Starting Notes:

Welcome back! Originally, this chapter and the previous chapter were one and the same, but I decided to split them up for more dramatic effect :D As a result, this is relatively speaking, a pretty short chapter. (And by that I mean, a reasonable length for once.) It's also a pretty duel-focused chapter, as you might expect. :) Enjoy!


Chapter 88: Dark Lightning, Hidden Tempest

Sora had always been a secret keeper, but only for a single person. Back when they had barely made their way out of their hometown and found some kind of sanctuary, the small orphanage that had housed them had put them in the same room, presumably to save space.

They had not slept well back then. It was only then that Sora had actually first learned about Shino's narcolepsy—his cousin's stiffness when asked if she needed any medication or allowances had set him on edge. At the same time, back then, she still hadn't become the sweet and gentle person that she would be known for—she was still this unnaturally empty figure.

And yet…

Sharing a room with Shino meant one thing. He heard her cry sometimes—though she might not have been aware of it. She dreamed so much—perhaps nightmares, from the way that she sobbed, even screamed, from her dreams. And sometimes, the words that she spoke in her sleep…

"They're there, they're there, they're going to claw me open—"

"It hurts, it hurts…"

"I don't want to know this…"

"Why am I still here?"

"Don't get close to me."

In the end, Shino took to throwing a blanket over her face as she slept so that she wouldn't disturb him, and that kept her silent, but he still saw her moving sometimes.

It would be something that he would wonder about for most of their childhood, before they ended up at Academia and he became so busy with trying to get stronger that it slipped his mind. What kinds of dreams could be so horrible—and repeat so often, practically every night? What was she dreaming of? And more importantly, what had caused them? People didn't just have horrible nightmares out of nowhere.

He should have asked her about them. Maybe he would have understood her better. Maybe…

Maybe things would have been different.

"What are you thinking about?" Sawatari asked as the two of them trudged through Heartland together.

Sora blinked. "Oh, uh…" There was no way that he could explain what he had actually been thinking of, so he came up with something on the spot. "Just thinking about the time that Edo Phoenix asked me to be his second lieutenant."

"… what?" Sawatari exclaimed. "What—when?"

"Well, I never liked him," Sora said, waving a hand. "Not to mention that sister of his, who I never met but was apparently going to be first lieutenant here. Come to think of it, that's probably who Kurosaki was talking about, when he talked about someone helping the Commander-in-Chief out! Said that if I wanted, when I could be deployed out of Academia, he wanted me to join him. I told him no, though."

"Why not? I mean, it's good, but…"

"Just didn't wanna," Sora hedged. "But yeah, he did ask." In reality, he'd just thought that spy work would be way less complicated, and he'd wanted an easy role in the war.

… thinking back, he had been so wrong that it was laughable.

Sawatari smirked. "Maybe if you'd gone with him, you'd be a pain in his side instead of ours. I—ah!" He tripped over his own feet, and Sora watched him gracelessly topple to the ground, stifling a laugh.

However, when Sawatari looked up, there was a look of alarm on his face. Sora felt his smile die abruptly.

"H-hey." Sawatari lifted up two cards from the ground. "I don't think…"

Sora knew what the cards were before even looking at them. Still… "Why would a member of Academia card someone without bringing the cards back?" He muttered. "That doesn't make any sense…"

Why did he suddenly feel so uneasy? As though something terrible was about to happen?

"Sora," Sawatari said, gesturing upwards. "... is it about to rain?"


"You're the ninja, aren't you?"

Tsukikage, who had been busy searching for the rest of his comrades, felt the hair on his neck rise up as he tensed up. At the dojo, they were trained to observe their surroundings carefully, to identify any possible complications in the area—and Tsukikage and Hikage had both been considered their dojo's best, the most skilled at espionage and reconnaissance.

So, for someone to get this close without him noticing…

He turned his head. A black-haired girl was standing there, watching him—the mask over her eyes was darker in the middle, the red shade being dark and sanguine. She seemed around the same age as him—conventionally pretty and demure in appearance, but the fact that she didn't have wildly colourful or bright hair and that she was wearing pretty neutral colours with that long brown cloak around her shoulders made her… less easy to spot than most others.

Still, she was unmistakably an enemy. He could sense her intentions.

She… didn't seem that remarkable, in terms of strength?

"Tsukikage Fuuma," the girl elaborated. "Right? You fit the profile we were sent."

Tsukikage stared at her. "... it's polite to give an opponent your name, even if you are enemies," he said.

"Good job recognising that we are enemies." The girl took a step forward carefully, her eyes still trained on him. The solid-coloured eyes were very eerie—the fact that Tsukikage couldn't see her sclera or irises made her far more difficult to read. "But I suppose that you're right—I've been impolite." Her tone, however, was razor sharp, in contrast to her words. "First Lieutenant of the Heartland Occupation Force, Eri Phoenix. Or, I suppose official documents refer to me as the lieutenant commander, but that makes it sound like I'm on the same rank as our Commander-in-Chief, so I don't like using it."

"... and you're aiming to duel me now?"

"... I was looking for someone," Eri said distantly. "But we've always said that before we do anything for individuals, we do it for our purpose. So." She raised her duel disk. "I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't get rid of one of the Lancers' most flexible assets."

Tsukikage raised his own duel disk in return.

"Good." Eri eyed him. "... I do not apologise."

[DUEL!]

Eri Phoenix: 4000LP

Tsukikage Fuuma: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Tsukikage] [H:5]

Tsukikage swept up the top five cards of his deck. "I'll Normal Summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo!" A ninja in black clothes appeared, armour with silver edges surrounding most parts of his body.

[Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo (4*/1800/1000/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

"Hanzo's effect. When Normal Summoned, I can add a "Ninjitsu Art" card from my deck to my hand." Tsukikage glanced at his deck, before calmly pulling out a specific card. "I'll add the Trap Card, Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves from my deck to my hand. And then, I will Special Summon Mitsu the Insect Ninja from my hand, since I control a "Ninja" monster!" A dark-haired woman appeared on the field, accents of gold in her clothing as she smirked. Golden mist floated around her as she settled down.

[Mitsu the Insect Ninja (2*/200/2100/WATER/Insect/Effect)]

"I'll set two cards and end my turn!" His set cards should keep his field safe enough…

Eri arched an eyebrow, observing the field, before she reached out for the top card of her deck, looking away from him. "I heard that you knew several summoning methods. What was it? Xyz, Link and that other method, Pendulum?" She glanced at his field. "... I don't see it here. And yet, if you were weak enough that you could not defend yourself like this, you would not have survived as a Lancer anyway. Two monsters that are face-up, which you could have used for a Link Summon, but didn't…"

There was something analytical to her tone, as she seemed to break down his field in her mind.

"Your set cards likely have something to do with it. Well, no use worrying about it." Eri raised her head. "... it's not like I could do anything, even if you have counterplays. I simply have to keep moving forward. And if you think your ninjas are used to working in the shadows, my monsters have never left it."

Tsukikage blinked, far too used to reading intentions beyond words.

Why did it sound like she was talking about something other than her monsters? Something deeper, stranger, something colder in intentions?

[Turn 2: Eri] [H:6]

"Draw." Eri plucked up a card. She lowered her head to study her cards with the lifeless red eyes of her mask. Then, she reached up and brushed her fringe upwards. It fell back down a moment after, but she didn't bother to push it back again. Still, she only continued after a brief moment.

"I'll activate the effect of Genta, Gateman of Dark World in my hand," she said.

Dark World…? Was that the archetype she played?

"I'll send him from my hand to the graveyard, and then I can add a specific Field Spell from my deck to my hand." She flipped it over as she added it to her hand. "I will activate the Field Spell, The Gates of Dark World." Around them, an eerie blue aura emerged—it looked like thick storm clouds, gathering around them. At the same time, there were some purple lightning bolts flying around them, bright flashes of light.

"I will activate the Continuous Spell, Dark World Archives. Then, I will activate the effect of my Field Spell. I will banish a Fiend monster from my graveyard, discard a Fiend monster and draw one card." A dark aura surrounded Eri's hands. "I'll banish Genta from the graveyard. Then, from my hand, I will discard Ceruli, Guru of Dark World to draw one card."

She swiftly cycled out the card from her hand.

"Then, Ceruli's effect." She gestured towards Tsukikage. "It Special Summons itself to your field in Defense Position."

She was giving him a free monster? A dark, grey-skinned demon appeared on Tsukikage's field, dressed in a blue sage's cloak. With one of his long claws, he held up a staff that was the same colour as his lifeless-looking body. It let out a cackle, smirking at Tsukikage.

[Ceruli, Guru of Dark World (1*/100/300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"When I discard a card, Dark World Archives allows me to discard a card and draw two cards," Eri continued, her effects starting a new Chain. "When Ceruli is Special Summoned, the opponent is forced to discard one card."

So she wanted to force him to discard one of the two cards he had left in his hand? Which one would be more useful to keep for the next turn? He eventually picked up a card, before Eri shrugged.

"You've misunderstood. You control Ceruli. Therefore, I have to discard a card."

So she was forcing herself to discard a card?

"I will discard Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World." Eri clenched a fist. "When Grapha is discarded, I can target a card you control and destroy it. I'll choose your Mitsu the Insect Ninja."

"Does it target?" Tsukikage asked stoically.

"Yes."

"Continuous Trap Card, Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves." He had been hoping to save it for later, but… "I will tribute Mitsu to Special Summon a "Ninja" monster from my deck." The female ninja vanished from the field. "Come! White Dragon Ninja!" The tall dark-haired warrior appeared, the white spirit of a dragon curling around him protectively as he glared at Tsukikage's opponent, twisting a shuriken between his fingers.

[White Dragon Ninja (7*/2700/1200/LIGHT/Dragon/Effect)]

"So you dodged it, and Grapha's effect does not continue from there," Eri accepted, seeming unbothered by the interruption. "For Dark World Archives's effect, I discarded Gren, Tactician of Dark World. When discarded, it allows me to destroy a Spell or Trap you control. I'll choose your set card."

Tsukikage raised his head—and shook it. "While I control White Dragon Ninja," he said, "all Spells and Traps I control cannot be destroyed by card effects." The effect dissipated harmlessly against his field.

Eri eyed his set card for a while longer, before she made her next move. "Since I control a "Dark World" card, I can Special Summon Genta from among my banished cards." Another strange demon appeared with the same grey skin, long rope-like black locks of hair emerging from the top of its head and framing its face. It held up an enormous shield in front of its face, staring at Tsukikage.

[Genta, Gateman of Dark World (4*/1000/1800/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Grapha's effect. I'll return a "Dark World" monster from my field to my hand to Special Summon it from the graveyard." The strange fiend vanished as Eri picked up its card—and then, from in front of her, a silver-grey, skeletal dragon appeared, holding up its claws as it let out a loud howl, staring at Tsukikage with feral orange orbs. Its gaze made him feel like something was crawling over his skin—something cold, sinister and terrible.

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (8*/2700/1800/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"... I'll then discard a "Dark World" monster from my hand to activate the effect of Dark World Archives. I'll discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World. And then, all "Dark World" monsters I control gain 100 attack points times the discarded monster's Level." Eri gestured forward. "Broww was Level 3. So Grapha gains 300 attack points."

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World: 2700 + 100 x 3 = 3000ATK]

"Furthermore, while I control my Field Spell, all Fiend monsters gain 300 attack and defense points."

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World: 3000 + 300 = 3300ATK; 1800 + 300 = 2100DEF]

[Ceruli, Guru of Dark World: 100 + 300 = 400ATK; 300 + 300 = 600DEF]

"Then, since Broww was discarded from my hand, I can draw a card." Despite how many cards she had already discarded, Eri still had four cards in her hand. "Battle Phase. Grapha attacks your White Dragon Ninja."

"Continuous Trap, Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation!" Tsukikage countered. "I'll target a "Ninja" monster I control and a monster you control, and by sending both of them to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Dragon, Dinosaur or Sea Serpent monster from my deck with an equal or lower Level than the total Level of the sent monsters! I'll target Hanzo and your Grapha!" Both monsters vanished from the field in an instant. "Come from the deck—Yellow Dragon Ninja!"

A tall, dark-haired man with a beard appeared, dressed in shining copper and gold. Around him, a dragon spirit longer than he was tall emerged, glowing bright gold.

[Yellow Dragon Ninja (8*/3000/1500/WIND/Dinosaur/Effect)]

"... I see," Eri said after a pause. "Main Phase 2. Quickplay Spell, Dark World Accession. I can perform a Fusion Summon of a Fiend Fusion Monster by banishing materials from my field and graveyard—and if it's a "Dark World" Fusion Monster, I can discard cards from my hand as well. I will banish Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World and Gren, Tactician of Dark World from my graveyard."

"Why didn't you use it…" Why didn't she use it to banish her monster while it was still on the field? If that was the case, Tsukikage's Hanzo would still have gone to the graveyard, but his Level would have been far too low for Tsukikage to summon Yellow Dragon Ninja. It would have gotten her another monster to attack with during the Battle Phase, and made Tsukikage lose two cards at once…

"If only my cards worked that way," Eri murmured. "Dark World Accession, despite being a Quickplay Spell, can only be used during the Main Phase." Behind her, the dark portal swirled, bolts of lightning flashing around it. "Dragon that rules over the corrupt land of sinners. Reject purification, reject sanctuary and reject righteousness, and let your unsalvageable soul transform into something even more monstrous! Fusion Summon!"

A pool of darkness formed at her feet.

"Destructive darkness—Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World!"

An enormous dragon appeared from the vortex—even larger than those other dragons that Tsukikage's comrades had summoned, though perhaps it only appeared to be so large because of how intimidating it was. Four dark wings slashed through the air like blades, blocking the sunlight as the dragon flew into the sky. A ghost white head—practically a skull—stared down at her with hollow eyes. Dark draconic limbs heavily swung through the air. This creature had no grace—just a destructive wildness to it, something that longed to consume everything.

[Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World (10*/3200/2300/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"And then, my Field Spell's effect boosts Grapha too."

[Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World: 3200 + 300 = 3500ATK; 2300 + 300 = 2600DEF]

"I will set a monster facedown and end my turn there," Eri said—that was right, she hadn't actually Normal Summoned a monster yet this turn. Still, she was just… leaving him with Yellow Dragon Ninja, White Dragon Ninja and Ceruli on the field? Just like that?

Tsukikage didn't really understand. 800 attack points wasn't a hard gap to cross at all, so why…

He'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

[Turn 3: Tsukikage] [H:2]

"Draw." Tsukikage gestured to the field. "I'll activate the effect of Yellow Dragon Ninja. I'll send a "Ninja" monster and a "Ninjitsu Art" card from my hand or field to the graveyard to destroy two Spells and Traps on the field. I'll send Yellow Dragon Ninja himself and my Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation from my field to the graveyard to destroy your Field Spell and your Continuous Spell!"

Eri eyed him. "... I don't think so," she said. "Pay the cost." His two cards vanished, and then, with the air of a swordswoman ready to strike, she raised her left hand and snapped her fingers once.

Grapha howled.

"When my opponent activates a monster effect, or a Normal Spell or Trap, I can use Grapha's effect," Eri continued. "It's a simple one—Grapha rewrites what your effect says, because in the Dark World, the Dragon God King's word is law. Now, instead of destroying my cards, your effect does only one thing—it forces me to discard a card. Royal Dark Decree!"

Discard.

Shadows shot forth, wrapping around Yellow Dragon Ninja and dragging it to its knees. Amidst the dragon's roar and the yellow winds around the ninja that seemed to become… corrupted, Eri dropped one of the cards from her hand into the graveyard slot.

"I discarded Latinum, Exarch of Dark World," Eri continued. "With its effect, since it was discarded by an opponent's card effect, I can Special Summon it from the graveyard and give a Fiend monster I control 500 attack points." She gestured towards her Continuous Spell, which was glowing. "My Dark World Archives's effect. I will draw two cards and discard one!" So she swiftly refreshed her hand, even as Latinum emerged on the field—a tall, armoured dark figure with two wide wings flapping out sharply behind it. It rested down in Defense Position.

[Latinum, Exarch of Dark World (6*/1500/2400/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"And I discarded Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World. When it's discarded, I can destroy a monster on the field. I will choose White Dragon Ninja, obviously." The white warrior blew up—leaving Tsukikage's field empty, other than the Continuous Trap that was now useless.

She'd wiped out so many of his options in a single move.

Still…

"Spell Card, Ninjitsu Art Notebook of Mystery," Tsukikage said haltingly. "I'll take a "Ninja" monster and a "Ninjitsu Art" Spell or Trap, one from my deck and one from my graveyard, and I'll set both of them to my field. I'll set White Dragon Ninja from the graveyard and Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy from my deck." The two facedown cards appeared on the field. "I'll activate the set Spell Card, Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy. I'll destroy my other Ninjitsu Art cards—so just my Dancing Leaves—to draw two cards." He refilled his hand quickly to three cards. "I will then tribute my facedown White Dragon Ninja to Tribute Summon Twilight Ninja Getsuga, the Shogun!"

The set card dissolved into light, before Tsukikage's ace appeared on the field—wearing purple and blue armour, similar to the general colour scheme of Tsukikage's attire. There was a golden edge to its armour, along with a pair of overlaid crescent moons attached to the front of his black mask. A green cape swept out wide behind him as he swung his thick, silver-tipped spear through the air.

[Twilight Ninja Getsuga, the Shogun (8*/2000/3000/DARK/Warrior/Effect)]

Eri didn't ask the obvious question, so Tsukikage explained with some unease. "Getsuga can be Tribute Summoned with only one monster, if that monster is a "Ninja" monster. Then, I can change him to Defense Position and target two "Ninja" monsters in my graveyard—and I can Special Summon them."

Getsuga lowered his spear, plunging it into the ground, before holding out a hand to each side of himself.

"Return! Yellow Dragon Ninja! Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo!" The two monsters appeared on the field to both sides of Getsuga, both in Attack Position. "Hanzo's effect. When Special Summoned, I can add a "Ninja" monster from my deck to my hand."

He picked up the card, before taking another card from his hand. "Equip Spell, Ninjitsu Art Tool - Iron Digger. I'll give it to Yellow Dragon Ninja, and it gains 500 attack points. And with Iron Digger's effect, once per turn, I can banish a "Ninja" monster from my graveyard, and then, using the iron digger, my monster will carve one of your cards straight out of your field!"

"... I'm going to assume that you mean 'destroy'," Eri said after a brief pause.

"That's correct," Tsukikage said. "It may seem dishonourable to you, but I cannot afford to see what else you can do—I must end this quickly so that I can help as many of my comrades as possible. I'll banish White Dragon Ninja from the graveyard!" The white mist shot up, wrapping around Grapha and destroying it—clearing her field—

Or did it?

"Surely you didn't think that it would be that easy," Eri said. The smoke cleared, but Grapha was still there—though far smaller. It took Tsukikage a moment to realise that it was the original version of Grapha—the Main Deck monster, which subsequently got boosted by her Field Spell.

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World: 2700 + 300 = 3000ATK; 1800 + 300 = 2100DEF]

"Why…"

"When my Fusion Monster leaves the field, he Special Summons the original Grapha from my graveyard or banished cards," Eri explained calmly. "And then, any player who still has a hand discards one card."

So, Tsukikage was forced to discard one of the two cards in his hand, and his opponent calmly discarded a card as well.

For someone who had questioned whether he was a control deck player (when he clearly wasn't, because he'd been taught to play it by attacking and dealing damage, though he could see how his deck could be played that way), this girl hadn't stopped interfering with and benefitting from every move he'd made so far.

However, she didn't activate… any other effects? Despite the fact that she had discarded a card?

She watched him. Tsukikage snapped out of his confusion. He quickly put down the last card in his hand. "Field Spell, Tenchi Kaimei! Then, Yellow Dragon Ninja attacks Grapha! And it still has the 500 attack points from the Equip Spell!"

[Yellow Dragon Ninja: 3000 + 500 = 3500ATK]

Eri shrugged. "Have at it."

The attack hit, destroying her dragon and damaging her, but she really did not seem to care.

Eri: 4000 - 500 = 3500LP

"When my "Ninja" monster inflicts battle damage to my opponent, Tenchi Kaimei lets me destroy a card they control!" Latinum was burned up by flames, leaving just one set monster on the field.

"Hanzo attacks your set monster!"

And the monster flipped over—

"Sangan," Eri said flatly. The famous brown puffball searcher floated around on her field, before Hanzo sliced down with a blade and destroyed it as quickly as it had emerged..

[Sangan (3*/1000/600/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"And when Sangan is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add a monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to my hand, but I cannot activate the effects of cards with that name for the rest of this turn." She picked up a card and flipped it over, revealing a statue of a brown cat, though she didn't say its name. "Are we done?"

Her field was empty of monsters. Meanwhile, Tsukikage had Getsuga in Defense Position along with the monster that she'd given him—Ceruli. Hanzo and Yellow Dragon Ninja, meanwhile, were on his field in Attack Position.

"Not yet," Tsukikage said. "I'll open the circuit of the ninja arts! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two "Ninja" monsters! I'll set Yellow Dragon Ninja and Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo in the Link Markers. Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2—the strategist in the shadows who watches over all, Ninja Grandmaster Saizo!" Another ninja that resembled Tsukikage in the colour scheme of his clothes appeared, jumping across the rubble and landing in the Extra Monster Zone.

[Ninja Grandmaster Saizo (L2/2000/LIGHT/Warrior/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]

"First, Saizo's effect. I'll directly set a "Ninjitsu Art" Spell or Trap from my deck!" A single set card appeared on the field. "Then, Iron Digger's effect. I can Special Summon a banished "Ninja" monster in facedown Defense Position, like my White Dragon Ninja." Another monster joined his field. "And since Saizo points to a monster, it cannot be targeted by battle or card effects. I'll end my turn."

[Turn 4: Eri] [H:3]

"Draw," Eri said. "I'll activate the Spell Card, Allure of Darkness. I will draw two cards and banish a DARK monster from my hand. Then, I'll activate the effect of Genta, amongst my banished cards. It returns back to my field." The dark demon reappeared on her field. "I'll activate the original Grapha's effect. I will return Genta to my hand to Special Summon it from the graveyard."

The enormous dragon resurfaced again.

"I'll then activate the effect of my Field Spell. I'll banish my Fusion Monster from the graveyard to discard a Fiend monster and draw another one." She had clearly discarded Genta. "Dark World Archives lets me draw two cards and discard one—and Brrow lets me draw another card, since it was discarded. I'll then activate the effect of the Quickplay Spell, Dark World Puppetry in my graveyard. By banishing it from the graveyard, except on the turn that I discarded it—"

She must have discarded it last turn then—that must have been the card that had suspiciously not had an effect when Grapha had gone to the graveyard. (If there was one thing that Tsukikage could do, it was pick up on small details like that.)

"I'll add a banished "Dark World" monster to my hand. I'll choose my Fusion Monster—so it returns to the Extra Deck."

So, she was just going to…

"I'll then activate the effect of my Dark World Accession in the graveyard. During the Main Phase, I can add it back to my hand—and then, I can discard a card." She revealed the card. "Reign-Beaux, Overking of Dark World. With its effect, I will add a Level 5 or higher "Dark World" monster from my deck to my hand."

Tsukikage watched, slightly tense.

"I'll activate the Spell Card, Dark World Accession," Eri declared, looking just as stoic as before. "I will banish Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World from my field and Genta, Gateman of Dark World from my graveyard again. Return to the field, Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World!" The evolved version of the dragon descended again, its wings whipping through the air and summoning up a dark storm.

And she had six cards in hand.

"Next," Eri said, "I'll activate the effect of Zalamander Catalyzer in my hand." The name was all hard syllables, and so distinctly nothing like the rest of her monsters that Tsukikage took note of it. "I'll reveal it and another Fiend monster, and then I can discard one of the monsters and Special Summon the other. I will reveal Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World—and discard Beiige to Special Summon Catalyzer." A spirit of fire emerged, dressed in dark purple robes like those of a reaper. The robes were expensive and the hem seemed to be made of pure gold, and yet the fabric still floated in the updraft caused by the flames. In one hand, the robed figure held onto a long and old wooden torch—in the other, a dark spellbook.

[Zalamander Catalyzer (4*/1600/200/FIRE/Fiend/Effect)]

"And when Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World is discarded, it returns to my field." Another one of the strange, grey-skinned demons appeared—sunken eyes set in a skull that seemed far too thin to have come from a human, armour the colour of bones, a long spear that swung through the air violently.

[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (4*/1600/1300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Then, I will return Beiige to my hand to Special Summon Reign-Beaux, Overking of Dark World from the graveyard with its own effect."

And then—

A… devil?

A silver demon rose from the ground, lightning crackling around him as he held up a staff. Black muscle and flesh formed the parts of its body under the metallic silver. Claw-like feet, metal gauntlets, large wings that dwarfed any human in size, standing tall—

It fit its name very well. A king of the darkest world—of something that eerily resembled hell.

[Reign-Beaux, Overking of Dark World (8*/3000/1800/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Battle Phase," Eri said, which was still… confusing. It… didn't feel like she was making any kind of overwhelming progress? "All three of my monsters once again gain 300 attack and defense points from my Field Spell, and Ceruli still has that boost, for all the good it does you."

[Reign-Beaux, Overking of Dark World: 3000 + 300 = 3300ATK; 1800 + 300 = 2100DEF]

[Zalamander Catalyzer: 1600 + 300 = 1900ATK; 200 + 300 = 500DEF]

[Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World: 3200 + 300 = 3500ATK; 2300 + 300 = 2600DEF]

"Reign-Beaux attacks Getsuga," she said crisply.

And well…

"Continuous Trap," Tsukikage declared. "Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing!"

A thin sheet of ice spread across the field, halting the demons in their tracks.

"When you declare an attack while I control a "Ninja" monster, I can flip this card face-up and end your Battle Phase, and your monsters can no longer change their battle positions!"

The ice shot up in a barrier, and Reign-Beaux's attack shattered it—but the barrier tanked the attack well enough that nothing else happened.

"I end my turn," Eri said simply.

[Turn 5: Tsukikage] [H:1]

"Draw," Tsukikage said. He glanced at Grapha. He needed to get rid of that monster, or his effects would be negated… or he had to bait it out, maybe. "I'll activate another Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy!"

"... you're thinking that you can bait me out," Eri said, folding her arms. "But you're wrong. The moment that you let me use Grapha's effect, it was over. Royal Dark Decree!" She changed the effect, discarding a card. "And then, I discarded my Neko Mane King." She revealed the card—the same strangely out of place cat monster from earlier. "And on my opponent's turn, when Neko Mane King is sent to the graveyard by their card effect, it becomes the End Phase of that turn."

A strange aura surrounded the field, distorting everything.

"Fairness is a suggestion that can be revoked at any point," Eri said clippedly. "My turn."

What? A card that had ended his turn immediately? That was possible? Tsukikage didn't even get the chance to respond, before Eri was drawing her next card to start the turn.

[Turn 6: Eri] [H:5]

"Draw." Eri seemed rather unaffected. "I'll discard Beiige to activate the effect of Dark World Archives. All monsters I control gain 400 attack points this turn."

[Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World: 3500 + 100 x 4 = 3900ATK]

[Reign-Beaux, Overking of Dark World: 3300 + 100 x 4 = 3700ATK]

"Beiige comes back," Eri said. "And since I discarded a card by the effect of a "Dark World" card, I can draw two cards and discard a card with the effect of Dark World Archives." She revealed another card. "Sillva, Warlord of Dark World. It Special Summons itself when discarded." The new fiend was honestly far more majestic-looking than the rest of Eri's monsters so far—tall, well-built, with several different shades of grey forming its body. Thick silver-white horns emerged from the top of its head. Thick fur was attached to its armour at the shoulders, forming layers of white.

[Sillva, Warlord of Dark World (5*/2300/1400/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

[Sillva, Warlord of Dark World: 2300 + 300 = 2600ATK; 1400 + 300 = 1700DEF]

[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World: 1600 + 300 = 1900ATK; 1300 + 300 = 1600DEF]

"I'll then open the circuit of apathetic judgement."

… Tsukikage really wasn't surprised by their opponents having Link Monsters anymore.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The conditions are two Effect Monsters. I will set Sillva and Beiige in the Link Markers. Circuit Combine! Link 2! She who searches for corruption in the darkest parts of the world—Muckraker From the Underworld!" A pink-haired girl dressed in casual clothing appeared, holding up a microphone and camera in her hands, looking rather energetic.

[Muckraker From the Underworld (L2/1000/DARK/Fiend/Link/Effect/↓, ↑)]

"Muckraker's effect. I will target a Fiend monster in my graveyard, discard a card and Special Summon it from the graveyard." Eri cast another card from her hand into the graveyard, and Sillva returned to the field. "I discarded Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World. So he returns to the field with his own effect too." The higher-Level monsters seemed to be far more graceful than the lower-Level ones—Lucent looked rather noble as well, despite still being a demon.

[Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World (6*/2400/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

[Lucent, Netherlord of the Dark World: 2400 + 300 = 2700ATK; 0 + 300 = 300DEF]

[Muckraker From the Underworld: 1000 + 300 = 1300ATK]

And that meant that Eri now controlled six monsters.

"Battle Phase," Eri said. "Muckraker destroys Ceruli." She tore down her own monster with no hesitation. Tsukikage still controlled his own monsters—Getsuga, Saizo and White Dragon Ninja, but against five attacks…

"Reign-Beaux attacks your Getsuga," Eri said. The demon crushed his monster. "Then, Sillva attacks your facedown White Dragon Ninja."

She remembered his monster's stats? White Dragon Ninja fell as well.

"My fourth attack," Eri continued. "Your Saizo now no longer points to a single other monster. Therefore, it can be attacked." She turned to her monster, bowing her head. "Lucent, if you will?"

The knight charged forward, raising his claw—he grabbed onto Saizo, and then he ripped the ninja's chest to bits, the man dissipating into shadows. Tsukikage felt the aftereffects of it, taking a step back.

Tsukikage: 4000 - 700 = 3300LP

And she still had Zalamander Catalyser and Sillva, with enough attack points to get rid of all his life points.

"Sillva attacks directly."

"I'll banish Aqua Armor Ninja from my graveyard to negate the attack!"

Sillva came to a stop—Grapha could only change one effect per turn.

Eri didn't seem surprised. "Catalyser." The flaming fiend moved forward, blasting Tsukikage's field with the flames.

Tsukikage: 3300 - 1900 = 1400LP

"I'll end my turn."

"... you haven't set cards at all this game."

"Of course I haven't," Eri said with a shrug. "I'm… more direct than that."

Forceful, too. Changing effects directly, shutting down the opponent's turn… those things were just extremely direct, straight to the face.

[Turn 7: Tsukikage] [H:2]

Tsukikage looked at his next card. "... I'll Normal Summon Kagero the Cannon Ninja!" An orange-haired woman dressed in dark leather appeared, holding onto a large black cannon, raising it and getting ready to fire.

[Kagero the Cannon Ninja (4*/1600/2000/FIRE/Warrior/Effect)]

"Kagero's effect. I'll Special Summon Mitsu the Insect Ninja from the graveyard in facedown Defense Position."

"Is that what you want?" Eri said distantly. "You're not getting me to respond to that."

The set monster appeared on Tsukikage's field—to be honest, it had been bait. Still… "I'll set a card and end my turn," he said.

"... pathetic," Eri finally said—her voice was harsh. "Have you been suppressed this much? This strength would be enough against the Obelisk Force, but they're a foe that you already faced a long time ago. You're a Lancer, someone that has travelled worlds. What have you learned?"

Tsukikage stared at her, unsteady.

He did not know what had shown on his face. But his opponent had seen through it—her pale eyebrows slowly rose up. "That look… it's missed opportunity. It's something lost."

Tsukikage thought about that offer again. About Sora earnestly trying to make things better…

"I have some information," Eri continued. "About your faction, I mean. The only summoning method that I would think that you would be so reluctant to learn… it's Fusion, isn't it? Because you lost your brother in the invasion of Standard."

And most people would never understand, Tsukikage thought. People made jokes about how he and Hikage were practically indistinguishable sometimes, but that couldn't have rung more false to him than it did—they were both completely different from the other, even if they were the only ones who knew that, who knew each other so well. It was that feeling of never having known how to exist without that other person—having been together for so long.

It was that feeling…

It was that feeling that had made it impossible for him to forgive Sora Shiun'in.

No matter what gentle or kind words Tsukikage spoke, he was still hard-pressed to feel the way that he should feel—to forgive and forget. That was why…


"Tsukikage!"

Tsukikage turned around. Sora ran up to him, huffing. (Tsukikage would admit to some private relief that Sora had stopped wearing Academia's uniform.)

"I…" Sora sounded out of breath. "I asked Reiji Akaba for a favour… he said he would make the cards…"

"What cards?"

"Tsukikage." Sora raised his head, a serious expression on his face for once. "Let me teach you how to Fusion Summon."

Tsukikage looked at him. He opened his mouth, and shut it—a wide-eyed look on his face.

"Can I do that?" Sora asked.

When Tsukikage responded, it was barely audible above the wind. Still, he made his intentions clear. "That's impossible for me."

Sora's eyes widened. Tsukikage would admit to some satisfaction at that. "H-huh? But, why…"

"I don't need it." Tsukikage glanced at his deck. "I have already departed largely from the style that I had back when I was in Standard, and I am still adjusting."

"I mean, you can still learn it, right? Just in case—"

"It is certainly an idea," Tsukikage said. "But I will not learn. And certainly not from you."

Sora's mouth fell open—confusion and shock. "I'm… I'm not on Academia's side now," he protested. "Why…"

"The fact that you don't understand why tells me that you haven't really changed enough yet. You can't make up for what you did to someone just by offering them power—that's not how the world works at all. And things are not simplistic enough to be decided so easily through sides."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Sora seemed frustrated. "If you won't give me a chance—"

"I will work with you, and treat you as a comrade," Tsukikage said. "But that is all I promised. I will not learn the method that killed my brother from my brother's murderer. You cannot expect me to do that. I do not think I will ever be capable of that."

Sora stood there, his face unreadable.

Tsukikage turned his head and walked away.


Could he be blamed for not learning, Tsukikage thought, if the way to grow that had been presented to him was something so cruel?

"Tsukikage!"

From behind him, Sawatari and Sora were approaching. The one that had called out was Sora, and as Tsukikage looked over, Eri let out a quiet sigh.

"It's him then," she said. Tsukikage whipped her head over. "He's the reason that you rejected growing stronger, isn't he? It's all over your face."

Sora came to a sudden stop. Sawatari's footsteps clattered on for a moment later, before Sawatari halted himself too, looking surprised. Eri made use of the moment of hesitation—might have even caused it on purpose—and picked up the top card of her deck before either Sawatari or Sora could intrude—meaning that even if they intruded now, she would still be taking the next turn.

And then, a flickering, dark set of walls surrounded them. Sora winced—Tsukikage wasn't sure why.

[Turn 8: Eri] [H:5]

"Draw," Eri said.

Sora, who had snapped out of it, looked over at her.

"You must be Sora Shiun'in," Eri said. "I've heard a lot about you."

Sora glared at her. "I've heard nothing about you, other than your name," he said. "How can you…"

"I've done nothing wrong," Eri said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just a soldier doing what I've been told to do."

"Just because you're following orders doesn't mean that it's alright—"

"And you?" Eri asked. "What about you? If taking orders is no excuse, then you have no excuse either. Your hands aren't clean, Shiun'in. You're no more a child than I am—just because you're so used to people forgiving and forgetting the things you do, thinking that you just weren't responsible enough… doesn't mean that it'll work forever."

For a brief moment, Sora and Tsukikage locked eyes.

Tsukikage looked away first, because unfortunately, that girl was right.

Sora's face fell.

"H-hey, why are we wasting time arguing? We should just intrude in the duel!" Sawatari raised his duel disk—

"It's no use," Sora said. "She and the Commander-in-Chief have…" He gestured to the walls. "This. No one can intrude until the duel is over."

… ah.

If that was the case…

"I will activate the effect of Dark World Archives. I will discard Gren, Tactician of Dark World. And with its effect, I will blow away your set card." Her monsters all gained 200 attack points, but more importantly—

Tsukikage's second copy of the Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing vanished from the field.

"Checkmate," Eri said. "Grapha on Kagero."

Tsukikage closed his eyes as the large dragon flew towards him. He opened them as he was thrown back—

And he saw the other fiends in a circle around him, stopping Sora from running forward. There was a look of horror on both Sora and Sawatari's faces, and in that moment—

Tsukikage: 1400 - 2100 = 0LP

Winner: Eri Phoenix!

—Tsukikage felt some regret about how things had turned out.

"You fought hard," Eri said, walking over. "I can acknowledge that much. Unfortunately, it is war, and there are no exceptions for you. Is there anything you would like to say?"

Hikage, my brother, I am so very sorry.

"I pity you," Tsukikage said instead. "You will live with the consequences of what you have done, for the rest of your life. All of you will."

"If we have it our way, then all will be well and returned back to what it should be," Eri said. "So what is there to regret?"

And then—

Nothing.


"No!" Sora, who had managed to get past the wall of monsters as they were dissolving into light, collapsed on the ground, fingers slipping through the particles of light that had been Tsukikage. As the card fell from the air, Eri caught it gracefully.

And Sora—

And Sora still hadn't made up for anything. He hadn't been able to protect the person that he needed to apologise to, he hadn't been able to fix this, all of this—

The degree of failure that he'd just experienced broke him—and yet…

(When raised to fight in wars, the first response of a person was not to run. It was to fight—to get angry, rather than afraid.)

"Give his card to us," Sora said, glaring directly at the dark-haired girl.

"... usually, I wouldn't mind, but I need it for something else," Eri said. "Why does it matter to you anyway? A comrade so bitter towards you that they would rather risk defeat, weakness and the failure of the entire mission so that they wouldn't have to learn from you—a comrade who dislikes you this much. Doesn't it seem pathetic to you to be so distraught over the loss of someone who would not have cried over you?"

Sora bit his lip, because it was the only way to stop himself from shouting with anger. And yet…

"Tsukikage's not like that!" Sawatari took a step forward, and there was an expression on his face that Sora had never seen before—he'd struggled just as hard to move to Tsukikage's side, after all. It was an expression of pure grief that couldn't hide itself. "He would have—don't say anything like that about any of us! No matter how much he argued with Sora, he never would have wanted—"

Right.

Back then, in Synchro, Tsukikage had been the one that had stepped up to help him against Shino. Despite the catastrophe that had been that duel, Sora still remembered that feeling.

Even if Tsukikage hadn't forgiven him, he had been willing to work with him. Just as Shun and Yuto had chosen to trust him when he had first shown up in Synchro to warn them about Dennis, just as Yuya had chosen to reach out to him again and again, just as every single one of the Lancers had accepted him into their fold as one of them.

I wanted to wait until later to apologise. But I waited too long.

"Okay," Eri said. "Is that supposed to change anything? What does it matter that a dead man would have wanted something?"

And Sora lunged forward—

The girl adjusted her mask with her left hand as she took a step back—with her right hand, she gripped onto the collar of Sora's shirt, holding him in place, before she sharply slammed her arm towards the ground. Sora let out a pained sound as his nose met the concrete, rolling over and wincing from the strange hollowness that was now tingling there.

"Sora!" Sawatari ran forward—Eri took a few steps back, letting Sawatari help Sora up. "You—"

"You should get your nose checked out," Eri said. Sora raised a hand to his face and found blood—along with some strange black soot under his fingernails from when he'd fallen, that he must've picked up from the ground by accident. Had she broken his nose? "I hear that infected wounds are a common problem of the Resistance, with the city being quite as polluted and dirty as it is. If you let it stay exposed for a long time, then… well, don't blame me if it falls off."

It was obvious what she was actually saying, despite her detached tone. 'A long time', such as a duel. She was telling them that if they dueled while Sora was injured like this…

It was hard to breathe.

Eri turned away. "You can always find me again," she said, even as Sawatari supported Sora on his shoulder. "When you're strong enough to adapt to this stage of the war, then find me, and you can challenge me again. I'll accept it then. Still, I suppose my brother was right about one thing. It's boring to defeat enemies that have no fight at all. The Resistance has proven that they have it—so why not prove it to us too? Show how you'll adapt to losing a friend like that. The power of bonds and all."

Sora wanted to shout. He wanted to duel—he wanted to do something—

"Oh, and your cousin. Albion." Eri glanced back towards him briefly. "She's missing, you know. They think that the rebellion might have gotten her."

Sora stood there, his brain feeling like it was shutting down.

… Eri left.

"I shouldn't touch it, right? What should I do?" Sawatari was staring at Sora's nose. "Oh, shit…"

Sora stared at the spot where Tsukikage had been.

Maybe this was his fault. Maybe he should have insisted more. Something terrible had happened to Tsukikage, and something terrible might have happened to Shino too. Maybe, if only he could properly make up for it now…

"Come on, Sora, don't tell me you're going to pass out!"

"... I need an ice pack," Sora muttered. I need to sit down and cry for a bit. He dismissed the thought. He'd fix this. They'd all fix this. They had to—

… god. This was the first Lancer that had genuinely been taken away from them, wasn't it? How was everyone else going to react? There was Gongenzaka, the big guy, who'd spent so much time training and doing drills with Tsukikage. Then, Reira, who had spent some time with him too, and—Tsukikage had been reliable, that was the thing. Not the flashiest of them, but at least always reliable enough to be there.

"Let's find the Resistance." And they'd have to be the one to deliver the bad news themselves to everyone else.

… Sora really didn't want to think about it.

Things had been so much simpler back at Academia.


"Brother."

"... Eri," Edo acknowledged. His sister looked at him carefully.

"I can't stay," she finally said. "I found something that I need to check on. But it seems you'll be fine getting back on your own." She handed over a card. "Here."

Edo picked up the card, glancing at it. "This is… one of the Lancers?"

"Yes. It should make up for going missing for half a day, if anyone asks."

"... did you seriously hunt down the Lancers so that you could hand me a way to avoid getting written up by Noro?" Because that felt like exactly what she was saying—and Eri had never been protective or a hands-on kind of person, but she was the kind that considered things carefully enough, who could do things from behind the scenes to benefit the entire cause.

Wasn't that why she was so favoured by that woman?

In any case, she had always been the one in the background, while Edo fought up front—an equal, if fraught partnership.

Eri shrugged. "You know that man's always ready to usurp you at a moment's notice. I spotted you and that girl, and she didn't seem to know who you were, so I figured that you would be able to handle yourself."

And so, once she had been sure that he was safe, she had gone and carded someone, so that Edo could claim the credit for it and no one could complain that he had been conspiring with an enemy while he was gone. In essence, she had gone hunting—broken her usual steps of hiding and observing to confront the enemy, and the Lancers clearly travelled in groups, so it was useless to ask her if she had been seen—she clearly had been.

"What if I had just carded someone myself?" Edo said, drawing himself up. "You saw me with that girl. Why bother going to that trouble, if you knew that I was probably going to get in a fight?"

"... brother." Eri somehow managed to sound exasperated. "I saw you when you were awake and talking to her."

"... and?"

"... never mind. I'm not here to help you deal with feelings, brother. I'll leave that to Takuma the next time you see him." Eri shrugged. "... I know you. You're not dishonourable enough to card a girl who went out of her way to help you. And at least, no one saw that situation but me. No one will know that you had any kind of mercy for them. Your reputation will be untouched."

Edo genuinely didn't know what she meant, but…

The problem about Eri was that she was far less transparent than he was about her intentions. There were a lot of questions that he wanted to ask—that Edo Phoenix wanted to ask his sister. Things like 'I haven't exchanged a conversation with you in months that isn't about this war' and 'you look more and more closed off every time I see you' and 'we have a system to send letters home, you know, and last time that I got a letter, Takuma said that you hadn't bothered writing back at all.' More importantly, 'I remember you crying the first time that you left the house alone, so how are you dealing with the fact that your half of the mission means that you're always alone'?

But those questions would cross the line. Because they were not just siblings, they were leaders in a war, Commander-in-Chief and First Lieutenant, and it would be unthinkable for the Commander-in-Chief to ever show favouritism to a single soldier.

So he didn't say anything like that.

"Make sure to update me with any new information you find," Edo said.

"You'd think that ruins would be easier to search, but who asked them to construct a hundred?" Eri muttered. "Yes, Commander-in-Chief."

And she moved off into the distance. Edo winced, glancing at the card.

Next time, he thought to himself. Next time, he'd be the one doing it. He'd take this responsibility on himself. It was what he had to do.

"In that case, I'll stay with you and protect you until you can go."

… distracting.

He scratched the side of his head.

… what a dangerous girl. He could see now how she'd managed to charm both Asuka and Johan so easily. How she, along with the two priority targets, had managed to get two of Academia's top students to vouch for them and ask for their safety.

A girl that was completely harmless in every way that mattered to Academia, but who had, for a brief moment, disarmed him with her kindness.

He did not understand…

He did not understand. He did not understand why he had spared Yuto Kamisoka, when that duel had made it clear just how dangerous the dark-haired boy was—just as feral as the rest of the Resistance, just as ready to raise his fangs against the enemy. Every part of him should have agreed that the boy should be removed from existence—

And yet, that one part had won for a second. And yet, his sister had been sure that he wouldn't, when Edo himself hadn't even known.

Well. That was fine. The Lancers had come to Heartland, and it'd hardly been a smooth transition. They'd already struggled so much from all sides.

And if they wanted to interfere here, they'd soon find how difficult it would be to help others begin from nothing again.

After all, Heartland was built on ruins. It was only fitting that it had been reduced to ruins too.

Edo lifted the card in front of him.

One down.

In the end, weren't the Lancers all destined to face defeat?

That was what it meant to oppose the Professor—and perhaps, that was what it would always mean.

He just had to get to work, and stop hesitating.


End Notes:

Fatality! Not the first named character carded on screen in this fic (hello, Crow), but still the first Lancer taken down. Love Ninjas, but this was always going to happen. There's an intentional contrast between Yuto and Tsukikage here—Yuto is the one that impulsively challenged a dangerous enemy and only got bailed out through the efforts of both of the comrades with him. Tsukikage tried to find his comrades to protect them from enemies, something that has worked for him every time in 6ARC so far, but because he was searching alone, he met an enemy and lost. That's it—and that's the reality of the war too. I did most of what I wanted with him, and while I probably could have kept him around longer and let him and Sora slowly work things out… well, what Sora said in the chapter was right! Sometimes, if you leave things until later, you don't get to say anything at all. As I was planning the fic, I realised that there was nothing really plot-relevant to keep Tsukikage around for, and well, there was a lot I could do with Sora after he lost his chance to make up for what he'd done, not to mention what I get to do with Sawatari. This fic doesn't kill off characters just for shock value—that's one thing I can promise :)

And if you feel surprised by Tsukikage's death here and think that it was unjustified… your thoughts are completely justified. :) That's the point—in universe, Tsukikage's death is in fact completely undeserved and takes everyone by surprise. What I will say is that the only happiness that has ever been guaranteed in 6ARC is the ending. :D The process of getting there… hmm. :)

Also, it's just funny to me that all the Battle Beast stuff has been derailed like… several seasons early. I've made it no secret that I don't like that arc, and well, it's going to be hard to card a Crow and Tsukikage who are already no longer alive :3

Arc-V randomly threw in a connection between Edo and Sora during the Yugo vs Yuri + Extras duel, and I said 'this sounds like bullshit, but if it exists we're going to at least mention it earlier'.

But yes, Dark World. I will choose not to explain why here, but I do think that in the context of Eri's role in the story, they fit well. The entire duel also uses no OC cards, since things just worked out nicely in that way.

Poor Tsukikage. In canon, his deck relies on effect damage through discarding Action Spells, and he's probably the one who adapted the least well to all of this. Part of that decision was the fact that in canon, he basically played a turtle strategy on the defensive and later adjusted to attacking. So here, since he was immediately stopped from using Action Cards, he made the aggressive adaptation immediately once he went into Synchro. But in a certain sense, it's an extension of who he is in canon—and when I thought about changing over to the more methodical playstyle of Ninjas (aka the more control-style one), it just… didn't work for his personality, tbh.

Plus, there's always the subverted expectations. Remember, in Chapter 75, Sora offered to teach Tsukikage, and Reiji offered to make the cards. And Meizen's continuous effect would have made this fight very much easier. In the end, Tsukikage's loss is also because he rejected Sora's help—and the tragedy is also that not a single person in-universe knows how true this is, because obviously, Meizen never got made in this universe.

While in canon, Edo's name is written in katakana and has no meaning, I have chosen to ignore that. So 'Edo' is now written "永翔", aka 'eternal wings', and 'Eri' is written "永璃", or "eternal glass". Just some etymology tossed in for the sake of it.

Review responses! (Just a reminder that I do not answer questions about future plot at all. Nothing against people who ask those questions personally, but I don't answer them.)

To Bryz0n, yeah, it was definitely a chapter of reveals, and people haven't even found everything yet, haha. I love that DPE made everyone sure that Yuto was going to lose immediately.

To Etherious, unfortunately, talking about anything like that would be a spoiler whether it happens or not.

To Neo-Warkid4, no comment.

To the nameless Guest, it really does seem like it, huh? :D I don't mean to make her suffer, it just happens. I promise that she eventually gets to have good things.

To CruelDiamond422, it's pretty intentional that specific Fragment and Yu-boy pairs haven't interacted as much as others :) We'll get there. And yes, DPE is a trauma button for many people, including myself :D

To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed!

To T.V. 2000, glad you liked Edo vs Yuto! We'll get proper explanations later :)

To the second nameless Guest, thanks for the review. I guess we'll see eventually.

To phantomdragons, good theorising! I will say that Miharu and Chiaki's bracelet powers are something that have technically been revealed, but that I've intentionally, shall we say, obscured it in text. And yes, you got one of the reasons why Kyorin got Nekroz. :)

Alright, that's the end of the chapter. I… kinda just want to duck for cover after posting this, haha. Don't get too mad! You've all already seen how the fic has been going—it was always going to come to this.