Starting Notes:

Welcome back! I'm sure that everyone's looking forward to certain shenanigans… but well, those will come in time. :D This chapter is going to go ridiculously fast—if only because the entire invasion is so intertwined that to be honest, I have no clue how to cut it. :) In the end, I just picked a stopping point that felt somewhat natural. If this chapter feels very OC and legacy-character focused, that's an unintentional effect of the stopping point—the next chapter is almost entirely canon characters, so that'll make up for it, if you're upset. :) And also, a very unintentional effect of the very specific point where I cut it is that there are basically no proper long duels in this chapter… whoops? Haha, it's a very character-focused chapter. That's also why there are no duel summaries—honestly, I'm just saving my energy for next chapter. You'll understand why by the end of the chapter.


Chapter 53: Chaos in the City

"You were right. We're being invaded."

When Carly had come to him and told him about how she had seen Security all mobilising and getting ready despite nothing big seeming to happen, Jack had predicted that it was some kind of invasion that he had not been informed of. They had been heading over to look, and Carly had been showing him what she had managed to dig up. Apparently, when the Lancers had entered their world, there had been strange energy readings. At the same time, apparently, over the last few days, without fail, every hour—

That reading had shown up again, on a smaller scale. A small spike, barely visible.

Meaning that while Roget might not have assumed it—it would look like a normal fluctuation up and down—

There had been people coming into this dimension every hour, slowly, in order to avoid being obvious.

In other words, invaders were already here.

Those shadows in the sky…

And now, Jack was in front of three people.

He looked at them—and he looked down on them.

"Looks like some arrogant guy's come up to try his luck," one of the strange soldiers sniggered. "Shall we start then? You can be the first one that we take down!"

aren't you all the arrogant ones?

"Come, Carly," Jack said imperially. "I will defeat them, and we will inform the people of the threat that they pose."

"I'll duel alongside you then!"

… well, Jack had just been about to sweep all three of his opponents away by himself, since they didn't seem like much, but if she was so enthusiastic, he would of course accept her help.

It was rare that they got the chance to duel side by side, anyway.

[DUEL!]

Jack Atlas: 4000LP

Carly Nagisa: 4000LP

Obelisk Force Red: 4000LP

Obelisk Force Green: 4000LP

Obelisk Force Yellow: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Carly] [H:5]

The first turn was randomly assigned to Carly, who picked up a card from her deck. "I will activate the Continuous Spell, Fortune Vision. With its effect, I will add a "Fortune Lady" card from my deck to my hand! I will activate the Field Spell, Future Visions! I will Normal Summon Fortune Lady Light." The woman with golden yellow hair appeared.

[Fortune Lady Light (1*/?/?/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"When a monster is Normal Summoned, Future Visions banishes it until my next Standby Phase," Carly explained. Fortune Lady Light vanished from the field. "When Fortune Lady Light leaves the field by a card effect, I can Special Summon a "Fortune Lady" monster from my deck. Come—Fortune Lady Earth!" The brown-haired woman appeared in front of her, shielding her.

[Fortune Lady Earth (6*/?/?/EARTH/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"I'll then activate the Spell Card, Fortune Lady Calling. I'll Special Summon Fortune Lady Water from the deck!" A blue-haired woman appeared, swinging her sinister-looking staff through the air. She was resting in Defense Position.

[Fortune Lady Water (4*/?/?/WATER/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"Since Fortune Lady Water was Special Summoned while I control another "Fortune Lady" monster, I can draw two cards." Carly picked up the two cards. "I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." That left her with two cards left in her hand. "Fortune Lady Water's attack and defense points are equal to her Level times 300, while Fortune Lady Earth's attack and defense points are equal to her Level times 400."

[Fortune Lady Water: ? 300 x 4 = 1200ATK/DEF]

[Fortune Lady Earth: ?400 x 6 = 2400ATK/DEF]

[Turn 2: Obelisk Force Red] [H:5]

"So, we can't Normal Summon, huh?" The first soldier sneered. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! I will fuse the two Antique Gear Hound Dogs in my hand! Mechanical soldiers inheriting ancient souls. Now, form an allegiance and join, and be reborn together as a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Mechanical demon god! Antique Gear Devil!" A large, dragon-like monster appeared on the field in Attack Position, made entirely from gears. Rusted red metal formed its large limbs, and its stained grey metal wings clanked against each other.

[Antique Gear Devil (8*/1000/1800/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Antique Gear… Devil?" Jack repeated.

"Antique Gear Devil is one of the new monsters that have been given to all of us, after the failure of the Standard invasion," the soldier explained. "The Professor thought that we all needed more power. And none of us are complaining! Antique Gear Devil's effect! I will inflict 1000 damage to my opponent! I'll choose you!" He pointed to Jack, and the strange beast let out a loud roar, gears surrounded by dark energy batting against Jack. Jack didn't even flinch.

Jack: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP

"And then Antique Gear Devil attacks you directly!"

"Huh? You're attacking him before he even takes a turn?" Carly exclaimed.

"It's alright," Jack replied nonchalantly as the strange monster charged towards him. "When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can Special Summon Red Feather from my hand." A large fiery red bird appeared in front of him, folding its wings around itself in Defense Position.

[Red Feather (3*/1400/1000/FIRE/Fiend/Effect)]

"And Red Feather can't be destroyed by battle until my next End Phase," Jack said.

The attack clashed with the bird, but it was not destroyed.

"… tsk." The soldier ended his turn, and the next one immediately drew a card.

[Turn 3: Obelisk Force Green] [H:5]

"Draw! I'll activate the Spell Card, Antique Gear Double Imitate! I can Special Summon two "Antique Gear" monsters from any player's graveyard, but their effects are negated! I'll Special Summon both copies of Antique Gear Hound Dog!" The two rusty green dogs appeared on the second soldier's field.

[Antique Gear Hound Dog (3*/1000/1000/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

"I will activate the Spell Card, Polymerization, to fuse both copies of Hound Dog on the field with a copy of Hound Dog in my hand!" The three cards shot up. "Mechanical hounds who carry on the ancient spirits, flock together and become one with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" The three-headed dog appeared on the field, roaring loudly, its red eyes glaring at them.

[Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog (7*/1800/1000/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Then, Spell Card, Fusion Recovery! I will add Polymerization and Antique Gear Hound Dog from my graveyard to my hand!" The second soldier placed down the card again. "Spell Card, Polymerization! I will fuse Antique Gear Hound Dog in my hand with Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog on the field! True leader of the mechanical hounds, emerge and howl out your demands for order! Fusion Summon! Lunge forth! Level 9! Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog!"

A large hydra-like dog appeared, its three large heads hovering over a large maw that was stretching open, directly in the spot that would usually be its chest. It was made of red-tinged metal. Spikes could be seen emerging from it, along with long pieces of scrap metal. Each of its mouths was howling, even the one on its chest, and they were stretching around in different directions, as though the monstrous dog was trying to tear itself apart.

[Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog (9*/2800/2000/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"When Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog is Fusion Summoned, I can halve your life points! I'll choose her!" He pointed to Carly, who winced, her life points falling.

Carly: 4000 / 2 = 2000LP

"And Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog can attack thrice per turn! You can't activate Spells or Traps until the end of the Damage Step when Ultimate Hound Dog attacks! Battle Phase!"

"Quickplay Spell, Time Passage!" Carly activated it at the end of the Main Phase, which meant that she could probably get away with it. "I will increase Fortune Lady Earth's Level by 3! And therefore, her attack and defense points increase too!"

[Fortune Lady Earth: 6* + 3* = 9*; 2400 + 400 x 3 = 3600ATK]

"And when Fortune Lady Earth's Level increases, you take 400 damage!" Carly declared. She pointed to the one behind Antique Gear Devil, and a blast of brown energy shot towards the first soldier.

Obelisk Force Red: 4000 - 400 = 3600LP

"And that means that your three attacks are essentially neutralised—even if you could attack three times, Jack's Red Feather can't be destroyed by battle, and your attack points can't defeat Fortune Lady Earth! You can only attack Fortune Lady Water!"

"Then I will!" Incensed, the soldier gestured forward. "Attack Fortune Lady Water!"

Fortune Lady Water was destroyed, but since she was in Defense Position, Carly took no damage.

"I'll end my turn." Fortune Lady Earth's attack points reverted back to normal.

[Turn 4: Obelisk Force Yellow] [H:5]

The third soldier revealed a card in his hand. "I will activate the Spell Card, Mystical Space Typhoon! I'll destroy your Field Spell, and thus, your monster will not return to the field. Then, Field Spell, Geartown!" He called. "And I will activate the Spell Card, Antique Gear Catapult! Since I control no monsters, I can destroy a face-up card I control to Special Summon a "Antique Gear" monster from my deck, ignoring its summoning conditions! I will destroy Geartown!"

The Field Spell exploded.

"So come from the deck now! Antique Gear Golem!"

A tall monster appeared—as tall as any of the buildings in the Commons' slums. It was thin and rusty red.

[Antique Gear Golem (8*/3000/3000/EARTH/Machine/Effect)]

"And Geartown lets me Special Summon a "Antique Gear" monster from my hand, deck or graveyard! Come from the deck, Antique Gear Hound Dog!" The copper green dog appeared in front of him. "Since my opponent controls a monster, I can inflict 600 damage to them! Hound Flare!"

The effect was targeted at Jack this time.

Jack: 3000 - 600 = 2400LP

"And Hound Dog's effect lets me perform a Fusion Summon using it and other materials from my hand and field!" The third soldier continued. "I will fuse Antique Gear Hound Dog on the field and Antique Gear Box in my hand! Mechanical soldiers inheriting ancient souls. Now, form an allegiance and join, and be reborn together as a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Mechanical demon god! Antique Gear Devil!" Another copy of the monster appeared on the field.

[Antique Gear Devil (8*/1000/1800/EARTH/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"With its effect, I will inflict 1000 damage to you!" Jack did not flinch as another blast came his way.

Jack: 2400 - 1000 = 1400LP

"Antique Gear Golem can inflict piercing damage, so your monster won't be able to protect you! It's over! Battle Phase! I—"

"Quickplay Spell, activate!" Carly responded—once again, before the Main Phase ended. "Unacceptable Result! Since I control a Spellcaster monster, I can Special Summon a "Fortune Fairy" monster from my hand! Come—Fortune Fairy Swee!" A blue-haired fairy appeared on the field in front of her, balancing on a pink pearl.

[Fortune Fairy Swee (4*/0/0/WATER/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"And when Fortune Fairy Swee is Special Summoned from the hand, I can target another face-up monster on the field and banish it until my next Standby Phase! I will target and banish Antique Gear Golem!" Immediately, she removed the rusted golem from the field, preventing it from threatening either of them. "And so, you won't be dealing any more damage to Jack or I this turn!"

Jack looked at her for a moment. For a moment, the look in her eyes…

The thing was, Carly did not burn with the same fervour for dueling that he did. Nor did he expect her to—she was a competent woman with her own interests and career outside of him. Her interest was entirely in finding out the truth about things. In understanding and seeing more of the world.

This was a woman that would never flinch in the face of anything. She would search and search for answers no matter how terrible they were. She would learn about the existence of other worlds and seek to learn more. No matter how much danger it put her in, she would never choose to stand in the background—she would be at the forefront of the battle, searching for answers on her own.

(In another world, perhaps that might have killed her.)

At the same time, it was that courage to search for answers that had drawn him to her in the first place. He had fallen for her long before he had become the King of the whole city, after all.

And that was how he knew that she was strong.

Not that Jack couldn't have defended himself. But he would never look down on her willing help.

"Antique Gear Devil attacks your Fortune Fairy Swee!"

The monster was destroyed. It was in Defense Position again, and thus, Carly took no damage.

"I'll end my turn…"

[Turn 5: Jack] [H:5]

"Draw," Jack said. "Normal Summoning Soul Resonator!" A strange demon with a large grin appeared, a crimson cape behind him, with a bunch of red feathers on both sides of its head. It had two long white horns on its head. It was holding onto a tuning fork in one hand and a strange staff topped with a fiery orange orb in the other hand.

[Soul Resonator (3*/500/200/FIRE/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"When Soul Resonator is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a Level 4 or lower Fiend monster from my deck to my hand, but I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except DARK Synchro Monsters." Jack raised a hand. "I'll tune the Level 3 Soul Resonator to the Level 3 Red Feather! Flames that burst out of purgatory, set the world alight with your blazing nobility! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Red Rising Dragon!" A bright, blazing red dragon appeared in front of him, raising up its two claws.

[Red Rising Dragon (6*/2100/1600/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

"When Red Rising Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Resonator" monster from my graveyard, but I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck this turn, except DARK Dragon Synchro Monsters." Soul Resonator reappeared on the field. "Since I control a Fiend Tuner with 1500 or less attack points, I can Special Summon Wandering King Wildwind from my hand."

[Wandering King Wildwind (4*/1700/1300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"However, I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck this turn, except Synchro Monsters," Jack added. "Then, I will Special Summon Vision Resonator from my hand, since there is a Level 5 or higher DARK monster on the field." Another one of the strange fiends appeared, dressed in a purple cloak with the symbol of an eye on the middle of its body. It was a monster that remarkably resembled Carly's Fortune Lady monsters—a monster that symbolised the bond between the two of them.

[Vision Resonator (2*/400/400/DARK/Fiend/Tuner/Effect)]

"I will tune the Level 2 Vision Resonator to the Level 6 Red Rising Dragon! The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might. Let the power of the one and only supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon! The savage soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack's powerful ace appeared on the field in front of him, roaring with the force of his very soul. It stood tall and proud in his Extra Monster Zone.

[Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (8*/3000/2500/DARK/Dragon/Synchro/Effect)]

He tilted his head towards Carly very slightly, and Carly nodded. Good.

Then it was time to give his opponents a taste of their own medicine.

"Since Vision Resonator was sent to the graveyard, I can add a card that mentions "Red Dragon Archfiend" from my deck to my hand. Then, I will banish Red Feather from the graveyard to Special Summon a "Red" or "Resonator" monster from my graveyard. Return to the field, Vision Resonator." He lifted another card. "Spell Card, Red Dragon Vase. Since I control "Red Dragon Archfiend", I can draw two cards. And now, I will use the effect of Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. I will destroy all monsters on the field with lower attack points than it, and my opponents take 500 damage for each! That will be both copies of Antique Gear Devil, your Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog, Fortune Lady Earth, Wandering King Wildwind, Vision Resonator and Soul Resonator!"

"Antique Gear Devil is unaffected by other card effects!"

"But the rest of the monsters are still destroyed! Absolute Powerflame!" He glanced towards Carly.

This was a combo that the two of them had thought of once—when he had given her that card.

"I can discard Red Lady from my hand, and I take no effect damage this turn!" A woman dressed in a sleek dark red cloak appeared, surrounded by dark hellfire, a mask covering the top half of her face.

However, their opponents still took the effect damage, as the five other monsters were destroyed.

Obelisk Force Red: 3600 - 500 x 5 = 1100LP

Obelisk Force Green: 4000 - 500 x 5 = 1500LP

Obelisk Force Yellow: 4000 - 500 x 5 = 1500LP

"Battle Phase!"

"At the start of the Battle Phase, I can banish Red Lady from my graveyard," Carly called. "I can target a Level 7 or higher Synchro Monster on the field and depending on its Level, grant it additional attacks! Since Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend is Level 8, it can declare three attacks this Battle Phase!"

"What?" One of the soldiers took a step back.

"Which means that none of you are getting out of this unscathed," Jack said, raising his head and staring at them. "Attack both copies of Antique Gear Devil, and attack the third one directly! Scorching Crimson Hell Burning!"

Dark red flames shot forward, enveloping all of their foes.

Obelisk Force Red: 1100 - 2000 = 0LP

Obelisk Force Green: 1500 - 3000 = 0LP

Obelisk Force Yellow: 1500 - 2000 = 0LP

Winner: Jack Atlas & Carly Nagisa!

The three soldiers crashed back into the wall—and they were teleported away seconds later.

Jack Atlas raised his head, and he breathed in slowly.

There it was.

That feeling of victory. However, it felt sour.

The only victory that would feel good would be winning against a worthy foe.

Even so…

"Good job, Carly," he said.

Carly smiled. "I'm just glad that it worked out as planned."

"Of course. It's you, and it's me. Was there any other outcome?" Jack shrugged. "I never doubted you."

That's why I put all my faith into that move. That card that represents our bond.

"Still though, while I do want to see you duel and win on your own like I know you can…" Jack reached out a hand. "Stay by my side, Carly. It's getting dangerous. I…" For a moment, his pride got in the way, but he managed to swallow it down. "I do not want you to get hurt."

"That's fine then." Carly smiled, as sweet as ever. "The safest place is next to you."

Jack nodded. Then, he focused on the situation properly.

… well, he would be the first to admit that he had never been tactical, which was perhaps one of the most difficult parts of being a king. He did not plan, he did not strategise, he simply fought and proved his strength. In a situation like this, he would never be able to come up with a plan to keep his people safe.

But that was fine.

He was not made a king because he was a strategist—

He was made a king because he inspired others.

So he would just have to find the ones behind this, and defeat them—

(And besides, it helped that there were many others who would likely fight too.)


"Go, Raikiri! Wipe them all out!" A dark gale swept through the air, destroying several Double Bite Hound Dogs. "Attack directly!" Raikiri, Nothung and Chidori all charged forward, getting rid of the last of the opponents' life points. "How are you doing on your front, Shinji?"

Shinji turned to look at Crow. "I'm doing fine!"

Together with some of the others, they had escaped the Underground—and once they had seen the chaos that was consuming the world above, they had immediately started fighting against the invaders.

(They knew basically nothing about what was going on, other than what little Yuto, Yuya, Sawatari and Kyorin had told them. However, they didn't need to know any of that to fight.)

(They were already used to fighting.)

They were handling their enemies… well? The Tops and Commons in the stands of the stadium were stuck, and because it was such an packed space, it was difficult to tell what was going on. The other Friendship Cup participants that had escaped with them were also fighting their enemies nearby.

"Ancient Fairy Dreamwave Dragon!"

"Power Tool Soundwave Dragon!" Working together, Rua and Ruka struck down another three soldiers, their two dragons roaring from next to them. They high-fived, before immediately moving onto the next opponents. Even though they were in a dangerous position, they seemed far more confident by each other's sides than anywhere else.

"Damn, those twins…" Shinji shook his head, a small smile making its way on his face despite their current situation. "They're far too talented." He glanced behind him. "Everyone's fighting…"

Nearby, Naoya's Scrap Dragon rose up above him, and Misty's Reptilianne Hydra crushed three monsters at once.

"Izayoi and Kiryu went to duel those outside of the stadium, right?"

"Yeah. Tony and Damon went towards the Commons to check on the kids."

They were interrupted by a loud shout from above them. "All of the Commons should go down and duel too!" It was a man from among the Tops. He had a suitcase with him—he was clearly a businessman. "What are you waiting for? They can't be that difficult to defeat if those people are doing it!"

Crow swung his head around, ready to shout—

"What are we, your slaves?"

—but Shinji spoke up before him.

"What is that shitty-ass reasoning?" Shinji continued. "Your daughter there, next to you—if she dies, are you going to blame the others here for not fighting when you're not willing to fight yourself?"

"Are you threatening my daughter?" The egotistical man shouted back, clearly not understanding what Shinji was actually saying. Around him, some of the Tops were glancing at each other.

"I'm saying that if you all want to hold yourselves above us, then bloody well do something to earn it!" Shinji shouted. "I don't care if you're a part of the Tops or Commons! If you have a duel disk, then it's your choice on whether you want to fight or not! If you're better than us, then prove it!" He turned back to his opponents.

"Well—we're with you!" Rua called from nearby, with that childish idealism that warmed Crow's heart. From next to him, Ruka raised a fist in the air shyly, showing her own determination.

Yes. Rua and Ruka were proof that things could change in this rotten city.

Shinji had already called out. Crow knew his friend well—that was Shinji's heart baring itself to the world. It wasn't just mindless rage.

What someone like Shinji wanted more than anything wasn't just to be able to shout with rage.

It was to hear someone answer back.

It was to have someone hear his feelings and reply with their own.

For a brief moment, Crow hoped too. He hoped that there would be an answer.

And his hopes were not dashed.

One by one, people from both sides of the audience stood up. Some Commons stood up, of course—ready to fight despite their lack of resources. But there were some Tops that stood up too and came down, determination in their eyes. They were all young men and women—people of their generation, or perhaps even younger.

Crow turned back to the duel that he was in, but he couldn't stop grinning.

Yes, the city was in a crisis. But to be fair—it had always been.

But somehow, in the middle of this destruction, they had found a chance for change.


"... these are soldiers?" Kiryu said sceptically. The three in front of him teleported away. "Barely a warm-up." He glanced over at Aki. "How are you holding up, Aki?"

"Decently," Aki said, and the pale-haired man scoffed.

"With your skill? Decently means that you're distracted. Is the fact that we couldn't find Sherry weighing down on you that much?"

"She was supposed to be in the second round," Aki said after a moment. "We know nothing about how that round turned out after you and I lost—I'm worried about her."

"Sherry's stronger than all of these jokes combined," Kiryu said bluntly. "You worry too much, Aki. We'll find her eventually."

"... I hope so." Aki's eyes took on a steely glint. "And besides, from what I was told, these soldiers came from the place that kidnapped Rin. That's not something that I can ever forgive."


"Report. What's the situation looking like now?"

"The greatest area of resistance is the stadium where they were holding that tournament of theirs! The people there seem to have mobilised to fight us and protect those who can't duel."

"... understood," Ryo said. "From our experiences in the Xyz and Ritual Dimensions, allowing them the chance to gather together means that they'll be far stronger, not just in terms of morale but in terms of tactics. Dispatch more Obelisk Force there. If that does not work, and they have a duelist with the stamina to continue on even after so long…" He turned his head towards Kisara. "I'll have to ask for your assistance, Tsutsuji-san."

"Me and not you?" The blue-eyed woman said cautiously. "I assumed that I would be the one heading over to collect his data."

"I don't believe that Roget has shown all his cards," Ryo said bluntly. "If he has anything hidden, it will be at the place where he's currently holed himself up. I plan to wait for an opportunity and to eliminate Roget myself. I will, of course, collect all the data for you."

"... appreciated. I'll take that order then." Kisara folded her arms. "... is there a reason that you dispatched everyone else before telling me this?" After all, Ryo had taken special care to send out Dennis, Manjoume and Shino before telling her this.

Ryo looked at her, before he sighed as he stood up. "Between you and I," he said, "I believe that Dennis is emotionally compromised." It was a cold statement, but he was sure that the white-haired woman would appreciate the frankness. "Not enough to betray Academia, but surely you've noticed that he's not as unflappable as he was before. Something about infiltrating the Lancers has changed him. I'd prefer not to take any chances that he'll learn our plans and go to the Lancers, like Sora Shiun'in."

"... and Sora Shiun'in is her cousin, which is why you doubt her," Kisara said, addressing the elephant in the room. "Can I offer some advice, Kaiser?"

Ryo frowned, somewhat confused.

"I was engaged once," Kisara said. Ryo's eyes widened—it was the first time that he had heard anything personal about the usually closed-off woman. "It was a man that I'd known since we were both children—the two of us met, fell in love, and it felt meant to be. As though we'd met in a past life. That's why I can't help but empathise with that girl. It must be hard for her to feel the way that she does for you, when her heart is also reaching out to care for so many others."

"With… Shino?"

"I know a thing or two about men that are far too noble and self-centred, believing that they know what's best for the world," Kisara mused. "They act for the world, and so, sometimes, they forget to look at the people next to them. They're too much. My fiance was so noble that he never stopped fighting for what he thought was right. He fought so much that he died, and he left his poor younger brother to carry the burden of his family name, and he left me to put together the parts of my life that shattered without him in it."

She looked him in the eyes again.

"That's why I'd like to say one thing to you, Ryo Marufuji. You are noble. You are the strongest. You are a good leader. You inspire the people around you. To be honest, sometimes, I see a younger version of my fiance in you. But the one thing that Seto would never compromise was his loved ones. He would have fought tooth and nail to protect them while still striving for his ideals. He was a man with many faults, but even so… he was still a very good man."

Those cold blue eyes softened for a brief moment.

"It's all good to be noble and focused on the bigger picture. But don't let it be too late to tell the people you love that you love them. War can take away people from you in the most sudden ways. Someday, you might turn your head and find that someone who has been supporting you the entire time is no longer there to help you up when you fall. Take it from someone who has already lost it all. If that happens to you someday… will being Academia's most valued soldier really be worth it all?"

She turned around and walked off. Ryo watched her, words caught in his throat.

For a moment, he thought about another person, someone that had already left his life to pursue his own view of right and wrong. Someone who had vanished without ever explaining why.

Sho…


After delegating everyone else to their own positions, Ryo also left to look around. The city was rather large, so it was unrealistic for him to run into a lot of enemies immediately.

In the end, the first two people that he bumped into were a man with purple hair and a dark-haired man. When the two of them saw him, they came to a stop.

"That uniform… you're a member of the invaders, aren't you?" The purple-haired man accused.

"I am," Ryo said simply. "Is that a challenge?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then." Ryo still sounded perfectly calm. "I will duel both of you at once. Come."

And as always, through dueling, he would get rid of those distracting thoughts.

[DUEL!]

Ryo Marufuji: 4000LP

Tony Simmons: 4000LP

Damon Lopez: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Tony] [H:5]

"I'll start! I'll Normal Summon Tatsunecro!" A ghastly white seahorse with tattered green membranes supporting its limbs appeared.

[Tatsunecro (3*/500/1700/DARK/Zombie/Tuner/Effect)]

"With Tatsunecro's effect, since it was Normal Summoned, I can perform a Synchro Summon with it and a monster in my hand, but both monsters are banished! I will tune the Level 3 Tatsunecro to the Level 4 Paladin of the Cursed Dragon in my hand! The ruby eyes glance out from the darkness as undead fury surrounds it! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon!" The dark dragon submerged in blue flames appeared.

[Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon (7*/2400/2000/DARK/Zombie/Synchro/Effect)]

"And I'll activate the Field Spell, Zombie World. All monsters on the field and in the graveyard are treated as Zombie monsters! And Zombie Necro Dragon gains 100 attack and defense points for each Zombie monster on the field and in the graveyard."

[Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon: 2400 + 100 = 2500ATK; 2000 + 100 = 2100DEF]

"I'll end my turn!"

[Turn 2: Damon] [H:5]

"My turn! I will activate the Spell Card, Foolish Burial! I will send a monster from my deck to the graveyard! Then, I will Normal Summon Alien Ammonite!" A twisted strange blue creature appeared on his field.

[Alien Ammonite (1*/500/200/LIGHT/Reptile/Tuner/Effect)]

"When Alien Ammonite is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Alien" monster from my graveyard, but it is destroyed during the End Phase! Come back, Alien Hunter!" A strange aquatic humanoid with bright blue scales appeared.

[Alien Hunter (4*/1600/800/WATER/Reptile/Effect)]

"I will tune the Level 1 Alien Ammonite to the Level 4 Alien Hunter! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar!" A large, bulbous… well, alien appeared, its body resembling a gigantic ship. There were gaping holes that stretched across its body, a cosmic horror.

[Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar (5*/2600/1800/LIGHT/Reptile/Synchro/Effect)]

"Then, I'll end my turn!"

a Synchro Summon each. Do they think that I'm that easy to stop?

oh well.

[Turn 3: Ryo] [H:5]

"Activating the Spell Card, Cyber Emergency," Ryo said calmly. "I will add a "Cyber Dragon" monster, or a LIGHT Machine monster that cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, from my deck to my hand." He revealed a card. "Since my opponent controls a monster and I do not, I can Special Summon Cyber Dragon from my hand. Come, the foundation of my dueling!" A sleek white mechanical dragon appeared in front of him.

[Cyber Dragon (5*/2100/1600/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)]

"Spell Card, Evolution Burst. I will destroy a card you control, since I control "Cyber Dragon". However, Cyber Dragon cannot attack on the turn that I use this card." He gestured to Zombie World, which exploded—it was the main problem, anyway. "I will then Normal Summon Cyber Dragon Core." A thin serpent creature made of metal spheres appeared, a red light shining in the middle of its body.

[Cyber Dragon Core (2*/400/1500/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)]

"When Cyber Dragon Core is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a "Cyber" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand." Ryo placed down another card. "I will activate the Spell Card, Machine Duplication. I can target a Machine monster with 500 or less attack points and Special Summon up to two copies of monsters with the same name from my deck." Ryo held out two cards from his deck. "Cyber Dragon Core's name is treated as "Cyber Dragon" on the field and in the graveyard. Come—Cyber Dragon!" Two more copies of Cyber Dragon appeared in front of him. "Spell Card, Power Bond. I will perform a Fusion Summon of a Machine monster using monsters on the field and in my hand. I will fuse two copies of Cyber Dragon on the field." The two monsters turned into streaks of light that swirled around in front of him. "With majestic firepower, strike down kingdom after kingdom in a beautiful melee! Fusion Summon! Cyber Twin Dragon!"

A large, twin-headed mechanical dragon appeared in front of him, letting out a ferocious roar.

[Cyber Twin Dragon (8*/2800/2100/LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Power Bond grants Cyber Twin Dragon attack points equal to its original attack points," Ryo explained.

[Cyber Twin Dragon: 2800 + 2800 = 5600ATK]

"5600 attack points?" Tony exclaimed.

"I will then open the circuit of cybernetic honour! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two Machine monsters, including "Cyber Dragon". I will set Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon Core in the Link Markers. Now, powerful mechanical dragon, present us with the power to push every advancement forward! Let your genius design empower us to reach higher for victory! Circuit Combine! Link Summon!"

A large, silvery dragon emerged out of the silver octagon above Ryo, blue veins running through the monster as it let out a loud roar. It was resting in the Extra Monster Zone now.

"Link 2! Cyber Dragon Sieger!"

[Cyber Dragon Sieger (L2/2100/LIGHT/Machine/Link/Effect/↓, ←)]

The Link Monster was a pretty natural addition to his deck. After negotiations in the Link Dimension…

(Which were still going on now. The Grandmaster Council had agreed to some things, but the SOL Corporation had still been holding out when he had left.)

"Battle Phase," Ryo said. "Cyber Dragon Sieger's effect. In exchange for it not being able to deal battle damage to my opponents this turn—I can target a Machine monster I control with 2100 or more attack points, and give it 2100 attack and defense points."

[Cyber Twin Dragon: 5600 + 2100 = 8700ATK; 2100 + 2100 = 4200DEF]

Tony and Damon's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice per turn," Ryo said. "Finish both of them off. Evolution Twin Burst!"

Two blasts rained down on his opponents, sealing the deal.

Tony: 4000 - 6200 = 0LP

Damon: 4000 - 6100 = 0LP

Winner: Ryo Marufuji!

The two men looked shaken.

Ryo walked forward. Without any mercy at all, he carded both of them. Afterwards, he took a step forward again, his stride never faltering.

To someone else, these two people might have been important. But to him…

They were just people who had stood in his way.

In the end, for war, there had to be sacrifices.

(This had been drilled into the children of the Fusion Dimension long before they could ever take up arms themselves.)


The floor of the High Council's building was blanketed with cards by the time that Jun Manjoume found his way there. For a moment, he thought that he was imagining it—there were so many cards there, more than anyone would expect—the invasion had been in full force, but Jun knew for a fact that he and the Obelisk Force members that were currently with him right now were the ones that had been sent to take out the High Council. So, who had…

He walked in. There were many officers' faces on them—those dressed in a different uniform from the ones that had been called Security. Were they personal guards of the High Council then?

He walked through halls with carpets of cards.

And inside—

The room was empty.

What greeted him was a sight even worse than anything that he could ever do.

It was a pile of cards on the ground. There had to be almost a hundred people in that pile.

If it was just that, Jun might not have been shocked. He was desensitised to carding—he had carded many people himself, for the sake of Academia's utopia. But…

The five finely carved and painted chairs in the room were on fire. Flickers of flame could be seen on all five chairs, as the wood slowly burned away.

And taped on top of each chair, in a parody of a person pinned on a cross—

Were five cards, burned so badly that their edges had gone entirely black. Soot covered them almost completely, to the point that their faces could not be seen at all.

Jun raised a hand to his face. He did his best to hide his horror.

There was nothing left to do here.

Someone had already razed it all. Someone not from Academia.

what is Roget doing? Does he intend to make everyone here his enemies?

Chosaku, Shouji. You're both assholes, and classist as hell too. But these people… were they that much worse than you? Were they so much worse that they would deserve… this?

"Disperse," Jun said to the other Obelisk Force members. "... no, one squad, stay with me. We'll search around."

We'll see if we can find the ones that did this.


"Like he said, it's an entire invasion force of Spell-reliant idiots," Chino said with a shrug. "They're even less of a threat than our own people."

"Really? Then, have you gotten rid of as many of them as you have of our own people?"

Chino tilted her head over. The cards of the soldiers that she had already taken out were dangling from her fingers. From next to her, Makoto groaned. "... you saw it, huh?"

"I have access to all security footage in the city. Of course I saw it!" Arisu clenched a fist. "You sealed people into cards! That's monstrous! How could you! And what you did to the High Council—"

"... don't have time for this," Chino muttered. "Stop being idealistic, Arisu. Do you see what kind of situation we're in right now? We're the only ones with access to this mechanism." She turned her head. "If you stop us here, more of our people will die. That's the long and short of it."

"You killed more than a hundred of them yourselves," Arisu said cuttingly. "What would Kaname think of you two?" Then, a thought occurred to her. "Did—has she—"

"Hah. There you go assuming things again." Makoto rolled his eyes. "It's not like those shitty Tops can ever change. They wouldn't have raised a duel disk and gone to war to protect others. Us eliminating them didn't change anything." He turned away. "Like Chino said. If you want to deal with us, deal with us after this is all done. Your talents are wasted on trying to stop us instead of our actual enemies."

"... I will never forgive the two of you," Arisu snapped. "And—that order—did Roget… did he tell you to do that? In that case, I will never forgive—I can never forgive him either."

Makoto raised two cards, tossing them towards her. Arisu caught them reflexively.

"Miracle Synchro Fusion," she read. "You… this is…"

"Your copy," Makoto said. "Was wondering whether to give it to you for a while now." He raised his head, and for a brief moment, there was a hint of regret in his eyes. It was gone right afterwards, however. "Stay safe, Arisu. This city needs you."

It does not need us, he did not say.

Arisu looked at them.

I was not born in the Commons like you two. Even the Commons that I knew were fortunate enough to be raised in an orphanage that at least had some funding. But you two were raised poor and in misery. So I cannot say that I can ever feel the way that you two do.

you two are the monsters that were born of the Tops' inaction.

"Hey, Arisu," Chino said, without looking directly at her. Arisu's duel disk beeped, and she glanced at the screen.

'Carding mechanism installed'.

"It's all yours," the orange-haired woman said. "Now stop looking down on us. There's an invasion going on. What's more important? Your need for justice, or to save lives?"


"You're awake."

Yuto blinked. His head hurt. There was green hair in his face, meaning that he was probably being carried by…

"Sorry for the rough treatment," Hitoda said cheerfully. "You feeling good now?" She let him stand up on his own two feet. Kyorin was there too, looking over him with worried eyes. "You passed out."

For some reason, Kyorin shot Hitoda a slightly incredulous look.

"Academia's invaded," Hitoda explained. "Are you ready to get to work?"

"He's just passed out, Hitoda," Kyorin protested.

"No, I'm—" Yuto held a hand to his forehead. "I'm ready, yeah. Where are the others? What do I do?"

"Roget abducted Miharu," Hitoda said bluntly. "Yuno got carted off by Security too. Good grief…"

"That happened?" Yuto grimaced. "I'll go and find them."

"All on your own? Don't be foolish!" Kyorin reached out a hand. "You're still reeling from just now—"

"Actually, it might not be such a bad idea," Hitoda said cheerfully. "Look who's coming."

Both Kyorin and Yuto turned over. There was a group of three Obelisk Force members walking over—along with a boy with dark hair.

"Ok, Kamisoka," Hitoda said, tilting her head towards him. "You had better not fall down from tiredness once you leave our sight." She raised her hand, as though shooing him away. "Go rescue Yuno and Miharu. If you fail, I'll hate you forever."

"That's a little extreme, Hitoda…"

"It's the truth though."

Yuto couldn't help but smile. "I'll do my best," he said. "See you then."


As the black and purple-haired boy ran off, Kyorin turned over to Hitoda. "Are you really sure? What if he…"

"Well, I don't think you're quite qualified for a one against four right now, not with the dirty tactics that these people have," Hitoda said. "You aren't even that knowledgeable about how the Obelisk Force duel, right?" She pointed to the black-haired boy. "You can handle that guy. I'll take the three. Come on over here, boys."

Kyorin watched Hitoda neatly separate the two duels, before she turned to her opponent. "Um. Who are you?"

"... the two of you don't look anything like her, but the vibe is weirdly similar," the boy muttered. "... Jun Manjoume. I'm one of Academia's elites."

"Oh?" Kyorin raised her hands. "Then—then, I have to win against you!"

"... you're a mouse," Manjoume muttered. "Very well then. Don't cry if you lose."

[DUEL!]

Jun Manjoume: 4000LP

Kyorin Rinsoka: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Kyorin] [H:5]

"I'll start!" Kyorin lifted the five cards from the top of her deck, tilting her head. "I'll discard Nekroz of Clausolas from my hand to add a "Nekroz" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand. I will activate the Ritual Spell, Nekroz Mirror."

"You're a Ritual user?" Jun blinked. "Were you one of the survivors of the invasion of Ritual? I did hear that the Lancers had members from every dimension…"

"No," Kyorin said. She shivered. "I… I wasn't there. I can't say that I had stayed in Domino City very long. But even so, the people there… most of them were kind to me. And it was still the place I lived…" She shook her head. "I'm not strong enough to be a survivor, like Kurosaki or Kamisoka-san… but I'm part of the Lancers now. And I believe in my comrades. I do. Even if it was destroyed, we will take it back again!"

She revealed two cards in her hand.

"By tributing Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz in my hand, he will act as the full tribute." She placed down the other card. "Fabled wisdom of the roaring demon gods. Be channelled into the mirror formed from ice, and bless the ancient sorcerer! Ritual Summon! Level 8! Nekroz of Valkyrus!" A tired-looking warrior in a long black cape appeared.

[Nekroz of Valkyrus (8*/2900/1700/WATER/Spellcaster/Ritual/Effect)]

Valkyrus was probably the first monster that she tended to bring out nowadays.

"Since Shurit was tributed, I can add a "Nekroz" Warrior Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand. I'll then activate Valkyrus's effect. By tributing Great Sorcerer of the Nekroz and Ariel, Priestess of the Nekroz in my hand, I'll draw two cards. And with Great Sorcerer and Ariel's effects, I will add a "Nekroz" Spellcaster Ritual Monster and a "Nekroz" non-Ritual monster from my deck to my hand." She refilled her hand to five. "I will discard Nekroz of Brionac to add a "Nekroz" monster from my deck to my hand."

Alright. That was it.

"I'll end my turn," Kyorin said. "Over to you."

[Turn 2: Jun] [H:6]

"Draw," Jun said. "I'll activate the Quickplay Spell, Ojamatch. I'll send a "Ojama" card from my hand to the graveyard to add a "Ojama" monster and a "Armed Dragon" monster from my deck to my hand. I can then Normal Summon one of those monsters. Come—Ojama Red!" A strange red demon with wide eyes appeared on the field in front of him.

[Ojama Red (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast/Effect)]

"The card that I discarded was Ojamagic," Jun explained. "I can add a copy of Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green and Ojama Black from my deck to my hand."

A single Spell had let him search out five cards at once…

"I'll then use Ojama Red's effect. I'll Special Summon up to four Ojama monsters from my hand." Jun revealed the three cards from before, along with another monster in his hand. "Come. Ojama Yellow! Ojama Green! Ojama Black! Ojama Pink!" Four of those strange colourful monsters appeared on the field.

[Ojama Yellow (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast)]

[Ojama Green (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast)]

[Ojama Black (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast)]

[Ojama Pink (2*/0/1000/LIGHT/Beast/Effect)]

"I'll then activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! I will fuse Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black and Ojama Green. Appear now, pale, grotesque king—Fusion Summon! Ojama King!" The white, chimeric, alien-like monster appeared in front of Jun.

[Ojama King (8*/0/3000/LIGHT/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"I will activate the Field Spell, Ojama Country," Jun said. "All monsters on the field have their original attack and defense points switched!"

"All monsters…" Kyorin blinked.

[Ojama King: 0 3000ATK; 3000 0DEF]

[Nekroz of Valkyrus: 29001700ATK; 17002900DEF]

[Ojama Pink: 01000ATK; 10000DEF]

[Ojama Red: 01000ATK; 10000DEF]

"And now, my Ojama King is stronger than your Nekroz of Valkyrus." Jun pointed forward. "Attack her monster!"

"I will discard Nekroz of Gungnir!" Kyorin declared. "This turn, Valkyrus cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects!" She shielded herself as the strange ogre-like monster hit her monster with a punch, the shockwave knocking her back.

Kyorin: 4000 - 1300 = 2700LP

"Fine then." His other two monsters couldn't attack directly, so Jun moved to his second Main Phase. "I will send an "Ojama" card from my hand to the graveyard with Ojama Country's effect, to Special Summon a "Ojama" monster from my graveyard." Ojama Black reappeared on the field. "I'll then open up the circuit of a hundred grotesque beasts! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are three Beast monsters, including an "Ojama" monster. I will set Ojama Black, Ojama Pink and Ojama Red in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Purple beast on an ornate throne! Link 3! Ojama Emperor!" A large purple goblin-like creature appeared, with yellow tendrils emerging from around it.

[Ojama Emperor (L3/0/LIGHT/Beast/Link/Effect/↙, ↓, ↘)]

"Since Ojama Country is in a Field Zone, Ojama Emperor gains 3000 attack points, and it cannot be destroyed by card effects." The strange creature glowed. "I'll use Ojama Emperor's effect to Special Summon Ojama Black from the graveyard to the field." Ojama Black reappeared in Defense Position. "I'll set a card and end my turn! And while I control Ojama King, three of your Main Monster Zones can't be used." The centre three Main Monster Zones were locked off.

[Turn 3: Kyorin] [H:5]

"Draw!" Kyorin glanced at her hand. "I'll activate the effect of Nekroz of Unicore. I will discard it from my hand to add a "Nekroz" card from my graveyard to my hand." She revealed the card that she had added to her hand. "Ritual Spell, Nekroz Mirror. I'll banish Shurit from the graveyard to Ritual Summon! Cold glaciers that rise in the presence of the icy sigil. Be channelled into the mirror formed from ice, and bless the young warrior! Ritual Summon! Level 6! Nekroz of Brionac!" The young man with bright red hair appeared, wearing armour made of blue ice crystals. Brionac was int the one open Main Monster Zone that she had left.

[Nekroz of Brionac (6*/2300/1400/WATER/Warrior/Ritual/Effect)]

"Nekroz of Brionac's effect," Kyorin called. "I will return two monsters on the field that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck to the deck! Freezedry Wave!" The warrior waved his sword through the air, ice shooting towards Manjoume's field.

"What a ridiculous anti-Extra Deck effect," Jun muttered. "Trap Card, Ojama Parody! Since I control at least two "Ojama" monsters and you control at least two non-"Ojama" monsters, I can negate the effects of all monsters you control until the End Phase, and their attack points become 1000!"

A bright aura washed over her field, both Brionac and Valkyrus falling down. Their attack and defense points were already swapped, meaning that the amount that was changed was their attack points after the switch.

[Nekroz of Brionac: 2300 1000ATK; 1400 2300DEF]

[Nekroz of Valkyrus: 1700 1000ATK]

As a result, Brionac's effect was negated and did not resolve.

Kyorin glanced at her two monsters. She technically couldn't summon any monsters to the Main Monster Zones anymore—that was crippling for a Ritual duelist. It was a smart move from Manjoume. And she couldn't attack most of his monsters either…

"Nekroz of Brionac attacks Ojama Black." Since Ojama Black's stats had been switched too, Brionac managed to destroy it. However, Manjoume did not take any damage. "I'll end my turn." Her monsters' stats returned back to normal—or well, the flipped stats that they'd had after Ojama Country's effect. She couldn't even use Valkyrus's effect to draw cards due to her monsters' effects still being negated.

[Nekroz of Brionac: 1000 1400ATK]

[Nekroz of Valkyrus: 1000 1700ATK]

[Turn 4: Jun] [H:1]

"Draw!" Jun declared. He glanced at the card in his hand. "Ojama King attacks Nekroz of Brionac!"

Kyorin shielded herself as her monster was destroyed.

Kyorin: 2700 - 1600 = 1100LP

"And Ojama Emperor will attack Nekroz of Valkyrus and finish you off!"

"I'll discard Nekroz of Decisive Armor from my hand!" Kyorin declared. "Valkyrus gains 1000 attack and defense points!"

It wasn't enough to stop her monster from being destroyed.

[Nekroz of Valkyrus: 1700 + 1000 = 2700ATK; 2900 + 1000 = 3900DEF]

Her monster was destroyed, but Kyorin's life points did not fall to zero.

Kyorin: 1100 - 300 = 800LP

"I'll end my turn," Jun said, somewhat surprised. Clearly, the one card left in his hand could not do anything by itself.

[Turn 5: Kyorin] [H:3]

"Draw," Kyorin said. "I will activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I will draw three cards and discard two cards. Then, since I control no monsters, I can banish a "Nekroz" monster from my graveyard, along with Nekroz Mirror, to add a "Nekroz" Spell from my deck to my hand." She revealed the monster that she had banished. "This is Exa, Enforcer of the Nekroz. Since it was banished, I can Special Summon a banished "Nekroz" monster. Come back, Shurit." The red-haired boy reappeared—this time, actually on the field.

[Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz (3*/300/1800/WATER/Warrior/Effect)]

"Spell Card, Nekroz Cycle!" She called. "I'll tribute Shurit, who will serve as the full tribute! Return from the graveyard! Nekroz of Brionac!" The warrior from before reappeared. Manjoume's eyes widened

"I thought Ritual Summoning worked with the hand—that's how Asuka-san always did it!"

"Ritual Summoning can work from anywhere," Kyorin said. "I guess that's why you thought that defeating Brionac once was enough… but Brionac's effect activates now! I'll return Ojama Emperor and Ojama King to the Extra Deck! Freezedry Wave!" The two monsters were erased with a jet of ice. "And I'll Normal Summon Dance Princess of the Nekroz." The red-haired woman appeared on the field in front of her.

[Dance Princess of the Nekroz (4*/1600/800/WATER/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"Brionac attacks directly, along with Dance Princess!"

The two monsters struck at Jun, knocking his life points down—

To just 100.

Jun: 4000 - 2300 - 1600 = 100LP

"I'll end my turn."

[Turn 6: Jun] [H:2]

"Draw," Jun said. "I'll admit, you're… good. But you don't have any kind of killing instinct… aren't you scared at all, that you're going to die and lose?"

For a moment, Jun Manjoume reeled.

it's weird. Their personalities are so different, so why is it that she reminds me of that girl?

"I'll activate the Spell Card, Armed Dragon Flash. I can Special Summon a Level 3 "Armed Dragon" monster from my deck in Defense Position!" A small orange dragon appeared in front of him, surrounded by a blitz of orange lightning. "Come, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3!"

[Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 (3*/1200/900/WIND/Dragon/Effect)]

Armed Dragons now? A deck with two archetypes then…

"And I'll send a monster from my hand to the graveyard, along with Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 from my field, to Special Summon a Level 5 or lower "Armed Dragon" monster from my hand or deck! Come from the deck! Armed Dragon LV5!" A dragon with red scales appeared on the field in front of him with a loud roar, half of its scales black and some spikes all around it, looking rather punkish.

[Armed Dragon LV5 (5*/2400/1700/WIND/Dragon/Effect)]

"Since I sent Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 from my hand to the graveyard to activate a Dragon monster's effect, I can add a "Armed Dragon" card from my deck to my hand!" He revealed the card. "Continuous Spell, Armed Dragon Lightning!" Bright golden lightning bolts flew out all around the dragon. "I will use its effect. I will target a "Armed Dragon" monster I control, and add a "Armed Dragon" monster with an equal or lower Level from my graveyard to my hand. I will also banish Ojama Parody from my graveyard. I will add a "Armed Dragon" or LIGHT Machine Union monster from my deck to my hand. And now, I'll discard a monster from my hand to use Armed Dragon LV5's effect. I'll destroy a monster with lower attack points than the monster I discarded. I discarded Armed Dragon Thunder LV5. It has 2400 attack points—so I'll destroy Brionac!"

"Does the effect target?" Kyorin asked.

"Um, yes?"

"Then you can't use it on Brionac," Kyorin replied. "While I control Dance Princess of the Nekroz, you can't target "Nekroz" Ritual Monsters I control with your card effects." She raised a finger. "You already activated your effect, and the only applicable target is Dance Princess!"

Dance Princess of the Nekroz was buried under the bolts of lightning, but her monster was kept safe.

"Fine then," Manjoume replied. "I sent Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 to the graveyard for a Dragon monster's effect. I can add a Level 5 or higher WIND Dragon monster from my deck to my hand with its effect!" He revealed another card in his hand. "I'll Normal Summon Armed Dragon Thunder LV3."

Manjoume pointed forward.

"It's the same end result!" He declared. "Armed Dragon LV5 attacks Nekroz of Brionac!"

Her monster was destroyed yet again.

Kyorin: 800 - 100 = 700LP

"And Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 attacks you directly!"

Lightning bolts rained down around her. But—

"I'll discard Nekroz of Catastor from my hand," Kyorin said. "Return—Dance Princess of the Nekroz!" The red-haired woman appeared in Attack Position.

Jun raised a hand, stopping the attack. "Those life points of yours are so difficult to get rid of…" he muttered.

"... I'm sorry," Kyorin said. "I guess…" She shook her head. "In response to your question, I'm very scared."

"Huh?"

Kyorin tugged at one of her pigtails. "I'm very scared to lose… I'm very scared that I'll lose and let everyone down. I've already lost once, when it mattered most, when I wanted so badly to reach out to that friend of mine. I already failed, and yet… I'm still alive. And I'm very scared that I'll fail again. That I won't be able to help Chiaki and Yuji. That I won't be able to see my papa again."

Jun looked at her.

"I'm scared, Chosaku, Shouji! We're brothers, aren't we? So please, let me fight…"

"I'm scared to let my brothers down. If I'm the weakest link and I lose, what if I lose everything?"

"I just really want to survive. It'd feel like I was disgracing everyone else if I died… because I had it easy, compared to everyone else from my dimension." Kyorin raised her head. "But even if I'm scared of death, I'm more scared that something terrible will happen when I could've stopped it." She smiled shyly. "I'll win. But I'm not going to card you. I've… had enough of death."

"That's the same as not winning," Jun muttered, but he ended his turn.

[Turn 7: Kyorin] [H:2]

"Draw," Kyorin said. "Dance Princess attacks Armed Dragon Thunder LV3!"

Jun: 100 - 400 = 0LP

Winner: Kyorin Rinsoka!

Kyorin looked at her opponent. "So," she said, "are you going to teleport away, or…"

"If I say no, will you card me?" Manjoume replied.

"Um. No?" Kyorin shook her head. "But I'd be very upset if I defeated you and you just carried on doing this…"

"You're naive," Jun spat out. But he raised his duel disk, tapping a button. "Fine. Have it your way."

He teleported away. Kyorin breathed out slowly in relief.

"Geez. He's right. You're naive as all heck." Hitoda walked over.

"Well, you didn't card your opponents either!"

"Mine auto-teleport away. Though I'm not criticising you. I wouldn't have done it either—he looked very conflicted." Hitoda whistled, glancing around. "Now, I'm going to catch up to Yuto, if you don't mind! No clue which route he took though—"

"Um, I'll go one way, you'll go the other?" Kyorin offered.

Hitoda smirked. "Sounds good." She held up a hand for a high five. Kyorin returned it. "Stay safe, yeah?"


"So, what's your story?"

"... my story?"

"Yeah." Yuno glanced over to Yuji, who was moving side-by-side with him. The other boy didn't seem to mind Yuno's slightly slower speed (which was unavoidable, considering the ankle injury.) "How did you meet… well, your best friend?"

Yuji shrugged. He explained about he had simply met a girl on the street one day, and he had taught her how to steal food. He spoke in his clumsy way, his words hiding most of his actual intentions—a lot of the time, Yuno had to ignore what he was actually saying and try to read into his feelings and intentions with them. 'To avoid starving, I helped her' really meant 'to stop her from having to go through all of that on her own, and for some reason, I wanted her to not have to suffer while I was there', and so on. Yuno provided quick ad-libs to show that he was understanding, even as they headed towards their destination.

"You're odd," Yuji said after a moment.

"Hmm?" Yuno smiled. "Me?"

"Who else?" Yuji pressed his lips together for a moment, as though stopping himself from speaking. "That's why…" He let the word hang there.

"That's why you helped me?" Yuno guessed. Yuji nodded, confirming it. "Hah. I guess that's a common thing for most people… I've been told that I don't think like a lot of other people."

"Why…" A pause. "Why not?"

"Well, it's not that I'm actively trying to be different." Yuno rubbed the back of his neck. "The truth is, I just don't want to give people a chance to make me be someone that I'm not. I never want to become a lie. I always make choices based on what I want, you know? So if I allowed myself to change just to be more like others, I'd be making a choice for the sake of other people. And I don't think that who I am right now is… well, bad enough for me to need to change, so why bother?"

"... I agree."

"Heh. I'm glad that you do."

"I don't want to care either," Yuji said. Yuno mentally tacked on the context of 'about other people wanting me to be someone that I'm not.' "How do you do it?"

Someone who was just listening to the words might think that Yuji was asking Yuno how to not care about others' opinions, but that was probably the exact opposite of what he meant. After all, Yuno was the one who engaged with most people without batting an eye, while Yuji usually didn't bother with people at all. The actual question was obviously, as a result, 'how do you get people to stop judging you based on their own opinions of you? How do you stop them from trying to make you change?' Yuno answered it without any hesitation, as a result.

"I mean, I don't think that who you are right now is someone that needs to be changed," he said bluntly. Yuji's eyes widened very slightly. "I mean, it's just you, right? The way that you act, the way that you think, it's all something uniquely you. And even if it's different than others, it doesn't mean that you're any less. It doesn't mean that you need to become someone that other people consider normal, because this is your 'normal', no?"

He turned to Yuji, smiling widely.

"But if it's about how to make people stop wanting you to change… well, it's hard. People will always want others to make more 'sense' to them."

"... but instead of trying to understand, people just want those different from them to change for them," Yuji said. "That's… Chiaki said that, once."

"Really?" Yuno smiled fondly. "I think I'd like to meet her—she sounds like someone who always speaks her mind. But she's right. And well, in your case…" He shook his head. "Sorry. That was bad phrasing on my part. The word 'case' makes it sound like you're sick or in the wrong, which you're not."

"I didn't take it that way," Yuji replied.

"Alright, that's good! But anyway… there'll be a lot of people that'll tell you that you have to be 'cured', or that you have to be 'happier' to live a 'good life'. But what does any of that mean anyway?" Yuno shrugged. "As long as you are fine with who you are right now, who has the right to say that you should waste time trying to understand the different person that they want you to be? You have your own opinion of what happiness, normality and satisfaction is. I don't have the right to say that I understand too—our brand of 'not normal' is very different. You don't have to answer, but I'll ask anyway—what do you think would be a good life for you?"

Yuji took a while to answer. Yuno didn't rush him.

Eventually, the silver-haired boy spoke up quietly.

"A library."

Yuno turned to him.

"You don't need… qualifications like a degree. It's a job that anyone can do, even if they don't study much." Yuji glanced at the sky. "... skillwise, there's a lot to learn, but… I want to own a library. I want to read anything I can forever. I want to be able to sit there and be forgotten. It will be quiet. People will only disturb me for short moments, and it'll be for 'the librarian', not for me." He seemed to be talking more now—as though he was getting that fleeting dream out in a rush. "... I used to sleep in a library when I was homeless. It's… comforting to me. Books feel like shelter. As though if I'm there, I'm in a different world, where no one will look at me."

"... that sounds like a lovely dream," Yuno said softly.

"I would be fine with you there." Yuji glanced away. "If… people got too much for you, too."

… well, that made Yuno smile just a little more.

"... do you hear that?" Yuji asked. Yuno frowned, focusing on their surroundings. Yeah, he heard shouting in the distance… was that Serena? Who was she shouting at?

"Can we go and check that out?"

Yuji shrugged. He gestured away from himself with a hand.

"Yeah, we can go in separately. No offence, but I wouldn't be able to explain why I was with you anyway." Yuno sped forward. Yuji watched him, before searching for an alternative way into the building which they had heard the shouting from.


"I wonder what's out there."

"Huh?" Yuri turned over to her. He was currently wearing gloves and kneeling down in his garden—working with the bulbs that he had just planted. "Out there?"

"In those other five dimensions!" Serena declared. "I want to see everything—they must be so different from us. And there must be so many strong duelists there too."

"... you do realise that if things go right, we're going to be going to war with all five of those dimensions."

"That just means that I get to fight those strong duelists for Academia's goal!"

Yuri glanced away. Unnoticed by Serena, he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I don't really care how different those other worlds are. I never want to live there." He was used to this—used to this world that rejected him but wanted him to fight for it. He had no clue what it would be like to live anywhere else, but… he would rather not know either.

"Well, not me either. I'd much rather stay here with you and dad."

Yuri hid his face, so that she wouldn't see the slight blush on his face—embarrassment. Why was this girl always so direct?

"Hey, when we get older and stronger," Serena said, "let's fight together! We'll be a duo and take down all our opponents together!"

Yuri looked at her.

This girl. This idealistic girl.

"Fine," he said. "Don't leave without me." What he actually meant was that she was too idealistic, and that if he wasn't with her, she would probably get in trouble. However, it seemed to fly over her head. Serena grinned.

"Sure!"


"Oh, great," Yuri snarked. "Here comes the cavalry."

Serena, who had been telling him off, glanced behind her. Yuya and Yugo were there, both of them looking like they had been run over by a car. Multiple times. Well, metaphorically run over, but the point stood.

(At the very least, their eyes weren't glowing.)

"You…" Yugo narrowed his eyes. "Your hair isn't the same as the bastard who took Rin, but… who are you?"

"He's from the Fusion Dimension," Yuya guessed. "I've seen the other four of you already, so…"

Yuri looked annoyed for a brief moment. "This is a private conversation," he said. "If you don't mind? Get—" What he was about to say would remain a mystery, because a few more figures came right in at that moment.

"Serena-sama!"

"... Barrett," Serena said with a sigh. The man who had initially helped her go to Standard was there, with an Obelisk Force squad.

"This is becoming a circus," Yuri muttered. "Does anyone else want to conveniently show up now?"

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Serena saw Yuri groan in annoyance.

"... sorry?" Yuno Sugisaki said, peeking in through an opening in the wall. This building was almost completely worn down—there were openings and cracks everywhere.

"Yuno!" Yuya looked relieved.

"... this is Yuno Sugisaki?" Yuri muttered. "The one that Miharu Kogami talked about…"

"Yuri… Yuri-sama." Barrett sounded somewhat hesitant to take orders from Yuri. "What should we do?"

"Serena's demanding that I duel her," Yuri muttered. "You four can split the other three between you."

"You're going to duel her?" Yuno frowned. "You're going to take her back to Academia, where she'll be trapped?"

"I don't need to explain it to you," Yuri said. "Well?"

"That's rubbish!"

Yugo lunged forward, reaching out to punch Yuri in the face. Yuri barely managed to dodge the punch.

"You—if you're from Academia, give Rin back to me!"

"Yugo!" Both Yuno and Yuya exclaimed at once—both of them far less wound up than Yugo. When Serena saw Yugo's eyes, she could tell how worked up the boy was—and not just over his fury from seeing the same group that had taken Rin.

(After all, it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he had seen his sister get in a crash. It hadn't been that long since they had seen Sergey hurt Reira, since Yugo and Yuya had passed out during Yuno's duel.)

(Yugo had a lot of things to be angry about.)

Yuno moved before Yuya—he grabbed Yugo's shoulder, pulling him back before he could punch Yuri again. "Calm down," he murmured. "We have to settle this with dueling."

"What do you mean?"

Yuno leaned in, whispering into Yugo's ear. "... if we turn this into a fistfight, that one guy there's going to win against all of us. Serena's clearly been drugged, and the three of us aren't doing that well either. Be careful."

He was obviously talking about Barrett, which was fair. Serena had seen Barrett carry three people at the same time, and that didn't strain him in the slightest. Let alone fighting against four teenagers… at the same time… Serena didn't know how she could still be shocked by it, but Yuno Sugisaki's simultaneous cheer and logic still sometimes caused her to pause for a brief moment.

"Hey, hey," Yuri said lazily, clearly able to hear Yuno talking. "I'm not one to get into a fistfight either. You keep things civil and so will we."

"You—" Yugo gritted his teeth. "Rin—"

There was the screech of fingernails drawing across wood. All of them looked up towards a hole in the roof. Serena's eyes widened. Yugo looked like he had been struck with a hammer to the face.

"... if it's about her, your business's with me, and not him," Yuji said.

"I recognise you!" Yugo shouted. "You're the one! You're the asshole that kidnapped Rin!"

"... Yuji," Yuri said, sounding surprised. Had he not known that Yuji was nearby? In that case…

It was a wild thought, but… Serena wondered if Yuji had spoken up to stop Yuri from being the one to take responsibility for his actions. It was just for a moment though—she dismissed it right away. There was no chance that they were that close.

"Then I'm going to duel you!"

"Wait—hold on, Yugo—"

Yuji interrupted Yuno. "Sure. Ladder's… outside. Come up."

Yugo pulled himself out of Yuno's grip. The orange-haired boy grimaced, shaking his head. "You two don't have to do this! Fujita, just wait—"

"I have to," Yugo said. "For Rin… I'm going to take him down!"

Serena looked around. Yes, Barrett and the Obelisk Force were there, but…

Yuya. Yugo. Yuno. Yuji. Yuri. Five of the six boys with the same face, all right there.

A bad feeling filled Serena's heart. There was a part of her that was shouting that she could not let this happen—that something terrible was about to happen.

"Well, they will settle it among themselves," Yuri said. For a moment, he looked almost wistful. "But you're demanding my attention, no?"

"I'm demanding that you recognise me as a person," Serena shot back, shoving down that bad feeling. She touched her bracelet for a brief moment.

"... well, I can always duel them another time. But I won't have the chance to duel you again once I return you to Academia." Yuri raised his duel disk. "Let's do this then."


OC Cards:

Red Feather

(3*/1400/1000/FIRE/Fiend/Effect)

If your opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, it cannot be destroyed by battle until your next End Phase. You can banish this card from your GY; target 1 "Resonator" or "Red" monster in your GY, and if you do, Special Summon it to the field. You can only activate each effect of "Red Feather" once per turn.

Red Lady

(3*/?/?/DARK/Spellcaster/Effect)

(This card is always treated as a Fortune Lady" monster.) This card's ATK/DEF become its Level x 100. (Quick Effect): You can discard this card; you take no effect damage this turn. At the start of either player's Battle Phase: You can banish this card from the GY and target 1 Level 7 or higher Synchro Monster on the field; apply the appropriate effect, depending on the Level of the monster, but that monster is destroyed during your next Standby Phase.

- Level 8 or lower: That monster can make up to 3 attacks during this Battle Phase.

- Level 9 or higher: That monster can make up to 5 attacks during this Battle Phase.

Trivia: Carly's counterpart to Soul Resonator.

Ojama Parody

(Trap)

If you control 2 or more "Ojama" monsters, and your opponent controls 2 or more non-"Ojama" monsters: You can negate the effects of all monsters your opponent currently controls until the End Phase, and if you do, the ATK of all monsters affected by this effect become 1000. You can banish this card from the GY; add 1 "Armed Dragon" or LIGHT Machine Union monster from your Deck to your hand.


Different Card Effects from TCG:

Antique Gear Hound Dog - Later anime effect.

Antique Gear Double Imitate - Anime-only card.

Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog - Anime-only card.

Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog - Anime-only card.

Red Dragon Vase - Anime effect.


End Notes:

Sorry this took so long! Like I said last chapter, I needed to do some quick pre-writing and full outlining of certain scenes first, so that I could double check that this part of the story would flow properly. The problem with this half of the Synchro Arc is that it's really difficult to know when to stop, because it's all one continuous series of events that happen around the same time.

There were meant to be way more duels against cannon fodder, but I decided that it would take much longer and added literally nothing to the story, so they mostly went off-screen instead.

Let's be real. Was giving Jack and Carly a duel here necessary? Absolutely not. Did I want to? Yes. In the end, I compromised by making it a sweep—realistically, there's no need for balance in a duel where Jack is involved anyway. Through this duel, I've clarified that Roget is using a different deck in this fic, since Antique Gear Devil alr showed up. What's the deck he's using? Obviously, I'm not going to say it now. Also, giving more Fusions to the Obelisk Force is to make them slightly more competent. *shrugs* It's also to make their turns somewhat more diverse to write, so that I don't literally only have one Fusion Monster for them to use. Even fodder has to evolve over time ;D And yes, to answer the other question, the Honor Student deck doesn't exist in this story, because unlike Konami, I don't need to sell Structure Decks. :)

After scouring through all of Jack's duels, I have ruled that Scarlight damages all opponents, not just one. How am I going to distinguish between effects that damage only one opponent and effects that damage them all? I have no clue, to be honest. :) I read back through the entire story to see how I've ruled it so far, and the answer is *jazz hands* avoidance. I have somehow not had to make this ruling yet, because I kept being like "haha that's future me's problem, I'm just going to avoid writing this for now." For now, I have decided that effects that damage all opponents are effects that affect the entire field, like Starving Venom and Scarlight, while effects that use a simple cost like Barbar's only affect one opponent. If you find that I made a different ruling beforehand, please just ignore that. :) Of course, this isn't something that's built into problem solving card text, meaning that I'm the one interpreting whether effects technically affect the whole field, not just one opponent. So uh, yeah. Subjectivity might definitely end up affecting how I rule certain cards. If they affected all opponents in the anime, that'll probably mean that I have a higher chance of ruling them as affecting all opponents here. It'll take me a while to figure it out fully.

As for the scene with Shinji and Crow, I realised early on that Arc V bothered me with how it treated Shinji as unreasonable for his feelings. Idk if this is an unpopular opinion, but I like Shinji's character. When he calls out and he's answered by some of the Tops—it's meant to reflect how a lot of revolutions in real life start with the young overturning the decisions of the old. Shinji here embodies the purest idealism of revolution. Meanwhile, the scene where Manjoume discovers the destroyed High Council coming after Shinji managing to convince a few Tops to change is entirely intentional, as is the clash in ideals between both scenes. It's a representation of that balance. To call out people's actions and give them the freedom to change on their own, or to force change by removing the people who will oppose that change. You have to balance between both. Too much of the first, and you allow yourself to be stepped on as those people ignore you. Too much of the second, and you run the risk of becoming a tyrant with no checks. While people can change over time, usually, the less privileged do not have time to wait for that generational change, if that prejudice is already destroying their life. Meanwhile, when it comes to idealism, it is not Shinji's responsibility to redeem these people. It is these people's responsibility to stand up and declare that they will change.

When I was planning this arc, I struggled a lot with that balance. Despite my own opinions, I didn't want to just present one side. The thing is, having everyone agree on the same thing just didn't feel genuine to me. There was a very insightful commenter on AO3 who mentioned how the Elite Officers represent members of a marginalised group that pander to the privileged in order to be treated as 'not the same as the rest', abandoning solidarity for their own gain. It's something similar to that. I don't want to make things that easy to judge—I don't want 'change' to be boiled down to something as simple as 'let's all be friends and grant equal voices', because it's not that easy. And I especially can't stand characters who are 'evil' for no reason. And that's where I'll stop this long segment. :)

Fun fact, Aki does not know about what happened to either Miharu or Sherry yet! :)

Quick reminder that I love Cyber Dragons. Second deck I ever played. :) Tony and Damon were sacrificed to Ryo, because this chapter was originally too positive, so… *thumbs up* Don't worry! Ryo will get to duel someone who isn't cannon fodder soon. I also love Zombie World/Zombie Synchro, and I'm planning on writing the deck into a major role next time I plan out a fic, but… yeah, for now, unfortunately, cannon fodder. When I showed my friend an outline of this chapter, she just said 'Your Ryo favouritism is showing'. I… cannot deny that accusation, lmao. Ryo Marufuji is one of my favourite YGO characters of all time.

I swear that I don't mean to shaft Manjoume—I do have plans for him in the future, and I needed to introduce him earlier, but getting curbstomped by Shino and defeated by Kyorin can't feel that good.

I do love how in any interaction involving the Yu boys, it's either Yuto or Yuno who's the voice of reason. Yuno's one emotional brain cell is not enough to handle Yuri, Yugo and Yuji at the same time.

And in a sense, while to the characters themselves, their actions make sense—from an outsider's perspective, you can see all their flaws perfectly in that last scene. Yuji is unable to explain his own circumstances to Yugo. Yuri can't keep his emotions from getting in the way of the mission. (Very obviously, he should have evacuated with Serena and had the others go 5v3.) Yuno is so empathetic and generally positive that in his attempt to help everyone there, he tries to defuse the situation without addressing the root of it—which is how badly Yugo is hurting from the loss of his people. Yuya is not confident enough to try to stop the others when they're acting on emotion, because he's a person that acts entirely on emotion himself. Serena is still too eager to prove her own strength.

I think you all understand exactly what's about to go down. :) Next chapter needs a lot of work—I wrote its first draft a literal year ago now, but because of stuff I changed in this arc, it doesn't quite work anymore. Still though, I'll also be taking some time to make sure that each duel gets exactly what it deserves! And don't worry—I haven't forgotten Yuto. :D

Review responses! (I realise that everyone really likes Yuri, which means you all have good taste! :D)

To phantomdragons, thanks for the review! I completely agree with the Yuno-Yuji point. And yeah, that's my interpretation of the Yuri-Serena dynamic—he's unable to say anything actually good about another person, so he compensates by insulting her first but then insulting everyone else less, lmao. Understandable, Kurosaki's great.

To King, haha, you're not alone in the Yuji/Yuno thoughts. I accidentally started a love square war between my friends, since they actually get to see some of the later scenes that I wrote for the story (aka, more interactions between Yuji-Chiaki, Chiaki-Miharu, Miharu-Yuji and Chiaki-Yuno, all of which, to be honest, are probably just as fun dynamics to write as Yuno-Miharu and Yuno-Yuji have been.) But yeah, Yuji and Yuno are completely platonic in this story. I love writing not-quite-friends. Yeah, Asuka and Johan are going to have a lot to do with all the Ritual characters' future development too. In response to what you said about fusions—there are no guarantees. I have not yet said anything about that, and thus, question any assumptions you might have made! :) Interesting theories! Obviously can't comment fully on them, but just a quick note—Empty Abyss can take any materials. Its own effect takes DARK monsters, but it can be Ritual Summoned with any card or effect, and if that's the case, it has no material restrictions. I'm not saying anything, but since I saw a misunderstanding, I decided to mention it to help your theorising! Thank you for your review! :))

To kikuruhime, yeah, don't worry! I love long reviews :)) I got your meaning! I was just worried that if I didn't say my opinion immediately, people would rag on other fics in the reviews. It's a kind of negativity that I don't want. Hope you understand :D

To Unlucky-Fausto, glad you enjoyed! Yup, these two chapters are transition chapters, technically—like I said, it's really hard to figure out where chapter breaks should be. For the Yuri-Serena dynamic, the way I see Yuri in this story, he has a hard time admitting any kind of genuine affection for someone else. It's how I write him with Shino, Ryo and Yuji. He's the second-most unreliable narrator in this story, because he can't accept his own thoughts. He doesn't really think that Serena is useless, but he can't say she's strong, so he settles for "she is less useless than all of you". Yuri and Serena's dynamic is going to play a very strong role in both of their future arcs too. Glad that you enjoyed Yuno-Yuji too! Thanks for your review :) and yes. Your feeling is very correct.

To the Guest who mentioned Yuri being the best villain of Arc-V… well, he has very little competition, other than Dennis and Sora, who weren't really villains at the end. I do love Yuri's character too though—I just wish we got to see more Predaplants.

To LHOCIN, thanks for the long review! I always worry that if I don't say things directly, people won't catch them, which is why your reviews always make me so happy! :) Yes, Yuri deliberately gives up on Miharu for Serena even though his mission is only for Miharu. Aka, he cares more for Serena than Academia, even though he can't admit it. And yup, Yuri vs Serena is happening! On the topic of Yuno and Yuji, quite honestly, the only thing stopping Yuno from just saying that they're friends is Yuji telling him that they're not, back in like Chapter 21, I think. On Reiji, it was more that I wanted to make sure that he was held accountable, but most of the canon characters would not have had the temperament to do so. Also uh, on Mion… I don't want to say too much about that, but you're correct that Mion, etc do not have the same face as each other! I'll leave you to speculate on who she was talking to. Shino right now is… complicated, so I can't really talk about her. :)

To Bryz0n, yup, I never intended for Sergey vs Jack. Was it cool in canon? Yes. Do I prefer the fanfic versions where Yuya or Yugo does it instead? Definitely! I have a very different opponent for Sergey. :) Hope you'll enjoy what's coming next!

To Mr. Owl, good theories! Uh. I saw the review after writing a certain scene in this chapter, so, uh, I will say that you got at least one! ;3 Appreciate your review and speculation.

To naminexriku2468, that card is cool, but honestly, I haven't thought about it at all. For now, the answer is tentatively not. That card is a specific reference to Arc-V's ending, and well… this is a canon-divergent story.

To the Guest who asked me to have Yuji 1v3—calm down. I have a feeling that I can tell which of the reviews are yours—you have a very distinctive way of writing your reviews. Do use an alias. I'm a bit scared to say this because I feel like people are going to flame me for it, but—while Yuji is a main character, he is not the main character. With all the reviews I've gotten asking about Yuji, you'd think that he was somehow the main point that the entire story revolves around, even though that's not the case in the slightest! :) In other words, even if you think that a duel is cool, please understand that I have many characters to consider. I'm getting really tired of people asking about Yuji when he has appeared in approximately six or seven of the fifty plus chapters so far. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but please. Chill out.

Alright, I think that's all!

QOTC: Once we're done with this arc, I'll most likely make a bonus chapter at the end, similar to Chapter 23. I did a Q&A last time, but while I do have a few other ideas on what I can do, I'd like to poll you guys about what you would like to see in that hypothetical bonus chapter!

See you next time! :D