Response to Reviews
Thank you to Donjusticia, Reader2, Donkeyboy100, Kingdom Hearts Guy, HunterHQ, Noobmaster, Anonymous, Guest, KingOtakuOverYou, PR5, Guest, Malcom, Cosmic Cat, T.V. 2000, Unnamed, Ambiguous, BlackWarGreymon, Unknown, Guest, Guest, Guest, and Pancakes for reviewing Chapter 90 of Obscured Truth.
Hi, everyone! I hope you are well and safe wherever you are as we move into the Spring season! I'll be honest with you guys: I expected not-so-good reviews after I posted Chapter 90. However, all of you surprised me with your positive reviews, which is something I did not expect to happen. Thank you guys very much for continuing to support me as Obscured Truth continues! Trust me when I say that you won't be disappointed as we reach the end of Season 2!
With the thank you over, let's get to answering reviews:
Donjusticia: Yeah, everyone had to make difficult decisions in different scenarios. Oh yeah. I forgot about the scenario involving Yusei, Rally, and Earthbound Immortal Uru. Nevertheless, I'm glad you liked the chapter.
Reader2: Damn it. I'll make the correction when I can. For your question on the Lightning vs Revolver duel, as well as the end result, that will remain the same.. only with one small twist or two. Honestly, I hope you enjoy the Slipstream vs Azrael duel in this chapter.
Donkeyboy100: Happy you liked the chapter.
Kingdom Hearts Guy: Well, Raguel's slowly falling off the deep end, and given how things will end, it won't be good for Raguel. For regardless of victory, there will always be losses.
HunterHQ: For Dancho, I have a plan for his character development, especially with the fact that him turning into a Terminator would not fit how he is as a character in the story. I'd say he's more of a spiritual person, given his teachings and the deck he uses. The good news is that everyone got some much needed rest in the end, so that's good. Arshad obviously has a hideout, and whereas he chose the kids based on numerous test results from many different scenarios, Athaliah was given multiple people of different ages from Balius for Apotheosis as a gift for her allegiance to him. For your question on Apotheosis, there is a slim possibility that the victims can use their gifts in the real world. It's logical that Urizen and his group have some understanding of a different language in the network, given their time on the dark side of it. Do note that Brion looks like a teenage despite his current age. It's like with Rachel and Gil, where they're older than they look. There's only so much Herald can do when making new 'Cyreath' cards, and he wouldn't make dark ones. When I say that, I don't mean the attribute. I mean their personalities and aspects. It'd be interesting if Miyu was the one to duel Yuhiro, that's for sure. She'd need training to do that, though. Since it's been a while, I'll remind you that Atalanta actually appeared in the real world during one of Roxy's Reports a long time ago. So in a sense, Medusa, Rasterliger, and Hercules/Alpha Mode aren't the only ones who can appear in the real world. Allow me to say something else: Where there is light, there will always be darkness. So expect a card similar to Pandora in the future.
Noobmaster: Yeah, Yuhiro created Cerberus the same way Yuma, Yuya, and Shark did when they were pressed in situations. Let me remind you that Alastor is a Ritual Pendulum, and Pandora is a regular Pendulum monster. I won't say anything about the massive beast, though, as that'll appear later. Note that none of Yuhiro's sentient Cyberse monsters in his Extra Deck would attack Roxy if they were summoned on the field, so the former didn't bring any of them out as a result. Regarding Jericho's thoughts about the duel between Bohman and Blue Maiden, they are actually true, and not my own thoughts. Just go to the Yugioh! Wiki and type in VRAINS 090 and 091.
Anonymous: Well observed there, for there are indeed three things all wise men fear. If Roxy met Yuhiro's birth parents, she'd actually go mama bear and destroy them both physically and emotionally for what they did to him. Never underestimate the power of family, as to quote Dominic Toretto from Fast and Furious, you never turn your back on family, even if they turn their back on you. In terms of Yuhiro creating Pandora and Alastor, it's like what happened with Lord Garmadon, where only his most evil traits were shown. Sometimes, you have to be a monster to protect humanity. And no, Miyu will be at the hospital, for she's just woken up, and will be helping out the others. Jericho used a special lockdown program to prevent everyone from leaving Mirror LINK VRAINS. Specifically, Yuhiro and Yukage, especially with how they logged in whole using their respective blades.
Guest: If Azrael and Wraith took over SOL Technologies, not only would they have succeeded, they would have also eliminated the higher ups too. Due to Zero's unique deck and how it functions, Yuhiro would obviously have trouble, especially with Maximum Link Summoning being a factor here.
KingOtakuOverYou: I know the difference between a fact and an opinion, thank you very much. Plus, it was one of those times where I had to follow anime canon, so let it go already. Nevertheless, I'm glad you liked the chapter.
PR5: Honestly, while Miyu has some growing up to do, she was forced to 'mature' in a sense. What I'm trying to say is that she has to take time and take everything in, as well as acquire experience over time.
Guest: I didn't put that down because it wasn't necessary. What was necessary was Azrael admitting his role in the events that fractured Roxy and Emma's friendship.
Malcolm: Yuhiro and Roxy planned for the situation the best they could. Unfortunately, they couldn't take into account things that were outside of their control. It's just the reality, and sometimes, we're powerless as a result. Yuhiro's certainly going to need therapy as a result. As I mentioned above, never underestimate the power of family, and how it impacts things.
Cosmic Cat: To be honest, I did not expect you to give the chapter four out of five stars. It makes me very happy, so thank you very much for doing so. And yes, Yuhiro's never gonna be the same again after the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, especially with the chapters in between Seasons 2 and 3.
T.V. 2000: Yes, the fact that Yuhiro was forced to defeat Roxy affected him severely. He'll need therapy to get through it. And Herald would certainly be shocked by what happened, that's for sure. Because the duel between Playmaker and Kusanagi was being broadcasted, Jericho went to watch it. He was disappointed as a result of how the duel went. In his words, it was boring to the max.
Unnamed: Jericho knows about Gil, but doesn't bother going after him because there's no need for him to do so. For Yuhiro's new form, think of it as a corrupted version of his current avatar. Yes, because Yuhiro logged in whole, that means the Cursed Boundary Layer can go to the real world as well. No, an MRI or X Ray scan would not detect it. And as mentioned a long time ago back in Chapter 65, Jericho has no qualms in using any means necessary to get what he wants. For instance, if Jericho dueled against Lightning and the latter used Jin as a human shield, Jericho wouldn't hesitate to kill two birds with one stone to win. As for your final query, I can't spoil it.
Ambiguous: You'll find out later why the Hanoi weren't in Herald and Miyu's nightmare. But in terms of your other comment, Revolver would honestly have a great chance against Raguel, given how his deck works and how versatile it is. Plus, Revolver's gonna get more upgrades in the future, so that gives him another point in his favor. The blame game never works. I can confirm that Yukage will give Yuhiro back his pendent near the end of Season 2. You'll be happy to know that I have a chapter dedicated to how the Ignis lived their lives before the Hanoi attacked the Cyberse World, and it'll be between Seasons 2 and 3.
BlackWarGreymon: Glad you liked the story so far.
Unknown: Everyone knows about the role Ace played in Malf's demise, and they also know the truth about Bohman as well. Honestly, Yuhiro will always see Yukage as his brother no matter what. You'll see more of the cards Yuhiro made using Ace's 'Evil Eye' deck as inspiration down the road. As I mentioned above, where there is light, there will always be darkness. So expect a card similar to Pandora in the future. Teravolt Dragon isn't the only sentient Cyberse monster for Azrael, that I will confirm. Both Atalanta and her Alpha Mode form are one and the same. Yes, Yuhiro's memories are fully restored by this point of the story. Again, never underestimate the power of family, and if you don't believe me, watch the Fast and Furious movies. I will admit that Deadpool served as inspiration for Jericho's fourth wall breaks, as he's obviously making keen points on the duels he's watching. As for your comment on who would win between Ai and Jericho, maybe you should keep reading to get that answer down the road.
Guest: Aso, Kyoko, and Eizaburo went to find the wiretap Wraith put on them after their servers detected it. You can thank Jericho for that.
Guest: No. Sentience can be only given to Cyberse monsters. Jericho's showing his 'gratitude' by keeping tabs on the heroes and making sure things play out exactly as they should, especially with the experiment he's been allowed to conduct.
Guest: Of course things are intense. We're almost done Season 2 here!
Pancakes: Thank you for not creating a sketch this time around. The previous chapter was dark and distressing, and the last thing needed was to put a cheesy remark that would totally ruin the main message of it. So thank you for respecting what happened in the chapter.
Now that all reviews have been answered, it's time to begin the first of the final three chapters both for the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, and Season 2 by extension! I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 91: Unwavering Bravery
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 Den City, at an apartment...
Yua gasped and opened her eyes before vaulting upwards within seconds. If memory served, she and Percival launched an attack on Lightning's base of operations to save Jin and stop Lightning before his plans can reach fruition. That, and to gather the remaining data needed to complete Miyu's cure. Unfortunately, she lost against Windy, and was turned into consciousness data as a result. However, Yua was now fully conscious and awake, having realized that someone managed to get her consciousness data before releasing it. Whoever that person was, Yua would owe them a debt of gratitude should she ever encounter them.
She looked around the apartment, wanting to make sure that what she was experiencing wasn't a dream. The place Yua was at was a simple apartment in a far area of Den City. An apartment Arshad gave her to lay low in exchange for her assistance against the Crisis. After Yua ensured that she was fully awake, she got up on her feet before stumbling a bit and regaining her balance. I probably shouldn't have got up so fast, but there are things I need to do, Yua thought, as she went to the desk nearby and went through the drawers.
After a few seconds, Yua found her burner phone in one of the drawers. She quickly turned it on before dialing a phone number, hoping to reach Katsuya and make sure he was okay. "Come on. Come on..."
Unfortunately for Yua, there was no answer on the other end, so she dialed the phone number a few more times in the hopes that Katsuya would answer it. Sadly, the same result occurred over the span of several minutes. If Katsuya couldn't answer it, then it could only mean one thing, much to Yua's horror.
That meant that Katsuya lost his consciousness data following his Lightning.
If there was anyone who can confirm whether Katsuya was truly okay or not, it'd be Arshad. As such, Yua quickly grabbed her duel disk and quickly dialed an address to reach him in the network. When there was no answer on the other end, she tried a few more times. Unfortunately, Arshad did not answer each time.
"No. That's impossible..." Yua muttered, now scared as to what happened to Arshad while she was unconscious. Did Arshad launch an attack on Lightning's base after hearing what happened? Was he able to at least contact Playmaker and the others to not only inform them on what happened, but so he can join forces with the group before leading the attack on Lightning? Or was he dead?
What has happened since I was unconscious, Yua wondered in her mind. With all of these uncertainties going on, it seemed that Yua had no choices left. Wait! Yua quickly grabbed her other phone and scrolled through the numbers listed on it. There was one choice left, but once Yua made her decision, she'd come face to face with the people she abandoned. The people who were with her for many years.
Specifically, Ryoken and the Hanoi.
How would Ryoken and the others react when they realize the truth about Yua, and how she was helping Arshad on the sidelines? Would they forgive her for what happened? Would they accept her back as one of their own? Or would they cast her aside, with Ryoken severing ties with her as an eternal sentence for abandoning him?
Yua quickly grabbed her coat and put it on after putting on her boots. No. She couldn't think of it right now. She had to reach out and let the others know what happened on her end, as well as seek repentance in the process. As such, once Yua got everything she needed, she quickly locked the door and ran downstairs before heading over to the parking lot. Yua got in her Chevrolet Impala before turning the car on, where she immediately dialed a number on her phone, hoping that someone would pick up on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Kyoko, is that you? Are you okay?" Yua asked, before hearing a small gasp on the other end.
"Emica? I haven't heard from you in months!" Kyoko told Yua. "What happened on your end? Are you not aware what's-?"
"Kyoko, listen to me right now! It's Yua, and I need to know where you and the others are!" Yua interrupted firmly, which led to silence for what seemed like an eternity.
"Y-Y-Yua? That's impossible. Shouldn't you be-?"
"I have a lot to tell you, and I'll answer whatever questions you and the others may have, but I need to know where Arshad is."
To Yua's horror, more silence followed. Now she was scared on what Kyoko would say next. Would she hang up? Would she scream at her from the other end? Would she let Ryoken know what was-?"
"Arshad betrayed us, Yua. All of us." Kyoko grimly said, much to Yua's horror and shock.
"That can't be..." Yua muttered.
"It's true. He's used us all like tools." Kyoko angrily added on the other end. "Give me one good reason why I should tell you where we are, Yua! You have no idea what has happened ever since you disappeared. No idea!"
Yua sighed. "You're right, I don't get it. We can go through that later, but right now, I am begging you for your help. Please send me your location. I recently got my consciousness data back somehow, and given what's happened and the information you told me, I have a very bad feeling that something worse is taking place right now. If you care about Ryoken just as much as I do, then please send me your location so I can help you and the others with whatever is happening on your end."
Once again, there was silence on the other end. Yua was once again more scared than ever on what Kyoko would say next.
"Fine." Kyoko relented on the other end. "I will send you our location. You better not make me regret this."
"Thank you, Kyoko." Yua cried out of relief, before a text popped up on her phone. "I will be right there." After hanging up, Yua quickly put the address in her GPS before beginning to drive her car out of the parking lot and onto the road nearby. Don't worry, Ryoken. I'm coming to help you, and I hope you can forgive me for what I've done to you, Yua thought in her mind.
In Mirror LINK VRAINS...
Raguel grit his teeth as he breathed in and out. The pain that was going through his mind and body right now was more than he could handle right now, especially after what Azrael did to him. Specifically, how Azrael forced Raguel to duel Angelica, where Raguel won... at a cost. One that broke Raguel from within. He was pushed to the limit, and acted on pure rage after hearing the points Azrael, Wraith, and Pandora made about the situation. Raguel regretted doing so, as now he lost someone who he deemed as his mother.
"Pandora. Scorching Cerberus. Glorious Cyreaths. When did you make such cards, Raguel? And are there any others I should be aware of?" Herald angrily inquired.
"As you already know, Dr. Colmer killed Miyu's parents. Once I found out this information, along with the truth about myself, I created those cards so that I can use them to kill Dr. Colmer once I got the chance." Raguel answered raggedly. "Pandora and Glorious Cyreaths... they're not the only ones I've made."
"So you admitted to what you've done..." Herald muttered. His suspicions were true. Raguel had been the one who created Pandora and Glorious Cyreaths. It still scared Herald as to what other cards Raguel made as a result of finding out the truth not just about himself, but about the revelation about Dr. Colmer killed Miyu's parents.
"I could have used the cards I've made to stop Azrael back at the dark vault, or I could have used them to defeat Gil and show him that his doubts on us were wrong..." Raguel continued, a sad expression on his face. "I have all this power, Herald. All of this power, yet I wouldn't use it because of my ethical code and my honor."
"Having an ethical code is what makes us different from our enemies. Otherwise, we'd be no better than monsters."
Raguel's eyes briefly glowed red for a few seconds before dimming. "I was wrong, Herald. The world doesn't need a hero. It needs a monster so it can be saved."
"Raguel, do not go there!" Herald pleaded.
"But I have to, Herald. The cards I made are needed to defeat Azrael and Lightning for good. I can worry about the price and consequences later. Only victory matters as of-."
"Woah, woah, woah. So Raguel created new cards and got stronger in order to take down his enemies?" Ai interrupted.
"Yes," both Raguel and Herald confirmed.
"But moving that aside, what the Hell happened here?" Raguel angrily asked Ai.
"Lightning blackmailed Kusanagi into dueling Playmaker, or else he'd erase Jin from existence." Ai answered. "And judging by what happened..."
"Playmaker succeeded, but at the cost of defeating Kusanagi and turning him into consciousness data." Raguel grimly finished. You've suffered just like me, Playmaker, he realized in his mind. Damn it. Just when things couldn't get worse, they already have!
"And while that happened, Azrael made you secretly duel against Angelica, Raguel." Ai added. "But on the bright side, Miyu's cured for good."
"Now that's left is to save Jin." Herald commented, before both he and Ai heard Raguel scream in pain. "RAGUEL?!"
To Herald and Ai's horror, they saw red cracks appear all over Raguel's body before they briefly turned into small, shadow-like ribbons as he screamed in further pain.
"What's... What's with this-?!" Raguel began crying out in agony, before he passed out.
"Raguel? Raguel! Wake up, Raguel! Wake up! Please wake up, Raguel!" Herald pleaded loudly.
"He's unconscious, Herald. It'll take some time before he can wake up, just like with Playmaker." Ai tried to assure Herald.
"But this is different, Ai. Think about it. Wraith somehow losing his wiretap without him not being aware of it, Mirror LINK VRAINS entering into lockdown when it wasn't needed, and now Raguel getting unconscious due to what we just saw. There's something darker going on behind the scenes, and I don't like it." Herald countered.
"What's more, Azrael and Wraith are able to somehow able to keep Lightning in check. You're right about one thing, Herald. Something is afoot, and if we don't figure out what it is, then everyone will end up losing." Ai added. "Herald, I need to ask about the contingency we made a while back with the others. Do you think it'll be enough, given the fact that Raguel can make new cards through his own willpower?!"
"I have complete faith that it will be enough, Ai." Herald responded firmly. After all the research and information he obtained, he was certain with his plan should things truly play out the way it did in his nightmare. "Ai, I need you to do me a solid. It's urgent."
"A solid? What do you need me to do?"
"Keep an eye on Raguel and Playmaker. I'm going into Raguel's deck to see if I can get information from the other sentient Cyreath monsters there, as well as find more clues as to what's going on behind the scenes."
But before Herald can continue speaking, Rasterliger jumped out of the duel disk.
"I will keep an eye on them as well. You have my word." Rasterliger promised, which made Herald smile.
"Alright, Herald. I'll help, but just be careful, okay? Because the last thing we need is to lose someone else." Ai pointed out.
"I will, Ai. See the both of you soon." Herald replied, before disappearing into Raguel's duel disk.
"Ai, Ai, Ai..." Ai muttered, not liking where things were going right now. But before he can dwell on this information, he heard a sound as the purple sphere reappeared. "Hey, another duel's about to go down. The only question is, who will be dueling next?"
As if to answer Ai's question, the image showed Bohman and Soulburner talking prior to their coming duel. A fiery aura surrounded Soulburner as he angrily proclaimed that he'll get revenge on Bohman, Lightning, Azrael, and Wraith for forcing Kusanagi to duel against Playmaker. Soulburner then added how Playmaker and Raguel impacted his life, and how the duo led the former to take back control of his life by choosing a new direction to move forward.
When Bohman questioned whether Playmaker and Raguel was responsible for Soulburner's eventual defeat in their coming duel, Soulburner clarified that Playmaker and Raguel were the ones who stopped him from wasting his life away. After answering Bohman's question, Soulburner added that he'll make sure Bohman regrets ever going after his friends.
"Okay, now that's just deep. I never realized how much Playmaker and Raguel had an impact on Soulburner's life." Ai commented.
"The bond between humans is powerful, Ai. You learn and grow with one another. Over time, you cherish those bonds, and become grateful with how they impacted your life." Rasterliger said. "In Soulburner's case, it was because of Playmaker and Raguel that led to him taking control of his life after the Lost Incident."
"You said it there." Ai agreed.
As such, Bohman acknowledged Soulburner's statement on friendship and its benefits by saying that he too had felt emotions over time, which started after Haru was defeated by Blue Maiden. Bohman even admitted that a while back, he thought friendship had no value, but after experiencing it along with other emotions such as anger, realized its potential and how it motivated one to continue fighting.
What neither Bohman nor Soulburner and Flame realized was that, unbeknownst to them, Jericho teleported in the area they were in. There, he sat down on one of the rocks nearby.
"A fascinating battlefield for a duel. Not a bad pick, Bohman, especially how water beats fire in every scenario." Jericho muttered, before he narrowed his eyes and he crossed his arms. "Then again, I grow bored about this petty speech on friendship and how it pushes someone to never give up. You two better show me a good time after that fiasco of a duel between Playmaker and his best buddy. Otherwise, I'll make things more exciting, and you don't want that after I locked down Mirror LINK VRAINS."
Much to Jericho's joy, the duel immediately began with Bohman Special Summoning Hydradrive Booster before using it to Link Summon Burn Hydradrive. Once that was done, Bohman summoned Hydradrive Bringer, which let him add Booster back to his hand before using it to Link Summon Coolant Hydradrive. Just like with every other duel, Bohman immediately proceeded to activate Judgment Arrows before using Coolant and Burn Hydradrive to Link Summon Twin Hydradrive Knight to one of the Main Monster zones Judgment Arrows pointed to. From there, Bohman used the Continuous-Spell card, Hydradrive Protection to protect both Judgment Arrows and Twin Hydradrive Knight while it was on the field before ending his turn.
"A clever strategy on Bohman's part." Rasterliger said.
"Well, I mean, it's not too bad. Bohman set up a decent protection lock with his cards." Ai responded. "Not just that, but Twin Hydradrive Knight's now a Fire and Water monster, which means the effects of all of Soulburner's monsters will be negated."
"Therefore, the only way for Soulburner to get out of this situation would be to remove Protection with a Spell or Trap card." Rasterliger hypothesized. "However, given how Soulburner was able to outwit an AI such as Malf, I strongly believe he has something in mind to counter Bohman's strategies and protect his monsters at the same time."
"You're speaking like a computer, RL. Calculations and logistics don't determine the outcome of the duel." Ai told Rasterliger.
"I am merely analyzing the facts and using past experience to make statements, Ai. It is called learning." Rasterliger snidely replied back.
"Hey, Ai learn too!" Ai protested.
The conversation between Rasterliger and Ai ended once Soulburner began his turn, where he activated the Field Spell card Salamangreat Shrine before Normal Summoning Salamangreat Jack Jaguar to his field and using it to Link Summon Balelynx to his field. Bohman tried to negate Balelynx's effect using Twin Hydradrive Knight's effect, only for Soulburner and Flame to reveal that Shrine's effect protected their monsters from the effects of Bohman's monsters with the same attribute. Thus, Soulburner was not only allowed to add Sanctuary to his hand, but also Special Summon Mole to the Main Monster Zone Balelynx pointed to. He then used Balelynx and Mole to Link Summon Sunlight Wolf before using Jack Jaguar's effect from his Graveyard, where he returned Balelynx back to his Extra Deck to bring it back to his field. And after using Jack Jaguar to Link Summon Balelynx once again to a Main Monster Zone Sunlight Wolf pointed to, Soulburner was allowed to add Jack Jaguar back to his hand.
From there, Soulburner used Sunlight Wolf and Balelynx to Link Summon Heatleo before using his effect to shuffle Protection back into Bohman's deck.
"Yes! Now Judgment Arrows and Twin Hydradrive Knight are no longer protected!" Ai cheered.
"Not just that, but he managed to keep his monsters safe from the effects of Bohman's monsters." Rasterliger added.
Soulburner then used Shrine's second effect to immediately Reincarnation Link Summon a second copy of Heatleo, where he tried to shuffle Judgment Arrows back into Bohman's deck to destroy Twin Hydradrive Knight, thus killing two birds with one stone. However, Bohman revealed that the turn Protection left the field, any cards that it targeted could not be destroyed by card effects for the rest of this turn. So while Soulburner got rid of Judgment Arrows, Twin Hydradrive Knight was safe. This led Soulburner to activate the effect of the Reincarnation Link Summoned Heatleo, where he could target a monster on Bohman's field and change its attack points to the attack points of a monster in Soulburner's field. As a result, Twin Hydradrive Knight's attack points were immediately brought down to Mole's zero attack points.
"Battle!" Soulburner declared. "Salamangreat Heatleo attacks Twin Hydradrive Knight! Inferno Strike!"
"Die!" Heatleo roared, before charging forward and slashing Twin Hydradrive Knight with his fiery claws, which caused a massive explosion that pushed Bohman back several feet as his life points dropped.
Bohman: 4000 – 2300 = 1700 LP
"I end my turn." Soulburner concluded.
"Now that's what I call toasty!" Jericho exclaimed, having clapped his hands at what he saw. "I really should have brought marshmallows, folks!"
"This is awesome! Bohman just lost over half of his life points in one turn!" Ai cheered.
"While that may be the case, the duel has only begun." Rasterliger pointed out, before letting out a growl.
"Eh? Did I say something wrong, RL?"
"No. I sense something bad is about to happen."
Sure enough, Rasterliger was right, as Bohman immediately brought out Booster before tributing it to Tribute Summon Hydradrive Agent, where he then used his effect to bring Twin Hydradrive Knight back to his field. In addition, because Bohman Special Summoned a 'Hydradrive' Link monster, he was allowed to draw a card from the top of his deck, much to Soulburner and Flame's dismay.
"I will now generate my circuit!" Bohman said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Hydradrive' monsters, including a Level 5 or higher effect monster. I set the Link 2 Twin Hydradrive Knight, and Agent into the Link Markers!" Twin Hydradrive Knight went into the top and left arrowheads, while Agent went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all three of them red.
"Gargantuan creature dwelling within the land itself! Come forth, and tear my enemies asunder! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Paradox Hydradrive Atlas!" A massive monster whose body was pink, black, and purple appeared on Bohman's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It was hunched over, as evident by the support its front arms gave it. The arms were made of purple veins that ended in yellow claws. Its head was atop an elongated black neck, which consisted of a single eye and a gaping maw for the mouth.
Paradox Hydradrive Atlas ATK: 0 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️⬇️
"Okay, now we're talking, ladies and gentlemen! This duel's about to become even more awesome!" Jericho exclaimed with glee.
"Oh M.A.I god! It's the monster that destroyed the Cyberse World!" Ai shrieked.
"And Bohman has it under his command as well." Rasterliger added. He and Ai then gasped after learning that Paradox Hydradrive Atlas was the monster that Bohman used along with Judgment Arrows to destroy the Cyberse World.
"Well, whatever it is, Soulburner and Flame need to destroy it forever. Bohman needs to pay for destroying the Cyberse World!" Ai exclaimed.
Bohman then used Paradox Hydradrive Atlas's effect to roll a dice, where the result would determine what attribute his monster would have. After rolling the dice, it landed on a two, which meant Paradox Hydradrive Atlas's attribute was now Water. Bohman also used Paradox Hydradrive Atlas's second effect to roll another dice, where he can Special Summon one 'Hydradrive' Link monster with the same Link rating from his Extra Deck to a Main Monster Zone Paradox Hydradrive Atlas pointed to. Once the second dice rolled, it eventually landed on a four, thus enabling Bohman to bring out Rousing Hydradrive Monarch to his field.
To make things much worse for Soulburner, Bohman activated Rousing Hydradrive Monarch's effect, where he gained four 'Hydradrive' counters immediately upon being Special Summoned. From there, Bohman activated Rousing Hydradrive Monarch's second effect to remove one 'Hydradrive' counter so he can roll a dice, where he can send all monsters of the declared result to his opponent's Graveyard and inflict 500 damage for each monster sent to the Graveyard this way. Much to Soulburner and Flame's shock, Bohman rolled a three, the result representing the Fire attribute. This led to Heatleo being sent to the Graveyard and Soulburner losing 500 life points as a result.
Soulburner: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP
"Battle!" Bohman declared. "Rousing Hydradrive Monarch attacks you directly! Element Extinction!" Rousing Hydradrive Monarch's wings glowed as he pointed his staff at Soulburner before firing energy out of it, which sent the latter flying off the ground upon impact as he landed on his back, his life points having massively decreased in the process.
Soulburner: 3500 – 3000 = 500 LP
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Bohman concluded.
"Damn it. Bohman's dueling is on point." Ai commented.
"While the odds are not in Soulburner's favor right now, he'll be able to gain control of the duel should he draw the right card." Rasterliger said optimistically.
"Hang on a minute, RL. The barrier was removed earlier, right? That means Slipstream and Revolver are freed along with us!" Ai realized, before something else popped in his mind. "But that means Azrael, Wraith, and Lightning will be hunting them down. All while we're stuck here with an unconscious Raguel and Playmaker."
Rasterliger sadly sighed. "They will wake up, Ai. When they do, we'll rendezvous with the others."
"Well, we need to wait for Herald too, especially with what's going on with Raguel." Ai replied back, worry evident in his tone. "I hate to say it, RL, but even if we win this war, I fear that something bad will-."
"If we can get through this war, I have faith that we'll get through what happens next." Rasterliger interrupted. "The future is never set in stone, Ai. We can fight to prevent whatever happens next from becoming reality."
"I know you're right, RL. I just can't shake off my uneasiness, that's all." Ai told Rasterliger, the worry still evident in the former's tone.
Elsewhere, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS…
Slipstream rode his duel board as he tried to look for any sign of Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, or Revolver. Given their losses, it was more crucial than ever for the five of them to rendezvous and coordinate their next move. This way, they can defeat Azrael, Wraith, Lightning, and Bohman before it was too late.
"Come in, Roxy. You there, Roxy?" Slipstream pressed the earpiece with his index finger as he said those words. Unfortunately, there was still no response. After the barrier was destroyed, communications would have most certainly opened up. So why was Roxy not responding? Did something happen to her? No. Slipstream didn't want to think of the worse case scenario on what happened to Roxy. She had to be okay, right? Right?
Suddenly, Slipstream felt a burst of wind go through the air, which made him slightly lose balance before regaining it. What caught Slipstream off guard, however, was the blue-mirage blades that flew through the air that tried to hit him. In response, Slipstream managed to dodge each of the blades as they continued to try and hit him.
"We found him, Azrael!" Wraith cheered, as Slipstream turned his head to see Azrael chasing after him.
"Planning to regroup with your allies, right Slipstream? I'm afraid I cannot let you do that." Azrael told Slipstream, as he pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused a dark-blue demonic crest that had two mirage blades making an X, as well as a katana slashing it down the middle to briefly emit the sky before circling down the area the duo were above.
"Damn it..." Slipstream muttered, after looking at what Azrael had done. With no other choice, he rode his duel board down to the area below him, with Azrael doing the same, only on the opposite side. Looking around at the area they were in, Slipstream saw that it was a barren landscape covered with snow. There were also a few barren trees as well.
"You seem like a calm and reasonable person, Slipstream. Are you... a calm and reasonable person?" Azrael inquired.
"If the moment calls for calm." Slipstream answered back.
"I'd say the moment calls for calm, yeah?" Azrael responded. "Especially with what's at stake right now."
Slipstream looked at the blue cracks of lightning that dimmed on and off around the area. "This is a field version of a duel anchor, right?"
"Yes, but the only difference is that this one can be disabled if I choose to." Azrael clarified.
"Choose to? I find that surprising, especially how you went after me instead of Soulburner. I honestly thought you'd go hunt down Soulburner due to how he defeated your AI, Malf."
"To be honest, it doesn't matter whether Azrael or Bohman or Lightning goes after Soulburner. Nevertheless, Bohman got to Soulburner first, and is dueling him as we speak." Wraith explained.
"As for Raguel and Playmaker, they're... out of commission for the time being." Azrael added, which made Slipstream gasp.
"I get what you're talking about for Playmaker, but what do you mean by-?" Slipstream began speaking, before he gritted his teeth as the pieces came together in his mind. If what Azrael was saying is true, that meant there was only one possible conclusion Slipstream can reach to based on the information given. "You wouldn't..."
"I did. I blackmailed Angelica, or Roxy Matsuo as you already know her in the real world, into dueling Raguel in exchange for curing Miyu. You could say that my experiment was a success." Azrael admitted.
Slipstream felt his body shake in fury after he processed this information. How dare Azrael do such a thing to Raguel! Was he not aware of the impact that could have on someone if they were in such a scenario?! So that's why Roxy didn't respond on her end, he realized in his mind. "And the duel between Raguel and Angelica was private while we all watched Playmaker defeat Kusanagi, right?"
"Correct again, Slipstream. Azrael wanted to see whether Raguel's motivation and resolve were there or not, and given how Raguel won, both of those things were there." Wraith said back.
"I don't know if that's your version of brotherly love, Azrael, but that's just completely messed up if you ask me." Slipstream said. "Back when I was at home, I managed to find and watch duel footage from the Tower of Hanoi events. One of which involved a duel between Raguel and Lord Kazuma, where you showed up and wounded two imprisoned individuals just so you can 'motivate' Raguel into showing his strength. The moment you've appeared, you've caused nothing but pain for Raguel, as well as a ton of other people in the process."
"Everything I've done was so Raguel can not only see the reality about this world and accept it, but become stronger as well. For without hardship, there's nothing to protect anything and anyone from, as it takes away meaning and value behind one's actions." Azrael countered, before crossing his arms. "And what about you, Slipstream? You came all the way here to find the one who injured your cousin and bring them to justice. When you found out it was Windy who did the deed, I honestly hoped you'd end him for his actions. It is only natural for humans to get revenge on one another when they're wronged."
"And stay stuck in the cycle of revenge like you, Raguel, the Hanoi, and Watchman? No thanks." Slipstream responded back. "You're right about one thing. Windy was the one who brought me right back into the mess revolving around the Lost Incident after what he did to Takeda. I spared Windy's life not just so I can free myself from that cycle for good, but because I want to ensure he stays alive in order for him to take responsibility for his actions. Honestly, I'd rather live for the future as a better man than live in the past as a bitter one."
Azrael narrowed his eyes. "While I respect your choices, it doesn't change the current circumstances right now. I am, however, willing to make you a deal."
"A deal?" Slipstream repeated.
"I will only say this once: Hand Windy over to Wraith and I. If you do, I will shut my field version of a duel anchor down, and let you reunite with the others."
"Honestly, I'm surprised you of all people would be making a deal with me."
"Windy is our only concern right now, Slipstream. Hand him over to us, and we'll let you go. Simple as that." Wraith summed up.
Slipstream thought this over for a few seconds. It was a tempting offer, that's for sure. If he handed Windy over to Azrael and Wraith, then he can go find Raguel and Playmaker in Mirror LINK VRAINS. Make sure they're alright, as well as formulate a plan to catch Lightning off guard. However, the words Slipstream said to Windy popped up in the former's mind.
"There's no way I'm letting Mirror LINK VRAINS decide your fate. One way or another, you're going to take responsibility for what you've done, and atone for your actions."
Deep down, that was something Slipstream didn't want. And even if Slipstream accepted the deal, he knew that either he or Raguel would end up dueling against Azrael. It wasn't a probability, it was a certainty. Such a thing could not be prevented in the end. "No, I don't think so for a simple reason. If I hand Windy over to you, then you'll most certainly hand him to Bohman so he can absorb his strength. Hell, even erase him before doing so. If Windy stays with me, he gets a chance to have a fresh start. So to sum it up, no. I refuse your deal."
"So that's your decision, huh? In that case, there is only one course of action left." Azrael replied, as he activated his duel disk. "I will admit that I'm curious on how your choices have affected your motivation and resolve. Whether they have made you stronger... or weaker."
"But to sum up Azrael's words, no matter how strong you area as a duelist, the end result will be the same one as every duelist Azrael faced. You, lying on the ground at Azrael's feet." Wraith taunted.
"We'll see about that, Azrael and Wraith." Slipstream responded, before he activated his duel disk. "Even if I'm not as strong as Raguel, don't you dare underestimate me!"
"Then prove it in our duel, Slipstream! Show me your motivation." Azrael stated firmly.
"Let's duel!" Slipstream and Azrael said at the same time.
Azrael: 4000 LP
Slipstream: 4000 LP
"I'll be going first. My turn!" Slipstream declared, as he looked at the cards in his hand. Infearno went first in his duel against Azrael, yet he still lost in the end. Regardless, it's better for me to prepare for Azrael's strategies than risk him shutting mine down, he thought in his mind. "I activate the Field Spell card, Speedroid Grand Derby!" The card showed Speedroid Skull Marbles, Hi-Speedroid Chanbara, Puzzle, and a male racer on a green and white dragon-styled duel runner racing on a racetrack resembling that of a dirt bike course as the people in the seats cheered. "When this card is activated, I can send one 'Speedroid' card from my deck to my Graveyard to add a 'Speedroid' card with a different name from my deck to my hand. I send Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my deck to my Graveyard, and add Speedroid Scarecrow from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Slipstream's deck, one of which he sent to his Graveyard, while he added the other to his hand.
"I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo from my hand to my field." Two green discs with blades attached by a single, grey center appeared on Slipstream's field.
Speedroid Double Yoyo ATK: 1400 DEF: 1400 LV: 4
"Double Yoyo's effect! When its Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 3 or lower 'Speedroid' monster from my Graveyard. I Special Summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my Graveyard to my field!" Slipstream continued, as a purple dice shaped like a three-shaped pyramid with a red eye and three orbs orbiting around it appeared on Slipstream's field.
Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice ATK: 300 DEF: 1500 LV: 3
"I tune the Level 3 Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice with the Level 4 Double Yoyo!" A bolt of green lightning struck Slipstream as the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one purple and one green, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "3 + 4" in front of them. The screen changed to "7" as light surged through the rings.
"Spread those wondrous wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" A white and black dragon covered in white, blue, and black armor appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had neon green crystals attached to her body, which acted like wings that shone with bright light.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"I activate the Equip Spell card, Scar Dragon Whip, and equip it onto Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" A large, worm-like dragon appeared before attaching itself on Clear Wing's back. "Not only does Clear Wing gain 500 attack points, I can banish two cards from your hand at random."
"Is that so?" Azrael muttered as two cards in his hand suddenly turned into particles. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon then roared as her strength increased.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000
"But when Scar Dragon Whip leaves the field, you get those cards back." Slipstream told Azrael. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"Your deck not only focuses on rapidly bringing out your monsters so you can Synchro Summon, but also has some lockdown strategies as well." Azrael recalled. "You really have a way on how you can catch your opponent's off guard. Let's see if you can do the same with me over the course of our duel, shall we? My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "As I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon Cychaic Slave from my hand to my field." A man who wore tattered clothing on his body appeared on Azrael's field. Strapped to his back was a large wine jar, which he struggled to carry.
Cychaic Slave ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 1
"Since you control a monster on your field, I can Special Summon Cychaic Praetor from my hand to my field!" A man who wore a red helmet that covered his face with a visor on it, as well as a red military suit with a white shirt and pants underneath it appeared on Azrael's field. On his shoulders were golden feathers with a golden, circular brace on each of them. He also had golden armor pieces on his forearms, as well as on his forelegs. In his hands, he carried a sword.
Cychaic Praetor ATK: 2400 DEF: 600 LV: 6
"Yeah, there's no way I'll let you activate your monster's effect." Slipstream remarked, having quickly looked up Praetor's card effects on his duel disk. He knew what he needed to do, or else it'd be really bad for him. "Trap card, activate! Speedroid Dupligate! By banishing a Wind monster from my Graveyard, I can target one card you control and return it to your hand. I banish Double Yoyo from my Graveyard, and return Praetor back to your hand!" A silver gate with green lines then appeared before blasting a burst of wind at Praetor, which turned him into particles that went back to Azrael's hand.
"Interesting. You prevented me from activating my Field Spell this turn, which would have let me further build my combos." Azrael observed. "While that wasn't bad, I still have other moves to make, such as this! I summon Cychaic Caladrius from my hand to my field." A bird that had silver pieces of armour on its head and wings appeared on Azrael's field.
Cychaic Caladrius ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 2
"Next, I activate the Spell card, Cychaic Tribute. By destroying one 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, I can draw the top two cards of my deck. I destroy Caladrius on my field." Caladrius turned into particles before Azrael drew the top two cards of his deck.
"Caladrius' effect now activates! As it was destroyed by a card effect, I can send one 'Cychaic' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my Graveyard to activate that card's effect." Azrael stated.
"I'm aware of that effect, and I also know which card you'll send to the Graveyard with Caladrius' effect, so just do so already." Slipstream told Azrael.
"As you wish." Azrael simply complied, as a card popped out of his deck. "I send the Spell card, Cychaic Reinforcements from my deck to my Graveyard and activate it. If I control a 'Cychaic' monster, I can Special Summon two 'Cychaic' monsters with different names from my deck. However, I can't Special Summon any monsters from my deck for the rest of this turn, except 'Cychaic' monsters." Two cards popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Be born, Cychaic Duo Vulture and Elephantaur." Soon, two new monsters appeared on Azrael's field.
The first was a large, two-headed bird with brown and black skin that had two tails, Sprouting from its conjoined neck was a pair of small, sharp feathers that resembled spikes. Each of its heads had a large beak and blue eyes.
The second was a pale-skinned elephant standing on its hind legs. It had frontal paws with claws that were shaped like human hands. It also had sharp tusks and a snout with a spiked ball on it, along with a red cloth wrapping all three together. The pale-skinned elephant even wore bronze armour protecting its arms, waist, tusks and even snout.
Cychaic Duo Vulture ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400 LV: 4
Cychaic Elephantaur ATK: 2800 DEF: 1000 LV: 8
Even after delaying his strategy, Azrael's able to bounce back almost immediately as if nothing happened, Slipstream angrily cursed in his mind.
"If Duo Vulture would be used to Link Summon a Link monster, it can be treated as two materials once per duel." Azrael continued, much to Slipstream's chagrin. "Appear, the circuit of infinite power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cychaic' monsters. I set Cychaic Slave, and Duo Vulture, which is treated as two Link Materials, into the Link Markers!" Slave went into the top-left arrowhead, while Duo Vulture went into the top-right and bottom arrowheads, turning all three of them red.
"Devious ruler of Rome! Seize your enemies' powers through any means necessary, and expand the Roman empire! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cychaic Julius Caesar!" An overweight man who wore a red coat over a uniform consisting of a white shirt with golden buttons, a pink tie, shoulder pads, and a white skirt appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Strapped to his back was a long, red cape that had white fur on the sides. Attached to his torso was a plate of golden armor, which had ridges resembling that of a wreath. Covering his left arm was a white colored, disproportionate armor and gauntlet that was larger than the arm of a regular human. In his right hand, he carried a sword with a cross-shaped hilt and guard, decorated with blue symbols.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️
"A new 'Cychaic' Link monster…" Slipstream muttered. "And with Elephantaur out, Azrael can destroy it to shuffle a card back to my deck."
"Slave's effect activates! As he was used to Link Summon a 'Cychaic' Link monster, I can Special Summon him right back to my field." Azrael explained, as Julius Caesar threw a chain into the Graveyard portal before dragging Slave right back to Azrael's field in defense position, who groaned in pain in response.
Cychaic Slave ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 1
"I activate Julius Caesar's effect. Once per turn, I can destroy one 'Cychaic' card in my hand or on my field to equip one monster you control to him, and this does not target. What's more, he gains attack points equal to the equipped monster's attack points."
"What?!" Slipstream exclaimed. That meant he couldn't use Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect to negate and destroy Julius Caesar before gaining his attack points!
"I destroy Slave, and equip Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to Julius Caesar! Shrewd Incitement!" Slave turned into particles, which went into Julius Caesar's massive left arm as he reached forward and grabbed Clear Wing Synchro Dragon before squeezing his fist. As a result, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon turned into a silhouette that went into Julius Caesar before his strength went up.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 2400 + 2500 = 4900
"Slave's effect also activates! Since it was destroyed by a card effect, one 'Cychaic' monster I control gains 400 attack and defense points until the end of this turn. I choose Julius Caesar." Azrael added, as Julius Caesar was surrounded in a red aura that further increased his strength.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 4900 + 400 = 5300
"And with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gone, that means Scar-Dragon Whip is gone as well, which means I get the two cards that were banished back to my hand." Two cards then reappeared in Azrael's hand seconds later. "Your ace monster and your equip card are now gone. The only question is whether your motivation will falter or not."
"There's no way that will let my motivation falter, especially since we've just started the duel!" Slipstream responded, before gesturing to his field. "Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Speedroid Launch!" The card showed Rubberband Plane being covered with energy as it increased its speed to catch up with Kendama and Pachingo Kart. "This card lets me target one monster you control, and Special Summon one 'Speedroid' monster from my deck or Graveyard whose attack points are less than or equal to your monster's original attack points."
"Oh?" Azrael raised an eyebrow.
"I target Julius Caesar, whose original attack points are 2400. That means I can Special Summon Speedroid Rubberband Plane from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Slipstream's deck, which he took and immediately played. Soon, a red plane with a rotor extended from its back by rubber bands flew onto Slipstream's field. It had two claws, one on each side. It also had a face, which composed of eyes and a nasty grin.
Speedroid Rubberband Plane ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 5
"Rubberband Plane's effect! When its Special Summoned, one monster on the field loses 600 attack points! I choose Julius Caesar!" Slipstream decided, as Rubberband Plane then charged at Julius Caesar and scratched him, decreasing his strength in the process.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 5300 – 600 = 4700
"Interesting. Despite losing your ace monster, you were not only able to bring out a new one to defend yourself with, but also weaken my monster in the process as well." Azrael observed. "Along with your new monster, you have a Field Spell card and a face-down card remaining on your field. While it was smart for you to use Dupligate earlier to return Praetor back to my hand and get yourself out of a potentially worse situation, you still ended up in one that you can't escape from despite your best efforts."
Slipstream grit his teeth. "Boasting this early in the duel, Azrael? Aren't you being overconfident?"
"I am only stating the facts, Slipstream. As for your question, I am not boasting because I am confident with my abilities as a duelist." Azrael clarified firmly, before thrusting out his right hand. "Battle! Cychaic Julius Caesar attacks Speedroid Rubberband Plane! Crocea Mars!" Julius Caesar charged forward at Rubberband Plane, intent on striking the latter down.
"I activate the effect of Tri-Eyed Dice in my Graveyard." Slipstream replied. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can negate your attack." A silhouette of Tri-Eyed Dice appeared before spinning and forming a barrier, forcing Julius Caesar to retreat back to Azrael's field.
"You're not getting away that easily, Slipstream, especially with Julius Caesar's second effect." Wraith stated.
"Second effect?" Slipstream repeated.
"That's right." Azrael confirmed. "Julius Caesar's number of attacks are equal to the number of 'Cychaic' monsters used for his Link Summon. Since two monsters were used, that means he can attack a total of two times." He smirked. "The battle continues! Cychaic Julius Caesar attacks you Rubberband Plane for a second time! Crocea Mars!" Julius Caesar charged forward at Rubberband Plane once again before slashing it in several strikes, which caused an explosion that made Slipstream nearly lose balance as his life points dropped.
Slipstream: 4000 – 2900 = 1300 LP
"I activate Grand Derby's second effect." Slipstream said back. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when a 'Speedroid' monster I control leaves the field by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon a 'Speedroid' monster with a different name from my deck or Graveyard to my field." A card popped out of Slipstream's deck. "I Special Summon Speedroid Transformer from my deck to my field!" Soon, a silver, green, and white dragon-styled car appeared on Slipstream's field before transforming into a robotic warrior that wore a visor over its eyes.
Speedroid Transformer ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500 LV: 8
"Nevertheless, the battle continues." Azrael pointed out. "Cychaic Elephantaur attacks Speedroid Transformer!" Elephantaur charged forward at Transformer, intent on destroying it.
"Sorry, but when Transformer battles while it's in attack position, it's automatically changed to defense position. What's more, it can't be destroyed by battle once per turn." Slipstream replied, as Transformer shifted into a guard stance to block Elephantaur's attack and push it right back to Azrael's field. "And if memory serves, a duelist doesn't usually take damage when a monster in defense position is destroyed by battle, am I not correct?"
"You are." Wraith confirmed, slight annoyance evident in his tone.
"A monster that changes battle position automatically when it battles is something that's not seen everyday. It doesn't surprise me, however." Azrael remarked. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Slave's effect ends, and Julius Caesar loses his attack boost." A red aura surrounded Julius Caesar, which decreased his strength.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 4700 – 400 = 4300
"My turn! I draw!" Slipstream said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Dupligate from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard and targeting a 'Speedroid' monster I control, I can reduce its Level by one to Special Summon this card as a Normal monster to my field. I target Transformer!" A silver gate with green lines then appeared on Slipstream's field in defense position.
Speedroid Transformer LV: 8 – 1 = 7
Speedroid Dupligate ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
Azrael smirked upon seeing this. "Do you really think you can take control of the duel by bringing out a monster related to your deck's main function? You should know that such a thing will not hinder me, especially once I shut down that function of your deck and hinder it as a result."
"What?!" Slipstream exclaimed.
"Continuous-Trap, activate! Cychaic Lupercalia!" The card showed Gaius Julius Caesar at the steps of a pantheon, each of his arms around a woman as several roman soldiers were spending time with women, laughing, dancing and making out with one another. "When this card is activated, I can declare a summoning method, and neither of us can summon that type of monster while this card is on the field! I declare Synchro!"
"OH NO!" Slipstream gasped in horror, as his and Azrael's decks were surrounded in a white glow, which prevented either player from Synchro Summoning.
"I also activate Lupercalia's second effect. Once per turn, when there's a 'Cychaic' Link monster in my Extra Monster Zone, I can destroy a 'Cychaic' card in my hand or on my field to Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my Extra Deck to the Main Monster Zone it points to, and treat it as the appropriate summoning method."
"Okay, now that's just broken." Slipstream protested.
"In a duel, only the duelist whose resolve and strength are the strongest shall come out top. You should know this fully well as a duelist, Slipstream." Wraith remarked.
"I destroy Elephantaur on my field, and Link Summon Cychaic Nero from my Extra Deck to my field!" Azrael decided, as Elephantaur turned into particles. Seconds later, an abnormally fat man who had black eyes and grey skin that sat on a big floating throne appeared on Azrael's field in the Main Monster Zone Julius Caesar was pointing to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. He had a black spiked crown on the top of his head, and a red cloth wrapped around his body and shoulder. In his right hand, he carried a long black sword.
Cychaic Nero ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️
"Elephantaur's effect also activates! Since it was destroyed by a card effect, I can shuffle a card your field back into your deck. I shuffle Grand Derby back into your deck." As if on cue, Grand Derby turned into particles, much to Slipstream's annoyance. "Also, Nero gains 300 attack points for every 'Cychaic' card I control. Since there's three cards, Nero gains 900 attack points." Nero then laughed before his strength increased.
Cychaic Nero ATK: 2300 + (300 X 3) = 3200
"In that case, I summon Speedroid Scarecrow from my hand to my field." Slipstream stated, as a scarecrow resembling that of a motorsport marshal appeared on Slipstream's field in defense position. In its right hand, it carried a green flag, while it carried a red flag in the left hand.
Speedroid Scarecrow ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 2
"I also activate the Spell card, Aurora Draw. As I have no other cards in my hand, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Slipstream drew the top two cards of his deck.
"It's time to kick my circuit into overdrive!" Slipstream said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Speedroid' monsters. I set Speedroid Transformer, the Dupligate token, and Scarecrow into the Link Markers!" Transformer went into the bottom-left arrowhead, the Dupligate token went into the bottom arrowhead, and Scarecrow went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.
"Mechanical dragon residing within the launch bay! Boot up, and crush my enemies so I can seize victory in this fight! Link Summon! Arise! Link 3! Hi-Speedroid Altair!" A large, green, black and silver mechanical dragon with a long curved tail appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Its head had two horns protruding outwards, along with two spikes doing the same. As for its purple-lensed eyes, they were in the form of sensors. Its widespread wings consisted of six silver blades that were attached to a large saucer-like disk on both sides. Attached to its chest was a green collar that had a motor inside it. At the end of its tail was two yellow prongs on the sides, each having a small spike on them. Finally, there were two, large blades attached to the underbelly that curved outwards, resembling that of legs.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️
"A new 'Speedroid' Link monster, and it's far different from the others he's played so far." Wraith quietly observed, before turning to Azrael. "Be on your guard, Azrael. We can't take any chances in this duel."
"I'm well aware of that, Wraith." Azrael assured Wraith.
"When Altair is Special Summoned, or a 'Speedroid' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone it points to during either of our turns, I can not only send a card you control to your Graveyard, but inflict 500 points of damage as well." Slipstream announced. "The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects!"
"Tch." Azrael grit his teeth, having slightly been caught off guard by what he just heard. The effects of his cards only activate when they're destroyed, which meant that they wouldn't activate it if they left the field through different means.
"I send Julius Caesar to your Graveyard. Thunder Flare!" Altair fired electricity from its tail at Julius Caesar, which turned him into particles before it went over to Azrael and made him wince as his life points slightly dropped.
Azrael: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP
Cychaic Nero ATK: 3200 – 300 = 2900
"After doing so, Altair gains 500 attack points, and like I told you before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects." Slipstream reminded Azrael. "Thunder Booster!" The motor in Altair's body turned on as its strength increased.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 + 500 = 3300
"Battle! Hi-Speedroid Altair attacks Cychaic Nero! Shock Cannon!" Altair's mouth opened as green energy formed inside its maw before firing it at Nero, who turned into particles as Azrael winced, his life points slightly decreasing in the process.
Azrael: 3500 – 400 = 3100 LP
"I'm not impressed, boy." Azrael told Slipstream. "For when Nero is destroyed by battle or card effect, I gain 300 life points for every card on your field. There's currently one card on my field, which means I gain 300 life points back." A blue aura surrounded Azrael as his life points increased.
Azrael: 3100 + 300 = 3400 LP
"All in all, not the best effort, Slipstream. There's other duelists who've done better at the beginning of their duels against Azrael." Wraith commented.
Slipstream smirked in response. "Who said I was done, Azrael? Because there's one part you haven't taken into account."
"Oh? And what would that be?" Azrael asked before crossing his arms, curious as to what Slipstream meant by that comment.
"Altair's final effect! When it destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can send a 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my Graveyard, and inflict damage to you equal to that monster's attack or defense points, whichever is higher! And just like before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects." Slipstream revealed, much to Azrael and Wraith's shock as he took a card from his deck and sent it to his Graveyard. "The monster I just sent to the Graveyard was Speedroid Skull Marbles, which has 3000 defense points compared to its 0 attack points. That means you take 3000 points of damage! Spinal Saucer!"
"WHAT?!" both Azrael and Wraith exclaimed, as green energy formed underneath Altair's wings before being launched at the duo, which took the form of Skull Marbles upon impact. As a result, Azrael was forced to shield himself as he was pushed back several feet, his life points decreasing in the process.
Azrael: 3400 – 3000 = 400 LP
Damn. Azrael's at 400 life points this early point the duel. I'm not sure if I'm correct, but I may be doing far better than anyone ever has against Azrael, Slipstream realized in his mind. While he didn't take much pride in that fact due to how the duel was just getting started, it certainly was an accomplishment, that's for sure. But given Azrael's reaction when Watchman and Infearno damaged him in their duels, it showed that the duel was far from over. What's more, Slipstream couldn't take any risks with the cards in his hand, or else it'd be game over for him. Especially regarding Teravolt Dragon's effects. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."
Azrael straightened himself out. "...It seems you've caught me off guard after all," he admitted. "I did not expect you to damage me this severely so quickly. You certainly have some strong motivation, Slipstream. Let's see if it can last another turn. My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "As you control a monster, just like before, I can Special Summon Cychaic Praetor from my hand to my field." At Azrael's command, Praetor reappeared on his field.
Cychaic Praetor ATK: 2400 DEF: 600 LV: 6
"When Praetor is Normal or Special Summoned, I can take a copy of 'Cychaic Amphitheatre' from my deck, and either activate it or add it to my hand. I think I'll choose the former." A card popped out of Azrael's deck, which he immediately played. "I activate the Field Spell card, Cychaic Amphitheatre. While this card is on my field, my 'Cychaic' monsters gain 500 attack and defense points. What's more, they're unaffected by your monster effects." A red aura surrounded Praetor as his strength increased.
Cychaic Praetor ATK: 2400 + 500 = 2900 DEF: 600 + 500 = 1100
"I activate Amphitheatre's effect. By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic Dancer' token to my field. I destroy Lupercalia." Azrael decided, as Lupercalia turned into particles. Soon, a woman with blond hair and wearing a revealing red and white dress with long poofy sleeves, a transparent front and a leotard appeared on Azrael's field.
Cychaic Dancer ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
Cychaic Dancer ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF: 1000 + 500 = 1500
"Why in the world would you get rid of one of your best cards, especially one that hinders my strategies?" Slipstream questioned.
"Because it'll benefit me in the long run." Azrael simply answered. "When Lupercalia is destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon one monster from either of our Graveyards and treat it as a 'Cychaic' monster in exchange for negating its effects."
"Are you serious?!" Slipstream exclaimed.
"Azrael is serious, Slipstream. That means if he wanted, he could take any of your monsters and bring them to his field." Wraith confirmed.
"But given the status of this duel, its eventual outcome, and any potential counters you may have on hand in response to my strategies, I don't see the need to brainwash your monsters into serving me." Azrael told Slipstream, before thrusting out his right hand. "Be reborn, Nero." At Azrael's command, Nero reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.
Cychaic Nero ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️
Cychaic Nero ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800
"I also activate the Spell card, Cychaic Reborn. This card lets me target one 'Cychaic' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. Be reborn, Julius Caesar." At Azrael's command, Julius Caesar reappeared on his field.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 2400 + 500 = 2900
"I also summon Cychaic Cinnamon Bird from my hand to my field." Azrael continued, as a large bird with brownish-orange skin appeared on Azrael's field. The bird had a large beak, and a long tail that had orange spices at its tips.
Cychaic Cinnamon Bird ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 3
Cychaic Cinnamon Bird ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF: 1000 + 500 = 1500
"Back to what I said earlier, just because I said I won't brainwash your monsters doesn't mean I can use them through other methods to achieve victory, such as this! I activate Julius Caesar's effect! Once per turn-."
"Sorry, but I won't allow that to happen!" Slipstream interjected, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Counter-Trap, activate! Speedroid Breakdown!" The card showed fiery smoke coming out of Kendama as it lost control before hitting a nearby wall, while the male racer on a green and white dragon-styled duel runner avoided it. "When you activate a card effect, I can not only negate the effect, but banish it as well. So say goodbye to Julius Caesar for good!" Several bursts of smoke erupted out of Breakdown, which went towards Julius Caesar as they suffocated him before he turned into particles.
"In that case, I activate Praetor's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can destroy one 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand to not only negate the effects of a monster you control until the End Phase, but also inflict 600 damage to you as well. I destroy Cinnamon Bird, and negate Altair's effects." Praetor quickly slashed Cinnamon Bird into pieces before it turned into particles, which he fired at Altair as it groaned in pain. As for Slipstream, he also groaned in pain before his life points dropped.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 3300 – 500 = 2800
Slipstream: 1300 – 600 = 700 LP
"Cinnamon Bird's effect also activates! Since it was destroyed by a card effect, I can target a 'Cychaic' Link monster on my field, and gain life points equal to its Link rating times 500. I target Nero, who's a Link 3 monster. That means I gain 1500 life points." Azrael added, as a fiery glow surrounded him before his life points increased.
Azrael: 400 + (500 X 3) = 1900 LP
Azrael anticipated that I would counter Julius Caesar's effect, so he set it up in a way that he would reap the rewards regardless of what would happen, and he gained life points as a result, Slipstream cursed in his mind. Better for that to happen than for Azrael to activate Julius Caesar's effect again.
"Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cychaic' monster. I set the Cychaic Dancer token into the Link Markers!" The Dancer token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cychaic Bestiarius!" A young man with blond hair whose attire consisted of scale armor that had a massive shoulder guard on his right shoulder, chainmail that reached down to his thighs, and paddings on his legs appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. In his right hand, he carried a sword, while strapped to his left arm was a circular shield.
Cychaic Bestiarius ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️
Cychaic Bestiarius ATK: 1500 + 500 = 2000
"When Bestiarius is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone he points to." Azrael said. "Be reborn, Cinnamon Bird." At Azrael's command, Cinnamon Bird reappeared on his field in the Main Monster Zone Bestiarius pointed to.
Cychaic Cinnamon Bird ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 3
Cychaic Cinnamon Bird ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF: 1000 + 500 = 1500
"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters. I set the Link 3 Cychaic Nero, and Cinnamon Bird into the Link Markers!" Nero went into the top-left, top-right, and bottom-left arrowheads, while Cinnamon Bird went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all four of them red.
"The Embodiment of Ideals is given to mankind!" Azrael chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Teravolt Dragon!" A black, bipedal dragon with red sclera, white irises, and black pupils, as well as a small horn-like protrusion on the tip of his snout appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His head sported a thundercloud-like crest tipped with light-blue coloration, which went backwards. At the base of his neck, his shoulders, knees, and wings was a black, stud-like feature, which resembled armor padding. His wings consisted of a fanned, shape that had a spike on each of the top edges. Attached to Teravolt Dragon's arms were baseball-mitt-like formations, with three-clawed hands on the undersides. On his feet were three claws, along with a small spike at the back. He also had an electric generator-like tail, which had a black inner portion and bands on the tip of the outside portion.
Teravolt Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️↖️↗️↘️
"Heh Heh Heh. I didn't expect to be brought out this duel." Teravolt Dragon admitted, before turning to Azrael. "But now that I'm here, this pipsqueak you're facing off against will grovel before you, Azrael."
"Slipstream certainly will once this duel is over." Wraith happily agreed, which made Slipstream grit his teeth in anger at that comment.
"You should feel privileged, Slipstream. For I brought out Teravolt Dragon to grace this duel, and he will be the one to finish you off." Azrael said, before gesturing to his field. "The effects of Teravolt Dragon and Cinnamon Bird activate in sequence. First, when Teravolt Dragon is Link Summoned, the effects of all Spell and Trap cards on your field are negated."
"But I don't have any Spell or Trap cards on my field, so nothing happens." Slipstream countered.
"That may be true, but there are other things I can do." Azrael replied. "Second, when Cinnamon Bird is used for a Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster gains 1000 attack points." Teravolt Dragon roared as his strength increased.
Teravolt Dragon ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000
"Battle!" Azrael thrusted out his right hand. "Teravolt Dragon attacks Hi-Speedroid Altair! Devastation Bolt!"
"It's over!" Teravolt Dragon exclaimed, before he surrounded himself in blue electricity that formed a sphere as he charged forward towards Altair with such force that it caused a massive explosion.
"No, Azrael! The duel is not over!" Slipstream countered. "If I would take battle damage, I can banish Breakdown from my Graveyard instead!" A barrier formed around Slipstream as the explosion went over him. "Oh, and in case you were thinking of attacking with your other monsters, you should know that I take no further battle or effect damage for the rest of this turn."
"WHAT?!" both Wraith and Teravolt Dragon exclaimed, the former shocked while the latter was furious.
"Such a thing shouldn't happen..." Teravolt Dragon muttered, angry that Slipstream survived the attack.
Azrael, on the other hand, grinned upon seeing this. "Impressive. You are the first duelist to have ever survived Teravolt Dragon's wrath. Your motivation is certainly showing, Slipstream. I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"As much as I appreciate the comment, you don't mind if I ask you a question, right?" Slipstream replied.
"Of course. You need but ask." Azrael stated.
"Did you guys infect Windy?"
That question made both Azrael and Wraith both gasp upon hearing it.
"You see, a while back, I used a few Ignis algorithms to determine who was responsible for putting Takeda in the hospital. The moment I learn a new program, that knowledge is forever with me. So after acquiring Windy with the program Herald gave me, I did a scan of his body to see if there were any anomalies, and sure enough, they were there. That led to one possible conclusion." Slipstream narrowed his eyes. "You guys must have somehow captured Windy before brainwashing him, am I not correct? Try to deny it."
It took a few seconds for Azrael to think this over, who was actually surprised with what he heard. After doing so, he ended up laughing. "You are partially correct, Slipstream. Wraith and I did not capture nor corrupt Windy. That was all Lightning's doing."
"What?!" Slipstream exclaimed.
"Before Lightning met Wraith and I, he captured Windy and reprogramed him to hate humans. But I think corrupted is the more accurate word here." Azrael explained.
"If you're wondering why, it's because Lightning needed allies for the war. Want to know the interesting part in all of this? Windy was once purely good, and was more than capable of co-existing with humans." Wraith added.
"So if it wasn't for Lightning, then Windy would have never been corrupted? I could have had him as an ally this whole time?!" Slipstream demanded, furious at what he just heard.
"Pretty much," both Azrael and Wraith confirmed.
"But moving that aside, I'm impressed with your level of skill in using an Ignis algorithm, Slipstream. You're just as talented as the Hanoi and Blood Shepherd in using those algorithms, if not greater than them." Azrael commented.
Slipstream grit his teeth, still angry with this information. What Lightning did... was unforgiveable. But it wasn't Lightning who did unforgiveable things. Azrael, Wraith, and Malf also did unforgivable things that affected everyone. "Are you guys not aware of the impact your actions had on others?! Thanks to you, Azrael, Miyu and Aqua will never meet and experience a bond. And thanks to Lightning, I was robbed of an opportunity to meet and spend time with Windy."
"So? What does that matter?" Wraith questioned.
"It matters because you guys prevented things that could have been." Slipstream answered.
"But what happened in the past already occurred. You're better off making peace with your actions and accepting the past as it was before moving forward." Azrael pointed out, having crossed his arms.
"Like the actions you committed, which hurt Raguel and so many others? Or the way you ended up due to those actions and the people you interacted with, such as the Inquisitors?"
Azrael frowned in response before closing his eyes. "I have made peace with my actions a long time ago, and have accepted who am I as an individual. But enough talk." He then opened his eyes. "We still have a duel to finish, and this will be your last chance to show me your motivation. Do not disappoint me after what you've shown me so far."
"Oh don't worry, Azrael. I'll not only show you my motivation, but defeat you with it as well! My turn! I draw!" Slipstream immediately said, as he drew the top card of his deck. Azrael's right about one thing. This is my last chance to turn things around, and if I don't succeed in doing so, then it'll be game over for me, he thought in his mind.
"Trap card, activate! Cychaic Emblem!" Azrael interrupted, as he gestured to his face-down card. The card showed a black-colored symbol, which consisted of a dark-blue demonic crest that had two mirage blades making an X, as well as a katana slashing it down the middle. "This card lets me target either a 'Cychaic' monster or a 'Teravolt Dragon' monster on my field, and equip it with this card. I equip Emblem to Teravolt Dragon." The emblem then appeared on Teravolt Dragon, which caused a dark-blue glow to emit from his body. "While this card is equipped, the equipped monster is unaffected by your card effects."
"Tch." Slipstream grit his teeth before looking at the effects of all of Azrael's cards on the latter's field. On the plus side, there were at least other things he can do. "I activate the Spell card, Card of Adversity. Since I control no monsters and you control a Special Summoned monster, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." He drew the top two cards of his deck.
"Next, I activate the effect of Launch in my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Speedroid' monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field. As such, I Special Summon Altair from my Graveyard." Slipstream continued, as Altair reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️
"And like I mentioned before, when Altair is Special Summoned, or a 'Speedroid' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone it points to during either of our turns, I can not only send a card you control to your Graveyard, but inflict 500 points of damage as well. You can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects. I send Amphitheatre to your Graveyard. Thunder Flare!" Altair fired electricity from its tail at Amphitheatre, which turned it into particles before it went over to Azrael and made him wince as his life points slightly dropped.
Azrael: 1900 – 500 = 1400 LP
Cychaic Praetor ATK: 2900 – 500 = 2400
Cychaic Bestiarius ATK: 2000 – 500 = 1500
"After doing so, Altair gains 500 attack points, and as you already know by now, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects. Thunder Booster!" Slipstream stated, before the motor in Altair's body turned on as its strength increased.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 + 500 = 3300
"In that case, I activate Praetor's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can destroy one 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand to not only negate the effects of a monster you control until the End Phase, but also inflict 600 damage to you as well. I destroy Bestiarius on my field, and negate Altair's effects." Azrael said back, as Praetor quickly slashed Bestiarius into pieces before it turned into particles, which he fired at Altair as it groaned in pain. As for Slipstream, he also groaned in pain before his life points dropped.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 3300 – 500 = 2800
Slipstream: 700 – 600 = 100 LP
"Bestiarius' effect! When he's destroyed by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard to my field." A card popped out of Azrael's deck. "I Special Summon Cychaic Tiger from my deck to my field." An armored tiger with black stripes appeared on Azrael's field in defense position. Attached to its neck was a fiery collar that emitted small flames around it. Fiery rings were also attached to its armor as well.
Cychaic Tiger ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 6
He's solidifying his defenses to prepare for my strategies, Slipstream thought in his mind. I can't falter now. Not when there's so much on the line. "Since I control a Wind monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand to my field." A blue, red, and yellow humanoid robot with very thin arms and legs, as well as two lightning bolt-like antennas appeared on Slipstream's field.
Speedroid Taketomborg ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3
"I also activate Taketomborg's second effect. Once per turn, by tributing it, I can Special Summon one 'Speedroid' tuner monster from my deck to my field." Slipstream continued, as a card popped out of his deck. "I tribute Taketomborg, and Special Summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice from my deck to my field." After Taketomborg turned into particles, a yellow dice with a single red eye and six red electrodes orbiting around it on Slipstream's field.
Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1
"From there, I activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn. This card lets me target one monster in either of our Graveyards and Special Summon it to my field. I target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in my Graveyard, and Special Summon her back to my field!" At Slipstream's command, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon reappeared on his field.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7
"I tune the Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice with the Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Slipstream declared, as a bolt of green lightning struck him before the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one gold and one white, appeared before turning blue and merging. Eight blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 7" in front of them. The screen changed to "8" as light surged through the rings.
"Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" A white and magenta dragon covered in dark-blue and yellow armor appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had crystal plating on her chest and her lower back, along with three crystal spikes that extended backwards. She also had wings that consisted of transparent crystals, which shined with bright light.
Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8
"The monster used to defeat Windy..." Azrael muttered, as he stared at Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon.
"That's right, Azrael, and you'll be defeated the same way!" Slipstream replied, before thrusting out his right hand. "Battle! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon attacks Cychaic Praetor! And when Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon battles a Level 5 or higher monster, she gains attack points equal to your monster's attack points during that damage calculation only. That means Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon gains Praetor's 2400 attack points!" Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon let out a roar as her strength increased.
Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 3000 + 2400 = 5400
"Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!" Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon rose high into the air before light-blue, crystal energy surrounded her entire body as she charged towards Praetor.
"So that's your play..." Azrael muttered. "A good attempt, but a futile one at that." He gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Cychaic Formation! By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, all monsters on my field can't be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn, and any battle damage I take is reduced to zero. I destroy Tiger." As if on cue, Tiger turned into particles, which surrounded Praetor before he blocked the attack with his sword. This led Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon to retreat back to Slipstream's field.
Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon ATK: 5400 – 2400 = 3000
"Tiger's effect also activates! Since it was destroyed by a card effect, I can add one 'Cychaic' card from my deck or Graveyard to my hand. What's more, I can Special Summon it back to my field at the End Phase since I control a 'Cychaic' monster. I add Cychaic Panther from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Azrael's deck, which he took and added to his hand.
Thanks to Formation's effect, there's no point in attacking at all, Slipstream cursed in his mind, before looking at the card in his hand. If he played it at the right time, then Azrael's strategy will be thrown off. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Praetor's effect ends, and Altair regains its effects." As if on cue, Altair let out a roar before its strength returned. Seconds later, Tiger reappeared on Azrael's field in defense position.
Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 + 500 = 3300
Cychaic Tiger ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 6
"My turn! I draw!" Azrael said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "You've shown some great motivation in our duel, Slipstream. But all good things must come to end, for I'll end you this turn."
"We'll see about that! Trap card, activate! Speedroid Sonic Boom!" Slipstream interrupted. The card showed the male racer on a green and white dragon-styled duel runner increasing its speed to the max as he overtook Skull Marbles, a massive burst of energy being released from the former's vehicle. "Since I control a 'Speedroid' monster, this card lets me shuffle a card you control into your deck before inflicting 400 points of damage. Oh, and if I control a 'Speedroid' or Wind Dragon monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can shuffle a card on your field back into your deck and inflict 400 points of damage for each 'Speedroid' and Wind Dragon monster I control!"
"What?" Azrael, Wraith and Teravolt Dragon gasped at the same time.
Slipstream smirked. "I shuffle Emblem and Teravolt Dragon back into your deck and Extra Deck, which means you take a total of 800 points of damage!" A massive shockwave fired out of Sonic Boom, which hit both Emblem and Teravolt Dragon before they turned into particles that returned to Azrael's deck and Extra Deck. The shockwave also hit Azrael as he was forced to take several steps back, his life points decreasing in the process.
Azrael: 1400 – (400 X 2) = 800 LP
"He just got rid of Teravolt Dragon. Just like that..." Wraith muttered out of shock. While Azrael was shocked as well, his expression changed to a combination of pure anger and determination. Once Wraith saw this, he chuckled. "Oh, boy. Slipstream's in for it now..."
"I wasn't expecting you of all people to evade Teravolt Dragon, Slipstream. I thought Raguel would be the one to do so." Azrael admitted, as he straightened himself out. "If I'm being honest, I'd be more furious than I am right now if you destroyed him in battle. But regardless, it's only fair I acknowledge your motivation by showing you what true power really is!"
"Then stop talking and do it already." Slipstream snarked back.
Azrael grinned. "As you wish. Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cychaic' monsters. I Set Cychaic Praetor and Tiger into the Link Markers!" Praetor went into the top arrowhead, while Tiger went into the bottom arrowhead, turning the both of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cychaic Janus!" A light-purple djinn who had three yellow rings, one around his body and one hanging freely on each of his dark-grey horns that curved slightly upward appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had green eyes with yellow sclerae, a yellow ring marking on his forehead, a small pink dot under each eye, and dark pink hair tied into a short ponytail. His body had a dark pink, V-shaped marking on the chest and a small, golden spike on each shoulder. For his arms, they weren't attached to his body, but instead floated next to him. He also had mitten-like hands and dark pink rings around each wrist. In place of legs, he had a wispy tail.
Cychaic Janus ATK: 1500 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️
"Hahaha! You're dead, little child. Dead, I tell you!" Janus mischievously told Slipstream.
"You have a sentient Cyberse monster, too? I thought you wouldn't give any of your monsters sentience." Slipstream said.
"Only Janus and Teravolt Dragon have sentience, Slipstream. The others do not." Wraith responded.
"But moving that aside, prepare yourself for what's to come, Slipstream." Azrael stated, before thrusting out his right hand. "When Janus is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Cychaic' monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone he points to. Also, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of his effects. I Special Summon Elephantaur back from my Graveyard to my field. Hyperspace Hole!" Janus threw one of the rings in his hands to the Main Monster Zone he pointed to, which caused Elephantaur to reappear on Azrael's field.
Cychaic Elephantaur ATK: 2800 DEF: 1000 LV: 8
"Janus's second effect now activates! Each time a 'Cychaic' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone he points to, I can shuffle monsters you control whose original attack points are less than or equal to the Special Summoned monster's attack points back to your deck. Since Elephantaur's attack points are 2800, that means I can shuffle Altair back to your Extra Deck."
"I don't think so, Azrael! I activate the effect of Sonic Boom in my Graveyard!" Slipstream countered. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, all 'Speedroid' and Wind Dragon monsters are unaffected by your card effects for the rest of this turn!" A sonic boom surrounded Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon and Altair, which covered the two in protective auras. "That means Janus's effects, nor the effects of your other cards, can't touch my monsters."
Azrael narrowed his eyes. "I did say I'd show you what true power is, and I always keep my word. In fact, let me ask you a question, Slipstream. Do you actually think that Teravolt Dragon is my only trump card?"
"What?" Slipstream gasped, now afraid with what Azrael will do next for the latter's turn.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Omega Mode Activate!" The card showed Azrael holding a shining card in his hand. Behind him was Janus, who began growing as he evolved into a stronger version of himself. "By tributing one 'Cychaic' Link monster, this card lets me Link Summon one '/Omega Mode' Link monster whose name includes the tributed monster's name from my Extra Deck! I tribute Janus!" A massive portal that had mirage blades circling it appeared, which Janus jumped into before it glowed a bright light.
"Embodiment of the djinn's rage sealed within the prison bottle! Break free, and unleash your malice onto the world!" Azrael chanted. "Omega Mode Summon! Link 4! Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode!" A monstrous, bipedal djinn with six arms, light blue skin, purple fur and bushy hair bound into a ponytail with two golden rings appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His hair also covered his chin, to the point where it formed a pointed beard, and the back of his neck. His horns were now less curved, each of them having spiky purple hair around the bases. On each of Janus/Omega Mode's horn were three gold rings: two being around the base, and one around the middle. He had yellow eyes with white sclerae, a pointed, dark gray nose, a small hole inside of the ring-marking on its forehead, and prominent fangs in the back of his lower jaw. Just like with Janus, his six arms were disconnected and floated next to his body. Each of his arms had three fingers with dark gray claws, a gold ring around the wrist, and a gold ring around the base. Several tufts of purple fur surrounded his torso, with a gold ring encircling the hole at the center of his chest. Finally, the tips of his feet were gold and curl upward, as if he was wearing shoes belonging to that of a jester.
Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️
"HAHAHA! It's the end of the line for you, puny human!" Janus/Omega Mode exclaimed, as he cracked his knuckles, ready for battle.
Slipstream blinked before gritting his teeth. "While it's only fitting for Azrael to have something similar to what Raguel has, it's not good at all."
"Janus is the djinn that tricks the moon. But when he fully snaps, his rage and malice are unbound, to the point where he can release his power without mercy. Let me show you what happens when you push me to my limit, Slipstream." Azrael said.
"I summon Cychaic Panther from my hand to my field." A silver-armored panther appeared on Azrael's field.
Cychaic Panther ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4
"Next, I activate Janus/Omega Mode's effect!." Azrael continued. "Once per turn, I can destroy a 'Cychaic' card in my hand or on the field to increase his attack points by the attack points of one 'Cychaic' monster with a different name on my field until the end of my next turn. What's more, your monsters lose attack points equal to that same 'Cychaic' monster's attack points until the end of my next turn. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of any of his effects. I destroy Panther, and increase Janus/Omega Mode's attack points by Elephantaur's attack points, which are 2800. That means your monsters lose 2800 attack points as well. Hyperspace Gluttony!" A golden ring appeared in one of Janus/Omega Mode's six arms before he threw it into the air, which swallowed Panther whole as it turned into particles that went into the former's chest, increasing his strength in the process.
Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode ATK: 3000 + 2800 = 5800
"But thanks to Sonic Boom, my monsters are unaffected by your card effects for the rest of your turn." Slipstream reminded Azrael, as Janus/Omega Mode then fired those particles at Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon and Altair, which caused the sonic boom shield surrounding the duo to protect them.
"True, but they won't survive what comes next. I activate Panther's effect! As it was destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my Graveyard to my field. Be reborn, Praetor." Azrael replied back, as Praetor reappeared on his field.
Cychaic Praetor ATK: 2400 DEF: 600 LV: 6
"Battle! Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode attacks Hi-Speedroid Altair! Hyperspace Fury!" Six golden rings appeared around Janus/Omega Mode, who sent his arms through them as he prepared to attack Altair.
"I activate the effect of Transformer in my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard and changing the battle position of a 'Speedroid' or Wind Dragon monster on my field, I can negate the attack." Slipstream countered. "I change Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon's battle position to defense position!" After Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon changed to defense position, a green barrier surrounded Altair as the arms appeared out of nowhere before attempting to pummel it to oblivion. After doing so, the arms returned back to Janus/Omega Mode. "There's nothing else you can do, Azrael, so you might as well end your turn."
Azrael and Wraith then laughed after hearing that comment.
"What's so funny?"
"You poor fool. The moment Janus snaps and breaks loose, it's lights out for you!" Wraith exclaimed, before turning back to Azrael. "Show him what I mean, Azrael."
"With pleasure." Azrael said back with a grin, before turning back to Slipstream. "I activate Janus/Omega Mode's second effect. By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, he can attack an additional time, and this is a Quick effect in case you were wondering. And like before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of any of his effects!"
"WHAT?!" Slipstream gasped as he widened his eyes.
"I destroy Elephantaur! Hyperspace Consumption!" A golden ring appeared in one of Janus/Omega Mode's six arms before he threw it into the air, which swallowed Elephantaur whole as it turned into particles that went into the former's chest, invigorating it with more strength. "I'd use Elephantaur's effect, but considering how your monsters are unaffected by my card effects, there's no point in doing so. Then again, considering the ending of this duel, it matters little."
"Game Over, Slipstream! You lose!" Wraith exclaimed.
"Well, at least I was close..." Slipstream muttered, having accepted his loss.
Azrael frowned. "This is my acknowledgement of your persevering motivation throughout this duel, Slipstream. Take pride in that. The battle continues! Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode attacks Hi-Speedroid Altair! Hyperspace Fury!" The six golden rings reappeared around Janus/Omega Mode, who sent his arms through them as they emerged out of them on Slipstream's field before brutally pummeling Altair into oblivion, which caused a massive explosion that headed straight towards Slipstream.
In response, he breathed in before planting his feet on the ground and raising his arms to cover his face as it enveloped him. When the smoke cleared, it showed Slipstream, who managed to somehow keep his balance despite his energy being drained from the duel.
Slipstream: 100 – 2500 = 0
Azrael then walked over to Slipstream. "Congratulations, Slipstream. Not only did you show me your unwavering motivation, you also inflicted more damage than anyone ever has in my duels. I had some fun after all, just like in my duel against Stregone." He held out his right hand. "And do not worry. Lightning will meet his end sooner than he thinks. You have my word on that."
Slipstream let out a chuckle after hearing this as he continued panting, trying his best to keep his balance. "That's... great to hear." He looked at his hand as he started disintegrating. Sorry for failing guys. Looks like it's up to you to finish what I started. As for you, Windy, sorry I wasn't able to get you home so you can begin atoning for your crimes, Slipstream thought in his mind, before his data fully became a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS.
But just before that happened, Azrael held out his right hand, where an imprisoned Windy emerged out of Slipstream's duel disk before floating over to him.
"Herald's power as the Ignis of Time is truly fascinating." Wraith acknowledged, as he looked at the sphere that orbited the imprisoned Windy. "The fact that he was able to pause someone from becoming a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS is remarkable."
"Indeed." Azrael agreed with Wraith's logic. "But moving that aside, we have leverage over Bohman and Lightning should either of them try any funny business."
"Bohman should be finishing up with Soulburner soon, and Lightning will most certainly confront Revolver due to recent events." Wraith correctly hypothesized.
"Then let's go." After Azrael summoned his duel board, he jumped onto it before heading over to where Revolver was in Mirror LINK VRAINS, wanting to see the coming duel between him and Lightning.
Meanwhile...
Herald flew through the network-like tunnel that was contained within Raguel's deck. Well, not a network. Specifically, a tunnel that led to a world where Raguel's Cyreath monsters can live and co-exist with one another. It was something that Herald created when those monsters weren't fighting against people who were opposing him and Raguel in duels. After what Herald learned from Raguel, it became more urgent than ever for him to go into the deck and see if he can get information on how to prevent the nightmare he had from truly becoming reality.
Soon, Herald made it to his destination within Raguel's deck, which was a server that replicated the entire landscape of Mount Olympus itself. Specifically, a piece of his server that can be brought with him on the go while on missions. It was evident by each section of the mountain having lush-green landscapes on the ground, several trees, small waterfalls, and the numerous palaces and buildings that were on it. He quickly landed on the top of the mountain before heading over to the main area, which consisted of a marble-tiled floor, several white pillars on the sides and at the back, plants on the many pieces of grass in the area, trees, staircases to access its many levels, and a few waterfalls that fed the plants and grass.
This was known as the Garden of Olympus. Herald was too humble to create a throne room, for that wasn't worth his time.
"Alright." Herald said, as he landed on the ground. He raised his right hand in front of him, which caused a massive pillar with a hundred gears and smaller pillars that stuck out of it, each one showing a monitor. This allowed Herald to keep an eye on the many areas of Olympus should something come up. He quickly touched the monitors one by one as he looked at the footage, which showed nothing wrong at the moment. However, after closer inspection, Herald noticed black blotches in different areas that pulsed red, as though it was slowly getting infected. "Given by how Raguel created his new monsters, it'd make sense for these blotches to appear. I'll need to study how these blotches appeared, and create defenses so that the other monsters won't be at risk of infection."
"Leaving so soon, Herald?" a voice inquired, as a burst of dark energy appeared that pushed Herald back several feet, which forced him to shield his eyes with his right arm. After doing so, the black energy then dissipated before Pandora appeared out of it.
"You again. Pandora." Herald said, having recognized her.
"It's interesting how you've arrived after Raguel was forced to defeat the one who he saw as his mother." Pandora observed. "Why are you honestly here? To warn the others of what's to come? To eliminate things that can help Raguel out in the long run against his enemies, especially with what's at stake here?"
"I know who Raguel is as a human being, and the goodness he's shown to many people in his life. That's why I'm shocked he'd create a duel monster such as you and Scorching Cerberus. I also know you two aren't the only ones he created as well." Herald replied.
"Because in battle, an ethical code, along with petty values like justice and companionship will only hinder one's efforts to victory. Raguel created me and the others so that he'd have the power needed to crush his enemies." Pandora stated. "Honestly, you of all people should realize that not everyone has a good side."
"Of course not everyone has a good side, especially when your legend plays a part in it. How you were created at Zeus' behest to Hephaestus so he can punish Prometheus for stealing fire, and how your own curiosity led to you opening a box containing All the World's Evils before releasing them onto the world." Herald countered back. "Well, in some faiths and what people believe in for a higher power, anyway."
Pandora narrowed her eyes in anger. "You don't know what happened after the fact, do you?"
"After the fact?"
"Yes, that's right. After I opened the box, I was cast down from Olympus as punishment for my sin. However, I was given a different box before being exiled. The gods also gave me instructions for this box, and how I was not to open it until the time came where mankind was against Armageddon, and showed the potential to avoid destruction. Only by completing this task would my sin be forgiven, and I would be allowed to die before going back home." Pandora sadly explained. "Unfortunately, that time never came, and I was forced to live immortally as a result. In that process, I suffered greatly over thousands of years as I was persecuted by humans and subjected to fates worse than death in their attempts to kill me. That's the true ending of my legend."
Herald gasped upon hearing this. He did not know about that part of the legend, and how Pandora was forced to suffer over thousands of years in her quest for redemption. Still, Herald narrowed his eyes in anger, for it did not change the situation at hand. "Your sad story bores me, and has nothing to do with Raguel's current state of mind right now. I won't let what I saw in my nightmare come to pass, even if it means stopping you."
"Stopping me? I don't think so. For when an infection starts, it can't be fully contained. You of all people should know that." Pandora snarled back. "I obviously can't kill you, but I can at least detain you so that Raguel can do what he must to win at all costs. Hehehe." The ground then shook before cracks appeared. "ALASTOR!"
As if on cue, Alastor jumped out of the ground behind Pandora, which made Herald widen his eyes upon seeing him.
"Crap!" Herald stated.
"GET OVER HERE!" Alastor shouted, as he threw the jagged, chained blades at Herald like harpoons, intent on detaining him.
But to everyone's surprise, Hercules/Alpha Mode appeared out of nowhere before standing behind Herald and blocking the attack with Nine Lives to protect him.
"Hercules/Alpha Mode!" Herald cried with relief.
"So you refuse to join us on our mission of destruction, Hercules/Alpha Mode? Then I'll have to detain you as well!" Pandora said, before attempting to fire a blast of energy from her right palm. However, she gasped as a blip of light petrified her body and reduced her movement. This was evident by the small, stone blotches that were on Pandora's body.
As if on cue, Medusa appeared before sliding in front of Herald's right side, intent on protecting him.
"And Medusa too!" Herald added.
"You will not hurt Raguel and his loved ones. Not on my watch." Medusa said.
"You resist us, too? Fine. RISE, TEFERI!" Pandora ordered, as a black mist appeared before it dissipated to reveal Teferi.
"Begone!" Teferi shouted, as energy fired out of his wings, which went towards Herald and the others before they dodged it. Suddenly, before Teferi could launch another attack, Achilles appeared out of nowhere as he slashed Teferi using the lance in his hands with such force that the former was sent flying back, his back having hit the wall.
"Sorry, but you weren't paying attention, were you?" Achilles taunted, as he twirled the lance in his hands. "But I'm afraid I can't let people like you run rampant in this area." But before he could say anymore, a black shadow appeared as it slammed Achilles to the wall nearby. When it dissipated, it revealed Atalanta/Alpha Mode, much to his horror. "Atalanta?!"
"Shit.." Herald cursed, angry with what happened to Atalanta.
Hercules/Alpha Mode then charged towards Alastor before grabbing his head and smashing him through the wall. As if on cue, Medusa moved quickly to evade Teferi's blasts before engaging him in battle, the latter forming a curved blade of energy to repel the former's attacks. While Achilles blocked Atalanta/Alpha Mode's onslaught of rabid attacks, Herald quickly swatted aside the energy attacks fired from Pandora, both sides engaging in battle.
Alastor jumped high into the air as he blocked the attacks Hercules/Alpha Mode unleashed at him using Nine Lives. He then slashed Hercules/Alpha Mode with the jagged, chained blades in his hands before the set of arms with large hands on his back grabbed the large sword attached to him. Alastor then brought the large sword down onto the latter, which sent him falling straight to the ground as a massive explosion occurred. Once Alastor landed on the ground, Hercules/Alpha Mode's body repaired itself before the latter charged at the former once again, their blades locked in combat.
Medusa quickly jumped from one piece of the pillars and staircases to the other to evade Teferi's attacks. She fired a beam of light that temporarily immobilized Teferi, where she then struck the latter which several attacks from all directions before he was sent flying to the ground.
Meanwhile, Achilles was forced on the defensive as he continued to block Atalanta/Alpha Mode's ruthless attacks. He couldn't seem to fight her back for some reason. Was it because he was fond of her? Did he see Atalanta as a sister? Or was it something more? No! He couldn't think of that right now! So Achilles quickly dodged Atalanta/Alpha Mode's attacks by jumping from one pillar to the other, hoping to out-speed her before landing a non-lethal attack. There, Achilles thought, as he hit Atalanta/Alpha Mode in the stomach using his knee, which pushed her back several feet before stunning her for several seconds.
Elsewhere in the garden, Herald quickly and easily dodged Pandora's string of fiery attacks before striking back with a blast of energy of his own, which she dodged too. While she was a sentient Cyberse creature, her strength meant nothing compared to that of an Ignis.
"Ethical codes and values of justice and companionship mean nothing in the field of battle. The person whose strength is stronger emerges as the victor. That's how it always has been." Pandora told Herald, now getting annoyed that she couldn't even damage him with her attacks.
"Well, the world's changed since you last appeared." Herald commented back, who continued to effortlessly dodge Pandora's attacks.
"Insolent little-!" Pandora's right hand covered with energy as large pieces of tree bark slightly hovered the ground, which she threw at Herald. In response, he fired blasts of energy at the tree bark and destroyed each one. Quickly getting more frustrated, Pandora clapped her hands in front of her, which immediately sent a shockwave that pushed Herald back several feet. However, bright energy surrounded Herald's body as he rewinded himself back in time for several seconds, which caught Pandora off guard before he fired energy from his hands that sent her flying back upon impact.
Suddenly, Turboblaze Dragon appeared out of nowhere as he breathed fire at Pandora and the others, causing her, Alastor, Teferi, and Atalanta/Alpha Mode to get out of the way lest they get burned.
Okay, I had enough of this little rebellion, Herald angrily thought in his mind, as bright energy coursed through his body once again. "ZA WARUDO!" Soon, the energy coursed through the entire area as it immediately restrained Pandora, Alastor, Teferi, and Atalanta/Alpha Mode before pausing their movements seconds later. As a result, the quartet was lifted off the ground, unable to do anything in response.
"Thank you for for coming to aid me, Turboblaze." Herald told Turboblaze Dragon, as the latter landed on the ground.
"I have been dealing with the blotches as fast as I can, and when you appeared, I knew you would need my help." Turboblaze Dragon explained.
"Hey, Herald." Achilles said, which got Herald's attention. "Thanks for sparing Atalanta. The last thing I wanted was hurt her." After Herald nodded back in assurance, he turned to Pandora and her allies.
"Whatever Raguel has done to you guys, I'm expunging the infection right out of your bodies." Herald told Pandora, Alastor, Teferi and Atalanta/Alpha Mode as he immediately scanned the algorithm that gave the trio sentience. However, he gasped upon putting two and two together. "Your algorithm..."
"Is different." Pandora finished. "While Raguel used your Ignis algorithm, he put a few different pieces of it so you couldn't detect us. To put it simply, he anticipated you trying to eliminate us, and made a few changes to ensure it didn't happen."
"What does she mean, Herald?" Medusa asked.
"It means I wasn't able to sense the creation of Pandora and the others." Herald realized, having answered Medusa's question. This worried Herald, as Raguel's ability to create new cards was more deadlier than he ever expected. That, along with his ability to modify the Ignis algorithm, showed how dangerous Raguel was should he be pushed to the limit. He turned back to Pandora and the others. "While I don't plan on erasing you, I can stop you so that you won't interfere with Raguel's mental state and the war going on." Several holes appeared underneath Pandora, Alastor, and Teferi as Herald began imprisoning them inside each one.
"Fine. We'll back off for now." Pandora complied. "But know that the moment Raguel summons us, we'll break free from your prison."
"You can try." Herald taunted back.
"Humans need to pay for what they've done to my family!" Alastor screamed in pain and sadness.
Oh, Alastor. You don't even know the truth about your own legend, Herald lamented in his mind, before successfully imprisoning Alastor, Pandora, and Teferi inside their prisons. As for Atalanta/Alpha Mode, he dropped her to the ground, who was unconscious in the process. "Take her to the healing chamber. Quickly."
"Right." Achilles said, before carrying Atalanta/Alpha Mode in his arms. "And thank you for not imprisoning her with the others, Herald. I'm truly grateful." He then quickly sped off as he headed towards the healing chamber in another area of the server.
"What do we do now, Herald?" Medusa inquired.
"Keep an eye on the areas with Hercules/Alpha Mode and the others. Let me know if there are anymore disturbances." Herald replied. "Send several centurions to guard the prisons as well. We can't afford any interferences, especially with the war going on."
After Medusa and Hercules/Alpha Mode nodded, they quickly jumped to one of the pillars and staircases before heading off to complete their tasks. Energy formed in Herald's hands as he released it all over the garden, curing it from the battle that unfolded there.
"Herald, I too am worried about Raguel." Turboblaze Dragon stated.
"Given what's happened, the chances of my nightmare coming true have increased, yet there's still time to prevent it from happening." Herald commented, before turning to Turboblaze Dragon. "Listen to me, Turboblaze. If something happens to me, please promise you'll protect Raguel and the others no matter what."
Turboblaze Dragon sadly sighed. "If that's what you want, then I'll do it."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." Herald responded, as he began leaving the server before heading back to the real world. I need to talk to Raguel immediately, and find out what I missed from RL and Ai, he thought, wanting to know what happened while he was away.
Elsewhere...
Yuhiro grit his teeth as he slowly opened his eyes. The next thing he knew, he felt himself starting to fall faster than expected, which made him scream as he suddenly landed on the ground. "Okay, that hurt..."
Looking around, Yuhiro realized that he was in the Den City Cemetery. No one else was here, thus allowing Yuhiro to be alone with his thoughts. It almost felt peaceful in a way, for he was allowed to get away from all the chaos that just happened, especially after what happened during his duel against Roxy.
I don't understand. Why do all my actions result in me hurting people. Am I only capable of destruction and nothing else, Yuhiro wondered, as he reached the graves of his blood, adopted, and foster parents.
Myojin Furutani.
Lyla Furutani.
When Yuhiro first found out the truth about himself, he was so overloaded with information that he ended up running away in pure fear and terror before Rachel and Greg found him and took him back home to Café Matsuo. He was beyond scared with his findings, for it made him feel that he was nothing more than a monster born only to hurt others. For as long as Yuhiro existed, he'd only end up hurting the people he loved.
He simply looked at the graves in silence, not bothering to say anything as he put his thoughts to the side.
"Yuhiro."
Yuhiro slightly gasped before turning around, where he saw Roxy a few feet behind him.
"I don't want to fight. Not after what just happened." Roxy said, before sighing. "The both of us knew that-."
"Stay right there. Don't move." Yuhiro gently interrupted.
"Okay." Roxy complied. "But I'd like to tell you a few things if that's alright. I know this is impossible for you to understand, Yuhiro. I thought I'd know what to say, but I don't know what to say to you except I'm sorry for not being strong enough. I'm sorry that you had to go through with the duel, and being forced to defeat me in order to get one step closer in stopping Lightning and Azrael."
"No. Stay back. Please!" Yuhiro pleaded, as Roxy stepped forward to him.
"Listen to me, Yuhiro. The duel between you and I would have happened one way or another. I'm sorry. You understand that, right? I wish things were different, I wish this never happened. But-."
Yuhiro then walked towards Roxy, sadness evident in his eyes. "What? Say it! What is it you want to say? Just say it already!"
"I had to lose so that you can keep fighting, okay Yuhiro? There was nothing either of us can do to prevent that scenario from happening. Yuhiro, I'm so sorry." Roxy told Yuhiro, before the latter hugged the former tightly. Yuhiro ended up crying as Roxy held him, doing her best to comfort him. Once that was done, the two of them let go of one another before heading over to one of the benches nearby.
"I told you back at Café Matsuo, did I not? That I'm an abomination. A freak. Someone born only to hurt others, not help them. That as long as exist, I'll only continue hurting the people around me." Yuhiro reminded Roxy. "And look what happened. I lost control, and ended up hurting you as a result. Yet you came back to help me. Why?"
Roxy sighed. "A long time ago, I spoke with Quinton, and told him of the difficulties you were going through. Rest assured, I didn't specify anything. But the both of us agreed that there'd come a time where you would need us more than ever. I promised that I'd be there for you, no matter the circumstances, and vice versa." She and Yuhiro then sat down on the bench. "What happened at our duel wasn't entirely your fault."
"I get that, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt you. I'm supposed to know better, I'm supposed to be better, I'm supposed to make everything better. And yet I can't." Yuhiro replied back.
"But you can still move forward." Roxy told Yuhiro. "If you lose hope, then Lightning and Azrael have already won. All those sacrifices would be in vain as a result. I can't come to terms with that, and neither should you." She put a hand on Yuhiro's shoulder, as if to reassure him that everything will be okay.
"I don't... I don't know how to accept what happened and make peace with myself." Yuhiro admitted.
"Well, you take ownership for your actions for starters, and strive to become a better person not on your own, but with the help of others. Perfection is a myth, so don't try to be perfect." Roxy replied. "I'm not the same woman I used to be, Yuhiro. I used to be rash and arrogant all the time, to the point where I thought nothing could ever hurt me. But as time passed, I learned that whether it's your own choices or the choices of others, they end up hurting you in the end. Despite everything that happened, you still have the potential to make positive and lasting changes to the world, Yuhiro. You can't stop now."
Yuhiro sadly nodded after hearing those words. While he strove to become a better person, someone people can look up to, events outside of his control unfortunately impacted him for the worst. However, that didn't mean the fight was over. It was just one battle, and Yuhiro still had the chance to persevere and keep fighting.
"You still got this, buddy. I'm with you until the end of the line." After Roxy patted him one last time on the shoulder in reassurance, she turned into bright particles and faded away from Yuhiro.
"Thanks for the advice, mom." Yuhiro muttered, before looking at the sky. "We'll give Lightning and Azrael Hell for what they've done."
Several seconds later, in Mirror LINK VRAINS...
"GAAH!" Raguel shouted, as he opened his eyes before trying to catch his breath.
"You're okay." Herald cried out of relief, where Raguel turned to face him after recognizing his voice. Rasterliger also went over to Raguel before giving him a small lick, which made the latter smile.
As if on cue, Playmaker also woke up, having finally regained consciousness.
"Playmaker! About time you stopped napping, sleepyhead!" Ai cried out of relief.
"I'd still be sleeping if Kusanagi hadn't woke me up." Playmaker pointed out.
"I get that, Playmaker. If it weren't for Roxy, I'd be still unconscious." Raguel agreed, which got Playmaker and Ai's attention as he slowly got up on his feet.
"How are you here, Raguel? And what did I miss?" Playmaker asked.
"Well, it's kind of a long story. I think it'd be best if I explain it." Ai suggested to Raguel and Herald, the duo nodding at him in confirmation. So Ai explained what happened while Playmaker was unconscious. How Raguel, was forced to duel against Angelica as a result of Azrael blackmailing her into doing so, lest she risk losing Miyu's consciousness data forever. How Raguel won the duel, but at the cost of using new cards that weren't ordinary, as well as him snapping in the process temporarily. Also, Ai informed Playmaker about the fact that Mirror LINK VRAINS was in lockdown, which surprised him of all the information he heard.
"It seems I missed out on a lot." Playmaker realized, before turning to Raguel. "Did you also fall unconscious due to your duel against Angelica?"
"While I'm not fully sure, I do know that it was one of the factors involved." Raguel answered.
"Something else is going on behind the scenes. If we don't find it soon, then this mess will become an even bigger one." Herald said.
"But on the bright side, Azrael made Bohman release Miyu's cure, so she's awake and okay." Ai commented.
"While the two of you were knocked out, Soulburner and Bohman were dueling." Rasterliger told Raguel and Playmaker.
"So it seems..." Raguel muttered, as he and the others turned to look at the purple sphere. It showed Soulburner declaring an attack on Rousing Hydradrive Monarch using Salamangreat Heatleo, only for Bohman to activate the Continuous-Trap card, Dice Logic. This allowed Bohman to not only target the attacking monster, but also roll a dice before activating the applicable effect. Should the result be one, three, or five, then the attack points of the targeted monster will become zero. However, if the result was two, four, or six, then the attack points of the targeted monster will be doubled instead.
"Really? Bohman's using cards revolving around luck? Again?" Herald complained.
"Well, Bohman got lucky using dice effects earlier in the duel." Ai pointed out. "Not only did he bring out Rousing Hydradrive Monarch using Paradox Hydradrive Atlas's effect, he also got rid of Soulburner's monsters before reducing him to 500 life points."
Herald gasped after seeing Paradox Hydradrive Atlas. "Are you kidding me?! Bohman has the same freaking monster I envisioned during my mediation exercises!" He turned to Raguel. "I said it once, and I'll say it again: Mediation is nothing but crap."
"Again, now's not the time to mention that..." Raguel replied back out of annoyance.
Much to everyone's shock, Bohman rolled a three, which brought Heatleo's attack points to zero as a result.
"Soulburner, there's a way we can win this duel. We can't give up now." Flame told Soulburner. "Do you remember the Cyberse monster I created before we came here?"
"Cyberse monster? What are you-?" Soulburner began speaking, before putting two and two together. After looking at the cards in his hand, he smiled. "Ah! Now I know what you're saying, Flame!"
"How interesting. Despite the current circumstances, you and Flame still press forward, Soulburner. Yet you don't have the intellect to match mine, which exceeds your combined amount by so much that I can anticipate your moves." Bohman said. "What can you do to defeat me? You already attacked, so unless you have other moves to make, you might as well end your turn."
Soulburner grit his teeth in response. "Who said my turn was over, Bohman? Because I still have more moves to make! Let me show you here and now!"
Raguel and Playmaker, along with the others, saw Soulburner activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Salamangreat Burning Shell, which not only let him Special Summon a 'Salamangreat' monster from his hand in exchange for negating its effects, but also Link Summon a 'Salamangreat' Link monster using monsters on his field. The new monster that was Link Summoned wouldn't be allowed to attack, nor could it activate its effects for the rest of this turn.
"I blaze the circuit that scorches the path to the future!" A Link Portal appeared above Soulburner. "The summoning conditions are two or more Fire effect monsters. I set the Link 3 Salamangreat Heatleo, and Parro into the Link Markers!" Heatleo went into the top, left, and right arrowheads, while Parro went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all four of them red.
"Fiery remnants of the majestic creature! Merge with one another, and reawaken from your slumber to protect the land and its denizens!" Soulburner chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!" A humanoid who wore dark-red crimson armor with light-red plating on his chest appeared on Soulburner's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His curved shoulder pads each had light-red spikes that curved upwards. On the sides of his arms and the back of his legs were light-red spikes that projected outwards. He also wore a phoenix-like helmet that had two large, winged-like horns on the sides, as well as a light-red spike that curved outward. Emitting from his back were a total of six fiery wings.
Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK: 2800 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️
"You won't hurt anyone else! Not on my watch!" Pyro Phoenix exclaimed.
"Hey, a new 'Salamangreat' Link monster." Ai said, after seeing Soulburner Link Summon Pyro Phoenix.
"Flame must have made him before we went to Mirror LINK VRAINS." Herald realized. It was a good idea for Flame to do, for just like with Miragestallio, Soulburner had more options to further his strategies and catch his opponents off guard.
"The only issue is that Pyro Phoenix can't attack the turn it was Link Summoned using Burning Shell's effect. Nor can he use his effects as well." Playmaker pointed out.
"Plus, Soulburner already Reincarnation Link Summoned earlier using Shrine's effect." Raguel added.
However, everyone was surprised once Soulburner activated the Quick-Play Spell card, Salamangreat Transcendence, which let him Link Summon a 'Salamangreat' Link monster with the same name from his Extra Deck by using it as Link material.
"YES! It's a Quick-Play Spell card version of Sanctuary and Shrine!" Herald cheered.
"That means Soulburner can not only continue attacking, but can also use Pyro Phoenix's effects upon being Reincarnation Link Summoned!" Ai stated, as the red magical circle appeared about Soulburner.
"I set Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix into the Link Markers!" Soulburner said, as Pyro Phoenix burst into flames and went into the magical circle above the duel field, causing it to burst into flames.
"Majestic creature of the land and sky! Throw yourself in the surging flames, and be reborn with immortal power! Super Reincarnation Link Summon! Be reborn! Link 4! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!" Pyro Phoenix reappeared on Soulburner's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, only his wings emitted blue fire, and were combined to form two bird-like wings.
Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK: 2800 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️
"The end is near for you." Pyro Phoenix angrily said.
Soulburner then announced that when Pyro Phoenix was Reincarnation Link Summoned, all cards on his opponent's field were instantly destroyed. While Dice Logic and Rousing Hydradrive Monarch were destroyed, Bohman used Paradox Hydradrive Atlas's third effect to make it unaffected by card effects, nor can it be targeted for an attack while another monster with the same attribute was on the field. Immediately after, Bohman activated Dice Logic's final effect to Special Summon a 'Hydradrive' Link monster from his Extra Deck to his field. Thus, a second copy of Rousing Hydradrive Monarch appeared on Bohman's field, which became the Water attribute because Paradox Hydradrive Atlas was pointing to him.
In response, Soulburner revealed that when a Link monster was Special Summoned to his opponent's field, he can target that monster and inflict damage to his opponent equal to that monster's original attack points. However, Bohman countered that move by activating the Continuous-Trap card Judgment Roll from his hand, where he had to tribute a monster in order to force the opponent to roll a dice. After the dice landed on a number, any monster that shared the same attribute as the result on the dice would have their attack points doubled, while the attack points of all other monster would drop to zero.
After Bohman tributed Rousing Hydradrive Monarch, Soulburner rolled the dice, and to everyone's joy, the latter rolled a three, which meant Pyro Phoenix's attack points were doubled.
"This duel is finished, Bohman!" Soulburner declared. "The battle continues! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix attacks Paradox Hydradrive Atlas! Sacred Fire!"
"This is for the Cyberse World, my family, and everyone you have ever hurt! HAAAAAGH!" Pyro Phoenix shouted, as his body was immersed with blue fire before flying towards Paradox Hydradrive Atlas, hellbent on destroying the latter.
But just as Soulburner thought victory was in his hands, Bohman activated the Trap card, Hydradrive Gravity from his hand. This allowed Bohman to target a monster that declared an attack before moving it to a Main Monster Zone a Link monster in the Extra Monster Zone he controls points to. And to Soulburner's horror, Bohman moved Pyro Phoenix to the Main Monster Zone Paradox Hydradrive Atlas was pointing to before reminding the former that the attack points of all non-Fire monsters would drop to zero. Not just that, but the duelists who controlled monsters that weren't the rolled attribute would take damage equal to their monster's original attack points.
"Oh no!" Soulburner, Flame, and Pyro Phoenix said at the same time.
"You were right in saying this duel was finished, Soulburner. But you made crucial error: It's over for you, not for me." Bohman told Soulburner, as Hydradrive Gravity fired a blast of watery energy at Soulburner.
"Hey, Flame." Soulburner stated.
"Yeah? What's the matter?" Flame asked.
"There's nothing we can do to stop that effect."
"... I see. And... there's no way we can avoid it either."
Soulburner sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't stronger, Flame."
"It's alright, Soulburner. Sometimes, you can't win them all. Sometimes, all you can do is learn and move forward." Flame also sighed. "Want to know something?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm happy you treated me as an equal. As a friend."
"Likewise." Soulburner agreed, as the blast of watery energy hit him, which sent the former flying off the ground before his life points dropped to zero. Seconds later, he landed on his back.
Soulburner: 500 – 2800 = 0
Soulburner struggled to get up as Bohman walked towards him.
"Despite everything I threw at you in our duel, you didn't falter. You kept pushing forward, and fought until the very end." Bohman praised Soulburner. "That's what makes you a worthy adversary, which is why you will live on in my memories forever."
Sorry, everyone. I couldn't win this one, Soulburner thought in his mind, as he started disintegrating. Playmaker. Raguel. Slipstream. It may be over for Flame and I, but we know you'll succeed where we failed. Good luck, guys. His data then became a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS, where Bohman raised his hand in front of him to absorb it. As a result, a symbol resembling that of a flame appeared on Bohman's back before disappearing.
Once Bohman acknowledged that his training was complete, he then jumped onto his duel board, intent on rendezvousing with Lightning and ultimately find Playmaker in the end.
"Now that duel was spectacular, ladies and gentlemen! I'm just glad there were no outside interferences, or else things would have gone hairy." Jericho commented, before his duel disk beeped, which caused him to press a button on it as a screen popped up. After looking at the screen, Jericho smirked. "How interesting. The duel between Revolver and Lightning is about to begin. See you guys next time!" He then summoned his duel board before following after Bohman, wanting to see the action up close.
The sphere Raguel and Playmaker, along with Ai, Herald, and Rasterliger looked at then disappeared.
"Soulburner lost against Bohman, even after throwing everything at him..." Ai muttered.
"We need to find Slipstream and Revolver fast. Because the last thing we need is to lose someone else at either Bohman's, Lightning's, or Azrael's hands." Raguel said, before slightly clutching his chest in pain.
"Are you okay, Raguel?" Rasterliger asked out of concern.
Raguel shook his head from one side to the other after taking some deep breaths. "No, I'm not. But I can't break down. We need to win this war." Once Rasterliger heard Raguel's answer, he then jumped into the latter's duel disk.
"Then let's get going. For we can't let our allies' sacrifices go in vain." Playmaker stated, as Raguel nodded in agreement. Both duelists then summoned their duel boards before jumping on their respective ones, intent on finding Slipstream and Revolver before it was too late.
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
Azrael:
Cychaic Tiger (LV: 6/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000)
Effect: You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; all monsters your opponent controls lose 500 ATK until the End Phase. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can add 1 'Cychaic' card from your deck or GY to your hand. Then, if you control a 'Cychaic' monster on your field, you can Special Summon this card from your GY to your field during the End Phase. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Tiger' once per turn.
Cychaic Praetor (LV: 6/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 2400/DEF: 600)
Effect: If your opponent controls a monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can take 1 copy of 'Cychaic Amphitheatre' from your deck to your GY, and either activate it or add it to your hand. During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; negate the effects of a monster your opponent controls until the End Phase, and if you do, inflict 600 damage to your opponent. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can negate the effects of 1 card on your opponent's field. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Praetor' once per turn.
Omega Mode Activate (Quick-Play Spell card)
Effect: Tribute 1 'Cychaic' Link Monster on your field; Special Summon 1 'Omega/Mode' Link Monster whose name includes the tributed monster's name from your Extra Deck. You can only activate 1 'Omega Mode Activate' per turn.
Cychaic Emblem (Normal Trap card)
Effect: Target 1 'Cychaic' monster or 1 'Teravolt Dragon' 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 destroyed by a card effect: You can shuffle this card back into your deck, and if you do, draw 1 card from the top of your deck. You can only use this effect of 'Cychaic Emblem' once per turn.
Cychaic Lupercalia (Continuous-Trap card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can declare a summoning method; neither player can Special Summon that type of monster while this card is on your field. If you control a 'Cychaic' Link monster in the Extra Monster Zone: You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card on your field or in your hand; Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your Extra Deck to a Main Monster Zone it points to, and treat it as the appropriate summoning method. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can Special Summon 1 monster from either player's GY to your field, but negate its effects, and if you do, it is treated as a 'Cychaic' monster. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Lupercalia' once per turn.
Cychaic Bestiarius (LR: 1/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 1500/⬇️)
Effect: 1 'Cychaic' monster. When this card is Link Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your GY to a Main Monster Zone he points to. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your hand, deck, or GY to your field in defense position. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Bestiarius' once per turn.
Cychaic Janus (LR: 2/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1500/⬆️⬇️)
Effect: 2 'Cychaic' monsters. When this card is Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your GY to a Main Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone this card points to. Each time a 'Cychaic' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone this card points to, you can shuffle monsters your opponent controls whose original ATK is less than or equal to the ATK of the Special Summoned 'Cychaic' monster's original ATK. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card on your field or in your hand; Special Summon this card from your GY to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Janus' once per turn.
Cychaic Julius Caesar (LR: 3/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 2400/↖️⬇️↗️)
Effect: 2 or more 'Cychaic' monsters. You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card on your field or in your hand; Equip 1 monster your opponent controls to this card, and if you do, you can have this card gain ATK equal to the original ATK of the equipped monster. This cards number of attacks are equal to the number of 'Cychaic' monsters used for this card's Link Summon. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can target 1 'Cychaic' monster in your GY; inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Julius Caesar' once per turn.
Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode (LR: 4/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 3000/⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️)
Effect: Must be Special Summoned with 'Omega Mode Activate', and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand on your field, then target 1 'Cychaic' monster you control; increase this card's ATK by the targeted 'Cychaic' monsters ATK until the end of your next turn, and if you do, all monsters your opponent controls lose ATK equal to the targeted 'Cychaic' monsters ATK until the end of your next turn. (Quick Effect): You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; this card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase this turn. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic Janus' from your GY to your field, and if you do, make its ATK 3000. 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 'Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode' once per turn.
Slipstream:
Speedroid Transformer (LV:8/Machine/Wind/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2500)
Effect: If this card battles while it's in attack position: You can change this card to defense position. This card cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn. If this card is in your GY, a monster your opponent controls attacks a monster you control: You can banish this card from your GY; change the battle position of a 'Speedroid' or Wind Dragon monster you control, and if you do, negate the attack. You can only use each effect of 'Speedroid Transformer' once per turn.
Speedroid Grand Derby (Field Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can send 1 'Speedroid' card from your deck to your GY, and if you do, you can add 1 'Speedroid' card with a different name from your deck to your hand. During either player's turn, when a 'Speedroid' monster you control leaves the field by battle or card effect (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon 1 'Speedroid' monster with a different name from your deck or GY to your field. If this card is sent to the GY by your opponent's card effect: You can, immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro monster by banishing Wind monsters from your GY. You can only use each effect of 'Speedroid Grand Derby' once per turn.
Speedroid Launch (Quick-Play Spell card)
Effect: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; Special Summon 1 'Speedroid' monster from your deck whose attack points are less than or equal to the original ATK of the monster targeted by this effect. 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 'Speedroid' monster from your deck or GY to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Speedroid Launch' once per turn.
Speedroid Sonic Boom (Normal Trap card)
Effect: If you control a 'Speedroid' monster: You can shuffle 1 card your opponent controls into their deck, and if you do, inflict 400 damage to your opponent. If you control a 'Speedroid' or Wind Dragon monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck: You can shuffle cards on your opponent's field into their deck for each 'Speedroid' or Wind Dragon monster you control instead, and if you do, inflict 400 damage to your opponent for each card shuffled into your opponent's deck by this effect. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card from your GY; all 'Speedroid' and Wind Dragon monsters on your field are unaffected by your opponent's card effects for the rest of this turn. You can only use each effect of 'Speedroid Sonic Boom' once per turn.
Speedroid Breakdown (Counter-Trap card)
Effect: When your opponent activates a card effect: You can negate the effect, and if you do, banish it. If you would take battle damage, you can banish this card from your GY instead, and if you do, you take no further damage for the rest of this turn. You can only use each effect of 'Speedroid Breakdown' once per turn.
Hi-Speedroid Altair (LR: 3/Machine/Wind/ATK: 2800/↙️⬇️↘️)
Effect: 2 or more 'Speedroid' monsters. When this card is Special Summoned, or a 'Speedroid' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone it points to (Quick Effect): You can send 1 card your opponent controls to their GY, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent, then you can have this card gain 500 ATK. If this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY: You can send 1 'Speedroid' monster from your deck to your GY, and if you do, inflict damage equal to that 'Speedroid' monsters ATK or DEF, whichever is higher. 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 'Hi-Speedroid Altair' once per turn.
QOTC
What are your thoughts on how Slipstream grew as a character so far in the story compared to when he first appeared back in Chapter 44?
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 92: What We Stand For in Battle. The war in Mirror LINK VRAINS is nearly over, with both sides have experienced significant losses as three duelists on each side remain standing. After Revolver exposes the truth about Lightning's actions and the reasons behind them, his duel against him draws to a close in an unexpected way. Bohman and Playmaker then face off against one another for the final time, while Raguel and Azrael settle the score between them in their duel, each one putting everything on the line for their battle….
Author's Notes
Again, this was another intense chapter as we reach the end of Season 2. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. As such, a quick recap is needed:
First up is in the real world, where Yua wakes up as a result of Slipstream releasing her consciousness data back in the previous chapter. Do note that she's aware of what happened to Katsuya following Chapter 75. With little choice, Yua goes to her car and calls Kyoko, only for the latter to practically respond with pure anger and fury. This is because the Hanoi assumed that Yua was gone for a very long time following her divorce with Dr. Kogami. Kyoko, in particular, is angry with the fact that the person she interacted with at the hospital was Yua all along. After Yua explains what's going on, Kyoko explains that Watchman has betrayed them all. Now note that Katsuya doesn't know this information yet. Only Yua does at the moment, and Katsuya will find out the truth later on. Kyoko then relents and gives Yua the Hanoi's location, so expect a confrontation between Yua and the Hanoi either near the end of Season 2 or during the chapters between Seasons 2 and 3.
Next up is the conversation between Raguel, Herald, and Ai in Mirror LINK VRAINS, where he confesses that he created the new 'Cyreath' cards, such as Pandora, Scorching Cerberus, and Glorious Cyreaths. Raguel also reveals why he created them: To specifically kill Dr. Colmer, as well as anyone else in his way. It shows Raguel's deteriorating mental state, as now he realizes that the world doesn't need a hero. It needs a monster in order to protect it from unknown dangers. Raguel also realizes that he held himself back this whole time due to his ethical code, and if he didn't, then he could have eliminated his enemies. And before Raguel could say anymore, he ends up falling unconscious not just due to the stress going on, but due to the Cursed Boundary Layer. Upon seeing this, Herald decides to go into Raguel's deck get information from the other sentient Cyreath monsters there, as well as find more clues as to what's going on behind the scenes. But before doing so, he requests Ai and Rasterliger to keep an eye on Raguel and Playmaker, which they agree to do.
I just want to make a note: Herald created an on-the-go server for Raguel's monsters to live in when they're not fighting against enemies. Think of it like a sanctuary that is a part of Herald's server. Once Herald goes into Raguel's deck, he immediately begins trying to find answers, only for Pandora to stop him from doing so. Here, she questions why Herald's trying to eliminate the things that would help Raguel against his enemies, with Herald responding that he knows what Raguel's done, and will ensure that his nightmare doesn't come to pass. He also berates Pandora for opening the box in the first place, as well as contributing towards Raguel's deteriorating mental state.
In response to this, Pandora reveals information on what happened to her after she opened the box, which is something no one knows. After she opened the box, she was cast down from Olympus as punishment for her sin. However, Pandora was given a chance at redemption by being entrusted with a different box, where she was to not open it until the time came where mankind was against Armageddon, and showed the potential to avoid destruction. Only by completing this task would Pandora's sin be forgiven, and she would be allowed to die before going back home. Unfortunately, that time never came, and Pandora was forced to live immortally as a result. This led to Pandora greatly suffering over thousands of years as she was persecuted by humans and subjected to fates worse than death in their attempts to kill her.
Knowing that Herald's in Raguel's way to achieving more power, Pandora summons Alastor, Teferi and Atalanta/Alpha Mode to detain him, only for Hercules/Alpha Mode, Medusa, Achilles, and Turboblaze Dragon to arrive and assist Herald. In addition, Herald demonstrates his strength further as the Ignis of Time in two different ways. First, he can rewind himself to a position on the battlefield he was at several seconds earlier, which lets him catch the opponent off guard before launching an attack. It's like Geras' Reverse Time move from Mortal Kombat 11. Second, Herald can pause time in a very large area, and can even move things that have been paused as a result. As for why Herald said 'ZA WARUDO', it's something that he always wanted to say since playing one of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure video games a long time ago prior to Mirror LINK VRAINS. That, and I felt it was the right time for him to do so.
After putting the rebellion down, Herald instructs Achilles to take Atalanta/Alpha Mode to the healing chamber not just to heal her, but so he can study the infections further in order to set up the required defenses. Before leaving, he gives instructions to Medusa, Hercules/Alpha Mode and Turboblaze Dragon regarding to recent revelations. One revelation being the reason why Herald couldn't sense Pandora's, Alastor's, and Teferi's creation the whole time. It's because when Raguel created them, he put in a piece of code along with Herald's algorithm in order for the monsters to evade detection.
Elsewhere, while Raguel's unconscious, he ends up having a heart to heart talk with Roxy, where he still blames himself for not preventing their duel from happening. Roxy, in turn, reminds Raguel that they couldn't have prevented the duel from occurring, and it would have happened one way or another. Sometimes, things just... happen, and it's unfortunately the truth. A bitter pill we all must swallow at some point in our lives. After giving Raguel some final advice, Roxy disappears while the former finally regains consciousness.
By this point, Raguel, along with Herald, Ai, and Rasterliger end up watching the remaining portions of Soulburner's duel against Bohman. A crucial note: Because Flame was never infected by Windy, he didn't prematurely die. Thus, Soulburner and Flame lost in the end in a similar manner to that of Blue Maiden and Aqua, the only difference being that Soulburner didn't get to say goodbye to a loved one. With the duel over, Raguel and Playmaker speed off to find Slipstream and Revolver, the duo intent on rendezvousing with their allies so they can come up with a plan to stop Lightning.
Moving that aside, the main event of the chapter is the duel between Slipstream and Azrael. Here, Slipstream gave Azrael one of his hardest challenges to date not only by using cards that removed the latter's cards through different means, but by also recuperating from his losses at fast rates in order to stay in the duel. What's more, Slipstream is the first duelist to inflict more damage than anyone else to Azrael at the beginning stages of the duel. He also brings out a new monster in the Link 3 monster Hi-Speedroid Altair, which was inspired from Altair itself from Bakugan: New Vestroia. In terms of Altair's effects, some of it was an upgraded version of Bahamut Bomber's effect, while the other allowed Slipstream to inflict damage after it destroyed a monster by battle. The only difference is that Slipstream can send a 'Speedroid' monster from his deck to his Graveyard in order to inflict damage equal to the monster's attack or defense points, whichever one is higher.
Slipstream also reveals that he knows that Windy was corrupted after scanning him back in Chapter 87, where Azrael praises him for his intelligence and intuition. He then confirms that Lightning was the one who corrupted Windy, much to Slipstream's ire. It just goes to show how intelligent Slipstream is compared to the Hanoi and Blood Shepherd.
As a reward for the duel, Azrael brings out a new monster in Cychaic Janus/Omega Mode through Omega Mode Activate. It only felt for it to be debut in this chapter because not only did Slipstream became the first person to evade Teravolt Dragon, it also showed just how much stronger Azrael is as a duelist when pushed to the brink. For Janus/Omega Mode's appearance, as well as Janus, it was inspired by Hoopa from Pokemon. Regarding Omega Mode Activate, it's a Quick-Play Spell card compared to Alpha Mode Activate because of how Azrael focuses on putting the pressure on his opponents, while Raguel likes catching his opponents by surprise before finishing them off.
But despite Slipstream's best efforts, Azrael ends up defeating him in the end, and even admits that he had some fun after all in their duel. As such, once Azrael acquired Windy from Slipstream, he speeds off to where Lightning is.
Now that everything has been discussed, I want to thank you for reviewing Chapter 91 of Obscured Truth. please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.
What did you like the most about this chapter? The duel between Slipstream and Azrael? The truth about Pandora's legend, and the battle between her and her allies vs Herald and his allies? Roxy's pep talk to Raguel? Or was it something else?
That's all for now, folks. See you next time, as only two 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!
