Response to Reviews

Thank you to Donkeyboy100, HunterHQ, Vegeta555, Kingdom Hearts Guy, NexusKnight2, Akechi, T.V. 2000, Guest, Guess and Guest for reviewing Chapter 97 of Obscured Truth.

Greetings, everyone! As we head onward to the Fall season, I hope you are all doing well. That being said, this chapter is a special one because it celebrates the fourth anniversary of Obscured Truth. Thank you to all of you for reading Obscured Truth and keeping up with the story. I hope you look forward to what's coming next, for I certainly am. If you know anyone who would enjoy the story, I encourage you to recommend Obscured Truth to them, and make sure you tell them to favorite and follow so that they can be notified of when the new chapter comes out.

But moving past that, I believe we have some reviews to answer:

Donkeyboy100: Happy you liked the chapter! And thanks for the A Grade!

HunterHQ: My understanding is that Takeru commuted back and forth from Den City to his grandparents' house. Only Malf would be able to mute and unmute things that occurred in memories. SOL Technologies wouldn't be able to succeed even if they tried to do this. So in a sense, Azrael was showing some sense of mercy to Akairo for being a good puppet. I chose the name Infearno because it was a play on words both for Fear and Inferno. That, and the 'Burning Abyss' archetype is based on the Dante's Inferno story. Regarding Miyu's powers, she got them thanks to Aqua, while Yusaku got his Link Sense on his own following the Lost Incident. And the small Shadow Giant is still around, as you can't kill that little guy that easily. Of course Project: VIII is forever a temptation to people. Sometimes, you need to get rid of something so others don't suffer the same thing you went through. Roxy and Kusanagi also saw the duel between Playmaker and Raguel, and both of them were shocked upon seeing Raguel defeat Playmaker brutally. Rachel was forcibly logged into the network, so she wasn't logged in whole. If a sentient duel monster receives too much damage, then they have to retreat to their owners' duel disk and recharge. No, Yuhiro didn't sense Ai back in Chapter 97. Yes, Jericho got into Yuhiro's place the same way he did before back in Mirror LINK VRAINS. And Jericho knows how to keep himself alive, as he obviously wasn't hit by the shockwaves or attacks. Roxy wasn't able to open the escape portal closer to the group because they were trapped in the area the Cursed Boundary Layer was in. So she and Kusanagi had to open the portal in an area that the Cursed Boundary Layer wasn't in, and to guarantee this, they had to break its defenses. Animals do have some sense of sin, as even they could make mistakes. At some point prior to Mirror LINK VRAINS, Ai secretly made new cards such as Cyberse Sage for Yusaku. You're forgetting that the Cyberse monsters felt the pain their brethren had felt due to the Cursed Boundary Layer killing them, so Transcode Talker was able to at least sense the pain they went through. The program Revolver has wouldn't work against Yuhiro because the Hanoi don't know how to counter the Cursed Boundary Layer. Pieces of Malf could help, though. Yes, Zero's role will increase starting at the beginning of Season 3. Yuhiro can't take over a Soltis body. Arshad, by this point, has recovered his full strength, meaning he can fight again. If memory serves, each Soltis comes with clothing, so Watchman won't be naked. Regarding Watchman, he hasn't lost his confidence because of his arrogance. Think of the Cursed Boundary Layer like one of the symbiotes from Marvel (ex. Venom, Carnage, Riot, Scream, etc.), where it's bonded to the host. In terms of your comment about the Cursed Boundary Layer, remember that its goal is to overload the host with so much energy that they weaken the plane from the inside out. So while Yuhiro's feeling immense power, it's causing him pain from the inside out. However, even the host needs to recuperate their strength. Yeah, Jericho's practically pissed that Takeru managed to make him retreat like that. Jericho was able to control data material due to his time in the dark side of the network. That, believe it or not, is one of the ways Ai was able to find Yusaku in the network. No, Ai hasn't seen Lightning's simulations due to the chaos going on. Yeah, it'd be really interesting to see a corrupted Raguel vs Morningstar duel. You have to take into account that Raguel was able to defeat a full-powered Playmaker, the latter having used Firewall Dragon Darkfluid to try and defeat the former. As for my QOTC, it didn't just have to apply to the very main OC of each VRAINS fanfic. It could even apply to other main OCs from other VRAINS fanfics regarding how they'd react upon learning what Yuhiro had done, along with whether he'd stand a chance against them.

Vegeta555: The hardest duel I've ever written? If I told you, it'd be a very long list.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Well, Raguel has snapped, that's for sure. The heroes are up for a pretty tough fight if they want to save their ally from both Jericho and the Cursed Boundary Layer.

NexusKnight2: While the designs you suggested aren't bad, I already have others in mind. And besides, we already have a knight for the Ignister archetype in the form of Dark Templar AtIgnister.

Akechi: Happy you liked the duel. I mean, I did want to make the duel epic, but I didn't want to make it too long as well. Simple and straight to the point, if you know what I mean. And you are correct: Raguel is a contaminated villain.

T.V. 2000: Of course the chapter was intense. I mean, Raguel and Playmaker were dueling against one another after all. And to commemorate their first duel against one another, I had the both of them duke it out physically as well. I agree too. Decode Talker's sword should be called Decode Sword when Playmaker uses it in combat. Yes, Playmaker will be able to use the weapons of the other Code Talker monsters. I also am glad you like Soulburner's Link Ability in the form of Link Soul. Having read your theory, all I can say is for you to continue reading the story to get your answer. As for your question, I can't answer it right now. Regarding a potential duel between Raguel and Morningstar, you must take into account that Raguel defeated Playmaker WITHOUT using a Link 5 monster, while Playmaker used Firewall Dragon Darkfluid in the duel. If memory serves, Morningstar was only able to defeat Playmaker in the end using his Link 5 monster. This information is what makes Raguel that much more dangerous. But that's my opinion. What I'm curious about is how other OCs from other VRAINS fanfics would react if they learned about what Raguel had done, along with whether he'd stand a chance against them. If you have questions, don't hesitate to send them to me in a PM.

Guest: Happy you liked the duel between Raguel and Playmaker. Looking back, I kind of agree with you in how plot armor aided Morningstar in his second duel against Playmaker. But that didn't mean Playmaker was no slouch. He used an Extra Link in response to Morningstar's strategies. Do you think Raguel has a chance to defeat Morningstar in the state the former's in right now? Nevertheless, I'm happy you liked the duel in the previous chapter.

Guess: Thanks for answering the Question of the Chapter.

Guest: A Pokemon story? Well, only time will tell whether I make one or not.

With all reviews having been answered, let's get to the chapter, shall we? Enjoy!

Chapter 98: Extract and Escape

The screen is pitch black as the duel disks belonging to Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, and Arashi slowly fall from the top, scattered around the screen, and leaving small trails of stardust behind them. All four duel disks hit an invisible ground in unison, causing them to explode into cards that were used by every character in the story so far. The cards continue to rain across the screen before the Cursed Boundary Layer blackens the screen completely, replacing it with a new scene.

The camera moves from left to right, showing a grassy field with Den City and the following characters: Yuhiro, Miyu, Aoi, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, Brea, Go, Roxy, Kusanagi, Greg, Quinton, Miles, Ryoken, Youta, Takeya, Akairo, Emma, Kengo, Akira, Brion, Rachel, Gil, Tsubaki, and Gekiryushi. The wind blows, causing each person's hair and clothes to be blown up a bit. The scene suddenly changes, revealing Playmaker, Raguel, Blue Maiden, Numera, Slipstream, and Tigress on one side, along with a girl that had long, chestnut-colored hair in the form of a crown braid and hazel eyes. Her attire consisted of a long-sleeved, violet leather tunic with a lightweight silver chest plate, lightweight violet shoulder pads that had rainbow orbs at the center, and black, fingerless gloves. On the other side was Revolver, Specter, Lord Kazuma, Gil, and Soulburner, a destroyed LINK VRAINS behind them.

The screen then changes to show Yusaku and Ai in the streets of a raining Den City. Yusaku was looking down, and Ai was looking upwards, the rain drenching their clothes. Yusaku slowly looks up with a vexed expression, while Ai runs a hand through his hair and turns his gaze onward. In another area of Den City, Yuhiro is shown running as his strength was drained, having cried in despair as a silhouette of Yukage is shown with a smile before fading away in the rainy mist. A dark aura emits from Yuhiro as the Cursed Boundary Layer emerges from a large puddle and embraces him tightly before he logs into a desolate, forest-like area in LINK VRAINS that had a dead aura around it. A psychotic grin appeared on Raguel's face as Excalibur Morgan formed in his right hand.

Opposing Raguel was Playmaker, Soulburner and Slipstream, the three duelists thrusting their right hands forward as Firewall Dragon Darkfluid, Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix, and Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon appear behind the trio and fire beams of energy at Raguel. The blasts impact, but when the smoke fades, Raguel is shown unharmed. Tentacles from the Cursed Boundary Layer appear behind Raguel, along with Cyreaths Pandora and Alastor on his right side, Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Teferi on his left side, and two demons floating above his right and left shoulders. The demon on the right 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. Black, red, and purple particles merged with Excalibur Morgan as Raguel charges forward at Playmaker and the others, the latter having summoned Decode Talker's sword to block the attack. Nearby, Jericho is shown chasing after Blue Maiden and Numera, only for him to suddenly dodge numerous cannon blasts fired from Tigress nearby, hellbent on protecting the duo.

The Knights of Hanoi are shown next, with Revolver, Specter, Lord Kazuma, Baira, Faust, Dr. Genome, Dancho and Infearno appearing one by one. However, the images of Dancho and Infearno then dissipate before being replaced by Demeter and Ondina. Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty and a mischievous, fallen pixie-like angel with long pink hair whose attire consisted of a black dress with stockings, as well as a pair of wings on her back appeared behind the two of them.

The scene changes to show Zero in an unknown area in the network, frantically looking through screens as he tries to pinpoint the Cursed Boundary Layer's whereabouts before changing to show Jericho in his laboratory, who's looking at his findings with glee. Seven orbs, one white, one black, one yellow, one red, one brown, one green, and one blue orbit around him as he sadistically smiles at what he's seeing.

Kusanagi, Katsuya, and Jin are shown in Café Nagi driving away from the Cursed Boundary Layer, intent on escaping its wrath. Roxy is also shown in her car with Miyu, Rachel, and Aoi, also hoping to escape from the Cursed Boundary Layer before it gets them both.

In a forest-like area with a large facility in it, Watchman is shown carrying Numera as Alastor pursues the duo on the left, while Atalanta/Alpha Mode pursues the duo on the right. Alastor throws the chained, curved blades at Watchman, who hops to the side and dodges it before throwing a Black Key in response. He then hops forward to dodge Atalanta/Alpha Mode's berserk attacks as he throws two more Black Keys at her. Watchman slides back, three more Black Keys appearing in his right hand as he prepares himself to confront his and Numera's attackers, Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord appearing behind the duo as well to defend the both of them. Elsewhere, a corrupted Hercules/Alpha Mode slashes through the trees with Nine Lives in his hand, intent on pursuing Playmaker and Blue Maiden so he can destroy the two of them. At the last second, Decode Talker and Marincess Wonder Heart appear to block the unrelenting attacks, only for the clash to send them, along with Playmaker and Blue Maiden flying off the ground before landing on it. Decode Talker and Wonder Heart immediately get back up before engaging a corrupted Hercules/Alpha Mode in combat while Playmaker and Blue Maiden continue running from the chaos.

Cyreaths Medusa, Achilles, and two twins, one being a boy with short brown hair and green eyes who wore a white toga with gold cuffs and a black undershirt, the other a girl with long brown hair and green eyes who wore a white dress with gold armlets, look upward to the sky, trying to figure out who to side with as they contemplate their futures.

Yuhiro is shown looking at the destroyed Lost Incident facility lit up in flames, a content smile evident on his face as he lets out a loud and crazy laugh. He then walks away from it, ignoring the bodies in the area as he disappears in the darkness. The screen then jumps to the dark sky and the glowing red moon before being blackened completely.

At an area in Den City, in the night...

A taxi drove down the road in Den City, intent on delivering its passenger to the location they requested the driver to take them to. On the topic of the driver, it wasn't a human, as the passenger knocked out and had his servant safely bring him home to their place at the passenger's request. Besides, the owner of that taxi did nothing wrong. If anything, the passenger needed the taxi due to how urgent the situation was, and after getting to his destination, the passenger would make sure that the taxi was returned back to where it was.

That passenger was Gil Ariba, who has hellbent on getting payback on the Shadow for traumatizing him to the point where he remembered all the horrific pain he went through at Athaliah's hands. Gil was even traumatized by the vision he saw thanks to the Shadow, which consisted of it murdering people left and right. How dare that thing humiliate Gil like that! How dare that thing make him feel weak and helpless, just like all those years ago! Those things made Gil furious to the point where he was more than willing to take matters into his own hands rather than let others take care of the situation for him.

To start, Gil would go after Yuhiro, as he felt that the latter had a connection to what was going on. Sure enough, as Gil looked at the news regarding the Shadow on his phone, it seemed to match his suspicions. While Gil didn't know how the Shadow/Yuhiro appeared in Central Japan, he did want answers, and Yuhiro will give them to him.

Gil turned his head to look at the driver, who was Abyss King as the latter nodded at the former, confirming that they were near the designated location. After the taxi owner was returned back home, Abyss King immediately sat in the driver's seat while Gil sat in the front passenger seat before the two of them headed to the designated location.

Den City Jail.

That was the location Gil was going to because he had a hypothesis, especially after taking recent events into account. According to the information on the Shadow, it mostly attacked people at random, but there was the instance where it massacred several people at Sincero Penitentiary. A majority of them being criminals. Taking that specific instance into account, along with the Shadow running rampant during the battle in Central Japan, Gil hypothesized that Yuhiro would go after criminals and murder them for their crimes against humanity. Well, the vilest ones, anyway. The ones who would not repent.

Gil's plan was simple: Acquire two major criminals and use them as bait to draw Yuhiro out. After doing so, he'd demand answers in exchange for handing the two of them over to him. As for what happened next... well, that would be decided once Gil obtained those answers from Yuhiro. In all honesty, Gil was hoping to pulverize Yuhiro for what the latter did to the former. Back then, Gil wasn't prepared. But this time, Gil was prepared for what could come next. However, the taxi soon drove into the Den City Jail's parking lot, which snapped Gil out of his thoughts as Abyss King parked the taxi before exiting the driver's seat. There, he floated over to the passenger door and opened it, allowing Gil to exist the taxi.

"The taxi's secured, right?" Gil inquired, with Abyss King nodding in confirmation in response. "Good. I'll need a ride in case things go bad." Abyss King vanished into particles that returned into Gil's duel disk as the latter began walking to the Den City Jail's entrance.

Gil had two criminals in mind for his plan to work. Sharpshot and Chainslaver. Two of which were involved in Balius' trafficking ring for his operations in Central Japan. Gil remembered how ruthless Yuhiro was in rescuing the slaves there, to the point where he beaten Sharpshot to a bloody pulp before trying to kill him. As for Chainslaver, Yuhiro already defeated him before joining the others later on in freeing the slaves. By using Chainslaver and Sharpshot as bait, Gil would be able to draw Yuhiro out and ultimately get answers in the end.

Hiding behind the wall near the entrance, Gil pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused the cameras in the Den City jail to be put on a loop so he can go in and get his prey before leaving. Once that was done, Abyss King appeared before quickly sliding over to the entrance and knocking out the guards stationed there, where Gil simply walked inside after opening the door. Even though the cameras were looped, Gil still knew that there would be guards stationed inside keeping an eye on prisoners during this time, especially after what happened at Sincero Penitentiary. Still, as long as he was quick, then he can accomplish his goal.

As Gil walked down the hallway, he noticed Abyss King quickly knock each of the guards out, intent on making the former's mission succeed. Once that was done, Gil then turned right to a door that was labelled 'Monitor Room' before gesturing Abyss King to enter inside, which led the latter to knock out the guard there seconds later. Gil entered inside the monitor room before typing on the keyboard in order to locate which cells Sharpshot and Chainslaver were put in so he can capture the both of them. After some searching, Gil found what he was looking for.

Cell Block Y6 – Chainslaver.

Cell Block G9 – Sharpshot.

Satisfied with the information, Gil and Abyss King quietly left the room before turning right and walking down the hallway, where the two of them made a left after a minute passed. There, the two of them entered into a medium-sized circular area, which contained numerous cells that housed several criminals in them. The criminals in these cells were there for committing only minor crimes, or those who assisted the authorities in one way or another in exchange for a reduction in their prison sentences. In addition, some criminals who displayed good behaviour at Sincero Penitentiary were also transferred here while their cases were reevaluated based on numerous factors.

Looking around the area, Gil noticed several guards patrolling the large area, all of them keeping an eye on the prisoners in case something was up. While he obviously rerouted the camera feed, there were still guards who were keeping an eye on the area, which meant he had to dispose of them.

After Gil hid behind an area nearby, he unleashed the Chains of Tragedy onto the area, which caught the officers off guard as they tried to fight them off. This gave Abyss King the opportunity to slide in and knock each officer out while the Chains of Tragedy wrapped their bodies up before gently putting them down on the ground. That way, the officers would still be alive, but unconscious until Gil completed his mission.

"What the Hell was that?" one prisoner asked, as Gil began looking around the area, looking for the cell blocks containing Chainslaver and Sharpshot. To ensure the prisoners saw nothing, Gil had the Chains of Tragedy cover each cell, covering each one in darkness in the process. As Gil looked around the area, he noticed a familiar person inside one of the cells.

"Gil. It's you," the man recognized his son.

"Hello, dad. It's been a while." Gil spoke back to Itachi Ariba.

"You here to finish the job after giving me your so-called forgiveness? The one that was in the form of a punishment rather than letting things go?"

Gil raised an eyebrow. "I told you I wasn't going to kill you the last time we spoke. As for the forgiveness I gave you, it's so that I can move on from what you've done to me."

Itachi let out a laugh in response. "Really? Because the way you say it, you've been stuck in the past."

"You're one to talk." Gil angrily stated. "Need I remind you of how you sold me to Athaliah? Of how you chose to give me up to a monster just so you can get information and make a living on the Black Market?"

"You don't know the whole story, Gil." Itachi calmly snapped back, much to Gil's surprise.

"The whole story?" Gil shook his head, intent on regaining his focus on the mission. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll come back and get answers, Gil. I know you will because you want the truth. Everyone wants the truth regarding a situation when it comes up." Itachi responded cryptically. "As for whatever it is you're doing here, I'm guessing that you have some dark plans in mind, son."

"..!" Gil's eyes widened after hearing Itachi's words, which led to the latter letting out a chuckle.

"You can be better than your own father, yet all of your actions up until now have proven that you're no better than me, if not worse." Itachi continued before letting out another chuckle, which made Gil gasp. "For me, I've been trying to do better. One example being me giving the authorities information on matters regarding recent cases, such as the attacks in the network and in LINK VRAINS. It helped the authorities track down a ton of criminals and arrest them as a result, along with clearing up other criminal matters."

"So what? It doesn't change what you've done to me." Gil hissed.

Itachi shrugged his shoulders in response. "Maybe not. But at least I'm making an effort in trying to do better for the community and for myself. Have you, son? That's what I want to know."

Gil grit his teeth, infuriated that his father managed to get into his head like that. It pissed him off because of the words Itachi said to him. Was Gil truly stuck in the past this whole time and he wasn't aware of it? Did he use the pain that Project: Apotheosis brought upon him to justify his actions? What's more, was Itachi telling the truth? Did Gil not know the whole story here? "When I return, you and I are going to have a talk. Whether I truly forgive you or not will depend on what you reveal to me during our meeting."

"I look forward to it, son." Itachi genuinely said back, satisfied to see that Gil was willing to talk to him again.

Pushing that conversation aside, Gil continued moving in the Den City Jail to find Chainslaver and Sharpshot's cells. Eventually, he found Cells Y6 and G9, which was where the two of them were located.

"Who goes there?" Sharpshot questioned, as Gil approached his cell. "Wait a minute. You're-."

"Congratulations. You're going to be used for a better purpose." Gil taunted, as Abyss King opened the cell door before the Chains of Tragedy wrapped themselves around Sharpshot's body, dragging him out of his cell in the process. The same thing was also done for Chainslaver, only he tried to resist before the Chains of Tragedy restricted him just enough to seize his attempt at escaping. Within seconds, the Chains of Tragedy knocked both of them unconscious as Gil began heading out of the main area and towards the entrance, his prey in tow. Once he and Abyss King left the area, the Chains of Tragedy left the cells and allowed the criminals there to see the main area once again, all of them unable to comprehend what happened just now.

Having exited the Den City Jail, Gil took his captured prisoners to the parked taxi before putting them in the back seats, having made sure that they were unconscious and couldn't break free of their bindings. While he sat down in the front passenger seat, Abyss King went over to the driver's seat, having grabbed a key and preparing to turn the taxi on. However, Gil's phone began vibrating, which led him to take it out of his right pocket and check who was calling him. A frown appeared on Gil's face as he realized just who was calling him, and knowing that the person would likely try several times, decided to answer the call just to get it over with.

"What do you want, Greg?" Gil angrily inquired.

"I was trying to find out if you're okay or not, Gil. Especially after you disappeared into the night after that Shadow appeared." Greg snapped back.

"Well, I have some personal business to take care of right now, and staying in Central Japan wouldn't let me deal with it." Gil replied.

"You're in Den City, aren't you?"

Gil gulped after hearing Greg's question. "What?"

"I don't know what you're up to, Gil, but if it has anything to do with that Shadow, it won't give you inner peace." Greg gathered his thoughts before continuing to speak on the other end while Gil gasped after hearing that comment. "Listen, I'm almost at Den City because something happened to Rachel hours earlier, and am taking her to someone who can help us out. If you can send me your location, we can talk it out. I'm sure-."

An irritated Gil then hung up, knowing that the conversation was a waste of time. Though Greg was a decent man, he had to understand that there were times when the law worked and when it didn't work. Sometimes, half measures wouldn't be enough. Sometimes, it took extreme measures to solve a major problem, even if they were unethical. But in all honesty, Gil wasn't a hero like the others. He was an anti-hero, who was willing to work outside the law to get his goals done. The Shadow would get its just desserts, along with Yuhiro should he have a role in this entire mess.

After getting his thoughts in order, Gil typed in Café Matsuo's location onto the GPS to see how long it would take to reach there. From what he saw, it would take about twenty minutes to get to Café Matsuo. This was reasonable for Gil, as even though this was an urgent situation, the last thing he wanted was to get charged for speeding. But if Gil had Abyss King drive the taxi so that it was one mile below the speed limit, then he should make it to his destination with time to spare.

"Set a course for Café Matsuo, Abyss King!" Gil ordered, with Abyss King nodding on compliance as he began driving out of the parking lot and onto the road, intent on getting the former to Café Matsuo as soon as possible. If I'm wrong in my hypothesis, then I hope the others will forgive me for my foolish mistake, he thought in his mind as he narrowed his eyes. But if I'm right, then Hell's gonna break lose real soon, and I will come out on top.

Elsewhere, at the Zaizen residence….

"GAAAH!" Aoi shouted, as she vaulted upwards from the bed she was on. The events from the duel between Yuhiro and Playmaker replayed itself into Aoi's mind, as she recalled how the latter lost against the former in a brutal fashion. Even after Playmaker used his strongest monster in the Link 5 Firewall Dragon Darkfluid, it wasn't enough, as Yuhiro defeated him in the end. As a result of remembering those events, Aoi not only felt herself shaking, the tears of sadness she cried in the network returned as well. The fact that Playmaker, the duelist who defeated a full-powered Bohman, lost meant that things were only going to get worse from here.

"Aoi, are you okay?" Akira asked, having ran over to Aoi's room before opening the door. Upon seeing the distress on Aoi's face, Akira quickly went over and sat down at her left side. "What happened? Please tell me."

"Playmaker lost against Yuhiro. He wasn't able to free him from the Shadow." Aoi answered, having buried her head in her knees as she continued crying.

"What?" Akira gasped, caught off guard by what he just heard. Playmaker lost a duel? No. Such a thing should be impossible, especially with the level of strength Playmaker shown time and time again, along with how he managed to get out of a worst-case scenario. Then again, no duelist ever won a duel without losing in the beginning. He put a hand on Aoi's shoulder, which got her attention. "Aoi, please tell me what happened."

WHOOSH!

Before Aoi could reply, she and Akira heard a burst of air flow through the house as the two of them exited from the former's bedroom and headed over to the main area, wanting to know what just happened. As if on cue, Pandora appeared in the apartment once the wind settled down.

"And where do you think the two of you are going?" Pandora questioned with a giggle, which made Aoi and Akira gasp upon seeing her.

"Who are you?" Akira demanded.

"That's Pandora, one of Yuhiro's corrupted duel monsters." Aoi explained to Akira.

"Corrupted duel monsters?" Akira repeated. "Just what is going-?"

"If Yuhiro's going to succeed in fulfilling his family's destiny, there can be no hinderances in front of him." Pandora said, before she raised her right arm in front of Aoi and Akira, which caused energy to dance around her hand. "Which means you two must-."

Suddenly, another gust of wind flew through the house as Medusa appeared out of nowhere before catching Pandora off guard and striking her with such force that the latter was sent flying back several feet, her back hitting the wall in the process. Infuriated with what happened, Pandora fired energy from her hands at Medusa, who dodged the attacks while Aoi and Akira hid behind the wall nearby to avoid the chaos. Medusa threw the chained daggers at Pandora, who dodged them before the former attempted to charge forward and land a strike on the latter. However, Pandora dodged the attack and fired a blast of energy that sent Medusa flying back as she hit the table before sliding onto the ground.

Medusa quickly got up on her feet and evaded the other magical blasts of energy fired from Pandora as she leapt onto a wall and dashed forward towards the latter. While Pandora dodged it, Medusa used the missed attempt to swing the chained daggers at her to strike the former. Both chained daggers pierced Pandora, which allowed Medusa to spin her around before sending the former flying to the wall behind her.

Getting back up on her feet, Pandora fired more blasts of magical energy Medusa, who once again dodged them before trying to strike back. In response, Pandora charged up a small portion of energy in her right hand and released it to make Medusa dodge left, where she then fired energy from her left hand at the latter. As a result, the planned attack sent Medusa off the ground before landing on it. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Aoi's duel disk began glowing with a blue light.

"Aoi, what's with your duel disk?" Akira quietly asked, before a silhouette of Marincess Wonder Heart popped out of Aoi's duel disk and hid behind a piece of furniture nearby.

"Since you intend to go against us, you must die too." Pandora stated in an irritated tone, as magical energy danced around her right hand. "Begone, you wretched-."

WHOOSH!

Pandora could only let out a gulp as Wonder Heart suddenly appeared and slashed her with such speed that the former couldn't react in time. As a result, Pandora was forced to fall on knee due to the strike while Wonder Heart stood up on her feet.

"Damn you…" Pandora grit her teeth in surprise and anger as she turned into particles, which disappeared out of thin air seconds later.

"I am glad you're both safe. The last thing we need is any casualties, especially to people close to Yuhiro." Medusa said to both Aoi and Akira.

"What's going on, Aoi?" Akira questioned in a scared tone. "What just happened? Please tell me."

"Alright, Akira. I'll tell you, but please pay attention, as it's a lot to take in." Aoi conceded, as she gestured Akira to sit down on the couch before sitting down on it as well. She then began telling Akira of what happened to Yuhiro, and how he got injured by the Shadow before succumbing to its corruption. How the Shadow used Yuhiro in murdering numerous groups of individuals, along with him admitting to the deeds prior to his duel against Playmaker. How that same Shadow used Yuhiro as a catalyst in order to kidnap Rachel, which led to Aoi and the others logging into the network to rescue her. How despite all of Playmaker's efforts, he lost against a corrupted Yuhiro in the end and was captured by the latter. Last but not least, Aoi told Akira about the person who attacked her, Rachel, Soulburner, Slipstream and Tigress while they were escaping the chaos. She also added the possibility that their pursuer could be the person with glasses, who was responsible for murdering the Ignis.

"That… is a lot to take in." Akira admitted, having processed all of that information as he looked around the living room. The good news was that there was only minor damage, which were easy repairs for repairers to do later on. "I didn't expect the Shadow to take possession of Yuhiro of all people. He's one of the most genuine people I know."

"Same here, Akira. Same here." Aoi sadly nodded. It definitely was a lot of information for her to take in after Miyu finished telling her about recent events.

Akira put a hand to his chin. "What surprises me is that there's sentient duel monsters all of a sudden. Does this only happen for Cyberse monsters?"

"Yes, it does." Medusa answered. "But moving that aside, before Yuhiro snapped, he asked that I and those who choose to obey his request protect you both, along with the people he cares for. That's why I was here."

"You would have died had I not intervened." Wonder Heart told Medusa, who grunted back in response. While Medusa was more than capable of taking care of Pandora, the fact that the latter was enhanced by the Cursed Boundary Layer made her slightly stronger than the former.

"Listen to me, Akira. I have to go and stop Yuhiro before he does something he regrets." Aoi pleaded. "Please don't tell SOL Technologies about this. Otherwise-"

"I won't, Aoi. You have my word." Akira promised, knowing full well what would happen should he pass this information onto the higherups. If they knew that the Shadow latched itself onto one of LINK VRAINS' well-known heroes, then even more Hell would break lose, and that was not something Akira wanted to happen. Not when there was so much at stake. "Let me know if you need assistance in stopping Yuhiro and that Shadow."

Aoi, after hearing this, smiled while Wonder Heart returned back to her duel disk. "Thanks for understanding, Akira. I'll keep you up to date."

"I will take you to Café Matsuo immediately. Going by car won't be fast enough." Medusa offered, with Aoi nodding in compliance as the former grabbed the latter. After doing that, Medusa then began running fast out of the apartment, having carried Aoi in tow in the process so the two of them can get to Café Matsuo as soon as possible.

Akira sighed to himself after seeing Aoi and Medusa leave the apartment. Just what was going on these days? Just when the turbulent times were finally calming down, it got worse all over again, especially now that Yuhiro became the enemy. Nevertheless, Akira had faith in Aoi and the others to stop Yuhiro and the Shadow before it's too late.

Meanwhile, at Café Matsuo...

"This way, Rachel." Greg told Rachel, as the two of them went into Café Matsuo, having parked at the nearest parking lot before making it on foot to their destination.

"There you guys are." Roxy said, having opened the front door to Café Matsuo so Greg and Rachel can enter inside and obtain shelter. After Rachel was forcefully logged into the network, Greg tried to get her out of there, only for all of his attempts to unfortunately fail. This was what led him to contact Roxy for help, knowing that she, and by extension Playmaker and the others, can get Rachel out of there. Sure enough, they succeeded, as Rachel regained consciousness during the ride to Café Matsuo, much to Greg's joy.

Still, there was the possibility that the Shadow could be after the duo, which was what led them to seek shelter at Café Matsuo for the time being. What stopped Greg from going to a secure location was the Shadow's ruthlessness in murdering those who were in its way. Besides, he didn't want to risk the lives of his men.

In addition, something else was on Greg's mind. After Rachel told Greg about the Shadow taking Yuhiro's form, along with the possibility that it both corrupted and turned him into a brainwashed slave, Greg assured her that Yuhiro would never hurt people. After all, he was all the way back in Den City, so there was no way he could have appeared in Central Japan. However, the possibility that what Rachel said was true led Greg to develop a theory. What if a corrupted Yuhiro was confronted by the people he truly cared about? What if, upon seeing them, Yuhiro would fight back against the Shadow's corruption to the point where he can be freed? Greg obviously knew that words wouldn't be enough, as Yuhiro would have to receive a major smackdown in order to get some sense knocked into his head. But nevertheless, it was a strong theory. One that would save lives if it worked.

"You're okay." Miyu stated, as she knelt down to Rachel's level and hugged her, relieved that the latter was safe.

"I'm fine, but it's not over yet." Rachel reminded Miyu, having released herself from the hug in the process.

"We need to get out of here, guys. Or else-." Brea began speaking, as she ran over to the entrance of Café Matsuo.

"We're not leaving Café Matsuo, Brea. It'd make us look vulnerable otherwise." Roxy firmly interjected, having begun walking over to the backroom.

"What? What do you mean?" Brea followed after Roxy, a confused look evident on her face.

"It means that Roxy must have prepared for a situation like this should it occur." Greg correctly theorized.

"Of course Roxy's prepared for something like this. It'd be terrible not to prepare, after all." Achilles voiced his agreement, having appeared inside Café Matsuo as he gripped the lance in his hands.

"A long while back, I've had additional security systems installed within Café Matsuo's walls." Roxy explained, as she sat down on one of the seats in the backroom before beginning to type on the digital keyboard, with everyone else following after her.

"Don't tell me you've put artillery guns inside the walls or something." Brea commented, only for Roxy to turn and chuckle back in response. "You're not kidding..."

"Rest assured, the defense systems are non-lethal. So no one's going to die." Roxy told Brea and Greg, along with Rachel and Miyu. "But if I know Yuhiro, he'll fight back against it, especially now that the Shadow's twisted his mind."

"You have other non-lethal weapons of defense, right, Roxy?" Greg inquired. While he didn't like the idea of artillery being installed inside Café Matsuo, it was one way to protect him and the others, that's for sure. As such, Greg was willing to let this one instance go, as it was the thing protecting them from possible death.

"Of course I do, Greg. If you go into the workshop, I have several gauntlets already made. Specifically, Cracker gauntlets." Roxy answered. "They won't kill, but they'll certainly give a shock to trespassers, that's for sure."

"Got it." Greg ran into the workshop, where after a full minute, grabbed two Cracker gauntlets before putting one of them on his right hand. He threw the other to Brea, who also put it on her right hand. As for Roxy, she grabbed a small clicker before quickly syncing it to the systems, thus allowing her to activate them using the device. This way, Roxy wouldn't have to be at the backroom to control the defense systems.

"What about Medusa? Where she'd go?" Miyu asked.

"Medusa sensed that something was amiss, Miyu, so she went to go investigate." Roxy answered, as she went into the workshop as well before grabbing another Cracker gauntlet, which she put on her right arm.

"Miyu and I can fight too, Roxy." Rachel pointed out. "I was able to make the Shadow retreat, and it should help weaken Yuhiro as well."

"Yeah, auntie. Let us help." Miyu voiced her request.

Roxy turned around and put a hand on Miyu's shoulder. "I know you want to be on the frontlines, Miyu, but you need to keep Rachel safe if something happens to us."

"But auntie-."

"Hey, we can fight! I just said that earlier!" Rachel reminded Roxy.

"If Yuhiro captures you, then we're screwed, Rachel." Roxy firmly responded to Rachel, which made Miyu gasp as well. "That's why I want Miyu to protect you should things go downhill."

Rachel frowned in response. "Alright, fine. I'll adhere to your request, Roxy."

Miyu also sighed, knowing that Roxy sadly had a point on this matter. "Okay. I'll keep Rachel safe, auntie. You have my word."

"Thank you both for understanding." Roxy said, before she headed over to the front of Café Matsuo's main area with Achilles, Greg and Brea. As for Miyu and Rachel, the two of them headed over to the back of the main area near the garage's entrance. If things went bad, the two of them can get out from that entrance and escape into the night.

Suddenly, many shades of darkness emerged from the ground before swirling together into one, where Yuhiro emerged out of them. Seeing this, Roxy pressed a button on the clicker in her hand, which caused numerous machine guns to emerge out of the walls before immediately firing non-lethal bullets at Yuhiro. Even though the bullets were non-lethal, they would still hurt like Hell later on. This was evident by Yuhiro being forced to take a step or two back with each round of bullets piercing their way through his body. Eventually, he will fall unconscious by the unrelenting barrage, and the group would then quickly purge the Shadow out of his body after doing so.

Just like Roxy believed, Yuhiro lost his balance before beginning to fall to the ground. But to her horror, along with everyone else's, Yuhiro immediately vaulted himself upwards as the bullets fell to the ground.

"How could you shoot your own son like that, mom? I thought you cared for me." Yuhiro sadly lamented, as his enhanced Link Trigger thanks to the Cursed Boundary Layer immediately healed his wounds seconds later. He thrusted out his right hand, which caused shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles from the Cursed Boundary Layer to emerge and seep their way into Café Matsuo, the security systems forcefully shutting down as a result.

Due to this, Greg, Roxy and Brea fired blasts of electrical energy from their Cracker gauntlets at Yuhiro, who kept walking forward in order to try and kidnap Rachel, having not been fazed by their futile attacks. In addition, a shadow from the Cursed Boundary Layer began engulfing the front area, with Pandora emerging from it seconds later, having recovered from her wounds.

"Pandora, capture Rachel, but do not kill her or anyone else that tries to protect her." Yuhiro firmly ordered, wanting to make sure that the people in his life didn't die. After all, they deserved to live given everything that's happened to them.

"My pleasure." Pandora complied, as magical energy danced around her hands. But before she could fire it, Achilles dashed forward and slammed Pandora with such force that she was sent flying back onto the ground. Achilles immediately dodged the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles and threw his lance at Pandora, who narrowly dodged it before he called his weapon back to him. Before Achilles could plan out his next move, emerging from the Cursed Boundary Layer was Atalanta/Alpha Mode, who tackled the former to the wall nearby with such force that he was momentarily stunned.

"Atalanta? What are you-?" Achilles began speaking, as he broke free of Atalanta/Alpha Mode's attempt to restrain him before striking back, only for her to dodge the attack.

"You're not going anywhere, Achilles. Not on my watch." Atalanta/Alpha Mode firmly told Achilles, as the two of them engaged in battle seconds later. Since she accepted the darkness within her heart, her power had increased exponentially. By that point, Atalanta/Alpha Mode realized an unfortunate truth. A world where every child was safe was an impossible one to create. So she would let a portion of people die in order for salvation to be provided to the rest, even if some of the dead were children. This way, the other major portion of the world's children would ultimately survive in the end.

Getting back up on her feet, Pandora began heading towards Café Matsuo's entrance, only for Geomathmech Final Sigma to appear and try to strike her, which made her jump back out of surprise to avoid the attack. In response, Pandora fired magical energy at Final Sigma, which only pushed it back for a few seconds before it swung the sword in its hands in front of it. As a result, a wave of fiery energy was unleashed, which would have hit Pandora had the Cursed Boundary Layer not sent shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to protect her.

"Fine. Take care of Final Sigma, Pandora. I'll get Rachel myself." Yuhiro annoyingly decided, as he immediately sped over to Café Matsuo's entrance before slamming the door open, which led Greg, Brea and Roxy to fire electrical energy from the Cracker gauntlets on their right arms at him. In response, Yuhiro unleashed shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles at the trio, causing them to roll out of the way before attempting to fight back. One example being Greg standing up on his feet before pulling out his gun and firing it at Yuhiro, which did nothing as the bullet fell to the ground with no impact, a grin evident on his face. He then released a shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle that pierced the Cracker gauntlet before Yuhiro punched Greg in the gut, which sent him flying back to the wall, only for the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle to fully cushion the impact by restraining him instead, much to Greg's surprise.

Before Yuhiro could continue moving through Café Matsuo to try and look for Rachel, Brea charged forward and delivered a roundhouse kick at him. He allowed the attack to connect just to show Brea how ineffective it was, which was proven true by the shock of horror on her face.

"Go help Miyu and Rachel, Roxy! I'll hold him off!" Brea shouted, with Roxy nodding in agreement as Brea fired electrical energy from the Cracker gauntlet in order to distract Yuhiro. This succeeded, as he turned around and unleashed a shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle to pierce the Cracker gauntlet off her hand before unleashing another one at her. While Brea was able to avoid the first one, the second shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle grabbed her body and prevented her from moving.

Roxy immediately ran down the hallway before making her way to the garage, where she saw Miyu and Rachel waiting safe and sound. "We need to get in the car now!" She gestured Miyu and Rachel to get in the seats, only for Yuhiro to suddenly open the door with such force that it made all three of them gasp in horror.

"Found you at last, Rachel..." Yuhiro muttered, a grin evident on his face as he let out a chuckle.

"What has that Shadow done to you, Yuhiro?" Miyu questioned, fear in her tone after seeing Yuhiro fully corrupted by the Cursed Boundary Layer.

"Take Rachel and run, Miyu! I will handle this!" Roxy exclaimed, as she pressed a button on the clicker, which caused the garage door to open for a few seconds before Miyu and Rachel escaped from the garage. After ensuring that they escaped, Roxy charged forward and fired several blasts of electrical energy at Yuhiro, who simply allowed them to hit him as she tried to land a punch on the latter. Yuhiro, in turn, blocked the attack before he attempted to strike back with a sequence of punches and kicks, only for Roxy to evade the attacks quickly in response. She then charged forward once more and tried to hit Yuhiro with a roundhouse kick, who blocked the attacks and tried to push her back. Seizing the opportunity, Roxy dodged the attack and immediately fired a burst of electrical energy from the Cracker gauntlet, which hit Yuhiro upon impact before making him take a step back out of surprise. This allowed Roxy to land another few punches and a kick on a stunned Yuhiro that made him take another step back, having let out a grunt from the attacks he received just now.

Having had enough, Yuhiro summoned a shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle to try and restrain Roxy, who evaded the attack and try to continue buying more time for Miyu and Rachel to escape. Unfortunately, Yuhiro summoned a second shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle to pierce the Cracker gauntlet off of Roxy's hand, which led to him kicking her with such force that she was sent flying off the ground. However, to her surprise, the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle fully cushioned the impact by restraining her movements instead. It was as though a small part of Yuhiro didn't want the people in his life to get hurt. As though that part was fighting whatever was corrupting him.

Before Yuhiro could continue moving, Rasterliger charged out of nowhere and let out a howl that made him scream in pain, the Cursed Boundary Layer also feeling it as well. Rasterliger then evaded the attacks before a blue aura surrounded his body, which allowed him to tackle Yuhiro with such force that he was pushed back several feet. An infuriated Yuhiro then summoned numerous shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles, causing Rasterliger to evade a great majority of them before getting snared by the last one. As a result, the other shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles restrained his movements and prevented him from moving altogether.

After making sure that Roxy and Rasterliger were fully restrained, Yuhiro ran out of Café Matsuo and looked around the area, trying to figure out where Miyu and Rachel ran off to. He saw them not too far away from Café Matsuo, which led him to sink into the shadows before pursuing the duo.

"This way, Rachel!" Miyu exclaimed, having held Rachel's hand as the two of them ran down the area to escape the chaos. Unfortunately, the two of them saw Final Sigma fall to the ground at Pandora's hands before shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles restrained its movements, much to Rachel's horror.

"Final Sigma!" Rachel cried out, wanting to go back and help her protector.

Having seen this, Miyu spun Rachel around and put her hands on the latter's shoulders to get her attention. "Please listen to me, Rachel. We need to leave while there's still time."

"Running will do you no good." Yuhiro coldly interjected, having emerged from the shadows in front of Miyu and Rachel as the two of them gasped upon seeing him. "Surrender now, Rachel. Don't make me repeat my demand again."

"Is this what you want, Yuhiro? To hurt more people so you can try to fulfil your family's legacy?" Miyu inquired, which got his attention. "You're not obligated to do such a thing, Yuhiro. I know the type of person you truly are."

"Like I told Yusaku, I finally have the chance to make things right, Miyu. Otherwise, everyone who died in this conflict would be for nothing." Yuhiro firmly answered. "I can't accept a reality where every action has led to nothing but meaningless death! I just can't!"

"It's done." Pandora reported, having floated over to where Yuhiro was, wounds evident on her body due to her battle against Final Sigma. She did not expect to battle against such a fearsome Cyberse creature, and paid the price for it by being wounded by the attacks. Regardless, they weren't as bad as the ones Wonder Heart and Medusa gave Pandora earlier, which made her retreat as a result.

"About time you came back." Yuhiro commented in a disappointed tone, as Pandora raised her right hand at Miyu and Rachel, energy dancing around her hand. "This is your last chance, Rachel. Su-"

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the Chains of Tragedy emerged out of nowhere and sped towards Yuhiro, who was forced to unleash shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to intercept them. Yuhiro wasn't the only one caught off guard, as Pandora was forced to fire energy from her hands in order to try and eliminate the Chains of Tragedy, only for several more to appear and retain their attention. Thanks to the distraction, Miyu and Rachel were able to escape from the chaos.

"No! You won't get away from me!" Yuhiro shouted, only for Abyss King to emerge and try to pummel him, causing the former to dodge once more as shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles tried to grab the latter. However, a taxi came out of nowhere that tried to hit Yuhiro, who was forced to use the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to successfully stop it from hitting him. As a result, Abyss King was able to land a punch that pushed Yuhiro back.

"I had a feeling you'd be here, Yuhiro," a familiar voice stated, as Gil emerged from the shadows, the restrained Chainslaver and Sharpshot at his left and right sides.

"Gil… of course you'd try to help them…." Yuhiro muttered, only for Gil to shake his head. And he has other people as well, he thought in his mind. Which people did Gil bring with him? That was something Yuhiro wanted to find out for himself.

"Nah, my appearance was nothing more than coincidental, as I have personal business with you." Gil narrowed his eyes. "Were you at Central Japan last night by any chance?"

Yuhiro smirked in response. "I was, Gil. I did what humans could not do in difficult times. I murdered Balius to bring true justice."

"I see. As grateful as I am for you doing that, you still owe me a pound of your flesh." Gil responded, as Abyss King let out a roar before charging forward at Yuhiro, who had Pandora combat their attacker. The shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles immediately sped forward and proceeded to break the Chains of Tragedy as Gil narrowly dodged them before they could hit him. To Gil's horror, Yuhiro summoned a Shadow Giant that proceeded to try and pummel him seconds later. As a result, Gil had no choice but to evade the Shadow Giant's attacks before summoning the Chains of Tragedy to block its attacks. Even though the Chains of Tragedy blocked the Shadow Giant's attacks, it still struck with enough force to break them, much to Gil's shock.

"Want to know what you'd be without the Chains of Tragedy and Abyss King, Gil?" Yuhiro inquired, as he appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Gil. "Simple: An insignificant pest." He then threw Gil down to the ground, where the latter rolled onto it before stopping. The Shadow Giant proceeded to try and punch Gil, only for Abyss King to escape Pandora's attacks before swooping down and grabbing Gil in order to rescue him from the Shadow Giant's attack. Seeing this, Yuhiro thrusted out his right hand, which caused shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to appear and grab the duo before slamming them to the ground. The shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles flung Gil towards Yuhiro, who grabbed him before slamming the former to the ground multiple times. After doing this, Yuhiro threw Gil to the ground, causing the latter to roll onto it before stopping seconds later.

"Is that all you got, Yuhiro? Come on! I'm not leaving until I get my pound of flesh!" Gil told Yuhiro, having tried to regain his footing as the latter simply walked over to where the former was, a frown evident on his face. A shadowy, ribbon-like tentacle appeared and wrapped itself around Gil to restrain him.

After that happened, Yuhiro had the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles break through the Chains of Tragedy holding Chainslaver and Sharpshot, and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the both of them. This led Yuhiro to use the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to restrain both criminals and carry them with him. From what Yuhiro saw, it seemed that Gil captured both Chainslaver and Sharpshot to use as a bargaining chip in exchange for compensation in the form of both answers and a blood debt. He turned to Gil upon putting two and two together. "I won't kill you because you've brought me two individuals that are worth my time." Yuhiro then walked away from Gil, the Shadow Giant and Pandora following after him. Having found Miyu and Rachel back at Café Matsuo, Yuhiro proceeded to unleash shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to restrain them both. He also saw Atalanta/Alpha Mode restrain Achilles in a successful hold to prevent him from moving despite his efforts to fight back, along with Final Sigma fighting back against the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles holding it down.

"Get of me!" Miyu shouted, having tried to rip the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles off her body. To her surprise, her hands glowed a light-blue color, which practically broke the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles seconds later. It was as though Miyu's powers, which were gifted from Aqua, were able to resist the Cursed Boundary Layer's infectious abilities.

Apparently, Miyu wasn't the only one who was able to succeed in doing so, as Rachel felt herself glow with rainbow energy that allowed her to fight back against the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles. Unfortunately for the both of them, the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles continued to try restraining the duo.

"How fascinating. Your powers are enabling you both to resist the Shadow's attacks." Yuhiro said, surprise evident in his tone. "Rest assured, I won't kill either of you. However, I need Rachel if I'm succeed." The shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles combined to form into a wave of shadows, which headed straight towards Miyu and Rachel!

WHOOSH!

Unexpectedly, Medusa appeared out nowhere before rescuing Miyu and Rachel, while Wonder Heart charged forward and slashed the wave of shadows, turning it into particles seconds later. Aoi had also arrived on the scene, having ran over to help Miyu and Rachel up on their feet.

"Are the both of you okay?" Aoi asked Miyu and Rachel, the two of them nodding in confirmation as they made their stand along with Medusa and Wonder Heart rather than continue running.

"Medusa, you..." Yuhiro muttered.

"This was your request, Yuhiro. You told me to protect the people in your life no matter the circumstances. You've also asked me to pass this request on to those willing to undertake it." Medusa reminded Yuhiro, having tightened her grip on the chained daggers in her hands.

"In that case, I'll rein you in, just like I did with the others." Yuhiro smiled as the Shadow Giant roared before charging forward with a punch. However, Rachel's eyes glowed a rainbow color as she fired a blast of rainbow energy at the Shadow Giant, who groaned back in pain as it was forced to take a step back. It wasn't the only one, as Yuhiro was also pushed back several feet seconds later.

Medusa immediately dashed forward in an attempt to eliminate the Shadow Giant, only for Yuhiro to summon Alastor, who jumped to the ground and hit her with such force that she was sent flying back down to the ground. Wonder Heart attempted to assist Medusa, only for Yuhiro to summon Teferi and intercept her, both duel monsters engaging in combat.

Rasterliger emerged out of Café Matsuo and let out a loud roar, which forced Yuhiro and the Shadow Giant back as he charged forward in an attempt to stop them. Seeing this, Yuhiro signaled Pandora to battle against Rasterliger, the two duel monsters also engaging in combat. He then had the Shadow Giant attack Miyu, Aoi and Rachel, only for Rachel to release more rainbow energy that repelled the Shadow Giant's attack once again. Rasterliger dodged the attacks quickly before a blue aura surrounded his body, where he tackled Pandora with such force that the latter was pushed back several feet. Having had enough, Pandora fired magical energy at Rasterliger from different directions, where he dodged several of them. However, one of the blasts hit Rasterliger and nearly made him lose his footing. This gave the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles the successful opportunity to restrain him.

Alastor tried to land a blow on Medusa, only for her to dodge the attack and strike back with such speed that the former staggered for several seconds. Unfortunately, Alastor used the opportunity to grab Medusa using his upper two arms and slam her to the ground numerous times, where he proceeded to restrain her movements using both his upper two arms and the arms that held the chained blades. As for Wonder Heart, despite managing to land a few blows on Teferi, she was struck with energy that fired from the latter's wings. Shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles then proceeded to restrain her movements seconds later.

"This farce ends now." Yuhiro said, having walked forward to capture Rachel himself as she, Aoi and Miyu prepared to defend themselves.

WHOOSH!

Black Keys suddenly flew through the air before they pierced Yuhiro, Pandora, Teferi, Alastor, Atalanta/Alpha Mode and the Shadow Giant, all six of them roaring in pain as a result. The surprise attack even managed to free Achilles, Final Sigma, Medusa, Wonder Heart and Rasterliger as well. Seconds later, Arshad Saito emerged from the shadows, having thrown more Black Keys at Yuhiro, only for him to dodge each one.

"It's Arshad!" both Aoi and Rachel exclaimed at the same time.

"How?! How are you here in the real world?!" Yuhiro demanded, fury and shock evident in his tone.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Arshad responded to Yuhiro's question, having armed himself with a total of six black keys, three on each hand.

"So you still side with this hypocrite after everything that's happened, do you?! Fine!" Yuhiro let out a malicious chuckle as more Shadow Giants emerged behind him, the area being dyed in black as Watchman readied himself for what was to come. "I won't kill you, but I will ensure you don't get in my way."

"STOP!" Rachel shouted, which got Yuhiro's attention. "I'll go with you. Just leave the others alone. I know that you care for us deep down, so please don't hurt them. That's all I ask for in return."

Yuhiro frowned after hearing Rachel say this. It was true. Yuhiro did care for the people in his life deep down in his heart. He didn't want to hurt them, but they stood in his way. Then again, they would have opposed him one way or another after learning of his intentions. "It seems you've accepted the truth about the situation at last, have you not?"

"I have. Just don't hurt the others." Rachel pleaded, which caused the Cursed Boundary Layer to retreat at Yuhiro's command. The way she said it was genuine, which was what led him to call off the attack. Well, except for one Shadow Giant to ensure that no one was up to any funny business.

"What's going on?" Greg asked, as he ran over to the front upon hearing the chaos settle down, along with Roxy and Brea. To his horror, he saw Rachel walk over to where Yuhiro was. "Rachel, what are you doing?"

"Oh no…." Roxy muttered after putting two and two together.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but this is the only way for you to survive." Rachel apologized to the others.

"No, you don't!" Watchman exclaimed, as he charged forward, only for the Shadow Giant behind Yuhiro to practically slam him to the ground with such force that he was stunned as a result, having dropped all six Black Keys from his hands.

After making sure that Watchman couldn't fight back, Yuhiro knocked out Rachel with a single chop, which led her to fall to the ground like a puppet cut off from its strings. He then picked her up, intent on bringing her to his hideout before forcibly logging her into his base in the network. Besides, Yuhiro wanted to keep Rachel secure in his hideout in the real world first, and didn't want to take any chances in this matter. As for the captive Chainslaver and Sharpshot, Yuhiro had to take care of them before leaving. The opportunity also allowed Yuhiro to further demonstrate his power as well.

"W-What's going on?" Sharpshot asked.

"Don't ask me! We need to run!" Chainslaver exclaimed.

"I did say you can kill Chainslaver and Sharpshot, Atalanta/Alpha Mode. Finish them." Yuhiro said.

"Gladly." Atalanta/Alpha Mode complied, as she proceeded to charge forward and brutally tear Chainslaver and Sharpshot apart before ending their miserable lives, much to everyone else's horror. Even Pandora and the other Cyreath duel monsters were shocked at what they saw. It was though Yuhiro was warning them of what will happen should they fail him.

Yuhiro turned away from the others after draining away Chainslaver and Sharpshot's remains using the Cursed Boundary Layer, having eradicated both criminals for good. "Please don't show yourselves to me ever again!" Though it appeared to be a threat, the way he said it almost sounded like a plea. "If you do, then I'll have no choice but to eliminate you all myself."

"Wait, Yuhiro!" Miyu shouted, as she tried to run over to where Yuhiro was, the latter being embraced by the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles of the Cursed Boundary Layer in order to return to his hideout. However, Pandora appeared in front of Miyu and the others, energy emitting from the former's hand.

"If you care for your lives, do not pursue them." Pandora warned Miyu and the others present.

"You're an idiot for joining Yuhiro on a mission that will only cause him further pain." Roxy scolded Pandora. "I don't know what personal goal you have in mind, but whatever it is, it won't be accomplished this way."

"On the contrary, all of you are idiots for thinking you can stop Yuhiro from completing his mission." Pandora angrily countered back, actually offended by that comment. However, there was also hesitation and doubt evident in her tone, which surprised her. "Even if you manage to make myself and the other 'Cyreath' monsters stand down, what can you do?"

No one spoke a word after hearing that question. Since they didn't know how to eliminate the Cursed Boundary Layer, that meant none of them knew how to ultimately save him in the end.

"This is your final warning to all of you. Yuhiro will obtain the Root of All Knowledge one way or another. That is the only way he'll be released from his pain. If you follow us in spite of that fact, you'll end up regretting it with your lives."

Yuhiro, Pandora, Alastor, Teferi, Atalanta/Alpha Mode and an unconscious Rachel disappeared, all six of them having faded into the Cursed Boundary Layer seconds later as the group went over to where Yuhiro's hideout was in the real world. No one present could utter a word upon seeing this, shock and fear evident on all of their faces.

"RACHEL!" Greg cried out, having broken the silence in the process. He swore to protect her, and in the end, he failed.

"Damn it…." Arshad muttered in a frustrated tone. Now that Yuhiro had Rachel, that meant Jericho would have another opportunity to seize her for himself despite having to retreat earlier.

"Where is he? Where's Yuhiro?!" Gil exclaimed, having managed to walk over to Café Matsuo, cuts and bruises evident on his face. Greg ran over to where Gil was, having managed to prevent him from falling as he carried the latter to Café Matsuo's entrance.

"I told you not to act rashly." Greg whispered to Gil.

"And like I told you earlier, you wouldn't understand." Gil quietly replied back. But before he could say anymore, the Café Nagi truck sped over some distance away from Café Matsuo, with Kusanagi getting out of the truck seconds later, his right arm around Yusaku's left shoulder, while Takeru had his left arm on Yusaku's right shoulder.

"Help! Yusaku's injured! He needs help!" Kusanagi cried out, Arashi following after him and Takeru as well. Everyone gasped upon seeing Yusaku and Takeru injured.

"Give Yusaku to me, Shoichi Kusanagi." Arshad urged Kusanagi. "If we don't act to stabilize his body, he may be trapped in the network forever."

Kusanagi narrowed his eyes. He obviously didn't trust Watchman due to his role in the Lost Incident, but what choice did he have now? Yusaku was injured, and if Watchman had the means to stabilize him for the time being, then Kusanagi would have no choice but to put his trust in him. Besides, the Den City Hospital was dealing with a lot of other stuff right now, and even the staff there wouldn't be able to figure out how to help Yusaku. Hell, they might make an assumption that could lead to a fatal mistake. "Fine, but all of us are watching you. If you're up to any funny business, we'll make sure you regret it." After saying this, Kusanagi nodded to Takeru, who nodded back in confirmation as the two of them handed Yusaku over to Arshad, who brought him inside Café Matsuo. As for Takeru, he nearly stumbled on his feet, which led Roxy and Miyu to run over and help him balance himself.

"Don't worry, we'll get you healed up in no time." Roxy assured Takeru, the two of them helping him into Café Matsuo.

"You okay, Brea?" Arashi asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Brea answered, before she groaned in pain as Arashi helped her regain her balance. "Okay, I'm a little winded from what happened just now."

"Same here." Arashi agreed, the two of them also entering inside Café Matsuo in the process. There, they saw Arshad performing what looked like a ritual on Yusaku, yellow energy surrounding the former's hands that went over to the latter, who was resting on the dining table. Watching this was Roxy, Kusanagi and Aoi, concerned expressions evident for Yusaku on their faces. Nearby in the living room section, Miyu was also healing Takeru from his wounds on one couch, while Greg and Gil were sitting on the other couch contemplating recent events, Rasterliger resting nearby the two of them as well.

"What's going on? What happened to Yusaku? Was he also hit by the Shadow?" Aoi asked both Roxy and Kusanagi, tears falling from her eyes after putting two and two together. Yusaku was Playmaker this entire time, she realized in her mind. If that's the case, that means Takeru was Soulburner, while Arashi was Slipstream as well. As for the other girl, I doubt she's a victim of the Lost Incident. If anything, she must be Tigress.

"And done." Miyu said, as the wounds on Takeru's body, which consisted of several cuts of different sizes, closed up seconds later.

"Thanks, Miyu. Yuhiro wasn't kidding when he said you had Aqua's healing abilities." Takeru said. It's a shame it won't work on Yusaku, as he's trapped in the network, he thought in his mind.

Miyu then walked over to where Gil was. "Here. Let me heal you."

"Uh, sure." Gil complied, as Miyu placed her hand on Gil's arm, light-blue energy proceeding to enter into the latter's body. As a result, Gil felt his wounds heal seconds later. "Thank you. Why did you do this?"

"You helped us escape. Simple as that." Miyu told Gil, before standing up on her feet and going over to where the others were. She wasn't the only one, as Greg and Rasterliger also followed after her to speak with the others.

Yeah, right. I only came in order to get payback on Yuhiro. Helping you guys was just coincidental, Gil angrily thought in his mind.

"It's finished." Arshad stated, having completed his incantations.

"I hoped what you did just now helped Yusaku, Arshad. Otherwise, you'll regret it." Roxy warned Arshad.

"I did nothing wrong, Roxy. All I did was stabilize Yusaku's body. This way, he won't suffer any damage while he's in the network for now." Arshad told Roxy and everyone else present. "However, Inquisitors such as myself do not have the power to raise the dead. Though Yusaku's body is stable for now, whatever pain he experiences in the network at the Shadow's hands will affect him in the real world if he's not rescued soon."

"To put it simply, the longer we take in finding and rescuing Yusaku, the more likely his network injuries will hurt him in the real world." Kusanagi summed up.

"But that would mean confronting Yuhiro again, especially after he defeated Yusaku at full power." Arashi said, which made everyone else silent after hearing this information. As for Greg and Gil, the two of them gasped upon hearing this news.

"And that Shadow too. We also need to figure out how to rescue Yuhiro from it." Miyu added, the others nodding in agreement. Well, except for Arshad.

"Not to mention Rachel. Yuhiro kidnapped her just so he can fulfil his family's destiny and acquire the Root of All Knowledge." Takeru piped in. "Does he not know that it'll cause him further pain?"

"I think Yuhiro does, Takeru, but he's so hellbent on acquiring it that he sees no other path in freeing himself from the pain he's trapped in." Kusanagi hypothesized. He and Roxy were shocked after seeing Yuhiro defeat Yusaku at full power using both cards and combat. The worst part of it was Yuhiro brutally using Excalibur Morgan to wound Yusaku just enough for the Cursed Boundary Layer to capture him. Judging from what happened, Yuhiro would most likely use Yusaku as a hostage to draw Ai out from wherever he was in the network. Should Yuhiro capture Ai, then he'd ultimately succeed in the end.

"If I may add to that point, I believe Yuhiro's also doing all of this because in his mind, he's thinking has nothing to lose." Gil said, which made everyone else gasp. "And a man who has nothing to lose is the most dangerous one of all."

"That's ridiculous, Gil. All of us are still in Yuhiro's life trying to help him through a difficult time. If anything, he still has love and support from all of us." Roxy rebutted.

"Yeah. Yuhiro cares about us, and we still care about him." Miyu added in support to Roxy's rebuttal.

"Really? Judging by how he ruthlessly attacked all of you, I doubt he thinks all of you care for him anymore." Gil countered. "In Yuhiro's mind, I bet he's thinking: Everyone hates me. Why doesn't anyone trust me anymore? Do I cause nothing more than pain in the lives of those I know? I hate myself. I want the pain to end, but I can't simply kill myself. I want to go out with a bang, knowing that I've made a long-term positive impact on this universe."

Hearing what Gil said made everyone widen their eyes out of shock. Did Yuhiro truly think those thoughts following the events in Mirror LINK VRAINS? Was Yuhiro truly scared of what others would think of him, given by how his family affected their lives? Or was that the Cursed Boundary Layer feeding on his fears and pain before turning him into a monster?

"Did you come all this way just to tell us these words, Gil? As much as I appreciate you coming in to assist us, you still owe us an explanation, especially with how you were wounded before Miyu healed you." Roxy pointed out.

Why does everyone think I came to save the day? I came here for my own reasons, Gil thought in his mind. "I came here because I had a theory to test, and it seems I was correct."

"A theory?" Arashi repeated.

"Yeah. Back in Central Japan, the Shadow attacked us after we defeated Balius and arrested him." Gil began explaining. "Following the attack, Rachel said that the Shadow had taken Yuhiro's form for a few moments while it tried to hunt her down. So I snuck all the way back to Den City to get some answers from Yuhiro and see if he was connected to it or not."

"I warned you not to act rashly, Gil. You were wounded as a result." Greg firmly reminded Gil.

"Hey, at least I got answers, Greg." Gil replied back. "I took two very vile criminals from the Den City Jail to see whether Yuhiro would either kill them or hold back because of his sense of justice. Well, one that's gone by this point, anyway."

"You did what?!" Greg grit his teeth in anger, while the others gasped out of shock. As for Arshad, he didn't bother reacting to it, choosing instead to pay attention on what would happen next.

Gil narrowed his eyes back at Greg. "I took Chainslaver and Sharpshot from the Den City Jail before presenting them to Yuhiro. Sure enough, my theory was correct. Yuhiro didn't hesitate in attacking me out of retaliation for getting involved, and took the two of them before allowing one of his duel monsters to horrifically eliminate them. What's more, Yuhiro admitted that he murdered Balius because he no longer trusted humans to do the right thing."

So that was the true reason Balius died last night. He was brutally murdered by Yuhiro while on the way to prison, Greg realized in his mind. "What you did was not only very wrong, but very risky as well. What's more, there are now two dead prisoners due to your antics."

"So what? Chainslaver and Sharpshot deserved to die for their role in Balius' trafficking ring, and they weren't going to be released one way or another." Gil countered. "You could go ahead and arrest me, but it wouldn't change the situation right now. And besides, I have nothing left to lose."

"You still have your father, Gil. One that truly wishes to make amends." Greg responded, which made Gil scowl back upon being reminded of that fact.

"Sorry to change the topic, but something else happened in the network. While Yuhiro and Yusaku were dueling, we fought against the person with glasses." Takeru said, which got everyone's attention.

"What?!" Kusanagi exclaimed, which caused everyone else to gasp. Well, except for Arshad, who was paying close attention to what Takeru just announced.

"Describe this person for me, Takeru." Arshad firmly stated.

"You know something about the person with glasses?" Aoi asked.

"It depends on what Takeru says next," was all Arshad replied with.

Takeru put a finger on his chin before thinking it over. "Uh, let's see. He was a purple-skinned young man in his teens with red eyes, pointed ears, and white hair that was secured as a high ponytail on the top, while the hair around the sides of his head were buzzed short."

"I see. The person you've fought in the network was Jason Albinor, son of Ukyos Albinor." Arshad informed everyone present.

"Jason Albinor?" Roxy repeated out of confusion.

"The right hand man of Ukyos Albinor, who is also Urizen in the network. As for Jason, he goes by Jericho in the network." Arshad clarified.

"Jericho was there in the forest trying to capture Rachel." Brea spoke up. "Had it not been for Takeru.. er, Soulburner, he would have succeeded." She turned to Takeru. "Sorry. I didn't mean to blurt out your real-world identity like that."

"You already know who Yuhiro and Arashi are in the network, so it was only a matter of time you'd figure out who Yusaku and I are as well." Takeru replied.

"Jericho must have been the one to unleash that Shadow in the first place. If that's the case, then by defeating him, we'll be able to free Yuhiro from that Shadow." Arashi hypothesized, the others nodding in agreement. All except for Arshad.

"Regardless of whether Yuhiro was brainwashed or not, he still murdered multiple people, along with a high-ranking individual." Greg pointed out. "I hate to say this, but he needs to be arrested once this is all over."

"Arrested? I won't allow it!" Roxy exclaimed. "Yuhiro's been going through too much lately, especially with what he lost recently. Getting arrested will only add more to his troubles."

Greg sighed. "Look, Roxy. I get it. Yuhiro's going through a lot right now, especially after a war recently happened. But he's a threat to national security. I can't afford to take any risks when there's a threat to national security walking out and about."

"And can you afford to take that risk?" Roxy narrowed her eyes in pure anger at Greg. "Need I remind you that Yuhiro's been infected by the Shadow, the very thing that's been murdering people lately? If you arrest Yuhiro, and everyone finds out that the Shadow has infected a human, then there will be worldwide panic. Businesses will close down, people will riot, states of emergency will be declared, areas will be locked out from others and so much more. All because there's something out there that can latch onto anyone in the world now that it's infected someone. The worst part? It would take doctors a very long time to cure because they have no goddamn sample of the Shadow, which came out of the fucking network. To put it simply, the whole world will be thrown into a state of chaos that will never end."

Greg opened his mouth to try and make a rebuttal, but found that he could not. As much as he hated to admit it, Roxy unfortunately had a point. Should people realize that the Cursed Boundary Layer had emerged from the network and infected a human, the whole world would never know peace. Everyone would live in fear of one another to the point where contact would be ceased permanently.

"She's right, you know." Gil supported Roxy's explanation, which got Greg's attention. "The moment people learn the truth, it'll all go to Hell. We'll all lose, and the only person who wins will be this Jericho person the old man told us about."

"No! I refuse to believe that!" Greg exclaimed. "There has to be some way justice can be served to everyone that's been killed. You can't sweep those killings underneath a rug and call it a day. It's impossible."

"Well, it looks like you're stuck between a very hard rock and a very hard place." Roxy told Greg. "Ask yourself: Can I afford to risk worldwide safety just to get the truth out about who was responsible for such a horrific deed? Can I risk potentially causing my loved ones long-term harm as a result of this decision? Think about that very carefully, Greg."

"I… I…." Greg couldn't speak anymore words after hearing that question. For the first time in his life, he was truly stuck in a situation that not only had no clear answer, but one that challenged his beliefs as well. He was stuck in a situation that was unfortunately a lose-lose one in the end. Both Gil and Roxy were sadly right. If Greg arrested the one who caused all of those killings, people would suspect that they were infected by the Cursed Boundary Layer, which would lead to never-ending chaos.

Roxy crossed her arms, having saw that she made her point made across to Greg. "Besides, you already owe Yuhiro so much given what happened while you were at Central Japan. All of what he's doing is him acting out of pain. We need to talk Yuhiro down and free him from that Shadow. If it helps, you can hunt down Jericho and arrest him, as he's the true instigator of these events."

"Neither arresting nor talking Yuhiro down will solve the problem at hand." Arshad said. "If this problem is to truly be solved, then he must die. Not just him, but Rachel as well."

Everyone else in the room gasped after hearing Arshad's snide comment.

"Dear God…" Kusanagi muttered.

"He did not just say that." Brea commented.

"I think he did, Brea." Arashi realized.

"How dare you say such a horrible thing!" Greg infuriatingly exclaimed at Watchman, pure anger evident in his tone. "Killing Rachel will not solve the problem, and it's an option we will not choose to end this madness!"

"That option actually will solve the problem, commissioner, and here's why: Rachel became the Construct as a result of Project: Apotheosis, one of two projects in order to reach the Root of All Knowledge." Arshad calmly began answering. "As long as she exists, then there will always be the chance of Jericho trying to kidnap her for his plans. This has already been proven by how Yuhiro kidnapped Rachel so he can seize the Root of All Knowledge, so the chances of someone else doing it are just as equal under the right circumstances."

"Yet you advocate murdering a child to save the world." Greg seethed, still infuriated that Watchman would calmly make such a suggestion.

"And exactly how is killing Yuhiro going to kill that Shadow?! For all we know, it'll most likely try to latch itself onto someone else in order to survive." Roxy pointed out.

"Simple: By eradicating every single piece of them both." Arshad calmly replied. "Only then will this world, no, the universe will truly be safe."

"But those options aren't right at all!" Miyu shouted at the top of her lungs before beginning to shake in sadness. "Killing is never the answer. Not when there's a chance you can save someone you care about." She glared at Arshad, trying with all her might to hold herself together. "You don't turn your back on family. Not when they turn it on you." Miyu then began to cry, having been overwhelmed with everything that just happened.

"Hey, it's okay, Miyu. It'll be okay." Roxy quietly assured Miyu, having proceeded to walk her back to her room. Before doing so, Roxy glared at Arshad, infuriated with what he said earlier.

"All of you are pathetic. Pathetic, I tell you!" Arshad screamed at everyone else. "You're all too weak-witted to do what must be done for everyone else's betterment. You'd rather gamble everything on saving someone you care about than do what must be done to end the threat forever."

"Well, it's better to be someone who's pathetic and has ethics than someone who's practically a monster." Takeru told Arshad.

"Ditto." Aoi agreed with Takeru's argument. Annoyed with everyone else, Arshad walked outside Café Matsuo, needing time to think. After seeing him leave, everyone else in the main area of Café Matsuo present breathed a sigh of relief.

Greg walked over to the couch and sat down beside Gil before beginning to cry. "This…. This is the worst situation I've ever been in. I don't want to lose Rachel, who I consider a daughter, yet I can't ignore everything the Shadow did. The people it murdered. I can't compromise who I am."

"I don't know if this will help, but life is not black and white. There's so many shades of grey in so many different areas that it's hard to determine whether something's truly right or not." Gil commented. No one else spoke back to Gil's comment, knowing that he sadly made a point. A choice was never clearly there in every situation, as sometimes, the choice is burdened with so many other factors that it was hard to ultimately come to a decision on what to do next.

"I'm going back to Café Nagi. See if Ai managed to find Yuhiro and Rachel." Kusanagi decided.

"I'll go with you." Takeru stated, only to nearly stumble over seconds later.

"Yeah, I don't think either of us should go in the network right now." Arashi said. "I mean, you've used up a lot of energy both to protect us from the Shadow and fend off Jericho."

"But I can still help Kusanagi find-." Takeru protested, only to stumble over once again.

"No. You need to rest for the time being, Takeru." Greg decided, having helped Takeru over to the couch nearby so he can catch his breath.

"Hey, I can still go with him. I'm proficient as a hacker." Brea spoke up, only for her to nearly stumble in pain seconds later.

"Nuh-uh. You need to heal as well, Brea." Arashi told her.

"But-." Brea pouted before gritting her teeth.

"Come on. Let's go see if Miyu's available to heal you up, Otherwise, we'll have to get you a healing stim." Arashi helped Brea walk on her feet, the two of them going upstairs to see if Miyu was available to help them out.

"Well, given how everyone else's occupied, maybe I can help you find where Yuhiro and Rachel are." Gil offered, having raised his arm in the air in the hopes that Kusanagi will agree with his offer.

"No." Kusanagi refused Gil's offer.

"Excuse me, but I gave you guys a lot of information prior to your attack in Mirror LINK VRAINS. I even gave you Lightning's algorithm as well." Gil reminded Kusanagi.

"Maybe he wants to do this alone, Gil. You have to respect that." Aoi said.

"Perhaps, but two hackers are better than one. Besides, Roxy's busy at the moment, and I'm sure you could use all the help you can get." Gil countered, which made Kusanagi sigh.

"Fine, but on two conditions." Kusanagi began speaking. "First: You keep the real world identities of Playmaker, Soulburner, Slipstream, Tigress, Raguel and Blue Maiden to yourself. Second: I don't know what kind of beef you have with Yuhiro, but it ends now. Those are my terms. Take them or leave them. Your choice."

Gil grit his teeth after hearing that second condition. "Hey, man. For one, I never planned on selling the real-world identities of Playmaker and his buds. Client confidentiality is something I seriously follow. And for two, I don't plan on killing Yuhiro. All I need is a pound of his flesh as compensation for traumatizing me back at Central Japan."

"Deal or no deal?" Kusanagi raised an eyebrow, wanting to hear Gil's final answer.

"Deal." Gil conceded. He obviously wanted to make Yuhiro pay for his role in this mess, but as long as the Cursed Boundary Layer got destroyed in the end, he'd be satisfied. Besides, Kusanagi didn't say anything about confronting Yuhiro in the network, so there was technically a work-around here.

Satisfied with that answer, Kusanagi gestured Gil to follow after him downstairs, which the latter did as the two of them headed over to Café Nagi nearby.

The whole area was silent for what seemed like an eternity as Aoi turned her head to look at Yusaku, a sad expression on her face. She wanted to save him, but was ultimately not able to due to his clash against Yuhiro. One that was both through cards and through combat.

You've always helped me in my time of need, Yusaku. Now, it's my time to save you, and I won't let you down, Aoi vowed in her mind, having walked downstairs before reaching the entrance of Café Matsuo. She looked around, where she saw Achilles and Medusa on the roof, the two of them patrolling Café Matsuo in the event of another attack.

"You seem determined, Aoi Zaizen." Arshad said, who was leaning on the wall some distance away from the entrance to Café Matsuo.

"Of course I'm determined, Watchman. I'm going to save Yusaku and Rachel." Aoi replied. "What I want to know is why you came to help us in the first place, especially after your hypocrisy was revealed to us all."

"Simple: That Shadow, along with Jericho, are our common enemies. Had I not shown up, you would have all likely gotten severely injured. What's more, if it wasn't for me, your friend would be in a worse state than he is right now." Arshad explained, which made Aoi grit her teeth in response.

"I guess you make a point there..." Aoi narrowed her eyes and frowned. What Arshad said was unfortunately true. Even though Rachel would have surrendered herself one way or another to Yuhiro, had Arshad not arrived, Yusaku would have been in more pain than he already is right now.

"What's more, you don't know where Yuhiro is in the network. If you don't know where they are, you won't be able to even begin your rescue attempt." Arshad smirked. "You'd be like a fish trying to locate where their school is in the entire ocean."

Hearing that comment made Aoi grit her teeth seconds later. Unfortunately, what Arshad said was true once again. If Aoi didn't know where Yuhiro was in the network, she wouldn't be able to find Rachel and Yusaku as well. It was like searching for a needle among many haystacks.

"Hey, you got a second, Aoi?" Kusanagi asked, having walked over to where Aoi and Arshad were.

"Yeah, sure." Aoi replied, having followed Kusanagi to where Café Nagi was before entering it. She looked around the setup inside, and was impressed by how Yusaku and Kusanagi were able to hide it every day. For by day, it was a normal hot dog stand. But by night, it was a room built for programmers and hackers. Upon entering inside, Aoi saw Gil, who was sitting in one of the two seats.

"Ah, Miss Zaizen. Good to see you again." Gil greeted Aoi. "We've got something to show you."

Aoi walked over to where the monitors were, which showed a digital trail of pieces of a dark-purple algorithm, along with an ID code.

Hwp4nk97xw2k18rg69s4x67I

"Hang on a minute. Is that-?"

"Ai's algorithm. Just like before." Kusanagi confirmed. "That was how we were able to find Yuhiro earlier. It seems that Ai's helping us from deep within the network."

"I thought it'd take us a while to find Yuhiro, but it looks like our workload has been reduced. Although…" Gil said.

"If you're going to ask whether we tested Ai's algorithm to see if it was real or not, we've tested that theory earlier today. It's legit." Kusanagi told Gil.

"That's not what I was going to say, Kusanagi!" Gil snapped. "What I was going to say was I have another theory. One that could make sense."

Curious, Kusanagi sat on the other remaining seat, wanting to listen to what Gil would say next. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"Let me ask you this: How were you able to track the Ignis this entire time?"

"We scoured the network for any digital trails an Ignis leaves behind by using a tracker from Ai, Flame and Herald's algorithms to find them." Kusanagi began thinking before something popped into his mind. "Wait a minute. I think you're on to something."

"What? What's Gil talking about, Kusanagi?" Aoi inquired.

"There's a possibility that Ai's able to find Yuhiro all of this time because he has an Ignis algorithm already with him." Kusanagi realized. "That, or Ai's using another method we don't know about to find Yuhiro."

"But the first theory doesn't make sense. All the other Ignis are dead. Jericho killed them."

"As long as a tiny bit of their algorithm remains, then it can possibly be used to track others." Gil spoke up. "I'm not sure how good Ai is at hiding, but if he's able to find Yuhiro in the network without getting caught, he must be the strongest of the Ignis."

Kusanagi thought this over. "It's possible you could be right, Gil, but as Aoi said, Yuhiro doesn't have an Ignis algorithm with him."

"Then let's try a different approach." Gil took a card out of his deck and showed it to Aoi and Kusanagi.

"Judgment Arrows?!" both Aoi and Kusanagi exclaimed at the same time.

"I claimed it as my prize after capturing Bit and Boot a while back before making them my personal servants. I believe that Yuhiro may have a copy of his own." Gil theorized. "And I'm probably sure some of you are thinking: Did you give that card to Yuhiro, Gil? Hell no. All I gave him was Lightning's algorithm."

"That can't be. Yuhiro would never use Judgment Arrows in his deck..." Aoi muttered.

"Unless-!" Kusanagi began speaking, before gasping after putting two and two together. He remembered how Yuhiro chopped off Ace's left forearm in order to take his duel disk, which contained all of his data. What if Lightning gave Ace Judgment Arrows as a reward for his work? There was only one way to find out. "Give me the card now, Gil."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Here you go." Gil complied, having handed Judgment Arrows over to Kusanagi. Taking the card, Kusanagi then took a sample of Lightning's algorithm before putting it into the tracker. After a minute of typing on the digital keyboard, a digital trail of pieces of a yellow algorithm popped up before coalescing with the other algorithm, which confirmed Kusanagi's suspicions.

"Damn... Yuhiro has Judgment Arrows this entire time..." Kusanagi's mouth dropped after coming to that realization.

"Well, on the plus side, my idea helped you pinpoint Yuhiro in the end. I'll just take Judgment Arrows back now, please and thank you." Gil grabbed Judgment Arrows and put it back into his deck. He obviously didn't need it, but wanted a trophy just to taunt Lightning on the fact that he took his strongest weapon.

"We now know where Yuhiro is, and Rachel and Yusaku by extension." Aoi assured Kusanagi. "Look, about me finding out that Yusaku was Playmaker..."

"Yusaku would have told you at some point, Aoi. Besides, it was ultimately his decision as to whether he would tell you or not. But the fact that you found out due to circumstances beyond our control is something I'm sure he'll accept." Kusanagi told Aoi. "Secret identities exist for a reason, Aoi. Surely, you understand."

Aoi nodded, knowing what Kusanagi was talking about.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Kusanagi walked over to the entrance of Café Nagi, where he saw Arshad in front of him, a smirk on the latter's face.

"It seems you've figured out where Yuhiro, and by extension Rachel and Yusaku are in the network." Arshad deduced. "If you do intend to go rescue them, then you'll need help."

"From you? No thanks." Kusanagi denied Arshad's offer for help.

"It will be too much for you alone, as Yuhiro has his duel monsters at his beck and call." Arshad continued. "What's more, your other allies have been wounded in the previous attempt to try and stop Yuhiro. In addition, Jericho's presence will make things more dangerous than ever."

Kusanagi grit his teeth after being reminded of that fact. With Arashi, Takeru and Brea recovering from their injuries, Yusaku comatose, and Roxy taking care of Miyu, that meant they didn't have much allies right now. The only allies available were Arshad, Gil, Greg and Aoi.

"You will need the abilities of an Inquisitor at your side if you're to rescue Rachel and Yusaku. After all, there are some advantages the dark arts have over technology and science."

"Why are you offering to help us? If anything, you'll use us for your own personal gain." Aoi stated.

"Given the dire circumstances and our past history, this will be the final time we join forces. Do not consider me your ally moving forward after we rescue Rachel and Yusaku. For we can never truly understand one another." Arshad said. "Besides, I have some personal business with Jericho to take care of myself."

"I don't know what kind of history you guys have with the old man, but I'd take every advantage that's available to win this battle." Gil voiced his opinion.

"What do you think, Aoi? We'll go with whatever decision you make." Kusanagi told Aoi, which made her think for a bit. Takeru, Arashi and Brea were recovering from their injuries, while Roxy was comforting Miyu. In addition, Yusaku was comatose thanks to Yuhiro capturing him in the network. While she didn't know whether Greg was available to assist the group, they didn't have many allies available. To put it simply, it was her, Kusanagi, Gil, Greg and Arshad that were in fighting shape to rescue Rachel and Yusaku.

After thinking it over, Aoi turned back to Arshad. "I don't know what your intentions are, but we need to stop Jericho and the Shadow before things get more out of hand. What's more, we have the common goal of rescuing Rachel and Yusaku as well. But you better not try anything, or you'll live to regret it."

"I see. Common ground is important. And I accept your warning as well." Arshad replied back, having crossed his arms.

"My only question is how you're going to log into the network." Kusanagi said, which led Arshad to press a few buttons on his duel disk that led the Spatial Cube to pop out of it.

"But you gave that to Revolver for the Tower of Hanoi a while back." Aoi reminded Arshad.

"Though inferior, this Spatial Cube is a backup the Inquisitors gave me a long time ago in the event the first one is destroyed. In this instance, it'll allow me to log into the network whole. All I need are the coordinates, and I can meet you there." Arshad explained.

"He won't be the only one helping you. For I'll be providing you my assistance as well." Greg said, having walked over to Café Nagi, a determined expression evident on his face.

"You plan on logging into the network to assist Aoi and Watchman?" Kusanagi inquired.

"No. I have a different idea in mind on how we can ensure Rachel and Yusaku are safe." Greg answered. "When Rachel first got her duel disk, I put in a tracker so I can find her in the event should she get lost. Given your plan to log into the network to rescue Rachel and Yusaku, I can use the tracker to find her location in the real world. All I need is a distraction, and I should be able to find Rachel."

"Interesting. So you want Aoi and the old man to distract Yuhiro while you rescue Rachel from wherever Yuhiro took her in the real world." Gil deduced. "It's almost like me using Chainslaver and Sharpshot as hostages in order to make Yuhiro stand down."

"It's not like that at all, Gil. What you did was capture two people and use them against their will for your plan. In this case, two people are willing to risk their lives to log into the network and rescue their comrades there. To put it simply, both scenarios are different." Greg snapped.

"And that is your opinion." Gil frowned after saying that. How come Greg couldn't understand that sometimes, you had to pull off unethical actions in order to stop threats? The law could never solve all problems because there were too many holes in it, along with how it prevented actions from being taken that could solve the problem in the end. Then again, Greg's sense of justice wouldn't allow him to understand. Despite this fact, Gil genuinely respected Greg, for it was thanks to him that Project: Apotheosis was shut down for good.

"Given how we're all onboard with this mission, I have an idea." Kusanagi interrupted. "Gil can assist Greg in finding Rachel in the real world, while I'll help Aoi and Watchman in rescuing her and Yusaku in the network. This way, we'll be able to cover more ground."

"So divide and conquer. A simple, yet effective strategy if pulled off right." Gil figured out, with Kusanagi nodding in confirmation.

"Do you think Roxy and the others will be able to help us?" Aoi asked.

"I have a feeling they will once they're done recovering." Kusanagi answered. "I'll text Roxy to see if she's available. But in the meanwhile, it'll be us against Yuhiro."

Aoi nodded, having understood Kusanagi's comment. People didn't just recover instantly. They needed time to process what happened before taking the steps needed for full recovery.

"Then the plan's been finalized." Greg said, before he turned to face Gil. "I'm placing my trust in you. Do not let me down."

"You won't have to worry about me, Greg. I won't let you down." Gil promised, before Greg walked over to his car and started it up, where he drove away seconds later.

Kusanagi typed on the digital keyboard, which caused coordinates to appear in Aoi's duel disk seconds later. After obtaining them, Aoi transferred the coordinates to Arshad that appeared on his duel disk. Arshad then put his hand onto the Spatial Cube in order to put the coordinates inside, where it turned orange before opening a portal.

"I will see you there." Arshad stated, before running into the portal, where it closed up seconds later.

"Aoi, take these programs." Kusanagi said, having transferred three programs to her duel disk.

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE!

"What are these?" Aoi asked Kusanagi.

"An anti-virus program and an avatar enhancement program, along with a treason discharge program for you to use against Watchman in the event he should double cross us. All of them should help you out." Kusanagi explained, as Aoi turned her head to look at the two rooms installed at the back of Café Nagi.

"Is that how Yusaku and Takeru were able to log into the network?"

"Pretty much. Purple one's for Yusaku, while the red one's for Takeru. You can choose whichever one you want."

Aoi then walked over to the purple room, having made her choice. She truly did care for Yusaku, and using his room to log into the network was… comforting to say the least. When the time was right, Aoi would tell Yusaku that she knew he was Playmaker. Just… not right now.

"And Aoi?"

"Yes?" Aoi turned around to face Kusanagi.

"Just be careful, okay?" Kusanagi asked, which made Aoi chuckle.

"You sound like Akira." Aoi observed.

"I do have a younger brother, so I know what it's like to be an older sibling." Kusanagi explained, having chuckled back in response. Aoi then went into the purple room afterwards, their conversation now over.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" Aoi shouted, as she put her deck into her duel disk before officially logging into the network.

Several minutes later, in an area in the network...

Blue Maiden logged into an area of the network thanks to the coordinates Kusanagi gave her, intent on rescuing Numera and Playmaker before things went from bad to worse as she immediately hid behind a tree. Looking around, she saw that she was in a massive forest, but unlike the previous forest she was in, this one was teeming with life. A long distance away was a stone building, the area it was in surrounded by the Cursed Boundary Layer.

"Glad to see you have arrived." Watchman said, the two of them moving to a large bush before hiding behind it. While the area they were in was obviously not entrapped by the Cursed Boundary Layer, the area up ahead containing the stone building obviously was. Blue Maiden recalled how the Cursed Boundary Layer prevented someone from logging out until its defenses were broken. That meant she and Watchman would either have to wait until someone broke through the defenses to find an opening, or exit from the entrapped area as fast as they can. Then again, there was no way Raguel would make it that easy for them to succeed. This was evident by how the Cursed Boundary Layer to spread outwards and cover more ground. Specifically, the area that Blue Maiden and Watchman were in. That meant that once Numera and Playmaker were freed, the quartet would have to escape from the entrapped area before logging out. Blue Maiden's thoughts were interrupted when Watchman gave her a Black Key.

"What's this?" Blue Maiden asked.

"The Black Key. The signature weapon of the Inquisitors." Watchman explained. "While your allies in the real world gave you programs to assist you, I believe the Black Key will provide further assistance should you get into a situation where you have no choice but to fight." His hand glowed with orange energy as it surrounded him and Blue Maiden, which turned them invisible as a result.

"You just made us invisible, and without a program at that..." Blue Maiden realized, as the two of them began walking over to the large stone building ahead of them.

"A simple incantation the Inquisitors use during their missions. One that will help us in evading whatever systems Raguel set up to detect possible intruders. However, it's only temporary, so we'll have to move quickly if we're to succeed." Watchman replied, the two of them beginning to head towards the building up ahead by sneaking in the shadows of the forest. That was very likely Raguel's base, where inside it contained an imprisoned Numera and Playmaker.

"This place..." Blue Maiden looked around, trying to determine just exactly what it was, and why Raguel made this server.

"It resembles that of the Lost Incident facility." Watchman frowned after deducing where they were.

"The Lost Incident facility? Why would Raguel create a server using a location that's caused him and the other victims nothing but pain?" Blue Maiden questioned.

"If I were to guess, he wants a piece of him to die with each location set up. Then again, it doesn't matter. At least not to me." Watchman answered, which made Blue Maiden glare at the former in anger. Just how immoral could Watchman be? He practically admitted to his sinful deeds back in Mirror LINK VRAINS, so he couldn't have sunk even deeper than he already have as of now.

"We should have asked Miyu to come with us. If she were here, she would have been able to very likely calm Yuhiro down. He would listen to her." While Blue Maiden said this with confidence, a part of her was afraid of taking Miyu to see the place she was tortured at ten years ago. Would Miyu be able to overcome her fear of the Lost Incident? Or would it reawaken her old fears of being helpless?

Watchman stopped walking and turned to Blue Maiden. "Such an idea is futile. Besides, we don't have any weapon that can match Raguel's current strength now that he's infused with the Shadow."

"So how exactly do we stop the Shadow then?" Blue Maiden firmly inquired.

"There are two ways. Either sever the link between Raguel and the Shadow or kill them both." Watchman simply explained, which disgusted Blue Maiden after hearing that answer. The latter one, while a logical answer, would lead to Raguel losing his life in the end. An option that Watchman was still hellbent on pursuing after his personal business was dealt with.

"Were you always this cruel?"

Watchman sighed, the two of them now resuming their trek towards the stone building up ahead. "Raguel and Azrael's parents gave me hope that I needed for a long time. But when Urizen's allies showed up and murdered them, that hope was permanently destroyed."

"And replaced with a desire for revenge, to the point of capturing Raguel and Azrael for the Lost Incident." Blue Maiden finished. "They'd be ashamed with what you've become."

"That's their opinion. My whole life, I've been questioning why humans always revert to their selfish, sinful selves, regardless of their good intentions. Or to put it in simple terms, why humans never do the right thing in the end." Watchman seethed. "Who do I care about one's opinions? If anything, I'm at least honoring them by finishing our desired dream and saving humanity."

I don't know what desired dream you're talking about and how it relates to the Root of All Knowledge, Watchman, but it doesn't justify all the cruel acts you've done to others, Blue Maiden angrily thought in her mind. What Watchman said back in the real world was true. They could never truly understand one another, and the answer he gave Blue Maiden just now proved that undeniable fact. Having stopped talking, the two of them silently continued trekking through the forest, where the two of them eventually made it to the stone building. Looking at the entrance, the two of them saw it heavily guarded, as evident by the centurions patrolling the area. They weren't the only ones, as a dark, translucent resonance was also emitting through the area like it was a tripwire. Last but not least, there were cameras set up all over the building in order to detect intruders.

"Looks like going through the front door isn't an option." Blue Maiden said.

"Oh, don't worry, Blue Maiden. I know of a back entrance to this place I've discovered a long time ago." Watchman assured Blue Maiden, a grin evident on the former's face. "Raguel may have created this location, but he didn't take into account every single piece of it."

Blue Maiden frowned. While the incantation Watchman created made the two of them invisible, it was only active for a limited time, which meant they had to hurry as soon as possible. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted once Watchman threw a few Black Keys at the centurions in order to dispose of them.

"Circulus circa aream et purgare." The Black Keys that pierced the centurions glowed orange and spun forward before orbiting around the area, where they not only destroyed the cameras, but also slashed the ground to clear away the resonance before returning back to Watchman's hand.

"Okay, that was actually really good." Blue Maiden commented.

"There. The area is cleared up, which will distract Raguel for a bit and buy us the time needed to infiltrate the facility and complete our mission." Watchman said, with Blue Maiden nodding in agreement as the two of them quietly moved through the area in the shadows, where they eventually found the back entrance the former talked about. It was basically a back door that had shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles attached to it. Apparently, Raguel had set up a viral program onto the door in case anyone tried to launch a sneak attack on him.

Seeing this, Watchman threw four Black Keys at the back door, each one hitting the upper-left, upper-right, lower-left and lower-right sections before releasing an orange burst of energy. As a result, it caused the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to let out a shriek before being forced to retreat into the shadows.

"This way. Let's hurry." Watchman gestured Blue Maiden to follow him, the two of them having successfully entered the building in the process.

Meanwhile, inside the Lost Incident facility….

Raguel walked down the hallway, a frown evident on his face as he looked at a digital screen that popped out of his duel disk. From what he saw, his defenses were somehow weakened, which led them to be temporarily shut down as a result. The worst part was how despite the best efforts of his duel monsters, the defenses were still on a stasis loop. This led Raguel to conclude that Roxy and the others were attempting to rescue Numera and Playmaker. If that was the case, then they did not heed Raguel's warning not to get in his way again. That meant he had no choice but to eliminate them. However, he needed Numera and Playmaker alive in order to reach the Root of All Knowledge, as well as capture Ai.

His duel disk then beeped for a few seconds, which led Raguel to press a button on it. "I trust the defenses are repaired and up and running?"

"N-N-No. Not yet. We're trying to reboot it up as fast as we can." Pandora answered, who was on the screen. Raguel glared back in response, angry with how slow progress was going.

"Then hurry it up. I do not have time for your excuses." Raguel coldly replied back. He did not have time to argue back with a sentient Cyreath monster. While Raguel created Pandora and Teferi to serve him, he was still cautious around them. For you never know what could happen next. As for Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Alastor, along with Hercules/Alpha Mode, those duel monsters were ones that Raguel deemed his true allies in his quest to achieve the Root of All Knowledge.

"O-O-Of course." Pandora then signed off seconds later, fear evident in her voice.

Raguel then opened the door in front of him, where he entered into a room containing a massive sphere of data. Inside the sphere of data was Numera, who was floating in it. "Your friends have arrived to rescue you from your destiny. I warned them not to get in my way, yet they still choose to fight back against me."

"It's because they know that you'll only suffer more if you continue pursuing your destiny. As for me, you'll never make me fulfil my destiny. Not while there's hope you can be stopped." Numera told Raguel.

"You still hold onto hope after everything that's happened? I acknowledge your spirit." Raguel praised Numera. "But on the topic of destiny, though I agree that it can be changed, I've come to the realization that it's a fantasy to believe anyone can change their destiny. There will be some who will never be able escape what they were born to do or into no matter how hard they try. For not everyone is equal in ability or opportunity depending on the circumstances."

That comment made Numera gasp as words flooded into her mind. Words that she heard a long time ago.

"You…. think you're free, Rachel? No. We're all slaves to something or someone, bound to fulfil some predetermined purpose. When you're older, you'll understand."

"It's a sad and unfortunate truth I had to accept. A bitter pill I had to swallow." Raguel glared at Numera after saying this. "Maybe it's time you stopped outsmarting the truth and let it have its stay, Numera. It'll at least provide you with some comfort before the time comes for you to fulfil your destiny. It certainly has for me, anyway." He stormed out of the room and entered into the hallway, where he took a right before making a left. Upon doing so, Raguel eventually reached the room where Playmaker was held in, who was restrained by shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles from the Cursed Boundary Layer.

"So you've arrived to check on me? Or is it something else?" Playmaker inquired.

"To check on your wellbeing, of course. I need you alive in order to draw Ai out, and it appears to be working." Raguel hypothesized. "That being said, I'm sorry that you have to suffer, Playmaker. But rest assured, once Ai is captured, I will release you from captivity."

Playmaker narrowed his eyes back at Raguel. "And then what? You capture Ai and use both him and Numera to acquire the Root of All Knowledge. What happens to all of us?"

"Simple. Humans such as yourself will be freed from sin once and for all." Raguel chuckled. "To ensure this, I'll destroy everything dividing humanity."

"You speak about salvation, yet you're willing to destroy things without mercy. It's like you're taking away everyone's free will."

"Wrong! I do not seek to eliminate free will, nor do I want humans to be eradicated. I value both of them." Raguel reminded Playmaker. "Pollution, war, religion, inequality and poverty are among the many things I must destroy in order to free humanity from sin. After what I've learned, only I know what's best for mankind if it's to survive as a species."

Raguel's so warped in his thinking that he wants to become a god. No, the only god in existence, Playmaker deduced in his mind. It wasn't enough that Raguel wanted to eradicate sin. He wanted to destroy everything else that divided humanity and become the only god to ensure all of his efforts remained permanently intact.

Before Raguel could continue speaking, a notification popped up on his duel disk. Upon clicking on a button on his duel disk, a digital screen showing Pandora popped out of it. "What is it?"

"Our attempts at restoring the defense systems are being shut down each time." Pandora reported, panic evident in her tone.

"I must do everything, huh?" Raguel quietly seethed to himself. He then realized something: Perhaps Ai may have arrived to rescue Playmaker. If that was the case, then the final thing Raguel required in order to reach the Root of All Knowledge was finally here. "Keep trying to restore them. I'll be right there." He then walked away from the prison Playmaker was in, a grin evident on his face. Unbeknownst to him, an invisible Blue Maiden and Watchman were already in the base, the two of them having managed to successfully sneak themselves inside and slip through Raguel's guard.

Elsewhere, in the Lost Incident facility….

Watchman looked at his duel disk, surprised at what he was seeing. "It seems someone is helping us."

"It could be Kusanagi, Watchman. Until Roxy and the others are back up and running, he's the only one helping us right now." Blue Maiden reminded Watchman.

"I doubt he's the one assisting us, Blue Maiden. Take a look at this." Watchman gestured Blue Maiden to look at the digital screen popping up from his duel disk, where she saw pieces of a dark-purple algorithm around the building. Was that Ai assisting them? No. It couldn't be. He was supposed to be laying low. Unless… unless the situation was critical to the point where Ai had to return out of hiding and help stop this madness.

As grateful as I am to whoever else is helping us, we can't focus on that right now, Blue Maiden thought in her mind. "We should get going while we still have time."

"I concur." Watchman agreed, as the two of them ran down the hallway, his invisibility incantation still in effect for a limited period of time. Eventually, they made it to a room that contained a massive sphere of data. And inside that sphere of data was….

"Numera!" Blue Maiden quietly cried out, which got Numera's attention as she turned to look at the former and her comrade.

"Blue Maiden? And Watchman?" Numera questioned upon seeing the two of them in the room.

"We're here to get you out of here." Blue Maiden told Numera, the latter smiling in joy upon hearing this good news.

"Stand back." Watchman said to Blue Maiden, who did so as the former threw several Black Keys at the sphere of data, which disintegrated it into particles. A freed Numera began falling to the ground, with Blue Maiden running over to catch her in the process.

"Do you know where Playmaker is, Numera?" Blue Maiden asked Numera, who shook her head in response.

"I know where he is in this facility. Follow me." Watchman instructed Blue Maiden and Numera, the two of them immediately following after him as they made two lefts before turning right at the next hallway. After making another right, they found the room that Playmaker was in, who was obviously in pain thanks the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles emitting from the Cursed Boundary Layer.

SLICE!

Watchman quickly slashed the door open using the Black Keys before slicing the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles off of Playmaker, who nearly fell to the ground as Blue Maiden caught him.

"Playmaker? Can you hear me?" Blue Maiden asked, as Playmaker slowly regained his surroundings.

"Blue Maiden? Is that-?" Playmaker began asking back, only for Blue Maiden to quickly embrace him upon seeing that he was okay. As a result, Playmaker couldn't help but let out a small gasp at what was going on.

"You're okay…. You're okay…." Blue Maiden repeated over again and again, tears of happiness falling from her eyes.

"Escape first. Hug later." Watchman firmly reminded Blue Maiden, who released Playmaker from the hug upon regaining her senses, a blush evident on her face.

"Watchman? What are you doing here?" Playmaker firmly inquired, before turning to Blue Maiden and Numera. "And why are the two of you working with him?"

"Because we didn't have much of a choice in this situation," a familiar voice answered through Playmaker's earpiece.

"Kusanagi…" Playmaker muttered happily.

"The four of you need to escape quickly. I'm not sure how long Watchman's little trick lasts for, but it's bound to wear off soon." Kusanagi warned Playmaker, as programs popped up in the latter's duel disk, which made Playmaker look at them.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A massive alarm rang through the Lost Incident facility, which caused shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to begin erupting from the ground.

"Follow me! Now!" Watchman urged Blue Maiden, Numera and Playmaker, the three of them following after him as the quartet ran down the hallway. He scooped Numera in his arms and directed the others to the back door entrance, only for lots of shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to block the way and head straight towards the group. Seeing this, Watchman had no choice but to retreat down the hallway and make a left, the others following after him as the group turned right to run from the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles erupting from the ground.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Blue Maiden quietly muttered under her breath, as she pressed a button on her duel disk, which activated the anti-virus program that caused several data balls to appear in her hands. She then threw some of data balls at the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles, which made them retreat back seconds later. As for the ones up ahead of the group, Blue Maiden threw the other data balls in order to force the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles to retreat back to the ground, clearing the way in the process.

The group then turned right before turning left at the end of the hallway, where they eventually found the entrance. Unfortunately for them, numerous shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles proceeded to

"Purgare et perdere." Watchman threw three Black Keys at the door with his right hand, all of them glowing an orange color that combined to form into a massive torpedo of energy, which destroyed both the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles and the door seconds later. As a result, the group was able to escape the Lost Incident facility and continue running seconds later.

"All we need to do is exit this area the Shadow's in, and we can then log out of here." Blue Maiden told Playmaker and Numera.

"That's why we weren't able to log out of the network during Playmaker's duel against Raguel." Numera said, having remembered how thanks to the Cursed Boundary Layer, they were stuck in the server until Roxy and Kusanagi broke through its defenses.

Watching all of this in a room at the Lost Incident facility was Raguel, along with Atalanta/Alpha Mode, Teferi, Alastor and Pandora.

"It looks like you idiots chose to get in my way despite my warnings..." Raguel muttered, as a massive shadow forming into Hercules/Alpha Mode appeared in front of him. An idea popped into Raguel's mind to see if Pandora and Teferi were truly loyal to him. If they succeeded in this task, then all of Raguel's suspicions on the two of them would be assuaged. "Bring Numera and Playmaker back to me alive. If any of you kills them, then your lives are forfeit."

Hercules/Alpha Mode then jumped out of his shadow and into the forest, Atlanta/Alpha Mode, Alastor, Teferi and Pandora immediately following after him as the group began to chase down Blue Maiden, Watchman, Playmaker and Numera.

ROAR!

Watchman, Playmaker, Blue Maiden and Numera heard the loud scream as they continued running through the forest, having realized that Raguel sicced his duel monsters onto them. Specifically, Hercules/Alpha Mode, Atalanta/Alpha Mode, Alastor, Teferi and Pandora. It was like a death sentence has been placed upon the group for fleeing with the enemy's most treasured prisoners. As the quartet resumed running through the forest in order to escape the area the Cursed Boundary Layer was at, they noticed Atalanta/Alpha Mode prowling on their left, while Alastor was prowling on their left.

WHOOSH!

Teferi and Pandora flew through the air, magical energy emitting around their hands as they fired it onto Blue Maiden, Watchman, Playmaker and Numera, the quartet managing to dodge the attacks. One blast of energy fired from Teferi's hands headed towards Watchman, who pulled out a Black Key and blocked it before throwing it at the former, which made him immediately dodged it in response. A grin appeared on Watchman's face as he quietly whispered an incantation, which caused the Black Key to ricochet back and pierce Teferi's wing. This made Teferi scream in pain as Numera pulled out two, glowing yellow triangles and threw them at him, which released a sonic boom that caused the former to fall to the ground. Alastor threw the chained, curved blades at Blue Maiden and Playmaker, the two of them quickly dodging the attack before Wonder Heart emerged from the former's duel disk and confronted Alastor in combat. Atalanta/Alpha Mode emerged from the darkness and proceeded to charge at Playmaker and Blue Maiden, only for Playmaker to press a button on his duel disk and activate the anti-virus program. Upon doing so, several data balls appeared in Playmaker's hands, having proceeded to throw them at Atalanta/Alpha Mode in order to make her retreat back. Final Sigma suddenly appeared and swung its sword in front of it, which released a fiery wave of energy at Hercules/Alpha Mode, Atalanta/Alpha Mode, Alastor, Teferi and Pandora. Seeing this, all five of them were forced to dodge the attack while Wonder Heart retreated back to Blue Maiden and Playmaker, intent on protecting them from whatever attacks may come next. Pandora, along with an injured Teferi, fired energy from their hands at Final Sigma, who blocked the attack as Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward at Final Sigma, dark energy surrounding her in the process. She jumped into the air, having turned into a dark torpedo of energy that hit Final Sigma, which sent it flying off the ground before landing on it seconds later. As a result, Final Sigma returned to Numera's duel disk, needing to rest for the time being. Having crushed their common opponent, Atalanta/Alpha Mode and the others resumed their hunt for Blue Maiden, Playmaker, Watchman and Numera.

Out in the distance, Hercules/Alpha Mode let out a roar as two massive tree trunks flew through the air, which hit the ground and made the quartet stagger before managing to avoid them. Watchman immediately hopped to the side in order to dodge Alastor's attack, having thrown one of his chained, curved blades at the former. In response, Watchman threw a Black Key back at Alastor, who quickly dodged it as the former whispered an incantation. As a result, the Black Key stopped in mid air and tried to pierce Alastor, which made him barely dodge the surprise attack. Alastor and Atalanta/Alpha Mode hopped from tree to tree in order to ambush Blue Maiden, Playmaker, Watchman and Numera. Atalanta/Alpha Mode emerged from the shadows and tried to attack the group with a series of berserk attacks, only for Wonder Heart to intercept the attack and push the former back several feet.

As for Alastor, he leapt high into the air before throwing one of his chained, curved blades at the group. However, Watchman jumped forward and block the attack with the Black Key in his hand, with Numera immediately throwing two yellow glowing triangles at Alastor, which blasted him with a sonic boom so fast that he fell to the ground in pain. Pandora and Teferi fired stronger blasts of energy from their hands at the ground, which sent Blue Maiden, Playmaker, Watchman and Numera flying off the ground before landing on it seconds later.

Getting up on her feet, Numera quickly ran forward to where Blue Maiden and Playmaker were, while Watchman stood on his feet some distance away from the group. Remembering what Watchman did to the Lost Incident victims, an angered Blue Maiden activated the treason discharge program Kusanagi gave her, which caused purple lightning to strike the ground and create a barrier that prevented Watchman from rendezvousing with the others. The same purple lightning shot upward and forced Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Alastor to dodge it, while it ended up hitting Teferi seconds later as he turned into particles. As for Pandora and Hercules/Alpha Mode, the two of them dodged the attacks and continued pursuing their common enemies.

"Playmaker, activate the treason discharge program!" Blue Maiden angrily told Playmaker, who did so as more purple lightning hit the ground and forced Watchman to dodge the strikes, the lightning proceeding to solidify the previously established barrier with such force that it prevented him from moving forward to the end of the forest. To put it simply, Watchman was trapped in the area.

"You little-!" Watchman growled at Blue Maiden and Playmaker, having been caught off guard by what the duo did just now.

"What are you doing? Why are you trapping Watchman?" Numera questioned.

"Because he's not the ally you think he is, Numera. Watchman betrayed us all for his selfish gains." Playmaker answered.

ROAR!

"We'll answer your questions along the way, Numera." Blue Maiden assured Numera, having scooped the latter into her arms as the three of them resumed running in the forest in the hopes of escaping once they exited it.

I wasn't expecting Blue Maiden and Playmaker to carry such a program. How clever of them, Watchman acknowledged in his mind, as he gripped the Black Keys in his hands.

"The Construct will not escape." Alastor told Watchman. "I need her. I have a wish for her to grant of my own."

"Same here." Atalanta/Alpha Mode agreed, having barred her fangs at Watchman. Bringing Watchman before Raguel would greatly gain his favor for sure. "How does it feel to be backstabbed by those you've already portrayed? Poetic revenge, if you ask me."

"I'm here for something else, little wretch. Two corrupted Cyberse creatures aren't going to stand in my way." Watchman said back, which made Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Alastor charge forward in response. Atalanta/Alpha Mode unleashed a barrage of berserk attacks on Watchman, who merely dodged each one as Alastor jumped in the air and swung the chained, curved blades at him. Seeing this, Watchman jumped to the side and threw two Black Keys at Atalanta/Alpha Mode, who dodged them before attempting to strike back. However, Watchman quickly slammed into her using his shoulder with such force that she was sent flying back, allowing him to immediately throw a Black Key at her seconds later. This led Atalanta/Alpha Mode to barely dodge it while Alastor swung the chained, curved blades at Watchman, who blocked them using the Black Keys in his hand. Alastor quickly leapt into the air and swung the sword strapped to his back using the large, clawed hands on his back at Watchman, which made him dodge the attack and throw two Black Keys at the former in response. While Alastor managed to dodge them, Watchman quietly whispered an incantation that caused the Black Keys to fly back and pierce the former's large, clawed hands, causing him to scream as a result.

Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward, dark energy surrounding her in the process as she turned into a dark torpedo of energy that sent Watchman flying back several feet. Watchman leapt above the ground in an attempt to gain better footing, only for Atalanta/Alpha Mode to jump into the air and grab him before throwing the former to the ground. Alastor quickly emerged out of nowhere and grabbed Watchman using his large, clawed hands before slamming him to the ground numerous times. Watchman immediately pulled out a Black Key and slashed Alastor so quickly that he was able to escape out of his grasp before the latter screamed in pain. Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward and proceeded to unleash another series of berserk attacks at Watchman, who merely dodged them before slashing her with the three Black Keys in each of his hands.

Watchman leapt from tree to tree as he threw several Black Keys into the air, having thrown other Black Keys at Atalanta/Alpha Mode in order to distract them. "Descendit de caelo." Soon, the Black Keys were surrounded in orange energy that turned each one into torpedoes before they rained down from the sky, which made Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Alastor move quickly so they could survive. Watchman used the chaos the close in and slash Atalanta/Alpha Mode several times with the Black Keyes in his hands, who screamed before being turned into particles.

A weakened Alastor, having managed to escape the rainfall of the empowered Black Keys, charged at Watchman with the chained, curved blades in his hands. Watchman blocked the attacks and responded by slashing Alastor with the Black Keys in his hands, having proceeded to stab one of them in the latter's body. He then sped behind Alastor and stabbed him from the back with the other Black Key in his hand before dashing backward, having thrown one more Black Key in order to finish him off. As a result, Alastor let out a painful scream before turning into particles.

Now that his attackers were defeated, Watchman was able to proceed through the forest, as he had his own mission to complete. Upon arriving in this server, Watchman had a feeling that Jericho would appear, so it was crucial for him to find the latter. He looked around the forest, hoping to get some clues as to where Jericho was in this area. After moving through the forest, Watchman eventually found something that he recognized.

A large warehouse. One that was used to store the equipment during the Lost Incident.

Entering inside, Watchman looked around the darkened area, which consisted of damage pieces of both shelves and equipment. There were also large marks on the floor, as though someone was already here. What's more, there were cracks on the ceiling, which allowed pieces of moonlight to shine down as well. Seconds later, the door closed behind Watchman, who gripped the Black Keys with his hands so he can prepare himself for what was to come.

"What a pleasure to see you again, Arshad," a familiar voice said in the shadows of the warehouse.

"Ukyos Albinor." Watchman said back, having addressed Urizen by his real-world name. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to show up."

"You're finished. Do me a favor and capture him for me, Jericho. I want Arshad to see the work I've done since he and Myojin banished me to the network's dark side. He at least deserves to see it before suffering a fate worse than death."

At Urizen's command, Jericho appeared from the shadows and attempted to slash Watchman with the data material sword in his hands, the latter leaning back to avoid it.

It's strange that I'm reminded of it now, Watchman began pondering to himself in his mind. But since the moment I was born, I was plagued with a question: Why did humans always revert to their selfish, sinful selves, regardless of their good intentions? Watchman dodged Jericho's attack before attempting to strike back with the Black Key in his hands, which made the latter jump to the side to avoid it.

I've done everything my parents wanted of me, and have done so much more to try and find my faith in humanity, Watchman continued thinking to himself, as he jumped back to avoid Jericho's attack before the latter retreated into the shadows. This question has torn me apart from the inside out, but despite this, I kept trying to find a reason to see humanity's goodness. But when my wife and child died, I became hopeless, filled with pain. However, Myojin, Lyla and Ukyos gave me a reason to live again.

A blast of data material fired out through the air, which Watchman blocked with the Black Key in his hand. However, he did not notice another blast of data material hitting his right side, as though it were a dagger. Jericho moved quickly in the darkness, trying to find another opportunity to strike Watchman, knowing that the latter was likely on guard at the moment. Or more accurately, that was before Ukyos betrayed us all and became Urizen, Watchman finished thinking in his mind. Soon, words popped into his mind. Ones that his wife spoke before she died along with their son.

"Don't fall into despair, Arshad. Bad things like this just... happen. Humans, no matter what befalls them, are still good. Don't lose your faith in mankind."

Watchman gasped, having snapped out of his thoughts as Jericho slashed him numerous times, which pushed the former back several feet. Jericho then slashed the air to create a glowing yellow X with two columns, a grin evident on this face. Unbeknownst to Jericho, however, Watchman also had a grin on his face.

"Take this!" Jericho exclaimed, as he touched the yellow glowing X with the data material sword in his hands, which released a swirl of data material that headed straight towards Watchman before slashing him numerous times.

"It's all over." Urizen proclaimed with a cackle, as the swirl of energy returned to Jericho before heading back into the yellow glowing X in front of him. All Jericho had to do now was touch the yellow glowing X with his hand, and like Urizen said, it'd all be over. For as long as the seal was there, Jericho had the enemy's life in his hands.

But when Jericho touched the yellow glowing X, it did nothing before disappearing, much to his horror.

"Impossible! This can't be!" Jericho shouted out of shock, with Watchman quickly seizing the opportunity by using his shoulder to slam him to the wall, which sent the former flying back seconds later. Watchman immediately threw two Black Keys at Jericho that hit the latter's left forearm and right bicep, both of them preventing him from moving as electricity emitted from Black Keys, causing him to scream in pain seconds later.

Watchman quickly ran up the stairway nearby and headed upstairs before breaking the ground upwards, where he saw Urizen with his own eyes. Or specifically, a data phantasm of him that was formed from the monolith itself. Before Urizen could even react, Watchman charged forward and grabbed Urizen by the neck, where he slammed him down to the ground seconds later. The only downside to the data phantasm was that it couldn't defend itself.

"I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and heal. None will escape me. None will escape from my sight." Watchman began chanting, which caused a translucent white veil to surround both him and Urizen's data phantasm.

"Damn you! Let go of me!" Urizen screamed.

"Be crushed." Watchman continued chanting, ignoring Urizen's demands. "I welcome those who have grown old and those who have lost. Devote yourself to me, learn from me, and obey me.
Rest. Do not forget song, do not forget prayer, and do not forget me. I am light and relieve you of all your burdens." As Watchman said this, the data phantasm of Urizen began to disintegrate.

"Aha! Are you seriously planning to kill me?"

"Do not pretend. Retribution for forgiveness, betrayal for trust, despair for hope, darkness for light, dark death for the living. Relief is in my hands. I will add oil to your sins and leave a mark." Watchman picked up the remains of Urizen's data phantasm with his right hand. "Eternal life is given through death. Ask for forgiveness here. I, the incarnation, will swear."

Urizen laughed back in response, his data phantasm almost having fully fallen apart. "What will this change, huh? It'll only set me back because I'm not here. As for you, there will be no salvation. You're as good as dead."

"Kyrie Eleison." Watchman finished chanting, the white veil glowing with energy that went upwards, which fully destroyed the data phantasm of Urizen, along with the monolith's function of creating one back at Jericho's hideout. To put it simply, Watchman had cut off communications between Jericho and Urizen. The white veil then closed completely, having completed its purpose. After doing so, Watchman staggered, having used a great majority of his strength in using the Inquisitor's ultimate weapon.

The Baptism Rite.

Only the strongest of the Inquisitors can learn this weapon because they had the physical, mental and tactical capacity to do so. Rather than murder the person in order to eliminate traces of sin, the Baptism Rite involved cleansing the soul completely before sending it back to where it came from. As a result, any traces of sin were disintegrated with the mortal body. It also cleansed the area the sinner was at and eliminate all pieces of it at the same time as well. To put it simply, the Baptism Rite was an exorcism that both freed the soul and eradicated sin with the infected mortal body. However, the Baptism Rite had a few weaknesses. While it was the Inquisitor's ultimate weapon, it can be interrupted by an unexpected attacker if the Inquisitor performing the chant was caught off guard. What's more, using the Baptism Rite drained away a great portion of the Inquisitor's energy, which caused them to become tired as a result. Though they can still fight, Inquisitors had to be in top condition in order to fight efficiently and tactfully. Thus, their best option upon using the Baptism Rite was to retreat and regain their strength.

"The Holy Words of an Inquisitor…. Never had I thought I'd hear them again after all of this time…" Jericho muttered, having appeared where Watchman was on top of the warehouse. Though Jericho was able to escape from his bindings, he was still injured, as evident by the bloody marks on his right bicep and left forearm. "What you've done was impossible. How were you able to figure out the truth about the situation?"

"I worked with Ukyos a long time ago, Jason. So I knew he'd use the data phantasm to come here, despite being trapped in the dark side of the network." Watchman reminded Jericho. Data Phantasms were one of the first methods tested for people to log into the network, which involved creating an account and using VR technology for a person to enter into it as though they were in a video game. Well, at least until their lives ran out and were forced back into the real world, where they can log back into the network after twenty-four hours had passed.

"Jason's dead, Arshad. I go by Jericho now." Jericho growled back. "I am curious about something. How the Hell are you alive after all of these years? You should be dead by now."

Watchman chuckled. "When one's forced into a desperate situation, they'd do whatever it takes to protect themselves. Let's just say one of the methods tested a long time ago assisted me in evading the authorities and survive at the same time."

"What do you-?" It then dawned on Jericho as to what Watchman was talking about. "I see. So you actually did it! You've cast off your mortal flesh in order to fully integrate yourself into the network. You've gambled your life onto using a test method that was shut down once people began questioning the ethicality around it."

"You could say that." Watchman said. The second test method used to try and log into the network was full-body integration, where it involved having people fully enter into the network using a device after doing a full scan of their body. This test method would be life-changing for everyone, but it was shut down after people began questioning the ethicality around it. Specifically, concerns on who will govern this method's use for everyone and how it will be done, the chances of people and companies losing valuable data and resources, as well as the possibility of terrorists finding a new way to inflict harm.

Jericho laughed. "And because you succeeded, you were able to reap the benefits from it. Such as..."

"Ailment immunity. Your ultimate ability requires you to infect someone first with a curse. As my body can't be infected, it has no effect on me." Watchman let out a chuckle seconds later.

"But you can still be killed through other means." Jericho pointed out, as he staggered seconds later.

"I suppose you make a valid point, though that doesn't mean I won't let it happen." Watchman responded, a smug grin evident on his face. "My question to you now is what you will do next. Will you avenge your father? In the weakened state we're both in right now, our battle would end in a draw."

"I'm not as foolish as to avenge a data phantasm of my father. Besides, one way or another, you'll die soon." Jericho retreated into the shadows of the forest before logging out of the server, knowing that he had to lay low for the time being. Besides, why do something yourself when someone else can do the deed for you? After all, Jericho predicted that Watchman would suffer tenfold after his actions were revealed back in Mirror LINK VRAINS.

With Jericho out of the picture for now, Watchman leapt down from the warehouse and landed on the ground on one knee before he stood back up on his feet. Like Jericho, Watchman had to retreat before Raguel saw him, so he entered into the forest to reach the end of the area the Cursed Boundary Layer was in. This way, he can log out and recuperate before making his next move.

Elsewhere, in the server...

Blue Maiden carried Numera in her arms as she continued running down the forest in Playmaker, the two of them evading Pandora's attacks in the air. Hercules/Alpha Mode emerged out of nowhere, which led Blue Maiden, Numera and Playmaker to turn left in order to dodge his attack. Landing on the ground, Hercules/Alpha Mode used Nine Lives to slash through the trees in front of him before continuing to pursue the group, intent on bringing Playmaker and Numera back to Raguel.

Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera head another rumble, where Pandora appeared and fired energy blasts from the sky at them. It wasn't just the energy blasts, as two more giant tree trunks were thrown towards the group in an attempt to impede their progress. However, the trio was able to evade those attacks and continue running in the hopes of making a successful escape.

"Look out!" Kusanagi warned Blue Maiden and Playmaker, as both of them, along with Numera, dodged another attack fired from Pandora. Hercule/Alpha Mode also slashed several trees using Nine Lives as he continued his rampage, causing each one to fly off the ground and head towards the group. The good news was that the trio was able to avoid them. The bad news was that their stamina was beginning to run out, and once that happened, they were done for.

Pandora landed on the ground, irritated that she missed another blast as Hercules/Alpha Mode continued his rampage once more. She took several deep breaths in order to regain her strength, having gotten tired by the chase. Given how Teferi was eliminated while Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Alastor were occupied with Watchman, that meant it was up to her and Hercules/Alpha Mode to capture Playmaker and Numera. However, even Pandora's powers paled compared to Hercules/Alpha Mode, who had twelve lives. That meant she had to capture them first before a fatal mistake was made.

"You're an idiot for joining Yuhiro on a mission that will only cause him further pain. I don't know what personal goal you have in mind, but whatever it is, it won't be accomplished this way."

Roxy's words appeared in Pandora's mind, which made her gasp upon remembering them. Was she now beginning to doubt Raguel's mission and whether that would give her peace? No. She couldn't! After all, Raguel created Pandora to serve her. But was Raguel wrong this whole time? Did Raguel's plan have no benefits at all for Pandora? All of these questions and doubts actually made her hesitate for the first time ever.

"You humans certainly have strong endurance. Though it's starting to annoy me..." Pandora muttered, having shaken her doubts off temporarily. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Pandora before throwing her to the tree nearby, where her back hit it before she rolled onto the ground. "Who was that? Show yourself!"

The silhouette immediately dashed forward and avoided all of Pandora's attacks before grabbing her and throwing her to another tree nearby. Her back hit the tree once again before she rolled onto the ground.

"I said show yourself!" Energy danced around Pandora's hands as she fired it at her attacker. However, to her horror, the attacks simply fell to the ground as the silhouette raised his right hand in front of him. Seconds later, energy fired out of the silhouette's right hand, which made Pandora dodge them so she can regain her footing. However, one of the blasts hit Pandora and sent her flying back to the ground.

"You're nothing more than a slave. One that needs to be freed from that Cursed Boundary Layer," the voice told Pandora, as he raised his right hand and released a veil of energy that surrounded her. As a result, she began screaming, the energy entrapping her seconds late as she tried to fend it off.

The silhouette then exited from the shadows, where Zero revealed himself before heading off to find Watchman and capture him. After all, Kairi wanted to question Watchman on what happened, and Zero would ensure that his mission was a success. What's more, if he hurried, then he can look further into the situation regarding the Cursed Boundary Layer as well.

Meanwhile, in the server...

Watchman quietly walked through the forest and away from the tattering structure of a hybrid between a warehouse and a chapel, his mission having been completed. Well, only as long as Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera reach the rendezvous point and log out of the server. After all, the goal was to keep Numera as far away from Raguel so that he couldn't succeed in his mission to achieve the Root of All Knowledge. Only Watchman had the right to pursue such a goal, for he had the mindset to do so.

Though he knew Jericho was already on Earth, he didn't expect Urizen to send a data phantasm of himself to check out the situation. Given the urgency of the Root of All Knowledge being on Earth, Urizen wanted to ensure that Jericho completed his task, which must have been the only reason why he made such a risk. Nevertheless, that wasn't the real Urizen, as if he actually was on Earth, then everyone would be done for. On the plus side, Watchman did force Jericho and Urizen to retreat, which bought time for him to enact his mission in seizing the Root of All Knowledge for himself.

Everything Watchman did was so he could save humanity, eradicate sin and get revenge on Urizen at the same time. A threefold goal, to sum it up. A goal that was formed not just due to everything that happened, but due to the teachings he learned as a member of the Inquisitorius. After all, the Inquisitorius sought to eradicate sin at all costs, so in succeeding, Watchman would also fulfil its mission and vision in the process.

But for now, given how Blue Maiden and Playmaker would escape with Numera soon, Watchman had to retreat and recuperate his strength. After doing so, then Watchman would act carefully. Despite having lost his allies, Watchman was still confident in his strength and abilities as both an Inquisitor and a duelist. He had nothing left to lose by this point, and a man who had nothing to lose was the most dangerous one of all.

BA-BUMP!

Watchman stopped walking as he felt blood falling down from the left side of his mouth, which he wiped away using his left sleeve. He was about to move, only for the area on the ground to get dark, as if it were trapping him.

Well, it was about time he showed up, and Watchman was ready for the coming confrontation.

"How does it feel to have someone toy with your life? As though you were nothing more than an experiment?" a familiar voice inquired, as Watchman turned around, where he saw Raguel speaking to him.

I knew you'd get involved, especially after I pummelled your duel monster allies, Watchman thought in his mind. Though Raguel was now a rancorous version of himself, he still cared for the monsters of his deck as if they were his own allies.

"Oh, I remember. You blew up your body in the real world in order to fully integrate yourself into the network." Raguel put a hand on his chin. "Thus allowing you to continue enacting your plans and manipulate us in order for them to reach fruition."

"Seems you changed, Raguel." Watchman observed, getting immediately straight to the point.

"Yes, I certainly have." Raguel said, a smile evident on his face. "I've changed a lot. I'm not the same Raguel that I used to be. Now he doesn't exist. He was far too weak."

Watchman chuckled in response. "You don't need to hide it from me."

"What do you mean? Hide what?" Raguel raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You're not some kind of alternate personality. The version of you intoxicated with violence is still Raguel, and by extension, Yuhiro Furutani."

Raguel gasped after hearing this. "You're the one who made me this way, Arshad."

"I won't deny it. I had my own reasons to keep you and your brother alive. For the both of you, along with the six other Lost Incident victims had roles to play." Watchman said, having raised his arms. "And just look at you now. You've met all my expectations, and very soon, the gate to the Root of All Knowledge will be opened. Despite a few obstacles, it was almost easy."

BA-BUMP!

Raguel gasped for a second time, having felt the power within his body go out of control for a few moments before settling down. "It hasn't felt easy at all! You have no idea what I've had to endure since finding out about my origins, as well as the pain it caused!"

"No, I don't. And I don't need to know." Watchman callously responded, as he threw a Black Key at Raguel, who immediately knocked it aside with Excalibur Morgan. But before Raguel could react, Watchman fired a duel anchor from his duel disk that wrapped itself around the former's duel disk. "But if there's one thing I do know, it's that the curse consuming your body, mind and soul will certainly be a great asset to my plans. An imbalanced person such as yourself is not worthy of using it. I will take that power for myself, even if it means killing you in the process."

"I see." Raguel let out a sad and angry laugh. "You want to settle things between us, don't you? Fine. I'll entertain you for a bit while Hercules/Alpha Mode and Pandora seize Playmaker and Numera. Do try to show your motivation to me in the meanwhile."

"Duel!" Raguel and Watchman said in unison.

Watchman: 4000 LP

Raguel: 4000 LP

"I will go first, Watchman. My turn!" Raguel said. "I activate the Spell card, Glorious Cyreaths. When I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard and draw the top card of my deck. I Special Summon Cyreath Damselfly from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and played to his field. Soon, a large, black-skinned creature that had dots all over its body appeared on Raguel's field. It had a total of four wings, along with a long tail that had a spike at the end of it. Attached to its body was armored plating that had a lightning bolt on it.

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

Seconds later, Raguel drew the top card of his deck.

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

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

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

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

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Pendulum!" The card showed two pillars of light appearing on the duel field, one of which was on a duelist's left side, while the other was on the duelist's right side. In the pillar of light on the left was Cyreath Endymion, while in the pillar of light on the right was Sigma. In the middle of the two pillars of light was a golden wreath that dimmed with energy as it swung from left to light, as though it were a pendulum. "This card lets me take two 'Cyreath' Pendulum monsters from my deck with different names and place them in the Pendulum zone. The best part is that if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, you can't activate cards or effects in response to its activation."

"It looks like you're setting up for a Pendulum Summon, am I correct?" Watchman guessed, obviously knowing the answer to that question.

"You are, Watchman." Raguel confirmed, as two cards popped out of his deck. "I place Cyreath Deimos and Cyreath Phobos in the Pendulum Scale." Soon, two pillars of light appeared on Raguel's left and right sides.

In the pillar of light on his right was a demon that 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.

In the pillar of light on his left was a demon that had grey skin with yellow armor, spikes on his head, and a set of wings.

Cyreath Deimos PS: 1

Cyreath Phobos PS: 10

"Swing, Pendulum of the Gods, and show me the path to victory! With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 1 and 10 at the same time! Emerge, Cyreath Miner and Chronicler." Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where two lights emerged. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

The first was a small, male individual wearing mining gear and carrying mining equipment.

The second was a bald man who wore black, white, and golden robes over his body, with some parts of the robes having pieces of armor that emitted an orange color.

Cyreath Miner ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 3

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"I activate Miner's effect. Once per turn, I can target one card in my Graveyard and shuffle it into my deck. By doing so, I can draw one card. I shuffle Cyreath Pendulum into my deck." Raguel decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and shuffled into his deck before drawing a card from it.

"In addition, when Chronicler is Normal or Special Summoned, I can take a copy of Cyreath Mount Olympus and either activate it or add it to my hand. I think I'll do the former." A card popped out of his deck, which he took and played seconds later. "I activate the Field Spell card, Cyreath Mount Olympus. While this card is on my field, all 'Cyreath' monsters on my field gain 500 attack and defense points. What's more, they're unaffected by your monster effects."

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 + 500 = 500 DEF: 0 + 500 = 500

Cyreath Miner ATK: 0 + 500 = 500 DEF: 2000 + 500 = 2500

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000 DEF: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Scorpius and Miner into the Link Markers!" Scorpius went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Damselfly went into the bottom arrowhead and Miner went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red in the process.

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

Cyreath Van Gogh ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬇️↘️

Cyreath Van Gogh ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"When Miner's used as Link material, I can add any card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Glorious Cyreaths from my Graveyard to my hand." Raguel said, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Appear, for a third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A third Link portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Damselfly into the Link Markers!" Damselfly went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

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

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

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

"Appear, for a fourth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a fourth Link portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Van Gogh and the Link 1 Skull Wing into the Link Markers!" Van Gogh went into the top and bottom-left arrowhead, while Skull Wing went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Embodiment of death itself! Ascend from the underworld and unleash the funeral song of ire onto your prey! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Thanatos!" A tall, pale-skinned muscular man with short spiked white hair and golden eyes, which had dark circles around them appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a hood that covered the top of his head, as well as a cape attached to his back. Attached to his shoulders, forearms and legs were pieces of armor that each had a purple, glowing eye at the center of them. In his hands, he carried a whitish magenta energy scythe.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 2700 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 2700 + 500 = 3200

"Since Van Gogh was used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can add one 'Cyreath' card from my deck to my hand, as well as gain 500 life points. I add Cyreath Vanquishment from my deck to my hand." Raguel decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. Once that was done, a small sun appeared above Raguel, which showered him with light as his life points increased.

Raguel: 4000 + 500 = 4500 LP

"What's more, as Skull Wing was used as Link material, you take 300 points of damage." A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through Watchman, who shivered as his life points dropped.

Watchman: 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP

"From there, I activate Mount Olympus' second effect. Once, I can target one 'Cyreath' Link monster on my field, and gain life points equal to its Link rating times 500. I target Thanatos, who is a Link 3 monster. That means I gain 1500 life points." Raguel stated, as a golden glow surrounded him before his life points increased.

Raguel: 4500 + (500 X 3) = 6000 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Raguel narrowed his eyes. "Alright, Watchman. You're up."

"My turn! I draw!" Watchman said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards in exchange for discarding two cards from my hand to my Graveyard." He drew three cards before taking two of them and sending it to his Graveyard. "And because one of the cards I've discarded was Cards of Compensation, I can draw two more cards from the top of my deck."

Raguel grunted as Watchman drew two more cards of his deck. You have got to be kidding me. Now Watchman has eight cards in his hand for him to use for his strategies, he cursed in his mind.

"I now activate the effect of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord from my hand. By revealing three other 'Cubic' cards in my hands with different names, I can Special Summon it to my field. I reveal Duza the Meteor Cubic Vessel, Vijam the Cubic Seed and Cubic Wave from my hand, and Special Summon Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord from my hand to my field." Soon, the three designated cards glowed before floating in front of Watchman and spinning around to form a dark-purple portal. Emerging from the portal was a massive swarm of sickly gray and orange cubic particles appeared on Watchman's field before they formed into a new purple-colored monster. This monster's core consisted of a purple sphere with a red oval and golden lash marks surrounding it, which was inside a translucent purple-cube. It had two muscular arms, with two eyes each. One at the shoulder, and one at the back of its hand. Its right hand consisted of two un-even pincer blades that formed a claw, while the left hand consisted of a pendulum blade. Flowing underneath the creature's core was a trail of solidified purple cubes, which formed a tail.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 10

"That's the monster you used against Azrael, even though it ultimately failed." Raguel noted.

"I'm not done yet, Raguel." Watchman told Raguel, ignoring his comment. "I summon Duza the Meteor Cubic Vessel from my hand." A large, black machine with two large arms, along with a clawed tripod for legs appeared on Watchman's field. It had a red symbol on the front of its body, which consisted of two circular lines that had three lines protruding to the sides and a red orb in the middle of it. On top of its body was a white protrusion that had a red eye on it, with four capsules on the back of its body that had the same symbol as well.

Duza the Meteor Cubic Vessel ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600 LV: 4

"That's a new monster..." Raguel muttered. He never saw Watchman use that monster before, as the latter would usually bring out Vijam before evolving it into its stronger forms.

"When Duza's Normal or Special Summoned, I can send a 'Cubic' card from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Cubic Pulse from my deck to my Graveyard." Watchman decided, as he took a card from his deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.

He's very likely keeping it as a last resort in case he loses his monsters, Raguel hypothesized in his mind.

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Cubic Wave. Once per turn-."

"I don't think so, Watchman. I activate Deimos' Pendulum effect." Raguel interrupted. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can send one 'Cyreath' card from my hand to my Graveyard to not only negate that effect, but also have a monster you control lose 500 attack and defense points for each 'Cyreath' card in my Pendulum zone until the End Phase."

"What?" Watchman blinked after hearing this information.

"Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord may be unaffected by the effects of monsters whose attack points are 3000 or less, but it can still be hit with Spell and Trap card effects. I send Glorious Cyreaths from my hand to the Graveyard, negate Cubic Wave's effect and have Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord loses a total of 1000 attack and defense points until the End Phase because there's two 'Cyreath' Pendulum monsters in my Pendulum zones. Take this!" After Raguel sent a card from his hand to his Graveyard, Cubic Wave turned into particles, which led to Deimos and Phobos firing energy from their hands that hit Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord. As a result, its strength decreased upon impact.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 3000 – (500 X 2) = 2000

"In that case, I activate the effect of Damage Diet from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, any effect damage I take this turn is halved. Next, I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Cubic Karma. I can target one 'Cubic' monster on my field and send copies of Vijam the Cubic Seed from my hand and/or deck to the Graveyard. Then my targeted monster gains 800 attack points for each Vijam sent to the Graveyard by this effect. I send two copies of Vijam from my deck and the one in my hand to my Graveyard!" Soon, three silhouettes of monsters that consisted of a sphere with an eye in the middle appeared on Watchman's field. All three of them had two small wings and an antennae-like organ with an eye placed on top of it, which extended from the top of their bodies. Each one then turned into orange particles that Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord absorbed, which increased its strength.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 2000 + (800 X 3) = 4400

"Battle!" Watchman declared. "Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord attacks Cyreath Chronicler! Cubic Evisceration!" Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord charged forward bringing down its arms down at Chronicler, which destroyed him in a massive explosion that pushed Raguel back several feet as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 6000 – 1400 = 4600 LP

"I also activate Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord's effect. When it destroys a monster by battle-."

"Trap card, activate! Cyreath Vanquishment!" Raguel interrupted. The card showed Thanatos standing on Armatos Legio Magnus Dux's dead body in Armatos Colosseum, laughing as clones of him charged forward to eliminate Tribunus Militum and several Decurions. "When I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can shuffle a card on your field back into your deck. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only negate the effects of cards you control up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters on my field, I also gain 500 life points for each card negated by this effect as well. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"You have got to be kidding me..." Watchman seethed.

"I negate Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord's effects." Raguel decided, as a grey aura surrounded Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord before it groaned in pain, its effects having been negated temporarily. A dark aura then surrounded Raguel's body as his life points increased.

Raguel: 4600 + 500 = 5100 LP

"In that case, I Set three cards face-down and end my turn, which means Deimos' effect ends while Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord regains its effects." Watchman began concluding, as Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord was released from the grey aura surrounding its body, which returned its strength back to normal.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 4400 + (500 X 2) = 5400

"And because Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord regained its effects, that means I can activate its final effect. It deals the both of us 3000 points of damage."

"But because you used Damage Diet's effect, the effect damage you would have taken is halved." Raguel realized, anger evident in his tone.

"That's correct." Watchman simply confirmed. "Cubic Bombardment!" Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord fired cubic purple beams at Raguel and Watchman, which made both of them wince in pain. However, the pain Raguel felt made him nearly lose his balance, while Watchman straightened himself quickly, having felt less pain than the former.

Raguel: 5100 – 3000 = 2100 LP

Watchman: 3700 – (3000 / 2) = 2200 LP

"Did you truly care for my parents, Watchman? Or did you see them as pawns, just like the rest of us?"

Watchman narrowed his eyes after hearing that question. "I did care for them, Raguel."

"Don't you lie to me!" Raguel angrily warned Watchman.

"In all honesty, I actually cared for your parents, Raguel." Watchman apathetically continued. "I did not see them as pawns, as they gave me the hope I needed to continue living. But when they died… well, let's just say it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Their deaths gave me the proper motivation to begin forming and executing my plans. Along with the views I've formed growing up, of course."

"It seems you haven't changed at all since Mirror LINK VRAINS…." Raguel frowned. "I'll knock some sense into that arrogant head of yours permanently, Watchman. Then you'll finally understand the pain the others and I felt for all those years."

"You can go ahead and try, but I'll put you down for humanity's sake." Watchman replied back, having readied himself for what was to come.

Elsewhere, in the server...

Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera continued running to the end of the forest area the Cursed Boundary Layer was at. Unfortunately for the trio, their stamina was almost used up. Blue Maiden let out several heavy breaths, almost on the verge of stopping her run. She wasn't the only one, as Playmaker and Numera felt the same.

"No... Not now..." Blue Maiden muttered.

ROAR!

The loud roar from Hercules/Alpha Mode was what led Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera to continue running. For Blue Maiden, despite Numera being light, carrying her still slowed the former down. As for Playmaker, while it was a miracle that he wasn't weakened after everything that happened, he was still tired from all the running that had occurred.

"No! Stop, guys! STOP!" Numera screamed, which snapped Blue Maiden and Playmaker out of their thoughts upon hearing her warning. After Blue Maiden put Numera down on the ground, she immediately grabbed the Black Key Watchman gave her with her right hand, ready to use it. Suddenly, Hercules/Alpha Mode appeared out of nowhere and swung Nine Lives down onto the ground, which sent all three of them flying off the ground before landing onto it.

The three of them stood up on their feet slowly as they got a good look at Hercules/Alpha Mode. His entire body was covered with pieces of the Cursed Boundary Layer, which latched onto him as though it were a parasite. Hercules/Alpha Mode was also surrounded in an aura that was in the form of black and red energy, which glowed with energy as a result of the pieces of the Cursed Boundary Layer being on his body.

Letting out a growl, Hercules/Alpha Mode charged forward at Numera, hellbent on capturing her. If needed, Hercules/Alpha Mode was more than willing to injure Numera so that she couldn't fight anymore, but not to the point where he would kill her.

"Look out, Numera!" Playmaker exclaimed, having ran forward to intercept the attack by taking the blow of it instead. As a result, he was sent flying off the ground once more.

"PLAYMAKER!" Blue Maiden and Kusanagi cried out of pure horror, where Playmaker immediately pressed a button on his duel disk to activate the avatar enhancement program at the last second. As a result, while he hit the ground before rolling onto it, he didn't suffer any fatal injuries.

Blue Maiden immediately charged forward with the Black Key in her hand, intent on landing a blow on Hercules/Alpha Mode. Though she had minimal fighting experience, she didn't want to stand by the sidelines and do nothing. She'd fight to protect the ones she loved. As such, Blue Maiden proceeded to slash Hercules/Alpha Mode with the Black Key in her hand, only for the attack to do nothing at all as he responded in kind with Nine Lives. The attack immediately sent Blue Maiden flying off the ground, where she quickly pressed a button on her duel disk to activate the avatar enhancement program in order to cushion the blow. Just as she expected, the program immediately reduced the damage taken, despite being still winded by it.

Numera also threw two yellow glowing triangles at Hercules/Alpha Mode, which released sonic booms that did nothing but stagger him. However, the minimal distraction allowed Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera to regain their footing as they took shelter in a crater ahead of them. The crater was most likely created during the chase, where the duel monsters Raguel unleashed had tried to stop them. Regardless of the reason, they were still grateful that it was there so they can recuperate and make a plan.

"Just a little bit further. You're almost out of the area." Kusanagi told Playmaker and Blue Maiden.

"The only problem is that the moment we exit the crater, Hercules/Alpha Mode will hunt us down again, Kusanagi. We won't be as lucky as we were just now." Playmaker explained, as he poked his head slightly over the crater. It was just as they feared. The moment Playmaker and the others stepped out of the crater, Hercules/Alpha Mode would find and hunt them down again. After all, the end of the area that was covered by the Cursed Boundary Layer was a small distance from the crater. The good thing was that there was no sign of Pandora anywhere, which meant she was preoccupied for the time being.

"That means you'll have no choice but to take Hercules/Alpha Mode on in battle, and it's gonna be easier said than done."

Playmaker grit his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, this was one of the worst situations he was in right now. The worst part was that Playmaker and Blue Maiden had used up the programs Kusanagi gave them earlier. In addition, the group had no weapon that could stop Hercules/Alpha Mode. Even if they did have a weapon, it'd have to be powerful enough to eliminate all of Hercules/Alpha Mode's twelve lives either all at once or several ones at the same time with each strike.

Meanwhile, at Raguel and Watchman's duel...

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Swing, Pendulum of the Gods, and show me the path to victory! With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 1 and 10 at the same time! Emerge, Cyreath Periphas and Doppelganger!" Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where two lights emerged. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

The first was a young man who had red eyes and spiky, ash-coloured hair. He wore a customized version of black Greek robes, as well as long, fingerless gloves on his arms. Wrapped around his neck was a piece of red cloth, which resembled that of a scarf.

The second was a pale, shadowy man.

Cyreath Periphas ATK: 1400 DEF: 1100 LV: 4

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

Cyreath Periphas ATK: 1400 + 400 = 1800 DEF: 1100 + 400 = 1500

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 + 500 = 1000 DEF: 500 + 500 = 1000

"I overlay the Level 4 Cyreath Periphas with the Level 4 Doppelganger!" Both Periphas and Doppelganger turned into streams of silver and black 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!" Raguel chanted. "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

Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000 DEF: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Dispel. Once per turn, this card lets me target a Spell or Trap card on your field and destroy it." Raguel pointed his finger back and forth, contemplating his decision before eventually making it. "I destroy the face-down card on your right." Dispel fired a purple blast at Watchman's face-down card on the right, which turned it into particles. However, unbeknownst to Raguel, Watchman smirked.

"Last but not least, I activate Thanatos' effect. Once per turn, I can target a monster you control to not only increase Thanatos' attack points by half of that monster's original attack points until the End Phase, I also gain life points equal to half of its attack points as well." Raguel added. "Soul Harvester!" Thanatos charged forward and swung his scythe at Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord before slashing it, which caused particles to flow over to where Raguel was as it surrounded his body, his life points having increased as a result. As for Thanatos, those same particles surrounded his body, which increased his strength temporarily.

Raguel: 2100 + (3000 / 2) = 3600 LP

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 3200 + (3000 / 2) = 4700

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Blazing Orthros attacks Duza the Meteoric Cubic Vessel!"

"I activate the effect of Trap Re-Arm from my Graveyard." Watchman suddenly said, which got Raguel's attention. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can not only Set one Trap card from my deck to my field, I'm also allowed to activate it the turn it was Set. I Set Breakthrough Skill from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Watchman's deck, which he took and Set to his field. "And from there, I activate the Trap card, Wall of Disruption. This card-."

"Not so fast! I activate Phobos' Pendulum effect!" Raguel interrupted. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can send one 'Cyreath' card from my hand to not only negate that effect, but also have a monster you control lose 500 attack and defense points for each 'Cyreath' card in my Pendulum zone until the End Phase."

"Tch." Watchman grit his teeth. I didn't expect Phobos to have the same effect as Deimos. Then again, the two of them are related, which explains why both monsters would have the same Pendulum effect, he thought in his mind.

"I send Cyreath Primordial Aura from my hand to my Graveyard, negate Wall of Disruption's effects and have Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord loses a total of 1000 attack and defense points until the End Phase because there's two 'Cyreath' Pendulum monsters in my Pendulum zones, just like before. Take this!" After Raguel sent a card from his hand to his Graveyard, Cubic Shift turned into particles, which led to Deimos and Phobos firing energy from their hands that hit Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord a second time. As a result, its strength decreased upon impact.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 5400 – (500 x 2) = 4400

"Resume your attack, Blazing Orthros!" Raguel shouted. "Searing Flame Charge!" The fire engulfing Blazing Orthros turned him into a blazing inferno as he charged at Duza head on, hitting it and causing a massive explosion that pushed Watchman back several feet in the process.

Watchman: 2200 – 1400 = 800 LP

"I activate Blazing Orthros' effect! Once per turn, when Blazing Orthros destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can detach one Overlay Unit to Special Summon the destroyed monster back to your field. By doing this, your monster loses 1000 attack points, and Blazing Orthros can attack it a second time!"

"Attack again?" Watchman repeated, surprised by what he just heard. However, the good thing was that he had a way to turn it around.

"That's right!" Raguel confirmed. "Flame Resuscitation!" One of the Overlay Units behind Blazing Orthros went into one of his two mouths. The two-headed hound then fired two fiery beams of energy into a portal that appeared on Watchman's field. The beams grabbed Duza, which was weakened by the beams of energy, and pulled it back to Watchman's field.

Cyreath Blazing Orthros OU: 2 – 1 = 1

Duza the Meteoric Cubic Vessel ATK: 1600 – 1000 = 600

"If that's the case, then I better plan ahead." Watchman gestured to his field. "I activate the Trap card, Breakthrough Skill. I can target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of this turn. While Mount Olympus protects your monsters from my monster effects, it doesn't protect you from my Spell and Trap cards, so I'll negate Thanatos' effects until the end of this turn." Thanatos groaned in pain as a grey aura surrounded him, which temporarily drained him of his effects.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 4700 – 1500 = 3200

"Well, it's still not going to change that you'll lose this turn." Raguel replied. "The battle continues! Cyreath Blazing Orthros-."

"Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Cubic Shift!" Watchman interrupted. "By tributing a 'Cubic' monster on my field, I can Special Summon one 'Cubic' monster from my deck to my field ignoring its summoning conditions. But in exchange, its effects are negated, and it can't attack until the end of the turn." A card popped out of Watchman's deck, which he took with his right hand. "I tribute Duza and Special Summon a second copy of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord from my deck to my field!" After Duza turned to particles, a second copy of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord appeared on Watchman's field.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 10

Watchman smirked, having been able to derail Raguel's attempts at winning this turn. "Will you resume your attack, Raguel?"

"I cancel Blazing Orthros' attack." Raguel angrily decided, as Blazing Orthros stood down. "But nevertheless, the battle continues. Cyreath Thanatos attacks the second copy of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord! Waltz of Chaos!" Thanatos swung his scythe in front of him, which released a wave of energy that hit Crimson Nova the Dark Lord and went through its body before appearing behind the latter, where it opened as several silhouettes of the former emerged and brutally pummeled it with a series of attacks. As if on cue, Thanatos leaped high into the air and brought down his scythe onto Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord, which caused an explosion that pushed Watchman back before his life points dropped.

Watchman: 800 – 200 = 600 LP

With Primordial Aura in my Graveyard, all I need to do is banish it, and any damage I would take during Watchman's turn is dropped to zero, Raguel thought in his mind. Even if Watchman ended his next turn and chose to rely on Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord's effect to win, Raguel would be the one to survive this duel in the end. "I end my turn, which means the effects of Breakthrough Skill, Phobos and Thanatos end." Thanatos regained his effects, while one of the two copies of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord regained its lost strength.

Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 4400 + (500 X 2) = 5400

"My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Cubic Oblivion. This card lets me Fusion Summon one 'Cubic' Fusion monster by banishing the materials listed on it from my hand, deck, field, or Graveyard. And you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if my life points are less than yours."

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed, shocked at what he heard. That's why Watchman waited until now to activate Cubic Oblivion, as he wanted to have lower life points in order to bring out his ultimate monster without any concerns! While Raguel was irritated with what just happened, he had to admit that a part of him was impressed with Watchman's cunning.

A card popped out of Watchman's deck seconds later. "I banish a copy of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord on my field, a copy from my deck and a copy from my Graveyard." Soon, two silhouettes of Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord appeared on Watchman's field, all three of them immediately turning into black blobs of energy, each one having a single eyeball. All three blobs then went upward before swirling into a vortex, which resulted in them shooting upwards and merging to form an orange whirlwind.

"Collection of wicked consciousness! Blacken out all remaining hope and lead this world into a despair without light!" Watchman chanted, his eyes now glowing red. "Fusion Summon! Descend now from the pitch black darkness, Level 10! Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord!" A massive, red-skinned demonic looking monster with golden elements, several eyeballs embedded on its body and four tentacles with bladed claws appeared on Watchman's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 4500 DEF: 3000 LV: 10

"So you use the same trump card you used against Azrael..." Raguel muttered. "Then again, it won't matter because just like how it failed to defeat Azrael, it will fail to defeat me."

"We'll see whether your statement's true or not, Raguel." Watchman responded. "I now activate the effect of Breakthrough Skill in my Graveyard. By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target Thanatos." A grey aura surrounded Thanatos' body for a second time, who groaned in pain as his effects were temporarily stripped from him.

Great. That means I can't use Thanatos' third and final effect, Raguel cursed in his mind.

"I Set one card face-down." Watchman then thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord attacks Cyreath Blazing Orthros! And when it declares an attack, your life points are halved! Cubic Devastation!"

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed, as all of Crimson Nova Trinity's eyes glowed before firing dark, cubic beams of energy that went upwards, which hit Raguel and forced him to take a step back before his life points were halved.

Raguel: 3600 / 2 = 1800 LP

"Cubic Catastrophe!" Crimson Nova Trinity fired a blast of dark, cubic energy from the cube attached to its body, which destroyed Blazing Orthros and headed straight towards Raguel!

"I will not be losing this duel!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "If I would take damage, I can banish Primordial Aura from my Graveyard instead." A translucent barrier covered Raguel to protect him from the blast of dark cubic energy. "Furthermore, I take no further battle or effect damage for the rest of this turn."

"Though you will certainly survive this turn, Raguel, I'll make sure to drag you to close to defeat. For when Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord destroys a monster by battle, it can make a second attack during the Battle Phase!" Watchman revealed to Raguel, a grin evident on his face. "The battle continues! Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord attacks Cyreath Thanatos! And just like before, when it declares an attack, your life points are halved! Cubic Devastation!" Crimson Nova Trinity's eyes glowed before firing dark, cubic beams of energy that went upwards, which hit Raguel and forced him to fall on one knee in pain as his life points were halved once again.

Raguel: 1800 / 2 = 900 LP

"Cubic Devastation!" Crimson Nova Trinity fired a blast of dark, cubic energy from the cube attached to its body, which headed straight towards Thanatos and turned him into particles.

"With that, I end my turn." Watchman concluded. My face-down card is Storming Mirror Force, which will return all of Raguel's monsters who are in attack position back to his hand, he thought in his mind. Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord's second effect will ensure that Raguel takes the same effect damage I would take should he activate an effect that leads me to take effect damage, thus ending the duel in a draw if I'm not able to win. Finally, should the worst come to pass, I can banish Cubic Pulse from my Graveyard to Special Summon 'Cubic Quantum' tokens to my field up to the number of monsters Raguel has on his field. All in all, I will survive and win once my next turn comes around.

"Hehehe..."

Watchman raised an eyebrow after hearing Raguel chuckle. "What's so funny, boy?"

"It's strange, don't you think? Back in Mirror LINK VRAINS, Azrael could have chopped you into confetti after your duel against him. I wondered why he instead allowed Mirror LINK VRAINS to absorb you back then, and I believe I understand now." Raguel stood back up on his feet. "Azrael wanted me to be the one to deliver final judgment onto you should he fall in battle. The fact that Azrael gave me this opportunity is something I'm grateful to him for."

"Final judgment? Don't make me laugh." Watchman narrowed his eyes at Raguel. "Just like I told you earlier, Raguel. The duel isn't over until only one of us has life points left."

"On that, we agree. My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Swing, Pendulum of the Gods, and show me the path to victory! With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 1 and 10 at the same time! Emerge, Cyreath Arbitrator!" Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where one light emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated, revealing a single monster.

That monster was an orange-eyed man whose body was in the form of pure energy, who wore pieces of armor on his shoulders, forearms, waist and legs, each of which had a skull emblem on them. Covering his head was a Corinthian helmet that had eyeholes, a nose guard and large cheek pieces on the sides of it.

Cyreath Arbitrator ATK: 1400 DEF: 1400 LV: 5

Cyreath Arbitrator ATK: 1400 + 500 = 1900 DEF: 1400 + 500 = 1900

"I activate Arbitrator's effect. When it's Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard. Return to me, Blazing Orthros!" At Raguel's command, Blazing Orthros reappeared on his field.

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

Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000 DEF: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"And since I Special Summoned a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum or Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard with Arbitrator's effect, I get to draw the top card of my deck." Raguel added, as he drew the top card of his deck. It's the card I used against Roxy, he thought in his mind. It allowed Raguel to win the duel against Roxy back then, but at the cost of her becoming a part of Mirror LINK VRAINS until the war ended. This was something Raguel deeply regretted, even after Roxy forgave him for it. But in this scenario, Raguel would have no problem in using it against someone who deemed others as pawns for their own selfish gains.

"From there, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Cyreath Force. This card lets me target one 'Cyreath' Xyz monster on my field or in my Graveyard, and Special Summon one 'Cyreath' Xyz monster whose rank is one higher than the targeted Xyz monster by using it as Xyz Material. I target Blazing Orthros, and rebuild the Overlay Network!" A bolt of white and orange energy shot upwards, which caused the galaxy portal to reappear as a result. Blazing Orthros turned into orange energy that went into the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

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

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 5 OU: 1 Scale: 0

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 3000 + 500 = 3500 DEF: 2500 + 500 = 3000

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

"What?!" Watchman exclaimed, actually caught off guard by what he just heard as a pulse of energy erupted from the card, which greyed out both Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord and Cubic Karma.

"That's not all, Watchman! I activate Scorching Cerberus' effect!" Raguel announced. "By detaching one Overlay Unit and banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, one monster you control loses attack points equal to the banished monster's attack points. In addition, Cerberus gains attack points equal to that monster's lost attack points until the end of my next turn. Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Cerberus' effects. I banish Thanatos from my Graveyard, which means your monster loses 2700 attack points. Magma Storm!" The one Overlay Unit went into Cerberus's middle mouth before all three heads fired a blast of fire at Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord. It took the form of a fiery version of Thanatos as it hit Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord and left it in scorch marks.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus OU: 1 – 1 = 0

Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord ATK: 4500 – 2700 = 1800

"In addition, once per turn, during either of our turns, when your monster's attack points are changed, you take damage equal to the difference between its current and original attack points! And let me remind you that you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Cerberus' effects."

"Tch." Watchman grit his teeth after hearing this information.

"As Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord's original attack points were 4500 and it's now at 1800 attack points, that means you take 2700 points of damage! Lava Plume!" Raguel responded, as Cerberus let out a loud shout that led to fiery energy erupting from his body, which began racing towards Watchman.

"You may have prevented me from activating cards and effects, but not every effect is an activated one, Raguel. If I would take damage by a card effect, I can banish Damage Interceptor from my Graveyard instead." Watchman countered, as a grey-skinned imp holding what looked like a massive vacuum in the form of a cannon appeared before sucking up all of the flames.

"Then you'll lose in a fiery fashion!" Raguel stated back, as he thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Cyreath Scorching Cerberus attacks Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord!"

"Not so fast, Raguel! I activate the Trap card, Storming Mirror Force!" Watchman said back, as he gestured to his field. To his horror, the card did not activate. "Why is it not activating?"

"Because when Scorching Cerberus battles, you can't activate cards or effects during the Battle Phase, which means I win!" Raguel revealed, a wicked grin on his face. "Scorching Overdrive!" The fire pulsing in Scorching Cerberus's body enveloped him in a blazing inferno as he charged forward at Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord, who proceeded to slash it with such force that it caused a fiery explosion. As a result, Watchman was sent flying off the ground, his life points dropping to zero in the process.

Watchman: 600 – 1700 = 0

Elsewhere, in the server...

"We're not giving up. Not after everything that's happened." Blue Maiden told Playmaker and Numera. "After we defeat Hercules/Alpha Mode and retreat, we'll make a plan to save Raguel from that Shadow."

"But we don't have any weapon on hand to stop Hercules/Alpha Mode." Numera said.

"And even if we did defeat Hercules/Alpha Mode, we don't know how to free Raguel." Playmaker added, remembering what happened during his duel against Raguel. For the first time in a very long time, Playmaker felt... hopeless. "By this point, I don't think Raguel can be saved. If anything, we'll have no choice but-."

SLAP!

Blue Maiden slapped Playmaker with her right hand after hearing that comment.

"Ow…" Playmaker let out a small groan of pain. He was so stunned with what Blue Maiden did to him just now that he couldn't form any words in response to what just happened temporarily.

"Are you seriously kidding me right now?! The Playmaker I know wouldn't fall into despair when confronted with a challenge!" Blue Maiden scolded Playmaker. "He'd fight back with all of his strength, no matter the situation he's in! What's more, the Playmaker I know would retain hope that the impossible is the possible that is yet to be achieved!"

Playmaker opened his mouth to try and make a rebuttal, but found that he could not. For the first time in his life, he couldn't find any words to reply with after hearing such a thing. It was as though someone else was throwing his own words back at him in order to make a point.

"With everyone else out of commission, I came here with Watchman to save both you and Numera. I am not giving up on that mission despite the obstacle we have to overcome, nor am I giving up if there's even the slightest chance to save Raguel. Do you understand me, Playmaker? I am not giving up!"

Playmaker chuckled, a genuine smile appearing on his face. Never did he expect anyone to give him a wakeup call, especially one that contained hope. It was something Playmaker needed for a small while. "Alright. If that's your decision, then I'll follow your lead. I suppose you have a plan?"

"If we're to defeat Hercules/Alpha Mode, then we'll need a weapon strong enough to eliminate all of his lives." Blue Maiden said. "When you battled against Raguel, you used Decode Talker's sword to block and attack him in response. What if we made it more powerful?"

"That actually is a good idea, Yusaku." Kusanagi agreed with Blue Maiden's idea. "If we had a program or something to enhance Decode Talker's sword, it should do the trick."

"I think I have something to help." Numera spoke up, as she pressed a button on her duel disk. Soon, golden particles appeared just above it. "A factorial program meant to enhance something, whether it's a program, avatar or something else. Now bring out Decode Talker's sword, Playmaker." At Numera's request, Playmaker summoned Decode Talker's sword, which he dubbed it Decode Sword. The golden particles entered into Decode Sword, which caused it to glow a yellow color. "There. Now with each attack, your weapon will grow stronger."

"And with Decode Talker's effect allowing him to gain strength from both allies and enemies, as well as him being able to negate effects, it should be able to defeat Hercules/Alpha Mode." Kusanagi happily realized through the comms.

"Thank you, Numera." Playmaker said, having grabbed Decode Sword with his hands, the blade still glowing a yellow color.

"However, there's a price. The sword will grow in size over time, which means you'll both need to use it together." Numera began to feel herself shake out of fear. "Just... don't die, okay? Please come back to me alive."

Blue Maiden pulled Numera in for a hug, which made her gasp. "Don't worry, Numera. Playmaker and I will be back before you know it." After Numera nodded, Blue Maiden and Playmaker climbed out of the crater, where Hercules/Alpha Mode noticed the duo before growling at them.

"Are you ready, Blue Maiden?" Playmaker asked, with Blue Maiden nodding in agreement. "Power Integration!" Decode Sword then glowed with bright light once more, having sensed the enemy in front of Playmaker and Blue Maiden. Upon sensing this, Hercules/Alpha Mode charged forward at Playmaker and Blue Maiden, the two of them immediately dodging the attack in response. Seconds later, Playmaker brought down Decode Sword down onto Hercules/Alpha Mode, the attack immediately staggering him as the former threw the sword to Blue Maiden, who also slashed Hercules/Alpha Mode seconds later. Due to the two attacks, three of Hercules/Alpha Mode's lives were taken. Three lives down, nine to go. Just as Numera said, Decode Sword grew in size temporarily, the strike having managed to deal more damage to Hercules/Alpha Mode.

Seeing that they were truly a threat, Hercules/Alpha Mode charged forward and swung Nine Lives at Playmaker and Blue Maiden, the two of them able to dodge the attack again. Having obtained the now heavier Decode Sword from Blue Maiden, Playmaker slashed the distracted Hercules/Alpha Mode once more, which made him stagger in shock upon being hit. Six lives down, six to go. Hercules/Alpha Mode brought down Nine Lives on Playmaker, who managed to block it with Decode Sword. However, the attack made Playmaker roll onto the ground upon impact with minimal injuries.

Just before Hercules/Alpha Mode could strike Playmaker again with Nine Lives, Blue Maiden ran forward and grabbed the heavy Decode Sword before blocking the attack. She then used her strength to swing Decode Sword at Hercules/Alpha Mode roared in pain before stepping back. Ten lives down, only two to go.

"Give me your hand, Blue Maiden." Playmaker stated, having also grabbed the hilt of the now very heavy Decode Sword. The two of them let out a loud shout as they stepped forward and swung the very heavy Decode Sword at Hercules/Alpha Mode, having proceeded to thrust it towards him in response. Hercules/Alpha Mode felt a part of himself struggle as he tried to charge forward with Nine Lives upon seeing Numera emerge out of the crater, a sad and scared expression on her face.

The very heavy Decode Sword that Playmaker and Blue Maiden held in their hands pierced through Hercules/Alpha Mode's body, ending the battle as a result. Within seconds, the shadowy miasma surrounding Hercules/Alpha Mode's body dissipated, while the Cursed Boundary Layer attached to his body disintegrated into particles.

Upon seeing Numera in front of him, Hercules/Alpha Mode had realized something to his horror. His rampage thanks to the corruption had led him to nearly kill a child. Just like eons ago, where thanks to Hera, Hercules/Alpha Mode's madness had taken him over to the point where he murdered his family in a blind rage.

Hercules/Alpha Mode looked down at Playmaker and Blue Maiden, the ones who managed to overcome all odds and best him in combat. He also looked at Numera, whose presence helped him fight back against the corruption long enough for the duo to end the battle in their victory. "Thank you all for freeing me from that Shadow. You have shown me how strong the human spirit is, no matter the situation you face."

"We're going to save Raguel. You have our word." Blue Maiden promised.

"The fact that Blue Maiden risked her life to save Numera and I is proof of how strong we are." Playmaker added. "She reminded me of how I shouldn't lose hope in the face of adversity. We won't stop until Raguel is freed from that Shadow. That, I can promise you."

"And I have no doubt in your skill to succeed in that endeavor." Hercules/Alpha Mode replied, as he began turning into particles. "Now, go. My strength will be enough to make Raguel retreat. I have faith that you'll be able to save him from that Shadow. Good luck." With that, Hercules/Alpha Mode fully disintegrated into particles, which flew into the air and headed to Raguel's duel disk. The wind blew through the air, as if to indicate that the battle had ended.

"Nice job, you two. You're a short distance away from the end of the area the Shadow's in." Kusanagi told Playmaker and Blue Maiden, the two of them nodding in agreement after hearing this information.

"Come on. Let's go." Blue Maiden said, as she, Playmaker and Numera headed to the end of the forest. However, just as they reached the end of the trail, Pandora emerged from the shadows. While the trio didn't know what happened to her, they did know that she was a threat. However, what caught their attention was the pieces of white energy that were attached to Pandora's body.

"An extraordinary effort you humans pulled off." Pandora praised Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera. "Nevertheless, I warned you not to get in Raguel's way."

Meanwhile, in the server...

Watchman quickly got up on his feet before throwing a total of three Black Keys, which Raguel easily knocked away with Excalibur Morgan as he charged towards him. After doing so, Raguel then slashed Watchman numerous times using Excalibur Morgan, who was forced to take several steps back before jumping back to barely avoid another strike. If Watchman hurried, he could retreat with the remaining amount of strength he had left.

Before Watchman could try to escape, Raguel charged forward and slashed him once again, which made the former stagger seconds later.

"That's for my family!" Raguel exclaimed, as he stabbed Watchman in the stomach using Excalibur Morgan before pulling it out of his body. "This is for my brother!" He slashed Watchman's body and chest numerous times before stabbing him once again. "And this is for me!" Raguel then swung Excalibur Morgan upwards, which caused the stab wound to flow upwards and become a large gash. He then charged forward once more and stabbed Watchman, the impact forcing the latter to stagger back in pain.

All the injuries Watchman was sustaining made him lose his remaining strength, and if he didn't find a way to retreat now, it'd be over for him.

"How foolish. Do you think you can get away from me?"

Raguel smiled as shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles erupted from the ground and pierced Watchman's hands, legs and body before lifting him up high into the air, much to his horror as he tried to free himself. However, Raguel stabbed Watchman with Excalibur Morgan, which made him cry out in pain and shock as he continued to try and free himself.

"Guh-gah...!" Watchman cried out in pain, as the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles dropped him on the ground before piercing him by his hands, legs and body once more, having begun to drain his energy seconds later. It consisted of blood-like data that flowed over to Raguel's left side. In addition, the data from Watchman's duel disk, along with the Spatial Cube and his deck, also flowed out of it before entering into Raguel's duel disk.

The shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles lifted Watchman off the ground before slamming him onto it numerous times, as if it were playing around with their food. Raguel then slashed Watchman once more with Excalibur Morgan once more with such force that he rolled onto the ground, having begun to cough up blood in the process.

"Haa-hm, guh...!" Watchman continued to cough up blood each time he tried to breathe. The shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles stabbing Watchman repeatedly did not help alleviate his pain, the worst being when they brought him over to Raguel before he slashed the latter once again with Excalibur Morgan. All the torture Watchman was going through was like a symphony of pain, torture and despair. One that would not end.

What's more, Watchman felt his energy continuing to drain out of his body, as if all the relentless attacks were causing him to break down physically and mentally. This was evident by the skin peeling off of his body, the pieces of bone being revealed and blood erupting out with each attack unleashed either by the shadowy, ribbon-like tentacles or by Raguel slashing Watchman using Excalibur Morgan. It reached the point where Watchman was eventually reduced to a decaying husk of himself, even though he could still see, speak, smell, hear, taste and move.

To put it simply, Watchman was being reduced to nothing more than a walking, talking and deteriorating corpse. One that was sentenced to everlasting agony for the rest of his days. One that could no longer pursue his dream of seizing the Root of All Knowledge for himself.

"I'm taking the forgiveness I gave you a while ago back." Raguel said, as he continued to slash Watchman with Excalibur Morgan. "And I'm forgiving Yukage for saving us. He at least deserves that."

"Insolent child. If it weren't for me, then you'd be dead." Watchman seethed, before coughing out blood once again.

"I know, and I am grateful that you saved my brother and I all those years ago." Raguel responded with a laugh. "Goodbye, old man."

BA-BUMP!

Raguel screamed as he suddenly fell to the ground on his knees, overwhelmed by the pain that was coursing through his body. Within seconds, a massive amount of particles entered into Raguel's duel disk, which made him cough out blood as he hugged himself in order to try and calm down. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't working much.

"No way. Hercules/Alpha Mode lost?! Impossible." Tears of genuine sadness fell from Raguel's eyes after coming to that realization. There was no other explanation. Hercules/Alpha Mode had been defeated in battle, and Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera were very likely the ones responsible for the deed. While Raguel didn't know whether Pandora was still pursuing the group or not, what he did know was that he had to retreat, lest something else occurred that would catch him off guard.

He looked over at Watchman, who was still crying out in pain. "Oh, well. At least I gave that old man a fate worse than death." And with that, Raguel was forced to log out of the server, intent on retreating for the time being.

As Watchman began to lose consciousness, he noticed Zero walking over to where he was. Before fully blacking out, Watchman felt himself being picked up by Zero, the two of them logging out of the server seconds later.

Elsewhere, in the server...

Energy danced in Pandora's right hand as she prepared to fire it at Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera, the trio ready to fight back if needed. But to their surprise, Pandora lowered her hand, the energy dissipating seconds later.

"Consider yourselves fortunate. Raguel's been forced to retreat, so I have to return to him." Pandora spoke, disappointment evident in her tone as she turned around and began walking away from the others. However, she stopped in her tracks, as if something crossed her mind just now. "Why do you humans continue to fight? If Raguel succeeds-."

"Then he'll cause more pain to both himself and to others than he realizes." Blue Maiden immediately replied, which made Pandora gasp upon hearing those words. "What Raguel's doing right now won't help him move forward. It'll only condemn him to eternal pain forever."

"Blue Maiden's right. Raguel's our friend, and we're not abandoning him. We're going to save him from himself." Playmaker added in support to Blue Maiden's answer.

Pandora actually thought this information over for several seconds. A part of her remembered the good times, where she spent time with Hephaestus and the other Greek gods playing and having fun. But then the other part of Pandora remembered her persecution by humanity's hands, along with being sentenced to never die as punishment for opening the box that unleashed hell onto humanity.

Pandora followed after Raguel for two reasons. The first being that he was her creator, which meant she was obligated to obey his commands. She provided Raguel with strong counsel that gave him the push needed to pursue his final mission. It obviously wasn't manipulation, as Pandora wanted Raguel to become stronger. The second reason was that she wanted to be free from all of this pain, and by helping Raguel acquire the Root of All Knowledge, her deepest desire would be hers at last.

But...

A part of Pandora was actually doubting all of this. Given Raguel's current state of mind, it was very likely he had other plans in mind. Ones that could very likely prevent Pandora from obtaining her dearest wish.

Did humanity truly deserve to live despite all the sins mankind committed over the eons? Were they redeemable in the end? Could they return back to the state they once were prior to Pandora opening the box and unleashing sin onto them? That was something Pandora wanted to find out for herself.

"If you really want to save Raguel, then come to the place containing the device that nearly destroyed everything all those months prior in the network." Pandora cryptically told the trio, before turning into particles, which went upwards into the sky that disappeared several seconds later.

"Blue Maiden!" Numera cried out in relief, as she ran over and hugged Blue Maiden from behind. Blue Maiden, upon seeing this, gently ruffled her hair back.

"Let's go home." Playmaker said, as he, Blue Maiden and Numera escaped from the area the Cursed Boundary Layer was in, which allowed all three of them to successfully log out of the server.

Meanwhile, in another area in the network...

Ai and Roboppy were in the Linguriboh ship, the two of them having completed their task in helping their allies rescue Playmaker from the sidelines.

"Well, that was fun, master." Roboppy commented, as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"It sure was, Roboppy. Who knew AIs like us can work out a sweat?" Ai replied, also a bit tired from the task the two of them had done. After Ai found out Raguel's whereabouts in the network, he sent the coordinates to Playmaker's allies in the real world, who immediately took action to rescue him. However, Ai was surprised that they chose to bring Watchman with them, especially after his secrets were revealed to everyone in Mirror LINK VRAINS. If he had to guess, a great majority of the others had to regain their strength after rescuing Numera, which was what led them to reach out to Watchman. But given how Raguel both attacked and kidnapped Numera before forcing her to log into the network once more, not all of them were in fighting shape. All except for Blue Maiden, who risked her life to rescue Playmaker. For that, Ai owed her a debt of gratitude. After all, a debt of gratitude was always repaid.

Since Ai obviously didn't want to give his location away, he and Roboppy further assisted from the sidelines by messing up with Raguel's defenses. That way, Blue Maiden and Watchman would have an easier time in infiltrating the base and rescuing Playmaker and Numera. It wasn't easy, as Raguel unleashed his duel monsters onto the group. Apparently, after Numera ran over to where Blue Maiden and Playmaker was, the two of them used a program to trap Watchman and prevent him from joining up with the trio. Thus leading Watchman to confront Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Alastor himself. While Ai couldn't make out what happened after that, it was a minor convenience because it didn't matter in the end. On an area on the digital screen, he and Roboppy saw Raguel brutally finish Watchman off in a back-and-forth duel. Raguel would have eliminated Watchman permanently had he not been suddenly forced to retreat by an unknown factor.

What could have caused Raguel to retreat like that, Ai wondered in his mind, as he pressed a button on the console, which caused the digital screen to zoom in on what happened in the server. There, he saw Blue Maiden and Playmaker defeat Hercules/Alpha Mode, where he turned into particles that flew into the air and headed towards Raguel's duel disk at another area in the server. Ah. I see. Hercules/Alpha Mode had an incredible amount of strength, which must have made Raguel retreat after realizing that one of his strongest allies had lost. It seems that Raguel must have a strong connection with his Cyreath monsters, where he feels the pain they feel upon defeat to an extent.

Following Hercules/Alpha Mode's defeat, Ai and Roboppy saw Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera confront Pandora, who had tried to attack the trio. However, Pandora ended up letting all three of them go. Whether it was to retreat or something else, Ai wanted to find out for himself.

"Perhaps what Pandora said to them could give us a clue on where Raguel will end up next, Roboppy." Ai mused.

"Don't worry, master. Leave it to me." Roboppy said, as he pressed a button on his console, which allowed the two of them to hear the words Pandora spoke to Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera before leaving. Upon hearing those words, Ai gasped in shock. "Master?"

Ai let out a sad and angry chuckle after processing what he just heard. "Ah, so that's what you intend to do for your plans, Raguel. We need to warn our friends in the real world about this asap."

"But they're smart. I'm sure they'll figure it out. And I bet they'll create a weapon to fight against that awful Shadow."

"That is true, Roboppy. Still, it doesn't hurt to be careful." Ai pointed out, with Roboppy nodding in agreement. Given the severity of the situation, it looks like I'll have no choice but to enter the battlefield myself, even if I have to do it discreetly, Ai thought in his mind, having begun to drive the ship he and Roboppy were in towards another area of the network. Once Playmaker and the others confronted Raguel at the location he was at next, then Ai and Roboppy would make their move in order to protect humanity.

Several minutes later, in the real world...

VROOM!

Greg quickly drove the car down the road before immediately making a left, having managed to successfully rescue Rachel in the real world. He didn't do it on his own, as Gil was helping back at Café Nagi to ensure that the rescue was successful. Greg used the tracker he put in Rachel's duel disk when she first got it in order to find her should something bad happen. Eventually, Greg had found where Yuhiro took her, which consisted of an abandoned warehouse. Upon arrival, Greg tried to sneak into the warehouse, only to be greeted with several drones that Yuhiro had installed in case someone would try to rescue Rachel in the real world. While Greg was more than prepared for such a scenario, Gil made it a whole lot easier by hacking into the drones and hijacking their functions so the former can sneak in and break the seal surrounding Rachel. Gil even shut down all of the security systems in the warehouse as well so Greg can complete his mission. From there, while the drones were distracted with Gil continuing to hijack them, Greg immediately took the comatose Rachel and escaped from the warehouse, where Gil immediately blew up each one after ensuring the both of them escaped. To further ensure this, Gil wiped out all the footage from the security systems so that no one can determine what happened.

"Mmm..." Rachel opened her eyes, where she found herself in Greg's car. "Greg, is that-?"

"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?" Greg asked.

"A little winded, but other than that, I'm fine." Rachel assured Greg.

"Good." Greg pressed a button on the digital screen on his car, which caused the phone to ring seconds later, where someone answered it quickly. "I got Rachel, Kusanagi. Any luck on your end?"

"Yusaku's safe and sound, Greg. A big victory for us overall." Kusanagi reported back, which made Greg smile.

Rachel also smiled, only for it to turn into a frown. She learned about Arshad's hypocrisy, and how he used them all as tools for his own selfish goals in acquiring the Root of All Knowledge. Rachel also learned about how Arshad kidnapped Yuhiro and Yukage when they were kids before bringing them to Dr. Kogami, who had them participate in the Lost Incident. Such things disgusted Rachel after learning the truth about Arshad.

"Indeed. Thanks for everything, Kusanagi. I definitely owe you and Roxy one for your help." Greg replied, before hanging up on his end.

"I'm not abandoning Yuhiro, Greg." Rachel firmly stated, which made Greg sigh as he turned to face her.

"I know, sweetie. But I can't afford for you to be kidnapped again."

"And running away isn't going to solve the problem." Rachel countered. "We have to save Yuhiro from that Shadow before something worse happens to all of us. Look, I get it. You care for my safety. If it makes you feel better, I'll help from the sidelines only. You have my word."

Greg rolled his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, Rachel was right on two things. First, Yuhiro needed their help more than ever after everything that's happened. Second, running away wasn't going to solve the problem because it'd still be there. Even if Greg and Rachel went to a secure FBI bunker, the officers there wouldn't stand a chance should Yuhiro find their location and launch an attack. That meant they had to stop Yuhiro with the limited time they had left before he recovered his strength. "Alright, that's fair. But only on the sidelines, okay? No going out on the frontlines."

Rachel smiled back, pleased with Greg's response. Rest first, then help the others later. "Deal."

Elsewhere, at Café Matsuo…

Yusaku woke up with a loud gasp as he bolted upwards on his feet. Looking around, he realized that he was in Café Matsuo. Specifically, on the table in the kitchen portion of the living room. Rasterliger, who was sleeping nearby, woke up and let out a loud bark upon seeing Yusaku wake up.

"I heard a noise, RL. Is everything-?" Roxy began asking, as she ran into the kitchen area of the living room, where she gasped after seeing Yusaku wide and awake. "Yusaku, you're back."

"How did I end up here?" Yusaku inquired, before Roxy went over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, bud. We brought you here to ensure you were safe."

"Roxy, we heard the commotion. What's-?" Takeru began speaking, as he, Arashi and Miyu ran to the kitchen area of the living room as well, the three of them gasping upon seeing Yusaku wide and awake. "You're okay." The three of them went over to where Yusaku was, happy to see that he was back in the real world.

"How do you feel, dude?" Arashi asked.

"Aside from being a little hazy and tired, I'm fine." Yusaku answered.

"Yusaku!" Kusanagi cried out of nowhere, as he opened the door and ran upstairs to the kitchen area of Café Matsuo, a joyful expression evident on his face. Before Yusaku could react, Kusanagi proceeded to hug him tightly, much to the former's surprise.

"It's good to see you too, Kusanagi." Yusaku told Kusanagi, a genuine expression evident on his face. "Is Blue Maiden okay?"

"She's tired, but other than that, she's okay." Kusanagi assured Yusaku.

"There's a lot to discuss, is there?" Miyu guessed, the others nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, but not tonight. All of us needs to rest and recover. We can talk about what happened tomorrow." Roxy suggested.

"Some rest will definitely help for sure. After all, we need to figure out how to free Yuhiro from that Shadow, and a rested brain is a strong one." Arashi commented.

"I'll take Yusaku and Arashi back to their places, as well as drop Takeru off at the bus stop." Kusanagi offered.

"It's cool, Kusanagi. I can crash at Yusaku's place tonight, if that's okay with him." Takeru said.

"I don't mind that." Yusaku spoke up.

"Good. In that case, we should get going. After today, we all need to recuperate before planning how to free Yuhiro from that Shadow." Kusanagi commented, before he, Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi began heading downstairs, the quartet exiting Café Matsuo and heading over to Café Nagi in the process.

"Okay, it's safe. You can come out now." Roxy stated, as Brea exited the guest room and headed upstairs to the kitchen section of the living room.

"Auntie, Brea could have introduced herself to Yusaku. I mean, she does know that Takeru and Arashi are Soulburner and Slipstream." Miyu pointed out.

"I think it'd be best to avoid any more surprises for the rest of the day, Miyu. I don't think that's what Yusaku wants right now. If anything, he needs rest."

"But what about Aoi?"

"I won't talk to Yusaku about it until this entire mess's over, Miyu," a voice answered, as Aoi walked upstairs to the kitchen section of the living room. After Aoi logged out of the network, Kusanagi had Aoi hide in an area nearby Café Matsuo so Yusaku can still believe his identity as Playmaker is kept as a secret. By the time she returned back to the real world, she and Kusanagi realized that Gil had already left, which indicated that Greg had succeeded in rescuing Rachel in the real world.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, Aoi." Roxy said, having turned to look at Aoi. "You've definitely risked a lot while the rest of us were out of commission. Thank you."

"I have to say, the fact that you risked your life to save Playmaker and Rachel despite the odds you encountered took a lot of guts. You definitely have my respect." Brea stated.

"Brea's right, Aoi. I want to become a leader just like you." Miyu added.

"A leader, huh?" Aoi muttered, having begun to think that comment over. It seemed Emma and Gekiryushi were right all along. Aoi had the traits of a leader, and the fact she risked her life to save those she cared about on a very dangerous mission such as this one was proof of that. She had grown a lot over the past few months, and with the knowledge she learned along the way, she would make sure that Yuhiro was saved. Not just for the sake of those Aoi cared about, but the sake of everyone else as well.

Meanwhile, at an area in the network….

Raguel logged into another area of the network, a tired and angry look evident on his face. Just when things were bad, he learned that someone had managed to evade his security systems and rescue Rachel from his base in the real world. Judging from what happened, Raguel deduced that the others had devised a plan where Blue Maiden and Watchman would distract him while someone else would find where Rachel was in the real world and rescue her. He had to admit, it was a brilliant plan, but the fact that it threw a massive monkey wrench in his plans practically pissed him off.

On the plus side, Raguel got his retribution on Watchman, along with everything in the latter's possession. The Spatial Cube, Watchman's deck, and so much more Raguel wanted to look at. But right now, Raguel had something to get done, and the idea formed in his head after he recalled how Watchman handed the Spatial Cube over to power the Tower of Hanoi. Based on this information, the Spatial Cube Raguel had in his possession must be a backup should something happen to the original. Perhaps he can find something that can give him back the advantage.

After wandering in the area of the network he was in, which was the previous LINK VRAINS, Raguel eventually found what he was looking for. The Tower of Hanoi. The device that nearly destroyed the network, yet the same one that allowed everyone to find Mirror LINK VRAINS. Raguel pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused the Spatial Cube to hover out of it before he put a hand on it. Within seconds, the Spatial Cube on Raguel's possession glowed with an orange color, which caused the Spatial Cube to glow with an orange color as well after a few moments passed.

"I see. So that was your plan, Watchman..." Raguel muttered, having let out a few chuckles. It seemed that Watchman's endgame plan after Mirror LINK VRAINS was to take control of the Tower of Hanoi and turn it into a weapon to find the Root of All Knowledge's whereabouts in the network. This way, he can go to its location and obtain it.

Raguel touched the top of the Spatial Cube in front of him, which caused a red polyhedron to appear seconds later. From there, Raguel pressed a button on the Spatial Cube in his possession that caused the polyhedron to glow with red light, where red particles flowed through the network before it was fully filled up, having managed to take control of the Tower of Hanoi for himself. As if to confirm this, the Spatial Cube in the Tower of Hanoi also glowed in a red color, which caused both Spatial Cubes to be in sync with one another.

If everyone insists on getting in my way, then it seems I'll have no choice but to take desperate action by this point, Raguel thought in his mind, having let out several giggles and a laugh seconds later. Something then popped into his mind as Raguel pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused blood-like data to orbit just above it. Specifically, Watchman's blood-like data. Raguel recalled a certain group of people who claimed that he owed them a blood debt, so it was only fair to repay it at some point. A data clone of Raguel appeared besides the real Raguel. Given how Raguel was still incapacitated for the time being, he had no choice but to send the data clone for the delivery.

"Deliver Watchman's blood-like data to the Hanoi, along with a warning of what will happen to them should they continue with their actions." Raguel ordered the data clone, who bowed in compliance before turning into particles. The Cursed Boundary Layer had certainly enhanced Raguel's powers more than ever, as he can send his data clones, who despite being inferior, can do his tasks for him while he recovers his strength.

Raguel suddenly gasped as he fell onto his knees, the pain coursing through his body as he hugged himself in order to calm down. Despite having worked this time, Raguel still felt the fleeting pain in his body even after the majority of it exited out of him. "Just a little longer. Once I obtain the Root of All Knowledge, not only will I destroy everything dividing humanity, I will cleanse the universe from sin and become the One True God so that it may never be repeated again! That is something I intend to fulfil to the letter!"

In the sunset over Den City, Yuhiro, Miyu, and Arashi are depicted with Yusaku, Aoi, and Takeru looking out over the area.

Silhouettes of Earth, Windy, Aqua, Flame, Lightning, Herald, and Wraith are shown as Ai clenches his heart in despair before morphing into his human form. The screen shifts to the real world, which shows Roboppy looking out a window as a silhouette of his human form is shown with him.

Jin, Kusanagi, and Katsuya look at the starry skies, grateful smiles on their faces as they do so, glad to be reunited with one another, Silhouettes of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Codebreaker Virus Berserker appear in the area to ensure the peaceful moment wasn't disrupted.

Emma and Kengo Dojun are shown at the Den City hospital visiting his mother as she wakes up, happy to see her son again. A light-blue glow briefly surrounds her body before dimming, as though it were blessing her. In another area of the hospital, Roxy is shown lovingly embracing Miyu with joy, Aoi also smiling after seeing her wake up. Nearby is Yuhiro, who smiles as he watches the group. However, he lowers his head in sadness as he recalls everything that had to be sacrificed for this moment to occur.

Akira is shown rushing over to a helicopter, intent on completing an urgent business assignment. Hayami follows after him in a hurry, having also been called to assist him in completing the assignment.

A split screen then pops up, showing Tsubaki spending time with Hideki on one side, while Gekiryushi is training at the Shinpi-Tekina dojo, people happy to see the dojo being rejuvenated on the other side. Portrait of Zandaka, Kataru, and Arakan are also in the background. A second split screen appears next, showing Greg and Rachel spending time with one another, while Gil is looking at documents with the Bit and Boot under his command.

The screen then shows Youta, Ryoken, and Takeya looking over a high platform, with Yua, Kyoko, Aso, Eizaburo, and Mikuru in the background watching them. It then shifts to show Emon looking over Beatrice's grave at the cemetery before fading away.

A portrait of everyone riding their duel boards in LINK VRAINS appears on a table as Yusaku and Yuhiro put down their duel disks, having accepted everything that's happened as they strive to move forward towards a brighter future.

Card Gallery

Raguel:

Cyreath Deimos (LV: 1/Cyberse/Dark/Pendulum/ATK: 500/DEF: 500/Scale: 1)

Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, if your opponent activates a card effect while this card is in your Pendulum Zone (Quick Effect): You can send 1 'Cyreath' card from your hand to your GY; negate the effect, and if you do, 1 monster your opponent controls loses 500 ATK and DEF for each 'Cyreath' card in your Pendulum Zone until the End Phase.

Effect: While you control this card, your opponent's monsters must attack this card, if able; also, any battle damage you would take is inflicted to your opponent instead. If this card leaves the field by your opponent's card effect (Quick Effect): You can send all monsters your opponent controls to their GY.

Cyreath Phobos (LV: 1/Cyberse/Dark/Pendulum/ATK: 500/DEF: 500/Scale: 10)

Pendulum Effect: Once per turn, if your opponent activates a card effect while this card is in your Pendulum Zone (Quick Effect): You can send 1 'Cyreath' card from your hand to your GY; negate the effect, and if you do, 1 monster your opponent controls loses 500 ATK and DEF for each 'Cyreath' card in your Pendulum Zone until the End Phase.

Effect: While you control this card, your opponent's monsters must attack this card, if able; also, any effect damage you would take is inflicted to your opponent instead. If this card leaves the field by your opponent's card effect (Quick Effect): You can send all Spell and Trap cards on your opponent's field to their GY.

Cyreath Arbitrator (LV: 5/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1400)

Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' monster from your GY, and if that monster was a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum or Link 3 or higher monster, you can draw the top card of your deck. If this card is used as material for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' monster: You can activate this effect; for the rest of the turn, that monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Arbitrator' once per turn.

Cyreath Pendulum (Normal Spell card)

Effect: When this card is activated: You can take 2 'Cyreath' Pendulum monsters from your deck; place them in your Pendulum zones. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Pendulum' per turn.

Cyreath Vanquishment (Normal Trap card)

Effect: If you control a 'Cyreath' Link monster: You can shuffle 1 card on your opponent's field to their deck, OR if you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster: You can negate the effects of cards your opponent controls up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters you control, and if you do, gain 500 LP for each card negated by this effect. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Vanquishment' per turn.

Cyreath Thanatos (LR: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 2700/↙️⬆️↘️)

Effect: 1 or more 'Cyreath' monsters. If this card is Link Summoned using only 'Cyreath' Link monsters, it can attack up to 3 times during each Battle Phase. During your Main Phase: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; increase this card's ATK by half of the targeted monster's original ATK until the End Phase, and if you do, gain LP equal to half of that monster's original ATK. If this card leaves the field by battle or your opponent's card effect (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card from your GY to your field, but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Thanatos' once per turn.

Watchman:

Damage Interceptor (LV: 1/Fiend/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)

Effect: If this card is in your hand or field and you would take battle damage (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand or field to your GY instead. If you would take effect damage: You can banish this card from your GY instead. You can only activate 1 'Damage Interceptor' effect per turn, and only 1 that turn.

QOTC

What are your ultimate thoughts on Watchman and his actions? Do you think the ends truly justify the means? Or do you think it's a façade?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 99: Overwhelming Might. Though Yusaku and Rachel have been rescued, the battle to stop Yuhiro is not over yet. While the heroes contemplate a plan on creating a weapon to free Yuhiro from the Cursed Boundary Layer, the Knights of Hanoi deal with a situation on their end. And when both groups come together to stop Yuhiro from obtaining the Root of All Knowledge, a battle will begin. One that will test their physical, mental and tactical capacities more than ever. One that will lead to a great catastrophe should they fail to defeat Yuhiro in battle….

Author's Notes

Well, for a chapter celebrating the fourth-year anniversary of Obscured Truth, a lot certainly happened. What's more, the events that occurred definitely set things up both for the next two chapters and the story moving forward. As such, a recap is needed, don't you agree:

First up is the scene involving Gil, where he basically goes to the Den City Jail to kidnap Chainslaver and Sharpshot, intent on getting payback on Yuhiro for his humiliation back at Central Japan. However, Gil's not entirely sure on whether Yuhiro was truly at Central Japan, which was why he developed a hypothesis. Given how the Shadow's massacred criminals at Sincero Penitentiary, Gil hypothesized that Yuhiro would go after criminals and murder them for their crimes against humanity. Well, the vilest ones, anyway. The ones who would not repent. So by kidnapping two vile criminals, Gil can demand answers from Yuhiro to see whether he was truly there or not. If he wasn't, then Gil would return the criminals to the authorities. If not, then Gil would get his pound of flesh from Yuhiro.

As Gil's going to find Chainslaver and Sharpshot, he runs into his father, Itachi Ariba. For those of you who don't remember, Itachi appeared back in Chapter 60, who Gil went after in order to punish him for his role in ruining the latter's life. I originally planned for Itachi to have a larger role in this chapter, but given the main focus of this chapter, I decided for him to have a minor one here, where he would succeed in planting a seed of doubt in Gil. One that will lead the two of them to have a meeting later on in the season. But moving that aside, Gil manages to find Chainslaver and Sharpshot before capturing the two of them for his plans.

Next up is the scene at the Zaizen residence, with Aoi waking up and telling Akira of what happened. However, the two of them get attacked by Pandora, who has seen the duo as a threat to Yuhiro's plans. Luckily, the combined efforts of Medusa and Wonder Heart were able to force her to retreat. After Akira comprehends what happened, along with promising Aoi that he won't tell SOL Technologies about what's currently going on, Aoi goes to Café Matsuo to help the others that are there. I will say this: Yuhiro did not order Pandora to attack the Zaizens, so expect him to be infuriated once he learns this information.

From there, it's the battle at Café Matsuo, with Yuhiro going there to kidnap Rachel for his plan to obtain the Root of All Knowledge. It's here where Roxy reveals that she had security systems installed in Café Matsuo a long time ago. Ones that Yuhiro does not know about. What is in the security system, may you ask? Simple. Artillery guns with non-lethal and stun bullets in order to ward off opposition. Sadly, it doesn't do much, as Yuhiro's Link Trigger allows him to heal from the wounds he received. It then leads Yuhiro to launch an attack on Café Matsuo to kidnap Rachel, where he disposes of anyone in his way despite their best efforts in stopping him, along with summoning his duel monster allies to ensure his mission is a success. Even with the Cracker gauntlets in their possession, they weren't able to slow Yuhiro down. Just when he's about to capture Rachel, Gil appears out of nowhere and launches his attack, hellbent on getting answers. The attack allows Miyu and Rachel to escape from the chaos while Yuhiro confronts Gil. Here, Yuhiro admits that he murdered Balius, which is what leads Gil to attack the former and get his pound of flesh. Unfortunately, Yuhiro ends up clobbering Gil before taking the captive Chainslaver and Sharpshot for himself, where he then returns to Café Matsuo to try and kidnap Rachel once more. Just when Yuhiro's about to win, Medusa, Marincess Wonder Heart and Aoi appear to protect Miyu and Rachel, which leads him to summon Alastor to deal with Medusa while Teferi fights against Wonder Heart and Pandora also confronts Rasterliger. Arshad also arrives out of nowhere to assist the heroes, intent on preventing Yuhiro from accomplishing his goal. Seeing that his loved ones are still siding with a hypocrite like Arshad despite every bad thing he's done to them, it's the last straw that leads Yuhiro to try and eliminate them. However, Rachel surrenders to Yuhiro in exchange for sparing the others. Upon hearing this, Yuhiro agrees with the deal, proceeding to knock Rachel out so he can take her to a secure location before forcing her to log into the network. He also gives the captive Chainslaver and Sharpshot over to Atalanta/Alpha Mode, who proceeds to maul them both in a gory fashion. So basically, Chainslaver and Sharpshot are dead as of this chapter. Simple as that.

Following the attack, Kusanagi and the others arrive at Café Matsuo, needing help after what happened in the duel between Yuhiro and Yusaku. With great reluctance, Kusanagi hands Yusaku over to Arshad, realizing that only he knows the way of how to stabilize his best friend. It's here where Aoi realizes that Yusaku is Playmaker this whole time, though she keeps this to herself. Unlike in the anime, where Aoi finds out Yusaku's identity in Season 3 at Café Nagi, I changed it to here for two reasons. The first is because I wanted to show that no matter how many preparations and/or decisions you make to protect yourself, the truth will come out one way or another. Sometimes, things outside of your control happen, which can lead others to find out things they wouldn't be able to find out otherwise. The second is because I wanted to show just how intuitive Aoi is as a person. After seeing the Café Nagi truck, which was where Yusaku worked at, Takeru and Arashi being with him and it going to Café Matsuo instead of to a hospital, Aoi was able to conclude that Yusaku was Playmaker. For Yusaku wouldn't take such a risk unless someone was greatly injured and he needed help. What's more, since Yusaku was the one who was injured, Kusanagi took the risk instead, knowing that his best friend's health took priority over protecting his identity. The circumstances as to what's going on and how it's beyond one's control, along with being able to piece the little facts together that have occurred over the past while, was what allowed Aoi to figure out that Yusaku was Playmaker. As a bonus, she was also able to figure out Takeru and Arashi's identities as well.

After Yusaku's put in stasis and the others are healed, the heroes end up arguing on what to do with Yuhiro once the situation is over. Greg immediately says that Yuhiro should be arrested after he's freed from the Cursed Boundary Layer, only for Roxy to shoot that suggestion down after informing him of the consequences the entire world would go through should he go through that action. Specifically, should word get out that someone was infected with the Cursed Boundary Layer, the whole world would be up in arms. Thus leading to never-ending chaos and sorrow for every single person there, as well as the endangerment of those Greg loves. For the first time, Greg's caught up in an ethical dilemma: Should he arrest Yuhiro and risk endangering the entire world just so people can know the truth as to what's going on? Or should he go against his beliefs and let Yuhiro, who murdered individuals, one of which being a high-ranking individual like Balius, go in order to keep everyone safe? You could say that Greg can now understand what Akira went through several chapters ago.

Things get worse when Arshad suggests killing Yuhiro and Rachel in order to keep the world safe. This infuriates Greg, who says that they won't kill Rachel despite hearing Arshad's justifications for doing it. It just goes to show how amoral Arshad is, especially how he's willing to risk everything just so he can obtain the Root of All Knowledge. Luckily, Miyu was able to end the argument by reminding everyone that you don't turn your back on family, even if they turn on you.

From there, Gil offers his assistance to Kusanagi in finding Yuhiro's whereabouts. However, Kusanagi takes the opportunity to agree to the offer under two conditions. First, keep everyone's identities a secret. Second, for Gil to end whatever feud he has with Yuhiro. Gil, knowing that he doesn't have a choice, concedes to the deal. Aoi also goes to help, with Arshad inquiring where she's going, despite knowing her intentions. As if on cue, Kusanagi appears and asks to speak with Aoi, who shows her Ai's algorithm, which has found Yuhiro's location. Gil, however, sees a possibility on how Ai was able to find Yuhiro's location. What if Ai was able to locate Yuhiro due to the latter having an Ignis algorithm on him? And to test this, Gil temporarily hands Kusanagi over his copy of Judgment Arrows, which he uses to take a sample of Lightning's algorithm and put it into the tracker to confirm Gil's suspicions. This is how Aoi and Kusanagi found out that Yuhiro has Judgment Arrows, where the two of them will pass this information down to the others later on.

Seeing how Yuhiro's whereabouts were found, Arshad offers his assistance in rescuing Yusaku and Rachel, as the heroes need all the help they can get. Some of you were wondering whether Arshad would be on his knees begging in this instance. The answer is obviously no, as Arshad's arrogance, along with his logic, were able to convince the heroes of this point. Given their common goal and enemy, Aoi has no choice but to accept the offer. Greg also appears, wanting to help as well by providing an idea. Aoi and Arshad would go into the network and distract Yuhiro while Greg rescues Rachel in the real world. This way, Yuhiro's attention would be so divided that everyone can succeed in the end.

With the plan having been finalized, Aoi and Arshad log into a server resembling that of the Lost Incident facility in order to rescue Yusaku and Rachel. Yup, you heard me! Raguel recreated a server resembling that of the Lost Incident facility. Why? It's because Raguel wants a part of his weak self to die with each server being made, his self-hatred having consumed him. In terms of Raguel's personality by this point due to the Cursed Boundary Layer corrupting him, think of it as a mix of Vigilante Deku's personality from My Hero Academia, Dark Sakura's personality from Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel and Volo's personality from Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Some of you might be wondering how in the world Blue Maiden and Watchman were able to sneak into the facility. It's for two reasons. The first was Watchman's skills as an Inquisitor, which allowed him to use an incantation to make both him and Blue Maiden invisible temporarily. After all, there are some things the dark arts have over technology. For the second reason, that won't be revealed until later on.

Nevertheless, Blue Maiden and Watchman break into the Lost Incident facility and rescue Playmaker and Numera before the alarm sounds as a result of Watchman's incantation shutting down. I also added a nice, heartwarming moment between Blue Maiden and Playmaker before getting interrupted by Watchman and everything went to Hell minutes later. This is evident by how Raguel unleashes Hercules/Alpha Mode, Atalanta/Alpha Mode, Alastor, Teferi and Pandora onto the group. During the chaos, Blue Maiden uses the treason discharge program, which she got from Kusanagi, on Watchman as payback for everything he's done. She isn't the only one to do this, as Playmaker also used his treason discharge program to trap Watchman while he, Blue Maiden and Numera escape from the server.

I will say this about Watchman: He's no pushover. I mean, he practically defeated Alastor and Atalanta/Alpha Mode using his skills as an Inquisitor despite all the injuries he went through so far. After dealing with the both of them, Watchman senses Jericho's presence, which takes him to a warehouse near the facility. There, Watchman is caught off guard by Urizen's voice before being attacked by Jericho. However, Watchman has a trick up his sleeve, which not only allows him to evade Jericho's ultimate attack, but also to bind the latter to the wall as well. After incapacitating Jericho, Watchman runs upstairs and encounters Urizen, where it's revealed that it's a data phantasm of him. There, Watchman uses the ultimate weapon of the Inquisitorius called the Baptism Rite both to eradicate Urizen's data phantasm AND destroy the monolith's function of creating them at the same time. For those of you who are wondering just what the Baptism Rite is, allow me to explain it. Being a form of exorcism, the Baptism Rite is focused on cleansing the soul of sin before returning it to where it came from, while the sin would be destroyed along with the flesh. However, there are two drawbacks. While it was the Inquisitor's ultimate weapon, it can be interrupted by an unexpected attacker if the Inquisitor performing the chant was caught off guard. What's more, using the Baptism Rite drained away a great portion of the Inquisitor's energy, which caused them to become tired as a result. Though they can still fight, Inquisitors had to be in top condition in order to fight efficiently and tactfully. Thus, their best option upon using the Baptism Rite was to retreat and regain their strength. Due to these drawbacks, only the strongest of the Inquisitors can use them.

Having managed to get out of his bindings, a wounded Jericho demands to know just how Watchman was able to survive the former's ultimate attack, as well as how the latter's alive after all of these years. Watchman doesn't necessarily reveal the answer, as he provides clues so Jericho can figure it out himself. It's revealed here that Watchman used the second test method of logging into the network prior to duel disks being used to log into LINK VRAINS. For those of you who are confused, allow me to explain: Before duel disks were used to log into LINK VRAINS, two other methods were tested. The first being data phantasms, where it involved creating an account and using VR technology for a person to enter into it as though they were in a video game. Think of it like how players were able to log into the Oasis in Ready Player One. The second was about full-body integration, where it involved having people fully enter into the network using a device after doing a full scan of their body. Unfortunately, due to numerous ethical and other concerns, that method was tested after a few tests. Thus, while risky, Watchman used the full-body integration method so he can destroy his real-world body and integrate himself into the network following the Lost Incident. Upon doing so, Watchman also gained a benefit to it, which was ailment immunity. That was how he was able to survive Jericho's ultimate attack in the end.

While Watchman's taking care of personal matters, Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera continue to escape from a corrupted Hercules/Alpha Mode. As for Pandora not appearing during the chase, it's because Zero managed to both intercept and restrain her to so the former doesn't get in anyone's way. But I digress. Thanks to the avatar enhancement programs, Blue Maiden and Playmaker were able to withstand Hercules/Alpha Mode's relentless attacks. Having taken refuge in a crater nearby, Playmaker laments that Raguel can no longer be saved. Blue Maiden's response to this? She slaps Playmaker and gives him a hard reality check, telling the latter that she won't give up on Raguel. Playmaker's so stunned with what just happened that he can't react to what Blue Maiden did to him. But after processing this information, he regains his faith on how there was still time to save Raguel. In order to stop Hercules/Alpha Mode, Numera provides Playmaker with a program that will enhance Decode Sword's strength with each attack, allowing it to grow stronger and stronger. Playmaker and Blue Maiden together then use the Decode Sword to slash through Hercules/Alpha Mode's twelve lives, the two of them joining forces to unleash the final attack to win the fight. It's not just Playmaker and Blue Maiden who played a role in Hercules/Alpha Mode's defeat, as Numera's appearance even helped the trio in winning. How? Her appearance made Hercules remember how he murdered his wife and children in madness, which made him realize what he nearly did upon being corrupted. After congratulating Playmaker, Blue Maiden and Numera for defeating him, Hercules/Alpha Mode turns into particles, wishing them luck on their mission to defeat Raguel.

Elsewhere in the server is the duel between Raguel and Watchman, the former hellbent on getting payback on the latter for all the hypocrisies and lies revealed during the war in Mirror LINK VRAINS. Not just that, but also for being one of the main ringleaders alongside Dr. Kogami during the Lost Incident. Here, Raguel used new cards in his duel against Watchman. Specifically, his Cyreath Pendulum monsters in Deimos and Phobos, the Spell card Cyreath Pendulum to acquire Cyreath Pendulum monsters, the Trap card Cyreath Vanquishment in negating effects and gaining life points, as well as his new Link 3 monster Cyreath Thanatos. For those of you who are curious, both Thanatos and Vanquishment were some other cards Raguel made using inspiration from Ace's 'Evil Eye' deck. Specifically, these two cards:

Cyreath Thanatos = Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed.

Cyreath Vanquishment = Evil Eye Defeat.

Despite being weakened, Watchman was able to nearly defeat Raguel in their duel. But in the end, Raguel wins using Scorching Cerberus. It doesn't end here, though, as Raguel proceeds to brutally torture Watchman by slashing him again and again. He uses Excalibur Morgan, along with the Cursed Boundary Layer to make Watchman suffer in pain. Not only does Raguel inflict massive damage to Watchman, he steals everything from the latter's duel disk. That includes the Spatial Cube, the 'Cubic' deck and so much more. Due to the attacks, Watchman is pushed to the brink of his pain, and just when Raguel's about to deliver the final blow, he's unfortunately forced to retreat upon sensing that Hercules/Alpha Mode had lost in battle. Since Hercules/Alpha Mode is one of Raguel's strongest monsters, Raguel felt so much pain that he was forced to retreat. Luckily for Watchman, Zero came onto the scene and rescued him before the duo logged out of the server. I will say this for Watchman: As a result of what he went through, there's a very high chance that he won't duel again. What's more, thanks to the Cursed Boundary Layer piercing Watchman's hands, it's safe to say that his fighting abilities will never be the same. But regardless, Watchman's been through so much pain that he won't be able to do anything right now. Whether he'll die or not will be determined later on.

Upon realizing that Raguel was forced to retreat, Pandora lets Blue Maiden, Playmaker and Numera escape, but not before telling the trio a clue onto what Raguel's plans will be next. She also gives them the location where he'll be enacting them as well. Why is Pandora doing this? It's because for the first time in her life, she is doubting whether Raguel's plans will truly bring her peace. All Cyberse monsters have some form of sentience, thus allowing them to think for themselves. So despite Pandora being created to serve Raguel, she's actually thinking for herself for the first time, and begins to doubt the success of Raguel's mission as a result. The words Roxy, Blue Maiden and Playmaker had said stepped themselves in Pandora's mind, which was ultimately what led her to let the trio escape. I bet you didn't see that coming, did you?

Next up is the scene revolving around Ai and Roboppy, where it's revealed that the two of them have helped Blue Maiden and Watchman by relentlessly hacking into Raguel's defense systems. That's the other reason why Blue Maiden and Watchman were able to infiltrate the Lost Incident facility. Due to the relentless onslaught in Raguel's defenses breaking, he had no choice but to take care of them, and any guards that were stationed to guard Playmaker and Numera were automatically eliminated by Watchman. After realizing what Raguel's plans were, Ai has no choice but to admit that he and Roboppy may have to enter into the battlefield themselves if they're to stop him for good. What role do you think Ai and Roboppy will play in stopping Raguel for good? You'll have to read on and find out.

And then we move onto the real world scenes, the first being Greg successfully rescuing Rachel in the real world thanks to Gil hacking into Yuhiro's defense systems. It's here where Rachel says that she won't run away, as if knowing that Greg will suggest such a thing. She wants to help free Yuhiro, and even vows to do it only from the sidelines. Greg, knowing how stubborn Rachel can be, ends up agreeing, knowing too that running away will only prolong the problem. As for the scene at Café Matsuo, it basically involves Yusaku waking up and the others seeing that he's okay. Does Yusaku know the fact that Aoi knows he's Playmaker? Not yet, though when the time comes, he'll be understanding. After all, you can't control everything.

As for the final scene, where Raguel returns to the old server that has the Tower of Hanoi in it, well, let's just say it'll set things up for the next two chapters.

So without further ado, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 98 of Obscured Truth. 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 about this chapter? The attack on Café Matsuo? Blue Maiden and Watchman rescuing Playmaker and Numera? The duel between Raguel and Watchman, along with the latter suffering a fate worse than death? The heartwarming scenes at the end? The cliffhanger? Urizen and Jericho appearing in this chapter? Or was it something else?

That's all for now, folks. I will tell you now: Expect at least seven duels to occur in Chapters 99 and 100, each one being split into two parts. One part in Chapter 99 and the other in Chapter 100. As for who's dueling, well, you'll just have to read the next chapter to find out. See you next time, everyone!