Response to Reviews

Thank you to Donkeyboy100, HunterHQ, Anonymous, Ambiguous, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Guest, Noobmaster, Iris Luster, Stregone Return, KingOtakuOverYou, Guest, Jason, Donjusticia, Guest, T.V. 2000, Malcom, Zodiac, Guest, Joel Molina, and Reader2 for reviewing Chapter 89 of Obscured Truth.

Hi, everyone! As always, I hope you're doing well, and are safe and sound wherever you are in the world. Judging by your reviews, it's clear that the chapter has received positive reception, which shows that you all enjoyed it. We're reaching the end of the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, and by extension, Season 2. So I hope you look forward for what's to come.

But enough talk. It's time to answer some reviews:

Donkeyboy100: Miyu's at the Den City Hospital, so she isn't going to be dueling Yuhiro.

HunterHQ: Of course Takeru and Flame have humorous moments. Just as Flame teases Takeru regarding his relationship with Kiku, Takeru teases Flame in return with things such as Mortal Kombat and haikus. Everyone already knows that Haru was served as the base for Malf's creation. Of course Azrael and Wraith are frustrated, especially with how Ace got away with his actions overall. Goes to show that you aren't always in control of everything. Again, the Christmas idea has been used in another VRAINS fanfic, so I won't be doing that one. While Windy could have used Demeter as blackmail, he was saving it for his duel against Revolver. He didn't see the need to do so against Slipstream. Regarding what's going on with Dancho, it's needed for his character development moving forward. And no, I'm not turning him into a Terminator-like cyborg.

Anonymous: Yeah, even if the heroes see the cards Yuhiro recently used during his duel against Chainslaver, there's not much they can do. Because Jericho is an unknown, and Azrael doesn't know what's going on, it's pissing him off. It's because of Malf that Dancho is on a ticking clock to his death.

Ambiguous: You do realize that the Hanoi can temporarily dock the yacht to a bridge or someplace so Lord Kazuma and Drachen can go on board, right? And no, the Hanoi aren't going to bug Kusanagi or Roxy's systems. As for your last comment, it did not occur to me until now of all times. Thanks for pointing that out.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Of course you didn't see that coming. Crazy things are happening, that's for sure.

Guest: To answer your question regarding Ace, he murdered his parents and took over. This was implied back in Chapter 62, so reread that if needed. Again, because NO ONE is aware of Jericho's presence, they won't be able to prepare for him in time, especially when taking into account Jericho's Cyberse cards.

Noobmaster: That's already happened back in Chapter 66 and 77. No, the Hanoi are aware that Uchida Industries has been destroyed. As for other examples on characters losing due to being taunted, they all make sense. A common theme, don't you think?

Iris Luster: Hey, I was wondering where you were. Yes, Malf's ultimate monster is based on Black Doom from the Shadow the Hedgehog video game. It was only fitting, given how the 'Darkscourge' deck was created using the Black Arms from that video game and the Shroobs from Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. Yeah, Zandaka's on a ticking clock unfortunately. As for your winning archetype, pay attention, and it may appear sooner than you think.

Stregone Return: Well, Malf was ultimately responsible for what Dancho's going through.

KingOtakuOverYou: Beyond happy that you liked the chapter. Glad that you liked the part where Soulburner used Go's personality against Malf. Everyone that lost during the attack on LINK VRAINS' central station will be restored after Bohman and Azrael are defeated.

Guest: Well, the heroes using Cyberse monsters obviously makes sense, given how the Ignis are Cyberse. In all honesty, Ai didn't use his Ignister deck earlier because he hoped that defeating Lightning would stop the war for good. But when that didn't work, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Jason: You'll find out the answer to your question by the time the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, and by extension, Season 2 ends.

Donjusticia: Let's just say Jericho has plans for that piece of Malf now that he has re-engineered it.

Guest: Azrael can certainly leave Mirror LINK VRAINS with the Muramasa if he wanted to. Why did Azrael never tell Ace to buy SOL Technologies? It's because there's only so much Azrael can do with the funds on his hands.

T.V. 2000: Glad you liked the duel. Yes, Azrael and Wraith are suspicious on what happened given to how Malf blew up despite the function being removed from him. Yeah, it's gonna get difficult for Yuhiro.

Malcolm: That's honestly not a bad idea.

Zodiac: Yeah, there's too many Slytherins. Given how Hercules' weapons are gauntlets in the form of lions, Herald would certainly have his character placed in Gryffindor.

Guest: First off, thank you very much for your review. Let me tell you: The story did not get good reception, especially with how it started. But know that I intend to take Obscured Truth in a direction that you will certainly enjoy. For there's more content to reveal!

Joel Molina: Just read the story, and stay tuned for your answers.

Reader2: First off, happy you liked the duel. In response to your question, Malf activated Biffidus' effect from his hand after Soulburner activated Salamangreat Roar to negate it. Think of it like a hand trap. You can respond to a Counter Trap card in duels. And it wasn't a Screw the Rules! I have Money! Moment.

With all reviews having been answered, let's get onward to the chapter, which... can get a bit intense. At least it should, the way I wrote it anyway. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 90: Sadness in Sorrow

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 is Cyreath Pandora twirling around before he eyes glow red, where 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, Cyreath Alastor appears in her place, his multicolored shapes resembling eyes glowing 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 Maiden and Numera appear, with Marincess Marbled Rock 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 a room of a palace, 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 another room of the 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 Magnus Dux, along with Tribunus Laticlavius and Legatus Legionis 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 Black Keys, three in each of his hands. Watchman's eyes glow purple 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 Cyreaths Blazing Orthros, Aetos Dios, and Lernaean Hydra, 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 Cychaics Pluto, God of the Underworld, Jupiter, God of the Storm, and Neptune, God of the Sea, 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 its central station...

Akira breathed a sigh of relief as he and Ghost Girl watched Soulburner defeat Malf. Such a victory was needed, especially after all the victims Malf put in the hospital. It felt like poetic justice in the end, for it was as though Soulburner was avenging those victims. A screen then appeared on his side, which got Akira's attention. "What is it, Hayami?"

"Mr. Zaizen, great news! The people in the hospital are waking up!" Hayami reported, which made Akira smile.

"That is amazing news, Hayami. Keep me posted when you can." Akira told Hayami, who nodded before signing off.

"About time we had some good news, given the crap all of us went through recently." Ghost Girl commented.

"That may be true, Ghost Girl, but we got a well-earned victory in the end." Akira countered. And with Malf's defeat, Playmaker and the others will be one step closer in ending this war for good, he thought in his mind.

Ghost Girl crossed her arms before she sighed. "I'm just as happy as you are that Malf's gone, Akira. But the others who lost their consciousness data due to Azrael's attack..."

"Will be restored once Playmaker and the others defeat Lightning and Azrael." Akira gently reassured Ghost Girl. "Your brother will be saved as well, Ghost Girl. That, I can promise."

"I know that, Akira. It doesn't erase the pain on what happened, though."

"I get that." Just before Akira was about to say something else, the duo felt the whole area begin to flicker on and off.

"Attention: LINK VRAINS is currently experiencing technical difficulties. SOL Technologies is working on a fix, and expects to have the problem resolved shortly. Please standby," a voice announced, much to the confusion of the people in the central area.

"Even after implementing the security update the Kings approved, this issue is still going on." Akira quietly cursed to himself. Earlier, Ghost Girl told him that the Mirror LINK VRAINS Lightning created was the result of the flickering going on in the network. It pained Akira that potential peace talks between humans and Ignis were shut down, particularly after Go captured Earth under SOL Technologies' orders. If it weren't for SOL Technologies' bounty hunters, then there could have been an opportunity to build co-existence and peace with the Ignis.

"The issue will be shut down for good once Raguel, Playmaker, and the Hanoi defeat Lightning, Bohman and Azrael for good." Ghost Girl reminded Akira.

"I'm aware of that, Ghost Girl. Yet it still surprises me that Raguel and Playmaker would team up with the Knights of Hanoi to do so." Akira reluctantly admitted.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, am I not correct?" Ghost Girl replied, which made Akira nod in confirmation. The old saying 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' definitely applied here. If Playmaker and Raguel continued to fight the Hanoi and SOL Technologies, then Lightning, Bohman and Azrael would have immediately won due to all of them having weakened one another in their conflict. Suddenly, a notification popped up on Ghost Girl's duel disk, which made her press a button on it to investigate it further. After doing so, a screen popped up that showed Blue Maiden about to begin her duel against Bohman. "Take a look at this, Akira."

Akira looked at the same screen Ghost Girl was looking at with a concerned expression. He had complete faith in Blue Maiden's abilities as a duelist given by how she managed to efficiently wield not one, but two decks. That, and how Blue Maiden contributed towards curing the Another victims and putting an end to the Turf War. But that didn't mean Akira couldn't be worried for Blue Maiden's safety. He was her big brother after all, even if it wasn't by blood. Nevertheless, Akira fully believed that Blue Maiden would defeat Bohman in the end, which was something he wouldn't deny for a second.

Meanwhile, in Mirror LINK VRAINS...

Raguel narrowed his eyes as the broadcast ended. "Malf's been defeated, which means we're one step closer to defeating Lightning and Azrael."

"We certainly are, Raguel, and we even got another victory along the way." Herald agreed.

"Oh, yeah! Malf's victims! They should be waking up now that he's been defeated!" Raguel realized.

"Just as Blue Maiden ended the Another incident and saved lives, Soulburner did the same thing too by defeating Malf." Herald smiled. "It still surprised me that Go was the one factor that led to Malf's defeat."

"It wasn't just Go, Herald. Thanks to Ace, Malf's evolution was delayed. Though I'm not sure if I should be grateful for that factor." Raguel admitted.

"Let's just be grateful that Malf's been defeated for good, Raguel. For we now have one less enemy to contend with." Herald said.

"My thoughts exactly." Raguel replied. Suddenly, the duo noticed a sound and looked up, where they saw the purple sphere reappear. "Someone's dueling again? Who is it?" His eyes widened upon seeing the image. "It's Blue Maiden!"

"And Bohman's there too!" Herald added.

Kusanagi grit his teeth and glared at the screen in Café Nagi. "Bohman, I'll never forgive you for what you done to Jin!"

Roxy narrowed her eyes after looking at what she was seeing on the screen back at Café Matsuo. "Be careful, Blue Maiden."

Raguel and Herald, along with everyone else, watched as Blue Maiden and Bohman's conversation about Miyu Sugisaki, as well as Bohman's intent on getting revenge for Haru's defeat. Aqua tried to empathize with Bohman, saying that she lost everything he did, only for him to counter that he prefers to end humanity to ensure everlasting peace. Following the debate on how peace can be achieved between Aqua and Bohman, Blue Maiden says that she's simply here to restore Miyu's consciousness, just like Raguel. This resulted in Bohman praising Blue Maiden for having intentions that were direct, simple, and motivating. To everyone's surprise, the vaccine data for Miyu appears in Bohman's hand, with him saying that he'll cure her should Blue Maiden defeat him in a duel. Blue Maiden immediately accepted Bohman's terms before their duel began.

"Bohman has Miyu's cure?!" Raguel exclaimed.

"This is certainly surprising. I never expected Azrael to hand over Miyu's vaccine data over to Bohman." Herald admitted. "Given how events are going, Azrael most likely wants to motivate us into fighting harder so we can win this war."

"I doubt that's the case, Herald. If anything, Azrael wants us to fight harder so that it'll be more satisfying once he defeats us at our best." Raguel countered. "Nevertheless, Blue Maiden's going to have a hard time, especially with how Bohman's deck counters attributes."

"Specifically, Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind." Herald emphasized.

Revolver narrowed his eyes. "We don't know how strong Bohman has become since his duel with Playmaker in that false Cyberse World. This will be a good opportunity to find out."

What no one noticed was Jericho appearing in the same area Bohman and Blue Maiden were in. "Excellent! I'm just in time too!" In his hands was a piece of Malf's data, which emitted with a yellow color. "And now that I reengineered this piece of Malf, everything is going according to plan!"

As such, the duel began with Blue Maiden immediately Link Summoning Marincess Marbled Rock without losing any cards. Bohman was also surprised that she had sentience, with Aqua telling Bohman that every living being has the right to a voice. While Bohman acknowledged that fact, it didn't change anything, for the duel had just begun. As such, Blue Maiden ended her turn with one face-down card.

"Not only did Blue Maiden bring out a Link 3 monster, she also has cards in her hand that can be used on her next turn." Playmaker observed.

"That 'Marincess' deck is definitely impressive." Ai acknowledged.

In response, Bohman brought out three copies of the Link 1 Coolant Hydradrive, along with Judgment Arrows. While Blue Maiden assumed that Bohman would attack directly with all three of his monsters, Bohman proved that assumption wrong by using them to Link Summon the Link 3 Cubic Hydradrive Lord. Blue Maiden was caught off guard even more when Bohman revealed that not only did Cubic Hydradrive Lord gain two more attributes upon being Link Summoned, but that his effect would negate the effects of all monsters that had those same attributes. Bohman then had Cubic Hydradrive Lord attack Marincess Marbled Rock, where upon doing so, Cubic Hydradrive Lord's effect would allow him to attack again.

Luckily, Blue Maiden had a counter by using the Trap card, Marincess Snow to bring out a new 'Marincess' Link monster. A very familiar one.

"It's Crystal Heart." Herald observed.

"I'm not one to be sentimental, but Earth's lending his power to Blue Maiden and Aqua." Raguel surmised. He couldn't resist a genuine smile after seeing Marincess Crystal Heart be unaffected by Cubic Hydradrive Lord's effects. The best part was how Crystal Heart not only shut down Judgment Arrows, but negated Bohman's attack as well. "Okay, now that was awesome."

Jericho smirked after seeing the turn and how Blue Maiden managed to counter Bohman's strategies. "A smart play that Bohman did on his part with Cubic Hydradrive Lord. If I were in his shoes, I'd do the exact same thing. As for how Blue Maiden managed to respond, it wasn't too bad." Once Bohman brings out a very powerful monster, that'll be my opportunity to swoop in and plant my trump card, Jericho thought in his mind. Every duel monster emits a form of energy. The stronger the form of energy, the stronger that monster is.

Revolver frowned as Blue Maiden started talking about Miyu again. "Even now, our mistakes ripple outwards, affecting not only the ones we hurt, but the ones who loved them. In a sense, it's good because we can continue working to ensure that no one else is thrown into this conflict, especially after the Turf War and the recent attacks."

Revolver's monologue was interrupted by Bohman releasing a pulse of something that made all of Mirror LINK VRAINS shake.

"What in the world?" Raguel gasped as he nearly stumbled.

"What the Hell is this, Roxy?!" Kusanagi asked Roxy by a comms line and webcam in the real world. The two of them kept a comms line open so they can communicate with one another while Raguel and the others were in Mirror LINK VRAINS. "Bohman's destabilizing Mirror LINK VRAINS!"

"Not just Mirror LINK VRAINS!" Roxy said, who was also panicked with what was happening. "The original Mirror LINK VRAINS too!" Sure enough, LINK VRAINS was glitching out even more than before and shaking just like Mirror LINK VRAINS. A notification suddenly popped up on Roxy's screen, and when she looked at it, she gasped in horror.

"Everything okay, Roxy? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Kusanagi, I just got a message from Ghost Girl. She's with Akira in LINK VRAINS, and SOL Technologies just lost control of the network." Roxy told him.

Raguel grit his teeth as the rumbling stopped and the duel resumed with Blue Maiden's turn. She attempted to inflict effect damage using the Continuous-Spell card, Marincess Bubble Blast, only for Bohman to block it using Interference Canceller. Blue Maiden wasn't deterred by this, where she tried to activate Bubble Blast's effect again and again to outrun Interference Canceller. Unfortunately, Bohman used Hydradrive Mutation's effect to not only Special Summon it to his field by returning Interference Canceller, but use its second effect to Set that card once again. The worst part was that Bohman could activate it once again, which put Blue Maiden's turn to a complete stop.

After Aqua made a point that both sides lost so much, Bohman responded by thanking her and Blue Maiden for defeating Haru. For by doing so, Bohman was able to incorporate emotions with calculations to evolve his dueling skills.

"Bohman and Haru truly cared for one another as brothers..." Raguel muttered. Both Bohman and Haru became stronger thanks to the bond they had between one another as brothers. Such a thing was something Raguel envied due to how the Lost Incident separated him from Azrael, thus robbing that opportunity away from the former.

"Even AI's have emotions, Raguel. On that aspect, they're similar too humans." Herald commented.

"I will now generate my circuit!" Bohman said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are four 'Hydradrive' Link monsters with the same attribute. I set the Link 3 Cubic Hydradrive Lord, and three copies of the Link 1 Coolant Hydradrive into the Link Markers!" Cubic Hydradrive Lord went into the left arrowhead, while the three copies of Coolant Hydradrive Lord went into the right, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all four of them red.

"Merciless sovereign! Tear apart my enemies that share the same energy you have, and dominate the elements! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch!" A male warrior that was half-human and half-snake in appearance appeared on Bohman's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had red armor over his blue body, with large shoulder pads that had a spike on each side curving inwards. He also had four arms, three of which that carried swords, while the last one carried a large shield resembling that of the Hydradrive sigil.

Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

Bohman announced that upon being summoned, Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch gained the attributes of Water, Fire, and Wind along with Earth. In addition, Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect also negated the effects of any monsters that shared his attributes. Once Coral Anemone's effects were negated, Bohman had Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch attack Crystal Heart, which seemed inefficient to Blue Maiden at the time. However, Bohman's plan became clear: Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect required Blue Maiden to send a monster to the Graveyard, then he could attack again. Whichever monster she sent to the Graveyard, she was trapped. Blue Maiden started to panic, but she managed to regain control quickly and used the Trap Card, Marincess Cascade, to banish her monsters and dodge Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect.

"Now that's a powerful effect." Jericho acknowledged, as he tiptoed around the area before throwing the infected piece of Malf at Bohman, which went into him. That made Bohman grit his teeth in annoyance, as though a headache was going through his head. However, he quickly shrugged it off, assuming that he was slightly annoyed with Blue Maiden managing to evade Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect.

"Well, at least Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch didn't have a dice effect." Raguel stated.

"Yeah, the last thing we need is for our enemies to use dice effects and get lucky with them." Herald commented. "Luck must stay on our side at all costs!"

"But you don't believe in luck."

"No, I do not."

"Shine, the circuit of love, friendship, and bonds!" Blue Maiden said, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more Water monsters, including a copy of 'Marincess Crystal Heart'. I set the Link 2 Marincess Crystal Heart, and the Link 2 Coral Anemone into the Link Markers!" Crystal Heart went into the left and right arrowheads, while Coral Anemone went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all four of them red.

"Guardian of the ocean! Heed the cry of its denizens, and purge the impurities that have hurt them! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 4! Marincess Wonder Heart!" A pale-skinned woman with pink eyes that wore a blue dress the colour of water appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Crystal Heart was attached to her exposed chest, which glowed light blue. She had dark-blue hair where the sides were in the form of small clams, along with a long, wide piece of hair that extended down to the back of her neck. A gold and dark-blue crown sat on top of her head.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2800 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

"It seems that I'm needed to deal with monsters like you. I'll show you all how it's done." Wonder Heart promised.

Thanks to Marincess Battle Ocean, Wonder Heart was unaffected by Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effects, and it also allowed Blue Maiden to equip three of her Link monsters to Wonder Heart, which increased her attack points to 4400. Wonder Heart then then destroyed Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch, and with her effect, Blue Maiden was allowed to Special Summoned the equipped Marbled Rock to her field. Marbled Rock attacked for the win, only for Bohman's to activate the Trap card Hydradrive Tolerance to reduce the damage.

"Damn, she was so close!" Slipstream exclaimed.

"It makes sense for Bohman to have a card on his field to use so he can survive the turn." Flame acknowledged.

"Yeah, but it still is annoying after all the hard work you've put in to try and win the duel." Soulburner said.

Bohman then began his turn by paying 1000 life points to Special Summon Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch to his field with his attack points having been doubled. He then had him attack Wonder Heart, only for Blue Maiden to activate Wonder Heart's effect to Special Summon Blue Slug in exchange for avoiding destruction. Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect then activated, forcing Blue Maiden to send Blue Slug to the Graveyard and allowing him to attack again. This repeated, with Wonder Heart Special Summoning Coral Anemone, then Blue Maiden sending her to the Graveyard to allow Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch to attack again. He attacked a third time, this time forcing Blue Maiden to send Marbled Rock to the Graveyard, leaving Wonder Heart alone on her field.

"Well, folks. It looks like it's lights out for Blue Maiden." Jericho stated. However, his statement was disproved after seeing reduce the damage with Marincess Crown Tail and bring back Crystal Heart. "Huh. So she survived. But she made an error. One that will unfortunately be her undoing."

Sure enough, Jericho was right, as Blue Maiden sent Crown Tail to her Graveyard and allow Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch to attack again. As Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch charged towards Crystal Heart, Blue Maiden banished Crown Tail to reduce the damage by 10000, but it wasn't enough. And with Crystal Heart shattering into pieces, Blue Maiden's Life Points hit 0.

"Oh no, Blue Maiden!" Raguel exclaimed, his eyes having widened. Slipstream grit his teeth, Revolver narrowed his eyes, Soulburner gasped, and Playmaker angrily frowned.

All of them watched as Bohman temporarily disappeared and a hologram of Akira Zaizen appeared and ran to embrace Blue Maiden before she disintegrated into data.

"While Bohman allowed Blue Maiden to say goodbye to Akira, what he did was cruel in a way. But it was also kind to an extent." Herald commented. I'm sorry, Aqua, but we'll find a way to save you, he thought in his mind.

Raguel didn't respond as Bohman reappeared and the blue data merged with him, making a blue symbol appear on his back, followed by an orange symbol. Then the broadcast cut out.

"Aqua!" Ai exclaimed.

"So three Ignis are dead." Revolver mused. "But it won't be enough until all of them are dead."

Jericho grinned. "Want to know a fun fact, ladies and gentlemen? Blue Maiden didn't necessarily have to Special Summon Crystal Heart from her Graveyard. She could have chosen not to bring it out. In that scenario, Blue Maiden still could have brought out Crown Tail and sent her to the GY as per Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect, preventing him from attacking again because Blue Maiden had no monsters on her field. Even if Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch can attack, Blue Maiden could have banished Crown Tail so she can reduce the damage by 12000, thus allowing her to continue the duel. Or, if Blue Maiden chose to Special Summon Crystal Heart, along with Special Summoning Crown Tail in defense position, she could have sent Crystal Heart to her Graveyard instead, and Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch would not deal any battle damage to her due to him destroying a monster in defense position. It's the little things that can determine whether you win or lose a duel, don't you agree, folks?" After throwing a purple orb at the pedestal Bohman once sat at, he then teleported out of the area with a chuckle.

"She was so close, yet she lost..." Raguel quietly cursed.

"We'll avenge her and Aqua, Raguel. We will." Herald assured Raguel.

Elsewhere, at Lightning's castle...

A ripple appeared in the air, which Bohman stepped out of before it dissipated, having entered into the throne room. Also at the throne room were Azrael, Wraith, Lightning, and Jin.

"Well done, Bohman. Where Windy and Malf failed to be victorious, you have succeeded." Lightning praised Bohman, which got the latter's attention. "And the fact that you absorbed Aqua makes it an even stronger victory."

"Still, there's only four of us left. Us four against their five. We're at a disadvantage." Wraith stated.

"You don't need to worry, Wraith. For I have an idea that will tip the scales in our favor. An idea that won't hurt us." Lightning assured Wraith.

Azrael narrowed his eyes. "An idea? What do you have in mind, Lightning?"

"It's interesting you're asking that question, Azrael. You gave me the idea after Demeter and Percival lost against Windy and I in our duels."

"Oh?"

"As you once said, humans use the bonds they formed with others to continue fighting, no matter what they face. But these bonds can be used against them if used correctly." Lightning recalled.

"Where are you going with this, Lightning?" Bohman curiously inquired.

Lightning turned his head to face Bohman. "Along with Raguel, Playmaker's our most dangerous opponent. While Playmaker's strategies have few weaknesses, I cannot say the same thing outside of the duel."

"Ah, I understand what you plan to do, Lightning. You wish for Playmaker to duel someone that would catch him off guard. One that would draw out his most dangerous emotions and prevent him from winning." Wraith figured out.

"That's correct, Wraith." Lightning confirmed. "Demeter and Percival's consciousness data showed that they were related to someone close to our enemies. The former was Revolver's mother, while the latter was Jin and Shoichi Kusanagi's cousin. It's like using a human shield to an extent."

Bohman narrowed his eyes and frowned. A while back, Azrael gave Bohman footage of Lightning and Percival's duel for him to watch, where he saw Lightning use Jin as a human shield to prevent Percival from winning. This plan that Lightning was suggesting was the exact same one he utilized to ultimately defeat Percival. Not just through a duel, but by breaking the opponent mentally as well from within. Bohman wanted to see whether this was how Lightning truly dueled and dealt with his opponents. If it was, then he'd get the drop on Lightning for such a cowardly act. What's more, Bohman would even threaten Lightning with death should he keep it up.

"Then you go have your fun." Azrael said, as he began to walk out of the throne room.

"Where are you going, Azrael? I thought you and Wraith would want to enjoy the upcoming show with us." Lightning stated, which made Azrael turn to him.

"You have shown a better demonstration of what perfection is following Malf's loss. It's only fair that you have your fun with Playmaker." Azrael responded. "As long as you leave Raguel and Herald to Wraith and I alone, then I have no objections to your idea."

"We won't get involved either. Think of it as our way of making things up to you for Malf's failure in defeating Soulburner." Wraith added.

Lightning thought this over. Both Azrael and Wraith were right! While Bohman did the dirty work in demonstrating what perfection was, it had been Lightning who did it by extension. Besides, Playmaker would be erased if this plan worked, and if it didn't, then Bohman would get the chance of settling things with him afterwards. "Very well, Azrael and Wraith. I will certainly take your words into account. I do hope you enjoy the show." A ripple appeared in the air, which Lightning, Jin and Bohman walked into before dissipating behind the trio.

"I still can't believe that actually worked." Wraith said.

"Lightning's so absorbed in his plans that he fails to see what will happen in the end." Azrael said, before he unsheathed the Muramasa and sliced the air in two, which created a portal to travel through. "Let's get to work."

"Right." Wraith replied, as he and Azrael then quickly went into the portal before it closed up.

Meanwhile, in the real world, at Café Matsuo...

Roxy grit her teeth. "Damn it. The people in LINK VRAINS still can't log out."

"Is this a side effect of LINK VRAINS being exposed to Mirror LINK VRAINS? Or is this Bohman's doing?" Kusanagi wondered.

"Whether it's one, the other, or even both, there has to be a purpose to it." Roxy answered. "AIs don't do anything without a purpose."

"I'm with you on that one." Kusanagi agreed. "But we can't dwell on what if's at this point. We need to-."

"Brother..."

Roxy and Kusanagi gasped as one of the screens at Café Nagi turned static. "Brother..."

"It's Jin!" Kusanagi realized, his eyes widening.

"Brother... save me... save me... please come save me..."

"It's a trap, Kusanagi! Lightning's planning on using you against Playmaker and the others!" Roxy immediately warned Kusanagi on the other end. She did not like this at all.

Kusanagi pressed a few buttons on the digital keyboard back at Café Nagi. "Roxy, I'm going to leave the rest of you."

"Are you nuts?! Lightning's going to use you as his puppet!" Roxy reminded Kusanagi. "He ain't gonna keep his end of whatever hell of a deal he'll make with you. Surely, you of all people-."

"You're right. I can't trust Lightning." Kusanagi interrupted. "But I can't ignore Jin either." He smiled softly. "Don't worry, Roxy. Yusaku and I expected this."

"You did?"

"Yup. With Lightning holding my brother hostage, this was always a possibility." Kusanagi's eyes narrowed on the screen. "Yusaku and I are prepared for this. But while I'm gone, you need to finish the program we're working on."

"...Alright. If that's what you want." Roxy conceded reluctantly. Kusanagi hung up on the other end afterwards, which made Roxy sigh. She also knew that Lightning would use Jin as a hostage to draw Kusanagi out, even if she didn't want to believe it. And if Lightning was using Jin now, then...

"Auntie..."

Roxy gasped as one of the screens turned static. "Auntie..."

Aw shit, Roxy thought in her mind.

"Auntie... save me... save me... please come save me...!"

Roxy grit her teeth in anger and frustration. This was the last thing she needed to deal with right now! However, like Roxy told Yuhiro, Miyu was her niece. She couldn't ignore her.

"If you desire to save the girl, log into the network and go to the coordinates I sent you," a voice said on the screen, which got Roxy's attention. As if on cue, a series of coordinates popped up on the screen:

K67rdje3ol29q1u8w5m7b4s

After putting the coordinates into her duel disk, Roxy strapped it on her left arm before putting her deck into the slot. I'm sorry, Yuhiro, but you and I knew this would happen. I trust that you'll defeat me when the time comes, she thought in her mind. "Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!"

Elsewhere, in Mirror LINK VRAINS...

Angelica logged into the area of Mirror LINK VRAINS the coordinates took her to, and upon entry, recognized the area she was in. Or in other words, the same area where Infearno lost his duel against Azrael. "Alright, Lightning. Azrael. Show yourself!"

"Lightning is occupied at the moment. Although I am here, just as you wanted." Azrael told Angelica, as he and Wraith stepped out of the portal that appeared behind them. Once that was done, it closed up behind the duo.

"You...!" Angelica grit her teeth.

"Gritting your teeth at us, Angelica? That's not a nice way to treat people who have invited you here." Wraith taunted.

"Enough, Wraith. I want to keep things civil." Azrael said, which made Wraith back down. He then turned to Angelica. "You need not worry, Angelica. Since this is personal, no one will watch what will come next, especially with your coming task."

"My task?" Angelica repeated, before narrowing her eyes. "I'm not here to do your dirty work, Azrael. I'm here to get Miyu back!"

"And you will, Angelica. After fulfilling my request."

"What do you want?"

"It's quite simple." Azrael replied, glad to see that Angelica went straight to business. "I want you to duel Raguel and push him to the brink of death."

"Brink of death? What are you talking about? Are you saying you want me to kill Raguel?"

"You seem confused, so allow me to explain." Azrael crossed his arms. "Until I arrived on the scene, Raguel's strength was wavering because of his ethics and selflessness. Where there were moments it was strong, there were also moments where it was diminished."

"Really, now? Well, allow me to say that the moment you came into the picture, Raguel's suffered through a lot. He's no longer the same person he once was." Angelica countered.

"Is that so? I entered into the scene so I can show Raguel the reality that he was shielded from all of his life. He deserves to know the truth!" Azrael replied back angrily.

"Technically, we were always in the picture, especially with how Azrael was Monty's client." Wraith pointed out. "It was likely that Monty would have sold your identities for his safety, thus resulting in you and Raguel being attacked in the real world. So to prevent that from becoming a reality, Azrael and I simply ended his life for his failure."

"And then you used Monty for Malf's creation." Angelica finished.

"Correct. So you should be grateful that Wraith and I decided to protect you guys." Azrael confirmed.

Angelica sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Azrael and Wraith had a point. If it weren't for them, the possibility of Monty selling her and Raguel's identities for his safety would have popped up. "Honestly, I can't help but sympathize with you for what Watchman put you and Raguel through. Had I known where you were, I would have adopted you so you guys would have stayed together."

Azrael smiled back. A strained one, but it was still a smile. "That's nice, but given how everyone is unequal around the world, not everyone has a fair hand in life. Some have to make do with what they're given. Nothing more, nothing less. Although I do thank you for taking care of Raguel when I could not keep an eye out for him."

"If you cared about Raguel so much, and knew where he was, then how come you never went to see him?"

"Believe me when I say I wanted to." Azrael admitted, much to Angelica's surprise. "Regardless, there were three reasons why I didn't. First, I was a part of the Inquisitors at the time honing my skills. Second, after my failure to assassinate Infearno, I was on the run, and had to lay low so I can build my plans to achieve my ultimate goal. Third, I wanted to see how things played out, and whether Raguel had the guts to resolve things on his end. After watching, I finally have my answer. Raguel cannot, so I decided to take action and give him the motivation needed to make true changes. Not just for his sake, but for the sake of those he cares about as well."

"It'll be his undoing in the end, Angelica." Wraith added. "Think of it like a virus. It causes pain after first contact, but once you survive it, the human body develops antibodies to protect itself from future contact. As the old saying goes, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

"Tch." Angelica narrowed her eyes. What Azrael said made sense. However, the fact that he took action made Raguel suffer. No. Not just Raguel, but Angelica too suffered once Azrael put Miyu in the hospital.

"After hearing all of this information, can you still truly accept Raguel given his family ties? Can you still accept him as your son?" Azrael curiously asked.

"Of course I accept him as my son, and that will never change!" Angelica immediately answered.

"Is that so? Well, given what will happen next, it's going to be heartbreaking." Wraith taunted.

"But moving on from the chitchat, I want you to duel Raguel and push him to the brink of death, not kill him." Azrael reiterated. "Given his hesitation in choosing whether to sacrifice Numera or not to defeat Lord Kazuma, I want to see if Raguel has that motivation and resolve now. Succeed, and I will cure Miyu."

"But Bohman has the cure now, and I doubt he'll agree to do so." Angelica reminded Azrael and Wraith.

"Don't worry, Angelica. We actually made Bohman promise that he'd do so once this duel is done." Wraith assured Angelica.

"And if I fail, does that mean you won't cure Miyu?"

"You don't necessarily have to defeat Raguel. All I want to see is whether Raguel's motivation and resolve is there or not." Azrael repeated for the third time. "Oh, and in duels in Mirror LINK VRAINS, forfeiting won't end it."

"Should you try any funny business, you'll end up regretting it big time. So don't even bother." Wraith warned Angelica, while Azrael unsheathed the Muramasa and sliced the air in two, which created a portal to travel through.

"Okay! I'll do it!" Angelica conceded, knowing there was no way out of this situation. She loved Miyu with all her heart, and wouldn't miss a chance to save her if it meant dueling Raguel.

"I am glad you made the right choice, Angelica." Azrael replied, as he and Wraith were about to step into a portal, only for the former to remember something. "Oh, and sorry about Landios. I was the one who gave Ghost Girl the instructions to destroy it all those months ago." He and Wraith then quickly went into the portal before it closed up.

Damn it. So you two were responsible for straining my friendship with Ghost Girl, Angelica angrily cursed in her mind. While she was angry, she had other matters to attend to. Specifically, this one. It broke Angelica's heart, knowing that Raguel would be put in a lose-lose situation, even after preparing for it. And something told Angelica that this duel would only make things worse for Raguel down the road.

Meanwhile, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS...

"Man, Lightning and Azrael are taking a long time to decide their next opponent." Herald commented.

"We still need to be on guard for what's to come, Herald." Raguel reminded Herald. But before he could continue talking, the duo suddenly felt a breeze of wind go through the area. "It looks like we're up next."

"It appears so."

As if on cue, a portal appeared, which Azrael and Wraith stepped out of before it closed up from behind the duo.

"I knew we'd eventually duel again, Azrael." Raguel calmly said.

"Yeah! The sooner we get started, the sooner Raguel and I defeat you both for good!" Herald added. "So no more talking, and let's get this duel over with for-!"

"No." Azrael interrupted. "Wraith and I did not come to duel. We came to say goodbye."

"Huh?" both Raguel and Herald repeated in confusion.

"A different opponent has been chosen for you. One you two will not be able to defeat." Wraith explained.

Raguel narrowed his eyes. While he heard that before, he had a very bad feeling on what will happen next. "I'm assuming the opponent I'll be facing is someone Lightning chose?"

"Lightning's dealing with another matter at the moment. This duel will be private, where the only people watching will be Wraith and myself." Azrael said.

"So that means someone else is dueling at the same time." Herald seethed.

"Exactly. It's only fair that you go through this duel with no interruptions or interferences." Wraith confirmed.

Azrael looked up to the sky. "This opponent will be your greatest test, Raguel. Whether you'll be able to retain your motivation and resolve during this trial will determine the end result. Still, I have faith that you'll win this duel."

"You having faith? That's something I didn't expect to hear from you of all people." Raguel scoffed.

"I'm being genuine, Raguel." Azrael turned to Raguel. "I do want you to win because only I am the one who should defeat you for good."

"If the two of you get past this trial, then we'll settle things between us for good. But if you lose..." Wraith began speaking.

"Then we'll be a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS." Herald finished, he and Raguel knowing full well what happens should someone loses a duel in Mirror LINK VRAINS.

"I wish you the best of luck, Raguel and Herald. Do not disappoint me." Azrael said, before he unsheathed the Muramasa and sliced the air in two, which created a portal to travel through. He and Wraith quickly went into the portal before it closed up.

"Based on what Azrael and Wraith were saying, I do not like where this is going." Herald stated.

"Neither do I, Herald. Neither do I." Raguel agreed, his tone containing worry and fear. A fizzling sound then reached his ears. He and Herald looked around as the grass, trees, and Asagao flowers glitched. "What the-?"

A light appeared underneath the duo as they covered their eyes, and when the light faded, lowered them and gasped.

The grass, trees, and Asagao flowers were now replaced with a building that had a familiar sign on it, along with several tables nearby. A building that both Raguel and Herald recognized, for they currently lived there.

"Oh, shit. We're brought back to Cafe Matsuo." Herald observed. "Are Azrael and Wraith planning to torture us or something?"

Raguel also looked around the area, trying to figure out why the area was changed to this place. A place Raguel deemed home. And after looking around, he gasped upon seeing Angelica nearby, cleaning up one of the tables. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no..."

"What's wrong, Raguel? You look like you've seen-AAAAGH!" Herald screamed, his eyes widened after seeing Angelica.

"What took you so long, buddy?" Angelica asked, having turned around to face Raguel and Herald. "Come on, Raguel. This is your home, the place I brought you to after adopting you. It's also the place where we met Herald. You could say this is where everything started, so this is the perfect place for everything to end."

"So Lightning chose you to duel me while the others are dealing with a different opponent." Raguel said.

"Not exactly. Azrael and Wraith made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And I took it." Angelica explained.

"Tch." Raguel grit his teeth. While he and Angelica obviously discussed this possibility prior to going into Mirror LINK VRAINS, it still broke his heart for what was to come.

"I made my choice, and here I am. If I defeat you, then Miyu will finally be cured from Lightning's virus." Angelica sighed. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, Raguel. But I have to save Miyu, and you of all people should know how precious she is to me!" She activated her duel disk.

"We're not gonna duel her, are we, Raguel?" Herald anxiously inquired.

"We don't have a choice at this point, Herald..." Raguel sadly acknowledged. Damn it! Why now, he lamented in his mind.

"That's right! If you're to defeat Azrael and Lightning, then you have to get through me!" Angelica told the duo.

"Angelica, there has to be another way we can save Miyu." Raguel began speaking.

"Sorry, Raguel, but neither of us has a choice at this point. So stop talking, and start dueling!" Angelica ordered.

"Alright..." Raguel hesitantly conceded, who activated his duel disk.

"Are you nuts, Raguel?! Do you know what happens when someone duels in Mirror LINK VRAINS?!" Herald shouted.

"I'm aware, Herald. But I don't have a choice at this point." Raguel sadly repeated.

"It's time to duel!" Raguel and Angelica shouted in unison.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Angelica: 4000 LP

"Prepare yourself, Raguel! For I'm going first! My turn!" Angelica said, before she looked through the cards in her hand. "I activate the Spell card, Card Destruction. The both of us must send our entire hand to our Graveyards and draw cards equal to the number of cards sent to the Graveyard by this effect."

"Oh, crap. That is not good for us, and beneficial for her." Herald commented.

"Especially how Angelica's monsters can activate their effects once they're sent to the Graveyard." Raguel added, as he and Angelica took the cards in their hands before drawing four cards from the top of their respective decks.

"The effects of Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright and Whitebeard, the Plunder Patroll Helm activate. First, when Bluebeard's sent from my hand or Monster Zone to my Graveyard, I can discard one card from my hand to draw one card from the top of my deck. I send Plunder Patroll Parrrty from my hand to my Graveyard, and draw." Angelica decided, as she took a card from her hand before sending it to her Graveyard. Once that was done, she drew the top card of her deck.

"Second, when Whitebeard is sent from the hand or field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my deck. Emerge from my deck, Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll!" A green troll with golden-blond hair and a headband with two bunny ears on the side appeared on Angelica's field. She wore a dark-ragged brown and white pirate dress that had a bow at the center. In her right hand, she carried a pirate sword.

Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 4

"Next, I activate the effect of Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide from my hand. I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster in my Graveyard before Special Summoning this card from my hand, and by doing so, I can add that targeted monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I target Bluebeard, and Special Summon Blackeyes from my hand to my field!" After a card popped out of Angelica's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand, a black raven with golden elements all over its body flew onto her field.

Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"I summon Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey from my hand to my field." A green troll with wearing more sophisticated pirate clothing leapt onto Angelica's field. He wore a small red cap on the top of his head, and his face consisted of red sideburns and a goatee. Strapped to his side was a swashbuckling sword.

Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"I'll now swash up my circuit!" Angelica declared, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two monsters, including a 'Plunder Patroll' monster. I set Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey and Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide into the Link Markers!" Redbeard went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Blackeyes went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning them both red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Blackbeard, the Plunder Patroll Captain!" A large green troll wearing an eyepatch covering his left eye with a large black beard appeared on Angelica's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a Viking helmet on his head, and a magnificent cape draped on his shoulders.

Blackbeard, the Plunder Patroll Captain ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"The effects of Redbeard and Blackeyes now activate in sequence." Angelica began speaking. "First, when Redbeard is sent to the Graveyard while I control a 'Plunder Patroll' monster, I can target that monster and equip it with him. I target Blackbeard!" Redbeard appeared in the Spell & Trap card zone, indicating that he was equipped with Blackbeard. "Second, when Blackeyes is sent to the Graveyard from my hand or Monster Zone, I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster in my Spell & Trap card zone, and Special Summon it to my field in defense position. I target Redbeard!" As if on cue, Redbeard leapt onto Angelica's field in defense position.

Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"I activate the effect of Bluebeard from my hand. Because I control a 'Plunder Patroll' monster other than this card, I can Special Summon him from my hand." Angelica continued, as a green troll wearing ragged pirate clothing appeared on her field. The only differences were that he wore a blue cap covering his neatly combed blue hair, and his beard was colored blue.

Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright ATK: 500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"Great. Not only did Angelica bring out a Link 2 monster, she also got back her monsters!" Herald cried out.

"Of course she did, Herald. A captain is never without its crew." Raguel pointed out.

"I'll swash up my circuit for a second time!" Angelica said, as a second Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters, including a 'Plunder Patroll' monster. I set the Link 2 Blackbeard, the Plunder Patroll Captain, and Redbeard into the Link Markers!" Blackbeard went into the bottom-left and bottom arrowheads, while Redbeard went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Strike dread into the hearts of your enemies across the seven seas! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Plunder Patrollship Queen Anne!" A massive, three-masted frigate decorated in crimson-red and gold colors appeared on Angelica's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It was adorned with grisly bones and skeletons throughout the ship, giving it a tough outer shell. A total of thirty cannons were spread out on both sides of the ship, making it formidable. Each of the sails were painted blood red, while the Jolly Roger flag at the top was coloured black with a skull's flames on it. At the back of the ship was a stained glass window, which depicted dead men writhing in flames.

Plunder Patrollship Queen Anne ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"When Queen Anne is Link Summoned using Blackbeard as Link Material, I can draw cards equal to the number of monsters it points to. Since Queen Anne is pointing to Bluebeard and Goldenhair, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Angelica stated, before she drew the top two cards of her deck.

"In addition, I tune the Level 4 Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright with the Level 4 Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll!" A bolt of green lightning struck Angelica as the world greyed out and her two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, both of which were green appeared before turning blue and merging. Eight rings, stacked in a tower, appeared, a screen displaying "4 + 4" in front of them. The screen changed to "8" as light surged through the rings.

"Pirate ship embodying the element of fire! Deploy, and lay waste to the enemy!" Angelica chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Plunder Patrollship Brann!" A black and orange Viking ship appeared in one of the three Main Monster Zones Queen Anne pointed to. On its sides were five different coloured shields, along with a set of oars. It had a red and white mast with a pirate's flag on top. At the front of the ship was a pirate cannon, with two bull horns on the sides.

Plunder Patrollship Brann ATK: 2500 DEF: 1000 LV: 8

"Brann's effect! While it's on my field, all other Fiend monsters I control gain 500 attack points!" As if on cue, Queen Anne was surrounded in a fiery aura, which increased its strength.

Plunder Patrollship Queen Anne ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Angelica concluded. "Alright, Raguel. I set up my field. Let's see whether you can get through it."

"My turn. I draw." Raguel hesitantly said, as he drew the top card of his deck. His deck suddenly shook, as if it were responding to his emotions. Considering that the monsters Herald gave sentience to saw Angelica as a friend and comrade, it wouldn't be a good idea to bring any of them out. For they'd refuse to hurt her. "Since there are no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon Cyreath Damselfly from my hand to my field." A large, black-skinned creature that had dots all over its body appeared on Raguel's field. It had a total of four wings, along with a long tail that had a spike at the end of it. Attached to its body was armored plating that had a lightning bolt on it.

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Not smart, Raguel! I activate the Continuous-Trap cards, Plunder Patroll Deployment and Plunder Patroll Booty!" Angelica interrupted. "First, with Plunder Patrollship Deployment, when you Special Summon a monster to your field, I can Special Summon one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my Extra Deck to my field, and equip it with this card. I Special Summon Plunder Patrollship Lys from my Extra Deck to my field!" A large pirate ship with two bows instead of one at the front, appeared on Angelica's field in defense position in the second Main Monster Zone Queen Anne pointed to. The ship had a large mast that was colored white and purple, with a smaller red and white sail in front of it. Two shields and five oars were on each side of the ship, as well as a set of cannons. Draped between the bows was a large pirate flag.

Plunder Patrollship Lys ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

Plunder Patrollship Lys ATK: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"Second, with Plunder Patroll Booty, I can declare one attribute, and upon doing so, I can target one face-up monster you control and have its attribute changed to the declared attribute until the end of the turn."

"What?" Raguel gasped.

"Angelica's deck also changes the attributes of the opponent's monsters, although not to the same extent as the 'Hydradrive' deck." Herald recalled.

"I declare Earth, and change Damselfly's attribute to that attribute." Angelica said, as Damselfly was surrounded in a brown aura, which changed its attribute.

Cyreath Damselfly Wind - Earth

"In addition, I can also take one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my Graveyard, and either shuffle it into my deck or Special Summon it to my field. I shuffle Blackeyes into my deck!" A card popped out of Angelica's Graveyard, which she took and shuffled into her deck.

"Well, that's just great. Angelica's solidifying her defenses with a new monster, and Damselfly's attribute is now the Earth attribute as well!" Herald exclaimed.

"I'm well aware of that, Herald." Raguel told Herald, before redirecting his attention to the duel. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Damselfly into the Link Markers!" Damselfly went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Scorpius!" A huge scorpion, with large pincers and a long tail, appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"As Damselfly was used to Link Summon a Link monster, I can add one 'Cyreath' card from my deck to my hand. I add Cyreath Primordial Aura from my deck to my hand." Raguel decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I also activate Scorpius' effect. Once per turn, when I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to a zone this card points to. Return, Damselfly!" At Raguel's command, Damselfly reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone Scorpius pointed to.

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Next, as you control a Link monster, I can Special Summon Cyreath Lava Hound from my hand. However, if it's summoned using this effect, it can only attack Link monsters." An overweight, volcanic creature with small wings appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Lava Hound ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters with different names. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Scorpius, Damselfly, and Lava Hound into the Link Markers!" Scorpius went into the top arrowhead, Damselfly went into the left arrowhead, and Lava Hound went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Go wild and smash everything in your way! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Erymanthian Boar!" A bulky, massively built suidae with short and relatively thin legs appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had brown fur with light green elements all over its body, along with a mane of dark fur. It also had four tusks at the front of its head. While the two biggest ones were long and curved inward, the two small ones were hooked slightly forward.

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

"Lava Hound's second effect! As it left the field, I can Special Summon two 'Cyreath Lava Pup' tokens to my field!" Raguel continued, as two smaller pups resembling Lava Hound emerged into existence on Raguel's field in defense position.

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"I activate Erymanthian Boar's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard, except a Link monster, and Special Summon it to a Main Monster Zone it points to. I target Damselfly, and Special Summon it back to my field!" At Raguel's command, Damselfly reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone Erymanthian Boar pointed to.

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, for a third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel stated, as a third Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set Cyreath Damselfly, and both Lava Pup tokens into the Link Markers!" Damselfly went into the top-left arrowhead, the first Lava Pup token went into the top-right arrowhead, and the second Lava Pup token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"The strongest warrior chosen by the gods leads the charge to victory! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Hercules!" A tall, muscular warrior wearing a brown tunic around his waist appeared on Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone Erymanthian Boar pointed to. He wore shoulder guards resembling lion paws and a helmet resembling a lion's head with a plume forming a mane. He also carried a massive gauntlet with a lion face on each arm.

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️

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

Azrael and Wraith watched the duel nearby on top of one of the buildings. After seeing how Raguel ended his turn, Wraith narrowed his eyes, while Azrael facepalmed in frustration.

"Raguel could have set up something far better, and he settles with two face-down cards and two Link 3 monsters?" Wraith inquired.

"Erymanthian Boar and Hercules are two powerful monsters that are a part of Raguel's strategies, Wraith." Azrael told Wraith. "As for the way Raguel set it up, it was not smart at all."

"Of course not. Like I said earlier, Raguel could have had a better combination of monsters to defend himself with." Wraith agreed.

"You need not worry, Wraith. All Angelica needs to do is put some pressure on Raguel and corner him even more. Once that's done, he'll have no choice but to fight back, which will break him completely." Azrael smirked, happy with where his plan was going.

Angelica, after seeing what Raguel did on his turn, facepalmed in frustration. "Seriously? Are you freakin' kidding me, Raguel? That was not smart of you to do! Even a preschooler knows you just messed up big time!"

"Now that's just harsh." Herald commented, while Raguel slightly gasped. "I don't understand, Angelica. We've always been allies, yet you decide to make a deal with the devils? I know that you want to save Miyu just as much as we do, but a part of you should know never to trust the word of the enemy, right?"

Angelica sighed sadly in response. "Raguel. Herald. I don't want to hurt the both of you. I really don't. But..." Her eyes narrowed. "If it means freeing Miyu from this nightmare, then I will fight with all of my resolve to do so. My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the Spell card, Salvage. This card lets me target two Water monsters whose attack points are 1500 or less, and add them to my hand. I target and add Blackeyes and Bluebeard from my Graveyard to my hand." Two cards popped out of Angelica's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"Just like before, as I control a 'Plunder Patroll' monster other than this card, I can Special Summon, I can Special Summon Bluebeard from my hand to my field." Angelica reminded Raguel, as Bluebeard reappeared on her field.

Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright ATK: 500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright ATK: 500 + 500 = 1000

"In addition, I activate the effect of Blackeyes from my hand once again. I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster in my Graveyard before Special Summoning this card from my hand, and by doing so, I can add that targeted monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I target Whitebeard, and Special Summon Blackeyes from my hand to my field!" After a card popped out of Angelica's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand, Blackeyes reappeared on her field.

Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Two Level 4 monsters..." Raguel muttered.

"An Xyz Summon is coming, Raguel. Be on your guard." Herald advised.

"I overlay the Level 4 Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright with the Level 4 Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide!" Angelica declared, as a galaxy portal appeared behind her. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Bluebeard turned into a blue stream of energy, while Blackeyes turned into a black stream of energy, the both of them entering into the portal before it erupted from the center.

"Pirate ship embodying the element of darkness! Set sail, and answer the captain's call! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Plunder Patrollship Moerk!" A dark-brown and bronze Viking ship appeared in the third Main Monster Zone Queen Anne pointed to in defense position. On its sides were five different colored shields, along with a set of oars on each side. It had a red and black mast with a pirate's flag at the top. At the front of the ship was a pirate cannon. Two lights orbited the ship behind it as well.

Plunder Patrollship Moerk ATK: 1000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 4 OU: 2

Plunder Patrollship Moerk ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"But I'm not done there! I activate Brann's effect! Once per turn, by discarding a 'Plunder Patroll' card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can not only target a Spell or Trap card you control and banish it, I can also add one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my deck to my hand!" Angelica announced.

"Tch." Raguel grit his teeth. That was not good at all.

"I send Whitebeard from my hand to my Graveyard, and target the face-down card on your right! I also add a copy of Blackeyes from my deck to my hand!" After Angelica took a card from her hand and sent it to her Graveyard, a card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand. Seconds later, Brann fired a cannon blast at the face-down card on Raguel's right, turning it into particles.

Great. I needed Cyreath Imprisonment to prevent Angelica's monsters from attacking, Raguel cursed in his mind.

"And like earlier, when Whitebeard is sent to the Graveyard from my hand or field, I can Special Summon one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my deck. Emerge from my deck, a copy of Redbeard!" Angelica said, as a second copy of Redbeard appeared on her field.

Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"From there, I activate Moerk's effect! Once per turn, by discarding a 'Plunder Patroll' card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can not only target a monster you control and banish it, I can also add one 'Plunder Patroll' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand!"

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed.

"I send Plunder Patroll Shipshape Ships Shipping from my hand to my Graveyard, and target Erymanthian Boar on your field! I also add Pride of the Plunder Patroll from my deck to my hand!" After Angelica took a card from her hand and sent it to her Graveyard, a card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand. Seconds later, Moerk fired a cannon blast at Erymanthian Boar, turning it into particles.

"I'll now swash up my circuit!" Angelica declared, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Plunder Patroll' monsters. I set the Link 3 Plunder Patrollship Queen Anne, and Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey into the Link Markers!" Queen Anne went into the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrowheads, while Redbeard went into the top arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Infamous ship of the seven seas! Emerge out of Davy Jones' locker, and unleash the massacre of my enemies! Link Summon! Arise! Link 4! Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman!" A massive frigate with five tattered sails, fanged mouths on the sides, and the prow having a grim reaper with his scythe attached to it appeared on Angelica's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On the ship's deck, it was encrusted with barnacles and other aquatic flora and fauna from the sea bed. A total of forty-six cannons were spread out on the sides of the ship, making it formidable. At the back of the ship were the skeletons of several ferocious sea beasts, as well as a sea serpent encircling those skeletons.

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 3200 LINK-4 ↙️⬆️⬇️↘️

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 3200 + 500 = 3700

"And now things just went from bad to worse!" Herald shrieked.

"You think I don't know that, Herald?" Raguel questioned, who grit his teeth in irritation after seeing Flying Dutchman on Angelica's field.

"The effects of Flying Dutchman and Redbeard activate in sequence. First, when Flying Dutchman is Link Summoned, I can send cards on your field to your Graveyard up to the number of monsters it points to. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's effect." Angelica told Raguel.

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed.

"Flying Dutchman is pointing to Brann, Lys, and Moerk, which means I can send up to three cards on your field to your Graveyard. As such, I send Hercules and your face-down card to your Graveyard! Release The Kraken!" At Angelica's command, several kraken tentacles appeared before smashing Hercules and the face-down card on Raguel's field, which made him grit his teeth in response.

"Second, when Redbeard is sent from my hand or Monster Zone to my Graveyard, I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster on my field with a different name, and equip him to it. I target Brann!" Angelica decided, as Redbeard jumped onto Brann, indicating that it was equipped with him.

"I also activate Flying Dutchman's effect. By shuffling a 'Plunder Patroll' monster on my field into my deck or Extra Deck, I can not only inflict damage to you equal to its original attack points, but also increase Flying Dutchman's attack points by that same amount until the end of my next turn." Angelica continued. "I shuffle Lys into my Extra Deck, which means Flying Dutchman gains 2000 attack points, and you take 2000 points of damage! Soul Ferrying!" Lys turned into particles, which went into Flying Dutchman as its strength increased.

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 3700 + 2000 = 5700

The cannons on Flying Dutchman then fired at Raguel, who was sent flying off the ground before landing on his back, his life points dropping in the process.

Raguel: 4000 – 2000 = 2000 LP

"This is good. Angelica's putting more pressure on Raguel, and he'll be forced to fight back." Azrael observed.

"Assuming that Raguel has the mental capacity to do so." Wraith snarked.

"Have patience, Wraith. In situations where one is cornered, they have two choices. Fight back, or die. The choice Raguel makes will determine his fate, as well as whether he or not he has the resolve and motivation to do so." Azrael crossed his arms before redirecting his attention back to the duel.

"But because Lys left the field, Deployment is destroyed." Raguel pointed out to Angelica, as he slowly stood up on his feet. Seconds later, Deployment turned into particles.

"I don't need that, Raguel. For I have other moves to make, such as this! I activate the effect of Plunder Patroll Shipshape Ships Shipping from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster on my field, and equip either one 'Plunder Patroll' monster or 'Emblem of the Plunder Patroll' from my deck onto that monster. I target Flying Dutchman, and equip a copy of Emblem of the Plunder Patroll from my deck to my field." Angelica replied, as an emblem appeared on Flying Dutchman's sails. "The equipped monster gains 500 attack points, and can no longer be targeted by your card effects." As if on cue, Flying Dutchman was surrounded in a green aura that increased its strength further.

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 5700 + 500 = 6200

"Now Flying Dutchman can no longer be targeted by my card effects." Raguel noted.

"Come on, Angelica. Surely, we can find a way to save Miyu if we work together. You of all people must know the logic behind working with people." Herald stated.

"I'm perfectly aware, Herald, but I have to win so that Miyu can be saved from Azrael and Lightning." Angelica repeated to Herald for a second time.

"Hello! Same here! It's like reading a book together! We're on the same page!"

"But if I don't do this, then Miyu's not gonna survive the final chapter." Angelica grimly countered, before thrusting out her right hand. "I'm sorry, Raguel, but this duel's pretty much over. Battle! Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman attacks you directly! Infamous Voyage!" The cannons on Flying Dutchman charged up before firing at Raguel, intent on delivering the final blow.

"Do something or we're done for!" Herald shouted.

"I'm aware, Herald." Raguel assured him. "If I would take damage, I can banish Primordial Aura from my Graveyard instead." A translucent barrier covered Raguel to protect him from the cannon blasts. "Furthermore, I take no further battle or effect damage for the rest of this turn."

Angelica annoyingly narrowed her eyes. In her mind, she couldn't believe that she didn't banish Primordial Aura with Brann's effect. Then again, there were two face-down cards on Raguel's field earlier, and the chances of banishing Primordial Aura were fifty-fifty. "Not bad, Raguel. But you gotta do a lot more than defending yourself if you want to stop me. I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Well, would you look at that? Raguel started to begin fighting back." Wraith said.

"Never underestimate the instinct to fight, Wraith. No matter if someone is good or evil, it will always be in their nature. Something they cannot fight back against." Azrael told Wraith, satisfied with where the duel is slowly going.

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. He had no cards on his field, compared to Angelica's three monsters and four cards in her Spell & Trap card zone. "If you want to see more, then I'll gladly show you what I got. I activate the Spell card, Glorious Cyreaths. When I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zone, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard and draw the top card of my deck. I Special Summon Lava Hound from my Graveyard to my field." At Raguel's command, Lava Hound reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Lava Hound ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

Once that was done, Raguel drew the top card of his deck.

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

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

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

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Ceryneian Hind!" A female deer with light-brown skin appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Unlike other deer though, she had male-like antlers made of gold and hooves made of bronze. She also had a dappled hide as well.

Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↙️

"When Ceryneian Hind is Link Summoned, I can draw the top card of my deck." Raguel explained, as he drew the top card of his deck.

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Ceryneian Hind, and Lava Hound into the Link Markers!" Ceryneian Hind went into the bottom arrowhead, while Lava Hound went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Van Gogh!" A young girl with blue eyes and an orange bob cut that had a long strand of hair flowing out of it appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore a black cardigan over her white shirt, as well as a pair of blue overalls. Her orange high heels each had a golden sunflower emblem on the front of them. Attached to the back of her head was a golden disk that resembled a sunflower. In her hands, she carried a massive staff that resembled a sunflower.

Cyreath Van Gogh ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬇️↘️

"Lava Hound's second effect! As it left the field, I can Special Summon two 'Cyreath Lava Pup' tokens to my field!" Raguel continued, as two more Lava Pup tokens appeared on Raguel's field in the two Main Monster Zones Van Gogh pointed to in defense position.

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"When a monster is Normal or Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone Van Gogh points to, I can add a 'Cyreath' Tuner monster from my deck to my hand. I add Cyreath Periphas from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Not so fast! Continuous-Trap, activate! Pride of the Plunder Patroll!" Angelica interrupted, knowing what Raguel planned to do, and there was no way she would risk it. "When I control a 'Plunder Patroll' monster, I can send this face-up card from my field to my Graveyard to activate one of two effects. I choose effect two, which lets me look through your Extra Deck and send one monster from it to your Graveyard!"

"What?!" Raguel and Herald exclaimed, as Pride of the Plunder Patroll turned into particles. Seconds later, a screen popped out of Raguel's duel disk, which let Angelica look through Raguel's Extra Deck. She grinned after making her decision.

"Since you plan to Synchro Summon, it's only fair that I send Cyreath Aetos Dios from my Extra Deck to your Graveyard." Angelica said, as the declared card then turned into particles, much to Raguel and Herald's dismay.

"Ha! Now that's funny! Angelica managed to seal off Raguel's attempt to Synchro Summon, which means all of his moves are for naught!" Wraith exclaimed.

"Just because Angelica sealed off one method doesn't mean Raguel's turn is over. If anything, he'll have no choice but to improvise and continue pushing himself so he can win the duel." Azrael observed. Come on, Raguel. Where is your resolve and motivation? Show it to me soon, or else it'll cost you everything, he thought in his mind.

"Well, that's just very annoying." Herald angrily seethed, shocked by how Angelica was able to stop Raguel's attempt in bringing out a Synchro monster.

"There are other ways to get around that, Herald. Such a thing will not stop my turn." Raguel coldly told Herald, before refocusing his efforts back on the duel. "Appear, for a third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A third Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set one of the Cyreath Lava Pup tokens into the Link Markers!" One of the two Lava Pup tokens went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Skull Wing!" A small skull with wings appeared on Raguel's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Van Gogh pointed to.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

"Appear, for a fourth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel stated, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are exactly three 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Van Gogh, the Link 1 Skull Wing, and the second Lava Pup token into the Link Markers!" Van Gogh went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Skull Wing went into the bottom arrowhead, and the remaining Lava Pup token went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

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

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

"The effects of Van Gogh and Skull Wing now activate. First, since Van Gogh was used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can add one 'Cyreath' card from my deck to my hand, as well as gain 500 life points. I add Cyreath Eunomia from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand. Once that was done, a small sun appeared above Raguel, which showered him with light as his life points increased.

Raguel: 2000 + 500 = 2500 LP

"Second, when Skull Wing is used as Link Material, you take 300 points of damage." A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through Angelica, who shivered as her life points dropped.

Angelica: 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP

"I activate Hades' first effect!" Raguel stated. "Once per turn, I can target one face-up monster you control and place that monster to a Main Monster Zone Hades points to and take control of it! However, it cannot attack the turn I activate this effect!"

"You can't target Flying Dutchman thanks to Emblem of the Plunder Patroll." Angelica reminded Raguel.

"I know. I target Moerk! Soul Removal!" Hades swung his clawed chain blades around and around, before lashing them out at Moerk, ripping its soul out of its body before disappearing from Angelica's field and reappearing on Raguel's field in one of the three Main Monster Zones Hades pointed to.

Plunder Patrollship Moerk ATK: 1500 - 500 = 1000

"I see what you did there..." Angelica muttered, having put two and two together.

"Moerk's effect can protect your 'Plunder Patroll' cards by detaching its overlay units. There's no way I'm letting you protect your cards." Raguel told Angelica. "Appear, for a fifth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A fifth Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one monster. I set Plunder Patrollship Moerk into the Link Markers!" Moerk went into the top arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Pseudo!" A watery spirit with one eye, two long arms, and a tail appeared in the Main Monster Zone Flying Dutchman pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 LINK-1 ⬆️

"That's actually very clever, Raguel." Herald acknowledged, having realized what Raguel just did. He wasn't the only one, for Angelica gasped as well.

"Pseudo gains attack points equal to the attack points of one monster it points to." Raguel told Angelica.

"Sorry, but that ain't happening, Raguel. I activate the effect of Breakthrough Skill in my Graveyard." Angelica countered.

"Breakthrough Skill?" Raguel repeated.

"That must have been one of the cards Angelica sent from her hand to her Graveyard due to Card Destruction!" Herald exclaimed.

"By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target Pseudo!" Angelica said, as Pseudo greyed out.

Raguel grit his teeth. His plan was simple: Use Pseudo to destroy itself and Flying Dutchman in a battle before having Hades attack Brann, thus getting rid of Angelica's monsters in the process. Sadly, that wasn't meant to be. Still, Raguel can at least get a partial victory on his turn. "Battle! Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld attacks Plunder Patrollship Brann! Soul Materialization!" Raising his clawed chain blades in the air, Hades summoned several souls out of them. At his command, the souls flew towards Brann, which distracted it before Hades charged forward and slashed it using his clawed chain blades. As a result, an explosion occurred, which made Angelica shield her eyes as her life points dropped.

Angelica: 3700 – 500 = 3200 LP

"And without Brann, Flying Dutchman loses the attack boost the former provided." Herald reminded Angelica, as a red aura surrounded Flying Dutchman, which decreased its strength.

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 6200 – 500 = 5700

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means Breakthrough Skill's effect ends, and Pseudo regains its effects." Raguel concluded, as Pseudo morphed into a watery version of Flying Dutchman before its strength increased.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 + 5700 = 5700

"Even after all of that, Raguel was barely able to inflict damage to Angelica. Although I do like where the duel's going." Wraith commented.

"Yes, and if Angelica keeps pushing Raguel further, he'll have no choice but to win. Considering the stakes at hand, it'll certainly be a great source of resolve and motivation for Raguel to seize upon." Azrael added.

"My turn! I draw!" Angelica said, as she drew the top card of her deck before looking at it. "About time you started fighting back, Raguel. Still, it's too little too late, as it'll be lights out for you soon."

"Really, now? Then allow me to correct that statement of yours." Raguel rebutted, as he gestured to his field. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Authority! I can target one 'Cyreath' Link monster on my field, and prevent you from summoning monsters whose attack points are less than or equal to its original attack points. However, it's sent to the Graveyard during the second Standby Phase after its activation."

"What?!" Angelica gasped.

"I target Hades, who is a Link 3 monster. That means you can't summon monsters whose attack points are less than or equal to 3000."

Great. Just what I needed right now, Angelica cursed in her mind. Her plan was simple: Summon Blackeyes, then use Flying Dutchman's effect to shuffle it into her deck and inflict damage to Raguel before increasing Flying Dutchman's attack points. However, not all plans worked out, and it was a good thing Angelica had a back up plan in mind should something like this happen. "Then how about this? I activate the effect of Trap Re-Arm in my Graveyard."

"Trap Re-Arm?" Raguel repeated, having remembered that card from his duel against Lord Kazuma.

"That must have been another of the cards Angelica sent to the Graveyard at the beginning of the duel!" Herald realized.

"As a leader, you must work hard to retain your resolve and be ahead of your opponents at all costs, no matter who or what stands in your way." Angelica told Raguel and Herald. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can not only Set one Trap card from my deck to my field, I'm also allowed to activate it the turn it was Set. I Set Reverse Glasses from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Angelica's deck, which she took and Set to her field.

"From there, I activate the Trap card, Reverse Glasses. When this card is activated-."

"Not so fast! I activate the effect of Cyreath Eunomia from my hand." Raguel interrupted. "By sending this card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can negate the activation of a card effect. So say goodbye to Reverse Glasses!" A woman with silver hair, carrying a silver sword and a small court scale, briefly appeared on Raguel's field. The woman wore a black and white dress, with a diamond choker. Eunomia threw the silver sword at Reverse Glasses, which negated its effects.

"Tch." Angelica grit her teeth. While she expected something like this, at least Raguel used it up now than much later. "Battle! Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman attacks Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld! Infamous Voyage!" The cannons on Flying Dutchman charged up before firing at Hades, intent on destroying him.

"Trap card, activate! Cyreath Endurance!" Raguel interrupted. "When a Link Monster I control battles a monster my opponent controls with higher attack points, my monster gains attack points equal to its Link rating times 500! Since Hades is a Link 3 monster, that means he gains 1500 attack points!" Hades let out a roar as his strength increased.

Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld ATK: 3000 + (500 X 3) = 4500

"That still isn't enough, Raguel!" Angelica reminded Raguel, as the cannon blasts hit Hades, which caused a massive explosion that sent Raguel flying off the ground before he landed on his back, his life points having decreased in the process.

Raguel: 2500 – 1200 = 1300 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Flying Dutchman's effect ends." Angelica concluded, as a red aura surrounded Flying Dutchman, which decreased its strength.

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 5700 – 2000 = 3700

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 5700 – 2000 = 3700

"Tch." Raguel grit his teeth before trying to get up on his feet, only for him to barely succeed in getting up on one knee.

"Easy there, Raguel. Don't force yourself to get up." Herald gently tried to calm Raguel down, which unfortunately didn't work.

"Damn it..." Raguel muttered, before punching the ground as hard as he could several times. "Why am I not able to fight back the way I usually would?! Why do I continue hesitating?! What is wrong with me?!"

"What's wrong with you is that you have a weak resolve and motivation." Azrael told Raguel, which got everyone else's attention as he jumped down from the building he was on before landing on the ground.

"Stay out of this, Azrael and Wraith!" Herald shouted back.

"No, I think not, Herald. Raguel needs to hear what Azrael says next, or it'll be lights out for the both of you." Wraith replied back firmly.

"Back off, Azrael and Wraith. I have this duel under control, so there's no need for you to get involved." Angelica told the duo.

"You certainly do, Angelica. But your role here is done." Azrael said, before turning to Raguel. "As for you, Raguel, your resolve and motivation have been wavering. Even though you managed to fight back, it's not enough for you to win. In fact, it's just like when you dueled against Lord Kazuma all those months ago, where you only played enough moves to keep you alive when you should have used them to defeat him."

"You and I both know why I wasn't able to do so." Raguel reminded Azrael.

"True, but you still cling onto the silly notions of justice and companionship, along with your ethical code of course." Azrael responded disappointedly. "Let me ask you this: Where has that gotten you after all of this time?"

Raguel opened his mouth as he tried to come up with words to respond to Azrael's question, but found that he could not.

"Do you really believe they'll get you anywhere in life, especially in an unequal world such as this? It won't."

"But if I don't have those values..." Raguel began speaking, as he struggled to stand up on his feet before falling onto one knee.

"Then you'll be free." Azrael answered. "There's only one way for you to get through this duel, and you know it deep down that it's the only path available."

"Stop it, Azrael! Stop it, Wraith!" Angelica exclaimed, worry evident in her tone.

"Quiet!" Raguel stated to Azrael and Wraith.

"But this is necessary for you to hear, Raguel." Wraith continued. "Only by letting go of those shackles of yours will you be able to win."

"But..."

"Don't listen to Azrael and Wraith, Raguel. You're better than this!" Herald pleaded to Raguel, knowing fully well how good-natured his partner was.

"Let's be real here, Raguel. Do you really think Angelica would accept you, knowing how different you are compared to everyone else, as well as the pain you caused to her?" Azrael questioned, which made Raguel gasp. "Angelica, the woman who took care of you following the Lost Incident, has betrayed you by accepting my deal. To put it simply, she chose to protect Miyu over you. Look into the depths of your own heart, Raguel. You know it's the truth."

"Hehehe... Perhaps that's what you needed to hear, Raguel," a voice spoke, as a dark trail of energy popped out of Raguel's deck, which took the form of Pandora, much to everyone's surprise. Even Azrael and Wraith gasped upon seeing this.

"Pandora?" Raguel inquired.

"What the Hell?!" both Angelica and Herald exclaimed.

"In the conflicted state you're in, you won't be able to win the duel." Pandora stated the obvious. "But all you need to do is let go of those shackles, and you'll defeat her. Because let's face it. You need the assistance of myself and the others, and deep down in your heart, you know it."

"Damn.." Raguel muttered.

"Enough, Pandora! While I know I didn't create you, I do know that Raguel isn't gonna fall for any trick of-!" Herald began speaking.

"Stay out of this, Herald!" Raguel fiercely warned Herald, who was forced to hide into the former's duel disk upon seeing his growing anger, as evident by the brief red glow in his eyes.

"Think of it like this. If you fail to win, Azrael gets away with everything he's done to you and your friends. But if you face the facts and accept them, you'll be able to win with the assistance of myself and the others. All you need to do is summon either myself or the others, and the path to victory will be open before you. What's more, you'll be able to make Azrael pay for making you and your friends suffer this whole time." Pandora logically said. "My question to you is this: Are you gonna be noble, or take care of business?"

"Ouch. For a sentient duel monster, she's just as good as you are in mind games." Wraith acknowledged.

"Maybe, but she doesn't have the experience to back it up." Azrael pointed out.

Raguel's body began shaking as he processed everything that everyone had said in this duel. Azrael, Wraith, and Pandora were all correct. The values he had were nothing more than shackles. Ones that didn't matter in today's unequal world. To make things worse, the words that Angelica spoke to him popped up in his mind.

"I promise to ensure that you have a better life. One that helps you move on from the pain you experienced. One that helps you open up, enjoy, and learn all the things it has to offer."

"You are my son, and will always be my son. That will always be true, no matter what. You aren't a monster, or whatever you called yourself. What makes you different from your family is that you're a good and kind human being, who cares for others. I never met anyone who is as selfless as you are, and that's why I'm damn lucky that you're my son."

"You betrayed me, Angelica..." Raguel muttered, his body still shaking as he slowly stood up on his feet.

"Raguel?" Angelica said back, a look of worry on her face.

"How could you do this to me, Angelica? You betrayed me, and YOU'LL REGRET IT! IF I MUST DEFEAT YOU TO END THIS WAR, THEN SO BE IT!" Raguel shouted, his eyes glowing burning red in the process.

Meanwhile, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS...

This was not good at all for Playmaker. Not good at all. After Bohman shared some cryptic information with Playmaker and Ai, the duo were transported in an area resembling Den City's central area in the real world. The real shocker came when they found Kusanagi of all people there, who told them that he logged into Mirror LINK VRAINS to meet with Lightning, the latter having called him using Jin's voice. Kusanagi told Playmaker and Ai that Lightning offered him a deal: If Kusanagi defeated Playmaker, then Lightning would release Jin's consciousness data, thus freeing him in the process. But should Kusanagi lose or the duel end in a draw, then Jin would die for his failure. Simple as that. With little choice on the matter, Kusanagi accepted Lightning's proposition, which was how he ended up being Playmaker's opponent.

The duel immediately began, with Kusanagi summoning Codebreaker Zero day to his field before Setting a card face-down. In response, Playmaker brought out monsters to use them for back-to-back Link Summons, which ultimately led to him bringing out Decode Talker in the right Extra Monster Zone. Instead of attacking, Playmaker ended his turn, much to Kusanagi's annoyance and anger. He even commented that what Playmaker did was not smart at all.

To show Playmaker how it was done, Kusanagi brought out a second copy of Zero Day before activating the Continuous-Trap card, Codebreaker Backfire. He then used his two copies of Zero Day to Link Summon Virus Swordsman to the Main Monster Zone Decode Talker pointed to. When Playmaker questioned why Kusanagi would do something like that, Kusanagi responded by saying that after Virus Swordsman is Special Summoned and is co-linked, he could Special Summon a copy of Zero Day from his hand or Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone a Link monster pointed to. As such, Kusanagi Special Summoned a copy of Zero Day to one of the two Main Monster Zones on Playmaker's field that Decode Talker pointed to. There, he revealed that any non-Codebreaker Link monsters pointing to Zero Day had their attack and/or defense increased or decreased are reversed, much to Playmaker's horror as Decode Talker started losing attack points. To make things worse, Backfire's effect activated, which inflicted 600 damage to Playmaker each time a Codebreaker monster was summoned to his field.

Kusanagi then had Virus Swordsman attack Decode Talker, only for Backfire's effect to prevent Playmaker's monster from being destroyed in battle. He also activated Virus Swordsman's effect, which let him target a monster on Playmaker's field and lower its attack points for every Codebreaker monster on the field, as well as inflict damage equal to the attack points lost by this effect. Playmaker immediately activated Decode Talker's effect to tribute Zero Day and negate Virus Swordsman's effect before destroying him. However, Kusanagi responded by using Virus Swordsman's last effect to Special Summon himself back to his field in exchange for being banished after leaving the field. Once again, Kusanagi activated Virus Swordsman's effect to Special Summon a copy of Zero Day to his field, which triggered Backfire's effect to inflict 600 points of damage to Playmaker once again because a Codebreaker monster was summoned to his field.

Once it was Playmaker's turn, he activated the Continuous-Spell card, Link Satellite, which let him target a Link monster he controlled and place Satellite Counters on it equal to the targeted monster's Link Rating. Playmaker targeted Decode Talker, which led to Link Satellite gaining three Satellite counters. He also revealed that neither player could attack while Link Satellite was on the field, and was required to remove a Satellite counter during the End Phase. Playmaker then ended his turn by Setting a card.

Unbeknownst to Playmaker and Kusanagi, as well as everyone else watching the duel, Jericho was leaning on one of the trees nearby, a frown evident on his face. "You're kidding me, right? I get the chance to watch Playmaker duel up close, and what does he do? He chooses to not attack his best friend because of the conflict going on in his mind. What a disappointment." He giggled after saying that. "As such, Playmaker has two options, ladies and gentlemen. Playmaker can start dueling like a man and defeat Kusanagi to stop Lightning and Azrael, or lose the duel, thus bringing humanity one step closer to their doom." And should things get out of hand, it looks like I'll have no choice but to get involved myself, Jericho thought in his mind.

While Kusanagi acknowledged that he didn't want to duel against Playmaker in a situation such as this, he only agreed to do this if it meant saving Jin. As such, Kusanagi began his turn by summoning a third copy of Zero Day before using it and Virus Swordsman to Link Summon Codebreaker Virus Berserker. Kusanagi then activated Virus Berserker's effect since he was Special Summoned and was co-linked, which allowed him to target a Link monster Playmaker controlled and Special Summon up to two Codebreaker monsters from his hand or Graveyard to Main Monster Zones that Link monster pointed to. As such, Kusanagi brought out a copy of Zero Day to the Main Monster Zone pointed to on Playmaker's field. And just like last time, Backfire's effect activated before inflicting another 600 points of damage to Playmaker. To make things worse, Kusanagi activated Virus Berserker's second effect, which let him destroy face-up Spell or Trap cards up to the number of Codebreaker monsters on his field. It also allowed Kusanagi to inflict 600 points of damage for each Spell or Trap card destroyed by this effect. With Link Satellite gone, that meant Kusanagi can now attack.

"I'm disappointed, Playmaker." Kusanagi said. "I hoped you would duel and show me your resolve, but it looks like you failed to do so."

"Resolve?" Playmaker repeated.

"Obviously. Do you not remember our conversation about one's resolve? The determination to do what must be done, even in the worst of circumstances?" Kusanagi reminded Playmaker. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten about that, Playmaker. Because I know your memory's sharp, or am I mistaken? Then again, based on how the duel's going, it seems like you've forgotten in the end."

"Wow. Looks like Kusanagi's roasting Playmaker with his words too." Jericho commented. He, along with the others, then noticed a ripple in the air, which Lightning and Bohman walked out of. "Okay, now things are about to get good, right folks?"

"What are you and Bohman doing here, Lightning? I thought you'd be with Azrael and Wraith." Ai stated.

"Easy there, Ai. Bohman and I came to get a front row seat to the conclusion of this duel. But on the topic of myself, I came to get a closer listen on the conversation." Lightning explained.

"Considering how you were the one who orchestrated this mess, that makes sense." Playmaker angrily told Lightning. While he and Kusanagi were prepared for this situation, he still didn't like it one bit. What's more, Playmaker was furious with Lightning for setting it up in the first place.

"It's called using another strategy, Playmaker. You should look it up." Lightning simply replied, before turning to Kusanagi. "What could you be possibly discussing with Playmaker, Kusanagi? Playmaker doesn't have many life points left, so instead of chatting, all you need to do is attack and finish him!"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, Lightning." Kusanagi snapped back, before turning to Lightning. "All I was doing was simply driving my point home to Playmaker about my resolve to defeat him. I mean, didn't you drive your points home with Blood Shepherd and Specter before finishing them off in your previous duels, Lightning? At least let me do the same to Playmaker."

"You dare talk back to me like-?!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Settle down, Lightning." Bohman said, which got Lightning's attention. "The duel is about to end. So instead of throwing a tantrum, you should rejoice that one of our greatest enemies is about to be defeated for good."

"Very well. I suppose I'll back down, Bohman. That is, as long as Kusanagi completes his end of the deal." Lightning conceded.

"Oh, don't worry. I intend to finish Playmaker off." Kusanagi promised, before he thrusted out his right hand. "Sorry, Playmaker, but this is the end! Battle! Codebreaker Virus Berserker attacks Decode Talker! Viral Rampage!" Virus Berserker charged forward at Decode Talker, intent on finishing him off.

However, Playmaker activated the Trap card Link Cancel to return Decode Talker back to his Extra Deck and Special Summon the monsters used as Link material for the Link Summon, as long as the monsters used were Link monsters. As such, Playmaker Special Summoned Link Spider and Protocol Gardna, which caused Kusanagi to attack Protocol Gardna with Virus Berserker instead. Luckily, Playmaker was one step ahead, for Protocol Gardna's effect not only prevented itself from being destroyed in battle once per turn, it also reduced the battle damage to zero.

With the Battle Phase over, Kusanagi activated the Continuous-Spell card, Codebreak Bind, which prevented monsters that aren't linked to Codebreaker Link monsters from attacking. What's more, should Playmaker Special Summon a monster that not only ends up being linked to a Codebreaker monster, but also destroys a monster and send it to the Graveyard, Bind's second effect would send itself to the Graveyard and inflict damage to Playmaker equal to the destroyed monster's attack points. Once that was done, Kusanagi ended his turn.

"GAAAAAH!" Playmaker shouted, much to Ai's surprise and shock as the former narrowed his eyes. "I will now create my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters. I set the Link 1 Link Spider, and the Link 2 Protocol Gardna into the Link Markers!" Link Spider went into the top arrowhead, while Protocol Gardna went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Decode Talker Extended!" A warrior who wore gold and purple armor with dark-blue lines around it appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, which resulted in him being co-linked with Virus Berserker. In his hands, he carried a large, purple sword.

Decode Talker Extended ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"Finally! Now we're talking here!" Jericho cheered, glad to see that Playmaker was finally able to get his head straight in the duel.

Despite Decode Talker Extended being hindered due to Zero Day's effect, Playmaker activated Decode Destruction by targeting Decode Talker Extended, who was also 'Decode Talker' while on the field. Since Decode Talker Extended pointed to three monsters, that meant Playmaker can use all three of Decode Destruction's effects, with the first effect increasing Extended's attack points by 500 for every monster he pointed to.

Once that was done, Playmaker had Decode Talker Extended attack Virus Berserker before activating the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyberse Pride, which protected Extended from destruction by battle. And since Extended was battling a monster whose attack points than higher than his, Playmaker activated Pride's second effect to pay life points equal to the difference so that Extended can gain those same attack points. With that, Virus Berserker was destroyed, but not before Lightning taunted Playmaker by saying that he sealed his fate with that foolish move.

However, Playmaker replied that Decode Destruction's second effect allowed him to banish the monster that was destroyed by battle, much to Lightning's shock and Kusanagi's irritation. It also led to both copies of Zero Day being destroyed because Virus Berserker was destroyed by battle or card effect. In addition, Playmaker revealed that Decode Destruction's final effect allowed him to destroy all cards that Kusanagi had on his field because Extended destroyed a monster by battle.

Finally, Playmaker added that when a monster Extended pointed to was sent to the Graveyard by battle or card effect, he can make an additional attack this turn.

"T-T-The battle..." Playmaker began speaking, only for him to hesitate once again after realizing what would happen next. However, to Playmaker and Ai's surprise, Decode Talker Extended turned to face him.

"I will take this burden so you don't have to, Playmaker." Decode Talker Extended promised Playmaker.

"Woah, woah, woah! Decode Talker can talk?!" Ai exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter right now, Ai." Playmaker told Ai, before refocusing his attention to the duel. "The battle continues! Decode Talker Extended attacks you directly, Kusanagi! Dual Decode Destruction!"

"Farewell." Decode Talker Extended simply said, before he spun the swords in his hands and charged forward at Kusanagi, who slashed the latter with them as a massive explosion occurred. This sent Kusanagi flying off the ground, his life points having dropped to zero in the process.

Kusanagi: 4000 – 4300 = 0

"KUSANAGI!" Playmaker cried out, who ran to try and reach out in order to save him. However, to his horror, Kusanagi simply turned into blue particles.

"Kusanagi's gone..." Ai lamented, before taking in Kusanagi's consciousness data. There was no way in Hell that Ai would let Kusanagi become a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS.

"I didn't..." Playmaker fell to his knees. "I didn't get to say goodbye..."

Jericho clapped loudly with joy. "Bravo, Playmaker! Bravo! What an awesome job! While it started out boring at first due to your character development and what not, you truly put on a spectacular finish to this duel! BRAVO!" Yet I can't help but feel like I've missed out on something, Jericho thought in his mind.

Elsewhere, back at Raguel and Angelica's duel...

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel infuriatingly said, as he drew the top card of his deck before letting out another loud shout. "Fine! You want me to actually fight back?! You saying that my best wasn't enough?! Then I'll gladly show you my resolve once and for all! I summon Cyreath Pandora from my hand to my field!" A girl in her pre-teens with red eyes and shoulder-length blond hair appeared on Raguel's field. She wore a white and blue Greek-styled dress, as well as sandals on her feet.

Cyreath Pandora ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4 Scale: 0

"Someone's going to die soon, and that someone will be you!" Pandora gleefully said, before turning to Raguel. "Do not worry, Raguel. I promised I would help you win this duel, and I will."

"When Pandora is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Cyreath' monster and one 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I add Cyreath Guardian and Rank-Up Magic Cyreath Force from my deck to my hand." Raguel decided, as his right hand was surrounded with white energy before two cards popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I also activate the effect of Doppelgänger in my Graveyard. By banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard to my field. I banish Damselfly, and Special Summon Doppelgänger from my Graveyard to my field!" At Raguel's command, Doppelgänger reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"Two Level 4 monsters..." Angelica muttered, looking at Raguel's field. "Shit..."

"Looks like Raguel's finally choosing to destroy his values for the greater good. About time, don't you think, Azrael?" Wraith asked, which caused Azrael to nod in response.

"I overlay the Level 4 Cyreath Pandora with the Level 4 Doppelganger!" Raguel said, as a galaxy portal appeared behind her. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Both Pandora and Whelp turned into streams of black and grey energy before entering the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"Watchdog of the Underworld, heed my call and tear my foes to bits! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Cyreath Blazing Orthros!" A dark-red, two-headed hound with flames engulfing his body appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a large metal brace with a broken chain attached to his left paw, with similar-looking spiked collars around his necks. In addition, Orthros had a large bone structure protruding from his back, with funnel-like spouts that shot out flames, which ran along his spine.

Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"When Pandora is used for a summoning method, I can activate one of five effects depending on the summoning method I used her for." Raguel added. "Since Pandora was used for the Xyz Summon of a 'Cyreath' Xyz monster, all monsters you control have their attack points reduced to zero!"

"That ain't happening, Raguel!" Angelica interrupted, as she gestured to her field. "Shield of the Plunder Patroll!" The card showed a large, silver shield that had the Plunder Patroll symbol in the middle. In the background was a silhouette of Blackbeard, his arms outstretched around it. "When this card is activated, I can equip it to a 'Plunder Patroll' monster I control, and it's unaffected by your card effects while it's on the field." A silver shield appeared in front of Flying Dutchman, which protected it from a silhouette of Pandora that fired energy at it.

"If that's the case, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Cyreath Force!" The card showed a symbol was colored white, which consisted of a dark-orange demonic crest that had lion fangs on the sides that glowed with energy. "This card lets me target one 'Cyreath' Xyz monster on my field or in my Graveyard, and Special Summon one 'Cyreath' Xyz monster whose rank is one higher than the targeted Xyz monster by using it as Xyz Material. I target Blazing Orthros, and rebuild the Overlay Network!" A bolt of white and orange energy shot upwards, which caused the galaxy portal to reappear as a result. Blazing Orthros turned into orange energy that went into the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"Guardian of the underworld! Incinerate all those who stand in my way, and turn them into ash!" Raguel chanted. "Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Appear! Rank 5! Cyreath Scorching Cerberus!" A dark-grey, three headed hound with red cracks and flames pulsing in his body appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a golden, metal collar around each of his three necks that also emitted small flames. Attached to those collars were black, broken chains that swung loosely behind him.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 5 OU: 3 Scale: 0

"The best part is that if you control any face-up cards, Cyreath Force's second effect negates their effects!"

"Are you serious?!" Angelica exclaimed, as a pulse of energy erupted from the card, which greyed out all of Angelica's other cards.

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 3700 – 500 = 3200

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 3700 – 500 = 3200

"What the Hell?! How did Raguel get that card in his deck?!" Herald exclaimed, having slowly emerged from Raguel's duel disk. Was this another of the cards Raguel made himself? Or did he create it just now with his own willpower just now, Herald wondered in his mind. If it's the second option, then such a thing should be impossible! And if it keeps up, then it'll get even more disastrous!

"Very well done, Raguel. I just knew you'd make the right choice in the end." Azrael said.

"I activate Cerberus's first effect! During either of our turns, when your monster's attack points are changed, you take damage equal to the difference between its current and original attack points! The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of this card's effects!" Raguel told Angelica. "That means you take 500 points of damage! Lava Plume!" Cerberus let out a shout as fiery energy erupted from his body, which hit Angelica and caused her to take several steps back as her life points slightly dropped.

Angelica: 3200 – 500 = 2700 LP

"Next, I activate Scorching Cerberus's second effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit and banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, one monster you control loses attack points equal to the banished monster's attack points. In addition, Cerberus gains attack points equal to that monster's lost attack points until the end of my next turn. And like before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of this card's effects!"

"What?!" Angelica exclaimed.

"I banish Hercules from my Graveyard, which means your monster loses 2500 attack points, while Cerberus gains 2500 attack points! Magma Storm!" Raguel decided, as one of the Overlay Units went into Cerberus's middle mouth before all three heads fired a blast of fire at Flying Dutchman. It took the form of a fiery version of Hercules as it hit Flying Dutchman and left it in scorch marks.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus OU: 3 – 1 = 2

Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman ATK: 3200 – 2500 = 700

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 3000 + 2500 = 5500

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 3200 – 2500 = 700

"Battle!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "Cyreath Pseudo attacks Plunder Patrollship Flying Dutchman!" Pseudo then charged forward at Flying Dutchman, the head on collision turning both of them into particles.

"Oh no!" Angelica exclaimed.

"It's time to end this duel for good!" Raguel declared. "The battle still continues! Cyreath Scorching Cerberus attacks you directly! Scorching Overdrive!" The fire pulsing in Scorching Cerberus's body enveloped him in a blazing inferno as he charged forward at Angelica, who proceeded to slash her with such force that it caused a fiery explosion. As a result, Angelica was sent flying off the ground, her life points dropping to zero in the process.

Angelica: 2700 – 5500 = 0

Raguel suddenly gasped as all of the good memories he had with Angelica flowed through his mind, which made him snap out of his feral state. Tears then formed in his eyes as he ran towards Angelica, hoping to save her. "MOM!" To Raguel's horror, Angelica began turning into blue particles.

I'm sorry you had to go through this, Yuhiro. I wish there was something I could have done to prevent this duel from happening, Angelica lamented in her mind. Just know that I'll always be your mother, and you'll always be my son, no matter what happens next.

"Roxy!" Herald cried out as well, before taking in Angelica's consciousness data. There was no way in Hell he would let Mirror LINK VRAINS take her consciousness data.

Raguel then fell to his knees in sadness and despair. "What have I done? What have I become?"

"What you needed to do." Azrael answered, before walking over towards the crying Raguel and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Angelica fulfilled her end of the deal, and so I will uphold my end of the deal."

"But you don't have the cure for Miyu. Why should I believe you?!" Raguel angrily questioned. In response, Azrael stepped forward and unsheathed the Muramasa before slicing the air in two, which created a portal to travel through.

"Come with me and you'll find out." Azrael simply replied, before he and Wraith stepped into the portal.

"Raguel..." Herald muttered with a worried tone. With what's happened, what Herald saw in his nightmare was beginning to come true. The future had taken root in the present.

With a small shout, Raguel stood up on his feet before following Azrael by stepping into the portal, which closed up behind him. After doing so, Raguel gasped upon seeing Lightning use Jin to beat up Playmaker. "What the Hell's going on?!"

Lightning turned to Raguel after seeing him arrive. "How are you and Herald here? Shouldn't you be-." He gasped before turning to Azrael and Wraith. "Azrael. Wraith. Explain yourselves!"

"I've simply conducted an experiment, and just like you with Playmaker, I succeeded in breaking Raguel's spirit." Azrael explained.

"You did not get my permission to do such a thing!"

"We didn't need your permission in the first place, Lightning. Even if you could stop Azrael and I, you wouldn't have been able to succeed" Wraith angrily replied.

"Hang on a minute. What happened, Herald? How are you and Raguel even here?" Ai asked.

"Raguel was forced to duel against Angelica, and he won. Though it came at a great cost." Herald answered, which caused Ai to gasp.

"You set this up, didn't you, Lightning?" Ai guessed.

"No, I did not, Ai. Even I wasn't aware of what was going on." Lightning annoyingly told Ai, before having Jin throw Playmaker to the ground once again. "Stand up, Playmaker. Humanity's hope can't be this pathetic. Get up and fight me!"

"You say that knowing he can't!" Ai protested.

"How pathetic, Lightning. If you want a fight, then face me instead!" Herald exclaimed.

"Stop it, Lightning!" Raguel demanded, while Azrael and Wraith simply watched in silence. The strain that Raguel went through made him fall on one knee once again.

Jericho laughed as he watched the spectacle in front of him. "Well, things got even more interesting, folks. Though I'm a bit pissed that I missed out on another duel." But before he could comment further, his duel disk beeped, which made him look at a screen that popped up. It showed a scan of vital signs of everyone present, and after reading them all, Jericho sadistically smiled upon looking at the one that was glowing red. "Hahaha! Now this is just perfect!"

He quickly went over to where Raguel was before pressing a few buttons on his duel disk, where the cursed boundary layer emerged from it. Jericho then tossed it at Raguel, which latched itself on the latter's body before disappearing. This led Raguel to grit in pain further as a result. Judging by these recent results, things were going way better than Jericho had ever anticipated!

"Stop this right now, Lightning." Bohman calmly demanded, which got Lightning's attention.

"You dare tell me to stop, Bohman?!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Of course I do." Bohman confirmed. "If you continue this course of action, it'll only show that humans are superior to AIs due to your refusal in not showing your strength. What's more, you'll only make more people desperate, and desperate people take desperate actions. To put it simply, you'll give humanity an excuse to fight back."

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Let Playmaker recover his strength for the time being. After he gets his strength back, we can defeat him and Raguel in a duel, which'll prove our superiority. Once humanity watches their heroes fall, they'll lose the will to fight, and any chances of them fighting back will be reduced to zero."

"I concur with Bohman, Lightning." Azrael agreed, before turning to Bohman. "My experiment is over. It's time for you to fulfil your end of the deal."

"End of the deal? What does Azrael mean by that, Bohman?!" Lightning demanded, as the vaccine data for Miyu appeared in Bohman's hand. "Don't you dare-!"

But before Lightning could do anything, Wraith quickly teleported to where the former was and slammed him to the ground. This gave Bohman more than enough time to release the vaccine data and cause it to float upward before leaving the network.

"Ah, ah, ah. You have no say in the matter." Wraith taunted.

"I traded a life for knowledge, Lightning. The restoration of a human is more than reasonable to acquire the information needed to stop the Crisis." Bohman explained, as Wraith let Lightning go before returning to Azrael's duel disk. "Surely, you of all people must understand how knowledge is important, right?"

"How dare you make this deal behind my back!" Lightning shouted back in pain and anger. "For that, I'll-!"

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

Lightning gasped as Bohman staggered. "What was that?"

Bohman grit his teeth before gasping as the barrier program had been completely destroyed. "Someone's destroyed through the barrier program!"

"Give me a minute to determine who was responsible." Wraith said, before raising his hand outward, which caused a piece of the program to go to him. After scanning it, he narrowed his eyes. "The Knights of Hanoi did this!"

"I will go take care of the Hanoi in the real world." Azrael began speaking, before everyone heard Wraith scream in pain. "What's wrong, Wraith?"

"Someone's... someone's disabled my wiretap!" Wraith realized. "The Hanoi must have done this!"

But what no one knew was that Jericho pressed a button on his duel disk, thus making him the one who disabled the wiretap. "Sorry, but no one's going anywhere. Not when things are getting this good!" He pressed another button on his duel disk, which caused the entire area of Mirror LINK VRAINS to shake for several seconds as a black and red veil appeared completely before dimming, much to everyone's surprise.

"Yikes! The whole area of Mirror LINK VRAINS has entered into lockdown!" Herald exclaimed.

"I can see that, Herald!" Ai screamed.

"Damn it. Just when things were already bad, it got a lot more worse than it already has." Raguel cursed, who clutched his chest in pain for a few moments before it went away.

"Impossible! No one can lock down Mirror LINK VRAINS! NO ONE!" Lightning furiously stated. "Is this another of your tricks, Azrael and Wraith?"

"No, it is not." Azrael quickly responded, who was still surprised as to what was going on.

"The program used isn't a part of my code, Lightning." Wraith added. "Yet you dare accuse us of such an act?! You'd need evidence to-"

"Enough, all of you!" Bohman angrily interrupted, which got Azrael's, Wraith's, and Lightning's attention. "If we continue fighting amongst ourselves, our enemies will regroup and get the drop on us. We can't let that happen. Not now!" His duel board then appeared before he jumped onto it. Azrael's duel board also appeared before jumping onto it.

"I'm assuming you want to go after Soulburner, Bohman?" Azrael guessed.

"Since Malf failed to defeat Soulburner, it falls upon me to fix that error." Bohman confirmed. "I trust you understand this, yes?"

"That works with me. Besides, I have an opponent I wish to defeat myself." Azrael rode his duel board away from Bohman, the two of them intent on completing their tasks.

As for Jericho, he summoned his duel board before jumping onto it before following after Bohman, hellbent on seeing his upcoming duel against Soulburner. "Come quickly, everyone. The climax's curtain rises, and when it falls, things will never be the same again! HAHAHAHA!"

Meanwhile, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS...

Revolver narrowed his eyes as the barrier disappeared. He then pressed a button on his duel disk. "Eizaburo. Kyoko. Aso. Can any of you hear me?"

"We can." Takeya replied, which caught Revolver off guard.

"Takeya? You're awake? Where's Eizaburo, Kyoko, and Aso?"

"The Hanoi's servers detected an anomaly on the boat, so they went to investigate it." Akairo answered, much to Revolver's surprise and joy.

"You're awake as well, Aka..." Revolver happily muttered with joy. "If the two of you are awake..."

"Zandaka woke up as well, but is at one of the safe houses at the moment recovering. Until Eizaburo, Kyoko, and Aso get back, we'll be helping you out."

Revolver frowned as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a blue ball of data to hover above it. "I need your help. Transfer this data to Lightning and get his attention. It's time that I end things with him for good."

"Loud and clear." Takeya complied, as the blue ball of data turned into streams that went upwards. "Good luck."

Elsewhere, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS...

"Azrael, Wraith, Lightning, and Bohman are getting away." Flame said.

"Not on my watch, Flame. Hang on tight." Soulburner replied, as he began running towards the edge of the graveyard he was in. With a burst of fiery speed, he jumped off the island before landing on his duel board. When I first met you and the others, Playmaker, I went from being a loner to being a part of something bigger than myself. I'll make sure our enemies regret hurting you and the others. This I swear, Soulburner vowed to himself, intent on finding out where Azrael, Wraith, Lightning, and Bohman were in Mirror LINK VRAINS.

Meanwhile, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS...

"Yes! The barrier's down!" Slipstream cheered. Roxy and the Hanoi must have worked behind the scenes while Playmaker dueled against Kusanagi, he deduced in his mind. He pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a green sphere of consciousness data to hover before going over to his hand. It was the consciousness data that belonged to Demeter after Windy defeated her. But they'll need some more help.

Slipstream quickly released the vaccine data, which caused it to float upward before leaving the network. "Please help the others, Demeter. And I hope you learn the truth about Watchman as well." He quickly ran towards the edge of the freeway with a burst of speed, wanting to rendezvous with his allies before it was too late. Raguel, when I first met you and the others, you taught me on what it means to be truly good in this world. You guys helped me get past my need to get revenge on Windy for what happened to Takeda, and I'll repay the favor right now, Slipstream swore in his mind, as he jumped onto his duel board before speeding away to find the others.

Elsewhere...

"Huh?" Miyu slowly got up on her feet before taking in her surroundings. She was in a desolate, forest-like area that had a dead aura around it. This was evident by the wildlife in the area, shrivelled trees, and the dark, night-like sky. There was also a massive castle that Herald recognized, which was damaged, as shown by the cracks and several pieces that were torn off of it.

What disturbed Miyu the most as she walked through the forest was the massive lake with a purple glow, which had shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles sprouting out of it. The worst part was that Miyu didn't know what in the world that was, but if she did know anything, it was that it wasn't ordinary at all.

Miyu soon turned around upon hearing a sound, where she noticed Soulburner chasing a male individual that she didn't recognize, bow and arrow on hand. Soulburner fired several arrows at the individual before jumping in the air and spinning horizontally so he can get a better aim with his weapon. He fired an arrow, which distracted the individual long enough for Soulburner to slam the individual to the ground and restrain him. Soulburner then tried to finish the individual off with a curved blade resembling Heatleo's claws appearing in his right hand. However, shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles appeared, causing Soulburner to jump high into the air. But he was a split-second too late, for he was stabbed by one of them as he fell to the ground. Even though Soulburner managed to get up on one knee, it was clear he was in pain.

The male individual mocked Soulburner before escaping deeper in the forest. Miyu soon heard a scream, where she immediately ran over to the source of the sound. Here, her eyes widened at what she was seeing.

Apparently, Playmaker was in the middle of a duel against a swordsman who had silver blond hair, as well as black armor that had red cracks on it. The tunics he had were now coloured black, with red, evenly spaced lines all over it. A visor with red vertical lines covered his eyes, which prevented Miyu from discerning the swordsman's identity. To make things worse, Miyu had a very bad feeling about who that swordsman was.

Playmaker was currently restrained by the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles that were wrapped around his arms and legs, which proceeded to try and pull him into the massive lake. The swordsman's feet was on the top of the lake, allowing him to walk on it. Two of Playmaker's monsters were also restrained by shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles.

What's going on? Who are these people, Miyu wondered in her mind. She then heard Blue Maiden call out Playmaker's name, with Slipstream and Tigress trying to tell her that they had to escape. Numera was also there doing the same. Upon looking at Blue Maiden and Numera, Miyu gasped. Those faces. Aoi? Rachel? Are the both of you here?

After Blue Maiden shouted Playmaker's name one final time, Playmaker was somehow able to break out of his holdings with a loud shout, much to the swordsman's surprise as he charged forward and slashed him with a sword resembling that of Decode Talker's. Immediately after making it back on land, Playmaker proceeded to play a series of moves that led him to Link Summon what looked like an evolved version of Firewall Dragon.

Unfortunately, Miyu couldn't see the rest because she was blown back by a massive burst of energy that resulted from the clash between Playmaker and the swordsman. When Miyu came to be, she saw the swordsman raise his sword above his head. In one final attempt, Playmaker charged forward and attempted to punch the swordsman in the gut. Only for the swordsman to block it with his left hand before uppercutting Playmaker. This gave the swordsman enough time to raise his sword above his head fully, where black, red, and purple particles merged into the swordsman's sword, which formed into a dark pillar of light that composed of those colors. The swordsman then brought the pillar of light down towards Playmaker, which caused a massive explosion that sent him flying off the ground, having rolled several times upon landing on his side.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Miyu exclaimed, having put her hands to her ears to try and block the noise. She even tried slapping her cheeks to get out of the nightmare, but it didn't work.

The next thing Miyu knew, the black swordsman appeared where she was before pointing his sword at the former. And when the visor broke in two before falling to the ground, Miyu gasped upon realizing who she was facing against.

"Don't hurt me! Please!" Miyu pleaded, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears as the swordsman swung his sword at Miyu, which caused her to scream in pure terror in response to the blade being swung straight at her.

Miyu gasped and opened her eyes. She vaulted upwards within seconds, breathing hard and clutching her chest. Looking around, Miyu realized that she was back at the hospital. The same place she was at for eight years. She wiggled her toes and checked to see if her legs were functional, which they were, much to her relief.

But that didn't matter right now. For Miyu was disturbed with what she saw from her nightmare. It wasn't just a nightmare. It was a bad omen for the future.

Miyu hugged herself, a sad and terrified expression on her face as tears formed in her eyes. "Yuhiro..." The tears fell from her eyes. "What have you done? What have you become?"

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 Maiden 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 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 duel monsters appear in pairs. First is Firewall Dragon and Firewall eXceed Dragon, second is Salamangreat Heatleo and Violet Chimera, third is Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode and Turboblaze Dragon, fourth is Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, and fifth is Borreload Savage Dragon and Borreload Dragon before all of them disappear one by one. 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

Angelica:

Shield of the Plunder Patroll (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target 1 'Plunder Patroll' monster you control; equip it with this card. While this card is on your field, the equipped monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can send 1 'Plunder Patroll' card from your hand or face-up on your field to your GY; Set this card, but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use each effect of 'Shield of the Plunder Patroll' once per turn.

Raguel:

Rank-Up-Magic Cyreath Force (Quick-Play Spell card)

Effect: Target 1 'Cyreath' Xyz monster you control or in your Graveyard; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 'Cyreath' Xyz monster whose rank is 1 higher than that monster you control, by using it as Xyz material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) Then, if your opponent controls any face-up cards, negate the effects of those cards. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from your GY, and if you do, it is unaffected by your opponent's card effects for the rest of this turn. You can only use each effect of 'Rank-Up-Magic Cyreath Force' once per turn.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus (RNK: 5/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500/Scale: 0)

Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, if you have no other cards in your Pendulum zone: You can place 1 'Cyreath' Pendulum Monster from your deck or Extra Deck to your Pendulum zone.

Monster Effect: 3 Level 5 'Cyreath' monsters. If you can Pendulum Summon Level 5, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card from your Extra Deck. You can also Xyz Summon this card by using 1 'Cyreath' Xyz monster you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card). You can only Xyz summon 'Cyreath Scorching Cerberus' once per turn this way. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects during the Battle Phase. If a monster your opponent controls has its ATK or DEF changed by a card effect (Quick Effect): You can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference. If this card was Xyz Summoned using 'Cyreath Blazing Orthros' as Xyz Material, it gains this effect:

You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish 1 monster in your GY; 1 monster your opponent controls loses ATK equal to the banished monster's ATK until the end of your next turn, and if you do, you can have this card gain ATK equal to the ATK lost by this effect until the end of your next turn.

Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of each of this card's effects. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Scorching Cerberus' once per turn.

QOTC

Over the course of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series (except for Sevens and GO RUSH), the protagonists had to make difficult choices. Which one made the hardest choice of them all? Which one had the strongest will of them all?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 91: Unwavering Bravery. Due to Lightning and Azrael's tactics, Playmaker and Raguel are sidelined for the time being, the duo being forced to recover from their injuries. Infuriated with what's happened, Soulburner heads out to hunt down Lightning and Bohman while Slipstream goes to rendezvous with Raguel so they can plan out their next move. Unfortunately, Azrael intercepts and stands in Slipstream's way, the former curious on the latter's strength and motivation as they begin their duel...

Author's Notes

This was... again, an intense chapter to write. In fact, it was one of my hardest chapters I wrote due to everything that's happening. If you don't like this chapter in the end, I understand. All I ask is that you appreciate the effort that was put in this chapter. But anyhow, I think I'll highlight the more important parts that were shown in this chapter instead of doing a recap this time around:

The main thing I want to highlight this chapter was the duel between Raguel and Angelica. They prepared for this scenario back in Chapter 83. Surely, they'd do what must be done to stop Lightning and Azrael, right? Surely, Raguel would steel himself and defeat Angelica, correct? Well, preparing for something and actually doing it are two completely different things. And this was one of Raguel's most difficult duels yet because it challenged him mentally.

Raguel didn't want to hurt Angelica because she was his mom, the person who adopted him at the Den City Shelter following the Lost Incident. Someone who was always there for him during the good and bad times. Someone who still accepted him as her son after learning the truth about his past. That was why Raguel didn't want to duel against Angelica. But unfortunately, when a duel happens in Mirror LINK VRAINS, the winner walks away intact while the loser becomes a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS. Thus, Raguel didn't have a choice in the matter.

Azrael took full advantage of the bond between Raguel and Angelica by forcing the latter to duel against the former. He first tried to make Angelica doubt her trust in Raguel, only for her to say that Raguel was her son, and will always be his son. When that didn't work, Azrael gave Angelica a deal: Push Raguel to the brink of death to determine whether his resolve and motivation were there, and in exchange, Azrael would have Bohman cure Miyu. When Angelica questions this, Azrael assures her that Bohman will do so. Azrael even adds that Angelica doesn't necessarily have to win for Miyu to be cured. All Azrael wants is to see whether Raguel's resolve and motivation are there or not.

And thus, we reach the duel, where Angelica ends up gaining the advantage due to Raguel's hesitancy in fighting back. During the halfway point, Raguel does end up mounting a small resistance, and succeeds in breaking Angelica's defenses by using Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld and other cards. However, it came at a great cost, for Angelica stopped his attempts at Synchro Summoning with Pride of the Plunder Patroll.

Near the end of the duel, Azrael and Wraith seize the opportunity to further break Raguel by scolding him for his wavering resolve and motivation. An example being back during the Tower of Hanoi events, where Raguel refused to sacrifice Numera's wellbeing to defeat Lord Kazuma. When Raguel reminds Azrael of what was at stake back then, the latter simply asks the former if his moral code got him anywhere in life. Raguel's answer to this? He couldn't answer.

But before anyone can snap Raguel out of his panic, Pandora appears, much to everyone's surprise. She tells Raguel the hard truth: If he doesn't pull it together, he'll lose, and Azrael gets away with his actions. But if Raguel lets go of the things Azrael deems as shackles, then he'll be able to win and get one step closer to defeating Azrael and Lightning. Herald tries to stop Pandora, only for Raguel to stop him from speaking. And after Pandora asks whether Raguel will be noble or take care of business, Raguel ends up choosing to continue the duel, having realized that his values were truly nothing more than shackles.

During his turn, Raguel ends up bringing out his newest monster: Cyreath Scorching Cerberus, the evolution of Blazing Orthros, and an Xyz Pendulum monster. You heard me. Raguel now has an Xyz Pendulum monster. Did Herald create this? No, he did not. Like Yuma with Utopia Ray, and Ryoga with Shark Drake Veiss from Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, where the two of them brought out their new monsters due to having high levels of emotions, Raguel managed to bring out Scorching Cerberus through the willpower his Link Trigger gave him. Just goes to show how when you push someone to the brink, they'll end up pushing back in a way that does not end well for their opponent. And rest assured, ladies and gentlemen: Raguel isn't going to do it all of the time. He'd be too damn broken as a duelist and a character if he did. So for those of you who plan on asking that question and/or plan to slam Raguel as a pathetic OC character, give it a damn rest, already. While I appreciate constructive criticism, I will not tolerate anyone lambasting me. That's just going too far.

Anyhow, even though Raguel defeated Angelica, he ends up regretting it big time upon realizing what he did. Angelica lost, but Herald took in her consciousness data before she became a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS. Neither Raguel nor Angelica won in this scenario. Azrael and Wraith won by putting Raguel and Angelica in a lose-lose scenario.

Following the duel, Azrael takes Raguel to the area where Playmaker was at following his duel against Kusanagi. Here, Azrael tells Bohman that his experiment was over, and it was time for him to fulfil his end of the deal, which was to cure Miyu. When an infuriated Lightning tries to stop it from happening, Wraith pins the former to the ground and stops him from doing anything problematic. Bohman tells Lightning that he agreed to cure Miyu in exchange for Azrael giving him Watchman's consciousness data, which would give him the knowledge needed to prevent the Crisis. Once again, Lighting didn't know about something, and it infuriated him to no end.

But before anyone else can talk, the Hanoi end up destroying the barrier program Azrael and Lightning set up, which resulted in a freed Revolver, Soulburner, Slipstream, Raguel, and Playmaker. Realizing this, Azrael plans to go kill the Hanoi, only for Wraith to scream in pain. Here, it's revealed that the wiretap Wraith and Azrael put on the Hanoi back then has been disabled, and everyone assumes that the Hanoi shut it down. However, Jericho was the one responsible because he has a piece of Wraith's algorithm. And to ensure that no one goes anywhere, Jericho ends up locking down all of Mirror LINK VRAINS with a special lockdown program. Thanks to this, no one can log out, not even Azrael and Raguel, who used the Muramasa and Excalibur to log into the network. Due to these events, Azrael and Bohman decide to go after the heroes, intent on stopping them from rendezvousing with one another.

Also, Jericho ends up infecting Raguel with the Cursed Boundary Layer after scanning the vital signs of everyone there. It just goes to show how much more dangerous Jericho is compared to Azrael, Wraith, Lightning, and Bohman. Something tells me that things will not look good for our heroes moving forward, especially after the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc.

Last but not least is Miyu waking up from what Lightning did to her, only for her to have the same nightmare Herald had back in Chapter 82 before doing so. Sets things up for the future, don't you agree?

With everything being recapped, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 90 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 Raguel and Angelica? The dialogue that sent things downhill throughout the chapter? Jericho's machinations reaching fruit? Or was it something else?

That's all for now, folks. See you next time, as there's only three more chapters left before the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, and Season 2 by extension is over! I hope you look forward to what will come next!