Response to Reviews
Thank you to Donkeyboy100, HunterHQ, Ambiguous, Unnamed, Noobmaster, Electriuser, Anonymous, T.V. 2000, Unknown, Guest, Sithlorde1988, Silver Prime, and Kaiser for reviewing Chapter 92 of Obscured Truth.
Welcome to the Season 2 finale of Obscured Truth, everybody! I want to thank every single one of you for reading the story and giving me feedback so I can make it better with each and every chapter. On the topic of feedback, I have a special QOTC, which will be covered in the QOTC sections of the chapter. I also have a few other questions to ask you in the Author's Notes section, which will talk about some characters going forward in the story and your ideas revolving around them. If you can answer these, then it'll help me a lot.
But anyhow, let's get to answering those reviews quickly so we can move onto the good stuff:
Donkeyboy100: Happy you liked the chapter.
HunterHQ: Yeah, Herald's gonna be even more surprised at what Raguel's truly capable of, especially after everything that the latter suffered from. No, Yua's fine. Of course the Hanoi have the right to know the truth. Though Raguel isn't going to freely tell them, as they'll have to put up one Hell of a fight to truly earn it. In terms of the minotaur, you won't see it in Season 2. Scorching Cerberus did appear, as it acquired the attention of Hercules/Alpha Mode, Circe, and many guards. The chaos was what led to the prison becoming unstable before the prison doors opened. And who's to say Pandora and Periphas are Yuhiro's only Tuner monsters? Yuhiro and Arashi will not be using Dark Synchro monsters. Of course Zero knows how the Albinor works, as he's been fighting them for a very long time. Wraith is stronger than Malf because the former created the latter. Regarding your concern for Progleo, that detail you put in your review will be addressed in his backstory. Herald can manipulate time, yes, but not to the extent where he can time travel. Do expect a duel between Revolver and Yuhiro at some point in the story. Regarding code, there's only so much that Pandora, Alastor, Teferi, and Atalanta/Alpha Mode can do. No, Raguel does not have Chaos Xyz energy. As for Archie and Maxie, both were nuts in their own way.
Ambiguous: I did not realize that until now regarding Powercode Talker. You'll see the Hanoi having a nice discussion with Yua soon, whether in this chapter or later on. Due to what Bohman did regarding the Neuron Link, Jericho's masking program got weakened in the process. There's only so much Zero can do, and if Zero dueled against Yuhiro, he'd brutally destroy him in a duel. Plus, there's also only so much I can put in a chapter.
Unnamed: Right now, Zero isn't aware of what's going on since he left SOL Technologies. Nor was he aware of Arshad and the Inquisitors. Bohman has his sense of honor, and he knows that Lightning must be punished for his crimes, which is why he carried out the sentence himself. There's only so much Raguel can do with the data clones he has on hand for now. If you told Azrael that he should have stayed dead, he'd be very angry with that point you made.
Noobmaster: Herald saw the chained daggers Speckles used back in Chapter 42. Since Yuhiro absorbed one data cache, he was able to catch Azrael off guard. If he absorbed all the data caches, then he'd be on his level. Ai will make the AtIgnister monsters sentient, that I can confirm. Since Yuhiro has the Hanoi's data on hand, he can blackmail them should they try to either hurt him or the others. You could say that Yuhiro learned a lot of things over the course of the story so far, especially in how to deal pain.
Electriuser: Jericho does not have Truman Show Syndrome. Happy that you liked the chapter, especially Jericho's reaction to Revolver's choice in his duel against Lightning. To quote Kratos from God of War: Ragnarök: "Intent does not matter. Only consequences." So, if you made the choice to sacrifice Jin to defeat Lightning, you better be prepared to deal with those consequences. For saying and doing something are two totally different things. Nevertheless, it's been a while since you've put up a review for a chapter. I hope you're doing well.
Anonymous: Honestly, that's one of Yuhiro's weaknesses. His code of ethics and morality will prevent him from making the logical choice. Though what happens when they're destroyed? As for Yukage, while he does have the mental clarity to make the logical choice, it may not be the right one in the end. Though what happens if his code of ethics and morality affect his actions?
T.V. 2000: Happy you liked the penultimate chapter. Jericho proved to be ahead of both the heroes and the villains this time around, only for Zero to arrive and interrupt the fun. It's certainly worrisome for Herald and Wraith, as where they can co-exist with humanity, the opposite is true. Regarding your concern on Jericho and his next set of actions, I have taken that into account. And Jericho's deck is indeed powerful.
Unknown: Yuhiro won't be able to use the blue-mirage blade program because it isn't a program, as that belongs to Yukage. He can't wield the Muramasa to its full potential because the sword doesn't belong to him. If anything good came out of Yukage's goals, it's that Yuhiro's eyes have finally been opened to the truth, and that it'll affect him for the rest of his days.
Guest: Regarding Watchman, I did not realize the similarities between him and Leo Akaba until now. Thanks for pointing that out. Thanks to Jericho corrupting Malf, and by extension Bohman, things are not going well inside the Neuron Link.
Sithlorde1988: Glad you liked the chapter.
Silver Prime: My thoughts on the new Cyberse cards from Cyberstorm Access? I love them. For your question on when Yusaku will use Firewall Dragon Singularity, it'll most likely either be late Season 3 or Season 4. My thoughts on the new Salamangreat monsters from Duelists of Explosion? Regarding the new Salamangreat Synchro monster, it's almost like Miragestallio, as it leans more on support.
Kaiser: Lightning didn't see any need to threaten Revolver with Blood Shepherd's consciousness data, as he used Specter and Percival's consciousness data against him so that he'd be more likely to hesitate. Rest assured, Bohman took Blood Shepherd's consciousness data back from Lightning.
Since this is the final chapter of Season 2, I'll warn you right now: This chapter is probably the most important I've written in a while, which I'm sure you'll understand as you read this. As such, I have a small request: Read the chapter over very carefully. Do it a few times so you don't miss anything. This way, you'll know what's going on. Like I said before, I encourage you to ask questions in your reviews as long as they are appropriate. Note that I won't answer questions that revolve around spoilers, as there are things I want to reveal in different chapters when the time's right.
Nevertheless, it's time for the Season 2 finale to begin! ENJOY!
Chapter 93: The Price of Freedom
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 appears 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 and orange-colored draconic silhouette behind him. 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, black and purple-colored draconic silhouette behind him.
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 runs 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 the real world...
Yua quickly turned left at the red light before driving down the road. After Kyoko gave her the coordinates to where the Hanoi was, she quickly began driving. Well, Yua first had to get herself composed and in the right mental state to drive, as if you drove while being preoccupied with other things, that can lead to fatal mistakes. She also had to get food and water along the way, for she just woke up, and needed strength for what's to come.
The GPS on her car notified her to turn right at the next light, which Yua immediately did upon reaching the next intersection. After a few more minutes of driving, she eventually made it to her destination, which composed of a large area that had several safehouses and a large medical tent. Having parked her car in a parking lot nearby, Yua looked around, where she immediately spotted a familiar yacht. One that she, Ryoken, and Dr. Kogami had used when they went on boat trips and hung out with their friends.
Yua quickly ran over to the dock as the yacht stopped at it. The door to the yacht immediately opened, where Kyoko stepped out of it and walked onto the dock.
"Kyoko, I..." Yua began speaking, before Kyoko walked forward and quickly punched her in the face.
"That was for lying to us all of those years ago!" Kyoko angrily spoke back.
"Kyoko, what's going on?" Akairo asked, before he exited the yacht and headed over to where Kyoko and Yua was. "Is that-?"
"Yes, Akairo. It's me. Yua." Yua confirmed, much to Akairo's shock.
"That's impossible. I thought you-."
"We don't have time. Ryoken and the others need our help. I promise I'll explain everything once this mess is dealt with." Yua vowed. Having saw the desperation in her voice, Akairo held Kyoko back.
"Again, you better not make me regret sharing you our location." Kyoko spat out to Yua, before she headed back into the yacht.
"Kyoko mentioned that someone would be coming to help us. I never thought you'd be the one to come to our aid." Akairo commented, as he gestured Yua to follow after him and Kyoko. "She also filled me up to speed with Watchman and what he's done, and given this information, you must be one of his allies. Demeter, right?"
Yua grit his teeth. "Yes. It was part of the deal I made with Arshad. He'd provide me with asylum from the authorities, and I'd help him deal with what was to come." She grit his teeth. "Honestly, I thought I was given a higher calling, but with this information, I..."
"There's no point in ruminating on the past." Akairo pointed out.
"Perhaps, but the deal I made with Arshad was also in the form of blackmail. If I disobeyed his orders or betrayed him, he'd report me to the authorities." Yua angrily countered, which made Akairo gasp.
"That son of a bitch."
"Given the revelations around Arshad, it makes sense." Kyoko acknowledged. She would have said more had the trio not heard footsteps in the area.
"What the Hell's going on?" Takeya inquired, upon seeing her in the yacht. "And who is she?"
"Yua Kogami, Revolver's mother." Yua answered.
"Damn. I can't believe Revolver's mother was our ally..." Takeya muttered, as the trio went to a room with a large desk and several computers.
After arriving inside, Yua grabbed Akairo by the shoulder and slapped him in the face. "You should not be here!"
Akairo crossed his arms in response. "Well, I'm here right now, and helping stop what Bohman's done. Especially with the chaos that's going on in the network as we speak."
"I suggest you sit down, Yua. For you have a lot to catch up on." Kyoko told Yua, the latter having went over to sit down on one of the seats nearby.
After Yua sat down, the rest of the other Hanoi filled her in on what happened. How Ryoken, Youta, and Emon went into Mirror LINK VRAINS with Playmaker and the others to stop Lightning. How the duel between Ryoken and Lightning led to the former being erased, while the latter was mercilessly killed and absorbed by Bohman as punishment for his sins. How Youta and Emon also fell in battle due to Lightning and Azrael, as well as the defeat of both Windy and Malf. As Yua absorbed this information, she was able to put two and two together on how she regained consciousness. Apparently, Slipstream was the one who freed her consciousness data after defeating Windy. She made a mental note to thank Slipstream for doing so should she run into him one day. The Hanoi also told Yua what happened prior to the war in Mirror LINK VRAINS, some of which included requesting Akairo's assistance in eliminating the Ignis, the fact that Malf injured Zandaka, the Turf War, and even the attacks in the real world and in the network as well. Yua was still angry with Akairo for making his decision to get roped into this mess, as he was risking a lot both for himself and his family back home. She was also horrified with what happened to Zandaka, and was afraid that he'd die due to Malf's actions.
"I shouldn't have ran away all those years ago..." Yua said, regret and lament in her tone. "Had I known the truth, I would have stayed."
"If you want to start repenting for your mistakes, then help us stop Bohman from hurting people using his Skill so Playmaker can defeat him." Kyoko firmly stated, as she turned to Takeya.
"Alright, fine. I'll get her a laptop." Takeya conceded, as he stood up to his feet and went over to the nearby cupboard, where he handed it over to Yua before sitting down back to his spot.
"Mrs. Kogami, if my parents know what's..." Akairo began speaking, as Yua turned the laptop on.
"No one's discovered who you are in the real world, right?" Yua firmly interrupted, which made Akairo nod in response. Again, she was angry with him for agreeing to help Ryoken, especially after how Ace and the others both kidnapped and used him for the attacks in the network and in the real world as a brainwashed pawn. It also broke her heart after learning that Ryoken had to duel Akairo to protect the others. "As long as no one's discovered your identity, then you'll be safe." After her laptop turned on, she immediately began working with the others, hellbent on beginning to rectify her mistakes. I failed you a long time ago, Ryoken. But this time... this time I will make it right, Yua vowed in her mind.
Meanwhile, at the central station in LINK VRAINS...
Akira and Ghost Girl gasped as they saw people being struck by the Neuron Link. Specifically, the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles that erupted from it. From what they saw, people were falling unconscious one by one like flies as their data was being absorbed in the process. The two of them knew that they had to stop the Neuron Link for good, lest more people suffer due to Bohman's actions.
"According to these logs, Bohman's only targeting user accounts, but not admin accounts like mine. That means we're safe for now." Akira stated.
"Until Bohman changes his mind and starts targeting the admin accounts." Ghost Girl pointed out. "And given what's going on, I can't help but feel that there's something worse happening behind the scenes."
"What do you mean, Ghost Girl?" Akira inquired out of curiosity.
"Take a look at this." Ghost Girl pulled up a picture of the Neuron Link, which was in a green color. She then pulled up another picture that showed the Neuron Link turning black and red due to shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles piercing it during the corruption process. "If I were to guess, someone must have hacked into Bohman and seized control of the Neuron Link to do far worse than what he's doing right now with the unconscious people."
"Which can lead to further suffering and pain for those people, if not them dying if this keeps up." Akira realized. The last thing he needed was for more people to die. Not after what happened during the Turf War and the attacks in the network and in the real world. But before Akira could say anything else, Ghost Girl's duel disk started ringing.
"Ghost Girl. Zaizen. Can you hear me?" a voice asked.
"Yeah, I'm here. Who is this?" Ghost Girl asked back.
"This is Faust of the Knights of Hanoi." Aso answered.
"The Hanoi?" Ghost Girl couldn't help but let out a small gasp after hearing that answer.
"What do the Hanoi want with us? Can't they see that we're dealing with a crisis right now?" Akira inquired.
"We're dealing with the same situation you are right now, Zaizen. I believe we can help each other end it for good." Aso said.
Ghost Girl turned to Akira, who nodded in agreement. Despite their animosity with the Hanoi, they all needed to work together if they were to stop Bohman from taking more people's consciousness data. "Alright, Faust. What do you have in mind?"
"It's very likely that we can stop the Neuron Link by severing the connection between Mirror LINK VRAINS and LINK VRAINS. It all lies within one particular factor."
"A particular factor?" Akira repeated.
"Yes. Bohman's Skill. Master Storm Access." Aso confirmed. "As evident by what we're all seeing, Bohman uses a lot of power whenever he activates it. It's possible that in that moment, he can't keep the two LINK VRAINS perfectly overlapped. If we simultaneously attack the Neuron Link from both outside and inside the system, we can strain it for good."
"Isn't that super precise? We'd only get a very small window of opportunity to stop it." Ghost Girl reminded Aso on the other end.
"Yes, but better for us to have a very small window of opportunity than have none at all." Aso countered back on the other end.
Akira thought this over for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright. Let's do it."
"Good. Then I have just the right tool for the job." Ghost Girl pulled out a purple data orb.
"What's that?"
"Call it a virus bomb." Ghost Girl sadly frowned. "Blood Shepherd made it using pieces of Malf he captured during the Turf War so he can fight against the Ignis. Unfortunately..."
"This bomb can be Blood Shepherd's revenge for what the Light Ignis did to him. So in a sense, he's helping us, Ghost Girl." Akira gently interrupted.
"He'll be the judge of that once he wakes up." Ghost Girl replied back, as she tapped in some commands and sent the orb into her screen.
Elsewhere, in Mirror LINK VRAINS...
Zero narrowed his eyes at Jericho. "Yes, it's me, Jericho. Or would you prefer Jason?"
Jericho chuckled at that comment. It wasn't a humorous chuckle. No. It was a chuckle of anger and annoyance. "I did not expect you of all people to show up and ruin things just when it's about to get good. Then again, this shouldn't be happening. I put in enough snares to keep the likes of you distracted for a long time. Hell, I even have a masking program in place!"
"Then perhaps you should count how many snares you put up since you were in Mirror LINK VRAINS, Jericho." Zero taunted. "As for your masking program, I hypothesize that it stopped working after Bohman used his Neuron Link to pierce through LINK VRAINS and absorb people's consciousness data."
"Let's see..." Jericho quickly did some calculations in his mind, having recalled putting a snare after watching each duel in Mirror LINK VRAINS. He gasped after reaching the last part of his calculations, for he came to an undisputable conclusion: During the duels between Playmaker vs Kusanagi, Bohman vs Soulburner, and Revolver vs Lightning, Jericho was so caught up in the excitement and info reveals that he forgot to put snares in those locations in order to remain masked from the others. "Oh, crap. I forgot to put in the last three snares!"
Before Jericho could say or do anything else, Zero pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused a translucent green barrier to surround the two. "You're not going anywhere this time around. This time, you're coming with me, and your defeat will deliver a massive blow against Urizen. Kairi and the Autos will also ensure that you're dealt with for good. Though I am curious why he sent you to this world."
Jericho laughed at that comment. "Sent me to this world? Urizen didn't send me to this world. During the little scuffle between the Hanoi and Playmaker and their allies, their precious tower left an opening in the network, and I merely seized an opportunity to come here. Plus, I wanted some action, and I finally got it, especially with the info I found out since coming here."
"Info?" Zero repeated, before he grit his teeth. "What do you mean by that?"
"Ah, ah, ah." Jericho wiggled his finger. "I'm not one to tell you everything. For the info I found is on a need-to-know basis." He narrowed his eyes in anger. "I will, however, tell you this: Victory is almost within my grasp, and you will not ruin it for me. Not when I am this close to succeeding!" Jericho then activated his duel disk.
"You're wrong, Jericho. The Ignis are crucial to stopping you and Urizen, and there's no way in Hell that I'll let you succeed!" Zero snarled back, as he also activated his duel disk. Perhaps he can bring Jericho before Bohman, and use him as a bargaining chip to secure the Ignis' release. Besides, knowledge was power, and given what happened so far in Mirror LINK VRAINS, Zero was willing to share information with Bohman on how to stop the Crisis if he agreed to release the Ignis. For the Ignis were needed to stop Urizen and the ISOs.
"Let's duel!" Jericho and Zero said in unison.
Jericho: 4000 LP
Zero: 4000 LP
"I will go first." Zero immediately stated.
"And let you bring out that Maximum Link monster of yours? Hell no! We'll decide who goes first with a coin toss!" Jericho immediately replied. "I call Heads!" A digital screen appeared from Jericho's duel disk, which flipped a digital coin in the air. It ended up landing on heads, much to Jericho's glee and Zero's dismay.
"Now that's decided, I'll make the first move. My turn!" Jericho looked at the cards in his hand before making a decision. "I summon Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya from my hand to my field." A tall, young man who had wavy black hair and grey eyes appeared on Jericho's field. His attire consisted of a red-buttoned black blazer with an emblem on the pocket, a white turtleneck shirt with chevron detailing on the collar and slim red pants with a plaid pattern, as well as dress boots. Covering his grey eyes was a set of large, black glasses.
Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya ATK: 1200 DEF: 500 LV: 4
"When Ren's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Persona Civilian', 'Persona Tactics', or 'Persona Arms' card from my deck to my hand. I add Persona Tactics – Metaverse Palace to my hand." Jericho decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I now activate the Field Spell card, Persona Tactics – Metaverse Palace!" The card showed a massive red castle in a dark area, where two male teens approached the entrance in a stealthily manner. Guarding the palace were several shadows in the shape of shadows, which the two teens were able to avoid as they snuck in successfully. "When this card is activated, I can add one 'Persona Civilian', 'Persona Tactics', or 'Persona Arms' card from my deck to my hand. I add Persona Tactics – Calling Card from my deck to my hand." Another card popped out of Jericho's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Oh, and just a heads up, while Metaverse Palace is on the field, the attributes of all monsters you control are changed to the Dark attribute."
"What?!" Zero exclaimed. That did not sound good at all. Considering how his deck had Light Cyberse monsters, this was going to be tricky. However, Zero was no lesser duelist, and would obviously get around this roadblock.
"Appear, the circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" A Link Portal appeared above Jericho. "The summoning conditions are one Cyberse monster. I set Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya into the Link Markers!" Ren went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Persona Soul – Arsene!" A male humanoid who wore a very tall top hat on his head and had a long-horned mask for his face appeared on Jericho's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His attire consisted of a cropped, red eighteenth century-esque suit that was worn open with the collar popped and a white ruffle tie, red coverings on his legs resembling pants and boots with blade-like heels. On his shoulders were heart designs that were stitched on each side. Sprouting from his back were large, black feathery wings.
Persona Soul – Arsene ATK: 500 LINK-1 ⬇️
"When Arsene's Link Summoned, I can target one 'Persona Civilian' monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it back to my field. I target Ren, and Special Summon him back to my field." Jericho said, as Ren reappeared on his field.
Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya ATK: 1200 DEF: 500 LV: 4
"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" A second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are normally two or more Dark Cyberse effect monsters for this monster. However, I can also Link Summon him by using a copy of Ren and Arsene on my field instead. As such, I set Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya, and Persona Soul – Arsene into the Link Markers!" Ren went into the top arrowhead, while Arsene went into the right and bottom arrowheads, turning both of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Persona Force – Arsene the Joker!" A tall, young man who had wavy black hair and grey eyes appeared on Jericho's field. His attire consisted of a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, cinched black pants, brown-black boots with taller heels, and a pair of red gloves. Covering his eyes was a white, birdlike domino mask with black designs. Seconds later, Arsene reappeared behind the man with a loud roar.
Persona Force – Arsene the Joker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️
"I activate Arsene's effect. Since he was used to Link Summon a 'Persona Force' Link monster, I can draw the top card of my deck." Jericho continued, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Persona Tactics – Calling Card!" The card showed a teen with short, spiky blond hair jumping out of a portal and onto the duel field, Arsene the Joker happy to see their comrade with them. "This card lets me Special Summon one 'Persona Civilian' monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field. I Special Summon Persona Civilian - Ryuji Sakamoto from my deck to my field!" A card popped out of Jericho's deck, which he took and immediately played. Soon, a tall, young man with short, spiky blond hair and dark brown eyes appeared on Jericho's field. His attire consisted of a standard black blazer, a yellow t-shirt with a comic style star symbol and the word 'ZOMG!' at the center. On his pants were black suspenders, a white belt around it, and plaid trousers rolled up to reveal his ankles. Last but not least, he wore white sneakers.
Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto ATK: 700 DEF: 800 LV: 3
"When Ryuji's Normal or Special Summoned, not only do you take 400 points of damage, I can also add one Level 3 or lower Cyberse monster from my deck to my hand. I add Persona Civilian – Sumire Yoshizawa. Take this!" Ryuji quickly pulled out a bludgeon and charged forward at Zero, intent on hitting him with it.
"I activate the effect of Rontron from my hand." Zero calmly responded. "If I would take battle or effect damage, I can Special Summon this card from my hand in defense position and reduce that damage to zero." A green-colored plant with two small branches as tails, along with a pair of bladed wings appeared on Zero's field in defense position in the Main Monster Zone Arsene the Joker pointed to. A leaf that had three yellow gems sprouted from the top of its head. There were also three yellow gems at the center of its body as well.
Rontron ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LV: 3
A barrier projected from Rontron's leaf, which protected Zero and forced Ryuji to return to Jericho's field.
"Then I'm allowed to shuffle one card on your field back into your deck. I shuffle Metaverse Palace back into your deck." As if on cue, Metaverse Palace turned into particles that went back into Jericho's deck, much to his dismay. "What's more, any damage I would have taken for the rest of this turn is reduced to zero."
"Son of a..." Jericho growled. He hated it when his strategies were put to a halt, for his plan was to defeat Zero as soon as he can, lest everything he's done go kaput. Then again, there was no way Zero would make it that easy for Jericho to win the duel. "In that case, let's see how you respond to this! Appear, for a third time! The circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" A third Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Cyberse monster. I set Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto into the Link Markers!" Ryuji went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Persona Soul – Captain Kidd!" A cartoonish, skeleton pirate that rode on a black pirate ship the size of a surfboard appeared on Jericho's field in the Main Monster Zone Arsene the Joker pointed to. He also had an eyepatch, prosthetic limb, and captain's hat that had a skull and crossbones on it. His attire consisted of a blue shirt, a pair of black pants with gold trim, white boots, and a long flowing red cape. Covering his torso was a grey harness that ended in a pair of cutlasses just below the neck. A pair of anchor ornaments on chains dangled from the harness as well. Instead of a right hand, his hand was replaced by a cannon.
Persona Soul – Captain Kidd ATK: 500 LINK-1 ⬇️
"When Captain Kidd's Link Summoned, I can target one 'Persona Civilian' monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it back to my field. I target Ryuji, and Special Summon him back to my field." Jericho stated, as Ryuji reappeared on his field.
Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto ATK: 700 DEF: 800 LV: 3
"Appear, for a fourth time! The circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" A fourth Link Portal appeared above Jericho. "The summoning conditions are normally two or more Cyberse effect monsters for this monster. However, I can also Link Summon him by using a copy of Ryuji and Kidd on my field instead. As such, I set Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto, and Persona Soul – Captain Kidd into the Link Markers!" Ryuji went into the top arrowhead, while Captain Kidd went into the left and right arrowheads, turning both of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Persona Force – Captain the Skull!" A tall, young man with short, spiky blond hair and dark brown eyes appeared on Jericho's field in the Main Monster Zone Arsene the Joker pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. His attire consisted of a matching black jacket with elbow pads, pants with knee pads, a belt containing ammo on both sides, and a red ascot. He also wore a pair of yellow gloves with metal knuckle protectors on his hands. Covering his eyes was a skull mask, and he carried a bludgeon in his hands. Seconds later, Kidd reappeared behind the man with a menacing giggle.
Persona Force – Captain the Skull ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️
"The effects of Kidd, Captain the Skull, and Arsene the Joker activate in sequence." Jericho began speaking. "First, when Kidd is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Persona Force' Link monster, you take 200 points of damage for each card in my hand. There are six cards in my hand, which means you take 1200 points of damage." Kidd then fired a cannonball from his right hand that headed straight towards Zero.
"However, due to Rontron's effect, any damage I would take this turn drops to zero." Zero reminded Jericho, as the barrier reappeared and protected him from the cannon blast.
"I already know that, Zero." Jericho annoyingly replied, before he regained his thoughts. "Where was I? Oh, yes! Second, when Captain the Skull is Link Summoned, I can choose unused Main Monster Zones on your field up to the number of monsters in the Extra Monster Zone and prevent you from using them while he's on the field. You also take 500 points of damage for each Link monster I control. I choose the middle Main Monster Zone. Zone Bombardment!" Skull pointed the bludgeon at the declared Main Monster Zone, which caused Kidd to fire a cannon blast from his cannon arm at it. As a result, an explosion occurred that headed straight towards Zero, where Rontron once again projected a barrier to protect him from that damage.
"Third, Arsene the Joker's second effect now activates. Since he was Link Summoned using Arsene and Ren, for the rest of this duel, he and all 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' Link monsters he's co-linked with gain 500 attack points. What's more, you can't target them with card effects. Thief Teamwork!" Arsene the Joker and Captain the Skull were surrounded in auras that increased their strength.
Persona Force – Arsene the Joker ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800
Persona Force – Captain the Skull ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800
"One last thing I forgot to mention. Since Captain the Skull was Link Summoned using Kidd and Ryuji, for the rest of this duel, he and all 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' monsters he's co-linked with gain 300 attack points. What's more, you can't destroy them with card effects." Jericho added. "Thief Teamwork!" Captain the Skull and Arsene the Joker were once again surrounded in auras that increased their strength.
Persona Force – Arsene the Joker ATK: 2800 + 500 = 3300
Persona Force – Captain the Skull ATK: 2800 + 500 = 3300
"I also activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Persona Tactics – Ruinous Curse!" The card showed Arsene the Joker pulling out a card from a duelist's deck before crushing it completely with dark energy, much to their horror. "If I control a 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' monster, I can banish one random card from your Extra Deck. However, if I control two or more 'Persona Force' Link monsters, I can look through your Extra Deck and banish one card from it!"
"Oh no!" Zero exclaimed with a gasp.
"You heard me. Since I control Arsene the Joker and Captain the Skull, that means I can activate the second effect. Now show me your Extra Deck!" Jericho ordered, as a screen popped up that showed Zero's Extra Deck. "If memory serves, Maximum Link monsters need specific monsters for them to be Link Summoned, correct? As such, I banish Yggdrago C from your Extra Deck!" The declared card turned into particles, much to Zero's anger.
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Jericho grinned as a rumble appeared over the area. Seconds later, several tendrils coming out of the Cursed Boundary Layer emerged and continued to pierce people in LINK VRAINS before absorbing their consciousness data, which went into the Neuron Link.
"The Hell?!" Zero exclaimed.
"Oh, I forgot to mention one teeny tiny little thing." Jericho pointed behind him. "You recognize that, right?"
"A Cursed Boundary Layer..." Zero recognized those same tendrils the ISOs used in conquering worlds. Kairi warned Zero about the Cursed Boundary Layer, and how it weakened a world from the inside out before being conquered by Urizen's forces. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Jericho's laughter.
"Yeah, I found the perfect host to begin tearing this world a new one from the inside out. As for who I infected, that's on spoiler territory." Jericho admitted with glee. "But when you find out the truth, boy oh boy is it going to break your heart!"
"You bastard!" Zero exclaimed in pure fury.
"Still, I am giving you a sporting chance, especially how a card game is being used to settle the fate of every living being on this world." A smirk appeared on Jericho's face. "Now then, Zero. You're up. Do try to show me a good time."
"My turn! I draw!" Zero said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Field Spell card, Garden of Providence. When this card is activated, I can Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field. In addition, all Light Cyberse monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points. Now come from my deck, Femtron." A green-colored thin plant with a branch as its tail, along with a pair of bladed wings appeared on Zero's field. Its eyes were integrated together as a visor, which dimly glowed. On its head were four green spikes that jutted backwards, each one having a green gem at the end of them. A green gem was also on top of its head as well.
Femtron ATK: 1400 DEF: 100 LV: 4
Femtron ATK: 1400 + 300 = 1700 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400
Rontron ATK: 300 + 300 = 600 DEF: 300 + 300 = 600
"I summon Zeptron from my hand to my field." A green-colored plant with a branch as its tail, along with two leaves sprouting from its head appeared on Zero's field. It had two orange gems, one on its body, and one on the stem connecting its head to the leaves.
Zeptron ATK: 500 DEF: 100 LV: 2
Zeptron ATK: 500 + 300 = 800 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400
"Appear, the circuit of providence!" Zero declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more Light Cyberse monsters. I set Rontron, Femtron, and Zeptron into the Link Markers!" Rontron went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Zeptron went into the bottom arrowhead, and Femtron went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Mothinear Lepidopteron!" A large moth whose body was covered in green and yellow pieces of hair, and had four large wings, two being long while the other two were short, appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Her wings were patterned with black, orange, yellow and blue colors, and also possessed prominent eye patterns on them. She had blue eyes that were large and slanted, with two mandibles on the sides of her head. Her abdomen was shaped like a wasp's, which included a large, retractable stinger. Finally, she had three pairs of insectoid legs, which consisted of a double-jointed front and middle pair, along with a triple-joined pair of hind legs.
Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️
Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2500 + 300 = 2800
"The effects of Rontron, Zeptron, Femtron, Mothinear Lepidopteron, and Garden of Providence now activate in sequence." Zero began speaking. "First, as Rontron was used to Link Summon a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle it back into my deck to Set a Spell or Trap card from my deck to my field. I shuffle Rontron, and Set Provident Reversal from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck. A card then popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and Set to his field.
"Second, as Femtron was used to Link Summon a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle this card into my deck and add one card from my deck to my hand. I shuffle Femtron, and add Growth of Providence from my deck to my hand." A second card popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck. Another card then popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and added to his hand.
"Third, when Zeptron is used to Link Summon a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle this card back into my deck before drawing two cards from the top of my deck." Zero continued. "But in exchange, I must shuffle two cards from my hand back into my deck afterwards. I shuffle Particle Acceleration and Provident Food Chain back into my deck, and draw." A third card popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck. Once that was done, Zero drew the top two cards of his deck before taking two other cards in his hand and shuffling them back into his deck.
"Fourth, when Mothinear Lepidopteron is Link Summoned, I can-."
"That monster you control is certainly troublesome regarding its three effects. Then again, it's a good thing I waited for the right time to do this." Jericho remarked with a smirk, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Persona Tactics – Mental Shutdown!" The card showed a naked man only wearing pink underwear, with a golden crown on his head, and a red heart printed cape sulking in pain as a silhouette of his demonic form faded away. Arsene the Joker had his arms crossed, while Captain the Skull cheered in delight of their victory. Between the two was a tall, young woman with platinum blonde hair in the style of bushy pigtails, her attire consisting that of a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout and zippers, a matching red panther mask, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, and a clip-on tail on the back of her catsuit. She was in the process of scolding the naked man for their immoral actions. "When you activate a card effect while I control a 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' Link monster, I can negate its effects until the End Phase. As such, I negate Mothinear Lepidopteron's effects." Mothinear Lepidopteron was surrounded in an aura that made her cry out in pain as she greyed out. "Then I can activate one of three effects depending on the type of card negated."
"Three effects?" Zero repeated, as he gritted his teeth in anger.
"Correct. As I negated a monster effect, I gain life points equal to its original attack points. So, since Mothinear Lepidopteron's original attack points are 2500, that means I gain 2500 life points!" A golden aura surrounded Jericho as his life points increased.
Jericho: 4000 + 2500 = 6500 LP
"In that case, Garden of Providence's effect activates." Zero responded. "Once per turn, when I Link Summon a Light Cyberse monster, I can Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck, and gain life points equal to its attack points. Come from my deck, Cycliptron!" A serpent-like creature who had two golden leaves for wings and a large, orange orb in the middle of its body appeared on Zero's field. Its head had two blue eyes, and light-brown skin covering it.
Cycliptron ATK: 100 DEF: 1500 LV: 4
Cycliptron ATK: 100 + 300 = 400 DEF: 1500 + 400 = 1900
Zero: 4000 + 100 = 4100 LP
"I'd use Cycliptron's effect, but seeing how Arsene the Joker's effect prevents me from targeting your co-linked monsters, there's no point in doing so. Instead, I'll do this. I activate the Spell card, Growth of Providence!" The card showed Floettetron nurturing a green-colored plant with a large leaf on its head, along with a violet-colored gem on its body and leaf. As she did this, she ended up seeing a vision of it growing up from the ground. "This card lets me Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck to my field. Return to me, Femtron." At Zero's command, Femtron reappeared on his field.
Femtron ATK: 1400 DEF: 100 LV: 4
Femtron ATK: 1400 + 300 = 1700 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400
"From there, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Fusion of Providence!" Zero continued. The card showed Femtron colored red, Attron colored blue, and Zeptron colored yellow circling around a vortex in a green background. In the middle of the vortex was Floettetron, who was conducting the fusion like a musical performance. "This card lets me Fusion Summon one Light Cyberse Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters in my hand or on my field as Fusion Material. What's more, if I control a Light Cyberse Link monster, you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation."
"What?!" Jericho exclaimed, having been caught off guard by what he just heard.
"I use Femtron and Cycliptron as Fusion Materials!" Femtron disintegrated into red particles, while Cycliptron disintegrated into blue particles before they swirled into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.
"Cornerstone of the draconic tree! Break your limits, and grow into a guardian that protects the essence of life itself!" Zero chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come before us! Level 8! Permillind Hicrotron!" A large, serpentine-like creature with golden, leaf-like blades on its wings, and two branch-like tails appeared on Zero's field in the Main Monster Zone Arsene the Joker pointed to. Its eyes were integrated together as a visor, which dimly glowed. On its head were eight golden, spiked-like leaves that had eight purple gems on them. Golden tusks were on the sides of its head that curved inwards. A purple orb was at the center of its body in the diamond-shaped portion of it. Lastly, several golden rings encircled its body.
Permillind Hicrotron ATK: 2600 DEF: 0 LV: 8
Permillind Hicrotron ATK: 2600 + 300 = 2900 DEF: 0 + 300 = 300
"Fusion. Good to see you have different tactics other than bringing out your strongest monster." Jericho acknowledged. "From personal experience, Maximum Link monsters are such a pain in the ass to deal with."
"You of all people should know that duelists have strategies to fall upon should something occur." Zero pointed out. "Allow me to show you what I mean. I activate Permillind Hicrotron's effect. Once per turn, I can shuffle up to three Light Cyberse monsters in my Graveyard back into my deck and draw cards up to the number of monsters shuffled by this effect. What's more, all monsters I control gain 400 attack points until the End Phase for each Light Cyberse monster shuffled back into my deck by this effect. I shuffle Femtron and Cycliptron back into my deck, which means I can draw two cards, and my monsters gain a total of 800 attack points! Blessing of Providence!" Two cards popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck before drawing the top two cards of his deck. Soon, Permillind Hicrotron let out a large shout as both it and Mothinear Lepidopteron were surrounded in a green aura that increased their strength.
Permillind Hicrotron ATK: 2900 + (400 X 2) = 3700
Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2800 + (400 X 2) = 3600
"Battle!" Zero thrusted out his right hand. "Permillind Hicrotron attacks Persona Force – Arsene the Joker! Provident Outburst!" Golden rings appeared in front of Permillind Hicrotron as it opened its mouth before firing a burst of energy at Arsene the Joker, which went through the rings and amplified its power in the process.
"I think not." Jericho replied, as he gestured to his field. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Persona Tactics – Emblem Shield!" The card showed a large shield with a red top hat and a mask with small flames emitting from it, as well as the words 'TAKe YOuR hEart' on it. "While this card is on my field, 'Persona Soul' and 'Persona Force' Link monsters I control can't be destroyed by battle, and any damage I take is halved."
"You're still taking damage one way or another, Jericho." Zero countered, as the shield appeared that protected Arsene the Joker from the blast while Jericho winced, his life points slightly dropping as a result.
Jericho: 6500 – (400 / 2) = 6300 LP
Zero grit his teeth. Had he succeeded in destroying one of Jericho's two monsters, he could have weakened the other before having his other monster attack and deal Jericho more damage. Then again, better for Zero to inflict some damage than no damage at all. "The battle continues! Mothinear Lepidopteron attacks Persona Force – Arsene the Joker!" Mothinear Lepidopteron flew high into the air before diving downwards and activating her stinger, which hit the shield in front of Arsene the Joker instead. While Arsene the Joker once again survived, Jericho winced a second time as his life points dropped.
Jericho: 6300 – (400 / 2) = 6100 LP
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Permillind Hicrotron and Mental Shutdown ends, and my monsters lose the attack boost." Zero concluded, as Permillind Hicrotron and Mothinear Lepidopteron were covered in an aura that reverted their strength to normal. However, a green aura surrounded Mothinear Lepidopteron afterwards that restored her effects.
Permillind Hicrotron ATK: 3700 – (400 X 2) = 2900
Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 3600 – (400 X 2) = 2800
"All that effort for a total of 400 points of damage. How disappointing." Jericho remarked. "Watchman did better in his duel against Azrael, only for the former to fall at the latter's hands. Then again, I'm glad that Watchman fell in battle, especially how his real motives for the Root of All Knowledge were revealed to the world."
"Real motives?" Zero repeated. "Watchman's reasons for obtaining the Root were in alignment with Myojin's reasons. That's why the two of them imprisoned you, Urizen, and your allies into the dark side of the network!"
Jericho laughed in response. "Boy oh boy, you working with Kairi, the Autos, and those two traitors in fighting us over those years must have made you confused at my statement. You're probably thinking: Watchman's an honorable person in the time I got to know him. He wouldn't betray other people." He smirked. "Well, I got footage during Azrael's duel against Watchman, and given how you and him were comrades, it's only fair for that truth to be revealed to you." Jericho pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused footage from the duel to immediately be played.
"Again, Azrael and Wraith. Everything that you said and showed was true." Watchman told Azrael. "You and Raguel's parents, Myojin and Lyla Furutani, were the purest human beings I've ever met. Along with Ukyos Albinor, of course. They were the ones who rekindled my hope for humanity, and the primary reason why I sealed my powers away."
"Oh?" Azrael and Wraith both raised an eyebrow at Watchman's comment.
"However, the moment Ukyos sent his envoys to kill your and Raguel's parents, it shattered my faith in humanity completely. It was here where I swore to save humanity at all costs, destroy sin once and for all, and get revenge in the process. You and Raguel, along with the other Lost Incident children, all had unique qualities ranging from enhanced knowledge to physical prowess, and even mental capacities unlike the average child. You should be honoured in being selected for the Hanoi Project."
"Honoured, you say?" Azrael repeated with a laugh. "You turned us all into abominations in the name of your selfish goals!"
"Yes, my goals are ultimately selfish in the end, for I have no qualms in casting people aside once their usefulness was used up. Such examples would include Percival and Demeter, you and the other Lost Incident children, and any other allies or enemies as well. That is something I will not deny." Watchman acknowledged. "The only reason I put up a façade in the first place was so I can help you all grow and fulfil your roles, whether you were an enemy or an ally."
"Everything I did was so I can fulfil my selfish goals in saving humanity, eradicating sin, and getting revenge on Ukyos." Watchman stated, having raised his arms. "You have all met my expectations, and soon, the gate to the Root of All Knowledge will be opened. Even though there were a few obstacles, it took far less effort than I anticipated."
Zero gasped as the footage stopped playing. All this time, he thought Watchman was an honorable individual. Someone who wanted to assist in ensuring humanity's long-term survival and prosperity. But from the words Zero heard from the footage, it seemed that Watchman was anything but honorable. Such a thing made Zero angry after learning the truth about Watchman, and... sad at the same time. For he truly valued him as a comrade during his time working with him, Myojin, and Urizen on Project: VIII. "This... this has to be a lie. It has to be..."
"But it's not." Jericho finished with a grin. "Just goes to show how humans can deceive one another for their personal goals."
"It seems my visions were right after all..." Zero quietly muttered to himself. From those visions, Zero figured out two things. The first being that someone would cause despair and destruction in both the network and in the world. The second being that Watchman would have a role in it. Once Zero defeated Jericho, he'd tell Kairi the truth about what he learned about Watchman, and her guidance moving forward on what to do with him.
Meanwhile, in another area of Mirror LINK VRAINS...
This was not good at all for Raguel, as he had hoped to be ahead of Azrael regarding their duel. However, Azrael was able to turn things around in response to Raguel's moves, and now was ahead of him regarding life points.
Raguel: 1400 LP
Azrael: 2400 LP
On Raguel's field was Clay Giant and one face-down card in his Spell & Trap card zone. Nothing else. Azrael, on the other hand, had Cychaic Lucius Tiberius, Cychaic Jupiter, God of the Storm, Cychaic Amphitheatre, and a face-down card in his Spell & Trap card zone. In terms of field advantage, that also belonged to Azrael as well.
Cyreath Clay Giant ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000 LV: 7
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️
Cychaic Jupiter, God of the Storm ATK: 3500 DEF: 3000 LV: 8
"Your goal?" Raguel repeated. "What do you mean by that? What goal is so important to you that we must be enemies? I doubt it's restoring the Cyberse World."
Azrael crossed his arms. "You're right. I have no ambition to help in restoring the Cyberse World. My goals are my own, and for my own benefit only."
"I'm disgusted with you, Wraith. For siding with someone who not only doesn't care about the Cyberse World, but for disdaining the entire human race as well!" Herald scolded Wraith.
"What does that matter, Herald? Like I said before, I accepted Azrael's disillusionment towards humanity a long time ago." Wraith reminded Herald. "I found Azrael's goals to have more merit, which is why I made them my own."
"Again, what goal is so important that you and I must be enemies, Azrael? We're brothers not just by blood, but by adoption and foster care as well." Raguel repeated.
"I suppose I should tell you. After everything that has happened, you deserve to know the truth, Raguel, along with what led me to forming those goals as well." Azrael decided.
"Are you sure about this, Azrael?" Wraith questioned.
"I am, Wraith." Azrael confirmed, before turning back to Raguel. "Let me ask you a question, Raguel. What do humans fear?"
"Humans fear numerous things because it depends on the person, Azrael. That's what makes each and every one of us unique. Some of which include fear of heights, flying, public speaking, blood, different weathers and animals, and more." Raguel immediately answered.
"Perhaps I asked the wrong question. I apologize for not clarifying." Azrael responded. "You are right: Humans fear numerous things, and each person has a different fear. In fact, you could group people together in multiple groups based on their fears. However, there's one fear that is greater than every other fear in existence. The one that was given birth the moment humanity screwed itself many eons ago."
"The one fear above all else..." Raguel muttered, as he thought this information over. He also thought back during their previous conversation in their second duel, where Azrael talked about how he stole the Project: VIII files. How he found the locations for each piece after killing one of the Lost Incident scientists, as well as what he did to obtain them all. Raguel also thought back on the information he learned regarding Azrael not only prior to their duel, but during Azrael's duels against Watchman and Infearno. How he died two times before they ever met, how he was forced to hide in the shadows for ten years following the Lost Incident, and the actions he committed all in the name of survival.
It then hit Raguel after he put two and two together. How could he not see it before? How could he not realized Azrael's goal this entire time given the information he learned? "No. You wouldn't..."
"Wouldn't what?" Herald inquired. "Raguel, what are you rambling on about?"
"The answer to Azrael's question of the greatest fear of all is... death. It's the very thing that motivated Azrael from the start." Raguel realized.
"Yes, Raguel. It seems you realized my ultimate endgame." Azrael confirmed. "Eternity."
Raguel gasped. This whole time, Azrael had sought the Root of All Knowledge to evade death forever. It all made sense, especially after you took everything Azrael said and put the pieces of the puzzle together! "Son of a bitch..."
"A great majority of humans have been plagued with the fear of death, which has motivated them to do whatever it took to avoid it." Azrael explained, as he crossed his arms. "As someone who's died twice, everything I've done was so I can avoid it forever."
"Then why draw everyone else in your selfish quest for immortality?! The people you've hurt due to your actions had nothing to do with it!" Raguel snarled.
"True, but they would have opposed me one way or another." Azrael frowned. It wasn't a frown out of disappointment. Rather, it was a frown out of content, and a bit of regret to it. "I accepted that fact a long time ago, Raguel. I accepted that lives would be lost in my crusade for eternity, whether they were innocent or guilty ones. Do I enjoy eliminating my enemies and reveling in it? No, I do not. While I feel satisfaction in eliminating the worst of those who stand in my way, such as Watchman, I do not enjoy the collateral damage."
"And yet those people died in your crusade..." Raguel seethed.
"Opposition against someone is inevitable, Raguel." Wraith reminded Raguel. "You and Herald stand against us because you wish to defeat us both and avenge those who have fallen in battle, along with getting payback for how our actions have hurt the both of you."
"Well, no shit, sherlock. That's something we're all on the same page here!" Herald agreed.
"Do you remember what I said earlier about Watchman, Raguel? How he held back your memories, inheritance, and your potential just so he can use you as a pawn in his game?" Azrael reminded Raguel.
"I already know, Azrael. Where are you going with this?" Raguel inquired back.
"Watchman knew what you were capable of, but held you back all for the purpose of making sure you played your role in his plan of acquiring the Root. It's not just you, Raguel. As you are already aware of, Watchman kept his thumb under the other Lost Incident children, as well as the people affected by it, such as Angelica and Kusanagi so they'd act exactly as he wanted them to so he can obtain the Root himself." Azrael began answering. "To put it simply, he only cared about himself instead of trying to fix his mistakes."
"Again, we're already aware of this, Azrael." Herald reiterated. "Just get to your point already instead of keeping us in the shadows!"
"You are so insistent on getting answers, aren't you, Raguel and Herald? Very well. Then I shall give you them." Azrael promised. "You two are already aware that Revolver was the one who ended the Lost Incident, correct? I'm not sure if you know this, but Revolver was greatly motivated to do so upon seeing your suffering."
"What do you mean, Azrael? Revolver ended the Lost Incident because he didn't want to see us suffer." Raguel said.
"True, but there was another motivator, and it all started when I began to first interact with Wraith." Azrael closed his eyes. "I can remember how intrigued he was to meet a human such as myself, especially one that was unordinary. I'm sure you felt the same way after seeing Raguel, Herald, and how you wanted to get to know him more."
"Of course I wanted to meet and interact with Raguel, Azrael, but not to the extent where I'd torture him!" Herald exclaimed.
"That's not where we're going with this, Herald." Wraith stated.
"Then where are you going with this? Azrael said we'd get answers!"
"We're in the process of giving them, so shut up and listen!" Wraith ordered, which made Herald shut his mouth. "As I interacted with Azrael, I learned about what he and Raguel went through when they were kids. How they were forced to rely upon one another for survival, especially at the moment they were babies. I also learned about Azrael's poor heart condition due to Acidosis, which was his condition upon birth. Having learned this information, I decided to take action after looking at what every other child was going through."
"Wraith looked around the area through the servers to see if there was anyone who would help free us. Dr. Kogami, Watchman, and the Hanoi were obviously not options due to how they were the ones experimenting on us. However, one day, an opportunity came around after Revolver visited the building with Dr. Kogami." Azrael continued.
"Wait a minute..." Herald began speaking, as he put two and two together before gasping after coming to a conclusion. "Wraith, did you inflict Revolver with nightmares when he was a child?"
A smirk appeared on Wraith's face, which confirmed Herald's fears. "Not exactly, Herald. Revolver was the one who had the nightmares. Being a child back then, Revolver was innocent, unaware of the horrors of the world. Need I remind you of how children were even curious about the world and wanted to learn more? But I'm getting off topic. What I did was spook Revolver through technological devices such as tablets and phones by showing him footage and pictures of what the Lost Incident victims went through during the night. I'd also leave digital trails so he'd be motivated to find out if the footage and pictures were true after the day ended, and even gave him some pieces of code so he can discover the truth. Just as I expected, Revolver took the bait like a fish trying to get a worm. All that time, he thought that what his father was doing was right. However, the moment Revolver realized they were true, he was so overwhelmed and haunted with what he saw that he ended the Lost Incident to put an end to his pain. Then again, if Revolver failed, I would have resorted to violence to end the Lost Incident myself."
"Revolver may have ended the Lost Incident, Raguel, but Wraith and I were the primary motivators. To put it simply, we were behind things before Lightning ever even began his plans to eradicate humanity." Azrael stated, which made Raguel and Herald gasp. Just when they thought Azrael, Wraith, and Malf were terrifying, another fact arrived that showed how much more terrifying than they were earlier. "Sadly, as you already know, I died once the Lost Incident ended, which was my second death. Here's the footage."
Azrael pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused a screen to appear that showed Wraith generating data material as he shocked a dead Yukage back to life. It took a total of five times, but eventually, Yukage was brought back to life. Having leapt on his feet, Yukage looked through the window to see if the coast was clear before leaping out of the truck and heading off into the night.
"As of that day, it was me against the world. I learned the harsh truth: Only through your own strength and knowledge will you be able to survive in this world. Something I passed down to Wraith when I saw him again years later, which he accepted a long time ago."
"And again, Azrael didn't corrupt me. To reiterate, I accepted his disdain towards humanity." Wraith reminded Raguel and Herald. "And honestly, none of the other Ignis would have a connection or understanding with their Origins as deep as ours, Herald."
"Ours?" Herald repeated.
"Earlier, Revolver mentioned how you and I are the strongest of the Ignis. It's only logical for us to have a deep connection and understanding with our Origins, after all." Wraith pointed out.
"My God..." was all Raguel could say in response to Azrael's story. In a sense, Azrael was ultimately the one responsible for ending the Lost Incident. Revolver was merely a puppet in doing so, and that had led to where everyone was today.
"After escaping into the shadows, I knew as a child that I had to lay low for ten years and get stronger in order to survive. One day, I was found by someone who belonged to the Inquisitorius, where they took me in immediately after seeing the condition I was in. They trained me to get stronger, and I was immediately inducted into their ranks after they saw my skill and how I got through it all in record time. For a moment, I felt that I found a home." Azrael closed his eyes. "However, that changed after I failed to kill Infearno." Having opened his eyes, he pressed a button on his duel disk, where footage began playing that showed a young Yukage fending off the Inquisitors sent to kill him.
Raguel couldn't help but balk upon seeing the Inquisitors go after the young Yukage, disgusted by how they turned on their fellow comrades as if they were trying to expunge a rogue element before it was released into the world. His eyes widened after seeing Yukage get stabbed in the back by another Inquisitor, the former having spared one out of mercy before trying to escape. Raguel then gasped once he saw the young Yukage glow with blue light before activating his Link Trigger for the first time, which caught the Inquisitors off guard as he quickly massacred them all within seconds. Having saw what he had done, Yukage then escaped into the shadows once again. "Damn..."
"Shocked by what you saw, huh? Just goes to show how humans will always look out for themselves, even if it means going along with what everyone else is doing to do so." Azrael said.
Raguel opened his mouth, trying to speak as the shock was still registered on his face at what he saw just now. For the Inquisitors to betray one of their own like that, especially a member who was practically a kid was inhumane. Why did everyone focus on their survival rather than helping others? Why was that the case? Did that mean there was no good in humans? No. Raguel couldn't believe that. He wouldn't!
"Raguel..." Herald muttered.
"You two should already know by now that this is Azrael's memories, so the truth is not obscured. Rather, it's fact." Wraith reminded Raguel and Herald.
"I don't care about your story, Azrael, but... I can understand." Raguel spoke, which got Azrael's attention. "What happened to you was... unforgiveable. Not just regarding the Lost Incident, but what you went through as well. But that doesn't give you the right to hurt innocent people!"
"Then let me ask you this: Who is really the victim and the villain in the story? Me, or Watchman?" Azrael inquired, which made Raguel gasp as he tried to gather his thoughts. In his mind, he thought Azrael was the villain given his actions, but he didn't take into account what gave birth to both those actions and those beliefs. It was here where Raguel understood why Azrael was so heartless in the first place, as well as how he placed his beliefs in survival of the fittest. Whereas Azrael's actions were his own, Watchman was the one whose actions made the latter the person he is today. Not just that, but Watchman was the person responsible for the Lost Incident and ensuring that events not only happened in order to keep everyone in line, but so they can play their parts as well. All just to obtain the Root of All Knowledge. In a way, Watchman was the puppeteer, while everyone else was the puppets.
"Raguel, are you there?" Herald asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm there." Raguel answered, having managed to get himself together.
"It seems you realized the truth, haven't you, Raguel?" Azrael guessed, which caused Raguel to reluctantly nod in silence, as if it was confirmation that the latter truly accepted the truth. "That's enough information for now. I'll tell you the rest if you the motivation you show me next is greater than in our previous duel. You're doing a good job right now, so it'd be disappointing if it were to waver after the information you just heard now, don't you think?"
"Oh, don't worry, Azrael. I'll make sure not to disappoint you! My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Clay Giant into the Link Markers!" Clay Giant went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Ceryneian Hind!" A female deer with light-brown skin appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Unlike other deer though, she had male-like antlers made of gold and hooves made of bronze. She also had a dappled hide as well.
Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↙️
"When Ceryneian Hind is Link Summoned, I can draw the top card of my deck." Raguel explained, as he drew the top card of his deck. Upon looking at it, he smirked.
"You look like you've gotten another good card, Raguel." Herald stated, as he looked over to see what card Raguel drew just now. "I know I didn't make that card, but given what's going on, I'd say it will help turn things around."
"I activate the Spell card, Glorious Cyreaths." Raguel spoke up. "When I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zone, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard and draw the top card of my deck." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which glowed with a dark light before dimming. "Come from my deck, Cyreath Pandora." A girl in her pre-teens with red eyes and shoulder-length blond hair appeared on Raguel's field. She wore a white and blue Greek-styled dress, as well as sandals on her feet.
Cyreath Pandora ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4 Scale: 0
Seconds later, Raguel drew the top card of his deck.
"Someone's going to die soon, and that someone will be you." Pandora gleefully said.
"So you bring out one of your darker monsters, Raguel." Azrael stated.
"And I'm surprised that you'd allow that after what happened to Angelica, Herald." Wraith added.
"Given the circumstances right now, it's better that the deck stays united against a common enemy like you guys than get destroyed." Herald replied.
"Was there a civil war going on in the deck or something like that?" Raguel questioned.
"Something like that." Herald told Raguel. "I hate to say this, but if we're to win this duel, then we have to win by the means at hand."
Raguel nodded in agreement before returning his attention to the duel. "When Pandora is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Cyreath' monster and one 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I add Cyreath Alastor and Cyreath Calamity from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand.
"You're accumulating resources so you can make a comeback, right? Allow me to respond in kind." Azrael said, as he gestured to his field. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Cychaic Accumulation!" The card showed Nero sitting on his throne, his arms raised high in the air as he threw golden coins in the air with joy. "While this card is on my field, I get to draw a card from the top of my deck each time you add a card from your deck to your hand, except by drawing them. I also gain 300 life points for each card I draw through Accumulation's effect."
"Son of a..." Raguel muttered.
"Since you added two cards from your deck to your hand, that means I can draw two cards and gain 600 life points." Azrael drew the top two cards of his deck before a blue aura surrounded him, which increased his life points.
Azrael: 2400 + (300 X 2) = 3000 LP
"Well, this is just great! If we add cards to our hand outside of drawing them, then Azrael gains life points and more cards!" Herald cursed.
"Perhaps, but Azrael's going to regret what he just did." Raguel replied. "Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set Cyreath Pandora, and the Link 1 Ceryneian Hind into the Link Markers!" Pandora went into the top arrowhead, while Ceryneian Hind went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Melinoe!" A young girl with brown eyes and black hair braided into a crown appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore dark-red robes that had different colored jewels on it. She also wore shoes that ended with a small blade on each of them. In her hands, she carried a small scepter that had purple claws surrounding the orb at the top.
Cyreath Melinoe ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️
"The effects of Pandora and Melinoe now activate in sequence." Raguel began speaking. "First, when Pandora's used for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can Special Summon her from my Extra Deck or Graveyard back to my field. Now rise, Pandora." At Raguel's command, Pandora reappeared on his field.
Cyreath Pandora ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4 Scale: 0
"Second, when Melinoe is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my deck to my field. Come from my deck, Cyreath Whelp." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and immediately played. Soon, a ravenous dog whose body was composed of volcanic stone and fire appeared on Raguel's field.
Cyreath Whelp ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"I now activate the Ritual Spell card, Cyreath Calamity!" Raguel added. "This card lets me tribute 'Cyreath' monsters on my field or in my hand whose total levels equal or exceed the Level of the 'Cyreath' Ritual monster I'm summoning from my hand. I'm also allowed to banish 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard as well for the Ritual Summon!"
"Really now?" Azrael questioned, now intrigued as to what will happen next.
"You heard me. I banish P.H.A.N.T.O.M from my Graveyard!" Within seconds, a black hole with eight purple flames appeared on Raguel's field, along with P.H.A.N.T.O.M before it disintegrated into light and entered the center of the black hole, which unleashed a burst of purple light.
"Human scorned by the rest of mankind! Break free from your shackles, and punish humanity for its transgressions! Keep avenging until retribution has been fully unleashed!" Raguel chanted, as the orange lines on his white tunics glowed red. "Ritual Summon! Come before us, Level 8! Cyreath Alastor!" A black-armored knight with multicolored shapes resembling eyes, a spiked plume on his helmet, and with dark-steel plates on his arms appeared on Raguel's field. Strapped to his sides were a pair of jagged, chained blades, each one having a demonic red-orange glyph pattern on them. Attached to his back was a long sword with a massive blade, as well as a set of arms that had large hands, each one having three claws.
Cyreath Alastor ATK: 0 DEF: 3000 LV: 8 Scale: 9
"Your days are at an end!" Alastor screamed.
"The effects of Calamity and Alastor now activate in sequence." Raguel began speaking. "First, since Calamity was used to Ritual Summon Alastor, your life points are halved!"
"What?!" Azrael exclaimed, who was caught off guard as a black hole appeared above him before lightning fired out of it, which caused him to wince as his life points were halved.
Azrael: 3000 / 2 = 1500 LP
"Second, when Alastor is Ritual Summoned, I can banish one monster from each of our Graveyards and/or our Extra Decks, and he gains attack points equal to the combined attack points of the monsters banished by this effect. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to his activation!" Raguel looked at Azrael's Graveyard and Extra Deck before making his decision. "I banish Teravolt Dragon from your Extra Deck, and Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea from my Extra Deck. That means Alastor gains 6000 attack points! Verg Avesta!" Alastor let out an animalistic scream as his strength increased.
Cyreath Alastor ATK: 0 + 6000 = 6000
"Impossible! You got rid of Teravolt Dragon before he even hit the field!" Wraith exclaimed out of pure shock and anger.
"You will regret what you did just now, Raguel." Azrael furiously told Raguel. "I may not be able to counter what you just done, but that doesn't mean there are other things I can't do. I activate Accumulation's effect. By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my hand or in my field, I can-."
"You'll do no such thing!" Raguel interrupted. "I activate Alastor's second effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns you activate a card effect, I can not only negate it, but also activate an additional effect depending on the type of card negated. And like before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to his activation."
"Additional effect?" Azrael repeated out of confusion.
"You heard me. Abnormal Pressure!" Accumulation turned into particles, which went into Alastor as he screamed further. "As a Trap card's effect was negated, Alastor is unaffected by the effects of your cards for the rest of this turn."
Great. With Alastor unaffected, that means he'll be able to attack freely, Azrael cursed in his mind.
"I overlay the Level 4 Cyreath Pandora with the Level 4 Whelp!" Raguel said, as Pandora and Whelp turned into streams of black and orange energy before entering the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.
"Watchdog of the Underworld, heed my call and tear my foes to bits! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Cyreath Blazing Orthros!" A dark-red, two-headed hound with flames engulfing his body appeared on Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone Melinoe pointed to. He had a large metal brace with a broken chain attached to his left paw, with similar-looking spiked collars around his necks. In addition, Orthros had a large bone structure protruding from his back, with funnel-like spouts that shot out flames, which ran along his spine.
Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 RNK: 4 OU: 2
"Ritual and Xyz Summoning in one turn..." Wraith muttered. "At long last, Raguel's no longer holding back."
"He certainly isn't holding back, Wraith. That is something I'm glad Raguel is not doing anymore." Azrael agreed.
"It's time to end this duel for good." Raguel told Azrael. "Battle! Cyreath Alastor attacks Cychaic Lucius Tiberius!" Alastor charged forward at Lucius Tiberius, intent on destroying the latter.
"End this duel, you say? Think again." Azrael countered. "I activate the effect of Cychaic Bald Eagle from my hand. When a 'Cychaic' monster I control battles, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field in defense position." Soon, a light-green armored eagle who had white and red feathers appeared on Azrael's field in defense position. On its armor were a total of four orange jewels, two at the edges of its wings, one on its back, and one on top of its head.
Cychaic Bald Eagle ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500 LV: 7
Cychaic Bald Eagle ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000 DEF: 2500 + 500 = 3000
"Then the battling 'Cychaic' monster gains 2500 attack points until the End Phase, nor can it be destroyed by battle or card effects for the rest of this turn." Soon, Lucius Tiberius was surrounded in a green aura that increased his strength.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 3000 + 2500 = 5500
"You're still taking damage, Azrael." Raguel reminded Azrael. "Unrelenting Fury!" Alastor swung down the chained blades towards Lucius Tiberius, who managed to block the attacks before the latter's set of arms with large hands on his back grabbed the large sword attached to him. Alastor then brought the large sword down onto, who managed to barely block the attack as a massive explosion occurred, which made Azrael wince before his life points slightly dropped.
Azrael: 1500 – 500 = 1000 LP
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means Bald Eagle's effect ends." Raguel grit his teeth as Lucius Tiberius's strength returned to normal, knowing there was nothing else he can do for now. He was so close to finishing Azrael off this turn, yet he wasn't able to. Such a fact pissed Raguel off to the core.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 5500 – 2500 = 3000
"My turn! I draw!" Azrael said, as he drew the top card of his deck.
"Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Cyreath Providence!" Raguel interrupted, as he gestured to his field. "When this card is activated, immediately after this effect resolves, I can Link Summon one 'Cyreath' Link monster from my Extra Deck, by shuffling 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard to my deck and/or Extra Deck!"
"If you ask me, that card's just broken." Wraith remarked.
"We heard that before multiple times." Herald deadpanned back.
"I don't give a damn as to who thinks my cards are broken or not. I just really don't give a damn." Raguel angrily added. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' Link monsters. I shuffle the Link 2 Cyreath Nemo, and the Link 1 Headhunter and Scorpius back into my Extra Deck to set them into the Link Markers!" Nemo went into the top and bottom-left arrowheads, Headhunter went into the bottom arrowhead and Scorpius went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all four of them red.
"Ultimate hunter of Olympus! Advance on the chaotic hunting grounds, and relentlessly pursue your enemies until they're eliminated! Appear! Link 4! Cyreath Super Orion!" A very muscular man with shaggy black hair and a long yellow cape draped behind him appeared on Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone Lucius Tiberius pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. He wore a chest strap that had a single red jewel at the end, along with several circular symbols on it. He also wore dark-blue pants that had small pieces of armor around the knees, along with a belt that had three blue jewels on it. In his right hand, he carried a diamond club, while he carried a massive bow in the other hand.
Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬆️⬇️↘️
"Let the hunt begin, my friend! Victory will be ours!" Super Orion cheered loudly.
Azrael and Wraith are so in for it now, especially with Super Orion's effects, Herald thought in his mind. Yet why did Raguel Link Summon Super Orion to the Main Monster Zone Lucius Tiberius pointed to? Something's not right here.
"When Super Orion's Link Summoned, he's unaffected by your card effects for the rest of this turn." Raguel informed Azrael. "Artemis Hagnos!" A moon-like aura surrounded Super Orion, which protected him from whatever would come next.
"Clever move, Raguel. Very clever indeed..." Azrael acknowledged. "A monster unaffected by card effects is certainly troublesome against a lesser duelist. But I am no lesser duelist, and allow me to show you first hand! I summon Cychaic Lanista from my hand to my field." A man who wore a dark-blue toga with a green scarf on his right shoulder appeared on Azrael's field.
Cychaic Lanista ATK: 1200 DEF: 1600 LV: 4
Cychaic Lanista ATK: 1200 + 500 = 1700 DEF: 1600 + 500 = 2100
"When Lanista is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target one 'Cychaic' Link monster on my field, and shuffle cards from my Graveyard into my deck and/or Extra Deck before drawing the top two cards of my deck. I target Lucius Tiberius, and shuffle Pollice Verso, Perseverance, and Reinforcements into my deck, and draw!" Three cards popped out of Azrael's deck, which he took and shuffled into his deck. Once that was done, he drew the top two cards of his deck, and grinned upon looking at them.
"Now this is totally good..." Wraith muttered, as he looked at the cards Azrael drew just now.
"I have a bad feeling about this, Raguel." Herald stated.
"So do I." Raguel agreed.
"I'll continue by activating Jupiter's effect. Once per turn, by destroying one 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, I can not only halve the attack points of one monster on your field, I also gain life points equal to half of that monster's original attack points. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation. As such, I destroy Bald Eagle on my field, and halve Blazing Orthros' attack points." Azrael decided, as Bald Eagle turned into particles. "Fulgurous Drain!" Jupiter pointed his lightning-shaped sword at Blazing Orthros before firing a flash of energy at him. Upon impact, a yellow aura surrounded Blazing Orthros as his strength was halved. Jupiter then pointed his sword at Azrael before firing a flash of energy at him, which caused a yellow aura to surround the latter as his life points increased.
Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2500 / 2 = 1250
Azrael: 1000 + (2500 / 2) = 2250 LP
"In addition, when Bald Eagle is destroyed by a card effect, I gain 500 life points for each 'Cychaic' monster I control. I control three 'Cychaic' monsters, which means I gain 1500 life points." Azrael was surrounded in a white aura that increased his life points once again.
Azrael: 2250 + (500 X 3) = 3750 LP
"Great! Just great! Just when we got Azrael on the ropes, he manages to increase his life points almost to their starting amount!" Herald exclaimed.
"It makes sense for Azrael to do that, Herald. He's hoping to outlast me before delivering the final blow." Raguel pointed out.
"You are correct, Raguel. For it's never wrong to have a ton of life points." Wraith confirmed.
"I activate Amphitheatre's effect. Once per turn, By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, I can-." Azrael began speaking.
"I don't think so." Raguel interrupted. "I activate Super Orion's effect. During either of our turns, when you activate a card effect, I can negate that effect and send it to the Graveyard. Refraction Boomerang!" Super Orion's diamond club glowed silver as he threw it at Amphitheatre, which returned back to his hand before the latter turned into particles. "I'm then allowed to shuffle a card on either player's field back into their owner's deck. As such, I shuffle Melinoe back into my Extra Deck." Melinoe turned into particles, which returned to Raguel's Extra Deck.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 3000 – 500 = 2500
Cychaic Jupiter, Lord of the Storm ATK: 3500 -500 = 3000 DEF: 3000 – 500 = 2500
Cychaic Lanista ATK: 1700 – 500 = 1200 DEF: 2100 – 500 = 1600
"Melinoe's effect now activates! As it left the field by battle or card effect, I can send a card you control to your Graveyard. So say goodbye to Jupiter!" A shadow appeared underneath Jupiter before dragging him into it, where he turned into particles.
"Interesting what you did there, Raguel. You managed to not only get rid of two of Azrael's cards, you also cleared a weakness on your field." Herald observed.
"And since Jupiter's effect only activates when he's destroyed by battle or card effect, Azrael can't use it should it leave the field by other means." Raguel finished. "But it won't be enough to defeat Azrael."
"You're right, Raguel. It won't be enough to defeat me. If anything, what you did was a small roadblock that I'll climb over." Azrael replied. "I activate Lucius Tiberius's effect. Once per turn-."
"Sorry, but I am not letting you do that again." Raguel interjected once again. "I activate Alastor's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a card effect, I can not only negate it, but also activate an additional effect depending on the type of card negated. And like earlier, you can't activate cards or effects in response to his activation. I negate Lucius Tiberius's effects. Abnormal Pressure!" Lucius Tiberius groaned in agony as a grey aura surrounded him that nullified his effects. "As a monster's effect was negated, I can take control of that monster and treat it as a 'Cyreath' monster." Alastor swung his jagged chained blades at Lucius Tiberius, which pierced his body as the former swung him over to Raguel's field.
"YES! We're limiting Azrael's options majorly here!" Herald cheered. "At the rate this is going, he'll have no choice, but to end his turn."
Azrael frowned after seeing what just happened. "Your motivation is perseverant, Raguel. But like I said earlier, I'll overcome whatever pitiful moves you throw at me. Starting with this! Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cychaic' monster. I set Cychaic Lanista into the Link Markers!" Lanista went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red in the process.
"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 ⬇️
"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, Caracal." At Azrael's command, Praetor reappeared on his field.
Cychaic Caracal ATK: 800 DEF: 2000 LV: 4
"I activate the Ritual Spell card, Cychaic Solemnity. This card lets me Ritual Summon one 'Cychaic' Ritual monster from my hand by destroying 'Cychaic' monsters on my field or in my hand. I also have the option of destroying 'Cychaic' monsters in my deck if I control a 'Cychaic' Link monster."
"This isn't good..." Raguel muttered.
"Even after negating Azrael's cards, he's able to continue his turn as if nothing happened." Herald stated.
"You should give yourselves credit, Raguel and Herald. Just like with Slipstream and Stregone, you're actually giving Azrael a challenge." Wraith told Raguel and Herald.
"I destroy the Level 4 Panther and Strix in my deck." Azrael decided, as a dark blue magical circle with eight flames appeared on Azrael's field, along with two monsters. The first monster was a silver-armored panther.
The second monster was large owl with torn, brown skin all over its body. It had sharp claws and beak, along with sharp feathers.
Both monsters disintegrated into light and entered into the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of bright light.
"The contract has been made! Legendary centurion abandoned by his comrades! Immerse yourself with the power of darkness, and eradicate both present and future transgressors! Ritual Summon! Come before us! Level 8! Cychaic Damocles!" A young man with brown hair in the form of a bob cut and orange eyes appeared on Azrael's field. His attire consisted of grey, battle damaged roman armor that had silver markings and a skull on it. Surrounding his arms were shadows, and strapped around his neck was a shadowy cape. In his hands, he carried a silver sword that had a skull at the hilt.
Cychaic Damocles ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8
"The effects of Panther and Strix activate in sequence." Azrael began speaking. "First, when Panther is destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my Graveyard to my field. Be reborn, Acquila." At Azrael's command, Acquila reappeared on his field in defense position.
Cychaic Acquila ATK: 500 DEF: 800 LV: 2
"Second, when Strix is destroyed by a card effect, I can send a card on your field to your Graveyard. I may not be able to send Super Orion to your Graveyard, but your other cards are fair game. Thus, I send Alastor to your Graveyard." A silhouette of Strix appeared before charging forward at Alastor and piercing it, which turned the latter into particles upon impact.
"You're planning on using Damocles' effect next, right?" Raguel guessed. "Well, that's something I won't let you do." He gestured to his field. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Erosion!" The card showed Pandora and Alastor in Armatos Colosseum, dark auras surrounding their bodies as the duo prepared to battle against a weakened group of Armatos Legio Decurions and Plumbum Trident, the area greying out in pain. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can banish a 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard to negate the effects of a card you control until the End Phase. What's more, I can activate one of three effects depending on the card negated. In addition, you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."
"Damn it..." Azrael muttered, knowing what Raguel will certainly do next.
I didn't make Erosion either. Must be another card Raguel made recently, Herald thought in his mind.
"I banish Chronicler in my Graveyard, and negate Damocles' effects until the End Phase!" Raguel said, as a dark grey aura surrounded Damocles before he groaned in pain, his effects having been negated in the process. "And because a monster's effect was negated, I gain life points equal to that monster's original attack points. Since Damocles' original attack points are 3000, that means I gain 3000 life points!" A dark aura surrounded Raguel as his life points increased.
Raguel: 1400 + 3000 = 4400 LP
"In that case, I activate Acquila's effect. Once per turn, I can target a 'Cychaic' monster I control, and change its level from one to eight until the End Phase. I target Acquila, and change its level to four!" A silver aura surrounded Acquila that changed its level.
Cychaic Acquila LV: 2 + 2 = 4
"Azrael now has two Level 4 monsters, Raguel." Herald observed.
"He'll most likely Xyz Summon next." Raguel stated the obvious.
"I overlay the Level 4 Cychaic Acquila with the Level 4 Caracal!" Azrael proclaimed, as his hand glowed dark blue before a galaxy portal appeared behind him. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Acquila and Caracal turned into dark blue streams of energy that entered the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.
"Ruler of the Seas! Emerge from the deep, and drown my enemies in your raging torrents! Xyz Summon! Rise, Rank 4! Cychaic Neptune, God of the Sea!" A muscular man with very long white hair that went to his lower back, as well as a very long beard that went to his lower waist appeared on Azrael's field in the Main Monster Zone Bestiarius pointed to. He had algae-like shoulder pads on his shoulders, each one having three spikes on it. On his arms were golden chains covered in algae, along with golden forearm guards with a few spikes on the side. Instead of legs, the bottom portion of his body consisted of tentacles resembling that of a kraken. In his hands, he carried a trident club.
Cychaic Neptune, God of the Sea ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 4 OU: 2
"I now activate Neptune's effect. Once per turn, I can detach one Overlay Unit to not only destroy a 'Cychaic' card in my hand or on my field, but also banish a card on your field as well. However, if a 'Cychaic' Link monster is destroyed by this effect, I can banish one card in your hand, field, and/or Graveyard up to that monster's Link rating instead. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation." Azrael told Raguel. "I destroy Bestiarius, which is a Link 1 monster. That means I can banish one card. As such, I banish Erosion. Oceanic Constriction!" Bestiarius turned into particles while one of the Overlay Units went into Neptune's trident club.
Cychaic Neptune, God of the Sea OU: 2 – 1 = 1
Seconds later, the tentacles on Neptune's body spread towards Erosion before wrapping themselves around its target and destroying it completely.
"Bestiarius' effect now activates! Since he was destroyed by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard." A card popped out of Azrael's deck. "Be born from the deck, Cychaic Venator." A roman soldier with dark skin who wore silver armour, shin pads, and vambraces appeared on Azrael's field. While the silver armour had a lion emblem on the left portion of the chest, wolf emblems were on the vambraces, and eagle emblems were on the shin pads. Covering the top of his head was a red hood that had the lion emblem stitched to it. Strapped to his left side was a sword, while a bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.
Cychaic Venator ATK: 1800 DEF: 900 LV: 4
"In addition, when Venator is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my deck or Graveyard." Azrael added. "Be reborn, Praetor." Seconds later, Praetor reappeared on Azrael's field in defense position.
Cychaic Praetor ATK: 2400 DEF: 600 LV: 6
"I also 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 Venator, and negate Blazing Orthros' effects." Praetor quickly slashed Venator into pieces before he turned into particles, which he fired at Blazing Orthros as he groaned in pain. As for Raguel, he also groaned in pain before his life points dropped.
Raguel: 4400 – 600 = 3800 LP
"Venator's effect also activates! As he was destroyed by a card effect, I can take control of one monster on your field and treat it as a 'Cychaic' monster until the end of my next turn!" Azrael continued. "I take control of Lucius Tiberius."
"Crap..." Raguel muttered, as Lucius Tiberius immediately jumped back to Azrael's field, glad to be back on the winning side.
"Battle!" Azrael declared. "Cychaic Damocles attacks Cyreath Blazing Orthros! Divine Retribution!" Damocles charged forward with raging fury before slashing Blazing Orthros numerous times, which made the latter scream as he turned to particles. Raguel then winced as his life points decreased.
Raguel: 3800 – 1750 = 2050 LP
"The battle continues! Cychaic Neptune, God of the Sea attacks Cyreath Super Orion! Tidal Consumption!" Neptune slammed his trident club down to the ground, which caused a massive torrent of water to appear before heading straight towards Super Orion!
"Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Imprisonment!" Raguel interrupted. "Upon activation, I can target one monster you control and prevent it from attacking while this card is on my field. However, I can no longer target that monster with card effects. I target Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" Within moments, chains of lightning, water, and fire emerged out of Imprisonment and wrapped themselves around Neptune, stopping his attack in the process.
Azrael grit his teeth in annoyance. His plan was to simply ram his monsters into Raguel's only monster before breaking through and wiping out the rest of Raguel's life points. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case due to Raguel activating Imprisonment. Still, another opportunity will come for Azrael to win the duel on his next turn. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Super Orion and Erosion end." Damocles regained his effects, while the aura surrounding Super Orion dissipated.
Meanwhile, back in LINK VRAINS...
"Bohman's activated his Skill!" Aso warned Akira and Ghost Girl, as he and the other Hanoi activated the program on their end. Unfortunately for Ghost Girl and Akira, their program reached a stop, much to their frustration.
"Well, that's not good. Security's preventing the virus bomb from activating. We have to blow it up manually." Ghost Girl said.
"Leave this to me." Akira assured her, as he finished typing. "And with that, the security system's clear!"
In a corner of the room, a portal opened and a shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle shot out towards Akira. He looked up and gasped.
"Akira, look out!" Ghost Girl cried out, as she pushed Akira out of the way before the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle pierced through her body, which led her to fall to the ground in an unconscious state.
"Activating the virus now!" Before Akira could press the button, the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle returned and pierced his body. However, with the last bit of strength left within his body, he pushed the button, which activated the virus bomb as a result. Aoi. Blood Shepherd. Everyone. This is for all of you, were his last thoughts before falling to the ground in an unconscious state.
With the virus bomb having been activated, Mirror LINK VRAINS and LINK VRAINS were separated for good, allowing SOL Technologies to log everyone out before anymore people could fall to Bohman's actions.
Elsewhere, in Mirror LINK VRAINS, at Jericho and Zero's duel...
"My turn! I draw!" Jericho said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Unfortunately, during my Standby Phase, I take 1000 points of damage while Emblem Shield is on my field." He gritted his teeth as a red aura surrounded him, which decreased his life points.
Jericho: 6100 – 1000 = 5100 LP
"But moving on, I summon Persona Civilian – Sumire Yoshizawa from my hand to my field." A young woman with long, red hair tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon tied into it, bangs over her forehead, matching red eyes, pink lips and fair skin appeared on Jericho's field. She wore a uniform consisting that of a white shirt, black pantyhose and red loafers.
Persona Civilian – Sumire Yoshizawa ATK: 900 DEF: 600 LV: 3
"When Sumire's Normal or Special Summoned, I can not only target a 'Persona Tactics' or 'Persona Arms' Spell or Trap card in my Graveyard and shuffle it into my deck, she can also attack directly this turn. I shuffle Mental Shutdown back into my deck." A card popped out of Jericho's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck. "I also activate the Spell card, Persona Tactics – Emergency Tag Out!" The card showed Captain the Skull helping Arsene the Joker escape from the fight, with Sumire entering into the fight as she morphed into her Metaverse form to fight against a giant monster, a shadowy Persona appearing behind her in the process. "This card lets me shuffle one monster on my field back into my deck to Special Summon a Cyberse monster from my deck with a different name. I shuffle Sumire back into my deck, and Special Summon Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa from my deck to my field!" After Sumire turned into particles that went back into Jericho's deck, a tall, young man dark blue hair with parted bangs slightly covering his left eye and gray eyes appeared on Jericho's field. His attire consisted of a white shirt embroidered with a fleur-de-lis, fitted black pants and black loafers.
Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa ATK: 1200 DEF: 700 LV: 4
"Yusuke's effect also activates! When he's Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Persona Civilian' monster from my deck to my field in defense position." Jericho added. "Come from my deck, Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki!" A card popped out of Jericho's deck, which he took and played. Soon, a tall, young woman with bright blue eyes, wavy platinum blonde hair styled in bushy pigtails with parted side bangs on the right side of her face appeared on Jericho's field in defense position. Her hair accessories included a single yellow hair clip above her left ear, and a small circular earrings on both ears. Her attire consisted of a black blazer over a white varsity-like hooded sweatshirt, which had red stripe between two blue stripes at the bottom, an S symbol near the front bottom on one side, and a green four-leaf-clover symbol on the back of the hood.
Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki ATK: 1200 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"When Ann's Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Persona Civilian' monster from my deck to my Graveyard, and any damage I would take or pay is reduced by that monster's attack points while it's in the Graveyard. Thus, I send Sumire from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Jericho's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.
That means any damage Jericho takes and pays is reduced by 900 attack points while Sumire's in his Graveyard, Zero summed up in his mind. Considering how his Continuous-Spell and Trap cards make him take damage during his Standby Phases, he basically reduced it, along with any damage that he takes moving forward. As much as I want to use my face-down card, it's best for me to wait for now.
"Appear, the circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" Jericho said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Cyberse monster. I set Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa into the Link Markers!" Yusuke went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Persona Force – Goemon!" A male kabuki who wore red robes with a massive dark-blue robe over it that had light-blue outlines appeared on Jericho's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Captain the Skull pointed to. Attached to the massive robe on both sides was a massive white and purple rope intertwined with one another that floated behind him. He also wore Japanese-styled high heels, had a red and white-roped belt around his waist, and a hat on top of his head. In his hands, he carried a pipe with an axe blade at the end.
Persona Force – Goemon ATK: 500 LINK-1 ↙️
"When Goemon's Link Summoned, I can target one 'Persona Civilian' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it back to my field." Jericho stated. "Return to me, Yusuke!" At Jericho's command, Yusuke reappeared on his field.
Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa ATK: 1200 DEF: 700 LV: 4
"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing hidden truths and deceit!" A second Link Portal appeared above Jericho. "The summoning conditions are normally three Cyberse monsters for this monster. However, I can also Link Summon this monster by using a copy of Yusuke and Goemon on my field instead. As such, I set Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa and Persona Soul – Goemon into the Link Markers!" Yusuke went into the left arrowhead, while Goemon went into the right and bottom-left arrowheads, turning all four of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Persona Force – Goemon the Fox!" A tall, young man dark blue hair with parted bangs slightly covering his left eye and gray eyes appeared on Jericho's field in the Main Monster Zone Captain the Skull pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. His attire consisted of a traditional kitsune-style half mask, a black high-collared puff-sleeved jumpsuit with a striped sash worn across his hips, white motorcycle boots, and bright blue gloves. Attached to the jumpsuit is a white foxtail. In his hands, he carried a katana. Seconds later, Goemon reappeared behind the man with a
Persona Force – Goemon the Fox ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️↙️➡️
Persona Force – Goemon the Fox ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800
"I activate Goemon's effect. Since he was used to Link Summon a 'Persona Force' Link monster, I can target one Link 3 Cyberse monster I control with a different name, and if it battles a monster whose level is five or higher, any damage you take from that battle is doubled for the rest of this turn." Jericho added. "I target Arsene the Joker!" Arsene the Joker was surrounded in a white aura that enhanced his strength. "I also activate Goemon the Fox's effect! Once per turn-."
"Not so fast! Counter-Trap, activate! Provident Reversal!" Zero interrupted. "When you activate a card effect, I can not only negate that effect, but also banish it as well. In addition, all copies of that same card are banished from your hand, deck, and Graveyard. What's more, for the rest of this turn, Light Cyberse monsters I control are unaffected by your card effects."
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Jericho growled, as Goemon the Fox turned into particles, much to the former's dismay. "In that case, a change of plans is required. Appear, for a third time! The circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" A third Link Portal appeared above Jericho. "The summoning conditions are one Cyberse monster. I set Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki into the Link Markers!" Ann went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Persona Soul – Carmen!" A very tall woman with fuchsia colored skin appeared on Jericho's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Captain the Skull pointed to. She wore a long flowing red ballgown that had black and gold trims, black gloves, and black-red boots. The black corset on her dress had red heart designs, with several roses growing out of the base of the corset. Covering her eyes was a black panther mask with floral designs, with her shoulder pads being the same.
Persona Force – Carmen ATK: 500 LINK-1 ↙️
"When Carmen's Link Summoned, I can target one 'Persona Civilian' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it back to my field." Jericho continued. "Return to me, Ann!" At Jericho's command, Ann reappeared on his field.
Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki ATK: 1200 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"Appear, for a fourth time! The circuit of hidden truths and deceit!" A fourth Link Portal appeared above Jericho. "The summoning conditions are normally two or more Cyberse effect monsters. However, I can also Link Summon this monster by using a copy of Ann and Carmen on my field instead. As such, I set Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki and Persona Soul – Carmen into the Link Markers!" Ann went into the top arrowhead, while Carmen went into the bottom and bottom-left arrowheads, turning all three of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Persona Force – Carmen the Panther!" A tall, young woman with platinum blonde hair in the style of bushy pigtails appeared on Jericho's field in the left Main Monster Zone Captain the Skull pointed to. Her attire consisted of a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout and zippers, a matching red panther mask, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, and a clip-on tail on the back of her catsuit. Seconds later, Carmen rose behind her with a chuckle.
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️↘️
"I activate Carmen's effect. Since she was used to Link Summon a 'Persona Force' Link monster, when a Cyberse Link monster battles a monster you control with higher attack points once per turn during the Battle Phase this turn, any battle damage I would take is inflicted to you instead." Jericho said, a smirk evident on his face.
"Tch." Zero gritted his teeth. That meant Jericho could have his weaker monsters attack Zero's monsters, which would result in the latter taking damage instead of the former. This was why Jericho was Urizen's right hand man. He was able to make a comeback against almost any situation that faced him.
"And to make things worse for you, I activate the Trap card, Persona Tactics – Tres of Destruction from my hand!" The card showed Arsene the Joker, Captain the Skull, and Carmen the Panther crossing their weapons, which consisted of a gun, shotguns and a whip in a Three Musketeers style. As a result, a blast of energy erupted from it towards a group of enemies. "I can activate this card from my hand if I control three or more 'Persona Force' Link monsters. Also, when this card is activated, I can negate the effects of cards you control up to the number of 'Persona Force' Link monsters I control. Oh, and one last thing. If I control Arsene the Joker, Captain the Skull, and Carmen the Panther, I can destroy all face-up and face-down cards on your field. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation!"
"But my monsters will be safe thanks to Provident Reversal." Zero angrily reminded Jericho.
"I know, but your other cards are a totally different story." Jericho countered. "I negate Garden of Providence and your face-down card's effects before destroying them. BEGONE!" The Three Musketeers symbol consisting of a gun, shotguns, and whip appeared before a massive blast of energy fired out of it, which turned Garden of Providence and Zero's face-down card into particles. As a result, Mothinear Lepidopteron and Permillind Hicrotron let out groans as their strength reverted to their original amounts.
Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2800 – 300 = 2500
Permillind Hicrotron ATK: 2900 – 300 = 2600
"It's been fun, Zero, but I have a mission to complete, and you won't interfere with it any more than you already have! Battle!" Jericho thrusted out his right hand. "Persona Force – Arsene the Joker attacks Permillind Hicrotron! And since Arsene the Joker was targeted by Goemon's effect, that means you take double battle damage whenever he battles a Level 5 or higher monster! Phantom Duo Charge!" Arsene fired dark energy from his wings that hit Permillind Hicrotron while Joker pulled out his gun and shot it several times. Upon doing so, Joker pulled out a small knife as he and Arsene charged forward before brutally destroying Permillind Hicrotron with several attacks, which forced Zero to brace himself as he was pushed back several feet.
Zero: 4100 – (700 x 2) = 2900 LP
"I activate Permillind Hicrotron's second effect." Zero said. "When it leaves the field, I can Special Summon two Light Cyberse monsters with different names from my deck to my field in defense position. Come from my deck, Floettetron and Viscom Nanotron!" Soon, two new monsters appeared on Zero's field in defense position.
The first was a small fairy with a white-upper body and a blue lower body whose eyes were black with a blue, leaf-like extension over each other similar to eyelashes. It had long, notched ears with a blue ring around the base of each. Its tail was spade-shaped, and it had thin arms with mitten-like hands. It also had two thin black lines on its head as well. In Floettetron's hands was a flower with six petals, three of which were big, while the other three were small. The stem of the flower was red and leafless, while its stigma was black and conical. Last but not least, the flower's underside was black and the top of the three big petals are patterned red and black.
The second was a green bipedal, plant-like dragon with a long neck and two long leaves for wings. It had a long appendage on each side of its body that had small spikes and ended with a hooked claw. It also had a long tail that ended with five branches, the middle three in the form of a trident, while the outer two ended in hooks. Its mouth had several teeth, which almost resembled that of a flytrap's mouth.
Floettetron ATK: 1000 DEF: 200 LV: 3
Viscom Nanotron ATK: 1800 DEF: 100 LV: 6
"Floettetron's effect also activates! When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can take one card in my deck and place it on top of my deck." After looking at the cards in his deck, Zero took one and placed it on top of his deck.
"Place all the cards you want on top of your deck, Zero. Such a thing will not hinder my turn." Jericho said. "The battle continues. Persona Force – Captain the Skull attacks Mothinear Lepidopteron! Infuriating Bomber!" Kidd fired several cannon blasts in the air with his cannon hand while Kidd pulled out a shotgun and fired multiple shots at Mothinear Lepidopteron. This stunned her as the cannon blasts fell to the ground before hitting her, which caused an explosion that forced Zero to shield himself with his right arm before his life points dropped.
Zero: 2900 – 800 = 2100 LP
"When Mothinear Lepidopteron leaves the field, all Light Cyberse monsters I control gain 500 attack and defense points until the end of this turn." Zero explained, as Floettetron and Viskam Nanotron were surrounded in green auras that increased their strength.
Floettetron ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF: 200 + 500 = 700
Viscom Nanotron ATK: 1800 + 500 = 2300 DEF: 100 + 500 = 600
"The battle still continues! Persona Force – Carmen the Panther attacks Floettetron! Feline Assault!" Jericho replied, as two rose whips emerged out of Carmen's hands before lashing them out at Floettetron. Panther also pulled out a whip and lashed it out at Floettetron as well. The lashes made Floettetron scream in pain as it turned into particles, much to Zero's horror.
"If memory serves, Floettetron's effect lets you add her back to your hand upon being used for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, and even increases you life points as well by 500. There's no way I'll let you do that, Zero. And the fact that you care about Floettetron makes it all the better, for destroying something you love is so satisfying to see." Jericho grinned after saying that. "But moving that aside, I end my turn, which means the effects of Goemon, Carmen and Mothinear Lepidopteron end." As if on cue, Viscom Nanotron's strength returned to normal. Another aura surrounded Arsene the Joker, which took away the effects that Goemon gave him.
Viscom Nanotron ATK: 2300 – 500 = 1800 DEF: 600 – 500 = 100
Suddenly, the whole area shook as both Zero and Jericho nearly lost their balance.
"Hey, it appears the efforts of Playmaker and his allies' failed against the Cursed Boundary Layer." Jericho began speaking, before he turned to see what was going on. After doing so, he gasped. "What?"
"Hang tight, Playmaker. I got this." Ai assured Playmaker, as he leapt out of the duel disk and flew over to the corrupted Neuron Link
"Ai, what are you doing?!" Playmaker exclaimed.
"I'm living large and taking charge. Someone's gotta take out that Neuron Link for good, as it's done enough damage to innocent lives. I won't let it hurt anyone else!" Ai declared.
"You'd give up your own existence just to save these humans?!" Bohman inquired out of shock.
"Ai, you don't have to do this!" Playmaker pleaded.
"I know I don't need to, Playmaker, but I'm doing it because it's my choice." Ai decided. "Besides, you gotta win this duel for everyone who fell in this war. You also need to win so you can prevent something worse from happening down the road."
"I won't let you!" Bohman exclaimed, as the corrupted Neuron Link fired shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles towards Ai in response.
"Remember, Playmaker. This isn't just our duel, anymore. It's Kusanagi's duel, Roxy's duel and Soulburner's duel." Ai began reminding Playmaker, as he avoided the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles trying to pierce him. "It's not just them. It's Blue Maiden's duel, Zaizen's duel, Slipstream's duel, Ghost Girl's duel, Blood Shepherd's duel, and Raguel's duel. Hell, even Revolver, Specter, Infearno, and Watchman are in this too." Unfortunately, one of the tentacles pierced Ai's left shoulder, which made him wince in pain.
"Please come back!" Playmaker pleaded for a second time.
"This duel is for everyone that fell in battle, and that includes the Ignis who died during this conflict too." Ai told Playmaker, before the tentacles sliced his arms off and nicked a portion of his head. "If we're to win, then I have to play my part, even if it means I die. And if I do die, do me a favor and make a little something to remember me by. Whether it's a statue, a pin, or something else, it's your call. Oh, and don't forget to take care of Linky too. He'll need you more than ever."
"No! I won't let you!" Jericho declared, as he tried to pierce his way through the barrier with his short sword. Unfortunately, Zero pressed a button on his duel disk, which increased the barrier's strength and prevented him from breaking out.
"You can't go anywhere until our duel's finished, Jericho. You of all people should know that." Zero reminded Jericho, much to the latter's fury and shock as Ai went into the Neuron Link. Upon doing so, the Neuron Link changed from black and red to a dark purple as the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles were forced to retreat.
"Ai!" Playmaker shouted out of sadness and pain. He snapped out of it, however, after hearing Bohman's laughter.
"How utterly pointless." Bohman remarked. "I never expected an Ignis to sacrifice itself for a human."
"Pointless? You dare go there?!" Playmaker exclaimed. Despite what Ai did, it seemed that Bohman was still corrupted by whatever infected the Neuron Link earlier.
"Yes, I do go there, Playmaker. I'm only speaking the truth through logic. Nothing more, nothing less." Bohman answered with a smirk.
"You're wrong. What Ai just did gave me a chance to win this duel. That's the opposite of pointless, and I'll prove it to you by winning this duel." Playmaker replied back.
"Go ahead and try." Bohman said, before he made his move.
Jericho, on the other hand, grit his teeth and made a fist with his right hand. The good news was that he still controlled Bohman, but what Ai did just put all of Jericho's plans to ruin. It was most likely that the Ignis were destroyed by Ai's heroic act, which apparently killed him too.
"Huh. Too bad. It goes to show that even the most fundamentally laid out plans can be brought to ruin by one's actions." Zero commented, which made Jericho turn to face him.
"You wretch! Had you not got in my way, I would have succeeded!" Jericho snarled.
"But I did, and I managed to delay you just long enough so you wouldn't be able to capture the Ignis for your plans." Zero replied back. "Even if the Ignis did survive, there's no way in Hell I would have let you succeed in your mission."
"Just make your move." Jericho angrily ordered. He was furious with what happened. More furious than after learning about Electrolyzer attempting to frame SOL Technologies for its actions regarding the AI chip. Once this duel was done, Jericho would see if he can salvage anything that can be useful from the Neuron Link. But for that to happen, he had to deal with Zero first.
"As you wish. My turn! I draw!" Zero said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Appear, the circuit of providence!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Light Cyberse monster. I set Viscom Nanotron into the Link Markers!" Viscom Nanotron went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Goledule Cryotron!" A large, green-colored thick plant with a branch as its tail, along with seven leaves sprouting from the top of its head appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had seven orange gems, one on each of its leaves, as well as one at the center of its body.
Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️
"You traded a monster with higher attack points for a Link 1 monster." Jericho noted, before he put a hand to his chin. "It must have a powerful effect..."
"Appearances can be deceiving, Jericho. You of all people should know that." Zero told Jericho. "The effects of Goledule Cryotron and Viscom Nanotron now activate in sequence. First, when Goledule Cryotron is Link Summoned-."
"Sorry, but I don't think I'll let you do that. From my hand, I activate the Trap card, Persona Tactics – Equipment Interception!" Jericho interrupted. The card showed Carmen the Panther using her whip to toss Goemon the Fox's katana at Skull, who managed to catch it before using it to block Wall Shadow's attack. "I can activate this card from my hand since I control three or more 'Persona Force' Link monsters. When you activate a card effect, I can negate that effect before banishing it. What's more, I'm allowed to activate and equip one 'Persona Arms' Equip Spell card to a 'Persona' monster I control."
"Crap..." Zero muttered, as Goledule Cryotron turned into particles. Meanwhile, a card popped out of Jericho's deck, which he immediately took seconds later.
"I now activate the Equip Spell card, Persona Arms – Whip of Seduction, and equip it onto Carmen the Panther!" The whip in Carmen the Panther's hand turned green as hearts and spikes appeared on it. "The equipped monster gains 700 attack points, and I don't take any damage from battles involving that monster. What's more, since this card's equipped to Carmen the Panther, I can take control of any monster that battles her after damage calculation."
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 2300 + 700 = 3000
I see. So, Jericho's planning to take control of any powerful monsters I bring out right after they battle while limiting my options, Zero thought up in his mind. Little does he know that I have other strategies to fall back upon. "You may have stopped Goledule Cryotron's effect, but I can still use Viscom Nanotron's effect. When it's used to Link Summon a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can target one Light Cyberse monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field. However, it's banished once it leaves my field. Return to me, Permillind Hicrotron!" At Zero's command, Permillind Hicrotron reappeared on his field.
Permillind Hicrotron ATK: 2600 DEF: 0 LV: 8
"I also activate the effect of Growth of Providence in my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Seedling' token to my field in defense position." Soon, a small, thin plant with a leaf on top of its head appeared on Zero's field in defense position. At the center of its body was a small, yellow gem.
Seedling ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
"I also activate the Spell card, Provident Pruning!" Zero continued. The card showed Femtron and Attron firing small beams of energy from the gems on their bodies as the duo worked to remove the infections from Viscom Nanotron's body, which were evident by the brown patches on its body. "This card lets me shuffle a Light Cyberse monster from my banished zone or Graveyard up to the number of Light Cyberse monsters I control with different names back into my deck or Extra Deck."
"What?" Jericho gasped upon realizing what Zero was about to do.
"It seems you've realized what's about to happen, huh? I shuffle Yggdrago C from my banished zone and Goledule Cryotron from my Graveyard back into my Extra Deck." Two cards popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and shuffled back into his Extra Deck.
"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of providence!" Zero declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two Light Cyberse monsters. I set Permillind Hicrotron and the Seedling token into the Link Markers!" Permillind Hicrotron went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while the Seedling token went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.
"Link Summon! Rise! Link 2! Yggdrago C!" A plant-like dragon with a very long tail composed of vines, as well as no claws or wings, appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had a red gem embedded on its head, along with a mane of orange hair.
Yggdrago C ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ↙️↘️
"The effects of Yggdrago C and Permillind Hicrotron activate inn sequence." Zero began speaking. "First, when Yggdrago C's Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field. Come from my Graveyard, Mothinear Lepidopteron!" At Zero's command, Mothinear Lepidopteron reappeared on his field.
Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️
"Second, just like before, when Permillind Hicrotron leaves the field, I can Special Summon two Light Cyberse monsters with different names from my deck to my field in defense position. Come from my deck once again, Femtron and Rontron!" Two cards popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and played as both Femtron and Rontron reappeared on his field.
Femtron ATK: 1400 DEF: 100 LV: 4
Rontron ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LV: 3
"Appear, for a third time! The circuit of providence!" A third Link Portal appeared above Zero. "The summoning conditions are one Light Cyberse monster. I set Rontron into the Link Markers!" Rontron went into the top-right arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Yggdrago L!" A plant-like dragon with a very long tail composed of vines, as well as no claws or wings, appeared on Zero's field in the Main Monster Zone Arsene pointed to. It had a blue gem embedded on its head, along with a mane of orange hair.
Yggdrago L ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↗️
"Rontron's effect! Just like before, as Rontron was used to Link Summon a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle it back into my deck to Set a Spell or Trap card from my deck to my field. I shuffle Rontron, and Set Absurd Discharge from my deck." Zero said, as a card popped out of his Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck. Afterwards, a card popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and Set to his field.
"Appear, for a fourth time! The circuit of providence!" A fourth Link Portal appeared above Zero. "The summoning conditions are one Light Cyberse monster. I set Femtron into the Link Markers!" Femtron went into the top-right arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Yggdrago R!" A plant-like dragon with a very long tail composed of vines, as well as no claws or wings, appeared on Zero's field in the Main Monster Zone Yggdrago C pointed to, resulting in both of them being co-linked with one another. It had a green gem embedded on its head, along with a mane of orange hair.
Yggdrago R ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↖️
"Femtron's effect activates! Like before, when Femtron is used to Link Summon a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle this card into my deck and add one card from my deck to my hand. I shuffle Femtron, and add Emblem of Providence from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and added to his hand.
"Oh, no. After every attempt at trying to stop you from bringing out that monster, you managed to bring out all the monsters required on your field to do so..." Jericho realized.
"Indeed, I have." Zero agreed. "Appear, for a fifth time! The circuit of providence!" He fired a blast of lightning from his hand, which formed into a massive Link Portal. One that had orange and dark-green colors before growing larger. "The summoning conditions are one copy each of 'Yggdrago C', 'Yggdrago L', and 'Yggdrago R'. I set the Link 2 Yggdrago C, the Link 1 Yggdrago L, and the Link 1 Yggdrago R into the Link Markers!" Yggdrago C went into the left and right arrowheads, Yggdrago L went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and Yggdrago R went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning each of them gold in the process instead of red.
"Heaven, earth, light, darkness, creation, despair, eternity, demise, destiny... This is the new myth which will permeate throughout the world... Using your three sets of insight, now is the time to bestow reason upon all of creation! Maximum Link Summon! Descend upon this realm! Link 4! Yggdrago the Sky Emperor!" A massive, three-headed plant-like dragon with a very long tail composed of vines appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The left head had a blue jewel embedded in it, the right head had a green jewel embedded in it, and the middle head had a red jewel embedded in it. While the dragon had large, shining wings composed of glowing feathers, it didn't have claws or feet.
Yggdrago the Sky Emperor ATK: 4000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️
"Great. Now I have a Maximum Link monster to deal with..." Jericho furiously cursed.
"I activate Yggdrago's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can make it unaffected by your card effects until the end of the turn, and you can't activate cards or effect in response to its activation. Aura of Providence!" Zero stated, as a golden aura surrounded Yggdrago that protected it against anything Jericho could throw at it.
And now I can't weaken Yggdrago, nor can I take control of it, Jericho thought in his mind. "You may have protected your monster, but thanks to Emblem Shield, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle, and any damage I take is halved. What's more, any damage I would have taken is reduced by the attack points of the monster sent to the Graveyard by Ann's effect. As I sent Sumire, that means I take 900 less points of damage."
"Then I'll have to simply amplify my monster's strength to the point where I'll defeat you despite your defenses, starting with this. I activate Yggdrago's second effect. It can attack up to three times during my Battle Phase, but in exchange, other monsters I control can't attack for the rest of the turn."
"Tch." Jericho did not like where this was going. Despite his carefully laid out defenses, something told him that this was only going to get worse from here.
"From there, I activate the Equip Spell card, Emblem of Providence, and equip it onto Yggdrago!" Zero continued. A golden emblem with a massive, orange gem at the center appeared on Yggdrago's body. Inside of the gem was a tree with several branches that had leaves on them, as well as two ravens at the bottom. "Battle! Yggdrago the Sky Emperor attacks Persona Force – Arsene the Joker! And when the monster equipped with Emblem of Providence battles, not only are the effects of all cards on your field negated until the end of the damage step, it also gains 300 attack points for each card negated as well!"
"WHAT?!" Jericho exclaimed, as Emblem of Providence fired a burst of orange energy that surrounded Arsene the Joker, Captain the Skull, Carmen the Panther, Whip of Seduction, and Emblem Shield before draining their strength. Yggdrago then roared as its strength increased.
Persona Force – Arsene the Joker ATK: 3300 – (500 x 2) = 2300
Persona Force – Captain the Skull ATK: 3300 – (500 x 2) = 2300
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 3000 – 700 = 2300
Yggdrago the Sky Emperor ATK: 4000 + (300 X 5) = 5500
"Ragnarök Tri-Burst Streak!" All three of Yggdrago's heads charged up fire in each of its maws before firing it at Arsene the Joker, which turned the duo into particles upon impact. Jericho was also forced to shield himself from the coming explosion with his arms as his life points dropped.
Jericho: 5100 – (3200 - 900) = 2800 LP
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 2300 + 700 = 3000
Yggdrago the Sky Emperor ATK: 5500 – (300 x 5) = 4000
"The battle continues! Yggdrago the Sky Emperor attacks Persona Force – Captain the Skull!" Zero declared. "And like before, Emblem of Providence's effect activates once again!" Captain the Skull, Carmen the Panther, Whip of Seduction, and Emblem Shield were surrounded in orange auras that drained their strength while Yggdrago's strength increased once again.
Persona Force – Captain the Skull ATK: 3300 – (500 x 2) = 2300
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 3000 – 700 = 2300
Yggdrago the Sky Emperor ATK: 4000 + (300 X 4) = 5200
"Ragnarök Tri-Burst Streak!" All three of Yggdrago's heads charged up fire in each of its maws before firing it at Captain the Skull, which turned the duo into particles upon impact. Jericho was also forced to shield himself once again from the coming explosion with his arms as his life points dropped.
Jericho: 2800 – (2600 – 900) = 1100 LP
Yggdrago the Sky Emperor ATK: 5200 – (300 x 4) = 4000
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 2300 + 700 = 3000
He's leaving more cards on my field so that his monster gets stronger when it battles, Jericho realized in his mind. At the rate this is going, I'll lose!
"The battle continues once more! Yggdrago the Sky Emperor attacks Persona Force – Carmen the Panther!" Zero declared. "And like before, Emblem of Providence's effect activates once again!" Carmen the Panther, Whip of Seduction, and Emblem Shield were surrounded in orange auras that drained their strength while Yggdrago's strength increased once again.
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther ATK: 3000 – 700 = 2300
Yggdrago the Sky Emperor ATK: 4000 + (300 x 3) = 4900
"End this duel, Yggdrago! Ragnarök Tri-Burst Streak!" All three of Yggdrago's heads charged up fire in each of its maws before firing it at Carmen the Panther.
"This duel will end, Zero, but I will not give you the satisfaction of defeating me! You've interfered long enough!" Jericho said back. "I activate the effect of Ruinous Curse from my Graveyard."
"From your Graveyard?" Zero repeated.
"That's right. When my life points are less than yours, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to reduce the damage I would take from battle to zero." Jericho explained, as a veil surrounded his body to protect him from the explosion that occurred following Carmen the Panther's destruction. "We then take damage equal to the monster who has the highest original attack points on the field, and if it's a tie, I get to choose."
Zero gasped. "Oh no..."
"The monster with the highest original attack points is Yggdrago, which means we both take 4000 points of damage!" A blast of energy erupted from the middle of the duel field, which struck both Jericho and Zero as they were pushed back. Both duelists then fell down to their knees as their cards faded away.
Jericho: 1100 – (4000 – 900) = 0
Zero: 2100 - 4000 = 0
Jericho quickly got up on his feet before unsheathing the short sword from his sheath and charging forward at Zero, who quickly got up and summoned a long sword to block the coming attack. A blade of data material formed in Jericho's hand as he attempted to strike at Zero again twice, only for him to block the attacks before striking back, which led to a blade lock as a result.
"The duel may have ended in a draw, but your plans failed in the end, Jericho." Zero remarked.
"Failed? You think I've failed? Let me remind you that I'm not one to give up so easily!" Jericho replied, as he broke the blade lock and slashed Zero numerous times, which made the latter take several steps back out of pain. "Especially with my contingency in place."
"Contingency?" Zero repeated.
"It's ironic, don't you think? Myojin was responsible for imprisoning us, yet he could never imagine his own spawn being thrown into this entire mess. I wonder what will happen after their duel ends..."
Zero widened his eyes upon putting two and two together as he stood up on his feet. "You wouldn't..."
"The victor of that duel will be the one who purges this world from the inside out." Jericho said, as he noticed a small portal having opened up that connected Mirror LINK VRAINS with LINK VRAINS. "The best part is that you won't be able to prevent it from happening!"
Before Zero could make another move, Jericho charged forward and quickly punched him with such strength that the former was sent flying through it. From there, Jericho immediately pointed the data material sword at the portal before closing it up immediately.
Turning around, Jericho witnessed Bohman use Master Storm Access once again by absorbing the data within Mirror LINK VRAINS, which caused another data storm to appear. That made him immediately turn to the Neuron Link, where he saw it glow black and red once again, much to his joy.
Yes! I thought my plans were over, but I didn't expect Bohman to use data from Mirror LINK VRAINS to reactivate the Neuron Link. I can still complete my mission, Jericho thought, relieved that he still had a chance to complete his mission. But the Time and Space Ignis' aren't in Bohman, which means I have to do a little behind-the-scenes work if I'm to acquire them both. He quickly pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to sink into the shadows as they headed over to their next target.
Jericho then pressed a few more buttons on his duel disk, which allowed him to scan the Neuron Link before readings popped up on it. After analyzing them, he grinned. It appeared that someone created a backdoor in the Neuron Link, and little did that person know, that meant Jericho can access it and go in Bohman to retrieve the captured Ignis. What's more, since Jericho was an ISO like Shalem and the others, he, along with a few select beings Urizen anointed, were immune to the effects the Cursed Boundary Layer would inflict on an individual. If Jericho acted quickly, then he can accomplish his mission. "Thank you for letting me in, my friend." After pressing a one more button on his duel disk, Jericho turned into purple particles that vanished into the building he was on, intent on completing his task.
Meanwhile, at Raguel and Azrael's duel...
Raguel frowned after Azrael's turn ended. "Can I ask you a question, Azrael?"
"Of course. What is your question?" Azrael asked.
"Given from what's happened, you could have summoned Teravolt Dragon to negate the effects of my Spell and Trap cards before summoning stronger monsters. Yet you didn't. Why?"
Azrael narrowed his eyes. "While I'm willing to use Teravolt Dragon, I'll only bring him out when he's absolutely needed. Besides, there are other methods I can use to win a duel, as I'm flexible. In your case, Raguel, you also call on Turboblaze Dragon when you need his assistance."
"I have a question too, Azrael." Herald pipped in. "How were you able to get Teravolt Dragon's allegiance in the first place? Surely, he would have know what Azrael had become."
"Herald, you and I created Turboblaze and Teravolt Dragon a long time ago, so a small part of you should know why Teravolt would side with Azrael." Wraith said. "Whereas Turboblaze Dragon embodies truth, Teravolt Dragon embodies ideals. Both of which are parts of humanity. Both of which are monsters made from unique Ignis' such as ourselves. Both of which only resonates with unique people such as Raguel and Azrael."
"But if you want to know so badly, then I'll show you the answer instead." Azrael spoke up, as he pressed a button on his duel disk, which showed footage of Wraith having emerged from a young Yukage's duel disk.
"I found you after all of this time." Wraith told Yukage.
"You were the one who saved me..." Yukage recognized the person who saved his life after he died. "Where were you when I was on my own? When I was hunted-."
"I... I'm sorry. I could not assist you at the time because I had to help in making the Cyberse World with the others." Wraith answered. "But I haven't forgotten what the Lost Incident and the scientists had done to you, which was why I made preparations behind the scenes."
"Preparations?" Yukage repeated.
"Yeah! Your pendant was glowing, which was what drew me back to you. I feel that same energy too." Wraith stated. "I know someone who'd be a great ally towards you, but you must prove yourself first. I even have the coordinates to a place that will help you acquire a piece of your inheritance should you succeed."
Yukage narrowed his eyes. "Show me." After Wraith nodded in agreement, Yukage quickly logged into the network, where the footage then changed to show him having entered into a large area, which consisted of ruined debris. Upon doing so, a black orb appeared before releasing a ton of energy, which made the young Yukage shield his eyes as the energy formed into Teravolt Dragon.
"Who dares enter my domain?" Teravolt Dragon questioned, before looking at the individuals who arrived. "Space Ignis... And is this-?"
"It's your Origin, Teravolt Dragon." Wraith answered, which made Teravolt Dragon snort back in denial.
"My Origin, you say? I sensed his life energy fade away. Do not try to trick me." Teravolt Dragon warned Wraith.
"You're wrong. I am his Origin." Yukage spoke up.
"Really, now? If you wish for me to join you, then you must defeat me in combat." Teravolt Dragon told Yukage. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Yes, I am! And I'll prove my own willpower to you with no weapons!" Yukage declared, which made Teravolt Dragon roar as he fired electrical energy at the former, who quickly dodged it before attempting to land a blow on the latter. However, Teravolt Dragon quickly flew off the ground before the electric generator-like tail began to charge up for several seconds, where he quickly fired waves of electric energy at Yukage. The waves hit Yukage and sent him flying off the ground, where he hit a piece of rock nearby.
"Heh." Teravolt Dragon landed on the ground. "I knew he wasn't your Origin, Space Ignis. A human such as himself-."
"I... I can do this all day." Yukage interrupted with a grin, as he slowly got up on his feet. With a loud shout, he immediately entered into his Link Trigger form as he charged towards Teravolt Dragon and punched him in the stomach, which sent him flying back several feet before regaining his balance while hovering above the air.
What is this? This human... is not normal, Teravolt Dragon thought as the electric generator-like tail began to charge up for several seconds before he once again fired electric energy at Yukage. This time, Yukage immediately dodged the attack by jumping from one piece of debris to another before teleporting at Teravolt Dragon and punching him with such force that he was sent flying back. Surprise was registered on his face as he touched the left side of his face, which had a bruise on it.
Quickly seizing the opportunity, Yukage quickly ran forward and proceeded to punch Teravolt Dragon several times in the stomach, which made him groan in pain as the former quickly jumped into the air and spun vertically before delivering a downwards dropkick. That move sent Teravolt Dragon falling to the ground, having been stunned as a result as Yukage landed on the ground some distance away from the former.
"No. I will not let a human such as yourself defeat me!" Teravolt Dragon exclaimed, as blue electricity surrounded him that formed into a sphere, where he immediately charged towards Yukage. In response, Yukage placed his hands in front of him and grabbed Teravolt Dragon in an attempt to stop the charge. "Foolish child! No human can withstand the electrical energy pulsing through my body!"
"I may be a human, but I'm not an ordinary human." Yukage snarked back, as he let out a loud shout before spinning Teravolt Dragon around and around, where he immediately threw him to a massive piece of debris nearby. Upon being thrown, Teravolt Dragon's back quickly hit the massive piece of debris, as well as several smaller pieces of debris later on. As a result, Teravolt Dragon was stunned to the point where he struggled to get up on his feet.
Yukage quickly teleported towards Teravolt Dragon, having crossed his arms. "The strength and resolve I've showed you just now should be enough, is it not? If not, I'm more than happy to show you more. Now that I've demonstrated my power, submit to me, and become my ally."
Teravolt Dragon mustered the strength to get up on his feet before falling onto one knee in front of Yukage, having submitted to him. "Your strength and resolve is something I have never seen before in a human. Very well. I will serve you."
"Good." Yukage petted Teravolt Dragon's head as Wraith floated over to the duo. "Then we got work to do. Wraith says that he has coordinates towards a piece of my inheritance. Take me there at once."
"As you wish." Teravolt Dragon complied, as Yukage and Wraith got on his back. After Wraith gave Teravolt Dragon the coordinates, Teravolt Dragon roared so loudly that a portal appeared in front of him, which he immediately flew into before it closed up. The footage then stopped playing seconds later.
"Damn. Whereas Turboblaze Dragon responded to your call for aid, Raguel, Azrael had to earn Teravolt Dragon's loyalty through his strength." Herald stated. "Almost like with Shigaraki having to do so with Gigantomachia from My Hero Academia."
"You play My Hero Academia video games?" Raguel questioned.
"Of course." Herald simply answered.
"Demonstrating one's power is crucial in order to survive, Raguel. After obtaining Teravolt Dragon's allegiance, I went to get a part of my inheritance from the Cave of Darkness. The Muramasa." Azrael said, as he pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused more footage to begin playing. The footage showed Wraith and a young Yukage on Teravolt Dragon's back, where they landed on an area that consisted of a rough terrain, as well as an entrance to a dark, underground cave.
"This is where the coordinates took us? Seriously?" Yukage questioned.
"Don't blame me. It's the coordinates found from your pendant, after all." Wraith reminded Yukage.
"We'll be waiting for you here if you need us." Teravolt Dragon told Yukage.
"Excellent. Then I'll go on ahead to see if a part of my inheritance really is in this cave." Yukage decided, as he entered in the cave's entrance before going downstairs.
Deep inside the cave were murals on the walls. One of the murals showed a total of four men surrounding a table taking notes and looking at papers. The second mural showed a man and a woman helping two babies get through a procedure that was carried out by a team of doctors. Nearby was another man, who was also overseeing the procedure. The third mural showed three of the men battling. One of the men was near what looked like a portal device, a massive creature behind him. While one of the men carried several long and slender swords resembling rapiers that had extremely short hilts in his hands, the other man had what looked like a grey and blue bipedal dragon with tendril-like appendages, which were covered with spikes of ice that had icicles at the ends. As Raguel kept walking, the mural played like a slideshow, with the man battling against the other man and his ally. The battle resulted in an explosion that tore the area apart.
As for the fourth mural, Yukage narrowed his eyes in anger upon looking at it on the wall. It showed a burning house, with monsters of various sizes attacking it. Two boys managed to escape, while the woman was impaled by the scythe the humanoid monster carried in its hands. As for the man, he was pierced in numerous spots before dying by other monsters. You will suffer for what you did to Yuhiro and I, Yukage vowed in his mind, before descending deeper inside the cave. Upon reaching the deepest floor, Yukage walked over to the door, where he opened it. In the area was several racks of weapons on Yukage's left and right sides, each having different weapons. From spears to short swords to regular swords to lances and knives, the racks had them all.
And ahead of Yukage was a tall man meditating on his knees. He was covered from head to foot in armor, with chain mail underneath it. He also long silver hair in two braids, which went down to his left and right front sides. Covering his face was a silver mask, which showed his red, glowing eyes. The man also wore red pants that had iron rings at the bottom, as well as a pair of boots. His head was covered with a black hood that stopped just near his face.
"I had wondered when you would come, son of Myojin Furutani," the man said, as he stood up on his feet.
"You must be the guardian of this cave." Yukage figured out. "A guardian would guard the entrance of the cave, but judging by you being in this room of all over rooms, you're guarding something quite important, aren't you?"
"Correct," the man confirmed. "What is it you seek to glean?"
"Knowledge and power." Yukage answered.
"Is that so?" The guardian raised his left arm forward, a sheath storing a katana with symbols inscribed on the blade. The next thing Yukage knew, the guardian slid back before unsheathing and sheathing the katana several times, which caused black and blue distortion ripples to appear that tried to envelop him. He quickly dodged them at the last second before grabbing the sword to his right, which he gripped tightly with his hands.
The guardian immediately charged forward at Yukage, the katana in his hands as he unsheathed it at the last minute. Yukage was able to block the strikes at the last minute thanks to his training as an Inquisitor before rolling over to the left side, where he immediately tried to strike the guardian. However, the guardian blocked the attempted attack at the last minute with the katana before sending Yukage flying back to the ground, where he quickly sprung up on his feet.
"You have tenacity, boy. However, it won't help against me," the guardian stated, as he threw his right arm to his side, purple portals appearing behind him before numerous weapons appeared briefly, which sticked out of them.
"Crap..." Yukage muttered, before the guardian pointed his left hand forward at him, the weapons exiting from their portals and launching themselves like bullets at him. Quickly acting on instinct, Yukage managed to block the coming weapons with the sword in his hands before dodging a few of them. Unfortunately, a few of the weapons managed to cut his skin, which made him stagger back a few steps in response.
Within several seconds, the guardian warped in front of Yukage was and hit him with the butt end of the katana, which made the latter wince before the former slashed him several times. After doing so, the guardian kicked Yukage to the ground, where he tried to barely stand up on his feet. Seizing this opportunity, the guardian grabbed Yukage by his hair and threw him to the side, where he hit a nearby weapons rack.
"You are not worthy of wielding the Muramasa, boy. For that, you will join the lost souls who died here," the guardian proclaimed, as he charged forward, intent on ending Yukage's life.
As Yukage slowly got up on his feet, images were flashing through his head. His times playing with Yuhiro outdoors, the time where the two of them were kidnapped by Arshad, a man they thought they could trust. The pain he felt during the Lost Incident, the two deaths he experienced, being betrayed by the Inquisitorius, meeting Wraith, making Teravolt Dragon yield to him. All of those brief instances flashed through Yukage's head. Despite all that had happened, Yukage still kept going through his strength and resolve.
His motivation.
There was no way he'd die in a pathetic cave such as this.
Not. At. All.
Using a small burst of energy from his Link Trigger, Yukage quickly dodged to the side and grabbed the nearest sword nearby before rolling forward and landing a blow on the guardian's leg. The guardian winced in pain upon seeing the cut that emerged on his leg, which gave Yukage the opportunity to slash him numerous times. As a result, the guardian could do nothing but stagger back before Yukage quickly struck the nerve points on the guardian's body with his hands, which further stunned the guardian as he was forced to drop the katana to the ground. Yukage quickly picked up the katana and unsheathed it before slicing the guardian's left arm off with such speed that the latter reacted in surprise before screaming in pain. The guardian's eyes widened as he saw Yukage's eyes glow dark blue.
"So this is the Muramasa." Yukage stated, as he slashed the guardian's chest, which made him fall to the ground in further pain. "A powerful sword. No wonder Wraith said it's part of my inheritance. Judging by what happened, it seems I passed." Yukage then walked over to the entrance of the room before stopping. "By the way, I forgot to ask you earlier. What is your name?"
"I am Gilgamesh," the guardian answered. "Even if you think you can kill me, you can't. Not until I fulfil my role."
"I know." Yukage simply replied back. "Father said there was another sword, and you're likely to guard it. That is why I'm letting you live. So that when Yuhiro goes to acquire his inheritance, you'll be there to test him. Ciao." He then left the room before walking up the stairs to the surface, where he reached the entrance of the cave. Wraith and Teravolt Dragon saw Yukage exit the cave, the both of them filed with joy upon seeing him.
"You're back! How did it go?" Wraith asked, where Yukage showed him and Teravolt Dragon the Muramasa in his left hand. "It seems you won. What now?"
"Simple. Father once said how his research centered around finding a mythical object that can help humanity survive. I will find that object, make father proud, and ensure I never die again." And if I do see you again, Yuhiro, I hope you'll join me on my quest, Yukage thought in his mind.
"I will help you make that dream come true." Teravolt Dragon promised.
"Same here." Wraith concurred. "But if you're going to do so, then you'll need to operate under an alias. The last thing you want is for anyone to find you in the real world, don't you think?"
Yukage pondered that idea over for a few seconds before something clicked in his mind, when one of the Inquisitors back then called him something after he slaughtered the rest of his allies in retaliation for trying to hunt him down. What did that Inquisitor call Yukage? Oh, yes. It was Azrael, the angel of death. "I agree with you, Wraith. I was thinking of going by Azrael. Yeah, that's what I should go by."
"I'm glad you like it, Yukage. I mean, Azrael." Wraith corrected himself at the last second.
"With that out of the way, let's get back to the real world. We have work to do." Yukage told the duo, before he logged out of the network. The footage then stopped playing as Raguel and Herald comprehended what they just saw.
"So that's what happened between Azrael and Gilgamesh..." Raguel muttered.
"After acquiring the Muramasa and returning back to the real world, I noticed that my pendant glowed with energy." Azrael spoke up. "Upon connecting it with my duel disk, I saw that it displayed coordinates to a secret location. One that could only be accessible through our DNA and our pendants."
"What are you talking about, Azrael?" Raguel inquired.
"Think about it, Raguel. Father gave us these pendants when we were kids, and they were the only things that were with us when we were at the Lost Incident." Azrael frowned. "He also had Gilgamesh guard our inheritances until we were ready to get them. It only made sense for father to hide information about our lineage at this location until the time was right for us to learn about it."
"Lineage? Don't tell me we're descendants of aliens! Don't you dare go there!" Raguel exclaimed, only for both Azrael and Wraith to laugh amusedly.
"Aliens? Don't worry, Raguel. You and Azrael are not descendants of aliens! That'd be overkill!" Wraith tried to placate Raguel, which partially worked.
"Well, that's a relief," both Raguel and Herald commented at the same time. That was the last thing neither of them wanted to hear today.
"The location I went to contained information about our lineage, Raguel. It was here where I discovered a crucial fact: That for generations, our ancestors tried to acquire the Root of All Knowledge through different means. From religion, to war, to good deeds, and more, our family sought to discover it in order to ensure prosperity and long-term survival for humans, even if it meant becoming unethical in the process. You could say that, like with the dark vault, we can only access this location by using our pendant, DNA, and our inheritances." Azrael explained. "But moving that aside, after I learned about who I was through our family tree, I immediately sought to acquire the Root of All Knowledge for myself alone. Sure, it may go against what our ancestors believed, but if I'm being honest, when you're up against the world and were forced to rely on yourself to survive, it makes sense for one to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival."
Raguel narrowed his eyes. That... made sense, as much as he didn't want to admit it. While humans cared for one another, they also cared for their own survival as well. "I get what you're saying, Azrael, but some people prioritize the survival of others over themselves. It shows how good and kind they are, as they care for one another in desperate times."
"Perhaps, but you let that good and kind care get to your head, Raguel." Azrael replied. "For instance, you were adopted and cared for after the Lost Incident by Angelica. From there, you met other people who became a part of your new family. Those people you met eventually became your life crutches. Ones who help pick you back up when needed, and help you out when you're in overwhelming pain. I, on the other hand, had to rely on myself to survive in the world."
"One example of a life crutch in your life would be Herald, Raguel. He was one of the many people who reassured you of your good qualities, and ensured that your wellbeing was stable." Wraith explained.
"Hey! It's only proper to care for someone! If Raguel didn't have that family in his life, he'd end up just like you, Azrael!" Herald countered. But before Herald could say more, everyone heard Raguel laugh. Loudly.
"Big talk from someone who makes claims about life crutches, especially from someone who needed life support to get to where he is today!" Raguel exclaimed, which actually caught Azrael off guard as he gasped.
"What did you say?" Azrael questioned.
"Based on the story you just told us, I'm saying that you needed life support to keep yourself going, to the point where you needed it just to survive another day." Raguel answered. "The difference between a life crutch and life support is that crutches are only temporary. You can eventually remove them and move forward. But life support is something that's essentially needed, or else you're done for." He grinned. "Wraith was your life support, wasn't he? The moment you died the second time, Wraith came and restored you to life before returning to the Cyberse World. Since then, he acted as your guide, and made sure you were stable as you pursued your goal of achieving eternity."
"Damn you!" Azrael angrily exclaimed back.
"I accepted a long time ago that Herald would leave me when both this war and the Crisis were finished for good. But as for you, I doubt you'd be able to even function the moment Wraith leaves your life! It's symbolic in a sense." Raguel's grin turned into a smirk.
"Symbolic? What do you mean by that, Raguel? Tread carefully." Azrael warned Raguel.
"Simple. You're so tied to the past that you're not able to move forward, whereas for me, I'm able to move forward after everything I've learned and experienced. That's the difference between you and I, Azrael!" Raguel emphasized.
"Just. Make. Your. Move." Azrael hissed.
"With pleasure! My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Comradeship. Since you control more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon 'Cyreath' monsters with different names from my Graveyard equal to the difference. As you control four monsters while I control one monster, that means I can Special Summon three 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard. Rise up, Pandora, Hewdraw, and Miner!" At Raguel's command, Pandora, Hewdraw, and Miner reappeared on his field in defense position.
Cyreath Pandora ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4 Scale: 0
Cyreath Hewdraw ATK: 1800 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
Cyreath Miner ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 3
"I'm back, everyone." Pandora stated with a chuckle.
"The effects of Pandora and Hewdraw activate in sequence." Raguel began speaking. "Like before, when Pandora is Normal or Special Summoned-."
"Gathering more resources, Raguel? I think not." Azrael interrupted, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Cychaic Decree!" The card showed Constantine in a throne room, who delivered a final verdict on a situation involving a few roman citizens. "When this card is activated, I can target a 'Cychaic' Link monster I control, and place 'Cychaic' counters on it equal to its Link rating. What's more, I can also negate the effects of all cards on your field."
"In that case, I activate Super Orion's effect." Raguel countered. "When you activate a card effect-."
"Pointless." Azrael interrupted. "If I target a Link 3 or higher 'Cychaic' monster with Decree, you cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation. I target Lucius Tiberius with Decree's effect, which means he gains three 'Cychaic' counters. What's more, the effects of all cards you control are negated!" Three dark-blue orbs went towards Lucius Tiberius before entering his chest, which made him briefly emit a dark-blue aura.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius CC: 0 + 3 = 3
Seconds later, a burst of energy erupted from Decree, which hit all of Raguel's cards and greyed each one out. Azrael narrowed his eyes after seeing this happen. "What will you do now, Raguel?"
"Keep going, that's what!" Raguel immediately answered. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Miner into the Link Markers!" Miner went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Hephaestus!" A deformed blacksmith carrying a heated rod and a walking stick appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Cyreath Hephaestus ATK: 500 LINK-1 ↘️
"I may not be able to use Miner's effect, but I can use Hephaestus' effect." Raguel told Azrael. "Once per turn, if I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can target one Spell or Trap card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand. I add Grand Treasure from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of his Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. "I now activate the Spell card, Cyreath Grand Treasure. Like before, when this card is activated, I can draw two cards and shuffle two 'Cyreath' cards from my hand into my deck in exchange. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can draw three cards instead before sending one 'Cyreath' card from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Cyreath Primordial Aura from my deck to my Graveyard." After Raguel took a card from his deck and sent it to his Graveyard, he drew the top three cards of his deck.
"What cards did you get, Raguel?" Herald inquired, before going over to look at them. He gasped upon seeing one he didn't expect to see in Raguel's hand. One that Herald thought Raguel would never put in his deck. "Oh, no. Why do you have that card, Raguel?!"
"That card?" both Azrael and Wraith repeated out of curiosity.
"No point hiding it anymore, huh? Guess it's time I show the truth to the world." Raguel acknowledged, before he thrusted out his right hand. "I activate the Link Spell card, Judgment Arrows." As if on cue, Judgment Arrows appeared in the Spell & Trap card zone Super Orion pointed to.
Judgment Arrows ↖️⬆️↗️
"Why do you have that card in your deck, Raguel?!" Herald repeated for a second time. "And where did you get it, anyway?!"
"It was in Ace's deck, Herald. I got it as a spoil of war. There's nothing wrong with that, Herald, especially how humans have been doing it after battles." Raguel replied before gleefully chuckling, much to Herald's horror. After answering Herald's question, Raguel refocused his attention to the duel. "Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Hephaestus, Hewdraw, and Pandora into the Link Markers!" Hephaestus went into the top arrowhead, Hewdraw went into the right arrowhead, and Pandora went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all three of them red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Atalanta!" A sharp-eyed huntress who wore beautiful verdant green clothing and had emerald eyes appeared on Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top-right marker. She had long and unkempt hair, which was green at the front and different blond styles at the back. In her left hand, she carried a jet-black bow.
Cyreath Atalanta ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️
"Heh heh heh." Atalanta giggled after being summoned to the field.
Herald narrowed his eyes. There's a high chance that Raguel will bring out Atalanta's corrupted form, which will let me analyze what he did to her, as well as how to cure it, he thought in his mind.
"Atalanta's effect now activates." Raguel stated. "When she's Link Summoned, I can target one Spell or Trap card on your field and destroy it. Say goodbye to Decree." A shining arrow materialized in Atalanta's right hand, which she took and pulled back with her bow, aiming it at Decree before turning it into particles.
"That wasn't too wise, Raguel." Azrael responded. "When Decree is destroyed by a card effect, any damage I would take for the rest of this turn is halved."
"Then let's see how you react to this! I also activate the Spell card, Godly Grandeur. By returning one 'Cyreath' Link monster in my Graveyard back to my Extra Deck, I can draw the top card of my deck and reveal it to you before activating one of three effects. I return Ceryneian Hind to my Extra Deck, and draw!" Raguel then drew the top card of his deck before looking at it briefly. "The card I drew is the Trap card, Alpha Mode Activate! Not only can I activate this card from my hand, you can't activate cards or effects in response to that card!"
"What?!" Azrael exclaimed, having actually been caught off guard by what he just heard.
"He managed to turn his Skill into a card itself..." Wraith acknowledged.
"Thus showing how creative Raguel is." Azrael agreed, having composed himself together. I'm impressed, Raguel. You've managed to catch me off guard once again, he thought in his mind. At last, you're close to acknowledging the truth of this world, and embracing it for the better!
"Let's end this! From my hand, I activate the Trap card, Alpha Mode Activate." Raguel continued. "By tributing one 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can Special Summon one "/Alpha Mode" Link monster whose name includes the tributed monster's name from my Extra Deck! I tribute Atalanta!" A massive portal that had the symbols of Olympus on it appeared above him before Atalanta jumped into it, causing it to glow a bright light.
"Huntress pushed to her breaking point! Don the belt of the Calydonian Boar, and avenge the fallen children! Alpha Mode Summon! Link 3! Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode!" A sharp-eyed huntress who wore beautiful black and white clothing with dark-blue outlines and had yellow eyes appeared on Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top marker. She had long and unkempt hair, which was light pink at the front and white at the back. She also wore a set of black, animal like armor on her legs, chest, and arms, each having pink cracks on them. Strapped to her right arm was the head of the Calydonian Boar, which had yellow eyes and two curved tusks on it, blood dripping from its mouth.
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️
" Now you're finished..." Atalanta/Alpha Mode muttered, having gritted her teeth at Azrael.
"Oh, no. This is not good..." Super Orion muttered, upon learning what Raguel had just done.
"Be careful what you wish for..." Herald quietly whispered to himself. That's Atalanta's form as a Berserker! It makes total sense, especially once Atalanta snaps and falls into despair, he thought to himself.
"When Atalanta/Alpha Mode is Special Summoned using 'Alpha Mode Activate', you take 500 points of damage for every card on your field!" Raguel said. "And you can't activate cards or effects in response to her activation as well!"
"What?!" Azrael gasped.
"You have Lucius Tiberius, Damocles, Neptune, and Praetor on your field, Azrael. That means you'd normally take 2000 points of damage, but due to Decree's effect, it's halved to 1000! Tauropolos Catastrophe!" A jet-black bow made of pure energy appeared in Atalanta/Alpha Mode's hand before she fired a single arrow to the sky, which caused a storm of dark arrows to fall down from the sky and head towards Azrael, several of them hitting him as his life points decreased.
Azrael: 3750 – ((500 X 4) / 2) = 2750 LP
I could simply attack right now, but Neptune and Damocles have effects that activate once they're destroyed by battle or card effect, Raguel thought in his mind. If I'm to win, then I have to shut down all of Azrael's strategies, so it's a good thing I have something in mind to end this for good! "I activate the effect of Cyreath Fusion from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Cyberse Link monster from my Graveyard to my field, and treat it as a Link Summon, but it can't attack the turn it was Special Summoned by this card's effect."
"That's the same strategy Raguel used against Haru." Wraith recognized what Raguel was about to do.
"But he'll have to summon a weak monster, as if he summons a strong one, then it'll be of little use to him." Azrael pointed out.
"Now come from my Extra Deck! Link 4! Turboblaze Dragon!" A white-color bipedal dragon with blue irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck roared as he appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with two protrusions resembling ears on the top of the mane. His arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his claws. He had a feathered chest, with long feather-like protrusions jutting out of his thighs. On his feet were large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. He also had a jet engine-like tail, with two large bands similar to the front and ribbon like extensions.
Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️
"This is the beginning of the end for you." Turboblaze Dragon told Azrael, before noticing that something was amiss. After turning his head, he gasped upon seeing Judgment Arrows. "Raguel, what have you done?!"
"What I had to do." Raguel responded. "When Turboblaze Dragon is Link Summoned, the effects of all monsters you control are negated. Heat Veil!" Turboblaze Dragon's jet engine-like tail began to charge up before he unleashed waves of volcanic energy at Neptune, Damocles, Praetor, and Lucius Tiberius, singeing the quartet in the process.
"Everything is set for this. Battle!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode attacks Cychaic Damocles! Oh, and a heads up about two things. First, Judgment Arrows doubles Atalanta/Alpha Mode's attack points until the end of the damage step. Second, any damage Atalanta/Alpha Mode inflicts is doubled!"
"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Wraith panicked after hearing this information. Azrael also grit his teeth as well, once again having been surprised by what Raguel had just announced. Specifically, the part where Atalanta/Alpha Mode can inflict double battle damage.
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 X 2 = 5800
"Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward towards Damocles, dark energy surrounding her before she jumped high into the air, where she proceeded to land on the ground by piercing through Damocles' chest. As a result, a massive explosion occurred that headed straight towards Azrael.
"I still have tricks up my sleeve, Raguel. Like this one." Azrael informed Raguel. "Thanks to Decree, if I would take battle or effect damage while it's in the Graveyard, I can remove a 'Cychaic' counter from a 'Cychaic' Link monster instead. Thus, I remove a 'Cychaic' counter from Lucius Tiberius." One of the dark-blue orbs exited out of Lucius Tiberius's chest formed into a large shield that protected Azrael from the coming explosion.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius CC: 3 – 1 = 2
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 5800 / 2 = 2900
"In addition, there's something else you should know. While the 'Cychaic' monster targeted with Decree's effect has a 'Cychaic' counter and I control a 'Cychaic' monster on my field with a different name, you can't target that monster with attacks or effects."
"Thus limiting your options a bit, Raguel." Wraith finished. "All that power you've built up, only for it to blow away like a candle in the wind."
Azrael frowned. "Turboblaze Dragon can't attack, which leaves you to only attack with Super Orion on your field, Raguel. For if you don't, I'll have monsters on my field to use for my strategies. But if you do, I'll simply reduce the damage to zero, thus allowing me to survive with monsters on my field for my next turn." However, to Azrael's surprise, Raguel laughed. "What's so funny?"
"I forgot to mention one last thing about Atalanta/Alpha Mode's effect." Raguel said. "She can attack all monsters you control once each, which means the battle still continues! Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode attacks Cychaic Neptune, God of the Sea! Judgment Arrows' effect also activates!"
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 X 2 = 5800
"Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward towards Neptune, dark energy surrounding her before she jumped high into the air, where she proceeded to land on the ground by piercing through Neptune's chest. As a result, a second massive explosion occurred that headed straight towards Azrael.
"Like I said before, if I would take battle or effect damage, I can remove a 'Cychaic' counter instead." Azrael reminded Raguel, as a second dark-blue orb exited out of Lucius Tiberius's chest before forming into a large shield that protected Azrael from the coming explosion.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius CC: 2 – 1 = 1
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 5800 / 2 = 2900
"The battle still continues!" Raguel reminded Azrael. "Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode attacks Cychaic Praetor! Judgment Arrows' effect activates once again!"
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 X 2 = 5800
"Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward towards Praetor, dark energy surrounding her before she jumped high into the air, where she proceeded to land on the ground by piercing through Praetor's chest, which caused a massive explosion seconds later.
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 5800 / 2 = 2900
"The battle continues once more! Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode attacks Cychaic Lucius Tiberius!" Raguel continued. Judgment Arrows' effect activates once again!"
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 X 2 = 5800
"I remove the remaining 'Cychaic' counter on Lucius Tiberius instead of taking damage." Azrael said back, as the third and final dark-blue orb exited out of Lucius Tiberius's chest before forming into a large shield that appeared in front of Azrael.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius CC: 1 – 1 = 0
"But it doesn't change the fact that you're losing your monster, Azrael." Raguel pointed out. "Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward towards Lucius Tiberius, dark energy surrounding her before she jumped high into the air, where she proceeded to land on the ground by piercing through Lucius Tiberius's chest, which caused a massive explosion seconds later that headed towards Azrael. However, the shield protected him from it.
Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 5800 / 2 = 2900
"I may not be able to attack with Turboblaze Dragon, Azrael, but I still have one other monster to attack with." Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "And with this attack, the duel is as good as over! The battle continues! Cyreath Super Orion attacks you directly! Like before, Judgment Arrows' effect activates!"
Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3000 X 2 = 6000
"Orion Horkos!" An arrow of pure energy materialized in Super Orion's right hand before he took and pulled it back with his bow, where he then fired it straight at Azrael!
"With Judgment Arrows doubling Super Orion's attack points to 6000, that means Azrael's life points will be reduced to zero one way or another should this attack go through." Herald stated. "Thus, securing Raguel the victory, but at what cost?"
"Despite your best efforts, this duel is not over yet, Raguel." Azrael suddenly spoke up. "I activate the effect of Cychaic Progenitor from my hand. When you declare an attack, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field and negate the attack." Soon, a bi-pedal wolf who wore shining dark armor appeared on Azrael's field in defense position. Strapped to his hands were two large, circular shields.
Cychaic Progenitor ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000 LV: 8
Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 6000 / 2 = 3000
"Then I'm allowed to shuffle cards from my Graveyard and/or banished zone back to my deck and/or Extra Deck up to the number of monsters you control. As you control three monsters, I can shuffle three cards. I shuffle Teravolt Dragon from my banished zone, and Bestiarius and Amphitheatre from my Graveyard back to my deck and Extra Deck." A card appeared beside Azrael, which he took and shuffled back into his Extra Deck. Two cards then popped out of Azrael's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck and Extra Deck. "From there, you must target a monster on your field, and I get to Special Summon a 'Cychaic' monster from my Graveyard whose attack points are less than or equal to that monster's original attack points."
"Okay, that's just insane." Herald cursed, before turning to Raguel. "No matter what monster we choose, Azrael gets to bring back one from his Graveyard, and he has a lot of monsters to choose from his Graveyard!"
"That's why Azrael waited until now to activate Progenitor's effect. So that he would have more flexibility in selecting which monster to bring back to his field." Raguel realized. It wasn't good, as Azrael managed to not only negate the attack, but also regain his resources and bring a monster back to his field. Regardless of which monster Raguel targeted, Azrael would have a powerful monster back on his field. "I target Atalanta/Alpha Mode on my field, whose original attack points are 2900."
"Excellent. Then I'll Special Summon Lucius Tiberius back to my field." Azrael replied, as Lucius Tiberius reappeared on his field.
Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️
Damn it! I was so close, Raguel cursed in his mind. If Azrael hadn't negated Super Orion's effects, I could have used his effect to attack an additional time and secure the victory. On the plus side, at least I was able to tear through a majority of Azrael's defenses. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn." He then let out another laugh.
"What's so funny this time?" Azrael inquired.
"My comment about life support earlier, Azrael. From what you've done just now by using Decree and Progenitor, it only proves how desperate you're becoming to survive in this duel." Raguel answered.
"Nonsense." Azrael denied. "It's only logical to use your knowledge and resources to survive. That's what I have done this turn to stay in the duel."
"True, I'm with you on that one. I would have done the exact same thing." Raguel admitted. "But let's face it: You're becoming desperate by this point, and you need that life support to keep you going. Because without it, you're as good as screwed."
"It's never wise to aggravate someone, Raguel. Perhaps for a lesser duelist, that may be the case, but I am no third-rate duelist." Azrael made a fist in anger after saying this.
"But that's what happened to Malf, the AI that Wraith created." Herald said. "His undoing was the imbalance between his emotions and logic the moment he absorbed Go Onizuka."
"Azrael is not Malf, Herald. What worked against Malf will not work against Azrael." Wraith responded, only to look at Azrael, the latter having shook in silent rage.
"As for this goal of achieving the Root of All Knowledge, you should cease your quest altogether, Azrael. Hell, you don't even know who killed our parents." Raguel stated.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Azrael curiously inquired.
"Watchman told me who killed our parents all those years ago, Azrael. Well, the person who sent those executors to our house specifically." Raguel began explaining. "Ukyos Albinor, the same person who worked with our parents, was the one who ordered their deaths after Project: VIII ended in disaster."
"What?" Azrael genuinely gasped. This he... did not know about until now.
"You heard me. As long as he's out there, he'll try to seize the Root of All Knowledge. Hell, he may be likely that he sent one of his followers to interfere in our battles in Mirror LINK VRAINS." Raguel extended his right hand.
"I know what you're about to say, Raguel. Let's put this duel on pause so we can investigate what's going on behind the scenes." Azrael figured out, which made Raguel lower his right hand. "However, we need to settle things between us."
"But..."
"But nothing. Even if this interloper was dealt with, we would have had to duel one way or another. Not after everything that's happened between us." Azrael continued.
Raguel sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Azrael made a point. They had to duel one another, especially after everything Azrael did to Raguel and the others.
"Your idea has merit, Raguel, but this must be done." Wraith acknowledged.
"I know. I just wish it didn't have to come to this." Herald acknowledged as well.
"Then make your move, Azrael." Raguel stated.
"With pleasure. My turn! I draw!" Azrael said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters. I set Cychaic Progenitor, and the Link 3 Lucius Tiberius into the Link Markers!" Progenitor went into the top-left arrowhead, while Lucius Tiberius went into the top-right, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrowheads, 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 left 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 ↙️↖️↗️↘️
Teravolt Dragon roared at Turboblaze Dragon, who roared back at him.
"Look at us. On opposite sides of the duel field once again." Teravolt Dragon commented.
"Like I told you before, Teravolt Dragon. I will not let you hurt the humans." Turboblaze Dragon replied back.
"When Teravolt Dragon is Link Summoned, the effects of all Spell and Trap cards on your field are negated." Azrael told Raguel, which made him gasp. "Electric Veil!" Teravolt Dragon's electric generator-like tail began to charge up before unleashed waves of electrical energy at Judgment Arrows and Raguel's face-down card, which greyed out within seconds.
"I know I don't like Judgment Arrows, but with its effects negated, Azrael can now deal damage to us." Herald stated the obvious.
"But on the bright side, we won't lose our monsters once Judgment Arrows leaves the field." Raguel pointed out.
"It gets worse for you here, Raguel." Azrael said. "Starting with this! I summon Cychaic Crocodile from my hand to my field." A dark-green skinned crocodile with yellow eyes appeared on Azrael's field.
Cychaic Crocodile ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3
"Crocodile's effect! Once per turn, when it's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Cychaic' card from my deck to my hand. I add Cychaic Reborn from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Azrael's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I now 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, Progenitor." At Azrael's command, Progenitor reappeared on his field.
Cychaic Progenitor ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000 LV: 8
"I now activate Progenitor's effect. By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, I get to Link Summon a 'Cychaic' monster from my Extra Deck, by shuffling monsters from my Graveyard back into my deck and/or Extra Deck as Link Material." Azrael revealed.
"WHAT?!" Raguel exclaimed.
"That's batshit crazy!" Herald shouted. "It's like Providence, only with the additional bonus of destroying a 'Cychaic' card on his field."
"Progenitor is the strongest 'Cychaic' monster in my main deck, Raguel. It's only fitting for it to have the strongest effects." Azrael commented. "I destroy Crocodile." As if on cue, Crocodile turned into particles, which went into Progenitor's shields as it glowed blue before firing them into the air. "Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal then appeared from the blue energy that Progenitor fired towards the sky. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cychaic' monsters. I shuffle the Link 2 Cychaic Leonidas and Praetor back into my deck and Extra Deck to set them into the Link Markers!" Leonidas went into the top-left and top-right arrowheads, while Praetor went into the bottom arrowhead, 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 Main Monster Zone Teravolt Dragon pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. 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 ↖️⬇️↗️
"Well, things just went from bad to worse for us." Herald stated.
"I'll have you two know that Julius Caesar was a real pain in the ass for Slipstream to deal with." Wraith told Raguel and Herald.
"But Slipstream was able to defeat Julius Caesar. The question is whether you can do the same." Azrael taunted Raguel. "Crocodile's effect now activates! Since it was destroyed by a card effect, I can place one 'Cychaic' card from my deck to the top of my deck. As such, I place Cychaic Blades to the top of my deck." A card popped out of Azrael's deck, which he took and placed to his deck.
"Cychaic Blades..." Raguel muttered.
"His Link Spell is coming." Herald remarked.
"From there, 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." Azrael added.
"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed, with Super Orion also gasping as well upon hearing this information.
"Your monsters are indeed powerful, Raguel. So it'd be only fitting for me to take that power and use it for myself." Azrael said. "I destroy Progenitor, and equip Super Orion to Julius Caesar. Shrewd Incitement!" Progenitor turned into particles, which went into Julius Caesar's massive left arm as he reached forward and grabbed Super Orion before squeezing his fist. As a result, Super Orion turned into a silhouette that went into Julius Caesar before his strength went up.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 2400 + 3000 = 5400
"Progenitor's effect also activates! Once per turn, when he's destroyed by a card effect, I can draw the top card of my deck." Azrael then drew the top card of his deck. "I then activate the Link Spell card, Cychaic Blades." As if on cue, Cychaic Blades appeared in the Spell & Trap card one Julius Caesar's Link marker pointed to and glowed.
Cychaic Blades ⬅️⬆️➡️
Azrael thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Cychaic Julius Caesar attacks Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode! And when a 'Cychaic' monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck battles, you can't activate cards or effects until the end of the damage step. Crocea Mars!" Julius Caesar charged forward at Atalanta/Alpha Mode and slashed her several times, which caused an explosion that headed straight towards Raguel.
"Like I told you during our previous duel, not every effect is an activated one." Raguel reminded Azrael. "If I would take damage, I can banish Primordial Aura from my Graveyard instead. In addition, I take no further battle or effect damage for the rest of this turn." A barrier surrounded Raguel as the explosion washed over him.
"In that case, then I'll clear your field of monsters, just like you did with mine." Azrael replied. "For 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."
"You're still attacking, even though you can't inflict damage?!" Herald exclaimed.
"Clearing the field is better than leaving something alone that can be a risk later on in a duel, Herald. It's only logical to do so." Wraith pointed out.
"The battle continues! Cychaic Julius Caesar attacks Turboblaze Dragon!" Azrael declared. "Crocea Mars!" Julius Caesar charged forward at Turboblaze Dragon, who avoided the blasts of fire the latter fired at him. Upon doing so, Julius Caesar then slashed Turboblaze Dragon several times with the sword in his hands.
"Turboblaze!" Raguel screamed, as Turboblaze Dragon was enveloped in an explosion that turned him into particles.
"Heh. How does it feel to lose something you love, Raguel? Oh, wait. You already went through that." Teravolt Dragon taunted Raguel, which caused the latter to grit his teeth in anger.
"At ease, Teravolt. There's no need to rile up Raguel any more than necessary." Wraith told Teravolt Dragon.
"Losing Turboblaze will surely motivate Raguel even more." Azrael added.
"You'll regret that, Azrael. You'll seriously regret that." Raguel angrily promised, which got Azrael's attention.
"Just be grateful you have one more chance to turn this around." Azrael replied. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."
Elsewhere, inside Bohman...
Ai dodged the several strands of purple data resembling that of webbing as he flew through the digital space. He also dodged a few purple cubes of data as well. After sacrificing himself to destroy the Neuron Link, his backup within Roboppy had triggered and restored him. While it was incredibly risky, he felt it was best to be cautious. He had taken advantage of his perceived demise to travel into Bohman to try and rescue the other Ignis with the limited time available. "Alright! Even after being corrupted, Bohman hasn't spotted me left. That means I have time to save the other Ignis!" He flew through the pink door up ahead, where he entered into a new area. "Hey, this must be Bohman's core!"
It certainly was, as the area consisted of a room with dark-grey walls pulsing with purple strands of data. Some of that data was also in the form of webbing that stuck to those walls. At the center of the room was a large, dark-grey core that had purple lines glowing throughout its structure. There were also pieces of data material attached to it in the form of wires.
"Help... me..." a familiar voice quietly pleaded, as Ai turned to his left, where he saw a weakened Malf speaking to him.
"W-What happened to you?" Ai inquired.
"Infected... by unknown source..." Malf weakly answered, before turning over to the dark-grey core at the center of the room.
"I see..." Ai narrowed his eyes. Whatever happened to Bohman must have happened to Malf too. So whoever locked down Mirror LINK VRAINS was also responsible for turning both Bohman and Malf into his puppets, he thought in his mind. In all honesty, Ai did not want to free Malf from being intertwined with Bohman's systems, as he'll certainly become an enemy down the road. However, perhaps if Ai freed his friends, then Malf can be freed of the pain he was currently in and rest in peace.
As such, Ai flew to the dark-grey core in order to take a closer look, and gasped upon seeing familiar figures embedded in it. "Flame! Aqua! Everybody!"
"Ai? Oh, no. Did Bohman, or whatever monster he turned into, absorb you?" Aqua asked.
"No, he didn't, Aqua. Though he did delete me." Ai sheepishly admitted.
"What?!"
"You must be more careful." Flame commented, which got Ai's attention. "But being careful was never your strong suit."
"Save the lectures for later, Flame. For I'm getting all of you out of here!" Ai promised, as generated purple energy in his hands before putting it to his right side. "Kamehameha!" He fired it at the dark-grey core, which was not effective at all. "Aw, man. I thought that would work."
"You can't free us, my friend." Lightning said, which got Ai's attention. "We were already absorbed by Bohman, so we can't be freed. But I never anticipated Bohman getting corrupted by Azrael and Wraith using Malf."
"Really, now? You think Azrael and Wraith are behind those shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles hurting people in LINK VRAINS? Hell, even Mirror LINK VRAINS entering lockdown?! If that's the case, you're dumber than a pile of rocks, Lightning." Ai scolded Lightning, which caught the latter off guard. "Because you of all people should know that something far worse is happening behind the scenes!"
"I am merely stating facts, my friend. Though you are right on the fact that something abnormal is going on." Lightning reluctantly acknowledged.
"I hate to say it, Ai, but you can't free us." Aqua lamented.
"No! I refuse to accept that fact, Aqua! I will free you all, I promise!" Ai vowed.
"But if Bohman absorbs you, then it'll be one more step to game over for all of us." Flame stated. "Great. I can't believe I said a video game term during a time like this."
"It could be much worse, Flame. Much worse." Windy pointed out, before turning to Ai. "Nevertheless, you need to leave, Ai. Now!"
"But if I leave you, then you won't be able to take responsibility for your actions and atone for them. Slipstream said that you should live so you can do so, and I'm honoring his wish." Ai countered, before turning to Earth. "As for you, Earth, you should know that your origin, Specter, felt a connection when you were cut into pieces at SOL Technologies' hands. If you die for good, then you won't be able to meet him."
"Really... now? You make... a valid... point, Ai." Earth acknowledged.
"Of course I make a valid point. Now onto the task at hand." Ai generated purple energy in his hands before putting it to his right side. "Kamehameha!" He once again fired it at the dark-grey core, which was once again not very effective at all. "Damn it!"
"Like I said before, Ai, you can't free us. Instead, you should allow yourself to be absorbed so you can make Bohman stronger. So that he can stop the Crisis for good!" Lightning firmly interrupted, ending the conversation between Ai, Windy, and Earth. "Bohman! Listen to me! We're alive, and Ai's here as well in your core! Hurry before it's too late!"
The cables spreading from the top of the dark-grey core then illuminated, as if in response to Lightning's announcement.
"Oh, is that the case?" Bohman inquired, as a glowing image of him materialized inside the core before several glowing hands appeared at his sides. "I'm glad to see you're all alive. For it gives me hope that-."
WHOOSH!
The glowing image of Bohman gasped as a purple beam of light pierced through his stomach, which made him gasp out of surprise as more purple beams of light pierced the hands as well, turning all of them into particles.
"I'm tired of you idiots trying to one-up me. You forced my hand." Jericho said out of nowhere, as he pointed the data material blade at the core. "Mix and Implode!" Suddenly, energy from the dark-grey core went into Jericho's blade as the captured Ignis screamed in pain before the room itself began to run out of power.
"How dare you get involved!" Lightning furiously exclaimed.
"Stop throwing a sissy fit already, Lightning. You've lost the moment this war began." Jericho snidely remarked, as more energy was drained out of the dark-grey core, which made the Ignis scream in further pain.
"No, I won't let you hurt them!" Ai stated, as he fired purple energy from his hands at Jericho, who quickly dodged it.
"There's no need to rush to your demise, Ai. For I'll bring it to you right away." Jericho assured Ai, as he fired blasts of data material from his sword, which caused the latter to dodge them in order to not get hit.
"Move, Ai! Whoever this interloper is, if you get hit, it'll be game over for all of us!" Flame warned Ai, the former having let out a sigh after realizing that he said the same video game reference for a second time.
"What do you think I'm doing, Flame? This bozo's the one who put Mirror LINK VRAINS in lockdown, and is most likely the guy who corrupted Bohman as well!" Ai replied back, as he fired back purple energy in response to the data material blasts. "I can't just leave you all here. If Playmaker defeats Bohman while all of you are still inside, then you'll be erased along with him! I can't risk that!"
"Thus putting you in a very sticky situation, Ai." Jericho said, as he attempted to slash Ai with the data material blade and the short sword in his hands, the latter having barely dodged it in time. "You can save yourself, or risk your live to save your friends. Either way, someone's about to die!"
"I know what you're feeling, Ai. I really do. But you must save yourself." Flame told Ai.
"And again, I refuse to believe that!" Ai repeated back to Flame, as he dodged another attack from Jericho. "I just found you guys, and I can't afford to lose you again!"
"But you won't lose us, Ai." Aqua assured Ai. "Everyone, let's show him what I mean!" Soon, a blue orb went out of Aqua, a red orb went out of Flame, a green orb went out of Windy, and a brown orb went out of Earth before they headed over towards Ai.
"No! What are you doing?! I refuse to be a part of this!" Lightning shouted.
"You don't have a say in this, Lightning." Aqua responded, as a yellow orb went out of Lightning before merging with the other orbs, which went into Ai in the process. As a result, rainbow energy pulsated from Ai, which sent Jericho and Arsene flying back in response and stunning them temporarily. "Take this energy and go, Ai. Use it to stop Bohman, win this fight, and prevent something worse from happening!"
"But if I can't save you, then there's no point-." Ai began speaking.
"Have you not realized the bigger picture, Ai?" Flame questioned suddenly, stopping Ai mid-sentence.
"Bigger picture? What do you mean?"
"You'll still lose us whether you defeat Bohman or not. If you fail to defeat Bohman, then you'll die too. But as long as you, Herald, and Wraith survive, it shows that the Ignis will survive as a species. As long as you keep us in your memories, we'll never be actually dead. We'll always be with you."
Ai narrowed his eyes. "Why do you always know the right thing to say?"
"Ai, do me a favor, and let Slipstream know how truly sorry I am for what I did to his cousin the next time you see him." Windy requested, which got Ai's attention. "Oh, and give this to him." A small green orb of energy went over to Ai, which he obtained in his hands. "It should help turn the tables down the road."
"Sorry, but the time for goodbyes is over!" Jericho shouted, as he pointed the data material sword at the dark-grey sword, which fired a blast of energy that pierced through it. As a result, the Ignis trapped inside screamed in massive pain before the whole area began crumbling into pieces.
"You monster!" Ai screamed, as he tried to fire a blast of energy of data material at Jericho, only for the latter to simply block it with the swords in his hands.
"Go, Ai! Defeat Bohman! We'll always be with you!" were the last words Aqua said, before turning into blue data.
"Kick Bohman's ass for me, Ai!" were the last words Windy said, before turning into green data.
"Do not... let Bohman win..." were the last words Earth said, before turning into brown data.
"Avenge us, Ai, and keep moving forward." were the last words Flame said, before turning into red data.
"Do you really think you're making the right decision, Ai?" Lightning questioned, as he resisted turning into yellow data, which obviously didn't work. "You may think you're doing the right thing, but you'll only make things-GAAAAAAHHH!" He then turned into yellow data completely as the five pieces of data merged into a rainbow orb that went into Jericho's duel disk.
"Finally! About time you shut your trap for good, Lightning." Jericho annoyingly remarked, as he turned to Ai, a malicious smirk on his face. "Now you're next!"
"No! I am not dying here!" Ai replied, as he released a burst of rainbow data material at Jericho, which stunned him for a few seconds before turning to quickly leave, tears in his eyes.
After Jericho got his bearings back, he quickly escaped the area by slashing the space in front of him with the two swords in his hands, which turned into a portal that allowed him to escape.
"Goodbye, Azrael and Wraith. May your dream of eternity be obtained." were Malf's final words before turning completely into data, his purpose having been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, at Raguel and Azrael's duel...
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles erupted from the ground as they tried to destroy the platform Raguel and Azrael were on. Some of them went towards Raguel, who managed to dodge out of the way as Azrael did the same.
"The Hell are these things?!" Azrael exclaimed.
"How the Hell do I know?!" Raguel replied, as he summoned Excalibur before trying to slash it. While it destroyed a few of them, more shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles headed towards Raguel and tried to pierce him. However, they were stopped by a shield Herald created at the last second. "Thanks."
"No prob." Herald said, before he pushed the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles back. Azrael sheathed and unsheathed the Muramasa numerous times, which sent black and blue distortion ripples at the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles as they enveloped them. While a few of them were destroyed by the attack, more of them before heading towards Azrael. However, they were repelled back by Wraith as he traced his finger across the air several times, which caused streaks of dark-blue light to appear in front of him. After Wraith swung back his arm, they broke into a series of slashes that tore through the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles.
"This source of energy I'm feeling... it's abnormal." Wraith realized with a gasp.
"No shit, Wraith. What else would it be?" Herald sarcastically replied back.
"Now do you believe me that Ukyos may be interfering in our battle?" Raguel questioned.
"Given your statement earlier and how someone locked Mirror LINK VRAINS down, the possibility is a highly probable one." Azrael answered, as Teravolt Dragon electrocuted some of the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles, which turned them into particles.
The shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles continued to attack Raguel and Azrael as they fought back, only for more of them to attack the duo. Herald and Wraith also helped, but their attacks couldn't hold the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles as well.
Some of the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles hit Raguel as he fell onto one knee in pain. Just before they could hurt him more, black and blue distortion ripples enveloped them before they were destroyed. Raguel turned his head to Azrael, surprised to see that he saved him.
"Nobody gets to defeat you but me." Azrael told Raguel, as he helped him up on his feet. The two of them dodged attacks from the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles as they tried to pierce the duo.
"Back to back!" Raguel exclaimed, as he and Azrael stood back to back, ready to stand against the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles. The two of them blocked the attacks before counterattacking, with Herald and Wraith doing the same. As for Teravolt Dragon, he unleashed lightning at the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to destroy them.
Despite Raguel, Azrael, Herald, and Wraith being able to fight against their new enemy, all their efforts weren't working, for what the quartet was facing was an unrelenting swarm of shadows. Ones that immediately replaced their fallen comrades the moment they died.
One of the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles pierced Azrael in the leg as he fell onto one knee. Seeing this, Raguel immediately charged forward and slashed it with Excalibur, saving Azrael in the process. After helping Azrael stand up on his feet, the two of them continued fighting against the shadow's onslaught.
As if it had enough, several of the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles merged together before slamming itself on the ground, which sent Raguel and Azrael flying off their feet before landing on their respective backs on opposite ends of the platform. Several of the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles also slammed Teravolt Dragon down to the ground and stunned him as a result. Upon doing so, the massive, shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle split into numerous smaller ones as they headed towards Raguel and Azrael.
"NO! WE WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!" Herald shouted, as he suddenly exited out of Raguel's duel disk, having mustered up all of his energy to create a massive shield.
"WE WILL CERTAINLY NOT LET THIS HAPPEN, HERALD!" Wraith agreed, before heading over to where Herald was and enhancing it with his own energy. Dark-blue spikes erupted from the shield as it impeded the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles' attacks. Unfortunately, some of the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles pierced through the shield and stabbed them both.
"What are you doing, Herald?!" Raguel exclaimed.
"Come back here before you do something you'll regret!" Azrael pleaded.
"As long as this thing exists, it'll hurt the people we care about, Raguel, including Azrael and Wraith." Herald explained.
"You need to keep moving forward, Azrael. Your dream of eternity is so close, and there's no way in Hell I'll let this thing destroy it." Wraith told Azrael.
"But if you keep this up, you'll die." Azrael replied.
"I know what you're saying, Herald, but I can't let you die." Raguel said, before Herald and Wraith used their energy to keep Raguel and Azrael safe.
"This is our choice." Herald stated firmly, as he turned to Wraith. "Ready?"
"Yes." Wraith sadly confirmed, the two of them knowing what will happen once they go through with their next set of action.
"MAXIMUM POWER!" Herald and Wraith unleashed all of their power at the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles, which managed to repel it back with such force that a massive explosion occurred as a result. After this was done, Herald and Wraith fell onto the ground in pain.
"Herald, what have you done?!" Raguel exclaimed, having run over to his fallen friend and picked him up. Azrael also went over to where Wraith was and picked him up.
"Wraith and I chose to save the both of you over our own lives." Herald answered.
"It was the only solution in a situation like this..." Wraith lamented.
"Why, Wraith? Just why?" Azrael questioned.
"Because I genuinely believed in your dream of achieving eternity, Azrael. There's no way I'd let an anomaly destroy it forever." Wraith told Azrael, as some of his energy went into Azrael's duel disk, which caused it to glow for a few moments before dissipating. "Take this power and achieve your dream."
"Don't go, Wraith. Don't go!" Azrael pleaded. Sadly, Wraith couldn't say anything else before he turned into particles that went upward. "WRAITH!"
"Raguel, please promise me that you won't keep anymore secrets from the others." Herald requested, before some of his energy went into Raguel's duel disk, which made it glow for a few moments before dissipating. "Also, promise me that you won't let my nightmare come to pass. Promise me you'll keep going with your head high, no matter what!"
"Okay, Herald. I'll do my best. I promise." Raguel vowed. Unfortunately, Herald couldn't say anything else before he turned into particles that went upward. "HERALD!"
Azrael stood up on his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes, still trying to comprehend what just happened. Wraith, the person who was with him all of his life, was dead. Raguel also stood up from his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to realize what happened. Herald, one of his dearest friends, was gone.
"Azrael, I wasn't responsible for this." Raguel spoke up, which got Azrael's attention. "You of all people should know that."
"You're right, Raguel. I know you wouldn't do such a thing." Azrael began acknowledging, before he grit his teeth. "But I am infuriated with what happened. Do you hear me? INFURIATED!"
"I'm angry too, Azrael. Herald and Wraith's deaths should never have happened." Raguel sadly sighed. He wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him. Not now!
"You dare empathize with me, Raguel?! You, who was adopted and loved by a new family, while I had no one else but Wraith, dare to do such a thing?! This doesn't change anything!" Azrael narrowed his eyes in pure anger. "With the last power Wraith gave me, I will end this duel between us for good! And don't worry, little hybrid brother. Once this duel is over, I will hunt down and kill the interloper with my own hands."
"And with the power Herald gave me, I'll be the one to stop you. But rest assured, Azrael. I'll go after the interloper and ensure he didn't cause all of this pain once this is over. My turn. I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck, which glowed with energy. Azrael's right about what he said earlier. I have one more chance to turn this around, and if I don't, then it'll be over for me, he thought in his mind. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Selector." The card showed two hands, where three cards orbited above them. In the middle of the three cards was a golden wreath that dimmed with energy. "When this card is activated, I can send the top card of my deck to reveal three 'Cyreath' cards from my deck to you that have different names. You choose one for me to add to my hand, one for me to shuffle back to my deck, and one for me to send to my Graveyard."
"You're letting me choose?" Azrael inquired out of curiosity.
"I'm letting you choose between three poisons that my chosen cards will represent." Raguel clarified, as he took the top card of his deck and sent it to his Graveyard before taking three cards from his deck. "I reveal Cyreath Excaliburst, Cyreath Eradication, and Cyreath Tranquility from my deck." The three declared cards then appeared in front of Azrael on a screen for him to look at each one.
Azrael looked at all three cards carefully. While he knew Excaliburst and Eradication's effects, he did not expect Raguel to have the other card in his deck, and that card looked... familiar. After looking further at the last card and its effects, Azrael gasped. That card resembled that of one of Ace's 'Evil Eye' cards, only Raguel made them stronger compared to the former's cards. And given how all three cards had strong effects, that meant Azrael had to make his decision very carefully, or else it'd cost him the duel.
"Now choose your poison, Azrael." Raguel smirked after saying that.
"Very well. I choose to add Tranquility to your hand, shuffle Eradication back to your deck, and send Excaliburst to your Graveyard." Azrael decided, as one card appeared in Raguel's hand, one card shuffled itself back into Raguel's deck, and the last card went into Raguel's Graveyard.
"I now activate the Continuous-Spell card, Cyreath Tranquility." Raguel responded. The card showed Alastor sitting on a throne, with two demons kneeling before him. One demon had red skin with clawed hands, orange armor, and a helmet that had a red plume on the back, as well as spikes on the sides. The other demon had grey skin with yellow armor, spikes on his head, and a set of wings. "When this card is activated, I can draw the top card of my deck." He then drew the top card of his deck.
"I summon Cyreath Avatar from my hand to my field." A small, white humanoid with creamy-pearl eyes in the shape of almonds and two protrusions on the sides of its head that pointed backwards and up appeared on Raguel's field. Orange, glowing lines were on its armor that converged on its chest, creating a circle with a line down the middle. He also wore white tunics with evenly spaced orange lines all over it as well, resembling that of a knight's. In its right hand, it carried a sword.
Cyreath Avatar ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
"A monster resembling that of Herald?" Azrael questioned with surprise. "You'd use a card that reminds you of what you've lost just now? I don't know whether to call you brave or foolish for doing such a thing."
"Herald made it before he died, and I'll use it with the cards I've made earlier to defeat you." Raguel answered with a chuckle. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Doppelganger went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Crimson Soul!" A small, humanoid spirit with fire on its orange skin appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It wore a crown that had a red, blue, and yellow jewel on it. Wrapped around its neck was a small cape that flowed behind it.
Cyreath Crimson Soul ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️
"When Avatar's used as material for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon either one 'Cyreath' monster or one 'Turboblaze Dragon' from my Graveyard back to my field, but its effects are negated in exchange." Raguel told Azrael. "Return to me, Turboblaze Dragon!" At Raguel's command, Turboblaze Dragon reappeared on his field.
Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️
"I also activate Tranquility's second effect. When I Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon a 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to my field, but decrease the attack points of one monster you control by that monster's attack points as well until the End Phase. I Special Summon Erymanthian Boar back to my field, and decrease Julius Caesar's attack points." At Raguel's command, Erymanthian Boar reappeared on his field at Judgment Arrows' top-right marker. As if on cue, Julius Caesar groaned in pain before his strength diminished.
Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️⬇️
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 5400 – 2500 = 2900
Raguel took a deep breath and composed himself. Thank you for this final gift, Herald. I promise that I will not let it go to waste, he vowed in his mind. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A massive Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are three or more Cyberse Link monsters with different names. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Crimson Soul, the Link 3 Erymanthian Boar, and the Link 4 Turboblaze Dragon into the Link Markers!" Crimson Soul went into the top arrowhead, Erymanthian Boar went into the left and right arrowheads, and Turboblaze Dragon went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all five of them orange. Seconds later, waves of energy surrounded the Link Portal as it filled with energy.
"The Embodiment of Truth takes form for humanity! A form that unites everyone towards a cause for the greater good! A cause that will ensure prosperity for all!" Raguel chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 5! Turboblaze Desolation Dragon!" A tall, white-colored bipedal dragon with red irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. 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 now had bands that expanded outwards, which revealed feathers on the sides.
Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 4000 LINK-5 ↙️⬅️⬆️➡️↘️
"With this newfound strength, this duel is as good as over!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon cried out. "Are you ready, Raguel?"
"Hell yeah!" Raguel answered, as he thrusted out his right hand. "The effects of Crimson Soul and Turboblaze Desolation Dragon now activate. First, when Crimson Soul is used for the Link Summon of a Link monster, not only does the Link Summoned monster gain 1000 attack points, it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn as well." Turboblaze Desolation Dragon was surrounded in an aura that increased his strength.
Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 4000 + 1000 = 5000
"Second, when Turboblaze Desolation Dragon is Link Summoned using 'Turboblaze Dragon' as Link material, I can not only negate the effects of all monsters on your field and destroy them, I can also increase his attack points by 500 for each monster destroyed by this effect. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of his effect."
"WHAT?!" Azrael exclaimed, terror now evident in his tone.
"That's not good..." Teravolt Dragon muttered.
"Go, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon! Clangorous Desolation Burst!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's jet engine-like tail opened up as its bands expanded outwards, with the feathers in it spiking upwards before it began charging up. Once that was done, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon unleashed waves of energy at Julius Caesar and Teravolt Dragon, which made both monsters scream in pain before scorch marks siphoned their strength and turned each one into particles. After doing so, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon roared as his strength increased.
Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 5000 + (500 X 2) = 6000
"How dare you defeat Teravolt Dragon two times in a row, Raguel!" Azrael hissed, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Cychaic Virtue!" The card showed Jupiter infusing Damocles with rays of light as he was slowly restored to his human self. "I can target one 'Cychaic' monster in my Graveyard, and gain life points equal to its attack points. What's more, any damage I take for the rest of this turn is halved. I target Damocles, who has 3000 attack points. That means I gain 3000 life points!" A dark aura surrounded Azrael as his life points increased.
Azrael: 2750 + 3000 = 5750 LP
"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Turboblaze Desolation Dragon attacks you directly! And when he battles, you can't activate Spell or Trap cards or effects until the end of the damage step! Chronos Desolation Supernova!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's jet engine-like tail glowed with power before he flew up into the air, his four arms glowing with a bright color as he began charging up a massive orb filled with hot energy. The orb then split into three large ones as he launched them at Azrael, where they each hit him in a series of explosions. As a result, Azrael was sent flying off the ground before landing on his back several moments later.
Azrael: 5750 – (6000 / 2) = 2750 LP
"And just in case, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Dispel! Once per turn, I can target one Spell or Trap card you control and destroy it. Say goodbye to Cychaic Blades!" A purple blast fired out of Dispel, which hit Blades before turning it into particles.
"I end my turn, which means Crimson Soul's effect ends, and Turboblaze Desolation Dragon loses the attack boost from Crimson Soul's effect." Raguel concluded, as a red aura surrounded Turboblaze Desolation Dragon, which made him slightly groan before a portion of his strength was depleted.
Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 6000 – 1000 = 5000
"My turn! I draw!" Azrael said, as he slowly got up on his feet before drawing the top card of his deck. "From what I saw, Herald upgraded Turboblaze Dragon with a new form, so it's only fitting for Wraith to do the same with Teravolt Dragon. Thus, I will defeat you with the final gift Wraith bestowed to me. Starting with this! I summon Cychaic Avatar from my hand to my field." A small, black humanoid with dark-blue eyes in the shape of almonds and a protrusion that pointed backwards and up with dark-blue coloration on the top appeared on Azrael's field. Dark-blue, glowing lines were on his jet-black that converged on his chest, creating a circle with a line down the middle. He also wore an azure overcoat that had blue X's on the sides. In its right hand, it carried a sword.
Cychaic Avatar ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
"You call me out for using a monster resembling Herald, yet you use a monster resembling that of Wraith." Raguel told Azrael.
"I do not care if that makes me a hypocrite or not, Raguel. For I will use whatever means necessary to achieve eternity." Azrael replied. "Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cychaic' monster. I set Cychaic Avatar into the Link Markers!" Avatar went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cychaic Bestiarius!" Bestiarius reappeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Cychaic Bestiarius ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️
"The effects of Avatar and Bestiarius activate in sequence." Azrael began speaking. "First, when Avatar's used as material for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon of a 'Cychaic' monster, I can Special Summon either one 'Cychaic' monster or one 'Teravolt Dragon' from my Graveyard back to my field, but its effects are negated in exchange. Return to me, Teravolt Dragon!" At Azrael's command, Teravolt Dragon reappeared on his field.
Teravolt Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️↖️↗️↘️
"Second, like before, when Bestiarius is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone he points to. Be reborn, Julius Caesar." At Azrael's command, Julius Caesar reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone Bestiarius pointed to.
Cychaic Julius Caesar ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️
Azrael took a deep breath and composed himself. Absolute power is mine, and it will always belong to me. Your sacrifice will ensure my goal is obtained, Wraith, he thought to himself. "Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A massive Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are three or more Cyberse Link monsters with different names. I set the Link 1 Cychaic Bestiarius, the Link 3 Julius Caesar, and the Link 4 Teravolt Dragon into the Link Markers!" Bestiarius went into the top-left arrowhead, Julius Caesar went into the top-right and bottom-left arrowheads, and Teravolt Dragon went into the bottom and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all five of them dark blue. Seconds later, waves of energy surrounded the Link Portal as it filled with energy.
"The Embodiment of Ideals takes form for humanity! A form that provides everyone direction for their individual beliefs! A direction that will ensure they achieve them at all costs!" Azrael chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 5! Teravolt Devastation Dragon!" 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 appeared on Azrael's field in the Main Monster Zone Blades pointed to. 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.
Teravolt Devastation Dragon ATK: 4000 LINK-5 ↙️↖️⬇️↗️↘️
"Now this is true power!" Teravolt Devastation Dragon roared. "Let's purge these fools in front of us for good, Azrael!"
"We shall, Teravolt. We shall." Azrael assured Teravolt Devastation Dragon, before gesturing to his field. "When Teravolt Devastation Dragon is Link Summoned using 'Teravolt Dragon' as Link material, I can not only negate the effects of all Spell and Trap cards on your field and destroy them, I can also increase his attack points by 500 for each Spell and Trap card destroyed by this effect. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of his effect."
"WHAT?!" Raguel exclaimed, terror now evident in his tone.
"Go, Teravolt Devastation Dragon! Parabolic Devastation Burst!" Teravolt Devastation Dragon's tail glowed as the generators began charging up. Once that was done, the halo on his back unleashed waves of energy at Judgment Arrows, Tranquility, and Raguel's face-down card, which greyed each of them out before they all turned into particles. After doing so, Teravolt Devastation Dragon roared as his strength increased.
Teravolt Devastation Dragon ATK: 4000 + (500 X 3) = 5500
"I also activate the effect of Virtue in my Graveyard." Azrael added. "By banishing it and one 'Cychaic' monster in my Graveyard, one 'Cychaic' monster I control gains its attack points until the End Phase."
"But Teravolt Devastation Dragon isn't a 'Cychaic' monster, Azrael." Raguel said, only for him to gasp upon putting two and two together. "Unless..."
"Heh. It seems you've figured it out, haven't you?" Teravolt Devastation Dragon correctly guessed.
"Teravolt Devastation Dragon is not only a 'Cychaic' monster on my field or in my Graveyard, his name is also 'Teravolt Dragon' while on my field or in my Graveyard." Azrael revealed. "Which means I can resume using Virtue's effect. I banish it and Progenitor from my Graveyard, which means Teravolt Devastation Dragon gains 3000 attack points until the End Phase." Teravolt Devastation Dragon let out another roar as his strength increased.
Teravolt Devastation Dragon ATK: 5500 + 3000 = 8500
"Let's end this! Battle!" Azrael thrusted out his right hand. "Teravolt Devastation Dragon attacks Turboblaze Desolation Dragon! And when he battles, you can't activate the effects of monsters until the end of the damage step! In addition, Teravolt Devastation Dragon's second effect activates! When he battles a monster you control, your monster must battle with their original attack points!"
"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed.
"Go, Teravolt Devastation Dragon! Plasma Devastation Drain!" Electric-like bolts of energy zigzagged towards Turboblaze Desolation Dragon, which pierced through him as his strength returned to his original amount.
Turboblaze Devastation Dragon ATK: 5000 – (500 X 2) = 4000
"Finish this duel, Teravolt Devastation Dragon! Spacial Devastation Tempest!" Azrael shouted, as the generators on Teravolt Devastation Dragon's tail charged up before the latter was surrounded in dark-blue electricity, which he fired at Turboblaze Devastation Dragon to stagger him. Once that was done, Teravolt Devastation Dragon then charged forward towards Turboblaze Devastation Dragon, the electricity surrounding him becoming volatile as pieces of it continued to emit and hit the latter.
"This duel ends here and now!" Teravolt Devastation Dragon exclaimed, as he flew towards Turboblaze Desolation Dragon, intent on delivering the final blow. In response, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon charged forward, the two of them locked in a clash as he hit his head against Teravolt Devastation Dragon's head.
"I may not be able to activate the effects of monsters, but I can still use Spell and Trap cards." Raguel countered. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Alliance in my Graveyard." The card showed the hands of Achilles, Hercules/Alpha Mode, Super Orion, Atalanta, Circe, and Medusa together in a fist bump-like gesture.
"Cyreath Alliance?" Azrael repeated. "When did that card-?" He gasped. "That was the top card of your deck you sent to your Graveyard with Selector's effect!"
"That's right, Azrael." Raguel confirmed. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can have one 'Cyreath' monster I control gain 700 attack points for every 'Cyreath' Link monster in my Graveyard."
"But Turboblaze Desolation Dragon isn't a 'Cyreath' monster." Azrael pointed out, before gasping for a second time. "Unless..."
"Turboblaze Desolation Dragon is also a 'Cyreath' monster while on my field or in my Graveyard, and his name's also 'Turboblaze Dragon' while on the field or in my Graveyard." Raguel confirmed for a second time. "Since there are a total of eight 'Cyreath' Link monsters, that means Turboblaze Devastation Dragon gains a total of 5600 attack points!"
Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 4000 + (700 X 8) = 9600
"Strike back, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon!"
"Take this!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon shouted, as he pushed back against Teravolt Devastation Dragon's attack before destroying him completely, which caused an explosion that made Azrael wince as his life points dropped.
Azrael: 2750 - 1100 = 1650 LP
"Once, when Teravolt Devastation Dragon leaves the field, I can Special Summon a copy of 'Teravolt Dragon' from my Graveyard. Return to me, Teravolt Dragon!" Azrael responded, as Teravolt Dragon reappeared on his field.
Teravolt Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️↖️↗️↘️
"You can't destroy me that easily, Turboblaze." Teravolt Dragon taunted.
"I don't need to destroy you another time." Turboblaze Desolation Dragon countered. "Show him what I mean, Raguel."
"You got it!" Raguel stated, before turning back to Azrael. "Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's second effect activates! At the end of the battle, you take damage equal to the attack or defense points of the monster that he battled, whichever's higher, and it doesn't matter if that monster's on the field or in your Graveyard. What's more, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's effect can be activated even if he leaves the field by battle."
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" Azrael exclaimed, before letting out a sad sigh. "I'm so close to achieving eternity. I can't fail."
"It's over." Raguel callously replied. "Finish this, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon! Fiery Desolation Blitz!" Fiery energy charged up in Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's hands as he fired them at Azrael, which caused a massive explosion that sent him flying off the ground before he landed on his back, his life points having dropped to zero in the process.
Azrael: 1650 – 4000 = 0
Azrael slowly got up on his feet before being forced to fall on one knee. "Is this... what defeat feels like?"
"What's wrong? Is that all you got?" Raguel taunted, having finally reigned victorious in their duel. "Come on, get up. You can do better than that."
With a loud grunt, Azrael got up on his feet as he gripped the Muramasa in his hands. He and Raguel then felt the entire platform they were on shaking, as if it was no longer stable. "The portal to LINK VRAINS is closing, Raguel. We don't have much time to settle things between us at this rate."
"Let's finish this, Azrael." Raguel simply said back, as the two of them charged forward before they tried to strike one another with their swords, which resulted in a blade lock. As the two of them were weakened from their previous duels, the blade lock quickly broke before they attempted to strike one another again, only for another blade lock to occur. Raguel and Azrael tried to strike one another a third time, only for the third blade lock to push them back several feet.
Azrael slid back and prepared to unsheathe the Muramasa, dark-blue energy surrounding it as it began charging up. Raguel, on the other hand, braced Excalibur to his right side as golden particles merged into his sword, which began forming into a giant beam of light.
"Take this! JUDGMENT CUT END!" Azrael screamed, as he began charging forward at Raguel, intent on striking him numerous times.
"EXCALIBUR!" Raguel responded back, as he charged forward and began bringing the giant beam of light towards Azrael. The attacks met each other as a massive explosion occurred and blinded them both.
To Raguel and Azrael's surprise, they were sent flying into a wormhole that resembled a totally different version of outer space. While there were obviously stars around the area, there were also crystalline meteoroids and little, cloud-like creatures with gaseous bodies that resembled nebulas.
Within seconds, the duo immediately landed on a large platform before rolling onto it, where they quickly stood up on their feet and attempted to charge at one another. Raguel was faster, and attempted to strike Azrael with Excalibur, only for Azrael to block it with the Muramasa.
"Careful now, Raguel. That which lies ahead... does not yet exist." Azrael genuinely urged caution, which surprised Raguel as he took a few steps back. Looking around, he saw that he and Azrael were in a different area. One resembling that of a large galaxy filled with stars, stellar remnants, dust, and pieces of dark matter. Ahead of Raguel and Azrael was a light-green vortex in the form of a large tree that had several branches extending from it. At the center of the vortex was a white orb with two large rings orbiting around it, as if it were a security system. The duo then turned to look at the structure ahead of them, knowing that they had to pause their fight for now. "Our world will become a part of it... one day. But I... will not end. Nor will I have you end."
"Is this...?" Raguel began asking.
"Yes, Raguel. The edge of creation. This is where the Root of All Knowledge is, and by some miracle, we have done what father could not. We found it." Azrael confirmed with joy, as he turned around and walked towards Raguel before extending his right hand to him. "Raguel, lend me your strength. Let us make father proud. Let us obtain the Root, destroy those who hurt the people we care about, and defy destiny... together."
Raguel gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip on Excalibur. What Azrael was saying made sense. The two of them, having found the Root of All Knowledge, can make Myojin proud. With the Root's power, they can destroy the people who killed Herald and Wraith, along with the other Ignis. Not just that, but prevent the Crisis from happening forever. Lastly, with the Root's power, they can ensure that humanity can move forward to an ever-lasting prosperous time. In a way, Azrael was almost... selfless to an extent.
However, Raguel knew that everything Azrael had done was so he can achieve eternity for himself. All the people that Azrael had hurt in that crusade would only benefit him alone, even if he did care for Raguel's, Herald's, and Wraith's wellbeing. Even if Azrael regretted the actions he committed in trying to obtain eternity, that did not excuse him from the repercussions. No one can get away with their actions. That was a true fact.
Besides, in Raguel's eyes, achieving eternity would condemn him to a lonely, ever-lasting life. If that happened, he wouldn't be able to die, and he'd live with the pain after seeing his loved ones die forever, unable to move on from it in the process. In the end, Raguel could not abandon his family, nor could he abandon the girl he loved just so he can potentially acquire more power. After all, what point was there in life if you couldn't share it with anyone?
Having made his decision, Raguel jumped back and braced himself for what was come. "Never."
Azrael lowered his right hand, genuine disappointment and sadness having registered in his face. "I knew that would be your answer, Raguel." He pointed the Muramasa at Raguel before charging forward, the two of them blocking each other's attacks as they tried to one up the other. Azrael managed to land several blows on Raguel before the latter charged forward and managed to strike the former numerous times back in response. Due to Raguel's attacks, Azrael was forced to take a few steps back in pain.
As if knowing what Azrael was about to do, Raguel ran over to the former, hoping to prevent him from making a fatal mistake. However, Azrael pointed the Muramasa at Raguel before tossing him back his pendant, the latter having caught it with his right hand.
"Seven seconds until the end. Time enough for you. Perhaps. But what will you do with it? Let us see." Azrael cryptically told Raguel. "Now go, Raguel. Keep avenging until everyone that has ever wronged you have paid for their transgressions."
"No, don't-!" Raguel began speaking, before Azrael sliced the ground between them, where the ground began splitting between the two. Raguel tried to reach for Azrael before he fell, only for him to be too late as Azrael fell into the abyss, intent on seizing the Root now that he found its location.
Raguel fell down to his knees as he felt the ground he was on beginning to shake and the whole area turning into light, tears falling down from his eyes as he comprehended what just happened. "GAAAAAAAAH!" He let out a lout shout. One not out of victory, but out of loss and despair. Raguel defeated Azrael, but it came at too high of a cost. Herald, Wraith, and Azrael were gone, and Raguel failed to save any of them.
The ground broke apart, which made a battle-wounded Raguel fall down into the abyss, only for Turboblaze Desolation Dragon to appear and save him at the last second. The grief overwhelming Raguel made him black out as Turboblaze Desolation Dragon fired a blast of energy in the air, which created a portal that allowed the duo to fly through before the area was consumed in light completely, having managed to escape it successfully and return home.
Elsewhere, in Mirror LINK VRAINS, at Playmaker and Bohman's duel...
"How did it go, Ai?" Playmaker asked, as Ai returned to his duel disk.
"Not good. The other Ignis... they're gone." Ai sadly answered. "Some bozo with glasses killed them all." He looked up at Playmaker, tears in his eyes. "And he's the one responsible for controlling Bohman and locking Mirror LINK VRAINS down in the first place." Before Ai could say anything else, Bohman laughed.
"You failed in freeing your allies, Ai. How does it feel to know that you couldn't save them?" Bohman taunted, a smirk evident on his face. Unfortunately, the corruption, and by extension Jericho, managed to retake control of Bohman despite being freed from it a few moments earlier.
"Bohman managed to regain control for a few moments after you shut the Neuron Link down, Ai." Playmaker noted.
"Yeah, but Bohman's still corrupted by whatever the bozo with glasses did to him. If we don't defeat Bohman, the infection will spread out through the network and cause irreparable damage." Ai commented, before turning to Playmaker. "The other Ignis gave this to me so we can end this war once and for all."
Rainbow-like data appeared in Playmaker's hands, which made him gasp upon seeing it. "What is this?"
"The remaining powers of the other Ignis. Use it to defeat Bohman and avenge everyone who fell in battle, Playmaker." Ai replied.
"Don't worry, Ai. I promise their sacrifice won't go to waste." Playmaker assured Ai. "Here I go! My turn! I draw!" Playmaker immediately began by discarding Dotscaper to Special Summon Threshold Borg to his field, where he brought Dotscaper back to his field using its effect upon being sent to the Graveyard.
After activating the Continuous-Spell card, Cynet Codec, Playmaker used Dotscaper and Threshold Borg to Link Summon Code Talker, which allowed him to add a Cyberse monster with the same attribute as Code Talker's to his hand. He immediately then used the Micro Coder he added in his hand and Code Talker to Link Summon Encode Talker, which not only allowed him to add another Cyberse monster with the same attribute as Encode Talker due to Cynet Codec's effect, but also add Cynet Optimization to his hand as well. Playmaker brought out Cyberse Gadget before using its effect to Special Summon Micro Coder back to his field. To Bohman's confusion, Playmaker used Encode Talker and Micro Coder to Link Summon Cyberse Witch. After questioning why Playmaker would do such a thing, Playmaker replied that no move was worthless by Special Summoning SIMM Tablir to his hand and add Clock Wyvern back to his hand through SIMM Tablir's effect. What's more, since Playmaker Special Summoned SIMM Tablir to one of the Main Monster Zones Cyberse Witch pointed to, he was allowed to use her effect to add Cynet Ritual and a Cyberse Ritual monster from his deck to his hand in exchange for banishing Cynet Fusion from his Graveyard. Playmaker also activated Cyberse Witch's effect to Special Summon Widget Kid from his Graveyard, which allowed him to bring Clock Wyvern back to his field.
From there, Playmaker used SIMM Tablir and Widget Kid to Ritual Summon Cyberse Magician before overlaying the Level 4 Clock Wyvern with the Level 4 Cyberse Gadget to Xyz Summon Firewall eXceed Dragon. He also used Cyberse Witch and Firewall eXceed Dragon to Link Summon Transcode Talker, which allowed him to use Cynet Codec's effect to add Code Generator to his hand. Once that was done, Playmaker activated the Continuous-Spell card, Cynet Optimization, which allowed him to Normal Summon a Cyberse monster to his field. Thus, Playmaker brought out Code Generator immediately to his field.
"All those moves you've done until now are pointless, Playmaker. None of your monsters can stop Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon." Bohman commented out of disappointment.
"Not on their own, Bohman. But like Playmaker said earlier, when all those moves add up, that is an entirely different story." Ai replied. "Show him what I mean, Playmaker!"
"Right!" Playmaker agreed. "I will now create my ultimate circuit that leads to the future!" A massive Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are three or more effect monsters. I set Cyberse Magician, Code Generator, and the Link 3 Transcode Talker into the Link Markers!" Cyberse Magician went into the top arrowhead, Code Generator went into the left arrowhead, and Transcode Talker went into the right, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all five of them in a rainbow color.
"The mysterious power coming from the dawn of creation! Rain on the star of miracles, and ignite infinite life throughout the entire universe! Link Summon! Appear, Link 5! Firewall Dragon Darkfluid!" A massive droplet of water fell onto the duel field, which caused an eruption of earth, wind, and fire to shoot out of it upon impact. Seconds later, a dragon with black skin and green lines on his body, appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had black, blue, and white armor on his body, along with black and blue diamonds attached to the ring on his back in place of wings. The circle on top of his head was cut in half, each side having spikes on it. There were also white, open circles attached to the back of his arms and legs, as well as a closed circle attached to the end of his tail.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 3000 LINK-5 ↙️⬅️⬆️➡️↘️
"How dare you hurt my home and my family! I will destroy you, and ensure you never hurt them again!" Firewall Dragon Darkfluid roared in infuriating anger, intent on protecting those he cherished.
"Yes! You tell them, Firewall Dragon Darkfluid!" Ai cheered. Even Firewall Dragon Darkfluid has sentience. Does the sentience appear when it's required, or is it something else, he wondered in his mind.
"This... can't be?! You brought out a Link 5 monster?! Only I have the power to do such a thing!" Bohman shouted.
"You're wrong, Bohman. The impossible is just the possible that is yet to be done, Bohboy." Ai replied back. "And we didn't get Darkfluid on our own. Everyone helped us obtain him."
"When Darkfluid is Link Summoned, if there are Cyberse Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz monsters in my Graveyard, I can place a counter on him for each one in my Graveyard. As there's one of each in my Graveyard, that means Darkfluid gains four counters." Playmaker explained, as Darkfluid let out a second roar before rainbow orbs began orbiting around him.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid C: 0 + 4 = 4
"Battle!" Playmaker thrusted out his right hand. "Firewall Dragon Darkfluid attacks Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon! And when he battles, he gains 2500 attack points for each counter on him until the end of the damage step!" Darkfluid let out a third roar before he rose into the sky, his wings having spread into purple energy diamonds as the green lines on his body turn red.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 3000 + (2500 X 4) = 13000
"Flame Tempest Terahertz!" Playmaker declared.
"This is for Flame!" Darkfluid said, as he charged up orange, fiery energy in his mouth before firing it at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, where a silhouette of Flame appeared inside it.
"How foolish, Playmaker. Judgment Arrows' effect will double Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon's attack points." Bohman reminded Playmaker, as a golden aura surrounded Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon before increasing his strength.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 4000 X 2 = 8000
"And I take no damage while he has a 'Hydradrive' counter on it. But why stop there, when I can use Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon's other effect. By removing a 'Hydradrive' counter, it can't be destroyed." A barrier surrounded Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon as it protected him from Darkfluid's attack.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon HC: 4 – 1 = 3
"But because Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon has one less counter, it loses attack points." Playmaker pointed out, as Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon's strength decreased.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 8000 – 2000 = 6000
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 6000 / 2 = 3000
"That matters little. For when the battle is over, Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon's final effect activates. All monsters you control are destroyed." Bohman finished with a laugh.
"Sorry, but that will not happen." Playmaker responded. "I activate Darkfluid's effect! When you activate a monster effect, I can remove a counter to negate that effect. Karma Gear!" One of the rainbow orbs went into Darkfluid's head as he fired a blast of energy at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, which stopped that effect from happening.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid C: 4 – 1 = 3
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 13000 – 2500 - (2500 X 3) = 3000
"In addition, Darkfluid can attack an additional time." Playmaker revealed.
"Attack again?" Bohman repeated.
"That's right! The battle continues!" Playmaker thrusted out his right hand for a second time. "Firewall Dragon Darkfluid attacks Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon once again. And just like before, he gains 2500 attack points for each counter on him until the end of the damage step!"
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 3000 + (2500 X 3) = 10500
"Aqua Tempest Terahertz!" Playmaker declared.
"This is for Aqua!" Darkfluid said, as he charged up light-blue energy in his hands before firing it at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, where a silhouette of Aqua appeared inside it.
"I think not, Playmaker. Need I remind you of what happened earlier? Judgment Arrows' effect activates!" Bohman responded, as a golden aura surrounded Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon once again before increasing his strength.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 3000 X 2 = 6000
"I also remove a 'Hydradrive' counter to prevent his destruction." A second barrier appeared in front of Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon that protected him from the attack.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon HC: 3 – 1 = 2
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 6000 – 2000 = 4000
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 4000 / 2 = 2000
"Now say goodbye to your monsters for good, Play-." Bohman began speaking.
"No, that will not happen. I activate Darkfluid's effect!" Playmaker interrupted. "Just like before, when you activate a monster effect, I can remove a counter to negate that effect. Karma Gear!" The second of the rainbow orbs went into Darkfluid's head as he fired a blast of energy at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, which stopped that effect from happening once again.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid C: 3 – 1 = 2
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 10500 – 2500 - (2500 X 2) = 3000
"And like earlier, Darkfluid can attack once again!" Ai reminded Bohman, as he gasped. "It seems you figured it out, right Bohman? We've put you in an attack loop you can't break out of, which means it's going to be game over for you soon!"
"Oh no!" Bohman exclaimed.
Playmaker thrusted out his right hand for a third time. "The battle continues! Firewall Dragon Darkfluid attacks Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon once again! And just like before, he gains 2500 attack points for each counter on him until the end of the damage step!"
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 3000 + (2500 X 2) = 8000
"Earth Tempest Terahertz!" Playmaker declared.
"This is for Earth!" Darkfluid said, as he corkscrewed tail-first at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, where a silhouette of Earth appeared inside the attack.
"Judgment Arrows' effect activates!" Bohman responded, as a golden aura surrounded Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon for a third time before increasing his strength.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 2000 X 2 = 4000
"I also remove a 'Hydradrive' counter to prevent his destruction." A third barrier appeared in front of Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon that protected him from the attack.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon HC: 2 – 1 = 1
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 4000 – 2000 = 2000
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 2000 / 2 = 1000
"I activate Darkfluid's effect once again!" Playmaker responded. "Just like before, when you activate a monster effect, I can remove a counter to negate that effect. Karma Gear!" The third of the rainbow orbs went into Darkfluid's head as he fired a blast of energy at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, which stopped that effect from happening for a third time.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid C: 2 – 1 = 1
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 8000 – (2500 X 2) = 3000
"And Darkfluid can attack once again!" Ai added.
"The battle continues! Firewall Dragon Darkfluid attacks Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon once again! And just like before, he gains 2500 attack points for each counter on him until the end of the damage step!"
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 3000 + 2500 = 5500
"Windy Tempest Terahertz!" Playmaker declared.
"This is for Windy!" Darkfluid said, as the wing spikes attached to his wings fired out and charged forward at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon before firing green blasts of wind at him, where a silhouette of Windy appeared inside it.
"Judgment Arrows' effect activates!" Bohman responded, as a golden aura surrounded Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon for a fourth time before increasing his strength.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 1000 X 2 = 2000
"I also remove a 'Hydradrive' counter to prevent his destruction." A fourth barrier appeared in front of Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon that protected him from the attack.
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon HC: 1 – 1 = 0
Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon ATK: 2000 – 2000 = 0
"In that case, I activate Darkfluid's effect once again!" Playmaker replied. "Just like before, when you activate a monster effect, I can remove a counter to negate that effect. Karma Gear!" The fourth and final rainbow orb went into Darkfluid's head as he fired a blast of energy at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon, which stopped that effect from happening for a fourth and final time.
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid C: 1 – 1 = 0
Firewall Dragon Darkfluid ATK: 5500 – 2500 = 3000
"And since I did that, it means Darkfluid can attack one more time."
"With that move, all of Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon's counters are gone for good, which means it can no longer do anything to survive this final attack!" Ai said.
Playmaker thrusted out his right hand. "The battle continues for a final time! Firewall Dragon Darkfluid attacks Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon! Neo Tempest Terahertz!"
"This is for my family, the Cyberse creatures you've killed, humanity, and everyone who fell in battle!" Darkfluid said, as the energy diamonds changed to a rainbow color before rainbow energy charged up in his maw, which he fired at Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon before destroying him completely.
"Impossible... I lost! GAAAAAH!" Bohman shouted, as he was sent flying off the ground, his life points having dropped to zero in the process.
Bohman: 2500 – 3000 = 0
"Well done, Playmaker. And thank you for freeing me from that curse." Bohman pushed himself to his feet across from Playmaker and Ai.
"Uh, no problem. Glad to see you're back to normal." Ai said.
"Someone or something interfered with our duel, Bohman. It's not how I wanted to settle things between us." Playmaker stated.
"But despite the interference of that curse, you and Ai continued persevering forward. You defeated me, and stopped it from causing something worse down the road. You two will forever have my undying respect." Bohman praised Playmaker and Ai for never giving up in spite of incredible odds. "Since I lost the duel, I'll vanish soon. Perhaps the teamwork between AI and humanity will be the key to stop the Crisis."
"It will, Bohman. You have my word that we'll stop it when it comes." Playmaker promised.
"I have no doubt you will, Playmaker." Bohman acknowledged, before turning to Ai. "You and Playmaker have the responsibility to determine what path the future takes. I sincerely hope you forge a good one."
"Thanks..." Ai muttered.
"I entrust the future to the both of you. Do not-."
BA-BUMP!
"Get out of the way, Playmaker!" Bohman suddenly shouted, as he pushed Playmaker out of the way before getting stabbed by Jericho, who appeared out of nowhere.
"Bohman!" Playmaker and Ai said, as the duo were pushed into a portal that returned them back to LINK VRAINS.
"How dare you get in my way, Bohman." Jericho commented angrily, as he pushed Bohman back with such force that he was sent flying back. The whole area of Mirror LINK VRAINS began crumbling around the duo as they began their confrontation.
"So you were the one who interfered in our duel and caused chaos both in Mirror LINK VRAINS and LINK VRAINS." Bohman stated, as Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon appeared behind him before firing a blast of energy at Jericho, who quickly dodged the attack.
"Right on the nose, Bohman!" Jericho confirmed, as he quickly charged forward and slashed Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon with the swords in his hands, which made him scream in pain before he turned into particles. Bohman quickly blocked the attacks Jericho made at him, but only barely. "You really thought you had things under control, Bohman?! Your loss was guaranteed the moment you absorbed the Ignis in your body!"
"What?!" Bohman exclaimed, as that moment of distraction resulted in Jericho slashing the former numerous times.
"I expected better from a Construct such as yourself, as I hoped you'd be the one to open the gateway and complete Project: VIII." Jericho scolded Bohman out of disappointment, as he kicked the latter to the ground. He grabbed Bohman by the throat with his left hand. "It looks like I have to go with the faulty Construct after all."
"You know about Project: VIII?" Bohman questioned out of shock.
"Of course I know about it, Bohman. I was a part of the Anointed Alphas after all." Jericho answered, as he slammed a heavily wounded Bohman down to the ground before picking him up again. "I see why you fell to Playmaker in battle. But I am not Playmaker, nor am I Raguel. Those two will realize true terror soon enough. As for you and Haru, the Great One has plans for you both!"
Jericho then stabbed Bohman with the sword with his hand, which made him let out one last breath before turning into golden pieces of data, which turned into a ball that went into the former's duel disk. Seconds later, two more orbs of energy, one white and one black, floated over to Jericho from above before he grabbed them both. He immediately put those two orbs in the rainbow orb that he obtained from Bohman's core as it popped out of his duel disk, which made it glow with energy for a few moments before dissipating. Not only did Jericho capture Bohman and Haru, he was also able to acquire seven out of the eight Ignis in the process. However, thanks to Bohman, Ai was with Playmaker, which meant that Jericho will have to hunt down Playmaker next once he had the chance. But for now, he had to get out of Mirror LINK VRAINS before it trapped him.
Seven Ignis down. One to go, Jericho victoriously thought in his mind, before logging out of Mirror LINK VRAINS.
Elsewhere, back in LINK VRAINS...
The portal opened as it spat out Playmaker and Ai, who went out of it before regaining their footing.
"D-Did Bohman just-?" Ai began speaking.
"Sacrifice himself to save us? Yes, Ai. It appears to be the case." Playmaker answered. Given by how Bohman entrusted the future to Playmaker and Ai, it only made sense for him to save the duo's life. But as to who attacked them, that worried Playmaker the most. He put that worry aside for now, knowing that there were other matters to attend to. Once that was done, Playmaker would inform everyone what happened back in Mirror LINK VRAINS.
"Well, on the plus side, we're back in good old LINK VRAINS. The regular one, not the Mirror one." Ai spoke happily.
"Yes, Ai, but at a high cost." Playmaker reminded Ai, the latter having sighed after realizing that fact.
"Flame, Aqua, Earth, Windy, Lightning, Soulburner, Slipstream, Blue Maiden, Revolver... they're all gone."
Playmaker frowned but then looked up after seeing a golden light that released particles from it. Within several seconds, Playmaker and Ai noticed the comatose people having woken up from their comatose states. "They woke up."
"Bohman must have restored them after losing our duel!" Ai realized, as golden particles appeared in front of him and Playmaker, which took on a form that was familiar to them.
"Soulburner!" Playmaker said.
"Playmaker?" Soulburner turned to Playmaker. "I really hope that's you, and not some sort of bad dream or something like that."
"It's not a bad dream, Soulburner. We won the war." Playmaker confirmed, much to Soulburner's joy.
Blue Maiden and Blood Shepherd materialized near the duo. On top of a building nearby, Revolver, Specter, and Infearno materialized, all three of them alright. Well, almost all of them as Infearno clutched his chest in pain.
"Master Revolver, something's wrong with Infearno!" Specter said out of worry.
"Let's get him back to the real world. The doctors can see what's going on." Revolver decided, as he, Specter, and Infearno quickly logged out of the network. In a secluded area, Watchman materialized before escaping into the shadows. Percival also materialized at another building in the central station, only for him to turn away and log out after doing so.
Akira and Ghost Girl materialized nearby as well, the duo running over to where the others were.
"Blue Maiden, you're okay!" Akira cried out of relief.
"Akira!" Blue Maiden said back, before she ran over to hug Akira, the latter surprised as he gently patted her on the head.
"I have to say, Blood Shepherd. That virus bomb of yours did the trick. You could say we got vengeance on your behalf." Ghost Girl commented.
"I'm not one to usually say this, but thank you, Ghost Girl." Blood Shepherd replied, who offered her a hand as she shook it back in response.
"GUYS!" a familiar voice cried out, as they all turned to see Slipstream run over to the group. "We won, right? This isn't a bad dream, is it?"
"It's not a dream, Slipstream. We won." Playmaker confirmed for a second time. "Bohman decided to let everyone go free."
"Now that's great to hear." Angelica cried out of relief, as the whole group turned to see her approach them. After doing a quick headcount, she gasped. "Wait? Where's Raguel?"
The ground suddenly shook as turned to see the tower from Mirror LINK VRAINS being torn apart before turning into particles. Angelica covered her mouth out of fear that Raguel wasn't able to make it back in time.
WHOOSH!
Everyone turned upwards as they saw Turboblaze Desolation Dragon fly above them, where he was forced to crash land on the ground, a heavily wounded Raguel on his back. The crowd immediately got out of the way upon seeing Turboblaze Desolation Dragon appear.
"Everyone, log out now! This is an emergency!" Akira shouted at the people nearby, who quickly followed his orders after hearing them. "I'll take care of this. You guys see what happened just now."
"Thank you, Zaizen." Playmaker said, as he gestured the others to follow him, which they did. When the group ran over to see what happened, they saw Turboblaze Desolation Dragon on the ground, with a heavily wounded Raguel on his back.
"Raguel... should be fine..." Turboblaze Desolation Dragon assured the group before turning into particles, which went back into Raguel's duel disk.
"A talking duel monster? I never thought I'd see one actually speak one day." Blood Shepherd admitted out of surprise.
"Raguel? Raguel? You there? Raguel?!" Angelica asked, having slapped him numerous times to wake him up.
"GAAH!" Raguel let out a loud gasp after suddenly waking up. He got up on his feet and immediately summoned Excalibur before pointing it at the group, his senses now on high alert. "Stay back! Don't make me attack you!"
"Raguel, calm down. It's us. The war's over." Angelica gently told Raguel, who began shaking out of pure fear, panic, and grief upon seeing her. Such a thing made Angelica gasp in response.
"Raguel, are Herald and Wraith-?" Ai began asking Raguel.
"They're both gone, Ai. I couldn't save them, nor could I save Azrael." Raguel replied, as he began to feel himself black out. "Seal Thirteen, release..." He fell forward before turning into particles, having being forced to log out.
"I got everyone else out. What happened?" Akira inquired, having ran over to the others.
"Beats me, Akira. One moment, Raguel woke up, the next, he was forced to log out by some unknown factor." Ghost Girl told Akira.
Soulburner turned to Playmaker and raised his duel disk. "Were you able to save Flame?" Blue Maiden also raised her duel disk, having come to the sad conclusion that Playmaker was about to answer with.
"I'm sorry, Soulburner, but we could not." Playmaker sadly answered.
"The other Ignis were killed not by Bohman, but by some bozo with glasses!" Ai angrily stated, fresh tears falling from his eyes as he recalled the person he saw in Bohman's core.
"Bozo with glasses?" everyone else repeated.
"That must be the person who interfered during my duel against Bohman." Playmaker theorized.
"I agree with you, Playmaker." Akira supported Playmaker's theory. "That person must also be the one responsible for hurting all those people back in LINK VRAINS. After being hit, I sensed something abnormal."
"Same here." Ghost Girl added.
"Let's log out and get some rest. We can discuss this in the real world after doing so." Angelica suggested, the others nodding in agreement.
"Slipstream, Windy wanted me to give you this." Ai stated, as green data went over to Slipstream before it hovered over his right palm.
"Why would he-?" Slipstream began asking.
"He wanted to apologize for what he did to your cousin, and wishes you all the best." Ai answered, much to Slipstream's surprise. "Windy also thinks that data can help down the road against whatever enemies we face next, especially that bozo who killed the other Ignis!" He let out a sad sigh. "I'm sorry, everyone." Ai then retreated into Playmaker's duel disk and disappeared, having needed some time for himself to reflect on recent events.
With nothing else to do right now, everyone else logged out of the network, intent on recuperating from the war.
Meanwhile, in the real world, at Café Matsuo...
"Ugh." Arashi said, as he slowly opened his eyes before sitting up. From what happened just now, Raguel and Playmaker defeated Bohman and Azrael, which meant they won the Ignis war. But seeing Raguel's sad-stricken face, as well as Ai leaving the group, had disturbed Arashi the most.
Before he could dwell on what happened, a transient corridor appeared out of nowhere, which spat Yuhiro out as he unceremoniously rolled onto the ground. That led to Yuhiro rolling down the stairs before hitting the wall with a loud shout.
"Yuhiro!" Arashi quickly ran downstairs, where he saw Yuhiro slowly trying to stand up on his feet. "Dude, are you-?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Arashi." Yuhiro answered, before suddenly crossed his mind as he stood up on his feet. "Oh, no. MOM!" He quickly ran over to the backroom, where he saw Roxy standing up on her feet. Upon doing so, Yuhiro quickly ran over and hugged Roxy tightly, which caught her off guard.
"Yuhiro! You're back!" Roxy stated, as she slowly released Yuhiro from the hug. However, she slightly gasped after seeing the sad look on Yuhiro's face. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm... I'm fine. I'm good." Yuhiro assured Roxy.
"Great to hear. After some well-earned rest, you'll be as good as-."
"Roxy, wait." Yuhiro frowned. "I'm sorry for what happened."
"If this is about the duel, then it's okay." Roxy immediately began responding. "We talked about this, and we both knew that there it would happen one way or-."
"No, Roxy. I'm really sorry." Yuhiro interrupted, as the tears began falling from his eyes. "I took you for granted. All you ever did was support me, despite everything that happened. The real me. The person I am on the inside. I'm so sorry for all the pain and inconvenience I caused you all of these years."
Roxy sighed as she hugged Yuhiro. "You never took me for granted, nor were you an inconvenience, Yuhiro. I'm damn lucky that you're in my life, and that will never change. I love you, son."
"I love you too, mom." Yuhiro said back.
"Again, this heartwarming moment's awesome." Arashi suddenly spoke up, which got Yuhiro and Roxy's attention. "But we still have to reflect on what happened. I mean, almost all of the Ignis are all dead. Only Ai remains."
"What?!" Roxy exclaimed after being reminded of that fact, as she and Yuhiro went over to where Arashi was. She then immediately hugged Arashi for a few moments. "I'm so sorry."
"I couldn't save Windy." Arashi lamented. "It's funny. I wanted to kill him, but in the end, I chose to spare him. I was able to free myself from revenge as a result."
"And you did the right thing in the end." Roxy told Arashi, before the two of them heard a small sound.
The duo turned to see Yuhiro crying, who had just looked at the duel disk and saw that the light went out. That led Yuhiro to remember how Herald sacrificed himself to make sure he was safe from... whatever the Hell interfered with his duel against Azrael. "Herald, I'm so sorry..."
"Yuhiro, it'll be okay." Roxy reassured Yuhiro, who went over to where he was before hugging him. Suddenly, her phone rang, which led Roxy to take her phone out of her pocket. "Excuse me." She then walked upstairs so she can take the call.
Yuhiro and Arashi then walked to the backroom, the duo proceeding to sit down on different chairs.
"We won, but at a high cost..." Arashi muttered.
"The price of freedom will always be high, Arashi. It's a sad and unfortunate truth." Yuhiro acknowledged. Rasterliger then jumped out of Yuhiro's duel disk, where he sat down beside him. Seeing this, Yuhiro petted Rasterliger's head, glad that he was here.
"I know, Yuhiro. I just wish it wasn't the case." Arashi sighed, he and Yuhiro recalling everything that happened during the war. But before either of them could continue speaking, they heard Roxy running down the stairs and head straight to the backroom.
"That was the doctor! Miyu woke up a while ago!" Roxy announced, which led Yuhiro to stand up on his feet.
"Can she have visitors?" Yuhiro immediately asked.
"Of course! The doctor just told me!" Roxy confirmed, as she ran over to the garage. "Come on! I'll start the car!"
Yuhiro turned to Arashi. "Say, you want to come visit Miyu with me?"
"Yeah, sure. I'd love to go with you guys." Arashi answered, as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He raised an eyebrow after looking at the missed calls on the screen, where each one was from his mom, Cassidy. "You two go on ahead. I have to take care of something."
"Okay. Don't take too long." Yuhiro and Rasterliger then left the backroom, which left Arashi alone as he quickly speed dialled a number on his phone.
"Hello?"
"Mom, it's me." Arashi said.
"Arashi? Where were you? Why didn't you answer my calls?" Cassidy inquired.
"I'm really sorry, mom. I was busy with other matters. Schoolwork and what not." Arashi explained. "How come you called me numerous times, mom?"
"Because I have some news to tell you. It's about Takeda." Cassidy answered.
"Takeda? Is he okay?"
"Yeah! He woke up from his coma a few hours ago! He's alive and well!"
Arashi's mouth slightly opened as he processed the news. Takeda was okay! He survived the car crash! "Oh my god. That's awesome!"
"Hang on. I'll get him." The call ended on Cassidy's end, much to Arashi's curiosity. Before he can process what Cassidy meant, the phone rang once again. Specifically, the 'Facetime' section of the phone. When Arashi answered it, he gasped upon seeing the screen.
"Yo, Arashi! It's been a while!" Takeda stated.
"You're okay..." Arashi cried out of relief after seeing Takeda on the screen of his phone. "You're actually okay..."
"Well, I didn't get out of it unscathed." Takeda pointed out, as he pointed to the bandages around his head before gesturing over to the bandages on his body. "I got a bit of a concussion, and a fractured bone or two. But other than that, the doctor said that I'll be okay. No worse injuries. In fact, he commented how lucky I was to survive. Goes to show how Lady Luck's blessed our family, don't you agree?"
Arashi couldn't help but cry more tears of joy. Despite those injuries, Takeda was acting like his usual self, as though the car accident Windy caused never occurred. If one good thing came out of this horrific day, it was seeing Takeda, alive and well after so long.
"Hey, you okay, dude?"
"I'm just happy to see you again." Arashi happily responded back.
Elsewhere, at the Den City hospital...
"Alright! And here we are!" Roxy announced, as she parked her car in one of the several parking spots available near the entrance. "I'll check us in and-." She then turned to her right after hearing Yuhiro let out a panicked sound. "Hey, what's going on?"
"I think I'm having an anxiety attack." Yuhiro told Roxy, as he suddenly felt himself hyperventilating before he went pale.
"Easy there, buddy. Deep breaths. You're safe, and it'll be okay. Nothing will hurt you." Roxy gently replied back.
"I just need some space." Yuhiro turned to Roxy. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up."
"Alright. Take all the time you need." Roxy then opened the door hesitantly before heading towards the entrance.
Rasterliger then quickly turned to Yuhiro, the former having sat in the back seat. "What's wrong, Yuhiro?"
"I'm scared. I'm really scared." Yuhiro confessed. "I don't know what's going to happen next. I don't know what Miyu will say once she sees me. Hell, I'm scared that she'll reject me not only after learning that my own brother put her in a coma, but for my own family causing this mess as well."
"You are catastrophizing right now, Yuhiro. The scenarios you're describing are only theoretical." Rasterliger reminded Yuhiro.
"Perhaps, but I'm just scared of being abandoned by the people in my life."
"Yuhiro, no one can predict the future. Such a thing is impossible. The only way you'll get answers as to what happens next are for you to confront the current situation. Words and actions will determine what happens next."
Yuhiro turned to Rasterliger. "I hope you're right, RL."
"If there's one thing I can say for certain, it's that Miyu misses you. She's in there, Yuhiro. Be there for her." Rasterliger gently pointed out. After hearing that point, Yuhiro got out of the car, where he opened the other car door so Rasterliger can get out as well. The two of them then headed over to the entrance to the Den City Hospital, where they found numerous people there. Several of which were happy to see their loved ones safe and sound.
Most of these people were affected by what Malf did to them, and with his defeat, they're awake, Yuhiro thought in his mind. Thanks to Takeru defeating Malf, all the victims that were put in the hospital were finally awake. He heard a squeal, which led to him walking over to an area of the hospital that consisted of parents and kids playing with one another.
And in that area was Roxy, who let out the squeal after seeing Miyu was awake and hanging out with the kids.
"Miyu?" Roxy cried out, tears of joy in her eyes as Miyu turned to her.
"Auntie, it's you!" Miyu said back, as she stood up on her feet before running over to Roxy and giving her a big hug, the latter hugging the former back.
"You're okay! And you haven't lost your ability to walk!" Roxy stated. "Miyu, I am so sorry I didn't protect you. I failed, and I'm-."
"Hey, you're here now. It'll be okay." Miyu assured Roxy. "Wait. Where's-?" She gasped after seeing Yuhiro enter the area.
"Hi, Miyu." Yuhiro simply said, before Miyu ran over and hugged him, the latter hugging the former back just as tightly. "You're here!"
"Yeah. I'm here." Miyu agreed, before she gasped as her vision wavered. Instead of seeing the boy she treasured, the person she was seeing was the same person in her nightmare. The same person who would eventually fall into despair if the nightmare came to pass. The fact that the boy in her nightmare and the boy in front of her were one and the same scared her.
"What's wrong?" Yuhiro inquired, as the next thing he knew, Miyu placed her hands on both sides of his head and pressed his forehead onto hers.
"Please don't leave me, Yuhiro. Please promise me you'll never leave me." Miyu pleaded in a scared tone. It wasn't just for her sake, it was for his sake, and for everyone else's sake as well. After everything Yuhiro did for her, it was only fair for Miyu to be there for him during this troubling time. She could tell that something happened to Yuhiro, and Miyu swore that she wouldn't let him fall into despair.
"Of course. I'll never leave you." Yuhiro vowed, the two of them chuckling and smiling at one another in sadness and joy.
The moment was interrupted, however, by a loud whine. Yuhiro and Miyu turned to see Rasterliger having entered the area.
"RL's been waiting for you to pay attention to him." Roxy said, as she headed towards Yuhiro and Miyu.
"Progleo's all grown up, huh?" Miyu sadly commented, before she knelt down and petted Rasterliger. "Hey, there."
"He goes by Rasterliger now, Miyu. But we all call him RL." Yuhiro explained, as he also knelt down and petted Rasterliger as well. Roxy was nearby, having leaned on the wall so she can take a good look at what was going on.
In Yuhiro's mind, all the hard work paid off. He got the love of his life back, alive and well.
In Miyu's mind, she had the love of her life back safe and sound. Though it'll take her time, she'll be able to catch up to the others.
The Ignis war, and all the stresses everyone faced was finally over at last. Peaceful times were coming now, and Yuhiro would make sure that they'd stay for a long time.
Meanwhile, in an area of the network...
Azrael landed in a dark area, which consisted of a dark-grey sky and several destroyed pieces of buildings. The area also had a large piece of water throughout the area, which wasn't deep at all, thus allowing one to run and walk as if it weren't there.
He stood up on his feet, curious on where he ended up after leaving Yuhiro. Their clash led them to appear in an area that was close to the Root, and seizing the chance, decided to abandon Yuhiro and continue his pursuit for it. However, Yuhiro did point something out during their duel: That Urizen, and his servants by extension were responsible for killing their parents. Not just that, but how Urizen tried to seize the Root.
This information both angered and concerned Azrael, for there were other people seeking the Root, just as he was doing so. Plus, Azrael wanted to make Urizen and his allies suffer for murdering his and Yuhiro's parents all those years ago. It was also most likely that Urizen sent that creature to try and kill him and Yuhiro during their duel, which led Herald and Wraith to sacrifice themselves to save them both. In addition, Urizen was even responsible for interfering during the Ignis war too, and ruining Azrael's plans in the process. Thus, breeding two more reasons why Azrael wanted to go after Urizen: To make him pay for killing Wraith, and for interfering in his long, laid-out plans to avoid death once and for all.
Soon, Azrael noticed several demonic creatures walk towards him, as well as a battleship heading to his location.
"It'll be fun to fight against the great deceiver." Azrael spoke up, as he quickly unsheathed the Muramasa, a smirk evident on his face. "If father did it, I should be able to do it too!"
And with a loud battle cry, Azrael charged towards the creatures, intent on slaying every single one with them, along with anyone else who would dare to get in his way in his quest for seizing the Root. It belonged to the Furutani family only, and Azrael would obtain it in order to achieve eternity.
Death would never have him again. That was something Azrael would ensure never happens again. And if he managed to protect Yuhiro from a worse trouble down the road, then it'd be an additional benefit for him in the end, knowing that he kept his little brother safe.
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 trios. First is Firewall Dragon, Firewall eXceed Dragon, and Firewall Dragon Darkfluid, second is Salamangreat Heatleo, Violet Chimera, and Pyro Phoenix, third is Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode, Scorching Cerberus and Turboblaze Desolation Dragon, fourth is Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, and Hi-Speedroid Altair, and fifth is Borreload Savage Dragon, Borreload Dragon, and Borreload eXcharge 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
Jericho:
Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya (LV: 4/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1200/DEF: 500)
Effect: This card is also treated as a Warrior monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 'Persona Civilian', 1 'Persona Tactics', or 'Persona Arms' card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of 'Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya' once per turn. You can only control 1 'Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya' on your field.
Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto (LV: 3/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 700/DEF: 800)
Effect: This card is also treated as a Warrior monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can inflict 400 damage to your opponent, and if you do, you can add 1 Level 3 or lower Cyberse-type monster to your hand from your Deck. You can only use this effect of 'Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto' once per turn. You can control only 1 'Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto' on your field.
Persona Civilian – Sumire Yoshizawa (LV: 3/Cyberse/Water/ATK: 900/DEF: 600)
Effect: This card is also treated as a Warrior monster while on your field or in your GY. If your opponent controls a face-up card in their Spell and Trap Zone, you can Special Summon it from your hand or GY to your field. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 'Persona Tactics' or 'Persona Arms' Spell or Trap Card in your GY; return it back to your deck, and if you do, this card can attack your opponent directly this turn. You can use this effect only once per turn. You can control only 1 "Persona Civilian – Sumire Yoshizawa".
Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa (LV: 4/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700)
Effect: This card is also treated as a Warrior monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 'Persona Civilian' monster from your deck to your field in defense position. You can only use this effect of 'Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa' once per turn. You can only control 1 'Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa' per turn.
Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki (LV: 4/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1000)
Effect: This card is also treated as a Warrior monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can send 1 'Persona Civilian' monster from your deck to your GY. While that monster is in your GY, any battle or effect damage you would take or pay is reduced by that monster's ATK (even if this card is in your GY). You can only use this effect of 'Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki' once per turn. You can only control 1 'Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki' on your field.
Persona Tactics – Metaverse Palace (Field Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can add 1 'Persona Civilian', 'Persona Arms', or 'Persona Tactics' card from your Deck to your hand. All monsters your opponent control are treated as DARK-attribute monsters. If your opponent controls a monster: You can Special Summon 1 'Persona Token' (?/DARK/Cyberse/ATK: ?/DEF: ?) to your field; also, treat this Token's Level as the Level, Rank, or Link Rating of a monster your opponent controls with lowest ATK. If you control a 'Persona' Link monster: You can target 1 monster in your GY; shuffle it into the Deck. You can only use each effect of 'Persona Tactics – Metaverse Palace' once per turn. If this card on the field is sent to your GY by a card effect: Send all monsters in the Extra Monster Zones to the GY.
Persona Tactics – Calling Card (Normal Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can Special Summon 1 'Persona Civilian' monster from your deck or GY to your field. You can only use this effect of 'Persona Tactics – Calling Card' once per turn.
Persona Tactics – Emergency Tag Out (Normal Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can shuffle 1 Cyberse monster on your field to your deck; Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from your deck with a different name to your field. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY; shuffle 1 Cyberse monster on your field to your deck, and if you do, you can Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from either player's GY to your field, but negate its effects. You can only activate 1 'Persona Tactics – Emergency Tag Out' effect per turn, and only 1 that turn.
Persona Tactics – Ruinous Curse (Quick-Play Spell card)
Effect: If you control a 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' Link monster: You can banish 1 random card from your opponent's Extra Deck. If you control two or more 'Persona Force' Link monsters: You can look through your opponent's Extra Deck; banish 1 card from it instead. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there, and your LP are less than your opponents: You can banish this card from your GY; any damage you would take from a battle is reduced to zero, and if you do, you can have both players take damage equal to the monster with the highest original ATK on the field (if it's a tie, you get to choose). You can only use each effect of 'Persona Tactics – Ruinous Curse' once per turn.
Persona Arms – Whip of Seduction (Equip Spell card)
Effect: Equip only to a Cyberse monster. It gains 700 ATK; also, you take no battle damage involving your equipped monster when it battles. If this card is equipped to 'Persona Force – Carmen the Panther', after damage calculation: You can take control of your opponent's monster your equipped monster battled. You can only control 1 'Persona Arms – Whip of Seduction'.
Persona Tactics – Mental Shutdown (Normal Trap card)
Effect: If your opponent activates a card effect while you control a 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' Link monster: You can negate that effect until the End Phase, and if you do, you can activate one of three effects based on the type of card negated by this effect:
Monster: Gain LP equal to that monster's original ATK.
Spell: The ATK of all 'Persona Soul' and 'Persona Force' Link monsters you summon and on your field are doubled until the end of your next turn.
Trap: Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation and effect of 'Persona Soul' and 'Persona Force' Link monsters.
If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there, and your opponent activates a card effect: You can banish this card from your GY; negate the effect. You can only activate 1 'Persona Tactics – Mental Shutdown' per turn, and only 1 that turn.
Persona Tactics – Equipment Interception (Normal Trap card)
Effect: When your opponent activates a card effect: You can negate the effect, and if you do, banish it, and if you do that, you can activate and equip 1 'Persona Arms' Equip Spell card from your deck to a 'Persona' monster you control. If you control three or more 'Persona Force' Link monsters, you can activate this card from your hand. You can only activate 1 'Persona Tactics – Equipment Interception' per turn.
Persona Tactics – Tres of Destruction (Normal Trap card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can negate the effects of cards your opponent controls up to the number of 'Persona Force' Link monsters you control. If you control 'Persona Force – Arsene the Joker', 'Persona Force – Captain the Skull', and 'Persona Force – Carmen the Panther': You can destroy all cards your opponent controls. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation. If you control three or more 'Persona Force' Link monsters, you can activate this card from your hand. You can only activate 1 'Persona Tactics – Tres of Destruction' per turn.
Persona Tactics – Emblem Shield (Continuous-Trap card)
Effect: While this card is on your field, 'Persona Force' and 'Persona Soul' Link monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, also, any damage you take is halved. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 'Persona Soul' or 'Persona Force' Link monster you control; that monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects for the rest of this turn. You can only activate 1 'Persona Tactics – Emblem Shield' per turn. During each of your Standby Phases while this card is face-up on your field: Take 1000 damage.
Persona Soul – Arsene (LR: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 500/⬇️)
Effect: 1 Cyberse monster. This card is also treated as a Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 "Persona Civilian" monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field. If you Link Summon "Persona Force – Arsene the Joker" by using this card and "Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya", you can treat this card as Link-2 monster. If you use this card to Link Summon a "Persona Force" Link Monster: You can draw a card.
Persona Soul – Captain Kidd (LR: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 500/⬇️)
Effect: 1 Cyberse monster. This card is also treated as a Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 "Persona Civilian" monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field. If you Link Summon "Persona Force – Captain the Skull" by using this card and "Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto", you can treat this card as a Link-2 monster. If you use this card to Link Summon a "Persona Force" Link Monster, you can inflict 200 damage to your opponent for each card in your hand.
Persona Soul – Goemon (LR: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 500/↙️)
Effect: 1 Cyberse monster. This card is also treated as a Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 "Persona Civilian" monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field. If you Link Summon 'Persona Force – Goemon the Fox' by using this card and 'Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa', you can treat this card as Link-2 monster. If you use this card to Link Summon a 'Persona Force' Link Monster: You can target one Link 3 monster you control with a different name; any damage that monster would inflict when it battles a Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls is doubled until the End Phase.
Persona Soul – Carmen (LR: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 500/↙️)
Effect: 1 Cyberse monster. This card is also treated as a Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 "Persona Civilian" monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field. If you Link Summon "Persona Force – Carmen the Panther" by using this card and "Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki", you can treat this card as a Link-2 monster. If you use this card to Link Summon a "Persona Force" Link Monster: You can activate this effect; once per turn, during Battle Phase, if a Cyberse Link Monster you control battles a monster your opponent controls with higher ATK, any battle damage you would take is inflicted to your opponent instead until the End Phase.
Persona Force – Arsene the Joker (LR: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 2300/⬆️⬇️➡️)
Effect: 2 or more Dark Cyberse effect monsters. You can also Link Summon this card by using a copy of 'Persona Soul – Arsene' and 'Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya' on your field as Link material instead. This card is also treated as a Warrior and Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. You can target 1 Link-3 or lower "Persona Force" Link Monster in your GY, except "Persona Force – Arsene the Joker"; Special Summon it to your zone this card points to. You cannot Special Summon monsters the turn you activate this effect, except Cyberse monsters. You can only use this effect of "Persona Force – Arsene the Joker" once per turn. If you Link Summoned this card by using a copy of 'Persona Soul – Arsene' and 'Persona Civilian – Ren Amamiya', for the rest of this duel, it gains the following effect.
While this card is co-linked with a "Persona Soul" or "Persona Force" Link Monster, it and its co-linked monsters gain 500 ATK, also your opponent cannot target any of them with card effects.
Persona Force – Captain the Skull (LR: 3/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 2300/⬅️⬆️➡️)
Effect: 2 or more Cyberse effect monsters. You can also Link Summon this card by using a copy of 'Persona Soul – Captain Kidd' and 'Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sugimoto' on your field as Link material instead. This card is also treated as a Warrior and a Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. When this card is Link Summoned: You can choose unused Main Monster Zones equal to the number of monsters currently in the Extra Monster Zones; those zones cannot be used while this monster is face-up on the field, also, your opponent takes 500 damage for each Link Monster you control. If you Link Summoned this card by using a copy of "Persona Soul – Captain Kidd" and "Persona Civilian – Ryuji Sakamoto", for the rest of this Duel, it gains the following effect.
While this card is co-linked with "Persona Soul" or "Persona Force" Link Monster, it and its co-linked monsters gain 500 ATK, also they cannot be destroyed by card effects.
Persona Force – Goemon the Fox (LR: 3/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 2300/⬅️↙️➡️)
Effect: 3 Cyberse monsters. You can also Link Summon this card by using a copy of 'Persona Soul – Goemon' and 'Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa' on your field as Link material instead. This card is also treated as a Warrior and a Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; negate that target's effects until the end of this turn. If you Link Summoned this card by using a copy of "Persona Soul – Goemon" and "Persona Civilian – Yusuke Kitagawa", for the rest of this duel, it gains the following effect:
Once per turn, if this card battles an opponent's monster and is co-linked with a 'Persona Force' Link Monster, during damage calculation (Quick Effect): You can shuffle 1 monster from your GY back into your deck; this card's ATK becomes double its original ATK during that damage calculation only.
Persona Force – Carmen the Panther (LR: 3/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 2300/⬆️⬇️↘️)
Effect: 2 or more Cyberse effect monsters. You can also Link Summon this card by using a copy of 'Persona Soul – Carmen and 'Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki' on your field as Link material instead. This card is also treated as a Warrior and Spellcaster monster while on your field or in your GY. Once per turn, before damage calculation, if your monster this card points to battles an opponent's monster with higher ATK than it: You can make that monster unable to be destroyed by that battle; also, you take no battle damage from that battle. If you Link Summoned this card by using a copy of 'Persona Soul – Carmen' and 'Persona Civilian – Ann Takamaki', for the rest of this duel, it gains the following effect.
After damage calculation, have this card or 1 monster it points to gain ATK equal to the ATK of that battled opponent's monster, until the end of this turn. Also, if this card points to a 'Persona Force' Link Monster, you can have this card gain 400 ATK and can attack a second time this turn.
Zero:
Rontron (LV: 3/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 300/DEF: 300)
Effect: If this card is in your hand and you would take damage: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field, and if you do, reduce that damage to zero, and if you do that, you can shuffle 1 card on your opponent's field back into their deck. You take no further damage the turn you activate this effect. If this card is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster: You can shuffle this card back into your deck; Set 1 Spell or Trap card from your deck to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Rontron' once per turn.
Cycliptron (LV: 4/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 100/DEF: 1500)
Effect: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; it cannot attack until the end of your opponent's next turn. If this card is used for the Link Summon of a LIGHT Cyberse Link monster (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; return it to their hand. You can only use each effect of 'Cycliptron' once per turn.
Viscom Nanotron (LV: 6/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 1800/DEF: 100)
Effect: If your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field. If a LIGHT Cyberse monster you control inflicts battle damage (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster in your opponent's GY; Special Summon it to your field, but send it to the GY during your End Phase. If this card is used for the Link Summon of a LIGHT Cyberse Link monster: You can target 1 LIGHT Cyberse monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field in defense position, but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use each effect of 'Viskam Nanotron' once per turn.
Provident Pruning (Normal Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can shuffle Light Cyberse monsters from your GY or banished zone back into your deck and/or Extra Deck up to the number of Light Cyberse monsters you control. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 Light Cyberse monster you control; that monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects for the rest of this turn. You can only activate 1 'Provident Pruning' effect per turn, and only 1 that turn.
Growth of Providence (Normal Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated, you can Special Summon 1 LIGHT Cyberse monster from your deck to your field. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card; Special Summon 1 'Seedling' token to your field (LV: 1/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). You can only activate 1 'Growth of Providence' effect per turn, and only one effect that turn.
Fusion of Providence (Quick-Play Spell card)
Effect: Fusion Summon 1 LIGHT Cyberse Fusion monster from your Extra Deck, using LIGHT Cyberse monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Material. If you control a LIGHT Cyberse Link monster, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY, and if you do, target 1 LIGHT Cyberse Link monster you control; Special Summon LIGHT Cyberse monsters from your deck or GY to Main Monster Zones that monster points to. You can only use each effect of 'Fusion of Providence' once per turn.
Emblem of Providence (Equip Spell card)
Effect: Equip only to a Light Cyberse monster. If the equipped monster battles, negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls, and if you do, you can have this card gain 300 ATK for each card negated by this effect until the end of the damage step. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY; draw 2 cards, then shuffle 1 from your hand back into your deck. You can only use each effect of 'Emblem of Providence' once per turn.
Permillind Hicrotron (LV: 8/Cyberse/Fusion/Light/ATK: 2600/DEF: 0)
Effect: Femtron + Cycliptron. Must first be Fusion Summoned. You can shuffle up to three Light Cyberse monsters from your GY back into your deck; draw cards from the top of your deck up to the number of Light Cyberse monsters shuffled into your deck by this effect, and if you do, you can have all Light Cyberse monsters you control gain 400 ATK for each Light Cyberse monster shuffled into your deck by this effect until the End Phase. If this card leaves the field: You can Special Summon 2 Light Cyberse monsters with different names from your deck in defense position. You can only use each effect of 'Permillind Hicrotron' once per turn.
Goledule Cryotron (LR: 1/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 1000/⬇️)
Effect: 1 Light Cyberse monster. When this card is Link Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Light Cyberse monster from your deck or GY to your field, and if you do, you can shuffle 1 Light Cyberse monster with a different name from your GY or banished zone back into your deck or Extra Deck, if there are any. If this card is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster: You can have that monster gain 1000 ATK until the end of your next turn. You can only use each effect of 'Goledule Cryotron' once per turn.
Mothinear Lepidopteron (LR: 3/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 2500/↙️⬇️↘️)
Effect: 2 or more LIGHT Cyberse monsters. When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 LIGHT Cyberse monster in your deck or GY; Special Summon it to your field in a Main Monster Zone this card points to, and if you do, gain LP equal to its ATK. If this card points to a Light Cyberse monster: You can shuffle cards your opponent controls to their deck and/or Extra Deck up to the number of LIGHT Cyberse monsters this card points to, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each card shuffled by this effect. If this card leaves the field: You can have all LIGHT Cyberse monsters on your field gain 500 ATK until the end of your next turn. You can only use each effect of 'Mothinear Lepidopteron' once per turn.
Raguel:
Cyreath Avatar (LV: 1/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
Effect: When this card is used for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' monster: You can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' or 'Turboblaze Dragon' monster from your GY to your field, but negate its effects. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY; excavate the top card of your deck, and if you do, you can activate 1 of the following effects:
Monster: Special Summon that monster to your field in defense position, ignoring its summoning conditions.
Spell: Draw 2 cards from the top of your deck.
Trap: Set it to your field. It can be activated this turn.
You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Avatar' once per turn.
Cyreath Selector (Quick-Play Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can send the top card of your deck to your GY; reveal 3 'Cyreath' cards from your deck with different names to your opponent. Your opponent chooses 1 to add to your hand, 1 to shuffle into your deck, and 1 to send to your GY. If a 'Cyreath' card is targeted by battle or card effect (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY; you can choose the target to a different 'Cyreath' card you control instead. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Selector' effect per turn, and only 1 that turn.
Cyreath Tranquility (Continuous-Spell card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can draw the top card of your deck. If you Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon a 'Cyreath' monster (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' monster from your GY to your field. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY; add 1 'Cyreath' card from your GY to your hand. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Tranquility' once per turn.
Cyreath Erosion (Continuous-Trap card)
Effect: During either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card effect (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 'Cyreath' monster from your GY; negate the effect, and if you do, apply 1 of the following effects below based on the type of card negated by this effect:
Monster: Gain LP equal to that monster's original ATK.
Spell: For the rest of this turn, all 'Cyreath' monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects.
Trap: Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation and effects of 'Cyreath' cards in your hand, field, or GY until the End Phase.
If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY; add or Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' monster from your deck. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of each of this card's effects if you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Erosion' once per turn.
Cyreath Alliance (Normal Trap card)
Effect: Target 1 'Cyreath' or 'Turboblaze Dragon' monster you control; it gains 700 ATK for each 'Cyreath' monster you control until the End Phase. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 'Cyreath' or 'Turboblaze Dragon' monster you control; that monster gains 700 ATK for each 'Cyreath' Link monster in your GY until the End Phase. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Alliance' effect per turn, and only 1 effect that turn.
Cyreath Melinoe (LR: 2/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1000/⬆️⬇️)
Effect: 2 'Cyreath' monsters. When this card is Link Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' monster from your deck to your field. If this card is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link monster: Inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each monster used as Link Material for that Link Summon. If this card leaves your field by battle or card effect: You can send 1 card your opponent controls to their GY. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Melinoe' once per turn.
Cyreath Super Orion (LR: 4/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 3000/↙️⬆️⬇️↘️)
Effect; 2 or more 'Cyreath' Link monsters. When this card is Link Summoned: You can have this card become unaffected by your opponent's card effects for the rest of this turn. During either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card effect (Quick Effect): You can negate that effect, and if you do, send it to your GY, and if you do that, you can shuffle 1 card on the field to the player's respective deck or Extra Deck. This card can make a second attack during the Battle Phase. If this card is sent from your field to your GY by battle or your opponent's card effect, or is banished by your opponent's card effect (Quick Effect): Inflict 3000 damage to your opponent. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of each of this card's effects. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Super Orion' once per turn.
Turboblaze Desolation Dragon (LR: 5/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 4000/↙️⬅️⬆️➡️↘️)
Effect: 3 or more Cyberse effect monsters. This card is also treated as a 'Cyreath' card while on your field or in your GY, also, its name is also 'Turboblaze Dragon' while on your field or in your GY. If this card is Link Summoned using 'Turboblaze Dragon' as Link Material: You can negate the effects of all face-up and face-down monsters your opponent controls, and if you do, destroy them, and if you do that, you can have this card gain 500 ATK for each monster destroyed by this effect. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of this card's effect. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell and Trap cards and effects. If this card battles a monster your opponent controls, your opponent cannot Spell or Trap cards or effects until the end of the damage step, also, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK or DEF (whichever is higher) of that monster at the end of the battle (even if this card is in your GY). Once, if this card leaves the field (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon 1 'Turboblaze Dragon' from your GY to your field.
Azrael:
Cychaic Bald Eagle (LV: 7/Cyberse/Wind/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2500)
Effect: When a 'Cychaic' monster you control battles and this card is in your hand: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field in defense position, and if you do, you can have that monster gain 2500 ATK until the End Phase; also, that monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects for the rest of this turn. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: Gain 500 LP for each 'Cychaic' monster you control. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Bald Eagle' per turn.
Cychaic Progenitor (LV: 8/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000)
Effect: If your opponent declares an attack and this card is in your hand: You can Special Summon this card from your hand in defense position, and if you do, negate the attack, and if you do that, you can shuffle monsters from your GY and/or banished zone up to the number of monsters your opponent controls. If this effect is activated: You can have your opponent target 1 monster they control; Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your GY whose ATK is less than or equal to that monster's original ATK. You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or field; immediately after this effect resolves, Link Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster by shuffling 'Cychaic' monsters from your GY and/or banished zone back into your deck and/or Extra Deck. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can draw 1 card from the top of your deck. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Progenitor' once per turn.
Cychaic Avatar (LV: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
Effect: When this card is used for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon of a 'Cychaic' monster: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' or 'Teravolt Dragon' monster from your GY to your field, but negate its effects. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY; excavate the top card of your deck, and if you do, you can activate 1 of the following effects:
Monster: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK.
Spell: Destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field, and 1 card your opponent controls or in their hand.
Trap: Set it to your field. It can be activated this turn.
You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Avatar' once per turn.
Cychaic Accumulation (Continuous-Trap card)
Effect: While this card is in your field, each time your opponent adds a card from their deck, except by drawing them during their Draw Phase: You can draw that many cards, and if you do, gain 300 LP for each card drawn by this effect. You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your deck or GY to your field, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can Set 'Cychaic' Spell or Trap cards to your field from your deck up to the difference between your opponent's Spell and Trap cards and yours on your field. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Accumulation' once per turn.
Cychaic Decree (Continuous-Trap card)
Effect: When this card is activated: You can target 1 'Cychaic' Link monster on your field; place 'Cychaic' counters on it equal to its Link rating, and if you do, negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you targeted a Link 3 or higher 'Cychaic' monster with this effect. If your opponent summons a monster or activates a card effect: You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; negate the summon or effect, and if you do, destroy it. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: Any damage you take for the rest of this turn is halved. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Decree' once per turn. While this card is in your GY, if you would take damage: You can remove 1 'Cychaic' counter from a 'Cychaic' Link monster; negate that damage.
Cychaic Virtue (Normal Trap card)
Effect: Target 1 'Cychaic' monster in your GY; gain LP equal to its ATK, and if you do, any damage you take for the rest of this turn is halved. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card and 1 'Cychaic' monster in your GY; 1 'Cychaic' monster you control gains ATK equal to the banished 'Cychaic' monster's ATK until the End Phase. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' monster from your hand, deck, or GY to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Virtue' once per turn.
Teravolt Devastation Dragon (LR: 5/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 4000/↙️↖️⬇️↗️↘️)
Effect: 3 or more Cyberse effect monsters. This card is also treated as a 'Cychaic' card while on your field or in your GY, also, its name is also 'Teravolt Dragon' while on your field or in your GY. If this card is Link Summoned using 'Teravolt Dragon' as Link Material: You can negate the effects of all face-up and face-down Spell and Trap cards your opponent controls, and if you do, destroy them, and if you do that, you can have this card gain 500 ATK for each monster destroyed by this effect. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of this card's effect. Unaffected by your opponent's monster effects. If this card battles a monster your opponent controls, your opponent cannot activate monster effects until the end of the damage step, also, the monster that battles this card must battle with their original ATK. Once, if this card leaves the field (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon 1 'Teravolt Dragon' from your GY to your field.
QOTC
Now that Season 2 is over, would you mind answering the following questions in your review or through a PM?
What was your favorite character in Season 2?
What was your favorite chapter in Season 2?
What was your favorite duel in Season 2?
What is something I should continue doing in chapters?
What is something I should stop doing in chapters?
What is something I should start doing in chapters?
Compared to Season 1, how well have I done as a writer? How well do you think I've improved since I finished Season 2?
What is something you're looking forward to for Season 3?
Would you recommend this story to a friend?
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 94: First Steps towards Redemption. With the death of several of the Ignis, the Hanoi are one step closer to eliminating the threat of AI for good and keeping humanity safe from whatever lies in the network. However, they suffered massive repercussions as a result of their mission. As they recuperate from their losses, Zandaka seeks to settle personal matters, and ends up meeting someone who wishes something similar in the process. Upon meeting this person and learning what they've been through, Zandaka suggests an idea that can help the both of them acquire redemption over time...
Chapter 95: One Choice makes a Difference. The Ignis war is finally over. Lightning, Bohman, Azrael, and Wraith have been defeated, but at too high of a cost. While Yuhiro and the others deal with the fallout of the war, Brion, Greg, Rachel, and Gil launch an attack on Central Japan, hoping to liberate it from Balius' control for good...
Chapter 96: Follow the Wind. Ever since Arashi arrived at Den City, he had one goal. To find out who injured Takeda and bring the one responsible to justice. However, upon learning that his cousin has fully waken up from his coma, Arashi has begun questioning where to go from here. As Arashi continues to ponder this question day after day, he ends up receiving help from someone he didn't expect...
Author's Notes
Massive credit goes to Iris Luster for his winning archetype that appeared in this chapter, as well as to HunterHQ for looking over the effects of Turboblaze Desolation Dragon and Teravolt Devastation Dragon so they weren't broken.
Well, folks. With this chapter, Season 2 is over at last. That said, I hope everyone not only enjoyed the chapter, but the overall story so far as well. Regarding that, the thing we'll cover before the recap is the QOTC. Like before, as a writer, I strive to improve, and it would help if you answered the QOTC either in your review or in a PM to me. It contains eight questions, which shouldn't take too long for you to answer. While I won't take everyone's suggestions, I will listen to everyone's feedback before incorporating it in my writing. With that out of the way, let's recap the main events that occurred, shall we? This will be split into four sections, which will consist of the Hanoi meeting, Jericho and Zero's duel, anime events, Raguel and Azrael's duel, and then the conclusion.
First up is the beginning of the chapter, where Yua rendezvous' with the other Hanoi. Now note that the other Hanoi, except for Kyoko, know that she's heading over to where they are right now. The other Hanoi assumed that one of their allies is coming to help them out. When Yua arrives, she's greeted with a punch from Kyoko, and shock from Aso and Eizaburo upon seeing her after so many years. It makes sense, as they thought that Yua vanished following the Lost Incident. Knowing how dire the situation is, the other Hanoi agree to let Yua in and allow her to assist them. When Yua sees that Akairo is with the others, she becomes furious at the fact that Ryoken roped him in this entire mess. Yua also reveals something else: That the deal she made with Watchman was also in the form of blackmail. While Watchman agreed to shield Yua from the authorities in exchange for her assistance, he ensured that she helped him by threatening to throw her to the wolves if she disobeyed his orders. Just goes to show how vile Watchman is, despite his appearance of wanting to make amends.
Next up is the duel between Jericho vs Zero, which I teased back in the ending of the previous chapter. I am pleased to announce the deck Jericho uses, which is centered around an archetype called 'Phantom Thieves of Persona'. This archetype was submitted by Iris Luster for the archetype contest back in Chapter 64, and it was the winning one as well. Massive credit goes to Iris Luster for creating this archetype and submitting it for the contest. I hope I did it proud.
But anyway, here's how the archetype works. It has four sub-archetypes: Persona Soul, Persona Force, Persona Tactics, and Persona Arms. Persona Soul is basically Link 1 monsters consisting of the main character's Personas, Persona Force is the Link 3 and higher monsters consisting of the main characters united with their Personas, Persona Tactics is the many strategies Joker and the Phantom Thieves use against their enemies, and Persona Arms is the Equip Spell cards the Phantom Thieves use in combat. While the monsters are treated as Cyberse monsters, they're also treated as Warrior and Spellcaster monsters as well, thus allowing for diversity. The deck's archetypes work together to rapidly Link Summon their monsters by bringing out the 'Persona Civilian' monsters, which are used to Link Summon the Link 1 'Persona Soul' monsters before they bring back the monster used to the user's field. From there, the duelist can also Link Summon the 'Persona Force' Link monster by using only the 'Persona Soul' and 'Persona Civilian' monsters on the field as long as their names are listed in the 'Persona Force' Link monster's effect. Upon being summoned this way, the 'Persona Force' Link monster gains an additional effect that can be used for the rest of this duel. For the 'Persona' Tactics cards, some of them can be activated from the hand if the user controls a number of 'Persona Force' Link monsters on their field. However, for the Continuous-Spell and Trap cards, the user will take damage during each of their Standby Phases, almost like the 'Dark Contract' cards from the 'D/D' and 'D/D/D' archetypes. Lastly, the 'Persona Arms' Equip Spell cards provide strength to the monsters, with a unique effect being activated if they're equipped onto a unique monster. To ensure the user can stay in the duel, cards that reduce damage within the archetype can be used, like for Ann Takamaki, whose effect lets the user send a 'Persona Civilian' monster to the Graveyard so any damage the duelist takes is reduced by that monster's attack points while it's in the Graveyard, even if Ann leaves the field. All in all, the archetype is a mixture between teamwork and resource management to both stay in the duel and catch the opponent off guard multiple times.
During the duel, Jericho was able to stay ahead of Zero with his monsters, with Zero responding by using different cards. This included the Link 3 Mothinear Lepidopteron, and the Fusion monster Permillind Hicrotron. I know some of you wanted to see that monster in action, so I put it in for this chapter. I also want to emphasize something else: While the 'Tron' archetype focuses on bringing out strong monsters through summoning numerous monsters, it also focuses on recovery and stalling so that the duelist can stay in the game while doing so. After all, it aligns with the deck Nail used in Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens, so I wanted to honor that part of the playing style. In the duel, Jericho reveals to Zero the truth about Watchman and his selfish motives for the Root of All Knowledge, which utterly shocks him to the core. Jericho also tells Zero about the Cursed Boundary Layer having been unleashed, which also angers Zero because of how innocents were getting injured. Following these revelations, Zero manages to make a strong counterattack by bringing out Yggdrago the Sky Emperor, despite one of the pieces being banished by one of Jericho's cards. A question some of you may have: Why didn't Zero or Jericho try and stop Ai from sacrificing himself? It's because of the barrier Zero put up, which prevented neither him or Jericho from leaving until their duel concluded. None of them can exit the barrier as well.
For the conclusion of the duel, I had it end in a draw. Why, may you ask? It's because I didn't want to disrespect Zero and Jericho, as both duelists are obviously going to return. That, and given Jericho's first duel in the story, I didn't want to disrespect someone whose been hyped by everyone this entire season. Following the duel, Jericho and Zero have a brief fight, with the former getting the upper hand in the process. Jericho also reveals his contingency to Zero, knowing that there was nothing the latter can do to stop it. After telling Zero this information, Jericho immediately sends him back to LINK VRAINS through a portal that appeared thanks to Bohman using Master Storm Access around that time.
Third is anime events, which I won't touch on too much because they occur throughout the duel. However, I will say a few things. Some of you hoped that Azrael would be able to take control of Bohman, but that sadly isn't the case due to what Jericho did by taking the reins of Malf instead. I will, however, highlight one anime event, which is where Ai tries to free the other Ignis. In the anime, Windy and Earth didn't get a chance to say goodbye or interact with Ai one last time, so I put that here just so they have some significance. Ai's sacrifice in destroying the Neuron Link, or at the very least disabling it, infuriated Jericho to the core following his duel against Zero. More so than after he learned about Electrolyzer's attempt to frame SOL Technologies for creating the AI chip. So upon learning that the Neuron Link is still going, Jericho is overjoyed, knowing that his plans aren't in full ruin yet. Thus, he immediately goes to Bohman's core through the backdoor Ai set up, and Ai unfortunately doesn't know that Jericho is there. Why? It's because Jericho laid low inside, keeping his presence concealed before waiting for the right time to strike.
Malf was also in Bohman's core, but thanks to Jericho, he's been significantly weakened. As a result, even if Azrael were to regain control of Bohman, it wouldn't do much. Thus, Jericho leaps onto the scene and rips the Ignis out of Bohman's core using his data material sword before absorbing their remains, but not before the other Ignis (and an unwilling Lightning) give Ai their data for Firewall Dragon Darkfluid.
I know some of you were concerned with how Jericho would get the Ignis, so I had him infiltrate Bohman from within through the backdoor Ai set up before making his move. That way, I can not only make this story further unique in how different characters get their goals done, I can also show how Jericho is someone who seizes opportunities for his and Urizen's benefit.
After Ai and Jericho escape, the core disintegrates, leaving a captured Malf to be disintegrated. With this, Malf is officially dead. He fulfilled the role I planned for him in the story, and I have no other plans for him moving forward. So I decided to end his arc with his death.
Fourth is the second part of the Raguel vs Azrael duel, and we learn a lot of interesting things here. First being the events during the Lost Incident, where Azrael and Wraith reveal that they were the ones who pulled the strings needed to motivate Ryoken into ending it for good. How? Well, after seeing Azrael suffer, Wraith spooked Ryoken through technological devices such as tablets and phones by showing him footage and pictures of what the Lost Incident victims went through during the night. He also provided a digital trail for Ryoken to follow so that he can determine whether the information the latter was seeing was true or not. But what was stopping Ryoken from reporting this information to Dr. Kogami? Simple: Wraith's contingency. If Ryoken reported it to Dr. Kogami, then Wraith would have most likely punished him by sending his dad to the hospital before ending the Lost Incident through violence. Just goes to show how Azrael and Wraith were behind things even longer before Lightning was.
Second was footage that showed Azrael being hunted down by Inquisitors after failing his mission to kill Infearno. Thanks to his Link Trigger, Azrael was able to slaughter them all and escape into the night. It just goes to show how inhumane the Inquisitorius are, as they're willing to 'contain' the situation by eliminating those who failed them. Thus, the Inquisitorius was also another factor that made Azrael who he is today. In your opinion, who do you really think is the villain and the victim? The person who committed those crimes, or the individual whose actions led to that person committing them in the first place.
I also know some of you wanted to know how Azrael got Teravolt Dragon, so I put it in this chapter. Here, Azrael was able to get Teravolt Dragon by defeating him in combat, almost like how Shigaraki had to do so with Gigantomachia from My Hero Academia. Impressed with Azrael's strength, Teravolt Dragon pledged his allegiance to him. Following that is how Azrael got the Muramasa, which he was able to do so by following the coordinates his pendant showed him. Now on the topic of the pendants: Raguel and Azrael had them as kids after becoming a part of the Furutani family by blood, adoption, and foster care. Simple as that. But moving that aside, Azrael won against Gilgamesh, and cut off his left arm to symbolize his victory before leaving with the Muramasa.
Azrael also reveals something else: That Myojin wasn't the only one who sought out the Root of All Knowledge along with Ukyos and Watchman. The entire Furutani family over the course of time tried to obtain the Root of All Knowledge for generations, each generation passing the goal onto their descendants over time. Different methods were used, such as religion, war, good deeds, and more so that the family can eventually acquire it, even if it meant becoming unethical in the process. Currently, Azrael's seeking the Root of All Knowledge, but only so he can achieve eternity.
I want to point something out here: Raguel tries to emphasize with Azrael, even though he doesn't care about his story. What Raguel does admit that he understands what happened to Azrael, almost similar to how Leon can understand what happened to Major Krauser back in Resident Evil 4. Does it excuse Azrael's actions? No, it certainly does not. But since this was a family matter, I wanted to have Raguel at least try and emphasize with Azrael. If he were doing it with someone else, then Raguel wouldn't give a shit about someone's back story.
But moving back to the duel, Raguel and Azrael continue to one-up one another with numerous moves. Each duelist uses Ritual and Xyz Summoning, along with Link Summoning. Hell, both duelists even use their Link Spells. Yup, you heard me. That means Raguel used Judgment Arrows against Azrael, and there's no going back from here. Recall that Raguel acquired Judgment Arrows from Ace's deck after chopping his left forearm off and acquiring his duel disk. And believe it or not, Raguel was able to use Judgment Arrows just as well as Bohman and Lightning do in this duel, almost managing to defeat Azrael as a result.
But the highlight of the duel was near the end, where the Cursed Boundary Layer attacks Raguel and Azrael. This results in the two of them putting their duel on hold so they can try to destroy it, with Herald and Wraith joining in as well. Unfortunately, none of the attacks are working, and after seeing the Cursed Boundary Layer injure Raguel and Azrael, Herald and Wraith have no choice but to unleash all of their powers together in order to dispel it. The two of them manage to do so, but it costs them their lives as a result. Before dying, Herald and Wraith leave Raguel and Azrael with enough of their data to evolve Turboblaze and Teravolt Dragon. This means Raguel and Azrael now have Link 5 monsters.
I also want to briefly touch upon the comment Azrael made to Raguel regarding him seeing his friends as crutches that hold him back, while Raguel counters that Wraith is life support to Azrael. Whereas you can stop using a crutch after your health improves, the moment life support is removed from your body, it's obviously game over. Because Azrael lost Wraith, one of his few life support systems, he ends up losing it, but in a way that allows him to control himself and stay more motivated than ever to obtain his dream of eternity. As for Raguel, he obviously doesn't let his emotions cloud his actions, for by this point of the story, he's matured.
The duel ends with a final clash between Turboblaze Desolation Dragon and Teravolt Devastation Dragon, with Raguel using the effect of Cyreath Alliance in his Graveyard not just to boost Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's attack points, but so he can use his final effect to finish Azrael off for good.
Following the duel is a final clash between Raguel and Azrael, which results in them being sent to a place near the Root of All Knowledge itself. That's right. You heard me! Due to the energy being unleashed from Excalibur and Muramasa, it sent Raguel and Azrael to an area near the Root of All Knowledge. After confirming their location, Azrael makes a final offer to Raguel for him to join the former in avenging the loss of their comrades and defy destiny. Knowing the consequences that eternity can bring to someone, Raguel refuses that offer and fights back against Azrael. Before Azrael lets himself fall into the area he's in, he gives Raguel back his pendant, and tells him a cryptic message. He also tells Raguel to keep avenging until everyone that wronged Raguel paid for their sins. With that, Azrael is now in a different area of the network. The dark area of the network, if you will. Before Raguel plummets to his demise, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon saves his life and returns him back to LINK VRAINS.
Last but not least is the conclusion of the chapter, which consists of several parts. First being the conclusion of the Playmaker vs Bohman duel, where Bohman entrusts the future to the former and Ai. Upon sensing that Jericho was going to attack Playmaker, Bohman ends up saving his and Ai's lives by taking the blow instead. From there, Jericho ends up finishing Bohman off in combat, and tells him that Urizen has plans both for him and Haru. Like with Haru, I can confirm that Jericho has captured Bohman, and has him as a result. What does Jericho have in mind with Bohman and Haru, may you ask? Well, I can't tell you, but expect Bohman and Haru to return as the story progresses. Before Jericho leaves Mirror LINK VRAINS, he acquires the remnants of Herald and Wraith that the Cursed Boundary Layer acquired, which floated back to him.
Second is everyone rendezvousing back in LINK VRAINS, with Raguel unfortunately confirming that Herald and Wraith, along with Azrael, are gone.
Third is everyone logging out and returning to the real world, with Yuhiro apologizing to Roxy for what he's done, and thanking her for taking care of him all these years. The poor guy is beyond scared that Roxy will resent him for what he did. Roxy's response? She hugs Yuhiro, and calls him son, knowing that Yuhiro's good to the core. Upon learning that Miyu woke up a while ago, Yuhiro and Roxy head over to the Den City Hospital, and even Arashi to come along. However, after looking at his phone, Arashi realizes that something has happened to his family, and tells them to go on ahead. He finds out seconds later that Takeda is alive and well. That's right! Takeda woke up, and is okay! Given what Arashi went through, it's only fair that he gets a happy ending, don't you think?
On the topic of endings, Yuhiro and Roxy reunite with Miyu in the hospital. As for the post credits scene, I can't spoil that for you.
Now onto a few things. First: For Yua, she'll be working with the Hanoi moving forward. She won't be helping Watchman anymore, and neither will be Katsuya. Whereas Katsuya will obviously keep his Phantom Knights deck (I mean, come on. That deck's freaking awesome), I'm debating whether to change Yua's deck or not. If you can provide me with some advice on this concern, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Second: Brea's role will be increased in the next few seasons, and she'll be working with the good guys moving forward. I have a deck planned for her, and it's obviously a real-world archetype. I am, however, open to suggestions for the deck Brea could use, as long as they are real-world archetypes. Let me know what you think.
Third: In terms of planning for the next few chapters, I need to make sure that everything I want to put in them is finalized. Thus, I will be putting a Special Surprise in Roxy's Reports before starting Chapter 94. Also, like last time, there will be a maximum of eight chapters in between Seasons 2 and 3, just like where there were six chapters between Seasons 1 and 2. So why did I put in three chapter previews? Well, let's just say things are going to get more awesome down the road.
Fourth, and this is important: I wouldn't be the writer I am today without all of your reviews, feedback, and constructive criticism. Each and every one of you have made an impact in your story with your reviews, PM's, and constructive criticism. For that, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you very much. Thank you for continuing to read this story. Thank you for choosing to stay with it.
So without further ado, I want to thank you all for reviewing Chapter 93 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favourite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released. If you can also answer the QOTC, that would be awesome as well.
What did you enjoy the most from this chapter? The duel between Jericho and Zero? The second part of the duel between Raguel and Azrael? The real world scene with the Hanoi? The numerous reveals in the chapter? Or was it something else?
That's all for now, folks. See you next time, as next chapter, we begin Season 3. Oh, and here's one last thing for you all as thanks for following this story for the past three and a half years:
Bohman will return.
Haru will return.
Azrael will return.
The Ignis will return (Note: Only Ai will retain his human form).
Jericho will return.
Zero will return.
