Starting Notes:

Welcome back! :D Shall we get going? Still building up to the action, though, so this is a bit slower of a chapter.


Chapter 84: A Reminder

Eight years ago:

The Kamisokas' home was extremely well-organised—at least, that was what Yuto figured out first about it. There were bookshelves covering the walls, and all the furniture was black and white. There was something sharp to the appearance of everything. There had to be a speaker playing music too—one of those classical tunes on the piano, echoing through the house.

The exception to this neat and tidy appearance, of course, was the cheerful dog that was currently pawing at his feet.

Mr. Kamisoka (his new father, his mind supplied with some hope) chuckled, reaching down and patting the dog on the top of its head. "Nue!" He called out. "Come say hi to your new brother."

Yuto's head perked up with hope. He remembered the friendly girl from the playground. Still, when he didn't hear her voice, he drooped back down. His father looked at him, sighed and took his hand, leading him forward. The dog followed along behind them. The piano music got louder and louder, until they approached a room with a closed door. His father pushed open the door—

Nue's fingers trailed along the piano keys, swiftly finishing off the tune, before she turned her head. Behind her, sitting on the window, were several birds that were also staring at them.

"Oh," she said. "Hi, Yuto."

"Hi," Yuto said. Was it supposed to be this awkward to come into a new house? Next to him, the dog ran forward, pouncing on Nue's leg. His sister rolled her eyes, patting the dog's head—Yuto remembered her distaste for dogs, so he wasn't sure why she had one.

Nue shrugged. "Want to sit down?" She said. "I'll teach you something simple to play."

Yuto brightened up. He sat down next to her on the piano bench.

"Alright. We'll do Fur Elise—the middle riff is pretty easy to figure out…"

Behind them, their father smiled and left the room. A few hours passed by, but Nue never lost her patience, and eventually, when Yuto managed to play the part that she was showing him without any mistakes, he saw her hiding a smile on her face.

"Well done," she said.


In the present:

After making sure that he had packed things properly, Yuto headed towards the living room—only to see Nue and Sora playing checkers of all things, sitting on the couch. Sora's board had almost completely been consumed by Nue's pieces, as expected, and Yuto settled down to watch them.

Sora confidently moved a piece forward. Nue moved a different piece and upgraded it.

"You can always give up," she said.

"I'd never give up!"

"... no, you really can. You have three pieces left."

Yuto fought back a laugh, but his lips twitched.

"A real man never gives up! Uh… I'll move this one—"

"And I'll move mine. All your pieces are 'blocked' now, so they can't move. Because of that, I've won."

"... I almost had you!"

Nue leaned back, shrugging. "Go pack up." Sora pouted, but ran off.

Yuto sat down next to her. "He seems to like you," he said, because that was a way lighter topic than what he was actually thinking about. Nue snorted, shaking her head.

"Someone has to look out for him. He's even younger than you are. Hope he doesn't start to rely on me though—I'm not interested in becoming a replacement for someone else." She stood up, walking to pour herself a cup of water. Yuto watched her. "I can feel how hard you're thinking, Yuto. Spit it out, I'm not going to get offended that easily."

Not by me. Maybe if other people said the same thing… "Shun said that you were upset this morning," Yuto said, noticing her stiffening up. "I was just hoping that I could tell if you were alright now… I had a nightmare too."

"You did?" Nue dropped an ice cube in the water, leaving the cup on the table as she rummaged for snacks in the cupboard above the sink. "What was it about?"

"Funnily, I don't actually remember?" Yuto scratched the side of his head. "I just feel like it's not the first time I've had that dream… or even the first time that I've had a dream that I can't remember. I know it's normal to not remember dreams though… and I mean, I'm not the kind to psychoanalyse myself."

Nue finally drank from the cup of water, before she put it down slowly, turning to look at him. "How much do you know about my time at Diamond Branch?" She finally asked. It was such a strange change of topic that it took Yuto a moment to respond.

"I mean, that was around the time that you were out of the house all the time, right?" His parents had called it a rebellious phase back then, and had been very relieved when Yuto had shown no signs of being just as disobedient and rude when he became a teenager too. "Not really, to be honest. I just know that you were always dueling at school. I snuck in to watch a few duels sometimes."

"Of course you did." Nue sighed. "Let's just say that things settled by the time that you got there, but in my first year…" She drifted off. "Near the end of my first year, I beat Tatsuya and took his rank. You know that part of the story already."

Right. That was why Nue had become the first-ranked student at Diamond Branch in the first place.

"The thing was, I broke up with him right after. So the rest of the school thought that he had gone easy on me. They were desperate to prove that I didn't deserve to stand at the top. So they all kept coming after me with challenges to try and knock me down. And because of that, it felt like they were all on his side."

Yuto bit his lip. "... is that why you didn't want me to go to Diamond Branch?" Because she had been bullied by everyone for being the strongest there, and she didn't want him to suffer in the same way for being her brother? Why hadn't she said anything to him and their parents back then? Or… maybe she had told their parents, and just hadn't told him so that he wouldn't worry. Maybe Yuto had been so preoccupied with other things that he had never noticed.

"Is that why…" Nue nearly dropped the cup. "... no. It's nothing like that. I just…" She narrowed her eyes. "Diamond Branch is mine now, you know. Everyone acts like they didn't look down on me and harass me for a whole year—but I can tell that they do genuinely respect me now. If you went there, I would have done everything in my power to make sure that things were good for you—but that wouldn't have been good for you. You deserve the right to grow on your own."

… it wasn't like Yuto had relied on her that much, though. Even back then…

He had a feeling that Nue was just treating herself too harshly again.

"But you're right, I wasn't entirely honest." Nue shook her head. "I… didn't want you to repeat my mistakes. The reason that I went to Diamond even though we lived closer to Clover and Spade was because of Tatsuya… and well, I don't think you should pick your future based on just wanting to follow someone else."

There was something dangerous to her voice. It vanished a moment later.

"But you had friends there," Yuto said. "Right?"

"I did." Nue chuckled. "I'm not worried that they'll be gone when we get back. They're strong enough, after all. And we all stick together."

Yuto immediately thought of something that might cheer her up. "Remember that time that you encouraged me to duel Ryoma?"

Predictably, Nue sighed, covering her face with a hand. "Yes. And I'll never allow it to happen again. Just… no."


One year ago:

If there was one thing that Diamond Branch knew how to get right, it was its aesthetic. It was an open secret that Heartland Duel School spent far more money on the upkeep of Diamond Branch's campus compared to the others—after all, it was often the campus that was shown to investors and so on, thanks to being closer to the commercial district and port of the city.

Yuto always enjoyed his time visiting it, anyway—it gave off a peaceful atmosphere. The flowers planted along the colourful walkways of red and grey stone were always kept to the ones in season—right now, summer dahlias and zinnias dazzled the eyes. Tall blue larkspur was nested in the earth next to the railings and archways. A natural stream ran through the front garden, an offshoot from the nearest river. Several ponds surrounded it, sparkling in the afternoon light. Lily pads floated on the surface, along with pale, spiked white water lilies, pink-tinged water lotuses. Purple water hyacinths floated around the water, constantly tugged along by invisible currents.

The campus itself wasn't too bad to look at either. The buildings weren't extraordinarily tall—the tallest one held the dueling fields, but other than that, most of them were connected by corridors of concrete. Arches of bougainvillaea decorated the white concrete, making it less bland. From here, Yuto could also see the flower garden on the left side that contained a passage that led underground—the same flower garden that Nue had said she was at.

As he approached, he saw Nue's monster strike down her opponent's—and doing so, it won her the match. Her opponent was a short boy with pale pink hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a red shirt with a grey collar, along with dark shorts. He was frowning as Yuto approached.

"I still don't know how I'm supposed to beat you, Nue-senpai."

"It's really just a matter of catching me at the right points," Nue said, helping the boy up. She glanced over at Yuto, nodding in recognition—there was a small smirk on her face. "Hey. You have good timing."

The boy turned his head to look at Yuto. "Oh, this is your brother, Nue-senpai? You look so alike!"

Yuto shrugged—those words were always reassuring. He knew that even if he didn't resemble Nue, his family would still accept him, but… still, it was a nice thought.

"Yeah, this is my brother. I asked him to come over today because I wanted to introduce the two of you to each other—I think that you'd both learn a lot from dueling each other." Nue gestured between them. "So, this is Yuto, my younger brother. And Yuto, this is Ryoma Miyama. He's a first-year at Diamond Branch, and—"

"I'm her best student!" Ryoma exclaimed with a confident look in his eyes. Behind him, Nue smirked, meeting Yuto's gaze with her own—Yuto nodded, understanding what was going on. This boy probably wasn't actually Nue's student, but he clearly idolised her enough to approach her and try to pick up tips from her…

"Do you happen to be someone that uses Trap Monsters, by any chance?" Yuto said. Ryoma had absolutely no poker face, so the answer was obvious. Behind him, Nue cleared her throat.

"Go ahead," she said. She took a couple of steps back, leaning on the wall by the entrance to the underground area—Yuto did his best not to stare at it, even though he was very aware of what it was. "Either way, I'm sure you'll both learn a lot from dueling each other. Go for it."

"Well, if you're her brother, I'm not gonna hold back!" Ryoma raised his duel disk. "Show me what you can do!"

Nue doesn't lie to me. If she says that I'm going to learn from this, then I am. This guy probably has similar plays to me, but he's different enough that I'll learn something… maybe he's the impulsive kind?

"Alright then," Yuto said. "I wasn't expecting to duel—"

"Huh? As a true duelist, shouldn't we always be ready for challenges?" Ryoma smirked—the sheer arrogance in his posture was honestly pretty offputting.

Yuto hid his annoyance. "Fine," he said. "I'm not rejecting the match, I'm just—never mind." He saw Nue hide a smirk. "Let's go, then."

[DUEL!]

Yuto Kamisoka: 4000LP

Ryoma Miyama: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Yuto] [H:5]

"I'll start," Yuto said—he had a feeling that they'd both wanted to start, so he'd been the lucky one. "I'll set five cards. I end my turn."

"... oh yeah, we're very alike," Ryoma said with a glazed look on his face.

[Turn 2: Ryoma] [H:6]

"Draw." Ryoma picked up the card, before he grinned. "I'll play it better than you! I'll set five cards facedown!"

Nearby, Nue facepalmed. "This was a mistake," she muttered—clearly understanding that she had set in motion something awful. (Yuto was taking no responsibility for this, considering that Nue had known both of their decks before they had set things up.)

"I'll end my turn!"

[Turn 3: Yuto] [H:1]

"Draw." Yuto gestured forward. "Trap Card, The Phantom Knights of Dark Gauntlets! I'll send a "Phantom Knights" Spell or Trap from my deck to the graveyard."

Ryoma flipped up one of his set cards. "Trap Card, Paleozoic Marrella! I'll send a Trap from my deck to the graveyard!" Both of them immediately dumped a card from their deck in the graveyard.

"Trap Card, The Phantom Knights of Tomb Shield," Yuto muttered. It was going to be a long day. "I'll Special Summon it as a monster." A silver shield appeared on his field, surrounded by chains. Wisps of blue fire floated around it, rather bright and eye-catching.

[The Phantom Knights of Tomb Shield (3*/0/0/DARK/Warrior)]

"Really?" Ryoma smirked. "Since you activated a Trap Card, I can Special Summon Paleozoic Marrella from my graveyard as a monster!" Marrella was a strange, green creature with blue tendrils and fins emerging from its body. Its thin torso—or whatever part of a sea arthropod counted as a torso—looked like it was made out of metal, while two bulging, pink sacs extended out of its body on green, ridged stalks, like flower buds. The monster itself though, was undeniably prehistoric in appearance—nothing like that could exist in the current world.

... a Trap Monster user, then.

[Paleozoic Marrella (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]

"Then, I'll Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my hand!" The blue spirit appeared on his field, floating next to Tomb Shield.

[The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (3*/200/1200/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"Oh, you actually have monsters," Ryoma said with a smirk.

Yuto blinked. "I do… I mean, even in a Trap-focused deck, you have to have some monsters, right?"

"Not a single one—not in the deck, anyway!" Ryoma waved his hand, his smirk irritatingly cocky. "Traps can do anything. Maybe you're just not committed enough."

"I have monsters too, Miyama," Nue said, seemingly just to stir up trouble. (She was good at pretending to be unconcerned while escalating things from the side—most people didn't notice, but how could Yuto not notice it when she was his sister?)

Ryoma's eyes widened. He waved his hands. "Yes, but you're… you, Nue-senpai! No one's as cool as you, so you get a pass!"

Yuto raised an eyebrow, because this went far beyond flattery—it almost felt like hero worship. In fact, now that he was looking at the boy carefully, there was something expectant to his eyes as he was looking at Nue—almost as though he was begging for her approval. And the way that he was acting right now, the way that he had started acting cocky and overconfident the moment that Yuto had shown up…

As though Ryoma wanted to not just show off in front of Nue, but show that he wasn't intimidated by Yuto.

And that was the answer, wasn't it? Yuto sighed, resisting the urge to facepalm. He thought about a few previous incidents, about love letters from boys in Spade Branch who had asked him to deliver them to his sister. (He'd done so begrudgingly, but Nue hadn't paid any of them any attention, which was… understandable, considering that at the time, she was still recovering from other related things.)

Still, of all the opponents that he could be facing, of course it was a lovestruck teen.

God, Nue, why do half the boys I meet have a thing for you?

"I'll overlay the Level 3 Silent Boots and Tomb Shield!" He declared. "Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 3! The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!" His main Xyz Monster (other than Dark Rebellion, naturally) appeared on the field, blue wisps floating around it.

[The Phantom Knights of Break Sword (R3/2000/1000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

"Denied!" Ryoma raised a hand. "Trap Card, Paleozoic Canadia! I'll target your monster and change it to facedown Defense Position!" Break Sword was forced into submission before Yuto even got the chance to activate its effect—after all, while Break Sword's effects were both powerful, neither of them were effects that he could respond with.

However, Ryoma clearly wasn't done—one monster appeared on his field at that moment.

Next to Marrella, the new monster appeared. It was a large blue disc that was slightly translucent around the edges, though it got more and more opaque as it got closer to the centre. But then, it floated up slowly, and, like an alien in a horror movie, began to expand. Like a jellyfish's tendrils, wet red sacs began to emerge from beneath it, all of them spherical and clinging to each other.

To put the whole situation succinctly, though Yuto wouldn't use the word aloud—

Gross.

"When a Trap Card is activated, the effect of Paleozoic Eldonia activates!" Ryoma explained, smirking. "Who needs monsters when you have cards like this? Just like Marrella, Eldonia comes back to the field, but is banished when it leaves the field!"

[Paleozoic Eldonia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]

Yuto narrowed his eyes. Two Level 2 monsters… that alone made his opponent's strategy obvious. After all, when an Xyz Monster's Overlay Units were sent to the graveyard, they weren't considered as having been sent there from the field… and Ryoma had specifically not said 'once per turn'. In other words, his Traps could recycle themselves and continuously be treated as monsters…

Sort of like what Yuto himself did with the Traps that Special Summoned themselves from his graveyard, but with an easier summoning condition.

He glanced at his three other set cards. "Ending my turn," he said.

Ryoma's smirk grew. "Alright! Then it's time that I show you what I can do!"

Yuto sighed, his theory confirmed. He glanced at Nue, who shrugged—she might not know that he had already come to an understanding of the situation.

Yuto had only been in Heartland Duel School for a little over three months, and he'd already faced way too many people dueling him because they wanted to earn some kind of right to hang out with his sister. (And later, because they were jealous that he was hanging out with Ruri.) He was… kind of over this whole thing.

[Turn 4: Ryoma] [H:2]

"Draw!" Ryoma gestured forward. "I'll overlay the Level 2 Paleozoic Marrella and the Level 2 Paleozoic Eldonia!" The two monsters shot up, just as Yuto had expected. "Come forth, five eyes that glow within the depths of the ocean! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Paleozoic Opabinia!"

A large orange creature appeared, shaped almost like a lobster. However, there were many parts of it that immediately made it offputting to look at. For one, it had five glowing green eyes. Great observation, Yuto, he chided himself. Five eyes, like the summoning chant itself said. Would your next observation be that the eyes glow, like he said? Great job.

… ahem.

Anyway, the monster's jaw extended outwards—like a long trumpet, it started from under the thin blue mandibles that hung under the creature's eyes. The tube opened up on the end—the large end of a trumpet, with sharp silver fangs and teeth hanging inside the monster's 'mouth'. Meanwhile, it had two long pincer-like legs that kept its large, floppy fish-like body standing—or whatever counted for standing, when it came to a literal fish. It stood in Ryoma's Extra Monster Zone, its body curled up in Defense Position.

[Paleozoic Opabinia (R2/0/2400/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

"And guess what?" Ryoma grinned cockily. "My monsters won't be banished when I detach them as material!"

"... you know that I use Trap Monsters too, right?" Yuto said, folding his arms. "You know that Nue uses Holeutea, right? I'm very clear on the rulings of those cards—you don't need to explain them to me the way that we'd explain them to anyone else. Cut to the chase already."

"I—" Ryoma's eyes widened. "You—wow, you're not polite at all, huh?"

Yuto took a moment to think through what he'd just said. "... I mean, I do mean that we can cut to the chase," he said. "Sorry if you're offended, but… this duel is already going to take long enough without you explaining things that don't need explaining, especially when your only audience is two people that use Traps quite often."

Ryoma's glance slowly drifted to Nue, before he relented. "Ugh, fine. When Opabinia has a Trap as material, I can detach an Overlay Unit to add any "Paleozoic" Trap Card from my deck to my hand!"

"Trap Card, Phantom Knights' Fog Blade!" Yuto countered. "I'll target your monster—and its effects are negated. It can't attack or be attacked either!" The familiar blue fog formed around Opabinia, sealing off its effect—though its Overlay Unit was wasted.

[Paleozoic Opabinia: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]

"Ugh. Fine, then, I'll do things a different way!" Ryoma scowled. "I detached Eldonia, and it comes back since you used a Trap." The bulbous monster reappeared on the field. "Then, I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Pikaia! I'll discard a "Paleozoic" card to draw two cards!" One of his three remaining set cards revealed itself, and he cycled out the cards in his hand. "I'll then activate the effect of Paleozoic Canadia in my graveyard!" Just like before, a new creature appeared on the field. It seemed that Ryoma could only bring out one of them at a time? Maybe it was an issue with a ruling. The new monster was a thin, orange worm-like creature that was floating in the air—it didn't seem to have eyes. Green orbs were embedded in wider gaps between its armoured flesh. Small, thin blue hair-like structures were growing from its thin body.

[Paleozoic Canadia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]

"Then, I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Olenoides!" One of the final two set cards flipped up. "I'll target a Spell or Trap on the field and destroy it!" He glanced between the two set cards that Yuto had left—before he made a decision entirely based on instinct, pointing to the card on the left—which exploded.

And of course…

"Since I activated a Trap, I can Special Summon Paleozoic Pikaia from my graveyard!" The new monster was an orange serpent-like monster with a mane of pinkish-white fur that went down the top of its body. Thin blue lines curved around its body. Thin orange tendrils emerged from its face—but compared to the rest of the monsters, it actually looked like it could exist in this world.

[Paleozoic Pikaia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]

"I'll overlay the Level 2 Paleozoic Pikaia, the Level 2 Paleozoic Canadia and the Level 2 Paleozoic Eldonia!" The four Traps shot up, turning into blue streaks that wove around each other—now that was interesting. An Xyz Summon with three Level 2 monsters at once? "Abnormal dark creature that lingers under the waters. Rise, and bring a tide unlike any other! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Paleozoic Anomalocaris!"

In front of him, a much larger creature appeared—dark blue flesh formed most of its body, though there was something reflective to it—like a shell. Purple and black spikes jutted out threateningly from its body. Behind it, an aquatic tail swung through the air.

[Paleozoic Anomalocaris (R2/2400/0/WATER/Aqua/Xyz/Effect) (OU:3)]

"I'll set three cards facedown!" All the cards in Ryoma's hand appeared on the field, refilling his backrow—now, he had four cards set again. "Battle Phase! I'll have Anomalocaris attack your facedown Break Sword!"

"Trap Card, The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring," Yuto said, flipping over his final set card. "I'll negate your attack and Special Summon Wrong Magnetring as a monster." A bright purple ring appeared, electric sparks dancing around it.

[The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring (2*/0/0/DARK/Warrior)]

"Tsk… so I chose the wrong one for Olenoides's effect?" Ryoma gestured forward.

Yuto kept his mouth shut, because telling his opponent that he'd set two copies of Wrong Magnetring and that the result would have been exactly the same was probably not the best idea.

"I guess you just got lucky," Ryoma said. "Since you activated another Trap Card, Paleozoic Hallucigenia comes back!"

Hallucigenia was the kind of monster that only existed in horror movies. A strange shade of green with an unhealthy tinge of yellow, a monstrosity that resembled a head, with its body lagging behind its head like a lock of hair—barely noticeable. And the creature had no eyes, but it had wrinkles—its 'skin' folded in on itself, but split apart at one point in a gaping mouth.

[Paleozoic Hallucigenia (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]

"God," Yuto muttered, staring at the new monster. Just… wow. (In as negative of a context as 'wow' could be used.)

"Next, I'll activate the effect of Anomalocaris! I'll detach an Overlay Unit and destroy a card you control—and since I have a Trap attached to it as material, it's a Quick Effect!" He gestured to the facedown Break Sword, which blew up.

[Paleozoic Anomalocaris: OU:3 - 1 = OU:2]

Yuto couldn't exactly use Break Sword's effect right now… which was kind of a misplay on his part. Still…

Whenever I activate a Trap, his monsters are going to come back. I'd better play it safe.

"I'll end my turn!"

[Turn 5: Yuto] [H:1]

"Draw," Yuto said, glancing at the card that he'd just picked up. "I'll Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak." The blue spirit in the dusty red robe appeared on his field.

[The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak (3*/800/1000/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"Hah! I'll activate the effect of Anomalocaris! I'll detach an Overlay Unit and target your monster—and I'll destroy it!"

[Paleozoic Anomalocaris: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]

"The effect of the Trap Card, The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring!" Yuto had already been expecting that move, and so, his response was just as fast. "I'll send it and another card I control to the graveyard to draw two cards." He swiped up the two cards from his deck—and satisfyingly, his opponent's effect misfired, since its selected target was no longer on the field. "I'll then activate the Spell Card, Foolish Burial! I'll send The Phantom Knights of Torn Scales to my graveyard. Then, I'll banish The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak from my graveyard to add a "The Phantom Knights" card except itself from my deck to my hand!"

Effectively, he'd just dodged his opponent's effect and drawn three cards at the same time.

"And since another "Phantom Knights" card was banished from the graveyard, I can Special Summon Torn Scales from my graveyard!" The armoured warrior surrounded by blue flames appeared on his field.

[The Phantom Knights of Torn Scales (3*/600/1600/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"Torn Scales is banished when it leaves the field," Yuto said, despite both of them knowing how useless those words were. "And since a "The Phantom Knights" monster was Special Summoned to my field, I can Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves from my hand!" Another knight appeared—though this one had blue flames coming from under his helmet, as opposed to Torn Scales, whose flames mainly surrounded the non-existent bottom half of its body.

[The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves (3*/1200/600/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"I'll overlay the Level 3 Torn Scales and Stained Greaves!" He might have wasted Break Sword, but… it wasn't really that big of a deal, all things considered. "Thin shields rise. A battalion of soldiers charges across the battlefield. Xyz Summon—Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Jagged Chainmail!" The glowing knight holding onto two shields appeared.

[The Phantom Knights of Jagged Chainmail (R3/1000/2000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

"I will detach one of Jagged Chainmail's Overlay Units to set a "Phantom Knights" Spell or Trap from my deck! If it's a Quickplay Spell or a Trap, I can activate it this turn!" A single set card appeared on his field, surrounded by blue wisps.

[The Phantom Knights of Jagged Chainmail: OU:2 - 1 = OU:1]

"Then, with the effect of The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, I can banish it from the graveyard to add a "Phantom Knights" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand—the Spell Card, Phantom Knights' Battalion Charge." He played the card immediately. "Once per turn, when I control a DARK Xyz Monster, I can Special Summon a "The Phantom Knights" monster from my deck. I can also send a "Phantom Knights" Spell or Trap from my deck to the graveyard! Come—The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm!" A silver helmet attached to two metal gauntlets appeared, blue fire burning from within the helmet.

[The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm (4*/1500/500/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"I'll then activate the card that I just set with Jagged Chainmail's effect—The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine! I Special Summon it as a monster!" A dark, spherical piece of armour appeared on the field next to Cloven Helm.

[The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine (4*/0/300/DARK/Warrior)]

"You activated a Trap, so the Eldonia I discarded comes back!" The bulbous monster appeared again, and Yuto grimaced. He still wasn't a fan of it.

"Sure," he said. "I'll overlay the Level 4 The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm and the Level 4 The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The dark dragon appeared, letting out an aggressive roar as it stood on his field.

[Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (R4/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

"So that's your ace?" Ryoma looked at Dark Rebellion. "Huh. Pretty cool."

… was that a genuine compliment from this overconfident—

"But not as cool as mine."

There it was. Yuto couldn't use Dark Rebellion's effect on an Xyz Monster anyway, so he simply moved to attack. "Battle Phase! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attacks Paleozoic Anomalocaris! Lightning Disobey of Rebellion!" The purple lightning bolts shot out at the strange, aquatic creature—

"Trap Card, Paleozoic Hallucigenia! I'm gonna halve your monster's attack and defense points until the End Phase!"

"I'll banish Tomb Shield from my graveyard to negate your card's effect!" Yuto gestured forward. Hallucigenia fizzled out—Ryoma's eyes widened.

"When did that card go to the graveyard?" Ryoma exclaimed. Yuto shot him a deadpan look. Nearby, Nue wasn't even bothering to hide her smirk.

"Break Sword's materials went to the graveyard," Yuto said. "It's the same as your cards."

"... well, since a Trap was sent from my Spell and Trap Zone to the graveyard, I can activate Anomalocaris's effect! I can excavate the top card of my deck and add it to my hand if it's a Trap—but otherwise, it goes to the graveyard!" He revealed the card, which was obviously going to be a Trap. He picked it up. "And guess what? You used a Trap, so Olenoides is back too!" Olenoides was a beetle-like creature—or at least, that was the closest comparison that Yuto had. It was bright pinkish purple, and it floated menacingly in the air, curved spikes around its body.

[Paleozoic Olenoides (2*/1200/0/WATER/Aqua)]

Yuto gestured forward. "Dark Rebellion! Finish it off!"

The dragon raised its head, roaring—

And then, with its signature lightning bolts, it struck down the large Xyz Monster, destroying it.

… was this really the first damage that anyone had taken in this duel? And was it really just 100 damage?

Ryoma: 4000 - 100 = 3900LP

"Jagged Chainmail attacks Paleozoic Olenoides!" His other Xyz Monster crushed the Trap Monster, causing it to be banished from the field with its own effect. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

Right now, Yuto controlled Dark Rebellion and Jagged Chainmail—along with his Fog Blade, currently affecting Opabinia. Ryoma controlled the aforementioned Opabinia, along with Eldonia—but neither of those were offensive monsters.

He'd have to see what his opponent did here.

[Turn 6: Ryoma] [H:2]

"Draw!" Ryoma gestured towards his field. "Got it! I'll activate the Field Spell, Wetlands! Listen up, 'cause my card has three conditions for the monsters it affects—they must be WATER Attribute, Aqua-type and Level 2 or lower! Then, in exchange—those monsters gain 1200 attack points!" Eldonia glowed, its attack points shooting up.

[Paleozoic Eldonia: 1200 + 1200 = 2400ATK]

"A Spell," Yuto said, unable to resist the urge to rib him slightly.

"Look, they are just ways to help my Traps," Ryoma said, rolling his eyes. "I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Pikaia!" He discarded another card to draw two cards. From what Yuto remembered, Ryoma hadn't gotten to actually search for any of his cards yet, so he was just trying to draw. "Then, I'll Special Summon Pikaia from the graveyard!"

He still had two set cards...

"I'll activate the Trap Card, Jar of Greed! I can draw one card!" Canadia reappeared on the field next to Pikaia as well, clearly summoned by its own effect. "Then, I'll activate the Trap Card, Trap Trick!"

Yuto shot Nue a look.

"It works well with his deck," Nue said with a shrug. "Maybe if you want, I can give you a copy too in the future."

"I'll banish my second copy of Jar of Greed from the deck to set a third copy. I can use it this turn, but I can only use one Trap for the rest of this turn!"

Yuto stared. This guy ran three Jar of Greed and was giving him a hard time? This guy had used Nue's card, which searched for any Trap, and had chosen Jar of Greed without any irony? He was beginning to doubt what he was supposed to learn from this duel at all, to be honest...

Was Nue just making fun of both of them?

With Trap Trick's activation, one copy of Hallucigenia reappeared on the field, and as Ryoma used the new copy of Jar of Greed, the second copy appeared as well. As such, his Main Monster Zones were completely filled up with monsters.

[Paleozoic Pikaia: 1200 + 1200 = 2400ATK]

[Paleozoic Canadia: 1200 + 1200 = 2400ATK]

[Paleozoic Hallucigenia (x2): 1200 + 1200 = 2400ATK]

"I assume that you have a way to raise their attack points further?"

"You got it." Ryoma placed down a card from his hand—which was revealed to be a Spell, much to Yuto's surprise. Shocker. His opponent actually ran more Spells. "Continuous Spell, Solidarity! I only have one Type of monster in my graveyard—in fact, I have only one monster in my graveyard, my Paleozoic Anomalocaris! So with Solidarity's effect, all monsters that have the same Type as Anomalocaris gain 800 attack points!"

[Paleozoic Opabinia: 0 + 800 = 800ATK]

[Paleozoic Pikaia: 2400 + 800 = 3200ATK]

[Paleozoic Canadia: 2400 + 800 = 3200ATK]

[Paleozoic Hallucigenia (x2): 2400 + 800 = 3200ATK]

[Paleozoic Eldonia: 2400 + 800 = 3200ATK]

"I'll set one card facedown. Paleozoic Pikaia attacks Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

"Continuous Trap, Phantom Knights' Sword," Yuto countered. "I'll target Dark Rebellion, and it gains 800 attack points!" His dragon glowed, before its attack points shot up—once again, just slightly higher than his opponent's.

[Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: 2500 + 800 = 3300ATK]

Ryoma grimaced—and Dark Rebellion counterattacked, crushing Pikaia with its fangs and banishing it.

Ryoma: 3900 - 100 = 3800LP

"Damn it," he muttered. "I'll end my turn for now…"

"Not attacking Jagged Chainmail?" Yuto asked, thinking about something else in his graveyard.

Ryoma scoffed. "Clearly a trap."

Well, not really. No matter what Ryoma did there, Yuto would benefit. Still, if his opponent was so cautious that it had caused him to misplay, then Yuto wasn't going to complain.

[Turn 7: Yuto] [H:1]

"Draw!" Yuto picked up the top card of his deck, before he shrugged. That would do. One of them had to succeed in an offensive push, and Yuto was definitely not going to let his opponent be the one to do that. "I'll detach an Overlay Unit from Jagged Chainmail to set another card from my deck."

[The Phantom Knights of Jagged Chainmail: OU:1 - 1 = OU:0]

"I'll set The Phantom Knights of Mist Claws from my deck and activate it!" The Trap flipped over. "I can add a banished "Phantom Knights" monster to my hand!" He picked up Silent Boots. Canadia floated back onto the field with the activation of that card. "I'll then activate the Spell Card, Xyz Gift! I'll detach both of Dark Rebellion's Overlay Units to draw two cards!"

After all, Dark Rebellion's effects wouldn't work against the low-Level monsters.

[Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OU:2 - 2 = OU:0]

"What?" Ryoma's eyes widened. "Wait, do your monsters have effects that don't need materials?"

Yuto shrugged, not wanting to admit that his opponent's playstyle had countered his own—after all, he'd already compensated for it. "Battle Phase! Dark Rebellion attacks Paleozoic Hallucigenia!"

Dark Rebellion struck down yet another monster, causing it to be banished… pretty much exactly what it had done on the last turn. His opponent took another sliver of damage.

Ryoma: 3800 - 100 = 3700LP

"I'll banish Cloven Helm from the graveyard. I can add a "Phantom Knights" card from my deck to my hand during the end of my turn—which is now. I set a card and end my turn."

At this moment, another voice entered the conversation, sounding both amused and exasperated. "Please don't tell me this is how every turn has been going so far."

"Sadly, it is," Nue said, turning to the newcomer with a shrug. "I hoped that they would both learn something from dueling each other, but while I'm pretty sure that they still will, the process is…" She pursed her lips. "... agonising. If I wasn't the one that prompted this duel, I would already have left."

"... come now, that's just hilarious. What turn are we on?"

"Ryoma's about to take the next one. It's going to be the eighth turn."

"Really, now." Rui "Vector" Shingetsu turned to look at them, a smirk on his face. His bright orange hair was windswept—he must have been going on a run around the school before he'd seen them and come over, especially considering that he was wearing loose slacks and that he wasn't holding onto anything, not even a duel disk—he just had a towel slung over his neck. At least, that was what Yuto was assuming, considering the little that he knew about the other boy. Vector was a year older than him, in the same year as Nue at Diamond Branch, and he was pretty much one of the only two friends that Nue had made in her first year at the school, before she'd become known as the school's strongest duelist. Nue had never explained how the two of them had met, but they'd become close rather quickly. He was a pretty capable duelist in his own right, but he also had a reputation for… well, having the shortest attention span known to man. He tended to move from one interest to another, picking up hobbies and throwing them away as fast as he could.

(Yuto still had a pair of gloves in the back of his wardrobe from the time that Vector had taken up knitting. That was definitely something that no one was ever going to bring up again—nope, nope.)

Yuto didn't know where the nickname 'Vector' had come from either, but at this point, he was a bit scared to ask—almost everyone called the other boy Vector. Regardless, Vector wasn't exactly the worst person to be around… and Nue seemed to genuinely enjoy hanging out with him, though Yuto had no clue why.

"The eighth turn, and there's been a total of three hundred damage dealt. Do you plan to be here until you both deck out?" Vector grinned—it was that friendly grin again, the one that made him look completely harmless but was completely at odds with his words. "That's a struggle I'd like to see."

Nue elbowed him. "Don't you normally run with Alito and Sou-san?"

"Ah, but I'd totally ditch them. This is far more entertaining." Vector turned to Ryoma. "Well, bug boy? Floor's yours, let's see if we can deal two hundred damage now, shall we?"

Ryoma raised his middle finger at the older boy, but he did pick up his next card.

[Turn 8: Ryoma] [H:2]

"Draw!" Ryoma glanced at his hand, and then he looked at his field. "... okay. Trap Card, Dust Tornado!" With its effect, Yuto's Fog Blade was immediately blown away, freeing Opabinia from its confines. Marrella floated back onto the field, fitting into the space that had just recently been forcibly vacated through lightning. "Paleozoic Opabinia's effect! I'll detach an Overlay Unit to add a "Paleozoic" Trap Card from my deck to my hand!"

With a perfect poker face, Yuto flipped up his new set card—

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me," Ryoma muttered.

"Trap Card, Phantom Knights' Fog Blade," Yuto said. "I'll target Opabinia. Its effects are negated, and it cannot attack or be attacked!"

[Paleozoic Opabinia: OU:1 - 1 = OU:0]

Ryoma stared at the fog that had resurfaced on his field. He looked torn between sheer disbelief and annoyance.

"... it's a really good card," Yuto said defensively.

That seemed to snap his opponent out of it, at least. "I'll set a card and end my turn," he gritted out. Nearby, Nue turned to Vector, gesturing with a hand—the orange-haired boy laughed, clearly entertained by the absolute lack of progress in the duel.

[Turn 9: Yuto] [H:4]

"Draw!" Yuto glanced at the new card in his hand. Huh. Alright then. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Twin Twisters! I'll discard a card to destroy Wetlands and Solidarity!"

And without both cards, his opponent's monsters would lose all the attack points that they had gained.

"Grr… I'll activate the Trap Card, Paleozoic Dinomischus!" Ryoma responded with his only set card. "I'll discard a card to target a face-up card on the field and banish it! I'll target Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

"Sorry," Yuto said, revealing a card from his graveyard—the very card he'd just discarded. "I thought you'd do that. The effect of the Spell Card, Phantom Knights' Spear. By banishing it from the graveyard, I will negate the effect of that card, destroy it and inflict 100 damage to you!" Dinomischus exploded, and Ryoma narrowed his eyes, even as the small shockwave lowered his life points.

Ryoma: 3700 - 100 = 3600LP

"Oh, great," Vector drawled. "Just thirty-six more turns, then."

Both of Ryoma's Spells were destroyed by the sharp winds. As such, the monsters on the field that had previously been such a threat had been weakened, returning to their original state.

Yuto just had to attack with all his force now.

"I'll Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves!" Another of his monsters appeared on the field.

[The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves (3*/1000/500/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"I'll then Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my hand—and I'll overlay the Level 3 Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots! Phantoms hide within the shadows, tormenting the cruel minds. Appear now, tortured maiden! Xyz Summon—Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Tortured Chains!" His only female monster appeared, swinging her chains through the air wildly.

[The Phantom Knights of Tortured Chains (R3/1700/1000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect) (OU:2)]

"When Tortured Chains is Xyz Summoned, I can add a "Phantom Knights" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand. And since Ragged Gloves was used as Xyz Material for Tortured Chains, Tortured Chains gains 1000 attack points!"

[The Phantom Knights of Tortured Chains: 1700 + 1000 = 2700ATK]

"Hold up, that's…" Ryoma raised his fingers. "My monsters have 1200 attack points, so if Tortured Chains attacks, then Dark Rebellion attacks…"

"That's a total of 3600 damage, even without Jagged Chainmail," Yuto confirmed. "Let's finish this match. The Phantom Knights of Tortured Chains attacks Paleozoic Eldonia, and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attacks Paleozoic Canadia!"

His two monsters lashed out, and in an instant—

He brought the duel to a close.

Ryoma: 3600 - 1500 - 2100 = 0LP

Winner: Yuto Kamisoka!

He breathed out—that had been exhausting to think through. Was this what his opponents felt like when they dueled him?

Still…

He thought that he might have understood what Nue wanted him to learn, just a little. It was pacing—and also, just plain patience. He'd won just from his opponent's wariness and general paranoia, but it had taken some time.

… but did he have to suffer through a duel like that just to learn? Couldn't she have just told him?

It was at that moment that he noticed Vector looking at him. He had a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Is there a problem?" Yuto asked, genuinely confused.

Vector whirled around, jabbing a finger towards Nue. "You didn't tell me that your brother's vibe was this different from yours!"

"He's pretty different, isn't he?" Nue's tone, at the very least, was recognisable—it was pride.

Nearby, Ryoma was clearly annoyed at his loss. Yuto stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"It could have gone either way," he said. "Nice duel."

"... nice duel." Ryoma shook his hand, his mood seeming to lift slightly. "I'll kick your ass next time."

Before Yuto could say anything to that, Vector was suddenly in his personal space, slinging his arm over Yuto's shoulders. "So, mini-emo, has your sis shown you the ruin yet?"

"Rui," Nue muttered, shaking her head. (She was one of the only exceptions to the 'Vector' rule.) "Come on."

Yuto pushed Vector off him. "Uh, no?"

"Well, that won't do! Come on, I know you must be oh so curious about this one!" Vector bounced towards the underground passage, still grinning. "It's nice and creepy and bloody and pretty much the best!" He entered, and with a slightly confused look, Yuto followed him. Seeming resigned to it, Nue followed as well, and that meant that Ryoma joined them.


And so, the four of them made their way underground.

It was a not-so-secret fun fact that Heartland Duel School's different locations were built in proximity to the ruins that had been discovered. This included its three branches, admin office, and so on. This entrance, supposedly, led to several interconnected ruins, though they could be considered a single ruin because of the small, claustrophobic tunnels that led between them. Supposedly, every ruin was interconnected, though some of the passages were harder to find.

The first mural in the ruin showed a tall man standing in the middle of a labyrinth, inscriptions scribbled on walls behind him. It was rough, carved into the rock. The man seemed to be… cackling. Next to it, there were strange dots that formed symbols.

"This is ruin number sixty-five," Vector explained cheerfully. "Dr. Arclight's classified it as the ruin of the Split-Decision Judge. So, once upon a time—" He gestured to the ruin. The small lanterns in the ruin cast strange shadows on his face. "There was once a young king that lived on an island and ruled over all the people there. He was known to be just and righteous—the innocent, he pardoned without deliberation, and the guilty, he killed without guilt. He constructed his castle at the top of a mountain that most considered unclimbable." His voice had taken on a dramatic tone now, one that made the story far more creepy. "And he said that if anyone wished to get to him and claim his riches, they had to brave the labyrinth within the mountain—one that led all the way up to his castle."

As they walked, they got to the next mural—people fleeing from a cave entrance, even as something dark lingered within the cave, barely casting a shadow out of it.

"But the first few to challenge it came out terrified—that is, if they even managed to escape at all," Vector said ominously. "They claimed that they had seen something inside the labyrinth—something that followed them. Something with lumbering footsteps and sharp metal embedded in its skin. Something inhuman. 'The Beast,' they called it. 'There's a mad beast in the labyrinth!' When they asked the king, the king simply said that the labyrinth itself was something created to store true madness. In the labyrinth, all was revealed. Anyone who got to the top would still be rewarded."

The next mural showed a man walking into the cave as the king watched from the peak of the mountain.

"As such, a knight decided to take up his challenge. He entered the labyrinth, and despite its confusing, mind-warping corridors, he made his way through in one simple way—he tied one end of a long piece of thread to a spike at the entrance to the cave, and tied the other around his wrist. Thus, he could see if he had already entered the labyrinth before—and he knew how to go back."

The next mural was the man standing before a dark, writhing figure.

"And then, the knight met the Beast," Vector said. "The Beast was tall and large, and monstrous, sharp protrusions came forth from its body. The knight was terrified—every part of him longed to run at the sight. And yet, he raised his sword and prepared to fight. 'Oh, beast of madness,' he said. 'If you are to guard the riches of the king, know that I shall defeat you, and avenge those that you have destroyed.' And he knew that the Beast watched him, even as he could not see the Beast's face. Still, the Beast did not step away, and the knight could only step forward. He raised his sword and struck at the Beast's face."

The next mural was the knight recoiling from the monster, even as shadows emerged from the monster's face—and two eyes stared out from it.

"It was unthinkable," Vector recited. "But the Beast raised its head. It had no face, but as it looked at the knight, the knight saw every creature that he had ever killed—and every villain that had perished by his blade. He stumbled back. And the Beast drew itself up to its full height. The knight saw something, then. Shining from the dark abyss of the creature's chest, a golden crest made itself seen. The knight had seen this crest before, but only on one person—and then, the creature's regal posture confirmed his suspicions."

Yuto held his breath—the story was genuinely gripping him. If Vector was one thing, he was a good storyteller.

"And so the knight cried out. 'You unjust king!' He said. 'You challenge your people, and then you make them face the impossible! You are not a king of justice, you are a beast of madness!'"

They came to the final mural—one that covered an entire wall, which was thrice Yuto's height. Here, the knight was pinned to the ground by shadows, as a creature that both resembled the king and the beast stood next to him.

Vector recited the last words of the tale.


"Justice," the Beast who was also a King said. "You claim, then, that I am not justice, but then, what are you?"

"You are a liar," the Knight said. "You never intended for others to claim your fortune."

"Where have I lied?" The King asked. "I said that my labyrinth exposed truth and madness. It only returns what it sees."

"And I am here," the Beast said, "simply to reflect you."

"Yes, I am madness," the King said.

"Yes, I am truth," the Beast said, and they were the same. And the Knight saw in the King and the Beast something that he could only call himself, and he could only tremble.

"The Beast is my emotion and my sense of justice," the King said. "For by locking it away, I do not lose it."

"The King is what this world needs," the Beast said. "For there is no judgement that is just when man is ruled by emotion."

"You entered my labyrinth with greed." The King and the Beast spoke. "Because only the mad can see the truth. Only by storing away that which we call truth—morals, heart, internal goodness—can we judge fairly. And you, who longed for my riches, who have stepped in here hoping for fame and glory—you are not as mad as I, but you are just as blinded as the rest. Tell the rest the truth if you wish, but they who blind themselves will not believe you. They will simply enter—and they will reject the truth, just as you have."

The Knight stumbled back.

"No man shall claim my riches, for to conquer this labyrinth, you must judge as I do. And so long as one is human, there is no hope that one shall ever be able to judge. Go, holy man, but you will never forget this day—for it is impossible to forget the evils of one's mind when one faces it."

In that moment, the Knight saw his own face, when the creature looked at him. He fled immediately, following his thread—a thread that he had hoped to be his salvation, but was no longer so. Instead, it now became a line that rewarded him of his cowardice. In his salvation, he was forced to live on—in his desperation, he had left himself no excuse but to live with his own greed, to know that he had no better reason than his greed.

And the King returned to his castle.

The story says that someday, the King shall truly find someone worthy, and yet they shall be unable to claim the treasure anyway. For if the King is to favour a man over others, has his judgement not too lapsed?


In the present:

"God, Rui," Nue said fondly as they reminisced. "He basically memorised all of the different stories, if you can believe it. And he was so happy when Thomas actually convinced his dad to give him one of the Numbers—you know, the ones that they were making—"

Yuto nodded. He knew about the Numbers—that series of cards that Dr. Arclight and Dr. Tenjo had begun making based on all the different myths in the ruins below. He didn't have any personally, and Ruri and Shun didn't have any either. Most of them had still been in production when the invasion had started though, and the only ones created beforehand had been distributed specifically to their children and their children's friends.

"They'll be safe," Yuto said—an attempt at comfort.

"Obviously," Nue said, as though she'd never considered any other option. (But Yuto knew that the thought had likely kept her up at night.) "If there's one thing I can trust that guy to do, it's to keep them all alive and to stop them from making stupid mistakes."

"Still, will you be fine?"

"... why wouldn't I be fine? I'm seeing my friends again."

"Because you'll probably have to manage more things?" Yuto shrugged. "I mean, back before we left Xyz, those guys pretty much stuck to themselves—you led them as a squad. They might expect you to do the same. And if you have to negotiate on behalf of the Lancers as well…"

"It'll work out," Nue said, cutting him off. "I'll make it work out."

And, looking at her, Yuto knew that he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise.

"If you need to talk…"

"Focus more on Ruri first," Nue said. "I have a feeling that once she goes home… she'll be struggling more than any of us."

"You don't have to tell me to focus on Ruri," Yuto said, because he would always be doing that. Nue seemed to get the implication, because she smiled—a rare smile that didn't hold any trace of amusement in it.

"I guess not. You've always been a good boyfriend when it counts. That part, I was never worried about."

It was honest praise—and maybe that was why it hit him rather hard.

"But you have to take care of yourself and Shun too," Yuto said.

Nue tugged at the collar of her jacket, shrugging. Her dark eyes were looking out of the window. "Don't worry," she said. "It's taken too long for him to come to his senses. I'm not letting him slip, as long as I'm here."

"Nue," Yuto said. "I was wondering… they completed all of the Numbers before we left, right? And you're Kaito's best friend. So…"

"You can just ask," Nue said, cracking a smile. She reached into her duel disk, plucking out a card and flipping it over—

Yuto had never seen it before. He had never seen her use it.

What was that? He couldn't even make out the form of the monster—the art was strange.

"If you want to know, you can ask Rui for the myth," Nue said with a shrug. "It's too difficult for me to bring out with my deck though, so I never bothered. You probably won't see me use it during this war—too impractical." She slid it back into her Extra Deck. "Maybe there's a Warrior or a DARK monster left… we can ask Dr. Tenjo, when we get back."

"... okay," Yuto said. "I don't think I've said it yet, but… thanks for coming all the way out here with us, nee-san. I know…"

The words were stuck in his throat.

"I know it was a hard choice for you," he finished.

Nue looked at him, before she looked away. "... don't worry about it," she said. "Anything for you."

Yuto waited, but she didn't say the specific words that he thought that she might say. Eventually, he walked back to the kitchen, grabbing a cup of water for himself as well.

she didn't say 'it's fine'.

it'll have to be.

Everyone finally returned to the room. And then…

They were all finally off.


Once upon a time, you made me a promise. That when the world went mad, you would help my eyes to find the truth again. That I would never be lost in it when you were there.

But there was something that I failed to understand, back then.

This whole world is mad.

And us… aren't we the clearest sign of that? One mad with fury, one mad with misery, one mad with grief and one mad with guilt.

It's about time to atone for these sins. Both theirs and ours.


OC Cards:

The Phantom Knights of Jagged Chainmail

(R3/1000/2000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect)

2 Level 3 monsters

This card cannot be destroyed by card effects. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; Set 1 "Phantom Knights" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your field, and if it is a Trap or a Quickplay Spell, it can be activated this turn. If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 "Phantom Knights" card from your GY to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "The Phantom Knights of Jagged Chainmail" once per turn.

Phantom Knights' Battalion Charge

(Spell)

If you control a DARK Xyz Monster that was Xyz Summoned this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "The Phantom Knights" monster from your Deck, and if you do, send 1 "Phantom Knights" Spell/Trap from your Deck to the GY. You can only activate "Phantom Knights' Battalion Charge" once per turn.

The Phantom Knights of Tortured Chains

(R3/1700/1000/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/Effect)

2 Level 3 DARK monsters

If this card is Xyz Summoned: You can add 1 "Phantom Knights" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. If a card you control is destroyed: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; send 1 "Phantom Knights" card from your Deck to the GY. You can only activate each effect of "The Phantom Knights of Tortured Chains" once per turn.


Different Card Effects from TCG:

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon - Anime effect.

Phantom Knights' Spear - Anime effect.


End Notes:

The funny part about Yuto and Nue is that in case it's not apparent, their positioning in Heartland's social circles specifically references the Tsukumos, and it's not even subtle. As such, Nue's relationship to Kaito and the Arclights is what I imagine the relationships of those three families would have been like if, you know, two of them hadn't been yeeted into a portal in space.

Also, having to write pre-Synchro Yuto again hurt my brain, because that means playing the bad Phantom Knights. Still, it allows for one of the most horrible duels I've ever written in my life—not quality-wise, but just in terms of sheer 'why did I do this to myself'. When your outline has two consecutive lines of "set 5 pass" you know there's a problem. I hope you were all as exasperated as I was.

"God, Nue, why do half the boys I meet have a thing for you?" This is a joke that predates the entire fic. In 2018 or so, when I was planning a different fic that I never published, it was a running joke that half the Xyz guys had a crush on Nue at some point in the past after losing to her, even if that was mostly just a short-term thing and they did end up with other characters (and she did end up with Shun in that fic.) That running joke was entirely inspired by how all of Yuma's friendships in ZEXAL come from him beating the shit out of someone who seems antagonistic in a duel.

It's been so long since I could write actual descriptions for new cards. Oh my god. I mean, my policy has always been that a card gets as much description as it needs when it first appears, and then I take it for granted that you'll get the general idea with shorter descriptions later on, but I've missed being able to describe whole new archetypes! :)

Because of the existence of Ray Akaba, giving Vector the name 'Rei Shingetsu' would have clashed a bit—even if I wrote them differently, the meaning would have been the same. Thus, Rui, aka "flowing light". But yes, to clarify, Rui Shingetsu is 6ARC's version of Vector, just with his name stylised. Of course, since Barian lore doesn't exist in this story… he's just a bit different, yeah? :D

I think the fact that I was going to use Diamond Branch as my main way to bring back ZEXAL characters was already pretty obvious to most people.

For context on the misplay, Nue has used Rafflesia and Trap Hole of Spikes together so much that it's traumatised anyone that's ever dueled against her. Plus, I have to make pre-canon Xyz characters a bit more flawed in dueling.

Fun fact, Djinn Buster's myth, since it's not technically different from the other Numbers, is not particularly different from the rest—it's just a myth in universe. Out of universe, it's just a narrative that's heavily based on the Minotaur myth and… one other Greek myth. Definitely no symbolism here.

Believe it or not, I have a myth written for every single one of the hundred Numbers in this universe, just because it was a good way to break writer's block. Maybe someday I'll just stuff them all in one oneshot and put it out there, if anyone wants to read all the headcanons I have for those myths. The difference in capitalisation between Vector's dialogue and the italicised portion is intentional—the second version is the 'official' one, whereas the dialogue uses Vector's emphasis on words, etc.

I'll be open and say that 'Sou-san' refers to Souhachi Kiraku, aka Girag, since I'm guessing that his original name isn't really that well known.

Thanks to CruelDiamond422 for pointing out the ruling mistake I made with the Paleozoics. I have scrubbed through the entire duel to fix it :D You don't need to be worried about telling me about mistakes in duels, btw! It might take me a while sometimes, but I do fix them once I find them.

Review responses!

To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, thanks for the support and for your review!

To phantomdragons, there's a lot of good theorising there! Glad to see you're having fun too :) You're correct about what 'Melia' means. We'll be getting to see those decks... eventually. :)

To MochiYoshi, I'm not sure what you mean! Six Dimensions has never been depressing or painful for a day in its life. Look at all my smiley faces! :)

To Findarato, I probably won't be answering any questions about the Ritual Arc until this arc is almost done. :)

To Bryz0n, no worries, I'll take care. It should be... mostly smooth-sailing, now that 83 is out of the way! :D I will say that I have a soft spot for Daitokuji, though for now, I won't be divulging exactly what I'm doing with him.

To T.V. 2000, thanks for the review! What you're saying is... pretty valid. :) And you'll definitely get more answers on those things eventually. :)

Alright! Chapter 85's first draft is already done, but the duels need to be checked through again, so that'll take a while. Still, see you next time!