. Tell you what, Ohi. I'll share the information you have on hand regarding the AI chip to the Kings in your place. After all, you should celebrate, as today was your victory. In fact..." Pawn typed something on his phone before sending a text to Queen. When she took out her phone, she was surprised. "Allow me to give you this special coupon for the restaurant the higher-ups go to. Think of it as my way of apologizing for not agreeing with your logic."

Queen thought of that idea for a few moments. She needed a break after everything that happened. And Pawn was right! Today was her victory, where she took a risk in sending Go without the required twenty four hour rest, and got an Ignis as a result. "Very well, Hyodo. I will certainly do that. Thank you very much." She left the room, and after checking a few things on his phone, Pawn did the same. He walked down the hallway and took a few lefts, where he eventually found a holographic room.

As known by practically everyone in SOL Technologies, the three Kings were the major shareholders of the company, and had higher power than anyone else who worked there. This meant that anyone who got to meet with the Kings were held in a high honour, as no one was simply allowed to just be summoned by them. Still, the Kings worked with the higher-ups in maintaining the company, with the higher-ups required to report to them when being summoned.

The general rule: You do not summon the Kings. You waited for them to arrive.

Soon, the room changed into a digital landscape, where three stars, one red, blue, and yellow appeared off in the distance.

The stars then changed to reveal three humans.

For the red star, it showed a male adult resembling a child who had red eyes and long, blond hair tied into a braided pony tail. He wore a dark-purple buttoned up shirt with yellow orbs on the sides, along with dark-purple pants. There were also round, silver bars resembling shoulder pads on his shoulders as well.

For the blue star, it showed a male adult resembling a teenager who had purple eyes and curly, messy blond hair. He wore a white buttoned up shirt with green orbs on his shoulders and knees, along with grey pants. He also wore a light-green fur coat over it as well.

For the yellow star, it showed an adult male who was muscular and well-built. He had violet eyes and blond hair that went down to the back of his neck, which was styled into renaissance curls. He wore a business suit consisting of a brown shirt, a golden blazer, and dark-brown pants.

"It is an honour to be in your presence, most majestic Kings." Pawn said, before giving a little bow in front of them.

"You can call us by our real names, Hyodo. You of all people should know that," the blue star reminded him.

"Forgive me, Perseo. I was just being formal." Pawn apologized, having addressed the blue star by his real name. "What reason did you want to see me today, your excellencies?"

"We want a report on the status on the Black Market," the red star ordered.

Pawn, upon hearing this, sighed. "Unfortunately, Lycaon, I have nothing but bad news. The Black Market is still in the process of being repair, and it will take a very long time for operations to resume because of what Ace did. I tried reaching out to our clients from the Black Market, but some are either imprisoned, on the run, or have regrouped on Ace's side. Examples include the Guzik Family cooperating with the authorities, Clarice and Creknurt being imprisoned, and Gardai having been killed while escaping the authorities. At least that's what Balius told me."

"I see. Well, we do have one of our partners available for the time being in Balius," the yellow star commented. "Is Brion aware about the truth on his family?"

"Of course not, Jeromy." Pawn immediately answered, addressing the yellow star by his name. "He still believes that Balius is solely responsible for the trafficking operations, and is imprisoned in Den Jail as we speak. Apparently, his royal status has prevented us from imprisoning him in the Den Penitentiary."

"As long as the matter has been dealt with, all is fine. We commend you for getting the information back from him, especially how it could have damaged the company if it were leaked." Jeromy praised Pawn. "We don't want a repeat of what happened to SOL Technologies all those years ago when the incident for Project: VIII was leaked to the public."

"Yeah, I don't think any of us want that to happen again." Pawn agreed. That incident led to controversy for SOL Technologies, as the stocks went down, employees quit their jobs, and experienced various crises such as financial, personnel, and confrontation. As such, the three Kings were the ringleaders in gathering the support needed to kick the Dragon King, Dairoku Saionji, out of the company for good.

"On a different topic, where is Ohi?" Perseo inquired.

"Probably bossing her employees around." Lycaon hypothesized before laughing, which earned him a glare from Perseo. Each of the three Kings, while siblings, had traits that made them unique amongst one another. There was Lycaon's mischievous and chaotic side, Perseo's prideful and impulsive side, and Jeromy's wise and logical side.

What's more, appearances can be deceiving. So if one meets with the Kings, they had to be on their best behavior, lest they faced their wrath.

"Actually, she's taking the rest of the day off, having succeeded in acquiring one Ignis for the AI chip project. Since it was her victory, it only seemed fit that she went out to celebrate." Pawn explained. "I actually told her to do so, and am here to report the findings found from Go Onizuka's first use of the AI chip."

"Very well, Hyodo. Show us these findings." Jeromy ordered.

"Allow me to do you three one better, your excellencies." Pawn responded, before he pressed a few buttons on his phone. Within seconds, video footage of Go's duel against Earth was being played in front of the Kings. Beside this footage was a screen showing vital signs. "As per the footage, Go Onizuka was able to defeat the Earth Ignis in a duel despite some difficulties. He used the AI chip twice in the duel. Once to create a counterstrategy against Invalid Dolmen, and the second being to create Anti-Skill. However, looking at the vitals, they began skyrocketing near the end of the duel, and this put a strain on Go's body."

"I'm assuming Zaizen forwarded you this information?" Lycaon correctly deduced, with Pawn nodding in confirmation. "Man, that Zaizen guy is so ethical and manners-like that it's almost amusing to watch. It's because of those traits that he's powerless and unable to do the right thing." He let out another giggle, which earned him a glare from Jeromy.

"Enough, Lycaon." Jeromy ordered. "Zaizen has been put in charge of the bounty hunter task force, and is the security manager, so it's only fitting for him to bring some concerns on this matter."

"Well, that's something I wanted to talk with you three about, with your permission of course." Pawn requested.

"Permission granted. Speak your mind."

"Prior to Queen sending Go out to capture the Earth Ignis, I ordered Zaizen to send Go home for a twenty-four hour recuperation period so he can rest and prepare for the mission. However, Queen decided to take matters into her own hands, and sent Go in per his request before he can even begin the recuperation period." Pawn began explaining.

"But Queen's actions haven't broken any ethical codes or guidelines, and the participant clearly chose out of his own free will to partake in the mission." Perseo pointed out.

"You're right. She hasn't broken those ethical codes or guidelines... at least not yet, anyways." Pawn replied, which made Perseo raise an eyebrow.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I'm saying it's only a matter of time before someone carries out an action regarding the AI chip project. An action that may end up breaching the ethical codes and guidelines sent out to all companies who choose to launch research projects." Pawn emphasized. "You referred to how the three of you care for SOL Technologies, and how you do not want it to end up in a perilous situation again after what happened years ago. That is why all projects must follow a set of ethical codes and guidelines, no matter what form or type it's in. If we're not careful with a project such as this one, the repercussions will likely affect SOL Technologies far worse than before. As such, I ask that you give me the authority to shut the AI chip project down if things get worse. In the name of keeping this company running and stable, I request this privilege for the greater good."

The room was silent for what Pawn felt like an eternity. Only the Kings had the power to make decisions on matters like this, and Pawn was right on one thing. All three of them did care for SOL Technologies', for they had the power to replace anyone and anything that threatened its growth. Or at the very least, those who either dissatisfied them, or were no longer useful to their long-term goals.

But for the higher-ups like Pawn, Queen, Bishop, Rook, and Knight, they proved their competence time and time again, thus showing how useful and loyal they were to SOL Technologies. This praise didn't just apply for them, as anyone who went above and beyond for SOL Technologies would receive both praise and favor from the three Kings themselves.

"The Kings have decided," all three of them said in unison, which got Pawn's attention. "Hyodo, we will give you the authority to shut the AI chip project down should there be further evidence of breach in the ethical codes and guidelines. Anyone who breaches them will suffer severe penalties for their actions. This applies to you as well, Hyodo. Do not make us regret our decision."

"It will suffice." Pawn responded, before giving a bow to the three Kings. "Do you require anything else from me, your excellencies?"

"That will be all. Leave us." Perseo ordered, before Pawn left the room. Perseo then turned to Lycaon and Jeromy before speaking. "Given what's happened, it's only a matter of time before things escalate further."

"And before the Ignis come together for the war to come." Lycaon commented with a giggle, which made Perseo roll his eyes. Why did Lycaon not take things seriously? Even if he did, he still added a chaotic touch to the situation. "It's not just them, you know. The humans involved with them will also appear as well."

"Yes." Jeromy agreed. "We must be prepared for when it comes, as when a victor is decided, we must act fast."

Perseo and Lycaon nodded back at Jeromy in agreement before the digital landscape disappeared completely.

Meanwhile, at another area of the network...

Jericho replayed the footage in front of him once again, wanting to ensure that what he saw actually happened. Thanks to him hacking the AI chip, he was able to 'motivate' Go into pushing past his limits by going to the second level of Brain Hack. To put it simply, with the code Jericho put into the AI chip, he would be able to fully see how far a human's mental capacities went before it shut down permanently.

And Jericho was certainly surprised at what he was seeing. According to the footage, Go was about to lose against Earth... when he pulled out the ultimate Deus Ex Machina by using Anti-Skill. Thanks to the new Skill, Go was able to unleash a strategy that led to Earth's defeat. While Earth was likely to be dissected by SOL Technologies, Jericho didn't care too much. Since he knew where his data was, Jericho can simply break into the company and retrieve not only his data, but the information on the AI chip project as well. For both of them would be helpful in his plans.

But he couldn't do it for two reasons. One, Jericho had to remain in the shadows and watch, lest he blow his cover. Two, he wanted to obtain more information before coming to a decision on what to do next.

"It seems I slightly overdid it..." Jericho admitted, before a smile appeared on his face. "But that was... amazing! To think that the human mind can make a comeback through its creativity when pushed to the limit! Goes to show that a human and an AI together in a single mind can break the boundaries of creativity itself!"

Suddenly, something popped up on the light-green monitors, which got Jericho's attention. When Jericho typed on the digital keyboard, he found something interesting. Something he didn't expect to find.

On the light-green monitors in front of him, Jericho saw Go undergo surgery, where portions of Earth's data was being inserted into the AI chip in his brain. And amongst that data was a small, black piece, which belonged to a different Ignis! Upon seeing this, Jericho let out a loud laugh.

"Now this is awesome! It seems one of the Ignis put a tracker on the Earth Ignis! A tracker that will certainly help in finding the others! And Go being infused with Earth's data as well? Oh, goodie! I can't wait to see his next duel! Imagine the information that can come from seeing this guy duel next! I CAN'T WAIT!" Jericho put his hands on his hips, a satisfied smile on his face.

Regardless of the scenario, humans will always succumb to the inner darkness in their hearts, whether it's for selfish reasons, or an inability to act selflessly. It's a curse they can't get rid of, Jericho thought in his mind. Whether the Ignis or humans know this truth doesn't matter, as one way or another….. Jericho's glasses shined with light, the smile still on his face .….that darkness will be their undoing in the end!

(This is the ending. If you have suggestions, don't hesitate to send a PM or input it in your review).

Green, wispy pieces of data are shown floating through the network as a bright light briefly covers the screen, multiple cards popping up one by one.

Yusaku is first shown walking to school before he morphs into his VRAINS Persona Playmaker. Takeru is also shown doing the same thing before he morphs into his VRAINS Persona Soulburner. Last but not least, Yuhiro and Arashi are shown doing the same thing before they morph into the VRAINS Personas Raguel and Slipstream. Ai, Flame, Aqua, and Herald pop up on the screen one by one afterwards.

A split screen then pops up, showing Aoi walking down the street on one side, while Emma scratches the back of her head on the other side, as if she were stressed out. The both of them then morph into their VRAINS Personas Blue Girl and Ghost Girl. A second split screen pops up afterwards, showing Rachel on her tablet on one side, while Gekiryushi practices her swordsmanship on the other side with concentration. The both of them then morph into their VRAINS Personas Numera and SengokuQueen.

Soon after, a third split screen appears, showing a skinny Go Onizuka clutching his head in pain with his left hand, while Kengo Dojun puts a hand on his chin, as if thinking something over. The screen then cracks, showing a virtual network where Go closes his eyes and spreads out his hands with a smile, while Blood Shepherd aims his right hand at the screen. A fourth split screen appears, showing Akairo completing some schoolwork, while Brion is in his apartment, looking at a picture in his locket with narrowed eyes, which showed his family. The screen then cracks, showing Drachen with Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword in his hand, while Electrolyzer has PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta attached to his body.

The main tower LINK VRAINS is shown before the screen cracks in two, which reveals the main tower in Mirror LINK VRAINS. Lightning's faction is shown in the light, but then the screen is enveloped in darkness before depicting Azrael flaring out the Muramasa with Malf and Wraith on his sides.

Revolver, Specter, and Infearno are then shown on the screen, with Revolver on the left, Infearno in the center, and Specter on the right.

The screen changes to show multiple people at Green Park. First is Kusanagi and Roxy are beside one another, with Akira speaking to Emma and Gekiryushi nearby. Next is Arashi crossing his arms, with Takeru is looking out at another area while Yusaku simply looks ahead of him, Aoi sitting down on the stairs nearby. Yuhiro is seen looking ahead of him with a stressed expression on his face, a silhouette of Miyu trying to comfort him. Rachel runs up to where Yuhiro is before standing next to him, with Naoki trying to wave his hand to the humans nearby. Herald is shown with Ai, Flame, and Aqua nearby the humans. Last but not least, Ryoken, Youta, and Emon are shown conversing in another area of Green Park.

The screen then shows a grey landscape, where Cyberse Clock Dragon, Salamangreat Heatleo, Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Borreload Savage Dragon, and Cyberse Quantum Dragon fly by one by one before disappearing. Last but not least, a network background appears, with a strand of rainbow data flowing around it before Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, and Slipstream appear, along with Ai, Flame, and Herald. All four humans draw a card from the top of their decks before a bright light covers the screen.

Card Gallery

No new cards introduced in this chapter.

QOTC

What did you think of the King's true appearances and names? Also, what are your thoughts on the new opening and ending for the second half of Season 2?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 74: Regrets. Having learned about Earth's demise, Raguel joins forces with Blue Girl, Ghost Girl, Numera, and SengokuQueen in the search for Aqua. As Ghost Girl duels against Blood Shepherd, Blue Girl finally learns the truth about Raguel and Miyu's connection, and Raguel's reasons for keeping it a secret for so long. Elsewhere, at Revolver's request, Drachen returns to Uchida Industries, seeking to save the company from Ace's hands...

Chapter 75: Pure Anguish. Wary about potential enemies, Lightning prepares to cut them down one by one, starting with Blood Shepherd. However, Percival and Demeter launch an attack on Lightning's base, hoping to not only stop the war once and for all, but fulfil their own intentions as well...

Author's Notes

And with that, the first chapter of the second half of Season 2 is done! Even though it mostly consist of anime events, I hope you still enjoyed the other stuff that occurred in the chapter. As such, a good recap is needed to sum things up:

First up is the scene in Lightning's castle, where Wraith and Lightning repair Windy. Before Lightning can acquire more information from Wraith, Azrael storms into the room and pins Lightning with several blue-mirage blades. Bohman and Haru also arrive on the scene, only for them to be surrounded with those blades. Just as Azrael is about to kill Lightning, the latter reveals that he is responsible for Dr. Kogami's death, or at the very least, the events that led up to it. Why did Lightning tell Azrael this? It's simple: He not only wants to save his skin, he also wants to prove a point, with that point being where things can't be stagnant. Since a war was going to happen, Lightning chose to sped it up anyway. That, and Lightning saw Dr. Kogami as one of the greatest threats that had to be eliminated, as he is the creator of the Ignis after all. And just a point: By this point in the story, both Lightning, Bohman, and Haru have plot armor, so I can't obviously kill them off, nor can I kill off Azrael, Wraith, and Malf. But regardless, that explanation saves Lightning's life, only for Azrael to cut off his arm once everyone else left the room out of spite. What did you think of this?

Next up is the scenes with Akira, or at the very least, the conversations he had with other people. For the conversation, it's his interaction with Queen and Pawn. He is aware of his position at SOL Technologies, and how there are some things he can't do for the time being. Yet Akira makes a compelling case by reminding Queen and Pawn on how he's been put in charge of the bounty hunter task force, which led to Pawn ordering Akira to send Go home for a twenty-four hour recuperation period. Here, it shows how Akira can be persuasive with his words, as sometimes, the right words can help in a conversation. Even though Akira doesn't have as much power as Queen and Pawn because the last two are obviously higher-ups, he does point something out that influences Pawn into making a decision. But unfortunately, as we know in the anime, Queen sends Go out anyway to hunt down Earth.

The second scene is between Akira and Greg, where the former informs the latter on everything that's happened. Here, Akira learns about what happened to Athaliah and Saburo, with Greg learning about what happened to Brion. I want to highlight something very important here when Akira admits that he's powerless. But thanks to some advice from Greg, it helps Akira feel better. All of us, at some point in our lives, have felt powerless, and from personal experience, I encourage you to talk to someone to get everything out of your chest.

Anime events aside, I want to focus on two different things that occur in the chapter. First of which is the duel between Slipstream and Blood Shepherd. Here, Slipstream comes into the duel, having watched the duel footage of Raguel and Playmaker's duels against Blood Shepherd. He also has the cards ready to be used. So what went wrong? Well, Slipstream unfortunately wasn't able to watch Soulburner's duel against Blood Shepherd because it was unavailable, and even if it were, Blood Shepherd would have deleted it. And unfortunately, that was one of the factors that led to Slipstream's loss. So what else could it have been? Well, Blood Shepherd managed to not only outwit Slipstream, but also maintained control of his field by preventing Slipstream from getting rid of his cards. And thanks to Double Arms, he won the duel. Luckily for Slipstream, Watchman appeared and 'deleted' all the information Blood Shepherd had on their real-life identities from both his mind and his servers. The neuralyzer also played a role in this, as combined with Watchman's incantation, any information Blood Shepherd has on the good guys has been eradicated, except for their LINK VRAINS' personas of course.

The second thing is Raguel's reaction to seeing Earth being captured by Go, where Raguel basically says that he'll duel Go instead and get Earth back, even if it meant tearing the AI chip out of his brain. I'll be honest in saying this: It shows that Raguel is... not himself. Despite the therapy and care he's receiving from his friends, the trauma hurting Raguel has slowly began to tear him apart from the inside out, to the point where he's becoming more ruthless. This event, combined with everything that's happened since Season 2 began, has also played a role in tearing Raguel apart. I mean, he no longer shows mercy and is willing is resort to force just to get a task done. How will this affect Raguel moving forward, you may ask? Well, you'll just have to read on, as I hope you enjoy seeing more of Raguel's ruthless side as the chapters progress.

After Earth is dissected, Pawn goes to meet with the three Kings. Now my main issue, along with the other chess pieces (except for Queen) is that their human forms weren't shown. I made some progress with both Rook and Pawn, and now it's time for the three Kings to show their human forms. The Red Star, who I named Lycaon, has his appearance based off of V.V. from Code Geass. The Blue Star, who I named Perseo, has his appearance based off of Prince Hydron from Bakugan: New Vestroia. Last but not least, the Yellow Star, who I named Jeromy, has his appearance based off of Charles Zi Britannia from Code Geass. All three of the Kings are siblings, this I can confirm, despite their appearances. And before you say anything, allow me to say this: Appearances can be deceiving. For instance, even though Lycaon looks like a child, he has a mischievous and chaotic side. So be careful of who you talk to.

During the meeting, Pawn informs the Kings on the status of the Black Market, which is still in a state of repair thanks to the Turf War. A state of repair that will take a very long time to complete, which means any business relationships SOL Technologies has with the Black Market has been shut down for the time being. He also tells the Kings about the findings from Go using the AI chip for the first time in Queen's place, as he persuaded her to go and celebrate rather than deliver the news herself. And after Pawn expresses his concerns about the AI Chip project with the Kings, all three of them grant him the privilege to shut it down should their be evidence of breach in ethical codes and guidelines.

Last but not least is Jericho commenting on the scenes, where he talks about what he's discovered. What is his endgame with the AI chip? Well, you'll have to read on and find out for yourself.

As such, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 73 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 like the most about this chapter? The duel between Slipstream and Blood Shepherd? The new opening and ending? The ending scenes? Or was it something else?

That's it for now, folks. See you next time!