Announcement(s):
Hey guys! I welcome you to my newest attempt at a Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS fanfic - Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Road of Fate! As to why I'm doing this, well, let's just say that I got a big inspiration spike thanks to DivadX and his own VRAINS fanfic - Obscured Truth, so I give huge thanks to him not just for that, but giving me other means of help.
Now that's out of the way, let's give some details for this fanfic, shall we? This fanfic will follow the OC insert into VRAINs, Draco Sagittarius. He lives with his Mom Lissa Mason and works under a rival company of SOL Technologies known as the Ithavoll Group.
Lastly, I'd like to say the disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, nor do I own any of the cards. I only own the OCs and any cards that they use. Only reason this wouldn't be the case is if I specify. Now without further ado, let's get this chapter started!
Chapter 1: Ghidorah
"Don't let them escape!" A man riding atop a black and green mechanical dragon as 6 small beings.
"This doesn't bode well." The tall brown one mused.
"Dark! You must escape!" The reddish-orange one called out to the dark purple one.
"Wha?! And leave you guys here?!" The dark purple one shouted. "Never!"
"You have to!" The light blue one retorted. The dark purple one sighed.
"Well if I have to, then I'll do this!"
"He's sealing off Cyberse World!" The redette man growled. He gestured to his dragon, who then chased after the dark purple figure.
"Just gotta get out of here…!" The small dark purple figure mused. Just as he was about to, the giant dragon got in front of him and bit into him, destroying his entire body except for one eye. Despite now mentally panicking, the now yellow eyeball floated off within the network at, surprisingly, high speeds to escape the dragon and the man riding atop it. The man atop the dragon ordered said dragon to follow the dragon, but he wasn't able to. As for why? Well, he could no longer see the eyeball.
Meanwhile, 5 years later and at a house within Den City
"Draco! Time to wake up!" A blackette-haired boy that had his hair down a bit past his ears and close to his neck area woke up and stretched as he sat up. He blinked his green-hazel eyes a few times before fully getting out of bed.
"I'll be down in a bit Mom!" The boy, Draco, called down to his Mother. He groaned and stretched before getting out of bed and going over to his dresser and took out his school uniform and got dressed. Once he did, he then left his room and headed downstairs and entered the kitchen to his Mother cooking. Like her son, his Mother also had black hair. But unlike his, her black hair reached a bit past her shoulders. She wore casual clothing, like a t-shirt and shorts, which is odd given it wasn't exactly too hot. But Draco knew that his Mother is an odd one when it came to wearing the proper clothing for the lastly, she bore not hazel-green eyes, but a soft blue. She hummed softly to herself as she prepared breakfast for him. Once she finished, she placed a couple slices of toast, eggs, and bacon on a plate, to which Draco sat down at the kitchen table and happily began eating.
"Thanks Mom." Draco told her.
"You're welcome." She gave him a small smile, ruffling his hair, much to his own annoyance, albeit not seriously annoyed to snap at her. He could never.
"I'm glad you got into the habit of getting up and getting ready for school whenever I wake you up." She told him.
"Obviously I would." He replied after taking a bite of bacon. "It'd be foolish for me not to, given this is my last year of school at Den Academy. So naturally it makes sense for me to take my schoolwork and grades very seriously." He took a bite of egg on one of the slices of toast before continuing. "You didn't raise a slacker, after all." His Mom laughed lightly.
"Too true." She agreed. "I already got your lunch in the lunchbox and packed it in your backpack, so no need to worry."
"Mom, we've been over this." Draco sighed, finishing up his breakfast and helping her clean up. "I'm 18 now. Sure I'm still living under your roof, but I think I can make my own lunch to bring to school. I know how you are about me buying lunch from school every day."
"It's not healthy to eat school food every day, young man." His Mother agreed. "Alright. You can make your own lunch for school tomorrow, but I'm going to inspect it so I know that it's healthy. I'll know if it's not."
"Yes Mom." Draco couldn't help but snort in amusement at, to which he got his backpack off the rack. "Well, I'm going to school now. And yes, I brushed my teeth."
"Good." She smiled. "Now off you go. Oh, and do tell Katsumi I say hi!"
"I'll be sure to do that." Draco gave his Mother a thumbs-up as he left the medium-sized house. The older woman watched her son go with a small smile before looking at a letter she still left on the counter, but made it so only she could see it. Her smile turned into a frown when she read who it was addressed to for probably the 1,000th time, maybe more. It bore her name, "Lissa Mason" on the front of the envelope and nothing else.
Meanwhile, in a secret server hidden within the VRAINS network
2 people stood within one of the primary rooms of said server possessed. Specifically, a room showing duel footage via several monitors. Not only that, but doing a quiet vast scan and search of the entire network for something.
"It's been 5 years since that day." The first noted aloud. "And yet, nothing."
"They, or it if it's a singular one, are being quite elusive." The second one agreed. "Still, all the more reason to keep looking, right Master Revolver?" The first figure, bearing spiked red hair with an orange hue within it on the edges, bore glowing yellow eyes encased in what appeared to be a glass mask over his face, along with 4 white circles around the edges of the glass mask to keep it in place. For the rest of his clothing, he wore a white jumpsuit and white gloves. The white jumpsuit had green pieces extending a bit out of his shoulders. The first figure, Revolver, turned to the second and nodded.
"That's right, Spectre." Revolver addressed the second man by name. Unlike Revolver, Spectre was even more simple in terms of appearance. He had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and white jumpsuit. "Even if it takes us more time, I will not stop until the Ignis are dealt with permanently."
"True." Spectre nodded, then waved his hand and 2 of the monitors floated to be in front of them. "But it seems these 2, Playmaker and Ghidorah, have been causing us issues." Revolver looked over the duel footage of the 2, or at least as much they'd have access to of the 2.
"Playmaker I can understand." Revolver noted. "But Ghidorah…" He trailed off.
"Master Revolver?" Spectre asked out of curiosity. "What are you thinking?"
"Ghidorah has no reason to be in this conflict." Revolver answered. "And yet, he is. I'd like to know why." He paused, then added. "Regardless of his reasons, and until I find out those reasons, I want to keep monitoring him and Playmaker closely."
"Of course Master Revolver." Spectre grinned with a nod.
Meanwhile, in the Den City Academy Cafeteria
"Ugh. Honestly, Shima just needs to learn when people aren't interested." Draco groaned, eating his lunch in the cafeteria, sitting next to his childhood friend and best friend. A girl with midback length platinum blonde hair that she sometimes wears up in a ponytail or wears a headband and bears grey eyes while also wearing the usual Den City Academy uniform.
"You know that he can't help it, Draco." She replied. "He is quite the passionate person."
"I know Katsumi." Draco answered, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Just as long as he doesn't try to force anyone into anything they don't want to do, then it should be fine." He then shook his head. "Oh who am I kidding? Of course he'd do that. Especially considering what he tried to do in class earlier."
"I know Draco." Katsumi sighed. "But despite his loudness, as I said earlier, he is a passionate person and loves the game of Duel Monsters."
"He says that, yet hasn't dueled at all since the time he asked us." Draco countered. "Which I need to remind you was roughly 4 years ago." Katsumi didn't provide an answer right away, given she was still eating a part of her lunch. Once she finished chewing and swallowing, she aimed to reply. Just as she was about to reply back to Draco's remark, someone approached there cafeteria table.
"Umm…Araragi-san?" The duo looked up to see a short brunette with orange eyes, as well as wearing the female student Den City Academy uniform.
"Ah, hello Aoi." Katsumi greeted the other girl with a smile. "You're free to sit with us if you can't find a spot." She turned to look at Draco. "What do you think Draco?"
"Mm?" Draco hummed, looking up from his lunch to Aoi, then nodded. "Ah, sure." Aoi gave a tiny smile, then sat down across from the 2.
"Thanks." She remarked.
"It's no problem." Draco waved it off, albeit not meaning to be rude with it.
"Did you need something?" Katsumi asked Aoi curiously.
"I do, yes." Aoi replied. "It's about the homework assignment given to us from the last class."
"Let me guess, math?" Draco asked curiously, to which Aoi nodded.
"Yes." She confirmed, taking out the most recent math homework. "I'd prefer to get this done, or at least partially done, before I go home."
"Alright, then let's see." Katsumi gestured to the math problems on the papers in front of Aoi. The 2 continued to chat with Aoi while they aided her on math homework.
A couple more hours went by and the school day came to an end. The 3 chatted as they left school, albeit it was more or less small talk than anything else, given that Aoi didn't seem to want to talk much.
"Well, that was certainly an eventful day." Draco remarked sarcastically, to which Katsumi lightly punched him. "What? It's true."
"Be nice." She told him. "I know school is dull and boring at times, but think positively here. This is our last year at this academy. After that we have to find jobs and maintain a living for ourselves."
I already have a job. Draco thought. Though Katsumi doesn't need to know that yet.
"Sagittarius-san, Araragi-san, I'll be heading home." Aoi spoke up, getting the duo to turn to face her. "My house isn't too far from here. Plus you 2 do need to get home as well." Katsumi gave Aoi a light smile.
"Well, alright Aoi." She told her. "If you need help with anything, feel free to let us know." Aoi gave a small smile.
"I will." She nodded. She gave the 2 a tiny wave, then ran off. After she did, the 2 turned back to face one another.
"So, how has your Mom been?" Katsumi asked her childhood friend as the 2 continued to walk down the street and back to their respective homes.
"Hmm? Oh. She's doing alright." Draco answered.
"That's good to hear." Katsumi replied with a smile. "Well, see you at school tomorrow?"
"What? Not going to ask about us hanging out?" Draco asked back in a teasing manner, which got a chuckle out of his friend.
"Haha, sadly no." Katsumi admitted. "Besides schoolwork, I have to do some things around the house as well." She gave a smile. "But I'll let you know when I'm free or when a slot for us to hang out opens up."
"Sounds good to me." Draco told her with a light smile on his face. He gave her a friendly hug, then gave her a thumbs up as he continued to walk down the street. It didn't take him that long to get back home and get inside, to which he hung his backpack up on the hook in the kitchen as he took his sneakers off.
Before I go and start up on the homework, I'll see if there's any chores or anything else Mom needs to get done, or help getting done, that is.
"Draco? Is that you?" He heard his Mom, Lissa, call his name from upstairs. Draco looked up and went over to the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah Mom?" He called up to her.
"The company you're working for as a mercenary, or rather your contractor through the company, has sent us an alert about Knight of Hanoi activity in the VRAINS network central area." Draco tched in irritation, but not at the mission itself. Rather, it was aimed at the Knights of Hanoi getting in the way of what was supposed to be a fun virtual reality for everyone. Hell, even he found himself having fun within VRAINS from time to time. Whenever he wasn't on a mission for his contractor and the company he was contracted into, of course. He got up the stairs and entered the office-like room, where he saw his Mom sitting at the computer that bore at least 3 monitors, arguably more, given there were a few extra computer equipment. Like a few mouses and keyboards, to name a couple.
"Wow. I forgot how much equipment we have up here." He noted, standing over his Mom's shoulder as footage within VRAINS showed a couple Knights of Hanoi making a mess of things. "So, those are the targets?" He added.
"One of them is, yes." Lissa confirmed.
"One?" Draco repeated. "Why not both?"
"The Ithavoll Group believes that someone else will come in and take care of the other." Lissa answered. "I personally don't know who else could be fighting the Hanoi, but that can be saved for another time."
"I believe the other person that's fighting them is a mysterious duelist that goes by the name of Playmaker." Draco recalled. He still believed Naoki Shima to be an idiot and a loudmouth, but this particular loudmouth had its uses.
"Oh?" Lissa wondered aloud before shaking her head. "Well either way, we can deal with that later. For right now, it's best if you go in there."
"Right." Draco nodded, going over to the closet and opening it up to reveal a pod of sorts. He opened the door and stepped inside before closing the door behind him.
"Deck set! Into the VRAINS!" Draco declared. As soon as he said that, he got encased by a golden-yellow sphere. His Den City Academy uniform now changed to a black jumpsuit, his black hair now changing to blue, and his hazel green eyes turned to crimson red ones. There are 3 belts on this bodysuit. One for his Deck box (He uses an older modeled duel disk that he has modernized and tweaked ever since first getting it.), and one for clear cards that are his many programs. While the 3rd belt contains his couple data weapons for VRAINS use. Once all logged into Link VRAINS, which stood for Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System, or VRAINS for short. He landed on a virtual building and overlooked the area.
"Hmm…" Ghidorah mused. "I don't see any-" He stopped himself, pulling out binoculars from one of his belts on his jumpsuit and spotted 2 Knight of Hanoi grunts, well as a multicolor-haired young man, most notably yellow, red and pink, wearing a dark green jumpsuit with emerald green eyes. And in front of said young man was a Knight of Hanoi grunt, to which the 2 then began to duel while on D-Boards on what appeared to be a stream. But not just any stream, but a Data Stream.
"Ah, so that must be Playmaker." Ghidorah noted. "Well, best make sure that Mom can see." He got out a drone and sent it after Playmaker, albeit to a recording setting so he could watch from a safe distance and not alert Playmaker.
"I appreciate being able to see Playmaker's duel," He heard the voice of his Mom via his earpiece. "but perhaps you should go and deal with the Knight of Hanoi grunt that's trying to make it a double team on Playmaker?"
"That was the idea Mom." Ghidorah agreed, jumping down towards the Data Stream, to which a D-Board materialized on the Data Stream just before he reached it. With it, he aims to go after the 2nd Knight of Hanoi grunt.
"Oh yeah!" The second Knight of Hanoi grunt grinned under his mask. "Just a bit more, and me and my partner will be able to gang up on Playmaker to gain the AI program he has in his duel disk!" Just before he could get any closer to aid his partner, a red duel anchor latched onto his wrist, thus prompting him to stop and turn around. "What gives?!"
"I do." The Knight of Hanoi took in the appearance of who dared to intervene with his mission. At first his face behind the mask remained neutral. But after another minute or so, his voice changed to surprise. "You're…!"
"Ghidorah." Ghidorah responded. "I would tell you more, but I think you can see why most people don't get on my bad side much. Also, you can't leave until we duel."
"Ghidorah? Wait a second! You're the same guy who's also been hunting us down lately! Just like with Playmaker!" The Knight of Hanoi recalled. "Whatever! I'll deal with you, then go and help my partner!" Ghidorah on the other hand merely shrugged.
"Gotta duel and beat me if you want to accomplish that." Ghidorah responded nonchalantly.
"Tch… Fine!" The Knight growled, preparing himself. Ghidorah looked around, realizing that they were still riding the Data Stream.
As much as I'd like to duel this guy in a Speed Duel, it'll give me unwanted attention. Ghidorah thought. In that case… With a tug on the duel anchor from his end, he leapt off his D-Board, which dematerialized. And also, he forced the Knight of Hanoi grunt off of his own D-Board so the 2 fell towards ground level.
"There." Ghidorah noted. "Now it's just us."
"You think this'll help you in the long run?" The Knight sneered. "Well it won't! Speed Duel or Master Duel, it doesn't matter! I'll defeat you all the same!"
"Such confidence." Ghidorah mused before smirking. "But can you back it up with your cards? Words don't mean anything if you can't back them up with actions."
"So you want to play that way, huh punk?" The Knight grit his teeth behind his mask. "Fine! I accept your challenge!"
There we go. Ghidorah thought.
"Duel!"
Ghidorah: 4000 LP
Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP
"I'll take the first turn, punk!" The Knight waved his right hand to materialize his 5 card starting hand. Upon looking at it, he smirked under the mask.
Perfect! I'll defeat this fool quickly, then help my partner finish our mission for Master Revolver! He thought, touching a card from his hand.
"I'll start with this!" The Knight started. "I activate the effect of Hack Centipede from my hand! By Tributing it, I can Special Summon up to 2 more copies of this same card from my hand, Deck, and/or GY!" With that, 2 cards ejected out of the Knight's Deck, to which he grabbed and placed them on his duel disk. Upon doing so, 2 dark green and black mechanical centipedes with their 100 legs appeared in front of the Knight of Hanoi.
Hack Centipede, attribute: DARK, type: Machine, Level 3, ATK/DEF: 1000/800.
A Level 7 or above monster is coming. Ghidorah thought.
"Now for the grand entrance of one of Hanoi's mightiest weapons!" The Knight grinned. "I Tribute both of my Hack Centipedes in order to Summon this! Come forth, Level 8! Cracking Dragon!" Emerging onto the Knight of Hanoi's field was a large black and dark green colored mechanical dragon. It roared upon seeing who its owner's opponent was. Ghidorah on the other hand merely stared the mechanical dragon down, unintimidated by its roar and its appearance.
Cracking Dragon, attribute: DARK, type: Machine, Level 8, ATK/DEF: 3000/0.
And there it is. Cracking Dragon. Ghidorah thought before smirking. Too bad it'll be practically a non-issue for me.
"And since I Tributed Hack Centipede to Tribute Summon my beloved Cracking Dragon, I also get to add 1 Spell/Trap from my Deck that mentions it!" The Knight grinned as a card ejected out of his duel disk, which he added to his hand. After which, he touched 2 cards from his hand and set them. "I'll end my turn with 2 facedowns! Now go and try to get past my Cracking Dragon!"
Ghidorah hand: 5 cards
Knight of Hanoi hand: 3 cards
"My turn, draw!" Ghidorah drew for his turn. He looked over his hand and smiled.
This'll work. He thought, grabbing a card from his hand.
"I'll start with something simple." Ghidorah started. "Like this. I activate the Normal Spell card, Call of Destruction!" The card's art depicted Gandora the Dragon of Destruction rallying up its brethren to stand and fight, several of the dark and red scaled dragons seemed to be roaring in approval of the call to arms. "With this card, I can add up to 3 cards from my Deck, GY, and/or banished zone to my hand, so long as they're of different card types. For this, I'll be grabbing 2." At his call, 2 cards ejected out of his Deck, which he added to his hand. He then grabbed 2 cards from his hand and discarded 1.
"By discarding Descendant of Gandora from my hand, I can Special Summon Gandora Alternative Dragon of Destruction from my hand!" Ghidorah continued. Now appearing on his field appeared to be the original Gandora the Dragon of Destruction. Of course, this would not be the case, given the scales coloring on said dragon was shaded slightly differently, a bit more darker, if you would.
Gandora Alternative Dragon of Destruction, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 8, ATK/DEF: 0.
"Ha!" The Knight of Hanoi laughed. "Since you Summoned exactly 1 monster, my Cracking Dragon will not only reduce its ATK by its Level x200, but then you'll take that same amount as damage! Crack Fall!" Cracking Dragon opened its mouth and charged up a stream of energy, to which Ghidorah couldn't help but smirk at.
"Are you sure about that?" He asked a tad smugly.
"What?" The Knight questioned, only to widen his eyes behind his mask. "Oh no! It doesn't have any ATK for me to reduce because there are no banished cards! That means…!"
"It means I take no damage." Ghidorah concluded as Cracking Dragon fired its beam at Ghidorah's Level 8 Gandora monster, only for it to claw the beam in half before it shattered. The Knight of Hanoi grit his teeth behind his mask in frustration.
"Even so, you'll eventually suffer my Cracking Dragon's wrath!" The Knight of Hanoi vowed. Ghidorah merely shrugged at the Knight's words.
"Perhaps." Ghidorah admitted. "Since I control a Gandora monster, I can Special Summon Gandora Girl from my hand, GY or banished zone." A dragonic looking woman with pink hair, wearing black and red dress appeared onto the field next to Gandora Alternative Dragon of Destruction.
Gandora Girl, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 6, ATK/DEF: 2000.
"Finally!" The Knight grinend. "Since you Summoned her, she loses ATK equal to her Level x200, then you'll take that same amount as damage!" Cracking Dragon opened its mouth again, then fired another energy beam. This time it hits its mark. Not just on Gandora Girl, but also on Ghdorah, who winced as his avatar fizzled blue from the damage.
Gandora Girl's ATK: 2000 - 1200 = 800.
Ghidorah's LP: 4000 - 1200 = 2800.
"Hahahaha!" The Knight laughed triumphantly. "Just a bit of that, then I'll be victorious!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Ghidorah retorted, grabbing another card from his hand. "I activate the Continuous Spell, Embodiment of the Dragon of Destruction from my hand." The card's art depicted Gandora and those who followed him being enveloped in an aura of pure power. "Once per turn, I can reveal 1 Gandora card in my hand to you, then I can activate 1 of the 3 following effects. I shall reveal the original Gandora the Dragon of Destruction in my hand to activate effect 1. I draw 2 cards, then discard or banish 1." He draws the top 2 cards of his Deck, then banishes 1 of the cards in his hand.
What's he planning now? The Knight thought.
"Effect of Gandora Girl grants her 500 ATK/DEF for each Dragon monster in the GYs and/or banished zones with a different name." Ghidorah explained. "I count 2, so she gains 1000 ATK/DEF!"
Gandora Girl's ATK/DEF: 1200/2000 + 1000 = 2200/3000.
"So what?" The Knight couldn't help but sneer. "It's nowhere near strong enough to get past my Cracking Dragon! But just in case you had any funny ideas, I'll activate one of my two Set cards! I activate the Trap, Pulse Mines!" Upon activation, the Trap let out several small EMP bombs that flew over to Ghidorah's monster and exploded, leaving the field electrified. As such, both of Ghidorah's Dragon monsters were forced into the Defense Position. "Now your current monsters are switched to Defense Position! Furthermore, any other monsters you Summon this turn are also switched to Defense Position since I control a Machine monster!"
How annoying. Ghidorah thought irritably. Oh well. Guess that means I'll have to start using my Link monsters if I want to avoid Pulse Mines's effect so I can start dealing him some well deserved damage. But first…
"Since I banished this card, I can Special Summon it." Ghidorah continued, pulling a card out of his avatar's pocket, to which he placed it on his duel disk. "Come on out, Gandora the Dragon of Banishment!" A black scaled dragon with several red ray bursts spots appeared onto the field next to Gandora Girl. It flapped its wings as it landed on the field, roaring at the Knight of Hanoi grunt.
Gandora the Dragon of Banishment, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 8, ATK/DEF: 0.
"This monster, like the original, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for each banished card." Ghidorah explained. "There's 1 banished right now, so he gains 300 ATK/DEF."
"Even so, it'll lose all of its ATK and you'll take that as damage!" The Knight retorted.
"Oh no, 300 damage. Whatever will I do?" Ghidorah rolled his eyes as his avatar fizzled blue again upon taking damage.
Ghidorah's LP: 2800 - 300 = 2500.
"Hey, damage is still damage." The Knight retorted.
"Oh I know." Ghidorah admitted. "But don't worry, that'll be changing soon."
"What?" The Knight questioned. "None of those weaklings can attack! And even if they could attack, they couldn't get through my Cracking Dragon!"
"Which is why they aren't staying for long." Ghidorah replied, raising his right arm up. "Appear, the circuit of destruction!" The dark blue circuit appeared above Ghidorah's field. "Arrowheads confirmed! The Summoning Condition is 1 DARK Dragon monster! I set Gandora Alternative Dragon of Destruction into the Link Markers! Link Summon! Appear, Link -1! Gandora, Dragon of Ruination!" Out of the circuit appeared a brown and red scaled dragon bearing red eyes as it looked down at the field before it. Sitting on top of it was none other than Gandora Girl, or a monster just like her.
Gandora, Dragon of Ruination, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon/Link, Link Rating: 1, Link Arrow(s): ⬇️. ATK: 0.
"Tch…!" The Knight growled. "Damn Link monsters…! They're not only immune to Cracking Dragon's effect because they have no Levels, but also the effects of any cards that would switch the battle positions of monsters on the field since they can't be put into Defense Position…!"
"That's correct!" Ghidorah grinned. "Which now leads into the effect of Dragon of Ruination! Since I Link Summoned it, I can Special Summon 1 Gandora monster from my hand, Deck, GY, or banished zone, ignoring its Summoning Conditions!" A card ejected out of his Deck, which he grabbed and slapped onto his duel disk. "So I'll Special Summon this! Gandora Whelp!" A smaller version of Gandora the Dragon of Destruction appeared onto Ghidorah's field.
Gandora Whelp, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 4, ATK/DEF: 0.
"This monster gains 100 ATK/DEF for each card in our GYs and banished zones." Ghidorah explained. "We each have 3 cards in our GYs, meaning it gains 600 ATK/DEF!"
Gandora Whelp's ATK/DEF: 0 + 600 = 600.
"And then it'll immediately lose it all thanks to Cracking Dragon's effect!" The Knight sneered. "Crack Fall!" Like before, Cracking Dragon fired a beam of energy from its mouth, blasting both Gandora's Whelp and Ghidorah, who grunted in response.
Ghidorah's LP: 2500 - 600 = 1900.
"Hahaha!" The Knight laughed. "You've already lost more than half your LP and I still have all of mine! Give up!"
"Not a chance!" Ghidorah retorted firmly. "Not only does Gandora Whelp let me Normal Summon an additional time this turn, but I can also Tribute Summon my monsters for 1 less Tribute!" He smiled. "But that's not why I Summoned it!"
"No?" The Knight questioned. "Then why-?" Then it dawned on him. "Oh no…! You're going to…!"
"Link Summon again? But of course!" Ghidorah grinned, raising his right arm upwards. "Appear for the second time, the circuit of destruction!" The circuit does so. "Arrowheads confirmed! The Summoning Condition is 2 DARK monsters. I set Gandora Whelp and Gandora the Dragon of Banishment into the Link Markers. Link Summon! Appear, Link -2! Gandora the Vritra of Extermination!" Out of the circuit flew down a medium sized dragon with dark and silver scales, silver wings, and red eyes flew down to be right under Gandora, Dragon of Ruination's Link Marker.
Gandora the Vritra of Extermination, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon/Link, Link Rating: 2, Link Arrow(s): ⬆️➡️. ATK: 1800.
"Gandora the Vritra of Extermination's effect!" Ghidorah announced. "Since I Special Summoned it, I can discard 1 card to activate 1 of its 2 following effects! I'll discard 1 card to activate its first effect! So say goodbye to your last Set card!" The Knight tched as his last Set card shattered.
"Damn you…!"
"And because it was co-linked when I activated that effect, I can add up to 2 cards that list Gandora in their card text from my Deck, GY, and/or banished zone to my hand." Ghidorah continued, ignoring the Knight's frustration. "For this, I'll pick Deck." Like before, 2 cards ejected out of his Deck, which he added to his hand. He looked them over, then smiled. "This is great." He then raised his right arm upwards again. "Now appear for a third time, the circuit of destruction!"
"A-Again?!" The Knight of Hanoi gaped. It does so once again.
"That's right again!" Ghidorah grinned. "Arrowheads confirmed! The Summoning Condition is 2 or more DARK monsters, including at least 1 Gandora monster! I set Gandora, Dragon of Ruination and Gandora the Vritra of Extermination into the Link Markers! Descend, Link -3!, Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication!" Flying out of the circuit was a, well, black and red scaled Lindwurm with dark black and red wings, black and red scales covering its body, with several ray bursts on its wings. And lastly, it had dichromatic eyes of red and black.
Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon/Link, Link Rating: 3, Link Arrow(s): ↙️⬇️↘️. ATK: 2600.
"Since I Link Summoned this card, my LP becomes 4000." Ghidorah explained. His avatar glowed green as his LP was restored.
Ghidorah's LP: 1900 + 2100 = 4000.
"So what?" The Knight questioned, albeit a bit surprised by the fact that Ghidorah restored his LP back to full with practically little issue despite taking 2100 points of effect damage thanks to Cracking Dragon's effect. "It's still not strong enough to beat Cracking Dragon!"
"Are you sure about that?" Ghidorah asked, a smile on his face.
"What?" Ghidorah grabbed a card from his hand and revealed it to the Knight of Hanoi.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Banishment Territory!" The card depicted several holes leading to other dimensions, and the Gandora monsters were blasting its destructive rays into their opponents; thus blasting them into these holes, a couple of said holes were closing as a result. "With this card, I can, once during each of our turns, banish up to 2 Gandora monsters from my hand, field, Deck, and/or GY, then all monsters on my field gain ATK/DEF equal to their total Level/Rank/Linking Rating x200 until the end of the turn!"
"What?!"
"I choose to banish 2 from my Deck!" At his call, 2 cards ejected out of Ghidorah's Deck, which he pocketed. "Now all you need to know is their names and Levels."
"So then what did you banish?!" The Knight demanded.
"I banished the original Gandora the Dragon of Destruction, and Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition from my Deck." Ghidorah answered coolly. "Therefore, all monsters I control gain 3200 ATK/DEF until the end of the turn!"
Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication's ATK: 2600 + 3200 = 5800.
Gandora Girl's ATK/DEF: 4800/6000 + 3200 = 8000/9200.
Good thing I played Pulse Mines when I did. Otherwise I'd lose this turn. The Knight thought. Ghidorah then thrusted his right hand forward.
"Battle! Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication, attack Cracking Dragon!" He declared. "Eradication Force!" The Lindwurm of Eradication did just that, charging up its destructive power before firing it at the mechanical dragon. Just as the beam of destructive energy was about to hit however…
"Ha! I activate the GY of Hack Barrier in my GY!" The Knight grinned. "By banishing it from my GY, I can apply its first effect, which states this: DARK Machine monsters or "Cracking Dragon"(s) you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn; also, halve all damage you take this turn. So in other words, you can't get rid of my Dragon!"
"Maybe not, but you're still taking damage." Ghidorah admitted. The attack connects and the Knight grunts.
Knight of Hanoi LP: 4000 - 1400 = 2600.
"Oh, there is one thing I forgot to mention involving Gandora Whelp." Ghidorah spoke. "See, if he ever goes to the GY or is banished, Gandora monsters I control can attack twice during each Battle Phase this turn!"
"Wh-What?!"
"So I'll do exactly that!" Ghidorah grinned. "So Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication, attack Cracking Dragon again! Eradication Force!" His dragon obeyed and fired again, causing his opponent to stumble backwards from the shockwave from the damage.
Knight of Hanoi LP: 2600 - 1400 = 1200.
Afterwards, Ghidorah grabbed 1 card from his hand and Sets it.
"I Set 1 card and end my turn." Ghidorah concluded. "With that, Banishment Territory and Cracking Dragon's effect ends and my monsters ATK/DEF returns to normal.
Ghidorah hand: 4 cards
Knight of Hanoi hand: 3 cards
Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication's ATK: 5800 - 3200 = 2600.
Gandora Girl's ATK/DEF: 8000/9200 - 3200 + 1200 = 6000.
"Hmph! My turn, draw!" The Knight growled as he drew for his turn. He looked at his hand and grinned. "Hahaha! I got you now punk!"
"Hoh?" Ghidorah wondered aloud. "Do you now?"
"Yes." The Knight's grin widened. "Observe! I activate the Equip Spell, Cracking Turret!" The card's depicted Cracking Dragon wearing 2 massive turrets on its back, which just so happened to be the case here as said turrets appeared and latched themselves to Cracking Dragon. "Now not only does my Cracking Dragon gain more power, but now whenever he destroys one of your little monsters, or inflicts damage to you, I can destroy 1 Spell/Trap on the field!" Ghidorah hid his smirk, knowing fully well that the Knight was about to defeat himself. Of course, he himself knew that he'd be taking heavy damage no matter what.
"And just to make sure that I finish you off, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal!" The Knight's grin widened behind his mask. "Now all Machine monsters I control have their ATK doubled, but they're destroyed at the End Phase! Not like that'll matter here! Battle! Cracking Dragon, attack Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication! Cracking Fire!" Using the turrets his owner graciously gave him, the dark and green mechanical dragon fired upon the chosen target. Just as the attack was about to hit and wipe all of Ghidorah's LP out…
"I activate Banishment Territory's effect again!" Ghidorah revealed. "I'll banish 2 more Gandora monsters from my Deck! This time I choose to banish Gandora the Magical Dragon and Supreme Diablo Gandora! With this, all my monsters gain an extra 3600 ATK/DEF until this turn's End Phase!"
Cracking Dragon's ATK: 3000 + 1600 (x2) = 9200.
Gandora Girl's ATK/DEF: 6000 + 1000 + 3600 = 10,600.
Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication's ATK: 2600 + 3600 = 6200.
"Yeah, but you still take damage!" The Knight told his black jumpsuited, blue haired, and crimson red-eyed opponent. Ghidorah grunted in pain as his Link -3 monster cried out in pain before shattering; thus pushing back several feet.
Ghidorah's LP: 4000 - 3000 = 1000.
"Now since I dealt you damage, Cracking Turret destroys your Set card!" The Set card then shattered, making the Knight laugh and gave him a massive confidence boost. "Just a bit more, then I'll-" The Knight bragged, only to stop cold upon hearing Ghidorah laughing, albeit not maniacal laughter. "Wh-What's so funny?!"
"Hahahaha!" Ghidorah laughed. "Oh nothing too serious. Just the fact that you played yourself!"
"What do you mean?!" The Knight demanded. "Our LP is practically even! On my next turn, you're-!"
"You're not getting another turn!" Ghidorah interrupted. "You were so focused on powering up on your monster and trying to defeat me in one fell swoop that you forgot that some Set cards have deadly effects whenever they get destroyed! Secret Blast is a prime example of that! But that's not the card you destroyed!" He paused, then continued. "Have you ever wondered why people have come to nickname me the God of Destruction within Link VRAINS?" The Knight merely shook his head.
"Nope! And frankly, I nor Master Revolver care!" The Knight of Hanoi retorted.
"I see…" Ghidorah mused. "Well, that's too bad. Because the Set card you destroyed is one of the reasons I even got the nickname in the first place! I activate the effect of the destroyed Trap card that rests in my GY thanks to you, Destructive Anger!" A phantom version of the Trap appeared from a GY portal that opened up in the middle of the showing Gandora the Dragon of Destruction and its red spots on its body emitting destructive energy rays. As such, the phantom form of the card began to flash like a bomb.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!" The Knight gasped.
"If this card is destroyed, even while Set, my opponent takes damage equal to the monster with the highest ATK on the field." He pointed his right index finger at the Knight of Hanoi. "In this case, it'd be your monster! So…take 9200 points of damage!" The Knight of Hanoi frantically tried to find a way out of this effect. But it was sadly to no avail.
"Nonononono!" The Knight cried out before Destructive Anger's phantom form exploded in bright red and black light; thus blasting the Knight of Hanoi flying backwards and through the air before disappearing.
Knight of Hanoi LP: 1200 - 9200 = 0.
WINNER: Ghidorah.
Ghidorah watched him go before putting his right hand's index and middle fingers to his earpiece.
"It's finished Mom." He spoke.
"That's good Draco." Lissa told him. "Now please log out. Your contractor wants to talk to you via a call."
"I'll be right there." Ghidorah answered. "Did you get to see all of Playmaker's duel?"
"I did, yes." Lissa replied. "We can look it over after you finish the call with your contractor."
"Of course." Ghidorah told her, then ended the communication. He looked up and around the area, then he logged out.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Sagittarius Residence
After Ghidorah logged out and left the unit that allows him to log into the Link VRAINS that's in the closet of his and Mom's office within their house, he immediately went to his Mom's side, where saw on the screen a black, or rather brown, skinned man wearing shades, a top hat, a black jacket with a black shirt under the black jacket, as well as black pants. He even wore some bling on his right hand's fingers.
"Heh heh heh. There's the Ithavoll Group's favorite mercenary." The man on the screen greeted Draco.
"Rodin." Draco nodded. "I see you're being as flashy as ever."
"Given the times we're in, can you blame me?" The man, Rodin, grinned.
"Heh, I suppose not." Draco admitted.
"Now, to business." Rodin began, his joking tone soon shifting to a more serious one.
"Right." Draco nodded. "So, am I still hunting the Knights of Hanoi?"
"Right you are." Rodin took out a virtual cigar from his jacket's pocket and lit it with a purple flame from his right hand's index finger and blew smoke out of his mouth afterwards. "As long as the Knights of Hanoi remain within VRAINS, things will only get more dangerous. And I have a feeling that they will." He chuckled. "As such, the Ithavoll Group wants them dealt with. And who better to take on such an important mission than the mercenary I hired for them? That'd be you, kid."
"Right." Draco nodded.
"Oh, and I already sent your pay for this most recent mission to your bank account in advance." Rodin told the Gandora Duelist.
"In advance?" Lissa raised an eyebrow. "Why's that Rodin?" At Lissa's question, the contractor merely laughed heartily.
"Well, let's just say that I and the Ithavoll Group have high confidence in your son's abilities." Rodin replied. "Of course, should he ever fail a mission, not that I believe he will, but there is a safety measure in case he does."
"And that is?" Lissa asked.
"Should your son fail a mission I give him, the pay in advance will be sent back to its source." Rodin answered. "That seems fair, does it not?"
"It does." Draco remarked, clenching his right hand into a fist. "As such, I have no intention to fail. And you're right. As long as the Knights of Hanoi continue with their nefarious acts, VRAINS will not be safe for anyone."
"Heh heh, I like your spirit kid." Rodin chuckled, pointing his cigar at him. "As such, do the job and do it right, you hear?"
"I do." Draco gave a smile.
"Good." Rodin nodded before ending the call.
Card Gallery:
Draco Sagittarius/Ghidorah (OC Cards):
Descendant of Gandora, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 4, ATK/DEF: 0. Effect: You can banish 1 "Gandora the Dragon of Destruction" from your hand or GY; Special Summon this card from your hand. This card gains 100 ATK/DEF for each card in the GYs and banished zone(s). During the End Phase, if this card was Normal or Special Summoned this turn: Send this card to the GY. During either players turn, if this card is in your GY or banished: You can pay half your LP: Special Summon this card. You can only use each effect of "Descendant of Gandora" once per turn.
Gandora Alternative Dragon of Destruction, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 8, ATK/DEF: 0. Effect: (This card's name is always treated as "Gandora the Dragon of Destruction".)
You can discard 1 "Gandora" monster to Special Summon this card from your hand, GY, or banished zone. This card gains 300 ATK/DEF for each banished card. Up to thrice per turn (Quick Effect): You can pay 1000 LP; banish 1 card on the field or in any players hand. (If from the opponent's hand, the card is chosen at random.) If this card is sent to the GY or banished: You can add up to 2 "Gandora" monsters from your GY and/or among your banished cards to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Gandora Alternative Dragon of Destruction" once per turn.
Gandora Girl, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 6, ATK/DEF: 2000. Effect: If you control a "Gandora" monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, GY, or banished zone. You can only Special Summon "Gandora Girl" once per turn this way. If you have a Level 8 "Gandora" monster in your GY or banished zone, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. If this card is Summoned; you can apply 1 of the following effects.
Destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls.
Destroy all face-up Spell/Traps your opponent controls.
Gains 500 ATK/DEF for each Dragon monster with a different name that is in the GYs and/or banished. Once per turn: You can declare a Level between 1-8, and if you do, any number of monsters you control become the declared Level until the end of the turn.
Gandora the Magical Dragon, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 8, ATK/DEF: 0. Effect: (This card's name is always treated as "Gandora the Dragon of Destruction".)
Rest of the effect is N/A.
Supreme Diablo Gandora, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 10, ATK/DEF: 1000. Effect: (This card's name is always treated as "Gandora the Dragon of Destruction".)
Rest of the effect is N/A.
Gandora the Dragon of Banishment, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 8, ATK/DEF: 0. Effect: (This card's name is always treated as "Gandora the Dragon of Destruction".)
If both players have 2 or more banished cards: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or GY). Gains 300 ATK/DEF for each banished card. Once per turn: You can target any number of monsters you control; banish any number of cards from the top of your Deck and/or GY, and if you do, increase and/or decrease the Level of the targeted monster(s) by the number of cards you banished via this effect. If this card is banished: You can Special Summon this card. You can only use each effect of "Gandora the Dragon of Banishment" once per turn.
Gandora Whelp, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon, Level 4, ATK/DEF: 0. Effect: During the turn this card is Summoned: You can Normal Summon 1 "Gandora" monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect up to twice per turn.) You can Tribute Summon "Gandora" monsters with 1 less Tribute. This card gains 100 ATK/DEF for each card in the GYs and banished zone(s). Once per turn: You can declare a Level between 1-8, and if you do, any number of monsters you control become the declared Level until the end of the turn. If this card is sent to the GY and/or banished: "Gandora" monsters you control can attack twice during each Battle Phase this turn. You can only use this effect of "Gandora Whelp" once per turn.
Banishment Territory, type: Continuous Spell. Effect: (This card is always treated as a "Gandora" card.)
You can only control 1 "Banishment Territory". This card can be unaffected by the activated effects of "Gandora" cards. Once per turn, during either players turn: You can banish up to 2 "Gandora" monsters from your hand, field, Deck and/or GY, and if you do, all "Gandora" monsters you control gain ATK/DEF equal to the total combined Level/Rank/Link Rating of the banished monsters x200. These changes last until the end of the turn. Cards in your GY and banished zone are unaffected by the opponent's card effects.
Call of Destruction, type: Normal Spell. Effect: (This card is always treated as a "Gandora" card.)
Add up to 3 "Gandora" cards from your Deck, GY, and/or banished zone to your hand. (1 Monster. 1 Spell. 1 Trap.) If this card is in your GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon "Gandora" monsters from your hand, Deck, GY, and/or banished zone, ignoring Summoning Conditions. up to the difference of cards you and your opponent control -5. (If the difference makes it to where you cannot Special Summon any "Gandora" monster(s): You can Special Summon up to 2 instead, ignoring their Summoning Conditions.) You can only use each effect of "Call of Destruction" once per turn.
Embodiment of the Dragon of Destruction, type: Continuous Spell. Effect: (This card is always treated as a "Gandora" card.)
You can only control 1 "Embodiment of the Dragon of Destruction". This card can be unaffected by the activated effects of "Gandora" cards. Once per turn: You can reveal 1 "Gandora" card in your hand, then you can activate 1 of these effects:
Draw 2 cards, then discard or banish 1 card from your hand.
Add up to 2 DARK Dragon monsters with different names from your Deck and/or GY to your hand. If you control no monsters when you activate this effect, you can Special Summon 1 of the added monsters.
"Gandora" monsters you control can attack twice during each Battle Phase this turn.
During the End Phase; The effects of "Gandora" monster(s) that involve them leaving your field can be negated.
Destructive Anger, type: Normal Trap. Effect: (This card is always treated as a "Gandora" card.)
If the opponent's monster declares an attack: You can destroy the attacking monster along with all other Attack Position monster(s) on the field, and if you do, inflict damage to both players equal to the monster with the highest ATK among the destroyed monster(s) (your choice if tied), and if you do that, inflict damage to your opponent for every other destroyed monster x200. If this card is destroyed (Even while Set): You can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the monster with the highest ATK on the field. You can only use each effect "Destructive Anger" once per turn.
Gandora, Dragon of Ruination, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon/Link, Link Rating: 1, Link Arrow(s): B. ATK: 0. Effect: 1 DARK Dragon monster
If this card is Link Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Gandora" monster from your hand, Deck, GY, or banished zone, ignoring its Summoning Conditions. If this card is sent to the GY for the Summon of a DARK Dragon Link monster: You can inflict damage to your opponent equal to that Link Summoned monster's Link Rating x200, then you can destroy and banish cards on the field for every 400 points of damage your opponent took. You can only use this effect of "Gandora, Dragon of Ruination" once per turn.
Gandora the Vritra of Extermination, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon/Link, Link Rating: 2, Link Arrow(s): T/R. ATK: 1800. Effect: 2 DARK monsters
If this card is Special Summoned: You can discard 1 card, then you activate 1 of the following effects:
Target up to 2 Spell/Traps your opponent controls; destroy them, then, if this card was co-linked when this effect was activated, you can add up to 2 cards that list "Gandora" in their card text from your Deck, GY, and/or banished zone to your hand.
Special Summon 1 "Gandora" monster from your Deck, GY, and/or banished zone, ignoring its Summoning Conditions. You can only use this effect of "Gandora the Vritra of Extermination" once per turn.
Co-linked monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.
Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication, attribute: DARK, type: Dragon/Link, Link Rating: 3, Link Arrow(s): BL/B/BR. ATK: 2600. Effect: 2+ DARK monsters, including at least 1 "Gandora" monster
Cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is Link Summoned: You can make your LP become 4000. While this Link Summoned card is on the field, apply the following effects.
You can activate "Gandora" monster effects without paying LP.
"Gandora" cards you control are unaffected by the effects of "Gandora" monsters.
If this card, or another "Gandora" monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle: Half the opponent's LP.
If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can destroy and banish either all face-up monsters or all face-up Spell/Traps on the field; also, halve both players LP. You can only use this effect of "Gandora the Lindwurm of Eradication" once per turn.
Knight of Hanoi (OC Cards):
Hack Centipede, attribute: DARK, type: Machine, Level 3, ATK/DEF: 1000/800. Effect: (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card from your hand or field; Special Summon up to 2 more copies of "Hack Centipede" from your hand, Deck, and/or GY. If this card is Tributed for the Tribute Summon of a Level 5 or higher DARK Machine monster: You can add 1 Spell/Trap that mentions "Cracking Dragon" in its card text from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Hack Centipede" once per turn.
Cracking Turret, type: Equip Spell. Effect: Equip only to "Cracking Dragon". It gains ATK equal to its Level x200. If the equipped monster either destroys an opponent's monster by battle or inflicts battle damage to your opponent: You can destroy 1 Set Spell/Trap on the field. If the equipped monster would be destroyed: You can destroy this card instead.
Hack Barrier, type: Normal Trap. Effect: DARK Machine monsters or "Cracking Dragon"(s) you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn; also, halve all damage you take this turn. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card to apply the above effect.
QOTC: What old school cards, or even old school archetypes for that matter, would you like to see this fanfic going forward?
Chapter Preview: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Road of Fate, Chapter 2: Go Onizuka and the Mistress of the Labrynth. After his duel against the Knight of Hanoi, along with watching the replay of Playmaker's duel against a different Knight of Hanoi, a new one shows up with VRAINS. Suspicious of who it could be, he aims to investigate to find out. However, Katsumi offers to take this new and mysterious Knight of Hanoi on.
Author's Notes:
And with that, the first chapter is finished. The OC in this fic uses a Deck, while comprised of mostly OC cards made by me, it is, arguably, considered being made to support a very old school card. That said card being Gandora the Dragon of Destruction. Which I do enjoy doing. Making custom cards to support either a very old school Deck, or to give custom support cards to the archetypes that, I feel, need it. As for cards that are real as well as being used in the anime, I will be doing a bit of a mix with them. As for why I say that, it solely depends on which effect is stronger. Say for example, Number C107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon. If I were to have some character, canon or OC, use this card at any given point, I'd be using the anime effect. But if it's something like, oh I don't know, Number 92 or its Chaos form for example, I'd most likely use the TCG/OCG effect because there's not much of a difference between the 2 versions. Plus I think the TCG/OCG versions of those particular cards are slightly stronger than their anime counterparts, but I could be wrong on that. Either way, I figured I'd share that as a means to compare.