Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth

by DivadX

Yuhiro Furutani, one of 8 children kidnapped 10 years ago by an unknown group, now works as Raguel, an agent in LINK VRAINS' Black Market. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who becomes his newest assignment. Follow Yuhiro as he now must decide who he wants to become: as both a duelist and as an individual.

106. Chapter 106: War on SOL: Part Three

Response to Reviews

Thank you to Donkeyboy100, HunterHQ, rgriffin8999, Roxxy658, Guest, Anonymous, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Ambiguous, Noobmaster, Guest, AccurateGap1, Kcufad and T.V. 2000 for reviewing Chapter 105 of Obscured Truth.

Hi, everyone! As the summer season officially comes to an end, I hope you are all doing well wherever you are in the world, and are safe and sound! We've officially reached the last quarter of the year, which means the fifth year anniversary of Obscured Truth will be around the corner very soon!

With those notes out of the way, let's get to answering some reviews:

Donkeyboy100: Glad you liked the chapter.

HunterHQ: No. Zero did not have the Supreme King deck in his possession before using the 'Tron' deck. Reread Chapter 98 if you want a reminder on what the two forbidden methods are when first logging into the network. Yup. Miyu's good deed helped Kengo regain hope and faith during tough times. Do expect Miyu to thank Emma for speaking up the truth about Yuhiro and Roxy during their time as criminals. For the time being, Yuhiro's doing school online, where he'll eventually be allowed to return to in-person afterwards. Indeed. Yua certainly had a hand in Pandor's creation, and even convinced Ryoken to work with an AI for a change. Even though Dr. Kogami isn't religious, he still believed in the Root of All Knowledge's existence after looking through Project: VIII itself. Jericho does see knowledge with great power, reward and opportunity. He's also a monster, though he's saying to the envoys that he isn't. However, do note that Jericho genuinely intended on sparing Souta's life in the event he failed the tests. If anything, Jericho would erase Souta's memories of their interactions to ensure anonymity as punishment. Again, I do have decks planned for Urizen and his disciples, and you and I talked about it a while back. Pierre's obviously from France, and his split personalities have been fused into one thanks to Urizen a long time ago. Doing word puzzles and crosswords is certainly good since it exercises the brain. Scrabble also helps in doing so, and is fun for friends and the whole family. A heartfelt moment was certainly needed between Yusaku and Aoi, as the two of them went through a lot lately. Note that the Soltis Ai was using at the time was merely a test run. If anything, the way Ai used the Soltis was a failure, so it's time to go back to the drawing board and use a new method. Well, Yuhiro is sentenced to protect the network for the rest of his life, as well as ensure he never forgets his mistakes and continue living to atone for them. If others used their pain as an excuse to hurt others, then Yuhiro would obviously fight to make sure they don't succeed. Well, Jericho's pride does have limits, as he wants to ensure a point is made one way or another despite choosing not to play the rules. Regarding Hallucina, anything can happen. Just because Urizen stopped the attacks doesn't mean his base is not protected. He would have made sure his base is protected in the event Kairi and the Autos decide to launch an attack on it in his absence. One could say that Knight is unfortunately corrupt deep down despite being very honorable. Of course Jericho's right in saying that you have no idea what's out there in the universe. He'd certainly be pissed if he dueled against someone with a meta deck. Due to Excalibur being corrupted into Excalibur Morgan, Yuhiro's logging in normally for now. Plus, he's still recovering, so it'll take a while for him to fight at full power. Akira has learned about the other higherups being attacked offscreen, which will be shown in this chapter. Even though Zero practically is angry at the higherups at their betrayal, he wouldn't be pleased with the situation, as it meant that Ai was one step closer in getting what he wanted. That is true. Jericho can't necessarily let bad experiences go because he sees them are setbacks. Still, if anything, they provide him with knowledge he wouldn't be able to obtain through other means. Again, the only reason Jericho gave Souta a piece of himself was to ensure the security systems at Albinor Inc. recognized him as friend rather than foe. Of course Ai would push everyone through their respective duels, wanting to see who had the most likely chance of stopping his visions from coming true.

rgriffin8999: If it helps, Yusaku and the others have suspicions that something else may be going on the scenes, which caused Ai to pursue the path he's on now. Rest assured, Ai does have a way to ensure that the simulations he saw in the Cyberse World don't come true.

Roxxy658: Honestly, despite getting new archetypes such as the 'Tron' archetype, I hate both Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens and Go Rush. If they had the same animation style as the previous six series, then I'd give it a second thought. My top three favourites are VRAINS, the original Yu-Gi-Oh, and 5Ds. I mean, come on. Dueling on motorcycles is actually kind of cool if you think about it.

Guest: The answer to that question will be revealed later on in the future. Also, note that I asked the same question as a QOTC in a previous chapter.

Anonymous: Of course Ukyos and Jason were absent for so long. I mean, they, along with the other ISOs, were trapped in the dark side of the network for a very long time. So it's only right for the employees at Albinor Inc. to have suspicions. Aside from Dogma, who once had a daughter and a wife, none of the other disciples have families.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Well, do expect more suspense down the road.

Ambiguous: What you're saying does make sense. There's a lot of dad issues in this story, as evident by how some of the characters were affected by their dads' actions. Humans will always take advantage of opportunities to one up others so they can get the glory and/or make themselves look better amongst their peers.

Noobmaster: Welcome back, Noobmaster. It's been a very long time since you last left a review on this story. I can see Emma and Kengo's moms meet up one day to discuss their common husband. Though neither of them know about what Emma and Kengo do for their jobs. What you said regarding tactics Jericho can use against SOL Technologies are likely ones he can do not just to make the company suffer, but also establish Albinor Inc.'s trust as well. Akira can't destroy the Code Key because it's a very important piece of property SOL Technologies has in possession. In other words, it's company property. I'll see whether Roxy will hire staff or not down the road following Café Matsuo's renovation. If Revolver wanted, he could make more copies of Pandor. Though right now, he started with five. No, Akira didn't make Drachen hand over Hanoi secrets. Funny you should mention Kitamura's AI duelists…

Guest: Dr. Kogami's pretty much in the afterlife by this point. His data's destroyed, so Jericho can't bring him back to life. I can certainly see Zero bringing in allies or weapons not just to aid the heroes, but also ensure SOL Technologies is armed up for the battle to come. Hayami would simply assume that Yusaku, Takeru and Kusanagi are good friends with Aoi at the time. Though if she did figure out the truth, the heroes would make sure that she kept the secret, and she's pretty good at keeping secrets.

AccurateGap1: Look, I'll admit that Obscured Truth didn't have the best start, but if you persevere and read the 105 chapters that have been posted so far, I promise you that there will be many differences compared to other VRAINS fanfics. Not just that, but you'll end up enjoying the story and where it will go down the road as well. Nonetheless, thank you for the feedback.

Kcufad: Happy you liked the chapter. I mean, Yuhiro needed to lose another duel in order to balance it out against the many wins he has so far in the chapter. For by losing, it enables the protagonist to grow as a character. Hercules' last appearance in the first half of Season 2 was during Yuhiro's duel against Brion before he returned in Chapter 81. Yup. Gil held back against Miles. Regarding your comment about Shingo Sawatari from Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V defeating Yuhiro, that actually is funny when you think about it. Honestly, it's been a very long time since I saw Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, so looking at that quote surprised me for sure. I'm also glad you liked the duel between Roxy and Aoi as well. Regarding your comment on the overuse of the quote 'As if on cue', I didn't realize it was comedic. I just used it to connect sentences. But I will use your suggestion, so thanks for your feedback.

T.V. 2000: You said it. More interesting things were shown in the previous chapter, such as the duel between Jericho and Hallucina due to the introduction of Illusion monsters. Indeed. Jericho managed to acquire Pandora and Teferi for himself, who everyone thought was dead several chapters ago. Yuhiro will certainly be surprised to see them again later on in the story. You can thank one of Jericho's 'Persona' monsters for getting Pandora and Teferi's remains back in the first arc of Season 3. In fact, you could say that Jericho took a page out of Vector's book by using ace monsters belonging to previous owners. It's obvious that Jericho would win, especially since he 'allowed' Hallucina to show off her strategies as a duelist before defeating her. Glad you liked the conversation between Yusaku and Aoi had, as the two of them had been through a lot lately. What you said was true, as Aoi and Akira didn't have a duel against one another in the anime, and it isn't the first time there were duels between siblings. As for your other question, I can't answer it because it's in spoiler territory.

Now that all reviews have been answered, let's get onto the chapter, shall we? Enjoy!

Chapter 106: War on SOL: Part Three

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

The camera moves from left to right, showing a grassy field with Den City and the following characters: Yuhiro, Miyu, Aoi, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, Brea, Go, Roxy, Kusanagi, Greg, Quinton, Miles, Ryoken, Youta, Takeya, Akairo, Emma, Kengo, Akira, Brion, Rachel, Gil, Tsubaki, and Gekiryushi. The wind blows, causing each person's hair and clothes to be blown up a bit. The scene suddenly changes, revealing Playmaker, Raguel, Blue Maiden, Numera, Slipstream, Tigress and Aerith on one side. On the other side was Revolver, Specter, Lord Kazuma, Gil, and Soulburner, a destroyed LINK VRAINS behind them.

The screen then changes to show Yusaku and Ai in the streets of a raining Den City. Yusaku was looking down, and Ai was looking upwards, the rain drenching their clothes. Yusaku slowly looks up with a vexed expression, while Ai runs a hand through his hair and turns his gaze onward. In another area of Den City, Yuhiro is shown running as his strength was drained, having cried in despair as a silhouette of Yukage is shown with a smile before fading away in the rainy mist. Miyu and Roxy follow after Yuhiro, with Arin turning into a blanket to keep him warm as the quartet head back to Café Matsuo.

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

The screen then changes to show Akira walking on a sidewalk in the real world, having looked upwards at the sky. His image is shown on a large screen that Jericho was looking at back in his laboratory, as if having determined his next target. A sadistic grin appears on his face as seven colored orbs, one white, one black, one yellow, one red, one brown, one green and one blue orbit around him. Soon, a zebra-skinned demon with horns and long, black braids appears behind Jericho, having carried a large, burning blade in his hands. Also appearing behind Jericho was a male teenager who wore a black and dark blue striped outfit that consisted of several black studded belts strapped around his legs and arms, a short black cape and clawed gauntlets, and a dark enclosed knight helmet with a black mask tinted red, resembling that of a beak. Nearby was an imprisoned Watchman, who groaned in pain as he tried to recover from the torturous pain he received to no avail.

Aoi and Yusaku are shown sitting on a bench together, with Yuhiro and Miyu sitting on a similar bench nearby, the quartet gathering their thoughts together before speaking. The screen then shifts to Kusanagi and Katsuya driving the Café Nagi truck, with Roxy following after the duo by driving her car, as if the trio were on an important mission.

Ai and Roboppy are shown next, the camera zooming in on his right eye and revealing the reflection of Playmaker and Raguel. The reflection turns real, and the camera zooms in on Playmaker and Raguel's left eyes, showing Ai's reflection as his grin turns into a wider one.

Back in LINK VRAINS, Roboppy appears riding on his duel board, Appliancers Vacculephant and Laundry Dragon appearing behind him before he thrusted out his right hand, which caused both monsters to fly downward. Next, Ghost Girl and Blood Shepherd appear riding on their duel boards, Altergeist Memorygant and Battledrone General appearing behind the duo. Go Onizuka appears next, Gouki the Giant Ogre and Gouki the Great Ogre appearing behind him before being replaced by SengokuQueen, The Six Samurai – Tajima and Secret Six Samurai – Rihan appearing behind her. Stregone appears next, Quintet Magician and Nirvana High Paladin appearing behind him. Revolver appears seconds later, Borreload eXcharge Dragon and Borreload Dragon, along with The Fang of Critias appearing behind him. Drachen appears after Revolver as Red-Eyes Black Dragon, The Claw of Hermos and Archfiend Black Dragon Skull rise up behind him before being replaced by Lord Kazuma, with Dragon Magia Master, Dark Magician the Dragon Knight and Dark Magician – Showtime emerging behind him. Numera appears with Geomathmech Final Sigma behind her, along with Tigress as Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max appears behind the latter. Slipstream is shown next, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon rising up behind him before being replaced by Soulburner, Salamangreats Heatleo and Pyro Phoenix also appearing behind him in the process. Percival and Gil then appear afterwards, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Abyss Actor – Ballistic Balladeer appearing behind the two of them. Last but not least is Zero, Yggdrago the Sky Emperor appearing behind him as energy surrounded his body.

Unbeknownst to all of the duelists, Jericho is shown looking down at them on a very tall building, three individual and darkened silhouettes on each of his sides appearing beside him as they disappeared to show Dogma, Brigadier, Juggernaut, Cryomancer, Despa and Apsed, and Bahamut. Silhouettes of duel monsters also appear behind the group one by one, with the first two being Dogmatika Alba Zoa and Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen. The next pair of duel monsters were Springans Ship – Exblowrer and Icejade Gymir Aegirine. The last pair of duel monsters were Despian Quaeritis and The Bystial Lubellion. The six duel monsters then disappeared, where Persona Force – Robin the Crow, along with Persona Soul – Pandora and Persona Force – Teferi the Mishima rose above the group before all three of them let out a loud roar.

Blue Maiden and Akira are shown back-to-back, their hands raised as Marincess Great Bubble Reef and Tindangle Acute Cerberus fire beams of energy at their common foe, determined expressions evident on their faces.

Ai is shown again, his lips curving into a grin as he points his right hand forward. The camera then zooms back to reveal he was in space and riding a duel board, Dark Templar AtIgnister, Wind Pegasus AtIgnister, and Light Dragon AtIgnister behind him. The three monsters charge forward at Raguel, Playmaker and Aerith. Raguel uses Cyreath Medusa to stop Wind Pegasus AtIgnister, Aerith uses Trickstar Bella Madonna to stop Light Dragon AtIgnister, and Playmaker uses Decode Talker to clash against Dark Templar AtIgnister.

A battle-wounded Raguel is shown facing off against Jericho in a desolate, network-like battlefield. Turboblaze Desolation Dragon appears behind Raguel, while a massive, six-winged humanoid appears behind Jericho.

At the Asagao Gardens, a picnic is being held. Roxy and Kusanagi are shown cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, while Greg and Katsuya are serving them to the group. On one side of the large picnic table was Yusaku, Aoi, Takeru, and Jin. Across from them was Yuhiro, Miyu, Arashi, Brea, and Rachel. Arashi makes a joke, which caused Brea to humorously punch him in the shoulder, a smirk on her face while a similar one appears on Rachel's face. Takeru laughs after seeing Arashi in pain, while Aoi and Yusaku let out a small chuckle as well. Jin, on the other hand, lets out a small gasp of concern for Arashi. Miyu is shown happily resting her head on Yuhiro's shoulder, the two of them smiling at one another in gratitude and happiness. Arin also raised his arms in joy upon seeing the happy expressions on Yuhiro and Miyu's faces, having sat on her shoulder to watch them. Afterwards, everyone present look up at the sky as a rainbow appears above the sun, smiles all evident on their faces.

In the real world, at Den City Plaza…

Akira headed over to the Den City Plaza, wanting to get some food for himself before heading home. It was said that those who are on death row would be given a last meal prior to their executions, and while Akira obviously wasn't a prisoner, he did feel like one since Ai was going to attack him for the other half of the Code Key very soon. The good thing was that Akira managed to get allies who would protect him from Ai's coming attack. Some of those allies included the Knights of Hanoi, Akairo, Emma, Kengo, Aoi, Miyu, Yuhiro, Soulburner, Slipstream and many others. If Yusaku ultimately didn't decide to help, then Akira understood, as it was hard to fight against someone who you deemed your true friend. Plus, Yusaku went through Hell lately, so it was only fair for him to recuperate and recharge while everyone else dealt with Ai.

Before Akira left SOL Technologies for the day, he called Hideki to see if Tsubaki was available, as he needed her help against Ai. However, he learned that Tsubaki was helping Hideki with setting things up for Rose Enterprises, such as finding new employees, identifying the right property to purchase, acquiring the materials needed and so much more. As a result, Tsubaki was unavailable to help Akira out. Understanding this, Akira thanked Hideki for his time before telling the latter to contact him if he needed any help at all.

On the plus side, there was a few people Akira can speak with to get their assistance in the battle to come. First being the person that was with Kusanagi earlier today. If Akira had to guess, that person must be another of Yusaku's ally in the real world. Maybe that person could even be related to Kusanagi as well. In addition, Akira wanted to at least come clean to them on how he figured out Yusaku's identity as Playmaker.

The other person Akira wanted to speak to, but had some reservations about doing so was Brion Miyahara, who was now king of Central Japan following Balius' death. Unfortunately, things were sour between Brion and SOL Technologies because of the former's attempt to report the AI chip to the authorities. It was honestly a miracle that Brion agreed to acquire a set of Soltis to assist in the reparation efforts at Central Japan. Still, Akira knew Brion as someone with honor, and had faith that they can talk things out. Perhaps they can even form a deal, as Akira knew he had to contact Brion one day to acquire his assistance in disposing of the corrupt higherups.

But before Akira can continue dwelling on his thoughts, he noticed that he made it to Café Nagi, where he saw Kusanagi and Katsuya conversing with one another as they began to close shop for the day.

"I gotta say, Shoichi. You made some good sales today." Katsuya commended Kusanagi.

"Well, you'd be surprised at the number of people who either come here during the lunch hour or after the day, where they need a quick bite to eat." Kusanagi commented, a smile on his face as he scrubbed the grill.

"Pardon me for interrupting, gentlemen, but are you about to close for the day?" Akira asked.

"I'm afraid so, Zaizen. But I suppose I can make one last meal before closing up for the day." Kusanagi offered. "Do you have anything in mind?"

Akira shook his head in response. "If I'm being honest, I was hoping to speak to you today, as I… I learned about Playmaker's identity earlier today."

"What?" Kusanagi blinked, shocked to hear this information.

"How in the world do you know this, Zaizen?" Katsuya angrily demanded.

"I promise you both, I didn't get it out of Yuhiro or any of Playmaker's other allies." Akira assured Kusanagi and Katsuya. "I just want to explain myself. That's all. It's only fair for the both of you to know before tomorrow."

Kusanagi frowned, still shocked that Akira managed to figure out Yusaku's identity as Playmaker. While it'd happen one way or another, Kusanagi wanted the decision to belong to Yusaku, as he was Playmaker. No one else. "Give us a minute." Kusanagi and Katsuya went behind Café Nagi, intent on having a private conversation before deciding what to do next.

"What should we do, Shoichi?" Katsuya quietly inquired, which led Kusanagi to turn to him. "This was the last thing I expected to happen today."

"Same here, Katsuya." Kusanagi quietly agreed. "I mean, this is the same guy who employed bounty hunters to hunt down Yusaku and the others."

"Maybe so, but we should at least hear him speak his mind." Katsuya put a hand on Kusanagi's shoulder. "You gave me the chance to do so, and it cleared things up as a result. Shouldn't we give Zaizen a chance to do the same?"

Kusanagi narrowed his eyes and thought this over. Even though Akira proved himself as a good man with morals at SOL Technologies, Kusanagi distrusted him because he sent those bounty hunters in the first place to hunt down the Ignis. Plus, Akira worked at a company that saw the Ignis as things to be exploited upon for resources instead of living beings. But according to what Yusaku told him, Akira played a role in stopping Bohman by launching the virus bomb before falling unconscious. This action not only separated LINK VRAINS from Mirror LINK VRAINS at the time, but also gave Yusaku the opportunity to finish Bohman off as well. "While I don't like this, I suppose you make a valid point, Katsuya."

"Of course I make a valid point, Shoichi. Let's hear Zaizen out. I mean, he might want to thank us in person for our role in saving the network." Katsuya pointed out.

"We'll see." Kusanagi replied, as he and Katsuya walked over to the front of Café Nagi, where Akira was waiting for them. "Okay, Zaizen. We'll give you a chance to speak your mind. Though you might want to do it quick, as the evening's going to get dark soon."

"Thank you, gentlemen. It'll only take a few minutes." Akira responded, as he sat down on one of the chairs nearby, with Kusanagi and Katsuya doing the same thing.

A few minutes later…

"Ah, that makes sense. So that's how you were able to put two and two together." Kusanagi figured out.

"Yes. Ghost Girl activated a link that would enable me to see the duels. Some including Azrael's duel against Watchman, Soulburner's duel against Malf, and Aoi's duel against Bohman." Akira said. "That being said, how were you roped in this mess? I'm assuming Lightning blackmailed you into doing his dirty work?"

Kusanagi narrowed his eyes. "Unfortunately so, Zaizen. Lightning said that if I didn't defeat Yusaku in a duel, he'd kill Jin, who was his Origin at the time."

"I infiltrated Lightning's castle to try and rescue Jin, but I lost in our duel because he used him as a human shield to stop me from securing the win." Katsuya added.

"Your refusal to kill an innocent being just to win shows how human you are-." Akira began speaking, before he realized that he didn't know Katsuya's name. "Apologies. What's your name?"

"Katsuya. I'm Shoichi's cousin. I'm also someone who used to work for Watchman." Katsuya sighed. "When I learned the truth from Shoichi, I ensured that all ties with Watchman were severed before escaping."

"So you're like Demeter then. Just like you, she used to work with Watchman then…" Akira thought this over. He didn't expect Watchman to have his own personal allies working for him. Though given Watchman's two-faced personality, he likely blackmailed Katsuya and Yua into working for him, lest he made them suffer if they refused.

Katsuya frowned. "Yeah, something like that. Look, I have some data on Watchman on hand if you ever want it, Zaizen. I feel it's a way I can make amends for working with that treacherous monster."

"Even though Watchman's dead, I do appreciate your offer very much." Akira responded. "That being said, you are a duelist, right?"

"I am. What about it?"

"Then you know the situation I'm currently dealing with?"

Katsuya nodded. "I do. Shoichi filled me in on what's going on regarding Ai and his attack on SOL Technologies. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles."

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment, there's no need to apologize, Katsuya." Akira replied. "I could, however, use your skills as a duelist to help protect me from Ai. The more duelists on deck, the more likely we'll be able to stop Ai from taking over SOL Technologies."

"Can you give me some time to think about it? I mean, someone has to keep an eye on Jin since he got out of the Den City Lakeside Rehabilitation Centre." Katsuya pointed out.

"That's true, Zaizen. Katsuya and I are taking care of Jin for the time being, so there's a chance my cousin might not be able to help you." Kusanagi told Akira, who nodded in confirmation as he pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused a phone number to appear on Katsuya' duel disk.

"Once you made your decision, give me a call, and I'll hear your acceptance or refusal later tonight." Akira then turned to Kusanagi. "Rest assured, Kusanagi. I will keep Yusaku's secret safe, just like I plan to do so with Yuhiro's secret. You have my vow on that."

Kusanagi nodded, assured with Akira's promise to keep Yusaku's secret safe. Since Akira kept Yuhiro's secret safe so far, it was clear for him to do the same with Yusaku's secret. For unlike the others at SOL Technologies, Akira was a man with honor. "We'll hold you to that, Zaizen. Though I do wonder how you were able to figure out Yuhiro's identity in the first place."

"Aoi figured it out first, and with Yuhiro's permission, she told me afterwards. Simple as that." Akira explained.

"You should be proud of your sister, Zaizen. She risked everything to save Yusaku's life, destroy the Cursed Boundary Layer and free Yuhiro from his madness." Kusanagi commented.

"I couldn't be any prouder of Aoi than I already am right now. For she's grown into both a powerful leader and a duelist, and will only continue to grow over time." Akira's phone vibrated, where he checked it before seeing the text that was on there. "Apologies, gentlemen. I have to get going." He stood up from his seat as he prepared to leave the Den City Plaza, but not before stopping, as something crossed his mind at that moment.

"Everything okay, Zaizen?" Katsuya asked.

"Just a heads up to the both of you. Since Ghost Girl also saw the footage, she'll likely try to put the pieces together and determine that you're Playmaker's close contact." Akira told both Kusanagi and Katsuya. "Just watch out for her if she stops by, as she can be a sly fox at times. Oh, and if it helps, Ghost Girl goes by Emma Beesho in the real world."

"Noted." Kusanagi stated, before Akira left the Den City Plaza, intent on heading back home.

"Well, that was a rather interesting discussion we had just now." Katsuya said.

"You can say that again." Kusanagi replied, as he went back to closing up Café Nagi for the day, with Katsuya also helping by folding up the chairs and tables.

"How's Yusaku handling the information?"

Kusanagi sighed. "He's… taking some time alone to process things. When I spoke with Yusaku last, he said that he may sit this battle out, as per the advice Aoi gave him earlier. If he ultimately chose to stay out of this fight, I wouldn't blame him, as it's hard to fight against someone who you once worked with."

"Time's the most precious thing in this world, don't you think, Shoichi?" Katsuya smiled as he put the tables and chairs at the back of Café Nagi. "What matters is who we spend it with, how we spend it and the impact it leaves behind afterwards."

"Definitely true, cousin. Definitely true." Kusanagi agreed, as he and Katsuya finished closing up Café Nagi up. Once that was done, Kusanagi turned the car on while Katsuya sat down on the passenger seat, where the former drove it out of the area and onto the road, intent on heading back home.

Elsewhere, at Central Japan, in the evening…

Brion looked over some documents as he typed some information in on the computer. The past few weeks have been busy, especially since he was crowned King of Central Japan. Yet, Brion didn't feel like a king. If anything, he felt like someone who filled the void of power that was left empty following Balius' death. Due to this belief, Brion didn't spend any time in the throne room. For the time being, he was in the main office of the throne room, intent on getting some things done in order to sort out the many ongoing initiatives that was going on in Central Japan right now.

After Balius' men realized the truth regarding him during the battle several weeks ago, they kneeled before Brion and pledged their allegiance, intent on repenting for their ways. However, there were still those who either remained loyal to Balius despite his death, or the people who saw Brion as weak and wanted to usurp him. Some of those people even fled Central Japan in order to avoid Brion's wrath. In response to this, Brion had to send some men to execute the loyalists, as well as making sure that any of Balius' remaining possessions were destroyed. The last thing Brion wanted was for anyone to take Balius' possessions and use it for nefarious methods, as well as continue what Balius had begun. What's more, Brion didn't want the peace to be disturbed. Not after everything the people in Central Japan went through during Balius' rule. Sadly, a great amount of people were executed so far due to their blind faith in Balius. Was Brion pleased with this? He obviously wasn't, as he isn't a monster. Still, hard decisions had to be made, lest Central Japan and its people suffer after difficult times such as these ones.

There were other pressing matters going on as well. First being the reparation efforts in Central Japan. Thanks to the battles between the FBI and liberated rebels versus Balius' forces, Central Japan suffered a lot of damage in the crossfire. While the people in Central Japan worked together in rebuilding the areas of their home that were damaged, SOL Technologies announced their newest product in the Soltis, which were android units built to assist humans worldwide. While Brion knew that SOL Technologies was up to no good, the people demanded assistance in rebuilding their home, as there was only so much they could handle. Thus, Brion put aside his biases towards SOL Technologies and ordered several Soltis units, which helped greatly in the reparation efforts. By doing this, Brion gained even more followers, as his actions showed how much he cared for his people.

The second pressing matter was figuring out what to do with Balius' wives and concubines, which shocked Brion when he first learned about this information. From what Brion learned, this was Balius' last resort in the event he fell in battle, as he wanted to keep the throne even in death. What shocked Brion even more was that an overwhelming majority of the women became Balius' concubines against their own will. None of them deserved to suffer such a fate. However, Brion didn't want to risk being challenged by any potential heirs that sought the throne and wanted to rule for their own nefarious purposes. The last thing he wanted was a war over who got to keep a throne and rule a country. Or to put it simply, the last thing Brion wanted was for Central Japan to experience a Game of Thrones situation that would lead to nothing but death for everyone involved.

With this in mind, Brion didn't press charges on any of the wives and/or concubines just for being forced into Balius' harem. He made sure each of them and any children they were forced to have obtained new identities, as well as the choice to either stay in another area of Central Japan or leave and relocate elsewhere. Some of the concubines and wives chose to stay at different areas in Central Japan, while others chose to leave, where they were not only escorted by troops to not only ensure their safety, but were also given provisions for a fresh start to their lives as well. This extreme act of mercy and kindness earned Brion even more followers, who saw him as a true ruler compared to Balius.

Unfortunately, for the wives that were loyal to Balius and refused to accept Brion as Central Japan's new ruler, something had to be done with them. Brion couldn't obviously kill the wives, as that was an inhumane thing for him and those who followed him to do. Nor could Brion expel the wives and concubines without risking the possibility of a rebellion one day. Luckily, Greg provided a solution that would not only solve the problem, but was also humane as well. At least compared to the option of simply executing the rebellious wives and concubines, of course. This came in the form of the memory scanner, which was used primarily for criminal cases. However, by reverse-engineering it, the device can be used to eradicate memories completely. In a way, they would be 'executing' the previous versions of the traitorous wives and concubines completely while keeping them alive at the same time, thus giving each one a fresh start. While Brion would recognize the wives and concubines, along with their children, they wouldn't recognize him personally at all.

After some debate amongst Brion and those who belonged to his council, he agreed with Greg's proposition, where the latter and several mechanists began reverse-engineering the memory scanner. Once the reverse-engineering process was complete, Brion had the wives, concubines and their children brought before him before using the device on each one, having 'executed' the versions of them who were loyal to Balius. From there, Brion had the FBI create new identities for all the traitorous wives, concubines and their children before permanently exiling the group out of Central Japan, which was enforced by having troops escort them out of the area. They were, however, provided provisions so they could start their new lives. This was unfortunately the only other way to prevent potential rebellions, as Brion didn't want to kill those that Balius slept with. Nor did he want to risk someone more vile from seizing the throne down the road. For if Brion made the decision to kill them, it'd make him no better than Balius.

Lastly, the final pressing matter was dealing with the small fights between the citizens still loyal to Balius and those who saw Brion as Central Japan's savior every now and then. Unlike those who served in Balius' military or some of the politicians that were loyal to him, these were simple citizens who wanted their voices to be heard. Nothing else. While the small fights would stop over time, Brion set up a security force to put them to a forceful stop should it threaten Central Japan's overall safety.

For the time being, Brion was ultimately busy, and he had to ensure there was peace and stability in Central Japan during this difficult time of transition. Still, there was light at the end of the tunnel, as each day brought Central Japan closer and closer to being fully repaired once again.

A door suddenly opened, which made Brion stop dwelling over his thoughts as a guard entered inside his office.

"What's going on?" Brion asked.

"Apologies for bothering you, your Highness, but it's the FBI Commissioner. He wishes to speak to you," the guard told Brion.

"Let him in." Brion replied, as the guard opened the door for Greg to enter inside.

"Thank you for letting me speak to you, your Highness." Greg said, as he bowed in front of Brion.

"There's no need for you to call me your Highness, Commissioner. You can simply call me by my first name." Brion told Greg, before standing up from his desk and walking over to Greg, where he gave him a brief hug afterwards. "That being said, how have you been?"

Greg sighed. "I'm doing better, Brion. The past while has unfortunately been rough, especially with the Shadow murdering people left and right. However, with it gone, things are getting much easier around here, that's for sure."

Brion nodded his head in agreement. Upon learning about the Cursed Boundary Layer's destruction, things at Central Japan became easier because the people were relieved that it was over. They were even more joyful that Playmaker and his allies managed to destroy the Cursed Boundary Layer as well, once again grateful for them risking their lives to stop a grave threat. In addition, Brion learned about a massive tombstone that was set up a few days ago at Den City, which was commemorated to everyone who died at the Cursed Boundary Layer's hands. While Brion was a little disgusted that one of the individuals who died at the Cursed Boundary Layer's was Balius, the number of other individuals outweighed the latter. If anything, the tombstone ultimately wanted to commemorate everyone who died by the Cursed Boundary Layer than just the good or the bad. It just went to show how everyone was a human being down to the core.

"Things have been rough here too. Though like you said, Greg, it's getting better one day at a time." Brion headed over to his desk. "How have Rachel and Gil been?"

"Rachel's doing better now that the Shadow's been destroyed. Given how she was unfortunately thrown into the mess, she needed the time to recover." Greg explained. "As for Gil, he went AWOL a week ago."

"AWOL?" Brion repeated, having raised an eyebrow out of curiosity after hearing that last comment. This was concerning, as Gil still looked like a child despite being unordinary. If he wasn't careful, then he could get hurt.

"Yeah. Gil can't be found anywhere." But given Gil's skill as a hacker and a duelist, he's incredibly good at cleaning up his tracks, Greg thought in his mind. If anything, he wants to be left alone so he can get his thoughts in order, and ultimately rebuild his mind.

"That is worrisome. I'll send a few men out to patrol the general area and see if Gil's out there." Brion sat back down on his chair. "Anyhow, what I can help you out with, Greg? If I have time available, I'm more than happy to assist you."

"Here's the thing, Brion. Akira called earlier, and wants to speak to you. It's urgent." Greg answered, which made Brion narrow his eyes back in response. That… was the last thing Brion wanted to deal with today. While he was willing to acquire several Soltis units to assist in the reparation efforts, he still had some animosity towards SOL Technologies for numerous reasons. First being its connections to the Black Market, and how the both of them worked with one another in staying afloat. Second was how the company failed to protect its people numerous times from different events, such as the Tower of Hanoi event, the Turf War and many others. Third being SOL Technologies betraying Brion by throwing him in jail and leaving him to rot, as well as making plans to send the latter back to Balius in chains. Even though Brion wasn't hateful at SOL Technologies, he didn't want to deal with the company because of its refusal to admit the error of its ways and make things right.

Thus, Brion shook his head in response to Greg's comment. "No, Greg. I… I don't want to speak to Zaizen. With everything going on right now, I don't have the time to do so."

"I know you're… hesitant to trust SOL Technologies for their misconducted actions and failures, Brion, but the fact that you chose to acquire Soltis units proves your willingness to set them aside for Central Japan's sake." Greg frowned. "You also need to keep in mind that not everyone at SOL Technologies is evil. Akira is proof of that, as he contributed towards saving the network recently. Honestly, Akira wouldn't risk contacting you if it wasn't urgent."

Brion sighed. "Fine. Tell Zaizen that I'll be contacting him shortly. I will need his phone number, however, as I plan on speaking to him through the holo projector." After Greg spoke on the phone to Akira and hung up, he provided Akira's phone number to Brion, having left the room to give him privacy. From there, Brion pressed a few buttons on the holo projector, which consisted of a silver-colored, spherical device that had a translucent panel embedded in the center. There were four golden lines circling around the center, along with a large, silver pedestal attached underneath the center. In a way, it almost resembled that of a hockey puck, only slightly more elevated.

Once Brion connected the holo projector to a large hard drive, he pressed the phone number Greg provided him on the keyboard. There, the holo projector turned on, where a digital version of Akira appeared some distance away from Brion's desk.

"Hello, your Highness. Thank you for giving me the-." Akira began speaking.

"Make this quick, Zaizen. I have other pressing matters to deal with." Brion interrupted, wanting to get this call done as fast as possible.

"Then I'll cut right to the chase." Akira responded. "I need your help with an urgent matter."

"An urgent matter?" Brion raised an eyebrow. "What matter could be more urgent than the ones I'm dealing with right now?"

"One that can damage all of Japan if we're not able to stop it." Akira then went ahead to explain what happened a few nights ago. Specifically, how Ai, Playmaker's Ignis, launched an attack on Queen and Pawn before putting them in SOL Technologies' private hospital. Not just that, but also took both Queen's half of SOL Technologies of the Code Key and Pawn's access card before leaving. Akira even told Brion about the message Ai left him, and how the latter said he was going after the former to take his half of the Code Key. Lastly, Akira mentioned that the other higherups had fallen in combat, which further proved Ai's intentions on seizing SOL Technologies for himself. In response to this, Akira was recruiting several duelists to protect him, as SOL Technologies, and by extension, Japan itself, would be doomed should Ai succeed.

"So that's the story, huh?" Brion commented.

"I'm afraid so, your Highness." Akira replied back. "I want your help in keeping me safe from Ai. If he gets my Code Key, then SOL Technologies will be his."

Brion chuckled. "Is that so? In that case, it's ironic with what SOL Technologies is facing right now. One moment, it's hunting down the Ignis, and now the Ignis are hunting down the company to take it down. Poetic justice, if you ask me."

"I know you're hesitant to trust SOL Technologies after everything that's happened, but-."

"I'm not done yet, Zaizen." Brion angrily interjected, before glaring at the digital version of Akira. "Need I remind you of what SOL Technologies has done behind the scenes? It allied itself with the Black Market, supported my dead uncle's operations, and chose to pursue profit over taking care of the people. It doesn't help that SOL Technologies has failed to protect its people several times as well. What's more, instead of SOL Technologies admitting to its wrongdoings and making amends, your company chose to lock me up in prison before making the arrangements to try and send me back to Balius. All in the name of covering it up so it can resume operations with the Black Market and Balius. If anything, SOL Technologies deserves to suffer the repercussions for its actions."

"Do not lecture me on right and wrong, Brion." Akira firmly told Brion. "If memory serves, you did something that nearly affected everyone at SOL Technologies by stealing the AI chip and trying to report it to the authorities. Had you succeeded, the repercussions would have resulted in many people both good and bad losing their jobs. In other words, your actions could have caused even more damage than anyone could have anticipated."

Brion frowned after thinking it over, knowing that Akira was ultimately right, as much as he hated to admit it. "You're right. I… I don't have the right to lecture you on right and wrong. I have made a massive error of judgment in taking the AI chip, as I was so focused on reporting it to the authorities that I didn't care about who would be affected as a result. I… I am deeply sorry for what I've done. I really am, Akira." Aside from planning on bringing the AI chip to the authorities at the time, I can't help but believe there was another reason why I tried to do so, Brion thought in his mind. He made a mental note to investigate this when things in Central Japan settled down.

Akira blinked, surprised to hear Brion admitting his wrongdoings just now. Not just that, but acknowledge that he didn't have any right at all to lecture someone on what was right and wrong, especially when they've committed wrong actions themselves. Ones that would have been catastrophic both for the wrongdoer and many innocent people if it succeeded. "Thank you, Brion. On behalf of SOL Technologies, I truly am grateful for your apology."

"Yeah. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't take responsibility for my mistakes?" Brion commented.

"But now you can make amends for your mistake, Brion. Please keep me safe from Ai, and show your people what it means to be a true leader. One who keeps their promises, takes responsibility for their mistakes and strives to be the best version of themselves they can be." Akira told Brion, who thought it over for a few seconds before responding.

"I'll send some men so they can escort you to wherever you're going to for your mission, Zaizen. Given how major of a threat Ai is, it's important for you to be safe and secure for what's to come."

"Thank you. I appreciate it very much." Akira smiled. "You know, I could use your skills as a duelist too, as Ai will certainly plan on attacking me in the network. With your aid, our chances of stopping him will increase."

"I'm sorry, Zaizen, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to help you more than I already have right now." Brion replied. "Unfortunately, I have other matters I must address so that stability can return to Central Japan. Can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Of course, your Highness. I don't wish to intrude on pressing matters on your end." Akira said. "Let me know your acceptance or refusal later today when you can."

"I will. Farewell." With that, Brion hung up, the conversation having come to an end. "You can come back in, Greg. My call just ended."

Greg then returned back into the room, having heard that Brion's call with Akira just ended. "From what I heard, you did the right thing, Brion."

"Like I told Zaizen, if a leader doesn't admit their mistakes, then they're nothing more than a fake. Besides, I don't want to end up like Balius." Brion told Greg.

"If anything, your willingness to take responsibility and make amends proves you're better than Balius, Brion." Greg assured Brion, who smiled back in response.

"I guess it does." Brion wrote something on a piece of paper for a minute before handing it to Greg. "Have some of your men return to Den City to escort Zaizen to wherever location he plans on heading to later today. Once that's done, speak with some of the troops and have them do a routine sweep of Central Japan to see if things are stable. The last thing any of us wants is more fights. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know."

"I'll get to it." Greg stated, before heading over to the doors and opening it, where he leaved the room afterwards.

Brion put a hand to his chin and thought over the conversation he had with Akira just now. Not just that, but the two brief conversations he had with Greg earlier. In a way, Brion ultimately did the right thing by owning up to his egregious mistake and promising to make things better, with Akira accepting the former's apology on behalf of SOL Technologies. For how can a leader inspire their people if they weren't going to be a good role model to them? It took charisma, accountability and the willingness to do what's right if someone's going to be a good leader.

He also thought over the Ignis in general, and how according to Akira, there was only one left. Ai. Playmaker's own Ignis. Even though Brion found it ironic that SOL Technologies was getting a taste of its own medicine, he was still concerned with the threat Ai posed since the latter returned on the scene. If Ai took over SOL Technologies, then what was to stop him to take over companies? Or worse. Cause strife not just starting in Japan, but across the globe. The answer: Nothing.

Zaizen must have been so scared with Ai that he was desperate to call me for help despite our previous encounter, Brion thought in his mind, knowing how things between him and Akira ended on not great terms. If this threat continues to escalate, then the people of Central Japan will be thrown into danger. One that they could not escape from. After what they've been through, I won't let them go through anymore suffering! Not while I'm around! As Central Japan's newest king, I promise to keep the safe no matter what!

Meanwhile, at Café Matsuo…

"Wow. Of the many things that have occurred recently, once again, I didn't expect your family to play a role of the Lost Incident." Takeru commented. Right now, he, Yusaku, Arashi, Yuhiro and Miyu were sitting at one of the tables nearby Café Matsuo, the six of them speaking to Brea. Nearby was Roxy, who was also listening in on the conversation.

While everyone was preparing for the battle to come, Brea called Roxy, requesting that she speak with Yusaku and the others, as she wanted to share some information with them. This led Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi to visit Café Matsuo, having saw that Brea was already there, having carried a small briefcase of documents inside it. One that Yuhiro and Miyu were already looking through by the time the trio arrived. Even though Arashi, Yuhiro and Roxy already knew the truth regarding how Brea's family played a role in the Lost Incident, Yusaku, Takeru and Miyu still wanted to know the whole story. Kusanagi wasn't able to go with the others because he and Katsuya needed to take care of a few things for Jin for the next few days, as things would be stressful down the road.

After sitting down, Brea proceeded to explain to everyone else about how her parents, Burgmeier and Vernie, were hired to track down and kidnap some of the victims that would take part in the Lost Incident. Since she was a kid, her parents forbade her from partaking in the mission despite receiving tons of training to survive. After all, Brea's parents wanted to handle this mission on their own due to it being a delicate one, and didn't want a child to risk failure. Fed up with it all, Brea ran away from home at the time, where she was taken in by Gabriella. Eventually, Burgmeier and Vernie were arrested by the police chief at the time, Yuki Fuyuyoshi. After the arrest, Yuki met with Gabriella and Brea before completing the paperwork, which bestowed custody of Brea onto Gabriella moving forward.

"As much as we appreciate you telling us this information, Brea, it would have been nicer if you told us sooner." Yusaku told Brea. "The earlier we get even a small piece of information, the earlier we can use it in the battles against our enemies."

"Hey guys, back off, alright? Brea was only a kid when her parents were hired by Dr. Kogami to kidnap some of the Lost Incident victims." Arashi firmly told Yusaku and Takeru before gently patting Brea on the back, knowing how stressful it was to reveal the truth about something, especially when you were afraid of the result.

"I know things are stressful right now, Yusaku, but please show Brea some compassion." Miyu scolded Yusaku for his insensitive comment.

"I… I didn't mean to be insensitive." Yusaku commented, realizing that he said something impulsive just now. That… was a first even for Yusaku, as he never was impulsive before. At least to Yusaku's knowledge, anyway.

"And in Brea's defense, she couldn't have told you earlier because right when Arashi found out the truth, I went rogue." Yuhiro added.

"Were you ever able to find out who hired your parents for the job? If anything, Dr. Kogami's probably responsible for doing so." Takeru stated.

Brea shook her head. "I did some digging, and unfortunately, I found something else out. It wasn't Dr. Kogami who hired my parents."

"Wait a minute. Dr. Kogami didn't hire your parents to assist him with the Lost Incident?" Arashi questioned, who was now just as surprised as the others were.

"Okay, now I'm curious about this." Roxy commented, now wanting to know just who exactly hired Burgmeier and Vernie for the job.

In response to this, Brea pulled out one more piece of paper from her suitcase, which contained many lines that listed out several pieces of instructions, along with the terms and conditions for accepting the task. It also had a few lines on it, with one line obviously being for the people signing the contract. As for the second line, it contained the name of the person who not only created the contact, but also enforced the terms and conditions of it as well.

Arshad Saito.

"Are you serious right now, Brea?" Yuhiro questioned, shocked upon reading Watchman's name on the contract. He wasn't the only one shocked, as everyone else was shocked upon learning this information.

"The same old man who aided us… well, the same old man who used us as pawns hired my parents a long time ago." Brea said. "I never thought to look into who hired my parents until we were forced to work with Watchman a while back, and after doing so, I became shocked as you guys are right now. One could say that it's a small world, don't you think?"

"Even after his death, Watchman's actions continue to hurt people and those who are connected with them…" Roxy muttered, now upset that Watchman would do such a thing. Then again, it didn't surprise her by this point, especially when you took Watchman's other actions into account.

"But Watchman's dead, Roxy. There's nothing we can do about it." Takeru reminded Roxy, who frowned back in response.

"I'm aware, Takeru. Still, I'm upset that his actions continue to affect us to this very day, even after his death."

The others nodded in agreement, knowing that putting Watchman behind bars wouldn't stop his plans. As much as they all hated to admit it, a death sentence for Watchman was necessary to stop his actions for good. Since Yuhiro was the one who mortally wounded Watchman several weeks ago, there was no need to chase the latter down, as he'd die of his wounds one way or another.

Brea frowned as she saw everyone having troubled looks on their faces. "So what about you guys? Judging by the expressions on your faces, I'm assuming that something's happened recently?"

"Yeah, you can say that." Arashi answered. "Are you guys cool if we tell her?"

"We might as well, Arashi, as she's one of us now." Yusaku replied. He then went ahead to tell Brea about recent events. Specifically, Ai's reappearance and how he, along with Roboppy, attacked Queen and Pawn before stealing two things. First being Queen's half of the Code Key, while the other was Pawn's access card to SOL Technologies' stocks. Yusaku also explained to Brea about Ai's coming attack on Akira, which would be very soon since a few days had passed since the threat was announced. Thus leading Akira to recruit duelists to protect him.

"Damn. Just after we defeated Yuhiro and stopped his rampage, now your own Ignis has become the enemy, Yusaku." Brea commented.

"We don't know that for sure, Brea. All of us have suspicions that there may be more going on behind the scenes here." Miyu voiced her opinion. "We believe Jericho may be taking advantage of this conflict for his own ends, just like he did when he murdered the Ignis."

"Nevertheless, you guys are gonna need all the help you can get to defeat these enemies." Brea stood up on her feet. "As such, allow me-." To everyone's shock, Brea suddenly fell onto the ground as pieces of red electricity coursed through her body, which made her let out a small cry of pain upon feeling it.

"Brea!" Arashi cried out, having ran over to help Brea stand up on her feet. Miyu also ran over to Brea, wanting to see if she was injured.

"Here, let me help you out." Miyu told Brea, as she placed her hands on the latter's shoulders, which caused light-blue energy to enter into Brea's body. Within seconds, the electricity disappeared completely, having freed Brea from the pain before doing so.

"Woah. Thanks, Miyu. Forgot you can do that." Brea said. "Just what was that, anyway?"

"It's the aftereffects of using a member of the Deadly Seven, that's what." Roxy figured out. "Even thought they have incredible power, if the user is not trained enough, it could cause them pain after using it."

Brea raised an eyebrow, surprised by what Roxy deduced just now. "But that doesn't make sense. I clearly mastered Skypalace Babylon's power when I dueled against one of Yuhiro's data clones, or else it would have corrupted me a long time ago."

"You may have mastered it mentally, Brea, but you still need to train so your body can handle the physical toll." Roxy sighed, knowing what the best course of action was to be, even though she'd knew how Brea would react in response to it. "Given the dire urgency of this mission, along with my concerns over your wellbeing, I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out, Brea."

"Are you serious, Roxy? I'm one hundred percent fine!" Brea protested, having stood up on her feet. "See? I can stand up perfectly."

"Roxy's right, Brea." Takeru spoke up. "We appreciate you offering your help to us once again, Brea, but this is a personal matter. I do hope you understand."

"Come on, guys. Surely, we can work something out. I mean, I defeated one of Yuhiro's data clones, which was one of the toughest duels I ever partook in." Brea pointed out.

"That's true, Brea, but everyone needs to rest every now and then." Arashi countered. "Since this mission's dire, we need to investigate it thoroughly before deciding next steps. Once we know all the details, then we'll determine next steps and ensure you're in the loop."

Brea pouted, knowing that Arashi was right, as much as she didn't want to admit it. "Alright, fine. I'll sit this one out for now. But only because what you say is logical."

"Thanks for understanding, Brea. Like Arashi said, we'll keep you posted." Yuhiro promised.

"You better keep me posted, Yuhiro. I'll know if you don't." Brea warned Yuhiro, which made him shiver in response. Roxy certainly made an impression on Brea, that's for sure. Miyu giggled after seeing Yuhiro shiver in fear, pleased that there was another person who can keep him in line.

Yuhiro nodded to confirm that he received Brea's warning. "Understood."

"Alright, Brea. Time to help you get back home." Arashi said, as he suddenly picked Brea up in a princess-style type of carry, which made her blush upon realizing what was going on.

"H-H-Hey, I can walk on my… own two feet, you know." Brea commented, still stunned by what happened just now. However, electricity once again surged through her body, which weakened her temporarily despite being fully conscious.

"I'll take you home, Brea." Roxy stated, as she packed up all the documents in the suitcase. From there, she gestured Arashi to follow her to the garage, having done so with Brea in his arms. After Arashi helped Brea sit down on the passenger seat, Roxy went into the driver's seat before starting up the van, having proceeded to take her home seconds later.

"Hey, you okay, Yusaku?" Takeru asked, having noticed that something was up with Yusaku as Arashi reappeared to join the group.

"I need some time alone," was all Yusaku said back, as he walked away from Café Matsuo. The others present understood, knowing that Yusaku needed some more time to think over recent events. Specifically, Ai's reappearance and his plan to take Akira's half of the Code Key for himself. Hopefully, with more time, Yusaku will be able to figure things out and decide if he's mentally ready to join the fight. For if you weren't ready in mind, body, and spirit, then it can severely affect your role in stopping a conflict. If anything, it could make it worse.

Takeru turned to Yuhiro and Miyu as he stood up on his feet. "Well, guys. It looks like I'll see the both of you later tonight."

"Same here." Arashi agreed, also planning to call it a night so he can get some rest before the battle to come.

"See you later," both Yuhiro and Miyu said at the same time, as Takeru and Arashi left Café Matsuo, intent on returning to their respective homes before preparing for the battle against Ai later on.

"Miyu, um, can I speak to you for a minute?" Yuhiro asked, only for Miyu to walk past him and open the door to Café Matsuo.

"I don't have time right now, Yuhiro. I need to get something done." Miyu firmly replied back, as she headed to her room, wanting to study the 'Trickstar' deck some more and identify more strategies on how to utilize its strategies to full power. Arin, who was on Miyu's right shoulder, quickly made some signs to assure Yuhiro that he'd be there for her should something unexpected occur.

Yuhiro looked down at the ground and sighed. While things were… better between him and Miyu, she still had signs of anger on her face. Ones that didn't go away no matter how much time passed. Ones that were directed at Yuhiro and Roxy for not telling her the truth sooner. If Yuhiro was being honest, Miyu's anger at him and Roxy was totally justified given how she didn't know the truth earlier.

I really want to set things right with you, Miyu. Yet despite things being easier between the three of us, you're not giving Roxy nor I the chance to do so, Yuhiro lamented in his mind. What else must he do to obtain Miyu's forgiveness on this matter? Hopefully, Yuhiro will get an answer, as he obviously didn't want to lose the love of his life. Not when things were already bad as they were right now.

Elsewhere, in Jericho's server, in the network…

"So with a combination of solid vision and arc system technology, the Materializer will be able to take many things from the network and provide them with solid form in the real world. Not just that, but also transfer things in the real world to the network and provide them with digital form." Issachar said, having finished his presentation. On the presentation slide, it showed the Materializer, which consisted of a dark-grey, cylindrical device that had two shells, with each one closed off at the end. Both ends had several light-blue outlines, along with a light-blue dot at the end of them that glowed with energy. It also had two small antennas, which were deeply embedded in the nodes inside of the device. Inside the capsule was five rings, along with a technological wire that connected them altogether, which cackled with energy. In a way, it resembled that of a futuristic capsule.

Said machine was also physically nearby the presentation, which sat on a stool that had a pillow on top of it. This way, Issachar can show Jericho that he not only built it, but also demonstrate an opportunity to test the machine as well if needed.

Jericho thought this over after Issachar finished off his presentation on his newest device. According to Issachar, he called it the Materializer, which focused on using data to identify the subject before doing one of two things. One: To take something from the real world and provide it with a digital form. Two: To take something from the network and provide it with a solid form in the real world. This was done by scanning the object before determining how much data would be needed for it to achieve either digital or solid form. Once this was done, a blueprint would then be created so the subject can fully achieve either digital or solid form based on the situation at hand.

Nearby was Juggernaut, having also watched the presentation Issachar presented just now on the Materializer. He spent a good part of the day practicing the presentation so he'd be able to flawlessly touch on each point of the Materializer and its capabilities.

"So, uh. What do you think? Do you like it?" Issachar stood in silence after saying those words, wanting to hear Jericho's thoughts on the Materializer.

Jericho, after thinking it over, stood up from his chair before clapping with his hands. "Now this is impressive, Issachar. To think that young minds such as yours would have the capability of not only thinking of new ways to help humanity grow, but for also taking the initiative as well. Bravo! Bravo!" This guy's certainly innovative, that's for sure, Jericho thought in his mind. It's almost like I'm looking at a younger version of myself in the mirror.

"Thank you, Mr. Jericho. I appreciate it very much." Issachar commented.

"See, Issachar. I told you that Jericho would like it. You've done extremely well." Juggernaut praised Issachar, once again pleased with his success and growing knowledge. One day, maybe Issachar would likely surpass Juggernaut if he continued to keep accumulating more knowledge through his studies and work.

"I just have one question, Issachar." Jericho piped in. "Have you tested the device?"

Issachar turned to Jericho in response. "Right now, only on a potted plant, a deck of cards and a pencil so far."

"So, theoretically, would a being from the digital network be able to achieve solid form in the real world then with the Materializer?" Jericho inquired, now curious about the Materializer. With such a device, Jericho would be able to fully materialize into the real world without using a Soltis body. Not just him, but Urizen and his forces as well. In fact, neither of them would need Soltis bodies to return to the real world if the Materializer proved to be a success.

"I believe so, but I haven't tested it on living organisms yet. It'd be inhumane of me if I did such a thing." Issachar responded.

"Alright. Next question. Can you take a digital being and put it inside a device that's not operable at the moment due to extenuating circumstances?"

"Jericho, what you're suggesting is vile and blasphemous." Juggernaut scolded Jericho. "There's no way you'll have digital beings take over different types of beings after they're used up."

"I mean, it could be possible." Issachar spoke up, which got Juggernaut and Jericho's attention. "As long as you have something that's not animate, then it's technically possible to take a digital being and put it inside a device, which will act as its anchor. But should the anchor be destroyed, then the digital being will be destroyed as well."

"Now that's what I want to hear." Jericho told Issachar, pleased with the answer as he dashed to quickly get a Soltis unit that was tucked away before returning back to the area.

"Where did you get a Soltis unit?" Juggernaut inquired.

"Not important right now, Juggernaut." Jericho then turned to Issachar. "Here's your task, Issachar. With the algorithm I gave you a while back, I want you to materialize me into this Soltis unit."

"You sure? Like I said, I've only tested it on a potted plant, a deck of cards and a pencil so far. I really don't think it'd be safe to test it on a living being just yet." Issachar voiced his concern. "Until I get more results-."

"Don't you get it? This is your opportunity to test the Materializer and see if it works on living beings such as myself, Issachar. Trust me, I'll be fine." Jericho interrupted, having faith in his ability as an ISO to heal from even the deadliest of wounds. It was one of the many benefits he got for adapting to the dark side of the network all those years ago.

Issachar shrugged his shoulders, as if knowing that Jericho wouldn't be deterred by any other warnings whatsoever. "Alright. If you say so. Just don't go crying to me if you feel that something's not right." As such, he walked over to the Materializer before pressing a few buttons on it, which turned the machine on seconds later. The small antennas soon began glowing with a blue color, as if to indicate that it was connected to Issachar's duel disk.

After that was done, Issachar typed something on his duel disk before as the rings in the capsule began turning, which indicated that it was operational. Soon, one of the ends glowed with light-blue energy before pieces of data began to exit out of it, where it headed straight towards Jericho as it immediately surrounded his body. Within seconds, Jericho felt his body slowly disappearing as the blue particles that surrounded it soon began to head over to the Soltis unit. Each piece of Jericho then attached itself to the Soltis unit like a puzzle piece, having gone ahead to connect with one another so he can achieve solid form.

"GAAAH!" Jericho loudly screamed, having realized that something was clearly not right here. To Issachar and Juggernaut's shock, Jericho immediately evacuated the Soltis body before returning to his original form, still breathing deeply to ensure he was okay. Purple, glowing cracks appeared on his body, which slowly began to mend themselves together as Jericho's healing factor began to kick in. Each ISO had a healing factor, which enabled them to heal from even the most gruesome of injuries.

"Jericho, are you alright?!" Juggernaut exclaimed, as she ran over to Jericho before helping him up on his feet.

"Master Jericho, I heard a noise! Is everything okay?" a voice inquired, as Dogma appeared before seeing what was going on.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Jericho assured Dogma, Juggernaut and Issachar.

"I tried to warn you that it wasn't ready to be used on living organisms yet." Issachar stated. "Though you were right on something, Mr. Jericho. I was able to get some data from the test."

Jericho stretched his muscles, wanting to make sure he can walk again now that he escaped the Soltis unit. While he felt a little sore, he was able to move around again, which was good for now. "Yup. You certainly got some data from the test, Issachar. Oh, and where are my manners. Issachar, this is Dogma. Dogma, this is Issachar."

"Nice to meet you in person, Issachar." Dogma said, as he walked over to Issachar before offering him a hand, the latter going ahead to shake it back in response.

"Nice to meet you as well, Dogma." Issachar replied.

Before anyone can say anything else, Hallucina logged into Jericho's server, having carried a few things in her hands. "Jericho, I have a few questions-." She blinked upon realizing that something happened just now. "Did I miss something?"

Dogma turned to Jericho, knowing that Hallucina needed something. "Let me take care of this matter quickly, Master Jericho. Just make sure you're healed up and ready to go. After all, we need to begin Issachar's next test."

"Indeed, Dogma. We certainly need to begin it." Jericho agreed, as Dogma led Hallucina to another area of Jericho's server so they can speak in private.

"What test would that be?" Issachar inquired. He passed the second test in presenting the Materializer and showing its capabilities. Just how many did Issachar have to pass so he can work with Jericho and contribute to his goal?

Jericho turned to Issachar in response. "Nothing major, Issachar. I want to see your dueling skills for myself. As for the woman who just appeared, her name's Hallucina. Do make sure to introduce yourself to her when you next see her."

"Noted." Issachar nodded, knowing that the third test would be an easy one, as he was a strong duelist during some of his down time. Whatever opponent Jericho pitted Issachar against, he would succeed for sure.

Meanwhile, at another area of Jericho's server…

"So, Hallucina. What can I help you with?" Dogma asked.

"Here's the thing, Dogma. There are people at Albinor Inc. asking questions about what happened recently." Hallucina answered.

"Really now? Which questions specifically?"

Hallucina narrowed her eyes. "Some employees are questioning why Jericho, Ukyos' son, is back instead of the founder. Others are also wondering when the founder will return, along with whether or not he'll still adhere to the vision and mission statements of Albinor Inc. he made a long time ago. Hell, there are others asking if Jericho truly is the founder's son, and not just some imposter."

"For your employee's concerns on whether or not Jericho truly is Ukyos' son, you can tell them that it is indeed the case. Jericho is Ukyos' son." Dogma replied. "As for the rest of your employee's questions, they will be answered in time."

"And if the answers aren't what the employees are looking for? Then what will happen?" Hallucina further inquired, wanting to know what will happen to the employees should they begin questioning Jericho, and by extension, Urizen's true motives. "Ever since SOL Technologies betrayed Albinor Inc. all those years ago, the company and its employees have been through Hell. When Ukyos and Jericho disappeared, you put me in charge to ensure the company continued to operate despite its numerous losses. Ones including business partnerships, volunteers, property and so much more. A vast majority of those who were with Albinor Inc. decided to trust SOL Technologies' word over ours and form partnerships with our rival. All just so they can avoid being shut down due to associating with us."

Dogma frowned as he thought over what Hallucina said just now. "Are you done with your tirade, Hallucina?"

"I… I didn't mean to be angry just now, Dogma. I'm just stating facts here." Hallucina tried to justify her tirade.

"Albinor Inc. will have justice on SOL Technologies in time, Hallucina. You have my word." Dogma assured Hallucina. "If it helps, SOL Technologies is already going through a rough time due to the numerous losses it's facing right now. What's more, the higherups at SOL Technologies have all been disposed of for the time being, and with one command, they can be permanently eliminated."

Hallucina nodded in confirmation, assured that SOL Technologies will get its just desserts in time. The elimination of the higherups, many of SOL Technologies' business partners leaving them, people boycotting the company and social media putting it in a very bad light was a great start. In time, SOL Technologies will suffer the same pain Albinor Inc. went through all those years ago. "Alright, Dogma. I trust that you'll keep your word. In the meanwhile, I have something else to share."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"I was thinking of having Albinor Inc. host a duel tournament so the company can be noticed by people around the world." Hallucina explained. "My employees have even begun to lay out the logistics and rules for the event."

"That is a marvellous idea, Hallucina. I'm sure Jericho would be pleased with the idea." Dogma responded, now wanting to know more about Hallucina's idea as a result.

"What marvellous idea are you both talking about?" a voice asked out of curiosity, as Jericho, Souta and Juggernaut appeared. While the purple, glowing cracks were still on Jericho's body, they were on the verge of being healed completely, which meant he would soon be back to full health.

"Master Jericho, Hallucina has proposed the idea of having Albinor Inc. host a duel tournament." Dogma told Jericho. "This way, the company will be able to return to the spotlight in due time."

Jericho turned to Hallucina. "That certainly is a marvellous idea, Hallucina. However, this is something we'll have to discuss later, as we have other matters to attend to for the time being. I trust you have the AI ready for Issachar's test?"

Hallucina pressed a few buttons on her duel disk in response, where a humanoid AI appeared on her left side. One that resembled Kitamura's other AI duelists. The only difference was that it had the colors of all three of SOL Technologies' AIs together. Specifically, it was colored green, orange and pink. "This is AI-E. It'll be a perfect opponent for Issachar's next test."

"An AI duelist, huh?" Issachar said, as he looked at AI-E up and down. I thought SOL Technologies shut them down after Kitamura was kicked out of the company, Issachar thought in his mind.

"It may be an AI duelist, Issachar, but it doesn't mean you should lower your guard down." Juggernaut pointed out, which got Issachar's attention. "Never underestimate your opponent, as they may have a trick that can catch you off guard if you're not careful."

Issachar frowned, knowing that anything can happen in a duel, as one wrong move and you'd end up losing in the end. "I'm aware, Juggernaut. You don't have to worry about me."

"Splendid! Then let's go to the duel arena!" Jericho exclaimed, as he gestured everyone to follow him down a staircase that appeared just now. Issachar, Dogma, Juggernaut, Hallucina and AI-E then followed him down the stairs, the group now heading over to another area of Jericho's server.

A few minutes later, at another area in Jericho's server…

Juggernaut turned to face Hallucina. "I'm honestly surprised you were able to obtain one of Kitamura's AIs, Hallucina. How did you manage to do so?"

"A few of our workers from Albinor Inc. was able to acquire several parts before rebuilding it." Hallucina explained, as she gestured over to AI-E on the duel field.

"But it will be perfect for Issachar's next test." Jericho reminded Hallucina and Juggernaut. "What's more, the deck AI-E has on hand should be a good challenge for Issachar. You did say he's a strong duelist, am I not correct, Juggernaut?"

In response, Juggernaut nodded. "Yes, Jericho. The unpredictability his deck has will certainly keep up with decks that other duelists have."

"I too look forward to seeing this duel, Juggernaut. For I'm intrigued on your apprentice's strength as a duelist." Dogma commented. Right now, the group was in another area of Jericho's server, which consisted of a simple duel area. Aside from Issachar and AI-E, who were on the duel field, Jericho, Dogma, Juggernaut and Hallucina were on the balcony nearby, where the quartet can see the coming duel.

"My only request is that Issachar doesn't completely destroy this AI. Otherwise, it'll take a bit of time for us to rebuild it." Hallucina commented.

"You know I can hear your conversation up there, right?" Issachar spoke up, which made all four individuals present turn to him seconds later.

"Yes, we're aware." Jericho said back. "Anyhow, I trust you know what's at stake here?"

Issachar nodded. This was his chance to show Jericho just how good of a duelist he was outside his work of engineering. Whatever deck this AI wielded, Issachar would overcome its strategies before ultimately winning the duel. Besides, he had a reasonable win/lose record as a duelist, so this duel will further show his abilities in contributing towards the cause.

Juggernaut pressed some buttons on her duel disk, which caused AI-E to raise its left arm seconds later. After doing so, its duel disk immediately activated, which signalled what was about to begin. Good luck, Souta, Juggernaut thought in her mind.

"Maximum level activated. Initiate Master Duel." AI-E said, as Issachar also activated his duel disk, ready for the coming bout.

"Let's duel!" Issachar and AI-E shouted in unison.

Issachar: 4000 LP

Prototype AI-E: 4000 LP

"Alright, Issachar. This is your test, so you can decide whether you want to take the first turn or not." Jericho told Issachar, wanting to see what his deck was capable of against AI-E. For if Issachar wasn't able to defeat AI-E, then he'd have no chance whatsoever against Playmaker and his allies.

"In that case, I'll go second." Issachar decided, much to Jericho's curiosity.

"Very well, then." Jericho turned to Juggernaut. "Have AI-E take the first turn."

"On it." Juggernaut complied, as she pressed a few buttons on her duel disk.

"My turn." AI-E said. "I activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw the top two cards of my deck." It drew the top two cards of its deck seconds later.

"Next, I activate the effect of Tentacluster Darkwhip from my hand. By paying 500 life points, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field." A blue mechanical crab appeared on AI-E's field.

Tentacluster Darkwhip ATK: 100 DEF: 500 LV: 2

A blue aura then surrounded AI-E, which decreased its life points.

AI-E: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP

"I activate the effect of High Tech Adfraudra from my hand." Issachar responded. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you Normal or Special Summon a monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field in defense position." A violet and light-grey, bipedal dragon with yellow eyes that had red slits, a black mask covering its face and wings resembling that of red diamonds appeared on Issachar's field in defense position. While it had eyes on its wings, the right wing's eye was downward, while the left wing's eye was upward.

High Tech Adfraudra ATK: 0 DEF: 1400 LV: 4

"Adfraudra's effect then lets me draw the top card of my deck." Issachar then drew the top card of his deck afterwards.

"Fascinating. So Issachar not only managed to bring out a monster on AI-E's turn, but also got a free draw as well." Jericho observed.

"He's just getting started, Jericho. Keep watching, and you'll see what I mean." Juggernaut said.

"Unexpected summon identified. Proceed with strategy." AI-E commented. "I summon Tentacluster Blastsucker from my hand to my field." A small blue and purple jellyfish monster appeared on AI-E's field.

Tentacluster Blastsucker ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 2

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Allure of Darkness. This card lets me draw the top two cards of my deck in exchange for banishing a Dark monster from my hand. Otherwise, I must banish my entire hand. I banish Tentacluster Drillworm from my hand." After a card disappeared from AI-E's hand, it drew the top two cards of its deck.

"I activate the effect of High Tech RB Dragon Vert from my hand." Issachar interrupted once again. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you draw a card outside the Draw Phase, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field." A yellow, bipedal dragon with red eyes, as well as pieces of dark-yellow armor on its arms and legs appeared on Issachar's field. At the center of its body was a light-green gem that glowed before dimming down. For its wings, they resembled solar panels, which had spikes at the ends on each side.

High Tech RB Dragon Vert ATK: 1300 DEF: 700

"Then you take 500 points of damage for each card you've drawn just now. Since you've drawn two cards, you take 1000 points of damage." RB Dragon Vert then released a solar wave of energy from its panel-like wings at AI-E, who winced as its life points dropped.

AI-E: 3500 – (500 X 2) = 2500 LP

"Along with another monster on his field, Issachar also dealt some damage to AI-E as well." Hallucina said, as she turned to Juggernaut. "He's doing well so far."

"Like I told Jericho, you should pay attention, as you'll be surprised by what Issachar's building towards." Juggernaut told Hallucina, who nodded as she turned back to the duel.

"Unexpected damage occurred. Adapting new parameters. Proceed with turn." AI-E commented once again. "I activate the Spell card, Machine Duplication. This card lets me target one Machine monster I control with 500 or less attack points and Special Summon up to two monsters with the same name from my deck to my field. I target Blastsucker!" Soon, two copies of Blastsucker appeared on AI-E's field in defense position.

Tentacluster Blastsucker ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 2

Tentacluster Blastsucker ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 2

"In that case, I activate the effect of High Tech Flip Dragon from my hand." Issachar interrupted. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a Spell card, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field." A small, dark-blue dragon whose body resembled that of a drone appeared on Issachar's field. It had small, silver wings that had golden claws at the ends, with the middle nail being longer than the rest. Its legs were also small, as its feet were fused onto them. Underneath its body were magenta colored lines, which glowed before dimming down. On its head was a golden mask that covered its light-red eyes.

High Tech Flip Dragon ATK: 200 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"Then I'm allowed to Set a 'High Tech' Spell card from my deck to my field. I'll Set the Continuous-Spell card, High Tech Matrix from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Issachar's deck, which he took and Set to his field.

"And now Issachar has begun solidifying his defenses." Dogma stated, having looked at the duel field so far. He's certainly not holding back, especially since Jericho initiated this trial. For Issachar will have to put on a satisfactory performance to meet his expectations, Dogma thought in his mind.

"Appear, the circuit of the deep!" AI-E said, as a Link Portal appeared above it. "The summoning conditions are three 'Tentacluster' monsters. I'll set Tentacluster Darkwhip and the two copies of Blastsucker into the Link Markers!" Darkwhip went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while the two copies of Blastsucker went into the bottom and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Tentacluster Nautilus!" A giant, grey mollusk with blue innards and tentacles appeared on AI-E's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Tentacluster Nautilus ATK: 0 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️️️️

"Tentacluster Nautilus' effect!" AI-E continued. "When it's Link Summoned, I can Special Summon a 'Tentacluster' monster from my hand to a zone it points to. I Special Summon Tentacluster Drillworm from my hand to my field." A drill with fins at the back of it appeared on AI-E's field to one of the Main Monster Zone's Nautilus pointed to.

Tentacluster Drillworm ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"I activate the effect of Blastsucker from my Graveyard. By banishing it, you take 400 points of damage." A blast of energy erupted from AI-E's Graveyard that sped towards Issachar before hitting him, his life points having dropped upon impact.

Issachar: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

"I activate the effect of High Tech Beta Burn Dragon from my hand." Issachar responded. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, when I take damage by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field." A bipedal, light-green dragon that had yellow orbs on its shoulders and knees for pads appeared on Issachar's field. It had a total of four wings, which resembled that of a butterfly's wings. Covering its eyes was an orange visor resembling that of sunglasses.

High Tech Beta Burn Dragon ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Then, you not only take that same amount of damage, I also gain that same amount of life points as well." Beta Burn Dragon fired back a stream of fire from its mouth at AI-E, who stumbled back as its life points dropped. A green aura surrounded Issachar as his life points also increased.

Issachar: 3600 400 = 4000 LP

AI-E: 2500 – 400 = 2100 LP

Jericho narrowed his eyes upon seeing what Issachar did just now. The way Issachar's playing almost reminds me of my duel against Electrolyzer all those weeks ago, Jericho thought in his mind. The only difference is that Issachar gets to keep his monsters unlike Electrolyzer, whose monsters are banished during the End Phase. I do want to see how Issachar utilizes his resources effectively once his turn comes around, as if AI-E manages to destroy all of his monsters, then he won't have much to do once his turn comes around.

"Analysis complete. Resume strategy." AI-E said. "I activate the effect of the second copy of Blastsucker from my Graveyard. By banishing it, you take 400 points of damage." A second blast of energy erupted from AI-E's Graveyard that sped towards Issachar before hitting him, his life points having dropped upon impact.

Issachar: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Burial from a Different Dimension." AI-E added. "This card lets me target three banished monsters in my banished zone and return them back to my Graveyard. I target both copies of Blastsucker, and the copy of Drillworm in my banished zone." Silhouettes of the three declared cards briefly appeared beside AI-E before turning into particles.

"From there, I activate the effects of both copies of Blastsucker from my Graveyard. I banish both to inflict 400 points of damage for each one." Two blasts of energy erupted from AI-E's Graveyard that sped towards Issachar before each one made him take a step back upon impact, his life points having dropped as a result.

Issachar: 3600 – (400 X 2) = 2800 LP

"I activated Nautilus' second effect." AI-E stated. "Once per turn, I can target all monsters it points to and destroy them. I also activate Blastsucker's effect. Once per turn, when it's targeted by a Link monster's effect, I can destroy it and inflict 400 points of damage to you." Blastsucker turned into particles, where a small explosion occurred that forced Issachar to take a step back as his life points dropped.

Issachar: 2800 – 400 = 2400 LP

"Supply Squad's effect also activates. Once per turn, during either of our turns, when a monster is destroyed by a card effect, I can draw the top card of my deck." AI-E then drew the top card of its deck afterwards.

"Next, I activate the effect of the third Blastsucker from my Graveyard. By banishing it, just like before, you take 400 points of damage." AI-E reminded Issachar, as a blast of energy erupted from AI-E's Graveyard that sped towards the latter before hitting him, his life points having dropped upon impact.

Issachar: 2400 – 400 = 2000 LP

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Chaos Blast. By sending the top three cards from my deck to my Graveyard, I can target one Level 4 or lower Machine monster I control and destroy it. I target and destroy Drillworm." After AI-E took the top three cards of its deck and sent them to its Graveyard, Drillworm turned into particles.

"In addition, when Drillworm is destroyed by a card effect while it's in attack position, I can send a random card from your hand to your Graveyard." AI-E added.

"Great. Just great…" Issachar muttered, as the two cards in his hand appeared in front of AI-E.

"I choose the one on the right." AI-E decided, as the right card in Issachar's hand turned to reveal itself to AI-E, which revealed itself as the Quick-Play Spell card, Back-Up Rider before turning into particles. "I activate the effect of Shuffle Reborn from my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can target a card on my field and shuffle it into my deck in exchange for drawing the top card of my deck. However, I must banish a card from my hand during the End Phase of this turn. I target Supply Squad on my field, and shuffle it back into my deck." After Supply Squad turned into particles that returned to AI-E's deck, it drew the top card of its deck.

"I now activate the Continuous-Spell card, Flexible Tentacluster. The first time I would take battle damage from an attack involving a 'Tentacluster' monster, I do not."

"Well, that's annoying…" Issachar muttered. While he managed to Special Summon a total of four monsters on AI-E's turn, it wouldn't be enough to defeat AI-E on his turn.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." AI-E concluded. "Normally, Shuffle Reborn's effect would make me banish a card from my hand since it's the End Phase. However, I have no cards in my hand, so that part of the effect does not apply to me."

"Well, now this is interesting. Thanks to Issachar's moves, both duelists are now around 2000 life points." Dogma said.

"Issachar also has four monsters and a Set card on his field as well." Juggernaut commented.

"But in turn, AI-E has its Link monster, Flexible Tentacluster and a Set card on its field." Hallucina pointed out. "While we already know what Nautilus and Flexible Tentacluster's effects are, none of us know what card AI-E Set on its field."

"Then it will be a test of Issachar's tactical abilities." Jericho told the others. "If he isn't smart enough to evade AI-E's strategies, then he'll lose in the end."

"The duel isn't over until the last card is played, Jericho. You of all people know that." Juggernaut reminded Jericho, as the quartet refocused their attention on the duel in front of him.

"My turn! I draw!" Issachar said, as he drew the top card of his deck. This will work, Issachar thought in his mind.

"I activate the effect of Drillworm from my Graveyard." AI-E interrupted. "Once per turn, during your Standby Phase, when I have no cards in my hand and no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can banish one card with the same name as this one from my Graveyard to send a random card from your hand to your Graveyard." After a card from AI-E's Graveyard turned into particles, one of the cards in Issachar's hand also turned into particles, much to his irritation.

"Then I'm allowed to Special Summon Drillworm back to my field in defense position." Seconds later, Drillworm reappeared on AI-E's field in defense position.

Tentacluster Drillworm ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

Issachar thrusted out his right hand. "In that case, I activate the Continuous-Spell card, High Tech Matrix!" The card showed a digital network, with digital versions of dragons of all sizes flying through the area. "While this card's on my field, all Light and Dark Dragon monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points."

High Tech Adfraudra ATK: 0 + 300 = 300 DEF: 1400 + 300 = 1700

High Tech RB Dragon Vert ATK: 1300 + 300 = 1600 DEF: 700 + 300 = 1000

High Tech Flip Dragon ATK: 200 + 300 = 500 DEF: 0 + 300 = 300

High Tech Beta Burn Dragon ATK: 1400 300 = 1700 DEF: 0 300 = 300

"Appear, the automated circuit!" Issachar said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more Light or Dark Dragon monsters. I'll set High Tech Adfraudra, RB Dragon Vert, Beta Burn Dragon and Flip Dragon into the Link Markers!" Adfraudra went into the left arrowhead, Dragon Vert went into the top arrowhead, Beta Burn Dragon went into the right arrowhead and Flip Dragon went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Futuristic dragon paired with ever-growing acceleration! Emerge from the sea of electrons and unleash your might! Link Summon! Come out! Link 4! Blue Tooth Burst Dragon!" A bipedal, white and blue dragon with dark-blue spikes on its four cyan wings and the sides of its head appeared on Issachar's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Each of its cyan wings resembled that of a digital panel, which was evident by the dark-blue and white lines coursing through it like they were pieces of an algorithm. Attached to the back of its head was a white veil, with cyan diamonds embedded inside it that flowed down to the back of its neck.

Blue Tooth Burst Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ️️️️⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

Blue Tooth Burst Dragon ATK: 3000 + 300 = 3300

"I now activate Matrix's second effect." Issachar continued. "Once per turn, I can choose one of two effects. I choose effect two, where I target one Light or Dark Dragon monster I control and have it gain 300 attack and defense points for each 'High Tech' monster in my Graveyard until the End Phase. I target Blue Tooth Burst Dragon, and since there's a total of four 'High Tech' monsters in my Graveyard, that means Blue Tooth Burst Dragon gains 1200 attack points!" Blue Tooth Burst Dragon let out a roar as its strength increased.

Blue Tooth Burst Dragon ATK: 3300 + (300 X 4) = 4500

"From there, I activate Blue Tooth Burst Dragon's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can target one monster on your field and not only take control of it until the end of my next turn, but I can also negate its effects. I target Nautilus. Bluetooth Connexion!" The wings on Blue Tooth Burst Dragon's back glowed with a light-green light before firing it down onto Nautilus, who groaned in pain as it turned into particles, where it reappeared on Issachar's field. "The targeted monster is then not only treated as a 'High Tech' monster until the end of my next turn, but its original attack points also become 3000 as well." Nautilus morphed into a digital version of Blue Tooth Burst Dragon as its strength increased.

Tentacluster Nautilus ATK: 0 + 3000 = 3000

"I also activate Blue Tooth Burst Dragon's second effect, courtesy of Flip Dragon." Issachar added. "Once per turn, I can target one Spell or Trap card on your field and banish it. I target and banish Flexible Tentacluster." A digital silhouette of Flip Dragon appeared as it fired a violet wave of energy from its saucer-like body, which turned Flexible Tentacluster into particles.

"Okay, now that is surprising to see…" Dogma muttered.

"How does Blue Tooth Burst Dragon have Flip Dragon's effect?" Hallucina asked.

"It's how Issachar's deck works, Hallucina. While I won't say anything specific, let's just say his monsters work with one another to make each other stronger." Juggernaut explained. "As for the end result, watch and see for yourself."

"Battle!" Issachar declared. "Blue Tooth Burst Dragon attacks Tentacluster Nautilus!"

"I activate the effect of Rise to Full Height from my Graveyard." AI-E responded. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can target one monster I control, and your monsters can only attack that monster for the rest of this turn."

Issachar frowned. "I see. So that means I can't attack you directly after I destroy your monster…"

"Affirmative. I target Drillworm." An orange aura surrounded Drillworm seconds later.

"If you think your life points are safe, you should get your hearing checked, AI. Because Blue Tooth Burst Dragon has a third effect, courtesy of Beta Burn Dragon." Issachar stated, as a silhouette of Beta Burn Dragon appeared, which amplified Blue Tooth Burst Dragon's strength. "If the monster that used it as material for a Link, Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz summon attacks a defense position monster you control, it inflicts piercing battle damage."

"Unexpected variable identified. Adapting to new parameters." AI-E commented, as it gestured to its field. "Trap card, activate! Draining Shield! When this card is activated-."

"Sorry, but you're not escaping defeat this turn. I activate Blue Tooth Burst Dragon's fourth effect, courtesy of Adfraudra. Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a card effect, it's instantly negated." A silhouette of Adfraudra appeared before firing out a howl of energy at Draining Shield, which greyed it out seconds later.

"Resume your attack, Blue Tooth Burst Dragon!" Issachar said. "Burst Erasure of Obliteration!" Electrical energy gathered in Blue Tooth Burst Dragon's maw before firing it out at Drillworm, which shredded it into pieces upon impact. The explosion sent AI-E flying off the ground before it landed on its back, its life points having dropped to zero seconds later.

AI-E: 2100 - 4500 = 0

Jericho whistled as he and the others walked down the stairs before heading onto the duel field. "Well, well, well. You certainly managed to defeat this AI way faster than I expected. Although you did cause some damage to it."

"Whoops. Sorry about that." Issachar apologized, having scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry. We'll fix it up in no time." Jericho told Issachar, as he turned over to Juggernaut. "Looks like you were right about Issachar's strength as a duelist, Juggernaut. You should be proud of him."

"Thank you, Jericho. It means a lot." Juggernaut happily stated.

"Does the AI meet your expectations, Jericho?" Hallucina asked, wanting to know his thoughts on the matter.

Jericho nodded in response to Hallucina's question. "It certainly does, Hallucina. If anything unexpected comes up, we can use this AI to delay our enemies. As for the deck it uses, if it isn't good enough to defeat Issachar, then it won't do anything against Playmaker and his allies. I mean, I am already one hundred percent sure our enemies conquered the 'Tentacluster' deck an exceedingly long time ago. See if Albinor Inc. has any other decks on hand for AI-E to use. Ones that will be more of a challenge to deal with."

"Of course, Jericho." Hallucina then logged out of the network temporarily, intent on completing her task.

"As for you, Issachar, you've passed the test." Jericho stated. "Since you did an excellent job, take some time off and get some rest. If you have the time available, you can also make some tweaks to that materializer of yours."

"Y-Yeah, sure." Issachar replied, as he also logged out of the network. Juggernaut also logged out of the network after receiving permission from Jericho to do so.

"Master Jericho, may I speak to you in private for a moment?" Dogma asked.

"Of course, Dogma. I'm happy to speak with you." Jericho answered, as the two men went upstairs back to the main area of his server. There, Jericho looked at the light-green monitor, which displayed several readings on it. Specifically, ones about the Ignis, along with the recorded footage Jericho obtained from the duels in Mirror LINK VRAINS. He also planned to show the duel footage to the other envoys so they would have an idea on who they were about to deal with in the future. "So, Dogma. What can I help you with?"

Dogma sighed. "I have some unfortunate news, sir. I have received some information from one of Cryomancer's agents. It's about Rachel Miyake, who also goes by Numera in the network. The one you say is the Construct."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Sir…" Dogma cleared his throat before speaking. "According to one of Cryomancer's agents, Numera has been cured."

"Cured?" Jericho repeated, having slowly turned to Dogma. This… was not good to hear at all.

"I'm afraid so, Master Jericho." Dogma confirmed. "From what I gathered, Numera has been cured, and I doubt it was done by modern day science. If anything, Playmaker and his allies may have had a hand in curing her."

"What?!" Jericho's hands turned into fists as a purple and black-colored aura began to surround his body, which cackled with electricity seconds later. He then let out a loud scream as waves of energy radiated from him before being fired outwards, which caused the whole area began to shake. Dogma was pushed back several feet as a result, having pulled out two Black Keys in each of his hands to shield himself with. Some of the computer screens even cracked while other pieces of technology temporarily stopped functioning.

When the dust cleared, it showed an infuriated Jericho, still surrounded in the purple and black-colored aura. The computer screens that were cracked began to repair themselves while the other pieces of technology resumed functioning. Nonetheless, Jericho was infuriated to hear that Numera was no longer the Construct, as he wouldn't be able to find the Root of All Knowledge for Urizen as a result. Thus, for the time begin, Jericho would have to synchronize the Unity so he can bring Urizen and the other ISOs to Earth, as well as scorch the planet in the process. "Anything else, Dogma?!"

"One other thing, sir. According to one of Cryomancer's agents, Electrolyzer is sending some men to escort Akira Zaizen to an undisclosed location." Dogma answered, having put away the Black Keys in the process. He was shocked to see Jericho wield such power, which clearly showed how the latter was no longer human despite showing the traits of one.

"Have Cryomancer put some of her men in the group of agents being sent to assist Zaizen, Dogma." Jericho ordered, as he headed over to another set of stairs that extended down to the next level below. "Keep me posted as well."

Dogma immediately turned to Jericho, wondering what he was planning to do in his enraged state. "And where are you going?"

"To get a task of my own done. I plan to speak with Ai and Roboppy afterwards." Jericho gritted his teeth as he walked down the set of stairs, wanting to visit a certain individual. He headed down to the prison area of the server before walking down to Watchman's cell, having noticed that Despa and Apsed were taking turns torturing him.

"AAAGH!" Watchman screamed, as Apsed used the staff in his hands to release fiery electricity at the former, who let out another scream in pain.

"Oh, goodie! I just love it when the prisoner screams for their life!" Apsed cheered.

"Now that's one topic we both concur on." Despa agreed, as Apsed tossed him the staff, who used it to electrocute Watchman once again.

"Enough, the both of you!" Jericho snapped, as he entered Watchman's cell. "I want to have a quick word with our prisoner, and I can't do that if on the verge of being unconscious."

Apsed groaned. "What? Can't Despa and I play with Watchman a little longer? We were still on our Good Cop and Bad Cop routine."

Despa placed a hand on Apsed's shoulder. "But we must respect Jericho's wishes. If he wishes to speak with the prisoner, then we must let him."

"Ugh. Fine. But it doesn't mean the routine is done yet." Apsed turned to Jericho. "Do you need anything else?"

"No. Just leave us." Jericho ordered, as Apsed and Despa left Watchman's cell before proceeding to leave the prison area of Jericho's server. This left Jericho and Watchman alone in the latter's cell as a result.

"I heard your little scream upstairs. I assume that something else didn't go the way you wanted it to?" Watchman taunted, having noticed the purple, glowing cracks on Jericho's body, which were close to being healed.

Jericho, in response, grabbed Watchman by his head so he can pay attention to him. "It's none of your business, old man. Right now, you're at mine and the other envoys' mercy."

Watchman let out a loud laugh. "Is that what you think? I find that hard to believe, especially given the 'trust' between you and the envoys. For just like me, you're withholding secrets from them to get your way."

"Bullshit." Jericho said back.

"But it's true. In the fragile state you're in right now, you'll do whatever it takes to ensure your plans reach fruition." Watchman pointed out. "I even heard that Juggernaut took on an apprentice. I do wonder if she, her apprentice and the other envoys will stay loyal to you once-."

SHINK!

Watchman let out a small scream of pain as Jericho stabbed him in the stomach with a blade of data material in his hands. It wasn't an attack that would obviously not kill Watchman, but one to wound him instead. A stream of purple data material then appeared from Watchman's wound before floating over to Jericho's duel disk, where a digital card floated above it as it took form. Once that was done, it went back into Jericho's duel disk, which shown that it was complete.

"Congratulations, old man. You've just become a human battery. I hope you enjoy it." Jericho stated, before punching Watchman and knocking him out for the time being. Once that was done, Jericho logged out of his server, intent on speaking with Ai and Roboppy to prepare for the coming attack not just on Akira, but any allies he recruited to keep him safe as well.

Elsewhere, at Café Matsuo, in the kitchen area of the dining room…

"Are you kidding me, auntie? You're not letting me join the fight?" Miyu inquired.

"I appreciate you offering to help, Miyu, but you haven't practiced using the 'Trickstar' deck yet." Roxy explained. "For now, you can help from the sidelines until you get a good grip in using your deck."

Miyu rolled her eyes. Right now, she and Roxy were in the kitchen area of the dining room, the two of them having a tense discussion on the subject at hand. Specifically, Miyu wanting to join in on the frontlines to stop Ai and whatever plans he had in mind for SOL Technologies. In response to this, Roxy declined the offer, saying that it's better for her to help on the sidelines until she got a good handle on using the 'Trickstar' deck. What Roxy didn't know, however, was that Aoi shown Miyu some combos for the deck and which cards work best with one another. Not only that, but also the new 'Trickstar' cards to further accelerate the deck's strategies as well. "You really don't know that for sure, auntie."

"Indeed. Miyu's been studying the 'Trickstar' deck like crazy for the past while." Arin spoke up in support for Miyu's point. Like usual, he was on Miyu's left shoulder when he wasn't in one of his disguises, with one example being a bracelet.

"Studying and using a deck are two different things, Arin, just like how playing and using a card are two different things when it comes to a duel." Roxy pointed out to Arin.

"But you're not always going to be around to protect me, auntie. You of all people know that." Miyu countered, which got Roxy's attention. "I want to show you not only what I learned in studying the 'Trickstar' deck, but also using it as well."

Roxy sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Miyu made a valid point. Roxy wouldn't be around to protect Miyu and Yuhiro forever, especially since the both of them were growing up as individuals. Thus, it made sense for Roxy to instead see how much Miyu learned in both studying and using the 'Trickstar' deck when it came to a duel. "Okay, fine. We'll duel. If you defeat me, then I'll allow you to join the frontlines."

"Yes! I knew you'd be willing to let me fight alongside Aoi and the others!" Miyu grabbed her duel disk and proceeded to put it in the deck slot.

"That's only if you defeat me." Roxy reminded Miyu, as she also grabbed her duel disk before putting her deck in the deck slot.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" both Miyu and Roxy shouted, as they logged into LINK VRAINS at the same time.

A few minutes later, in the network, in Herald's server…

Angelica and Aerith appeared in Herald's server, the two of them looking around the area, having noticed that it was slowly returning back to normal. This was evident by the grass slowly growing out of the ground, the streams of water that reappeared and the numerous structures being rebuilt by the 'Cyreath' monsters. Not just that, but the reappearance of the sun and clouds indicated how life was returning to the area overall.

"It looks like Herald's server is certainly getting better with the Cursed Boundary Layer's destruction…" Angelica muttered.

"It certainly looks like it." Aerith agreed, before turning to Angelica. "How come you chose this server for our duel?"

Angelica pondered it over before speaking. "I guess, in a way, it makes sense. Just as how the server's slowly returning to normal, one can say that allows for new beginnings. Not just for people who are currently starting on their path, but a new change for those who need it."

"A fresh start… and a new change…" Aerith also thought these words over. While what Angelica said made sense, perhaps there was a deeper meaning behind what was going on. Maybe it symbolized something, as there could be a deeper reason why Angelica brought Aerith to Herald's server for this duel.

"Regardless, it doesn't change that Aerith and I are going to kick your ass!" Arin exclaimed, which snapped Aerith out of her thoughts.

"Is that so? Well, let me tell you something, Arin. I'm a strong duelist, and I didn't get to where I am today for merely slacking around. I put in the hard work and got stronger as a result, so don't you dare underestimate me." Angelica firmly told Arin, who shivered in response.

"I'm sorry." Arin shook off the shivers, wanting to focus and help Aerith for the duel to come.

"Okay, Angelica. I'm ready whenever you are." Aerith said, with Angelica nodding as both of them activated their duel disks.

"Duel!" Angelica and Aerith shouted at the same time.

Angelica: 4000 LP

Aerith: 4000 LP

"If you don't mind, I'll be going first." Aerith firmly decided, which made Angelica nod in compliance.

"Ooh, looks like you got some good cards here." Arin quietly observed, as he looked at the cards in Aerith's hand.

"Yes, I do, Arin. Yes, I do." Aerith quietly agreed, as she redirected her attention to the duel. "I activate the Field Spell card, Trickstar Light Arena. I also activate the Continuous-Spell card, Abyss Invitation. Then, since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Trickstar Corobane from my hand to my field." A woman wearing a green and black tutu, as well as black skinny pants appeared on Blue Angel's field in the Main Monster Zone Holly Angel pointed to. She had long violet hair, with a large puff ball attached to the end. She also wore a white winter hat with a green ribbon attached to the side. In her left hand, Corobane carried a long scepter with three white bells attached to the end of it.

Trickstar Corobane ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 5

"Next, I summon Trickstar Narkissus from my hand to my field." A little girl with blond hair and green eyes carried a flower gun in her right hand appeared on Aerith's field. She also wore a green, orange, and white dress.

Trickstar Narkissus ATK: 1000 DEF: 1800 LV: 4

"Appear! The circuit of persevering hope!" Aerith said, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are one non-link 'Trickstar' monster. I'll set Trickstar Narkissus into the Link Markers!" Narkissus went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Trickstar Colchica!" A young woman with orange eyes and bushy pink hair that was in the form of a bob cut appeared on Aerith's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore an orange and black dress that had golden outlines on it, along with black stockings on her legs. On her head was a set of golden headphones, as well as two orange orbs on her hair. In her right hand, she carried a microphone.

Trickstar Colchica ATK: 200 LINK-1 ⬇️️

"Light Arena's effect now activates! Once per turn, when I Link Summon a 'Trickstar' Link monster, I can target the 'Trickstar' monster that was used as Link material and Special Summon it back to my field in defense position in exchange for negating its effects. Return to me, Narkissus!" At Aerith's command, Narkissus reappeared on her field in defense position.

Trickstar Narkissus ATK: 1000 DEF: 1800 LV: 4

"I also activate the effect of Trickstar Hoodie from my hand." Aerith continued. "Once per turn, when I control a 'Trickstar' Link or Fusion monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field." A young woman who wore a purple dress that had a hood on it, along with a small tiara that had hearts at the front appeared on Aerith's field. She had long, curly brown hair that went down to the bottom of her waist, which was in the form of two pigtails. In her left hand, she carried what appeared to be a small, purple and violet harp.

Trickstar Hoodie ATK: 600 DEF: 1800 LV: 2

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of persevering hope!" A second Link Portal appeared above Aerith. "The summoning conditions are two 'Trickstar' monsters. I'll set the Link 1 Trickstar Colchica and Hoodie into the Link Markers!" Colchica went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Hoodie went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Noble Angel!" A woman with pale blonde hair and blue eyes appeared on Aerith's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore an elaborate blue, white and purple dress wth golden markings on it. In her hand, she carried a flail that had blue hearts on the rope, which ended in a spiked ball with blue, watery energy inside it.

Trickstar Noble Angel ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ️️↙️↘️

"Noble Angel?" Angelica repeated. It seems to be a retrain or upgraded version of Holly Angel, Angelica immediately deduced in her mind.

"The effects of Hoodie and Noble Angel activated in sequence." Aerith began speaking. "First, when Hoodie is sent to the Graveyard as material for the Link Summon of a 'Trickstar' Link monster, I can add a copy of either 'Trickstar Fusion' or 'Trickstar Diffusion' from my deck to my hand. I'll add Trickstar Fusion from my deck to my hand." The declared card popped out of Aerith's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"Second, when Noble Angel is Link Summoned, I can add a 'Blue Tears' card from my deck to my hand. I'll add Maiden of Blue Tears from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Aerith's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Trickstar Fusion." Aerith added. "This card lets me Fusion Summon one 'Trickstar' Fusion monster by using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Materials.

"Fusion right out from the bat, huh?" Angelica commented, knowing what was coming next.

"That's right! I'll use Trickstar Corobane and Narkissus on my field as Fusion Materials!" Corobane turned into red particles while Narkissus turned into blue particles before both of them swirled together into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy then shot upward and combined to form a magenta whirlwind.

"The band's drummer shall amplify the music with her drumbeats!" Aerith changed. "Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 6! Trickstar Band Drummatis!" A woman who wore a pink, white and dark-red dress with purple bubbles on the lower sides appeared on Aerith's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Noble Angel pointed to. She had blond hair with pink highlights, along with a small, pink and dark-red headdress that had a single spike on the sides. On her back, she had a total of four sharp wings, and she carried a pair of drumsticks that acted as rapiers in each of her hands.

Trickstar Band Drummatis ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 6

"When Drummatis is Fusion Summoned, I can add one 'Trickstar' card from my deck to my hand with a different name among the cards that are on my field. I'll add Trickstar Festival from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Aerith's deck, which she took and added to her hand. "Also, note that all 'Trickstar' Link monsters that point to Drummatis gain 1000 attack points." Noble Angel was surrounded in a light-pink aura that increased her strength.

Trickstar Noble Angel ATK: 2000 + 1000 = 3000

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Trickstar Festival. This card lets me Special Summon two 'Trickstar' tokens to my field." Aerith simply said, as two little red hearts with wings and a tail each appeared on her field in defense position.

Trickstar Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

Trickstar Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, for a third time! The circuit of persevering hope!" A third Link Portal appeared above Aerith. "The summoning conditions are two Level 3 or lower 'Trickstar' monsters. I'll set both Trickstar tokens into the Link Markers!" One Trickstar token went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while the second one went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Divaridis!" A woman with long blond hair and wearing an elegant green and white dress appeared on Aerith's field in one of the Main Monster Zones Noble Angel pointed to. In her right hand, she carried a long microphone.

Trickstar Divaridis ATK: 1800 LINK-2 ️️↙️⬇️

"When Divaridis is Link Summoned, you take 200 points of damage." Aerith stated, as Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 4000 – 200 = 3800 LP

"Abyss Invitation's effect also activates! When you take 500 or less points of effect damage by a card effect, except by Abyss Invitation's effect, you take an additional 200 points of damage." A purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 3800 – 200 = 3600 LP

"With this, the defeat by a thousand cuts begins." Arin said, happy that Aerith was able to inflict damage early in the duel.

"Aye, aye, aye…" Angelica muttered. She knew now what it was like to be damaged by the effects of the 'Trickstar' cards, as compared to the 'Marincess' deck and how it dealt massive damage in bursts, the 'Trickstar' deck basically weaved away at the opponent's life points bit by bit until they lost.

"Last but not least, I activate the effect of Trickstar Fusion from my Graveyard." Aerith continued. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can target one 'Trickstar' monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand in exchange for not summoning monsters with that name this turn. I target Corobane, and add it back to my hand!" A card popped out of Aerith's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Aerith chuckled. "Let's see what you got."

"My turn! I draw!" Angelica said, as she drew the top card of her deck. "That was a good opening move you've done, Aerith. Still, it'll take more than that to defeat me and pass the test. I'll start by Setting a card face-down. Next, I summon Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright from my hand to my field." A green troll wearing ragged pirate clothing appeared on her field. The only differences were that he wore a blue cap covering his neatly combed blue hair, and his beard was colored blue.

Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright ATK: 500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"Divaridis' second effect activates!" Aerith interrupted. "Each time you summon a monster, you take 200 points of damage!" Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 3600 – 200 = 3400 LP

"And since you took 500 or less points of effect damage by a card effect, except by Abyss Invitation's effect, Abyss Invitation's effect will now inflict an additional 200 points of damage to you." A purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 3400 – 200 = 3200 LP

"Noble Angel's effect also activates!" Aerith added. "Once per turn, when you take effect damage, I can target a card on your field and destroy it. I target and destroy your face-down card!" Noble Angel swung the flail at Angelica's face-down card, which destroyed it upon impact.

"Not smart, Aerith." Angelica responded. "The card you destroyed was the Trap card, Elegant Light LV4. When it's sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon one Level 4 monster from my deck." A card popped out of Angelica's deck. "Come to me from my deck, Whitebeard, the Plunder Patroll Helm." A green troll with bushy white hair jumped onto Angelica's field. He wore ragged pirate clothing all over his body, and a bronze visor covering his eyes.

Whitebeard, the Plunder Patroll Helm ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"But because you summoned a monster, Divaridis' effect activates once again." Aerith reminded Angelica, as Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 3200 – 200 = 3000 LP

"And need I remind you of what Abyss Invitation's effect is since you took 500 or less effect damage?" A purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 3000 – 200 = 2800 LP

"Ha! You just got damaged again bit by bit! How'd you like that?" Arin taunted, as Angelica grit her teeth.

"I'm quite aware of your cards, Aerith. Trust me when I say that it's gonna be worth it real soon." Angelica told Aerith. "I'll now swash up my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above Angelica. "The summoning conditions are two monsters, including a 'Plunder Patroll' monster. I set Bluebeard, the Plunder Patroll Shipwright and Whitebeard, the Plunder Patroll Helm into the Link Markers!" Bluebeard went into the bottom-right arrowhead, while Whitebeard went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Blackbeard, the Plunder Patroll Captain!" A large green troll wearing an eyepatch covering his left eye with a large black beard appeared on Angelica's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a Viking helmet on his head, and a magnificent cape draped on his shoulders.

Blackbeard, the Plunder Patroll Captain ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ↙️↘️️️

"But since you summoned a monster, Divaridis' effect activates once more." Aerith reminded Angelica once again, as Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 2800 – 200 = 2600 LP

"And Abyss Initiation's effect will add to that damage!" A purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 2600 – 200 = 2400 LP

"Ha! Take that, Angelica! You're getting closer to defeat one step at a time!" Arin cheered, happy that Aerith was winning.

"That's right, Arin! Angelica's going to be another step closer to defeat after what's to come!" Aerith agreed, as she gestured to her field. "I activate the Trap card, Maiden of Blue Tears!"

"Maiden of Blue Tears?" Angelica repeated. Why would Aerith have a card that nearly resembles the Blue Angel book, Angelica wondered in her mind.

"When you Special Summon a monster while I control a Link monster, I can not only target that monster and destroy it, but also inflict damage to you equal to half of that monster's original attack points. I target Blackbeard!"

Angelica suddenly grinned. "Sorry, sweetie, but you're one step behind. I activate Blackbeard's effect! Once per turn, I can target one effect monster I control and Special Summon one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my Extra Deck with the same attribute as a monster you control or is in your Graveyard. By doing so, I can equip that target to it and draw a card."

"What?" Aerith gasped, a little scared on what Angelica would bring out next.

"Oh, that's not good…" Arin commented, who was also scared on what would happen next.

"All three monsters you control have the Light attribute. Thus, I Special Summon Plunder Patrollship Lys from my Extra Deck to my field!" Angelica announced, as a large pirate ship with two bows instead of one at the front, appeared on her field in defense position in one of the Main Monster Zones Blackbeard pointed to. The ship had a large mast that was colored white and purple, with a smaller red and white sail in front of it. Two shields and five oars were on each side of the ship, as well as a set of cannons. Draped between the bows was a large pirate flag.

Plunder Patrollship Lys ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

Then Blackbeard jumped onto Lys, which led to Angelica drawing the top card of her deck.

"Since Blackbeard is no longer on the field, Maiden of Blue Tears' effect resolves without doing anything." Seconds later, Maiden of Blue Tears turned into particles.

"But because you summoned a monster-." Aerith began speaking.

"Once again, you're a step behind, Aerith." Angelica interjected. "I activate Lys' effect. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a monster effect, I can discard a 'Plunder Patroll' card to negate the activation and destroy it. I'll send Redbeard, the Plunder Patroll Matey from my hand to my Graveyard." After Angelica took a card from her hand and sent it to her Graveyard, the cannons attached to Lys fired at Divaridis, who screamed upon impact. But when the smoke dissipated, it showed Divaridis alive and well.

"You may have negated Divaridis' effects, but you're not getting rid of her easily. For if a 'Trickstar' monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish Festival from my Graveyard instead."

"Good call, Aerith. Now we can continue whittling away at Angelica's life points until she loses." Arin praised Aerith, who smiled back in response.

Clever of you to do that, Aerith, Angelica thought in her mind, pleased to see how Aerith was able to keep up with her. "Since Lys was equipped with a 'Plunder Patroll' card the turn I activated its effect, I can add one 'Plunder Patroll' card from my deck to my hand. I'll add Plunder Patroll Shipshape Ships Shipping from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Angelica's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"In addition, as Redbeard was sent to the Graveyard, I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster I control and equip this card to it. I target Lys!" Soon, a green troll with wearing more sophisticated pirate clothing appeared on Angelica's field before jumping onto Lys. He wore a small red cap on the top of his head, and his face consisted of red sideburns and a goatee. Strapped to his side was a swashbuckling sword.

"With all of that out of the way, the effects of Bluebeard and Whitebeard now activate in sequence." Angelica began speaking. "First, since Bluebeard was sent to the Graveyard, I can discard a card to draw a card. I'll send Shipshape Ships Shipping from my hand to my Graveyard." After Angelica discarded a card from her hand to her Graveyard, she drew the top card of her deck.

"Second, since Whitebeard was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my deck to my field with a different name. Come to me from my deck, Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll!" A green troll with golden-blond hair and a headband with two bunny ears on the side appeared on Angelica's field in defense position. She wore a dark-ragged brown and white pirate dress that had a bow at the center. In her right hand, she carried a pirate sword.

Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 4

"But you still summoned a monster, Angelica, which means you're about to take effect damage thanks to Divaridis' and Abyss Invitation's effects." Aerith pointed out, as Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 2400 – 200 = 2200 LP

Then a purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 2200 – 200 = 2000 LP

"Since you took effect damage, I can activate Drummatis' second effect!" Aerith gestured to her field. "Once per turn, when you take effect damage, I can target one monster you control and change its attack points to zero."

"Oh no!" Angelica exclaimed.

"I target Lys! Sound Cracker!" Drummatis crossed her rapiers together numerous times, which released a soundwave that hit Lys and drained its strength.

Plunder Patrollship Lys ATK: 2000 – 2000 = 0

"Good call on waiting to use Drummatis' effect on her stronger monster than using it immediately." Arin said. "With this, we'll be able to further put the brakes on Angelica's strategies."

"It's not just that, Arin. By waiting for the right timing, you'll also be able to ultimately buy yourself another chance to win the duel." Aerith told Arin, who nodded in agreement.

Okay, I know the 'Trickstar' deck's supposed to be fast, but this is way faster than usual, Angelica realized in her mind. Even though I negated Divaridis' effect once with Lys' effect, Aerith was still able to keep her safe with Festival's second effect. If I don't officially get rid of Divaridis fast, I'll end up losing! "I activate the effect of Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide from my hand. I can target one 'Plunder Patroll' monster in my Graveyard before Special Summoning this card from my hand, and by doing so, I can add that targeted monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I target Bluebeard in my Graveyard, and Special Summon Blackeyes from my hand to my field!" After a card popped out of Angelica's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand, a black raven with golden elements all over its body flew onto her field.

Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"How many times must we repeat this same scenario, Angelica?" Aerith questioned. "Since you summoned a monster, Divaridis' effect will inflict 200 points of damage, with Abyss Invitation's effect also doing the same thing." Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 2000 – 200 = 1800 LP

Then a purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 1800 – 200 = 1600 LP

"Yes, I'm very aware of your combo, Aerith." Angelica snapped back. "But it's not going to stop me! I overlay the Level 4 Goldenhair, the Newest Plunder Patroll with the Level 4 Blackeyes, the Plunder Patroll Seaguide!" A galaxy portal appeared behind Angelica. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Goldenhair turned into a golden stream of energy, while Blackeyes turned into a black stream of energy, the both of them entering into the portal before it erupted from the center.

"Set sail and answer the captain's call! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Plunder Patrollship Moerk!" A dark-brown and bronze Viking ship appeared in on Angelica's field in the right Main Monster Zone. On its sides were five different colored shields, along with a set of oars on each side. It had a red and black mast with a pirate's flag at the top. At the front of the ship was a pirate cannon. Two lights orbited the ship behind it as well.

Plunder Patrollship Moerk ATK: 1000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"And once again, the exact same scenario occurs…" Aerith reminded Angelica, as Divaridis sung into her microphone, firing a blast of energy at Angelica that decreased her life points.

Angelica: 1600 – 200 = 1400 LP

Then a purple burst of energy fired out of Abyss Invitation, which hit Angelica as her life points dropped once again.

Angelica: 1400 – 200 = 1200 LP

"Come on, Angelica. Surely, a part of you knows that you'll lose if you keep summoning monsters." Arin pointed out. "In other words, if you summon three more times, you'll lose."

"Arin's right, Angelica. At this rate, you'll lose." Aerith warned Angelica. "And how come you're allowing yourself to take all of this damage in the first place?"

Angelica, in response, sighed. "Because I'm guilty."

"Guilty?" Aerith raised an eyebrow before it clicked in her mind. "For what you've and Yuhiro done in the Black Market, along with the reasons in the first place."

"Yeah. I'm guilty for my greatest mistakes, which were not only telling you that Raguel and I did missions on the Black Market, but also not explaining why we even ended up doing them in the first place. The worst of it all is making you the victim and justification of if all." Angelica frowned. "That night when you found out the truth, it broke my heart because I failed you as your guardian. I failed because I thought that, by withholding the truth, I'd keep you safe. Unfortunately, that assumption caused nothing but pain for all of us. I am truly, really, deeply sorry for failing you all these years, Aerith."

"…" Aerith looked down at the ground, having processed the words just now.

"If you hate me forever for what I've done, then I get it. I mean, if I were in your shoes, I'd hate me too." Angelica continued, before shrugging her shoulders. "With what I've done, I wouldn't forgive myself either."

"Saying you're sorry isn't enough, Angelica!" Aerith firmly told Angelica, which made her gasp. "I overheard your conversation with Ghost Girl, and how you intend on making things right, as well as ensuring that our bond remains intact. Just like with Raguel, you have to take responsibility for your actions and make sure all of them are atoned for. Not only that, but remember your mistakes so you know the consequences of pursuing those actions, as well as working hard to ensure neither you nor Raguel ever repeat them again!"

Angelica opened her mouth to try and say something, but found that she could not. Aerith was ultimately right on that matter. Angelica had to remember her actions for the rest of her life, as well as work hard to make sure she and Raguel never repeated them again.

"That's… very deep when you think about it…" Arin acknowledge quietly, in awe with Aerith's speech just now.

"Thanks, Aerith. I appreciate your words of wisdom. I promise to pay you back for them." Angelica stated, as she thrusted out her right hand. "I activate Moerk's effect! Once per turn, I can discard one 'Plunder Patroll' card from my hand to not only target a monster you control and banish it, but also add one 'Plunder Patroll' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand."

"What?!" Aerith exclaimed.

"Oh, that's not good…' Arin muttered.

"I'll send Bluebeard from my hand to my Graveyard, target and banish Divaridis, and add Plunder Patroll Booty from my deck to my hand." Angelica said, as she took a card from her hand and sent it to her Graveyard before taking a card from her deck and adding it to her hand. Seconds later, Moerk fired a cannon blast at Divaridis, turning it into particles.

Aerith raised an eyebrow, having thought things over for a second before speaking. "How come you didn't bring that monster out earlier in our duel? If you had, then you could have gotten rid of Divaridis earlier."

"And gamble it all on one monster? Not gonna happen." Angelica responded. "Sometimes, when it comes to a duel, it isn't that simple. Sometimes, you gotta go through some pain to experience long-term gain and gain the advantage, especially when battling stronger opponents. That's what Raguel and I learned in the many years of our dueling. That's something I hope you learn in this duel."

Aerith silently nodded in agreement, knowing what Angelica was talking about. Not every duel was going to be easy or straightforward, as each and every duelist was different in many ways. This included their decks, their personalities, how they made a comeback to solidify their strategies and so much more.

"That makes sense when you think about it." Arin agreed, knowing how wise Angelica's words were.

"Moving that aside, I activate the effect of Plunder Patroll Shipshape Ships Shipping from my Graveyard." Angelica stated. "By banishing it, I can target a 'Plunder Patroll' monster I control and equip either a copy of 'Emblem of the Plunder Patroll' or a 'Plunder Patroll' monster from my deck to the targeted monster. I'll target Moerk, and equip a copy of Emblem of the Plunder Patroll' from my deck to it." A card popped out of Angelica's deck, which she took and played. Seconds later, an emblem appeared on Moerk's sails. "Note that the 'Plunder Patroll' monster equipped with Emblem not only gains 500 attack points, but can no longer be targeted by card effects as well." Morek was surrounded in a green aura that increased its strength.

Plunder Patrollship Moerk ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Next, I activate the Field Spell card, Plunder Patroll Shipyarrrd. Now all 'Plunder Patroll' monsters on my field gain 500 attack points for each 'Plunder Patroll' card in my Spell & Trap card zone. Since there's currently three 'Plunder Patroll' cards in my Spell & Trap card zones, that means my monsters gain a total of 1500 attack points." Moerk and Lys were surrounded in green auras that increased their strength.

Plunder Patrollship Lys ATK: 0 + (500 X 3) = 1500

Plunder Patrollship Moerk ATK: 1500 + (500 X 3) = 3000

"Do you see now, Aerith? Despite the setbacks I experienced from your monsters, it was all worth it, as I managed to get two strong monsters on my field versus one." Angelica said. "Let's battle! Plunder Patrollship Moerk attacks Trickstar Band Divaridis!" The cannon on Moerk charged up before firing at Divaridis, who screamed in pain upon being destroyed by the blast as she turned into particles. The explosion pushed Aerith back several feet as her life points dropped.

Aerith: 4000 – 1200 = 2800 LP

"That wasn't smart, Angelica." Aerith replied. "I activate the effect of Colchica from my Graveyard. When a monster is destroyed by battle involving a 'Trickstar' monster while it's in the Graveyard, I can banish this card and target the destroyed monster before inflicting damage to you equal to its attack points."

"What?!" Angelica exclaimed, shocked upon hearing this information.

"I target Divaridis in my Graveyard, which has 1800 attack points. That means you take 1800 points of damage! In other words, you lose!" A silhouette of Divaridis soon appeared, who sang so loudly into her microphone that a massive blast of energy was fired out of it, which sent Angelica flying off the ground before landing on her back. By the time she did so, her life points dropped to zero.

Angelica: 1200 – 1800 = 0

Angelica scratched the back of her head, clearly dazed as Aerith quickly ran over to her, with Arin on the latter's left shoulder.

"In your face, Angelica! You just lost on your own turn!" Arin boasted, before he jumped off of Aerith's shoulder and quickly poked Angelica many times, which made her squeal in pain.

"Okay, okay, you win, Arin. Calm down…" Angelica told Arin, as the latter quickly jumped off the ground before landing in Aerith's duel disk. Once that was done, Angelica slowly stood up on her feet, wanting to make sure she regained her balance fully before doing so.

"Angelica…" Aerith said, which got Angelica's attention.

"Oh, uh, Aerith. I didn't see you there." Angelica responded. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No. Just… come here." Aerith headed over to Angelica before embracing her, which made her gasp before she embraced the former back. The two of them held each other for a few seconds before letting one another go. "I'm still really mad at you."

Angelica nodded in response to Aerith's comment. "I get that. Still, I'm grateful you're giving me the chance to make things right. Do you think you'll do the same thing for Raguel?"

"I'll need to have a very serious chat with Raguel first, but I think so." Aerith answered. "Is there anything else you and Raguel are hiding that I need to know?"

"Yeah, Aerith. The night Raguel uncovered his origins, he found footage on what happened to your parents." Angelica explained.

"My parents?" Aerith gasped.

"Raguel and I will show you once this is over. I promise. But for now, we need to get you ready to join Blue Maiden and Akira for the fight to come."

Aerith nodded, knowing how important the current situation was. When it was all over, Raguel and Angelica will show Aerith what happened to her parents, as she deserved the right to know the truth. But for now, dealing with Ai was important, which led the both of them to log out afterwards.

Meanwhile, at the Zaizen residence…

Akira put many things in a suitcase, wanting to make sure that all the items on his checklist are checked off for the coming trip. With what was going on, he knew that this place wouldn't be safe right now, which meant he had to relocate for the time being. Having heeded Revolver's words of advice during the meeting, Akira contacted Hayami earlier to see if there were any planes he could rent for a few days, knowing that the battle would be a long one. Hayami understood why he was making the request, as while she didn't know the specifics, she did know that his life was on the line now due to Ai stealing Queen's half of the Code Key days earlier. Thus, she was able to rent a jet for Akira to use so he can make sure Ai couldn't get to him. What's more, Akira also told Hayami to dispose of any Soltis units that were currently on the jet, as he didn't want to risk Ai completing his mission the same way he did when he attacked Queen and Pawn. As such, a human pilot would be needed.

Another good thing was that Akira was able to convince Brion to send a squad of troops that would escort the former to the airbase prior to entering the rented jet. If Akira was honest, he was still surprised that he was able to get Brion's assistance after everything SOL Technologies did to him. Nor was Akira expecting Brion to apologize for mistake in stealing the AI chip and trying to report it to the authorities, which, if successful, would have made SOL Technologies suffer more losses than it expected. While things were in Akira's favor right now, he still had to prepare, as he didn't want anything unexpected to occur that would risk him losing the battles to eventually begin.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Hey, Akira. Do you have some time to talk?" Aoi asked, having knocked on the door just now.

"Yes, of course, Aoi." Akira replied, as he stopped packing before opening the door, allowing Aoi to come inside. "What's up?"

"Listen, Akira. I know what you're thinking right now. You're not letting me join the fight so you can keep me safe from Ai. That you don't want me to get hurt. That you would prefer for me to stay on the sidelines than let me risk my life for you."

Akira couldn't help but chuckle as he turned to look out the window. "Yup, that's something I would have said a long time ago."

"Huh?" Aoi blinked, confused by what Akira meant by that remark.

"Do you really believe I would prevent you from joining the fight?" Akira turned back to Aoi. "In fact, I knew you'd plan on joining the fight even without asking for my permission."

"So you're letting me go with you?" Aoi asked, pleased to see that Akira not only saw reason, but also finally acknowledged that she was no longer a little girl.

"That depends on your dueling abilities, Aoi." Akira answered, as he grabbed his duel disk and strapped it on.

"You want to duel me?"

"Yes. If you wish to fight and protect me from Ai, then I want to evaluate your dueling abilities firsthand. In other words, I want to see the strength and determination you've used to defeat Yuhiro several weeks ago."

"If that's what you want, Akira, then I accept your challenge. Just let me get my duel disk first." Aoi requested, as she quickly ran to her room to get her duel disk, where she returned to Akira's room afterwards.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" both Aoi and Akira shouted, as they logged into the network.

A few minutes later, at a server in the network…

Akira and Blue Maiden appeared in a server in the network, the latter having looked around the area. It consisted merely of a duel field inside a large building. Overall, there wasn't much in the server.

"This is…" Blue Maiden muttered.

"A simple training area that I've created a long time ago to help enhance my dueling skills." Akira explained. "It's here where I'll test your dueling skills, and how much you've grown since you started out as Blue Angel, the Charisma duelist of LINK VRAINS."

Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes as she activated her duel disk, knowing that the time for talking was over. This was her chance to show Akira the strength she accumulated over the past years, as well as her willpower in overcoming whatever would happen next. For Blue Maiden defeated many different opponents, such as Baira, Sandalphon, Enzo, Haru and Raguel. By demonstrating her strength to Akira, Blue Maiden would show him that he didn't need to worry about her wellbeing any longer. This time, she would be the one to protect Akira. "Very well then, Akira. Let's get this started, as we don't have much time available."

"Of course, Blue Maiden. I couldn't agree more." Akira also activated his duel disk, intent on getting the duel started.

"It's time to duel!" Blue Maiden and Akira said together.

Blue Maiden: 4000 LP

Akira Zaizen: 4000 LP

"Go first, Blue Maiden. I want to see the strength you used to defeat Raguel firsthand." Akira requested.

"Alright, Akira. Just be careful what you wish for." Blue Maiden responded. "My turn! I summon Marincess Blue Tang!" A woman who wore a black vest over a blue dress, as well as had her long blue hair tied in a ponytail appeared on Blue Maiden's field.

Marincess Blue Tang ATK: 1500 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

"When Blue Tang is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Marincess' monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I'll send Marincess Sea Horse from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of her deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard.

"Shine, the circuit of love, friendship, and bonds!" Blue Maiden declared, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are one Level 4 or lower 'Marincess' monster. I set Marincess Blue Tang into the Link Markers!" Blue Tang went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Marincess Blue Slug!" A little girl wearing a blue dress that had yellow dots, along with dark-blue and purple hair with yellow highlights appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️️

"Okay! I'm gonna give it my best!" Blue Slug happily promised Blue Maiden.

"The effects of Blue Slug and Blue Tang activate in sequence." Blue Maiden began speaking. "First, when Blue Slug is Link Summoned, I can add one 'Marincess' monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Sea Horse right back to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"Second, when Blue Tang is sent to the Graveyard to Link Summon a Water Link monster, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck and add one 'Marincess' card amongst the three to my hand, as well as shuffle the other two into my deck." Blue Maiden looked at the top three cards of her deck. "I add Marincess Springirl from my deck to my hand." She took one card and added to her hand before shuffling the other two into her deck.

"I activate the effect of Marincess Sea Horse from my hand, which lets me Special Summon her to a Main Monster Zone a 'Marincess' Link monster on my field points to." Blue Maiden continued, as a girl wearing a pink and golden dress who had blond hair appeared on her field in the Main Monster Zone Blue Slug pointed to.

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Angel of Blue Tears. Once per turn, I can target one monster on the field and negate its effects until the end of this turn. But in exchange, you take damage equal to the number of cards in your hand times 200."

"Well, that's not good…" Akira muttered. He didn't begin his turn, yet Blue Maiden was already inflicting damage on the first turn of the duel.

"I target Sea Horse on my field and negate her effects until the end of this turn." Blue Maiden decided, as a light-blue aura surrounded Sea Horse, which temporarily negated her effects. "And since you have five cards in your hand, Akira, that means you take a total of 1000 points of damage!" The Blue Angel book briefly appeared before firing a wave of energy at Akira, who winced as his life points dropped.

Akira: 4000 – (200 X 5) = 3000 LP

"I didn't expect you to have a card containing your favorite book when you were younger." Akira admitted, genuine surprise evident on his face.

"There's nothing wrong with using cards that symbolize your beginnings, don't you agree, Akira?" Blue Maiden responded, with Akira nodding in agreement. "But enough of that. Shine, for a second time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A second Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two Water monsters. I set Marincess Sea Horse into the Link Markers!" Sea Horse went into the left arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Marincess Sea Angel!" A little girl in a white dress with long white hair, and the Marincess emblem on her forehead appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Blue Slug pointed to.

Marincess Sea Angel ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬅️️

"Yay! I'm on the duel field! I'm on the duel field!" Sea Angel cheered, waving her hand to Blue Maiden, who waved her hand back in response.

"When Sea Angel is Link Summoned, I can add one 'Marincess' Spell card from my deck to my hand. I add Marincess Dive from my deck to my hand." Blue Maiden decided, as a card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand. "Shine, for a third time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A third Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two Water monsters. I set the Link 1 Marincess Blue Slug and Sea Angel into the Link Markers!" Blue Slug went into the left arrowhead, while Sea Angel went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Marincess Coral Anemone!" A young woman with orange hair appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore a white and pink dress with yellow frills resembling that of a jellyfish over purple tights.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️️️

"Alright! Don't worry, Blue Maiden! With my assistance, you'll win this duel!" Coral Anemone assured Blue Maiden, the latter nodding back in response.

"I activate Coral Anemone's effect." Blue Maiden continued. "Once per turn, I can target one Water monster with 1500 or less attack points in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field to a Main Monster Zone she points to. I target Sea Horse in my Graveyard, and Special Summon her back to my field!" At Blue Maiden's command, Sea Horse reappeared on her field.

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"Shine, for a fourth time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A fourth Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Marincess' monsters. I set the Link 2 Marincess Coral Anemone, and Sea Horse into the Link Markers!" Coral Anemone went into the left and bottom arrowheads, while Sea Horse went into the right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Marincess Marbled Rock!" A woman in a red dress with spiky violet hair appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Blue Slug pointed to. Spiked coral sat atop her shoulders, and fins adorned the sides of her dress. She also carried a fan-like weapon in each of her hands.

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️️️️

"I'm at your beck and call, Blue Maiden!" Marbled Rock said, ready for battle.

"I appreciate it very much, Marbled Rock. Thank you." Blue Maiden replied, before refocusing on the duel. "When Coral Anemone is sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Marincess' card from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Sea Horse from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"From there, I activate the Field Spell card, Marincess Battle Ocean. Now all 'Marincess' monsters I control gain 200 attack points." Marbled Rock was surrounded in a blue aura that increased her strength.

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2500 + 200 = 2700

"In addition, I activate the Spell card, Marincess Dive." Blue Maiden added. "This card lets me activate one of two effects. I choose effecttwo, where since 'Marincess Battle Ocean' is in my Field Spell card zone, I can Special Summon one 'Marincess' monster from my deck. Emerge, Marincess Sleepy Maiden!" A woman with light-purple hair who wore a tiara on her head appeared on Blue Maiden's field in defense position. She wore a light-purple dress with yellow outlines and blue gems on the sides. On her chest was the Marincess emblem.

Marincess Sleepy Maiden ATK: 500 DEF: 2500 LV: 5

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes. "Alright, Akira. You're up."

"My turn! I draw!" Akira said, as he drew the top card of his deck.

"Hold up a second, Akira. I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Marincess Bubble Circle." Blue Maiden gently interjected. "When this card is activated, I gain life points equal to the total Link rating of all 'Marincess' Link monsters in my Graveyard times 100. I have the Link 2 Coral Anemone and the Link 1 Blue Slug and Sea Angel in my Graveyard, which means I gain 400 life points." A light-blue aura surrounded Blue Maiden as her life points increased.

Blue Maiden: 4000 + (100 X 4) = 4400 LP

"Preparing yourself for what's to come, huh? While increasing your life points is a great idea, Blue Maiden, you should know that life points aren't everything when it comes to a duel. I'll start by Setting a monster to my field in face-down defense position." A Set card appeared on Akira's field in face-down defense position.

With that Set card, Akira's strategies are going to begin, Blue Maiden thought in her mind, having recalled Akira's deck and the strengths it had. Akira was even able to keep up with Playmaker and push him back to a corner.

"Next, I activate the effect of Tindangle Jhrelth from my hand." Akira stated. "By discarding one other card from my hand, I can not only send one 'Tindangle' card from my deck to my Graveyard, I can also Special Summon it to my field in face-down defense position. I'll discard Cards of Compensation from my hand, and send Tindangle Trinity from my deck to my Graveyard." After Akira took a card from his hand and sent it to his Graveyard, a deck popped out of his deck, which he took and also sent to his Graveyard. From there, a second Set card appeared on Akira's field in face-down defense position.

"Card of Compensation's effect now activates! Since it was sent from my hand to my Graveyard, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Akira then drew the top two cards of his deck.

"From there, I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Stairs of Mail." Akira continued. "Once per turn, I can discard a card to activate one of two effects. I choose effect one, which lets me change one face-down defense position monster I control to face-up attack position."

"Okay, that isn't good…" Blue Maiden muttered. If Akira was able to Flip Summon his monsters after Setting them on his own turn, that meant he'd be able to reap from their effects at a faster rate.

"It certainly isn't good for you, Blue Maiden. For a tactician must always one step ahead of their opponent, especially against the threat Ai poses on my life. I discard Tindangle Dholes from my hand, and change Tindangle Protector's battle position to face-up attack position." After Akira discarded a card from his hand, one of his Set cards flipped itself face up, where it revealed a worm-like creature with a large, green body at the front and bat-like wings. A child-like face was at the front of the creature, which was attached to the green body protecting the nucleus.

Tindangle Protector ATK: 800 DEF: 1600 LV: 3

"Dholes' effect also activates! As it was sent from my hand or deck to my Graveyard, I can target one 'Tindangle' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field in face-down defense position." Akira revealed. "Return to me in face-down defence position, Tindangle Trinity!" Another Set card appeared on Akira's field in face-down defence position.

"I also activate Protector's Flip effect! When it's Flip Summoned, I can change up to three face-down defense position monsters on my field to face-up defense position. What's more, if all of them are 'Tindangle' monsters, I can add up to that many 'Tindangle' cards from my deck to my hand."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you serious?!" Blue Maiden exclaimed. Akira's gaining more resources at a faster rate than I expected, Blue Maiden realized in her mind. She remembered how Akira visited Hideki to ask for his help in creating some new cards so he can upgrade his deck, which would increase how fast it can be in response to different strategies. One of which being Stairs of Mail. If I'm not careful, he'll defeat me very soon!

"I'm definitely serious, Blue Maiden." Akira answered. "If you wish to do your part in protecting me, then you must be prepared to deal with any unexpected moves your opponent will throw at you in a duel. I'll change the Set Tindangle Trinity and Jhrelth to face-up defense position!" Soon, two cards flipped themselves up to reveal two new monsters that were also in defense position.

The first was a violet and dark-yellow angel-like creature with bat-like wings each one having an eyeball at the top of them. The creature also had three heads as well. One head was grey and at the bottom of its body. The second head was violet and on the right side of its body. The third head was dark-yellow and on the left side of its body. In the middle was an eyeball.

The second was a green triangle, with a silhouette of a four-legged creature in it. On the bottom sides and at the top were four eyes, which generated an electrical field around the green triangle.

Tindangle Trinity ATK: 0 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

Tindangle Jhrelth ATK: 0 DEF: 1800 LV: 3

"And since two 'Tindangle' monsters were changed to face-up defense position, that means I get two new 'Tindangle cards. Thus, I'll add Tindangle Intruder and Delaunay from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Akira's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Since Trinity it was flipped face-up, its two effects now activate! First, I can Special Summon Tindangle Base Gardna from my deck to my field." Akira said, as a purple regular icosahedron with eyes and spikes appeared on Akira's field in defense position.

Tindangle Base Gardna ATK: 0 DEF: 2300 LV: 5

"Second, 'Tindangle' monsters on my field cannot be destroyed by battle." Akira thrusted out his right hand. "But that's not the only Flip effect that's going on, as Jhrelth's Flip effect also activates! Since it was flipped face-up, I can take a Flip monster from my deck, and either add it to my hand or send it to the Graveyard. I'll send Tindangle Angel from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Akira's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.

"I also activate the Spell card, The Shallow Grave." Akira added. "Each of us targets a monster in our Graveyards and Special Summons it to our respective fields in face-down defense position. I choose Angel from my Graveyard."

"And I choose Sea Horse from my Graveyard." Blue Maiden decided, as two Set cards appeared on both player's fields in face-down defense position. For the one on Blue Maiden's field, it appeared in the Main Monster Zone Marbled Rock pointed to.

"I now activate Base Gardna's effect. By tributing it, I can Special Summon one 'Tindangle' monster from my hand or deck to my field in either attack position or face-down defense position." Akira continued. "I tribute Base Gardna to Special Summon Tindangle Hound from my deck to my field." After Base Gardna turned into particles, an eerie-looking hound with a long tongue and an eyeball in its mouth appeared on Akira's field. It had mostly purple skin, with long, dark-violet nails on its claws and the back of its body.

Tindangle Hound ATK: 2500 DEF: 0 LV: 7

"Do note that all monsters you control lose 1000 attack points for every monster linked to it. As Marbled Rock's currently pointing to your face-down defense position monster, that means she loses 1000 attack points!"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Blue Maiden seethed, as Hound gave a loud howl at Marbled Rock, which decreased her strength.

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2700 – 1000 = 1700

Marbled Rock turned to Blue Maiden. "I'm okay, Blue Maiden. You don't need to worry about me."

"She's right, Blue Maiden. You won't have to worry about your monster any longer." Akira told Blue Maiden. "Come forth, Euler's Circuit!" Soon, a Link Portal appeared above Akira. "The summoning conditions are three 'Tindangle' monsters! I'll set Tindangle Base Trinity, Jhrelth and Protector into the Link Markers!" Trinity went into the top arrowhead, Jhrelth went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and Protector went into the bottom-right arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Tindangle Acute Cerberus!" A three-headed eerie-looking hound with dark-blue skin and violet armor over parts of its body jumped out of the Link Portal and appeared in the right Extra Monster Zone on Akira's field. On its back were bat-like wings, and in each of its mouths with an eyeball in the middle. The beast howled, ready for battle.

Tindangle Acute Cerberus ATK: 0 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️️️️

"I trust you know Acute Cerberus' effects, Blue Maiden?" Akira asked.

"Yeah. Since you have more than three 'Tindangle' monsters in your Graveyard, along with a copy of Base Gardna, Acute Cerberus gains 3000 attack points." Blue Maiden answered. "Acute Cerberus also gains 500 attack points for every 'Tindangle' monster it points to."

"That's correct. Since Acute Cerberus is pointing to Hound, it gains an additional 500 attack points along with its 3000 attack point boost." Akira confirmed, as Acute Cerberus howled, its strength having increased.

Tindangle Acute Cerberus ATK: 0 + 3000 + 500 = 3500

"I also activate Trinity's effect! Since it was used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Tindangle' monster, I can add a copy of Gergonne's End from my deck to my hand in exchange for sending a Spell or Trap card from my deck to my Graveyard. I'll add Gergonne's End from my deck to my hand, and send Euler's Circuit from my deck to my Graveyard." Two cards popped out of Akira's deck, where he took one and added it to his hand before sending the other one to his Graveyard.

Both Gergonne's End and Euler's Circuit are two cards Akira needs to not only pull off his combos, but also ensure his victory as well, Blue Maiden recalled in her mind. I must be careful of those cards, as one wrong move will result in Akira winning this duel.

"And just in case, I activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed. This card lets me draw the top two cards of my deck." Akira added, as he drew the top two cards of his deck.

"Battle!" Akira thrusted out his right hand. "Tindangle Acute Cerberus attacks Marincess Marbled Rock!"

"I don't think so, Akira!" Blue Maiden responded, as she gestured to her field. "Trap card, activate! Marincess Decision! By banishing one 'Marincess' card from my Graveyard, I can target one face-down defense position monster I control and change it to face-up defense position in exchange for not activating its effects. I banish Blue Tang from my Graveyard, and change Sea Horse to face-up defense position!" At Blue Maiden's command, the Set card flipped itself over, which revealed Sea Horse.

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"Then, immediately after this effect resolves, I can Link Summon one Link monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters I control, including that monster."

"So you're Link Summoning on my turn then." Akira deduced, having narrowed his eyes. Since Blue Maiden didn't have Crystal Heart on her field, that meant she couldn't bring out Wonder Heart. As such, Blue Maiden would have to bring out a different 'Marincess' Link monster to her field instead, and the fact that her card took advantage of flipping up monsters in face-up attack or defense position was very clever.

"That's correct, Akira!" Blue Maiden confirmed. "Shine, the circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more Water monsters. I'll set the Link 3 Marincess Marbled Rock and Sea Horse into the Link Markers!" Marbled Rock went into the top, left and right arrowheads, while Sea Horse went into the bottom arrowhead, turning them all red.

"Sorceress of the ocean! Heed my call and safeguard the ocean from those who threaten it! Link Summon! Arise! Link 4! Marincess Aqua Argonaut!" A woman with yellow eyes and very long silver hair that was tied in two long strands appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Her attire consisted of sleeveless black shirt with a blue tie, as well as a silver skirt over tights. Attached to her back was a pair of pink, translucent wings resembling that of an angel's. In her hands, she carried a battle halberd.

Marincess Aqua Argonaut ATK: 2300 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️️️️️

Marincess Aqua Argonaut ATK: 2300 200 = 2500

"If you dare threaten my allies, I will deal with you swiftly!" Aqua Argonaut declared.

"Wait a minute. Since you brought out a 'Marincess' Link monster while Battle Ocean's on your field, that means-." Akira began comprehending, before letting out a gasp as he recalled Battle Ocean's second effect, along with how it helped Blue Maiden fight back against Bohman back in Mirror LINK VRAINS.

"It seems you're catching on, aren't you? But just in case you need a quick reminder, when a 'Marincess' Link monster is Special Summoned to the Extra Monster Zone, I can target that monster, and equip up to three 'Marincess' Link monsters with different Link ratings from my Graveyard to that monster!" Blue Maiden told Akira. "I equip Marbled Rock, Coral Anemone and Blue Slug from my Graveyard to Aqua Argonaut!" Silhouettes of Marbled Rock, Coral Anemone and Blue Slug appeared before turning into particles, which went into Aqua Argonaut and powered her up. "And a 'Marincess' Link monster equipped with other 'Marincess' Link monsters gains attack points equal to the total Link rating of those monsters times 300. Marbled Rock is a Link 3 monster while Coral Anemone is a Link 2 monster and Blue Slug is a Link 1 monster, which means Aqua Argonaut gains a total of 1800 attack points!" Aqua Argonaut was surrounded in a light-blue aura that increased her strength.

Marincess Aqua Argonaut ATK: 2500 + (300 X 6) = 4300

"And in case you were planning on attacking Sleepy Maiden, you should know that you can only target Aqua Argonaut for attacks while she's in the Extra Monster Zone."

Akira frowned. With Aqua Argonaut being stronger than Acute Cerberus, a battle between the two of them would result in the latter's destruction, as well as a loss in life points. What's more, Akira couldn't attack Sleepy Maiden due to Aqua Argonaut's effect of redirecting all attacks to her while she's in the Extra monster Zone. The good thing was that Akira had something in mind to bypass this temporary hurdle. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Forbidden Chalice. This card lets me target one face-up monster on the field and negate its effects in exchange for increasing its attack points by 400 until the End Phase." A chalice then appeared above Aqua Argonaut before tipping over, where a drop of water hit her that not only increased her strength, but also drained away her effects temporarily at the same time.

Marincess Aqua Argonaut ATK: 4300 + 400 = 4700

I could have used Aqua Argonaut's effect to negate Forbidden Chalice, but I would have had to bring back one of my equipped 'Marincess' Link monsters back to my field to do so, Blue Maiden thought in her mind. And if I did, that would give Akira the opportunity to destroy Aqua Argonaut or one of my weaker monsters to inflict damage.

"Since Aqua Argonaut's stronger, a battle replay occurs. Tindangle Acute Cerberus attacks Marincess Sleepy Maiden instead! Isometric Inferno!" Acute Cerberus released a wave of flames from its tongues, which morphed into a large serpent of fire with a canine-like head that headed straight for Sleepy Maiden before turning her into particles.

"I end the Battle Phase. I now activate Acute Cerberus' second effect." Akira stated. "At the end of the Battle Phase, if Acute Cerberus declared an attack, I can Special Summon a 'Tindangle' Token to my field." Soon, a dark-blue triangle with a strange eye in the middle, along with a tail appeared on Akira's field in defense position in the second Main Monster Zone Acute Cerberus pointed to.

Tindangle Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

Tindangle Acute Cerberus ATK: 3500 + 500 = 4000

"I also activate the effect of Euler's Circuit from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard and discarding a 'Tindangle' card, I can add a copy of Euler's Circuit from my deck to my hand. I banish the copy of Euler's Circuit in my Graveyard, and discard Tindangle Intruder from my hand." After Akira took a card and sent it to his Graveyard, a card popped out of his deck, which he took before adding it to his hand.

"From there, I activate the Field Spell card, Euler's Circuit." Akira said. "While it's on my field, you can't declare an attack while I control three or more 'Tindangle' monsters." As if on cue, a pink disc of energy appeared before wheeling around the entire duel field.

"Tch." Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes. Even though she saved Aqua Argonaut and her life points, since Akira controlled more than three 'Tindangle' monsters, she couldn't attack. This meant Blue Maiden would have to get rid of Euler's Circuit quickly if she wanted to attack and defeat Akira.

"I Set three cards face-down and end my turn, which means Forbidden Chalice's effect ends and Aqua Argonaut regains her strength." As if on cue, a blue aura surrounded Aqua Argonaut, which restored her abilities in exchange for returning her strength to normal.

Marincess Aqua Argonaut ATK: 4700 – 400 = 4300

"You did well to survive this turn, Blue Maiden. Let's see if you can overcome my strategies or not, as it'll determine whether or not you have the strength needed to keep me safe in the days to come." Akira told Blue Maiden.

"We'll see indeed, Akira. My turn! I draw!" Blue Maiden replied, as she drew the top card of her deck. One of the cards Akira Set just now is Tindangle Delaunay, which not only lets Akira bring a second copy of Acute Cerberus to his field should he take battle damage, but also destroy the attacking monster as well, Blue Maiden recalled in her mind. Angel's also on Akira's field, so he can simply flip it up on his turn to bring back Hound in the event I destroy it. Long story short, if I don't finish Akira off on this turn, he'll be able to set up his field again!

"Apologies for interrupting your thoughts, Blue Maiden, but allow me to raise the stakes for you a little." Akira politely interrupted as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Foolish Revival! This card lets me target a monster in your Graveyard and Special Summon it to your field in face-up defense position."

"You're summoning a monster back to my field?" Blue Maiden grit her teeth, obviously aware of what will happen next.

"That's correct. Return to Blue Maiden's field, Sea Horse!" At Akira's command, Sea Horse reappeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Acute Cerberus pointed to.

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"In addition, I activate the Trap card, Gergonne's End!" Akira added, as he gestured to another of his face-down cards. "When this card is activated, I can-."

"I'm not letting you do that, Akira. I activate Aqua Argonaut's effect!" Blue Maiden interrupted back. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a Spell or Trap card, I can Special Summon one of my 'Marincess' monsters equipped to her to my field and negate that effect."

"So you managed to get around that card, just like how Playmaker succeeded in doing so…" Akira muttered, proud of Blue Maiden for evading one of his strongest cards.

"I Special Summon Blue Slug back to my field, and negate Gergonne's End! Hydro Suction!" Aqua Argonaut raised her halberd high into the air, which caused two whirlpools of energy to appear before heading over to Blue Maiden and Akira's fields. One pulled Blue Slug to Blue Maiden's field, while the other one suffocated Gergonne's End completely.

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️️

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700

Marincess Aqua Argonaut ATK: 4300 – 300 = 4000

"I also activate Aqua Argonaut's other effect! Once per turn, I can target one Water monster on my field and one card you control before returning them to our hands." Blue Maiden added. "I target Sea Horse on my field and Euler's Circuit on your field." Both cards then turned to particles that returned to their owner's hands.

"From there, I activate Bubble Circle's second effect! By banishing one Level 5 or higher 'Marincess' monster from my Graveyard, you take 100 points of damage. I banish Sleepy Maiden from my Graveyard!" A silhouette of Sleepy Maiden appeared before turning into bubbles, which hit Akira as his life points dropped.

Akira: 3000 – 100 = 2900 LP

"And since you took effect damage, I can activate the effect of Angel of Blue Tears from my Graveyard." Blue Maiden continued. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Set one Normal Trap card from my deck or hand to my Graveyard. In addition, if the Normal Trap card was Set from my hand, I can activate it this turn as well."

"What?!" Akira exclaimed, shocked upon hearing this effect.

"I Set Marincess Wave from my hand to my field." A Set card appeared in Blue Maiden's Spell & Trap card zone. "Then I activate the Trap card, Marincess Wave! When I control a 'Marincess' Link monster, I can target a monster you control and negate its effects until the End Phase. In addition, if I control a Link 2 or higher 'Marincess' monster, all face-up monsters I control are unaffected by your card effects for the rest of this turn! I target Acute Cerberus!" A torrent of water fired out of Wave, which formed into watery rings that restricted Acute Cerberus' movements.

Tindangle Acute Cerberus ATK: 4000 – 4000 = 0

Then a watery veil surrounded Aqua Argonaut and Blue Slug temporarily, which kept them safe from whatever cards Akira wanted to use next.

That means I won't be able to destroy Blue Maiden's monsters with Delaunay, Akira realized in his mind. Nor will I be able to stop Blue Maiden's cards in the end.

"Oh, and since I technically have a Link 3 or higher 'Marincess' monster on my field, I'm allowed to activate it from my hand if I wanted to." Blue Maiden informed Akira, before thrusted out her right hand. "But moving that aside, it's time to battle! Marincess Aqua Argonaut attacks Tindangle Acute Cerberus! Hydro Halberd Slash!"

"This is the end!" Aqua Argonaut shouted, as she charged forward and slashed Acute Cerberus with the halberd in her hands, which caused an explosion that headed straight towards Akira seconds later. Knowing that there wasn't anything he could do to survive the turn, Akira simply smiled before flying off the ground, having landed on his back as his life points dropped to zero.

Akira: 2900 – 4000 = 0

Akira couldn't help but let out a laugh, having had fun in the duel despite the serious situation going on right now.

"Akira, are you alright?" Blue Maiden asked, having ran over to Akira.

"I'm fine, Blue Maiden. Thank you for your concern." Akira assured Blue Maiden, as he stood up on his feet. "Of all the duels I participated in, you are the first duelist who defeated me without taking any damage whatsoever at the same time."

Blue Maiden blinked as she processed that information. "Woah. I didn't realize that, Akira…" It dawned onto her that what he said was true. Blue Maiden didn't take any damage during the duel whatsoever. In addition, she even managed to defeat Akira at a much faster pace, whereas it took Playmaker a while to figure out how to break through the former's defenses to eventually win the duel.

"Nevertheless, I am a man of my word." Akira smiled. "Congratulations, Blue Maiden. You passed the test with flying colors. With the strength you've shown me, you're more than ready to help in protecting me and stopping Ai at the same time."

"Thank you, Akira. That means a lot." Blue Maiden said, as she quickly hugged Akira, much to the latter's surprise as he hugged her back. A notification suddenly popped up on Akira's duel disk, which made the two of them release on another as he looked at it.

"It's Angelica. Apparently, Aerith passed her test as well." Akira explained, which made Blue Maiden smile upon receiving the good news.

"That means Aerith will be able to join the fight!" Blue Maiden stated, beyond happy to hear the good news.

"I've already contacted Hayami and got the details figured out. Let's head back home and pick Aerith up. It's… gonna be a while before we can return home." After that, Akira and Blue Maiden logged out of the network, intent on packing their things for the battle to come.

A few minutes later, in the real world, at Café Matsuo…

Miyu finished packing up her bag, having received word from Aoi that she and Akira were coming to pick her up from Café Matsuo. Since both of them have shown their strength as duelists to Roxy and Akira, they were ready to join the fight on the frontlines. However, Akira was being moved to a different location temporarily, which was why he and Aoi were picking Miyu up from Café Matsuo. This made sense, as Akira didn't want to take any risks following Queen and Pawn's defeats at Ai's hands. While Miyu wondered where Akira was being moved, she was hopeful that it was a safe and secure place. One that Ai, nor anyone else, would be able to break into.

"Are you nervous, Miyu?" Arin asked, having watched Miyu ensure that her bag was packed with the stuff needed for the trip.

"A little bit, Arin." Miyu admitted, having let out a sigh. This was her first battle on the frontlines, so it was only fair for her to be nervous. After all, Miyu's first battle was an important one, especially when you considered who they were fighting against. Miyu wanted to make sure she played a strong and vital role in keeping Akira safe, as she wanted to prove that she didn't need to be protected anymore. If anything, Miyu wanted to be the one to protect those she cares about this time around.

This wasn't the only thing that was on her mind, as there was something else she was thinking about. Miyu couldn't believe that she was able to make peace with Roxy following their duel. Perhaps the dueling atmosphere, along with Roxy's confession on her sins and her desire to make things better, was what led Miyu to reconcile with her. While Miyu knew that she'd forgive Yuhiro at some point, she still needed to figure out a few things on her mind, the anger, guilt and pain still weighing on her mind.

Arin walked over to where Miyu was and gently patted her on her left hand, which got the latter's attention. "Hey, you'll be fine, Miyu. At least you'll have me with you."

Miyu smiled at Arin after hearing his point. "That's true, Arin. I still have you, Aoi, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi and Yuhiro."

"See? That's the spirit!" Arin said, having quickly ran up Miyu's left arm before climbing onto her left shoulder. Once that was done, Miyu grabbed her beg as she left her room, where she ran down the stairs and headed over to the living room area of the second floor.

"They'll be here soon." Yuhiro commented, as he looked out the window.

"I know, Yuhiro." Miyu replied, having also looked out the window.

"You know, rather than look out the window, maybe you should get ready when Akira and Aoi arrive at Café Matsuo, Miyu." Roxy suggested, which made Yuhiro and Miyu turn as she entered in the living room part of the second floor.

"Yeah, sure." Miyu said, as she ran downstairs to Café Matsuo's entrance before going to the closet nearby. There, she grabbed a pink coat that resembled her cardigan as she put it on, wanting to stay warm during this time of the day.

Within a minute, several cars arrived at the road nearby Café Matsuo, with the car in the middle being a Honda Civic. Akira was driving this one, while Aoi sitting in one of the backseats. As for the other cars, they were black Chevys that were driven by FBI agents.

Yuhiro, upon seeing the black Chevys, frowned. "Huh. It looks like Akira was able to get an escort from the FBI."

"Well, Miyu. It looks like this is your ride." Roxy stated, knowing what will happen next.

"I'll see you soon, auntie." Miyu told Roxy, having hugged the latter to assure her that she will be okay.

"Same here, Miyu. Same here." After Miyu let go of the hug, she opened the door and began heading to the cars outside.

"Hang on, Miyu. Do you have a moment?" Yuhiro asked, as he also went outside. Miyu simply turned her head, wanting to just get this over with.

"No, Yuhiro. I don't have time to talk to you right now." Miyu responded. "And even if I did, I know what you'd say, so forget it."

"What? Miyu, I don't-."

"I'm tired of being protected like a helpless person, Yuhiro. Now, it's my turn to keep the people I care about safe." Miyu narrowed her eyes at Yuhiro and glared at him. "Besides, after what you've done, I don't want your protection right now."

Yuhiro felt his heart break into pieces, shocked that Miyu would say such a thing. "Miyu, I never saw you as a helpless-."

"I'll see you in the network," was all Miyu said back before she headed over to the Honda Civic and sat on the backseat beside Aoi, the cars then proceeding to drive away on the road from Café Matsuo before going on a different road.

Yuhiro let out a sad sigh, having looked down at the ground. He honestly wasn't mad at Miyu, as she had every right to feel mad at him for his actions on the Black Market, as well as the reasons for doing so.

Roxy headed over outside and put a hand on Yuhiro's shoulder, wanting to comfort him from the sorrow that was going through his head right now. "Give her time, Yuhiro. Just… give her time."

"I know, mom. I know." Yuhiro said, as the two of them headed back inside Café Matsuo, intent on preparing for the battle against Ai very soon.

Meanwhile, at another area of Den City…

Aoi frowned at Miyu as the black Chevys escorted the car she, her and Akira were in. "You're still angry at Yuhiro for his and Roxy's actions on the Black Market, aren't you?"

"Honestly, Aoi, I'm not sure what to feel anymore." Miyu admitted. "When I first met Yuhiro, I saw him as a good and kind human being that cares for others. But after what I learned, I feel like I don't know him anymore."

"Just because someone does something bad doesn't mean they're ultimately a bad person. Nor does it outweigh all the other good things they've done, Miyu." Akira spoke up. "Trust me. I know from personal experience."

"What do you mean?"

Akira sighed. "Aoi and I didn't always live in peace and luxury. When we were younger, our parents died in a car crash. This led us to lose everything. From our possessions, to our home and everything else. They were all stolen by other individuals, and as for us, we were thrown out into the streets with nothing."

"Oh, dear…" Arin muttered, having shivered in anticipation of how the story would go next. Miyu also gasped, shocked to hear this information.

"Akira ended up working on the Black Market as a hacker to ensure he and I would get through another day, Miyu." Aoi stated. "The good thing was that Akira got to work for a boss who had values. Eventually, Akira worked hard enough to further his education, get a job at SOL Technologies and climb up the ranks to become a security manager. Just recently, Akira was even promoted to Executive Vice President for his role in protecting LINK VRAINS."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your plight, Akira…" Miyu apologized, having expressed her condolences to both Akira and Aoi for the plight they've been through a long time ago.

"The work on the Black Market I've done was only but a chapter of my life during a challenging time. But I didn't let it define me. I chose to continue moving forward and ensure that my actions were ultimately good and just in the end." Akira continued. "Believe it or not, I know many people who've done bad things, yet strove to make sure their actions moving forward not only outweighed them, but were good at the same time."

"Like whom?" Miyu raised an eyebrow, curious on who Akira was talking about.

Akira couldn't help but smile as he recalled a few individuals in his mind. "Have you met Gekiryushi and Tsubaki by any chance, Miyu?" In response to this question, Miyu nodded. "Gekiryushi used to be a ruthless bounty hunter who only saw things in black and white. It took a massive wakeup call from a Knight of Hanoi of all people to make her see that not everything in life was simple. If anything, Gekiryushi had to learn how to see different perspectives in life."

"Tsubaki was also a worker on the Black Market, just like Yuhiro was." Aoi commented. "However, thanks to people like Yuhiro, she was able to see the error of her ways and strove to do better. In fact, she's striving to become a Charisma duelist so she can show people that there's always an opportunity to change for the better."

"If there are a few things you should learn, Miyu, it's the following." Akira added. "One: We're all human, which means we'll mistakes. However, we always have the opportunity to do better. Two: The world is unfair, and because of this, people don't always have the chance to do pure good. We sometimes have to make do with what we're given. Three: To forgive another doesn't mean you need to completely forget or overlook their actions. It's about letting yourself move forward by letting go of resentment and anger. It also allows you to broaden your thinking and acknowledge why the other person did what they did. Ultimately, it depends on perspective."

Miyu tried to speak, but found that she couldn't say any words in response to Akira's words. As much as she hated to admit it, what he said was true. In her anger and resentment at Yuhiro, Miyu had unwittingly narrowed her way of thinking, and judged him as a monster as a result. While Arashi said that it's okay to feel emotions, what truly mattered was what someone did in response to them. And like Akira said, it ultimately depended on perspective when facing a difficult situation.

"Moving that topic aside, are neither of you stunned that there's a sentient being such as myself here in this car?" Arin asked, still stunned with Aoi and Akira's responses upon meeting him.

"While we've seen weirder things lately, we're still surprised to learn that there are other sentient beings living in the network." Akira told Arin. "What surprised me the most was how you're technically a part of Yuhiro."

"Arin contained all of Yuhiro's good aspects when he snapped a long time ago." Aoi reminded Akira. "After Miyu and I defeated him, he returned back to Yuhiro before they logged out of the network."

"Nonetheless, Arin still needs to prove himself if he's to be a good ally down the road."

Arin, in response to this, rolled his eyes. "I have been told this before a while back, Mr. Zaizen. You don't need to repeat it to me."

"Oh, I just remembered something." Aoi said, before turning to Miyu. "A while back, your name was put in a handshake contest by Roxy and Yuhiro, and the winner gets a handshake from Blue Angel. And guess who won?"

"I won, didn't I?" Miyu correctly guessed.

"You definitely did, Miyu." Aoi replied, before offering a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miyu. I was once Blue Angel, but as you already know, I go by Blue Maiden."

"A pleasure to meet you in person, Blue Angel." Miyu shook Aoi's hand before letting go, the two of them sharing a giggle with one another.

"Don't I get a handshake too?" Arin complained.

"No!" both Miyu and Aoi told Arin at the same time, which made him slouch over in defeat in response.

After several more minutes, the trio eventually arrived at the Den City airport. There, a few of the FBI agents exited their cars before opening the doors of Akira's car, where he, Aoi and Miyu stepped out of as the trio was escorted to a different area of the airport. After a few minutes of walking, the trio ended up arriving at a secure hangar, where they saw a long, dark-blue jet that had light-blue lines on the sides and light-purple windows.

"We have officially arrived at the designated location, Mr. Zaizen," one FBI agent reported.

"Are we travelling to the secure location by plane, Akira?" Miyu asked, as she analyzed the plane in front of them. Hopefully, the troops would go with the trio, as it was always a good idea to have as much security as possible.

"On the contrary, this plane is the secure location, Miyu." Akira clarified, which made Miyu gasp.

"Huh? Why do you think that, Akira? Isn't it safer to be in a location that doesn't move?" This concerned Miyu, as she didn't want to take any risks in a mission that was important as this one.

It was Aoi who spoke up before Akira could. "There's no need to be concerned, Miyu. Akira pulled out all the stops to make this plane as secure as possible."

"Which is why Mr. Zaizen personally requested there to be no Soltis whatsoever on this plane," a voice added, as Akira, Aoi and Miyu noticed Hayami walking down the airstair of the plane. "Everything is set for you, sir."

"Excellent job, Hayami. You've done a terrific job." Akira praised Hayami, before turning over to the FBI agents. "Thank you all for the escort. Tell Greg and the King that we appreciate it very much."

"We wish you all the best, Mr. Zaizen," one of the FBI troops said, as all of them did a small salute at Akira before he, Aoi, Miyu and Hayami boarded the plane. There, the quartet walked around the hallway of the plane before entering into a special room, which had a total of four special chairs. Each of the chairs resembled that of a recliner, only it had buttons on the arms and legs, as well as a large, light-blue visor attached to the top.

"What's with these chairs, Aoi? Do they allow people to log into the network while on a flight?" Miyu asked. "Because if memory serves, airports don't allow people to use internet on flights so it doesn't interfere with transmissions."

"That's definitely true, Miyu, but these chairs are rather unique." Aoi responded.

"They use a unique algorithm that doesn't interfere with radio transmissions and connections." Akira added, as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused the green buttons on two of the chairs to glow a blue color before dimming down. "And with the special algorithms installed, we'll be more than secure."

Aoi frowned, as she knew what algorithms Akira had installed just now in the chairs. Prior to leaving, Akira told Aoi that Revolver gave him two things. First being a special algorithm that would keep any connections to outside networks fully secure and untraceable. Second being a piece of Malf's DNA, which would prevent Ai from attacking Akira in the real world should he attempt to resort to such a tactic once again. Akira and Aoi also told Miyu this information on the way to the airport, with her reaction being that of firm understanding and acknowledgement, much to their surprise. When asked why, Miyu responded by saying that, as much as she didn't like the idea of using Malf's DNA to help them, they didn't have any time to discuss the moral idea of it. Instead, they should use it in a way that wouldn't compromise their integrity as good and kind-hearted individuals. This way, it'd be easier to identify those who would use something for good purposes compared to those who used that same thing for their own nefarious plans. Miyu even added that, when this was all over, she and the others had to destroy Malf's DNA forever, lest it become a weapon in someone else's hands. Specifically, Jericho's hands. This reply made Akira and Aoi nod in agreement, as they had to destroy all pieces of Malf's DNA so that no one would use it. Not after the damage Azrael unleashed in creating Malf.

"Good luck to the both of you." Miyu stated, as she, Akira and and Aoi sat down on three of the chairs.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zaizen. Mrs. Sugisaki and I will keep you both safe." Hayami promised, before giving Akira and Aoi a quick salute.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" Akira, Aoi and Miyu said at the same time, as digital data surrounded the three of them before they were logged into the network.

The hangar doors soon opened, with the plane turning on as the pilot and their crew did every safety check to make sure it was operational. Once they were all done, the plane began to speed forward before taking off, having flown in the air in the process. After the FBI troops watched the plane take off, a great majority of them began heading back to their Chevys. However, a few of them stayed behind for a few minutes, wanting to not only keep an eye on the area in case there were any potential security breaches, but also make a quick call as well.

"Madame Yuki. Zaizen and his allies have boarded the plane," one of the FBI troops quietly reported through a comm device. "Sending coordinates, plane model and number now." He quickly typed each one on a secure phone before categorizing them all, wanting to make sure the person on the other end understood what they all stood for.

"Excellent job, trooper. You have done your part well. Leave the rest to us." Yuki quietly responded on the other end, having confirmed that they received the coordinates. Once this was done, the FBI troop hung up before heading over to where the others were, the task having officially been done.

Elsewhere, at another area in Den City…

Yusaku headed over to a bench before sitting down on it, having let out a sigh as he did so. He looked out at the Stardust Road, having remembered how he and Ai looked at it three months ago before the latter left for the network. Yusaku also remembered learning about the Stardust Road during his duel against Revolver, which enabled him to track the Hanoi leader down in the real world. Looking at the Stardust Road, Yusaku had to admit that it was a wonderful sight to see.

Suddenly, the conversation between Yusaku and Ai three months ago appeared in the former's mind as he looked at his duel disk.

"Well, Yusaku. It's been real. It's been good sometimes, and bad other times. However, there were times where it's also been very good." Ai said, as Yusaku smiled.

"Hold on, Ai. Don't leave with my duel disk." Yusaku said back, as Ai scratched the top of his head. He suddenly realized that he had activated the drone mode on Yusaku's duel disk without thinking.

"What? Oh, yeah. The duel disk." Ai landed on the ground. "It's been my home for so long that I forgot- Wait a minute! Did I say home? I meant jail! Haha! See you later!" With that Ai, left the duel disk, now free to return home.

Looking back, Yusaku thought that he'd never see Ai again at the time the Tower of Hanoi was destroyed, which forced the Knights of Hanoi to retreat. If anything, Yusaku wanted Ai to live out his days in the network, free from pain and misery. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, as Ai returned back to Yusaku upon learning about the Cyberse World being destroyed. The worse part being that, in the following battles afterwards, it led to seven out of the eight Ignis being destroyed. Thus leaving Ai as the last Ignis alive, and now, the person Yusaku saw as his friend was now his enemy. It was something Yusaku never wanted to happen, especially since he and Ai had a strong bond with one another.

Due to this, Yusaku had no idea what to do, as he didn't want to fight Ai. Rather, he wanted to find a way to calm the situation down and end things peacefully before it got worse. Otherwise, both sides would experience losses once again. For when it came to war, there were losses on every side of the conflict. Even those who had nothing to do with the conflict, yet were thrown in the middle of the battle. As if on cue, the words that Aoi spoke to Yusaku earlier appeared in his mind.

"Yusaku, if you plan on protecting Akira from Ai, then that means you'll have to duel him. With everything the both of us been through lately, I get what it's like to battle against a former ally head on."

"As much as Akira can use your help, it's way more important for you to look after yourself. After everything you've been through lately, you deserve some time for yourself to recover and figure out whatyouwant in life. Let all of us take on Ai without you, as the last thing I want is for you to get brutally injured like you did after your duel against Yuhiro."

"You have saved my brother and I more times than I can count. So let the rest of us figure this out just this once."

Yusaku sighed once again, each of the words Aoi said to him having fully processed through his mind. As tempting as it was to sit this conflict out and do what Aoi suggested, Yusaku just… couldn't do such a thing. If he did, then it'd be like him giving up on the possibility of coexisting with AIs in general. In other words, Yusaku wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he chose to simply stay on the sidelines. Not while there was at least a chance not just to end the conflict peacefully before it escalated, but also open the door to co-existing with both Ai and those in the network as well.

Then that means I have no choice but to fight Ai, Yusaku realized in his mind, a despondent look on his face. However, it suddenly changed to a determined one. Just because Yusaku had to fight Ai didn't mean he had to give up hope on the possibility that things can be resolved peacefully. By fighting Ai, Yusaku can find out the truth on why Ai became an enemy, along with what was really going on behind the scenes. After all, only by doing something would you be able to acquire more information on the matter.

That's why Yusaku shouldn't be afraid right now of what could happen next. If Yuhiro could be saved from his mistakes, then Ai can definitely be saved as well. Besides, Ai opened up Yusaku's perspective on things, which enabled him not only to forgive the Knights of Hanoi, but also meet people such as Aoi, Yuhiro and many others. Ultimately, Ai helped Yusaku move forward in the end by nudging him to face his past, even if it was indirectly.

Long story short, Yusaku now knew what he had to do as he stood up from the bench, intent on getting answers to the dilemma and ultimately save Ai in the end. Besides, Yusaku owed it to himself, Ai and everyone else involved to solve this mystery before it was too late.

One hour later, in the network…

Everyone stood inside of a pyramid structure. Akira had set up a server where he would hide, and with him was almost everyone he had called to Central Station before.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm glad you're all here." Akira said in relief, looking over the crowd. Go Onizuka, Ghost Girl and Blue Maiden stood to his front, Blood Shepherd stood in the back, Raguel and Aerith to Akira's right, and to Akira's left was Soulburner and Slipstream.

"Not all of us." Soulburner commented.

"Yes, but we'll just have to make do." Akira replied.

"So this is everyone?" Go asked, which made Akira turn to him.

"Not quite yet." Akira told Go. Suddenly, a new person materialized in the area, which made everyone gasp upon seeing Zero appear.

"It's Zero!" Raguel realized.

"The same guy who came to our aid a while back!" Slipstream remembered.

"Okay, Akira. Perhaps some insight on what just happened would be helpful." Ghost Girl firmly requested.

"Yeah, Zaizen. Explain who this old man is and why he's with us." Blood Shepherd demanded.

Akira sighed before speaking. "Everyone, this is Zero, who's agreed to help protect me. Despite his rather ragged appearance, he is a powerful duelist. I've seen it up front myself."

"I can back up what Akira's saying, guys. Zero managed to defeat Akira in a single turn." Blue Maiden added.

"Really, now? I find that hard to believe." Blood Shepherd said, as he raised his right arm and aimed it at Zero, intent on firing a blast of energy at him. To everyone's surprise, Zero simply walked over to where Blood Shepherd was before stopping right at him.

"Knock it off! Like it or not, we're allies." Zero firmly pointed out. "If you continue with the course of action you're on right now, you won't like what's about to happen."

"And how do you intend to stop me?"

"Look into my eyes." Zero proceeded to glare at Blood Shepherd, which made him gasp in shock. In each instance where Blood Shepherd aimed his arm before firing at his targets, they tried to get away. But in this instance, Zero wasn't running away. He was actually daring Blood Shepherd to attack. "You tell me." Suddenly, Chimerator Gradientron appeared behind Zero, much to everyone's shock as it growled at Blood Shepherd.

"Stand down, Zero. You've already shown your dueling prowess to me. There's no need to show it to us right now." Akira gently told Zero, who nodded as Chimerator Gradientron returned to the latter's duel disk. He then walked back to Akira, having made his point to Blood Shepherd, who shuddered in fear for a few seconds before regaining control of himself.

"Raguel, did Zero use that monster-?" Soulburner began asking.

"That was one of the monsters Zero used against my data clone." Raguel whispered back. "Though that's not the one who got him the victory." He shuddered upon remembering how Zero used Nidhoggron Gradientron not just to secure him the win, but also prevent Raguel from making a comeback as well.

"Anyone else coming, Zaizen?" Slipstream inquired.

"A few others should be coming in-." Akira began answering, before two more people materialized in the network. The first one being Drachen. The second person was a man with light-purple eyes and spiky hair, which parted over to the left. He wore lustrous, dark-purple armor, with veils and pieces of gold throughout.

"Drachen…" Raguel muttered.

"It's not just him, Raguel. I think the other guy's Percival." Soulburner figured out.

"Hello, everyone." Drachen greeted everyone else present.

"We heard what happened to you, Drachen. I hope you're feeling better." Slipstream told Drachen, who smiled back in response.

"Thank you, Slipstream. That means a lot." Drachen turned to everyone else present. "I know you guys don't trust me, especially with what happened recently, but I want a chance to show you that I'm no villain. I plan on setting things right, starting by protecting Akira from Ai. Let my actions moving forward wash away any doubts you have about me. Give me a chance, and I'll ensure your trust in me is not misplaced."

"That's great to hear. Thank you." Aerith commented.

"We'll hold you to that, Drachen." Go added, before turning to Akira. "Can you tell us who the other guy is, Zaizen? As much as I appreciate you getting more allies, some explanation would be nice."

"Everyone, this is Percival. He's one of Playmaker's allies, and any ally of Playmaker is an ally of my own." Akira told everyone else present.

"Zaizen, you're making me risk a lot just being here." Percival said. "But I'm helping you to ensure what happened to my cousin doesn't happen to anyone else."

Raguel frowned, knowing what Percival was talking about. He didn't want anyone else to suffer what Jin went through when Bohman attacked him all those weeks ago. Not just Jin, but what Miyu went through when Azrael attacked her as well.

"Well, as long as you have strong dueling skills and can keep up with us, then I suppose we'll work with you." Ghost Girl stated.

"I can vouch for Percival, guys. He nearly defeated the Light Ignis in combat, but the latter used his Origin as a human shield to prevent that from happening." Raguel told everyone else, who gasped in horror.

"How despicable…" Go muttered, disgusted that someone would use a human shield just to stay in a duel.

Suddenly, another person materialized into the area, which was someone none of them expected. Even Akira didn't expect this person to aid him as well.

"Holy shit…" Slipstream muttered.

"It's Electrolyzer." Raguel recognized the person that appeared just now.

"Your Highness, I didn't expect you to answer my call." Akira said, surprise evident in his tone. "I truly am grateful you came to my aid in the end."

"Of course, Zaizen. Like I told you, I have made mistakes that I must take responsibility for, and protecting you from the person who's hunting you down is a great way to prove it." Electrolyzer admitted. "Besides, Central Japan's safety will be endangered if the threat continues to escalate, and after what's happened, the last thing I want is for my people to get hurt."

"But what about Central Japan? Surely, it's in safe hands while you're away, right?" Raguel asked.

Electrolyzer turned over to Raguel. "Rest assured, Greg and the FBI will be maintaining order in my temporary absence. When I return, I will resume taking command." I don't know how, but it looks like Raguel went through something recently. Perhaps it may have something to do with the Shadow, as his avatar appears to be damaged and broken, Electrolyzer theorized in his mind. Whatever's going on here, I will find out the truth one way or another.

Everyone turned as new people materialized into the area. Ones that they didn't expect.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Soulburner said, knowing who just arrived.

"Revolver and the Knights of Hanoi." Ghost Girl observed. "It looks like you guys have some new members on your team."

"Indeed, we do, Ghost Girl." Revolver agreed, before gesturing over to Demeter and her companion. This new person was a classy and fashionable middle-aged woman with fair skin, purple hair, and violet-colored eyes. She wore a sleeveless while lab coat that had purple lines, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over her left eye. "Everyone, this is Demeter and Ondina. They'll be replacing Dancho and Infearno moving forward, as the both of them are out of commission."

"A pleasure to meet you all." Ondina said.

"It was only a matter of time that you would officially become a Knight of Hanoi, Demeter, hasn't it?" Raguel said.

"I suppose it has, Raguel." Demeter sadly agreed. This part was unfortunately true. To atone for her actions while under Watchman's employ, she joined the Knights of Hanoi, knowing that it would happen one way or another. Many ways Demeter aided the Hanoi included giving the group all the data she had on Watchman, as well as help in creating Pandor.

"That's right." Akira confirmed. "I asked for their help and they agreed."

"Of course they did." Blood Shepherd stated. "They trust the Ignis less than I do, and since we're hunting them down, everyone has the same goal."

Zero frowned upon seeing the Knights of Hanoi. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with, as he sought to find Ai and provide him sanctuary, as per Kairi's instructions. After all, with Ai on their side, they'd have a powerful ally in taking Urizen and Jericho down. But given how the Knights of Hanoi were hellbent on destroying the Ignis, it was likely that Zero would have no choice but to fight them.

"Akira, you do realize that you're teaming up with the ones who want to take your whole company down." Ghost Girl recalled, gazing at them with suspicion. While the Knights of Hanoi had common cause with the group in taking Lightning and Azrael down, Ghost Girl still had some issues with them. Besides, Revolver took Ghost Girl down prior to the Tower of Hanoi launching over three months ago, and there was no telling what goals the Knights of Hanoi wanted to pursue. After all, Akira had to have formed some agreement with them in exchange for their assistance.

"I concur with your friend, Zaizen. While I'm not against working with the Hanoi in this instance, you're obviously aware of what they did to your company, am I not correct?" Electrolyzer pointed out.

"That was in the past, but not anymore." Revolver told Ghost Girl and Electrolyzer. "All we care about is defeating the last of the Ignis and ensuring that he never threatens humanity again. If it helps, we no longer want revenge against SOL Technologies."

Ghost Girl crossed her arms. "Yeah, it doesn't really help at all."

"Akira, we need to be clear. If the Knights of Hanoi want to stop Ai, then we're on the same page." Blue Maiden commented. "But getting rid of him permanently means we'll be on opposing sides."

"You make a valid point, Blue Maiden." Zero agreed, pleased to hear that there were some duelists such as her who cared about Ai's wellbeing.

"Is that so, Blue Maiden?" Revolver questioned. "So that means you're totally fine with the Dark Ignis planning to hunt down your brother again and again and again?"

"No, that's not-."

"Blue Maiden doesn't mean that at all." Aerith spoke up. "What she's saying that, if there's a chance to stop Ai without destroying him, then we should at least consider it."

"Aerith's right. There's always another solution if we're willing to try and look into it." Slipstream added.

"Unless there's not, Slipstream." Revolver countered, which made Slipstream, Aerith, Soulburner and Blue Maiden gasp. "I strongly recommend that you listen, as you need to know the truth. In life, there won't always be multiple solutions to choose from when approached with a problem. Sometimes, you have no choice but to choose the only option available so the problem can ultimately be solved, lest it get worse down the road. Unfortunately, it's the truth, as reality is not always kind to you."

Soulburner grit his teeth. "I don't like this. Not one bit."

"Neither do I, Soulburner. But once Akira gave them our location, there was no going back." Ghost Girl said.

"For one way or another, the Hanoi would seize the opportunity to try and eliminate Ai." Raguel reluctantly acknowledged.

"That's right. You may not like it, but this is my call, and my life that's on the line. So I'll protect it my way." Akira firmly reminded Soulburner.

"Fine, Zaizen. If that's how you feel, I won't say anything more." Soulburner conceded.

"I do have something else to say." Revolver spoke up, which got everyone else's attention. "The Knights of Hanoi have three goals. One: To eliminate the last Ignis. Two: Ensure that Drachen's slate is cleaned up completely. Three: Find out what happened to Infearno, and make sure he's avenged. Once all three goals are done, we'll turn ourselves in, as we won't have any other reason to continue." He turned to Soulburner. "Does that ease your concerns, Soulburner?"

Soulburner, in response, nodded in confirmation. "It does for now, Revolver. If you plan on turning yourself in after this, I guess I can work with you guys once again."

"In exchange for the Hanoi's assistance, I agreed to clear up all of Drachen's charges and sentences before transferring them to the Knights of Hanoi. Not just that, but also assist them in finding out what happened to Infearno and bring the perpetrator to justice." Akira told everyone present. "Lastly, I agreed to spare both Drachen and Demeter from the Hanoi's crimes as well."

"What?!" Demeter exclaimed, before gasping. "Please don't tell me you're planning on surrendering yourself to the authorities, Revolver!"

"I think he is, Demeter." Drachen realized, before turning over to Revolver. "Are you really planning on doing this once this is all over?"

"I am, Drachen. I don't want you to get thrown into our mess any longer." Revolver answered.

Demeter shuddered upon comprehending what was going on. Revolver planned on turning himself and the other Hanoi to the authorities not just to clear up Drachen's charges and sentences, but to also make sure she was spared as well. While she wanted Revolver to take responsibility his actions and atone for them, the last thing she wanted was to never see him again. Ryoken, I can't afford to lose you forever. Not after we've been separated for so long, Demeter thought in her mind.

"Akira, you are aware of what will happen if the Knights of Hanoi confess the truth, right? SOL Technologies won't get off scot-free." Ghost Girl spoke up, which got Akira's attention.

"I know, Ghost Girl. SOL Technologies won't be able to escape the consequences of any of its actions. When this is all over, I also plan on leaking its connections to the Black Market to the world." Akira revealed.

"If you do such a thing, then SOL Technologies will be forced to shut down! Or worse!" Blue Maiden warned Akira.

"It was the deal he formed with me in exchange for my assistance." Electrolyzer explained, which got Blue Maiden's attention. "Besides, SOL Technologies has been corrupted long enough. A change is needed if the company is to be saved."

"Indeed. If SOL Technologies is to be a force for good, then a purge will unfortunately be necessary." Zero agreed. "The current higherups must be disposed of for good when this is all over so SOL Technologies can start anew."

"Hang on a second. What happened to the other higherups, Zaizen? Did they fall in battle or something?" Slipstream questioned.

"I'm afraid so, Slipstream." Akira answered. "I learned about this earlier today, and given how Ai's intent on acquiring my half of the Code Key, he's clearly not playing around."

"Akira…" Blue Maiden muttered, concern for her brother evident in her tone. Aerith put a hand on Blue Maiden's shoulder, as if to assure her that it'll be okay in the end.

"So, Zaizen? What's the plan?" Revolver asked.

In response to Revolver's question, Akira called up screens of the pyramid and the surrounding area. "What you see before you is our battleground. We're currently at the center of this prism, which is one of the most secure structures in the network."

The image of the pyramid changed to an overhead blueprint."Since the walls are impenetrable, the only way in or out is to take either the west or the east routes. Blue Maiden, Aerith, and I will stay in the courtyard. The rest of you will situate yourselves at the routes' gateways. Blood Shepherd, Ghost Girl, Specter, Lord Kazuma and Drachen will take the east. On the west will be Go Onizuka, Dr. Genome, Faust, Ondina and Baira." The icons of each person soon lit up on the map. "Revolver, Soulburner, Raguel, Electrolyzer, Percival, Demeter and Zero will be at the outside gateways." The seven identified individuals were soon marked on the digital screen. "If you see the enemy, go there."

"Good. That means I'll be the first to take him down." Revolver commented.

"That's only if Ai and his comrade manage to get through our defenses." Zero told Revolver. And in the event Ai succeeds in doing so, I plan on bringing him to my server, Zero thought in his mind. By doing so, I'll not only keep Akira safe, but also follow Kairi's instructions to the letter. What's more, I'll prevent Ai from dying as well. For I don't want to risk anything to happen to him, especially with Jericho here on this planet.

"I got a question, Zaizen." Soulburner said, which got Akira's attention. "What if Ai decides to attack you in the real world like he did with your higherups?"

"Yeah, because all the security here won't mean anything if you get taken down in the real world." Blood Shepherd supported Soulburner's point.

"Soulburner and Blood Shepherd make valid points, Zaizen. If we've figured out this flaw, then Ai did too." Percival added. "You've taken this into account, right?"

Akira nodded in assurance to Percival's question. "Don't worry about that. Just do your part in this battle, and it'll be over before you know it."

"Okay, Zaizen. If you say so." Soulburner commented.

Akira then turned over to Revolver. "One last thing. Revolver brought a special gift to aid us in our battle. The floor is yours."

Revolver pressed a few buttons and then looked at Blue Maiden, Ghost Girl and Go. "Look at your Duel Disks." At his request, the trio raised them before blinking in unison as Pandor rose from each one. "I transferred you Pandor, an AI that will help you take down the Ignis."

"I didn't expect you to make an AI, Revolver, especially after your duel bot got destroyed a long while ago." Raguel said.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Raguel." Revolver replied, before pressing a button on his duel disk, where a copy of Pandor rose out of Zero's duel disk.

"You're transferring a copy of Pandor to me?" Zero inquired out of surprise.

"None of us know who you truly are, what your plans are, and why you're here in the first place, Zero. As such, Pandor will be keeping an eye on you." Revolver explained. "If you're up to anything fishy, all of us will know the truth and take swift action immediately."

"That's smart, Revolver. We can't afford any unexpected surprises." Electrolyzer supported Revolver's idea.

"Everyone, get to your positions!" Akira commanded, the battle about to begin really soon.

Elsewhere, in the server….

The Linguriboh ship approached the area, where Ai, Roboppy and Jericho looked at the pyramid prism some distance away from them.

"Our target's straight ahead, but he's not alone." Roboppy reported.

"Yeah, who knew we had so many friends, allies and enemies?" Ai commented.

"Which will all be eliminated soon." Jericho stated, which got Ai and Roboppy's attention. "Rest assured, gentlemen. As long as you do your part, they won't be harmed in the real world."

Ai sadly frowned, knowing that Jericho had a point. As long as he and Roboppy got the other half of the Code Key from Akira, then the ones they cared about wouldn't get hurt. If anything, they'd fall unconscious in the real world for a little while. "So who exactly will we be dealing with, Roboppy?"

"Uh, let's see." Roboppy responded, as pictures appeared on the monitors. "We have Blue Maiden, Soulburner, Raguel, Aerith, Slipstream, Revolver and his merry band of misfits, Go Onizuka, Ghost Girl, Blood Shepherd, Drachen, Demeter, Percival, Electrolyzer and an old man under Akira Zaizen's employ."

Jericho gasped upon seeing Zero's picture on the monitor. Huh. It looks like you've joined in on the fight publicly, Dairoku, Jericho thought in his mind. You've given me no choice but to play hard ball.

"What's gotten you so riled up, Jericho?" Ai asked, having noticed Jericho's uneasiness.

"It's that old man's appearance, that's what." Jericho answered. And it's not just Zero. Apparently, Brion decided to join in the fight despite getting Central Japan back, Jericho thought in his mind. Why exactly did he decide to do so? This also worried Jericho, as if Electrolyzer got his memories back, he'd be even more screwed than he already was right now.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be uneasy seeing how Blue Maiden defeated Raguel. You know. The same guy you infected to do your dirty work. Based on recent events, I can say that she'd have a very strong shot in stopping your plans." Ai smirked after saying those words, having noticed the anger on Jericho's upon being reminded of such a thing.

Jericho let out a growl after being reminded on how Blue Maiden and her friends not only saved Raguel's life, but also put a halt on his plans as well. He'll not only make Blue Maiden and her brother pay for doing such a thing, but show them a world of true despair as well.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt guys, but Playmaker's not showing up this time." Roboppy interrupted, which got Ai and Jericho's attention. "I guess he decided not to join the fight this time around."

"Seems so." Ai observed. If Ai was being honest, he was glad Playmaker wasn't here. For he didn't want Playmaker, his own Origin, to be thrown into this mess. All Ai wanted was for Playmaker to recover from his ordeal and move on with his life.

"On the plus side, it means we have one less opponent to deal with." Jericho happily said.

Suddenly, a blip appeared somewhere in the network, which got Ai, Jericho and Roboppy's attention upon noticing it appear. It wasn't just them, as Revolver, Soulburner, Raguel and Slipstream noticed it as well.

"Who's that?" Revolver asked.

Soulburner smirked. "I think I know who it is."

"Yup. It looks like he's officially here." Slipstream said.

"Playmaker has joined the fight." Raguel stated, happy that he would appear soon.

As if on cue, Playmaker appeared out of nowhere, having sped towards where the others were.

"Playmaker!" Blue Maiden cried out of relief.

"He came to help us!" Aerith cheered.

"I knew you'd come." Akira commented, a smile of gratitude having appeared on his face.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. Blue Maiden advised me to stay out of this fight." Playmaker said. "But I can't. Not as long as there's a way to end this fight in a peaceful way."

"Well, it looks like Playmaker came after all…" Jericho muttered. He also looked forward to crushing Playmaker and showing him true despair.

"It appears so after all, Jericho." Ai commented. "For you can't spell party without Playmaker."

Jericho blinked. "Are you serious right now? That's what you have to say? It's one of the most stupidest things I've ever heard! There's no 't' in Playmaker!"

"We should get going and defeat these guys!" Roboppy said.

"That's right!" Ai agreed, as he and Roboppy got ready to launch the attack. "Aren't you coming, Jericho?"

"And help two morons who started up this mess by sending Akira their little message? Yeah, no thank you." Jericho declined, before he pressed a button on his duel disk, which made Ai and Roboppy groan in pain as electric shocks coursed through their respective bodies. He didn't just do it to punish Ai and Roboppy. If anything, Jericho did it both for his own amusement and to remind them of who was truly in charge. "Since it's your mess, it falls upon the both of you chumps to clean it up."

"But we have a deal." Roboppy reminded Jericho.

"We certainly do, Roboppy. However, there's no need for my assistance in getting rid of unnecessary cannon fodder." Jericho meant every word, as he wasn't going to use his energy against duelists who planned on stalling and delaying the inevitable. Some examples included the Knights of Hanoi under Revolver's employ, Demeter, Percival, Drachen, Ghost Girl and Blood Shepherd. The ones Jericho had to watch out for, however, were the duelists who put his plans to a temporary halt. Not just them, but Electrolyzer and Zero as well.

"Damn you…" Ai muttered angrily.

Jericho chuckled as he let go of the button on his duel disk, which not only stopped the electricity seconds later, but also freed Ai and Roboppy from their pain as well. "Nonetheless, I believe Zaizen would have made preparations to protect himself in the real world, especially after what happened to Queen and Pawn."

"Jericho does make a point, master." Roboppy said, with Ai nodding in agreement as he recalled how Bohman took Jin's consciousness data while Azrael knocked Miyu out unconscious all those months ago.

"I'll look into preparing a few things so we can go after him in the real world. Once it's done, I'll provide you with the information." Jericho said. "Oh, and Raguel, Blue Maiden and her older brother are my prey, not yours. You can deal with whoever else you want as you please."

"How about this, Jericho? Whoever gets to Blue Maiden and her brother first gets to deal with them. For you never know what can happen next." Ai suggested.

While Jericho didn't know what game Ai was up to, he decided to play along, as the former knew he was obviously in control here. If Ai and Roboppy battled against Blue Maiden and Akira, then it'd be great seeing them destroy their former comrades, along with the look of horror that would emerge for such a betrayal. But if Jericho caught up to Blue Maiden and Akira first, he'd be able to dish out some sweet retribution on them. "Fine. Since you and Roboppy are battling your former friends, I suppose that's fair. As such, I'll see you both soon!" He then teleported out of the Linguriboh ship, much to Ai's ire.

Now it's time to see who will be strong enough to defeat Jericho and his allies, Ai thought in his mind, a smirk having appeared on his face as the face of the Linguriboh ship opened up, where he and Roboppy jumped out before landing on their respective duel boards. From there, the duo sped towards the battlefield, intent on fighting their common opponents.

"Okay, master. We have over twenty opponents to deal with." Roboppy told Ai, as he looked at the screen on the former's duel disk. "We'll be okay, right? I'm starting to lose a little confidence here."

Ai chuckled. "Everyone does have higher ratings than you."

"Ratings?" Roboppy raised an eyebrow, confused by Ai's comment.

"Allow me to show you what I mean." Ai said, before raising his right hand in a lecturing pose. "You may not know this, but duelists have ratings based on their skills and how they wield their decks in combat." He showed Roboppy the screen on his duel disk, which displayed a pyramid structure. "They're around here." Each of the Hanoi lieutenants were at the bottom of the pyramid, while Blood Shepherd, Ghost Girl, Go, Soulburner, Slipstream, Raguel, Blue Maiden, Aerith, Revolver, Drachen, Demeter, Percival and Electrolyzer were at the top of the pyramid. "As for Playmaker, he's here." The screen panned down to show said duelist beneath the pyramid.

"Seriously?! He's down there?!" Roboppy's eyes widened out of surprise upon hearing this information and seeing it on Ai's screen. This was Playmaker, the same duelist who fought tooth and nail just to stop Raguel's rampage several weeks ago before losing. The same Playmaker who defeated Revolver and stopped the Tower of Hanoi. The same Playmaker who gave it all against Bohman before defeating him.

"He only looked strong because I was with him." Ai explained smugly. "As for me, I'm right here." The screen panned upwards to show clouds above the pyramid, where Ai was placed far above them all.

"That high?" Roboppy questioned, amazed at what he was seeing.

"I'm on a different level than them." Ai boasted.

"That's why you're the master." Roboppy smiled, happy to learn about Ai's strength. "Just one question. Where am I?"

In response to Roboppy's question, Ai had him look at the screen once again, where it panned down to show the former being way below Playmaker. "Right here." Roboppy gasped upon seeing where he was on the pyramid. Or in this case, where he was located regarding rankings.

"What?! That low?! Even after defeating Pawn?!" Roboppy protested. He was tempted to try and use the puppy dog eye technique just so Ai would put him on the pyramid, but given the situation at hand, it wouldn't work at all.

"Of course. Even though you have that one win under your belt, you still have less dueling experience than everyone else." Ai explained.

"But what about that old man? Where is he on this chart?"

In response to Roboppy's question, Ai had him pay attention to the screen once more, where it panned to show Zero's picture being with the other duelists in the pyramid. "Since neither of us know how strong he is, what we do know is that Jericho got riled up the moment the old man appeared on the screen. So until we know more, we'll be putting the old man with the other duelists."

Roboppy slouched over, disappointed that he was weaker than everyone else despite being skilled enough to defeat a higherup as SOL Technologies. "This sucks."

"Nevertheless, you have an opportunity to raise your rating, Roboppy." Ai told Roboppy before smiling. "Surely, that's something you want, right?"

"Of course!" Roboppy answered without hesitation.

"Then you're lucky. Today, there are many powerful opponents that will help you gain experience points. If you work hard, you can rise quickly and evolve, which will help you get stronger."

"Like a Pokemon would!" Roboppy smiled, having put two and two together. If he did what Ai said, then Roboppy would certainly get stronger over time. "Thanks for the pep talk, master. I won't let you down!"

"Any time, Roboppy. Any time." Ai responded back, as he and Roboppy continued to speed towards the battlefield. Hopefully, you'll understand why I chose the path I'm on when this is all over, Yusaku, Ai thought in his mind. The last thing I want is for Jericho and his master to kill you guys, as well as accomplish their final goal in obtaining the Root of All Knowledge. I won't allow that to happen. This, I promise you!

Meanwhile, at Jericho's server…

WHOOSH!

Jericho immediately returned to his server in the network, a firm expression evident on his face. With the battle to come, it gave Jericho the perfect opportunity to show the envoys who they will be facing off against, along with their strengths and respective weaknesses. In addition, it will also allow the envoys to learn about their enemies before preparing for the battles to come.

"About time you came back." Brigadier commented, which got Jericho's attention. "What's the status?"

"Everything's set in stone for what's to come, Brigadier. Call the other envoys and Hallucina, as I wish to speak with them." Jericho instructed, as Brigadier nodded as he disappeared in the shadows, intent on gathering the other envoys while the former looked at the light-green monitor nearby.

Thanks to the devices he put on Ai and Roboppy, he would be able to see what was going to happen next. Not just that, but also see who Ai and Roboppy were going to duel, thus giving Jericho and the envoys information on how to beat their enemies. While the chaos was going on in those battles, Jericho would sneak in and find out where Blue Maiden and Akira were in the real world. Once their location was found, he would strike and show them both a world beyond hurt.

After a minute passed, Dogma, Brigadier, Bahamut, Despa, Apsed, Cryomancer, Juggernaut and Hallucina appeared in the main area.

"You called for us, sir?" Dogma asked.

"Indeed, Dogma." Jericho confirmed. "I called you here to observe the coming battles, as well as those who will certainly oppose us down the road."

"Battles?" Juggernaut repeated in confusion.

"That's correct, Juggernaut. Ai and Roboppy are launching their attack on Zaizen's forces as we speak."

"What forces would that be, Jericho?" Brigadier inquired out of curiosity, which led Jericho to type on the digital keyboard as over twenty individuals popped up on the light-green monitor.

"These individuals, Brigadier." Jericho replied, which got everyone's attention as they looked at them on the light-green monitor.

"It seems Dairoku has officially allied himself with our enemies, Master Jericho." Dogma commented, with Jericho nodding in agreement. "As our enemies already know of your existence, you'll have to get involved very soon."

"Pardon me for asking, Jericho, but why would our enemies be the heroes of LINK VRAINS?" Hallucina asked, which got Jericho's attention.

"That's what I want to know as well." Juggernaut added.

"It's because they'll oppose whatever threatens the safety and wellbeing of the network, and humans by extension." Cryomancer told both Juggernaut and Hallucina.

"Exactly!" Jericho said, pleased with Cryomancer's answer. "They wouldn't understand what we're trying to do, and will plan on stopping us more than ever now that Zero's with them."

"But by letting the Dark Ignis and his ally take on our enemies, they'll do the dirty work for us." Despa observed.

"And the battles will weaken the Dark Ignis long enough for you to eventually seize him and kill his ally, Jericho." Apsed finished. "Oh, how I look forward to seeing the Dark Ignis and his ally fight against their former friends. It'll be such a tragic ending for the beloved heroes of LINK VRAINS."

"What I want to know is why the prince of Central Japan is working with Zaizen." Bahamut spoke up.

"King, Bahamut. Brion Miyahara, who goes by Electrolyzer, has been recently crowned king of Central Japan following his uncle's death." Jericho corrected.

"With all due respect, Jericho, it still doesn't answer my question."

Jericho narrowed his eyes as he turned away from the light-green monitor before facing the envoys. While Dogma knew the truth, there was no way Jericho would tell the others about his previous alliance with Electrolyzer, along with the fallout that had occurred afterwards. For the last thing he wanted was to lose allies. "I believe Electrolyzer is assisting Zaizen out of gratitude for him providing the aid needed to retake Central Japan from Balius' rule. Due to his status now as King, Electrolyzer will be an enemy for us to deal with if we're to succeed."

"In other words, our enemies practically have a monarch on their side. How joyful." Brigadier remarked, disgust clear in his tone. He had a strong distaste towards those who had power, as they were the ones who chose to hurt people who were underneath them. But once Jericho's plan was finished, inequality would finally be eliminated forever.

"For now, let's watch the coming duels, and learn about our enemies' strengths and weaknesses." Jericho told the envoys and Hallucina, as he turned over to Juggernaut. "Have the repairs to the AI duelist been finished and updated?"

"They have, Jericho. As per your request, Hallucina provided a new deck for it to catch our enemies off guard." Juggernaut confirmed.

"The new deck I provided AI-E from Albinor Inc. will give even our strongest enemies a hard time to defeat it in battle." Hallucina assured Jericho.

"Splendid. Make sure the AI has fully mastered the new deck you gave it, Hallucina. Once that's done, bring it to me for deployment." With that, Hallucina left the room, intent on getting the task done.

"I beg your pardon for interjecting, sir, but there's a chance Dairoku may have taught our enemies how to break duel anchors. Thus, we'll need a new way to force them into a duel." Dogma gently said.

Jericho thought over Dogma's suggestion, knowing that he made a valid point. Based on past experience, Zero had the ability to break duel anchors with his own hands. Well, ones that were weaker than the ones Urizen and the disciples used, anyway. Something had to therefore be done so Jericho's enemies wouldn't be able to escape from his and/or the envoys' sight. "Your idea has merit, Dogma. In this case, we'll have to modify the duel anchors we have on hand so we can ensure our enemies are forcefully dealt with."

"What if you were to infuse a gun into one of the AI's arms before loading it with duel bullets, Jericho? This way, it'll be able to lock duelists into duels without the need of pulling out a weapon or using a duel anchor." Brigadier suggested.

"Oh, what a magnificent idea, Brigadier. There's nothing wrong with making someone clench in pain unexpectedly before forcing them into a duel they don't want to be in!" Apsed supported Brigadier's idea.

"I concur as well." Despa agreed.

"Same here." Cryomancer added, knowing how important espionage is needed in times such as this.

"Then we're all in agreement." Jericho decided, as he turned to Juggernaut. "I have a few tasks for you, Juggernaut. Well, one task for you and one for your apprentice."

"Of course. What can I help you with?" Juggernaut asked, as Jericho pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused information to be transferred to her duel disk seconds later. This was indicated by the beep that emitted from Juggernaut's duel disk, as she received the data Jericho transferred over to her just now.

"With the data on duel anchors I gave you, I want you to create duel bullets that our AI can use to force our opponents into duels. This way, they'll have no choice but to duel, especially since you can't break a bullet."

Juggernaut nodded, having understood Jericho's orders. "And what of Souta? What do you want him to do?"

"You guys have Soltis units where you're at, yes?" Jericho inquired.

"Of course. They've been sent to a few hotels for a trial run several weeks ago." Juggernaut confirmed.

"Good." Jericho pressed a button on his duel disk, where he sent a piece of Ai and Roboppy's algorithms to Juggernaut's duel disk. "Have your apprentice input these algorithms into two Soltis units before setting up the link. Once this is done, I want you to take them to the nearest airport and ensure it's with the others. Any remaining traces of the algorithms must be destroyed afterwards."

"I get what you're planning, Jericho. While the Dark Ignis and his ally take on Zaizen's forces, you're preparing to assist him in finding where Zaizen's located in the real world." Bahamut deduced. "However, as shown earlier, you're not able to fully assimilate yourself into a Soltis yet."

"Just because Jericho isn't able to assimilate into a Soltis yet doesn't mean there are other methods he can use to make the task easier." Cryomancer told Bahamut. "He's making the preparations, but is leaving the dirty work to the Dark Ignis and his ally at the same time."

"Right on the nose once again, Cryomancer. Your work as an FBI investigator, along with Dogma's mentorship, have certainly made you a powerful force to be reckoned with." Jericho praised Cryomancer. "As for you, Bahamut, you'd be wise to heed this information. It's logical to consider all aspects of the situation, along with making preparations to ensure all factors are dealt with, don't you agree?"

"Certainly, Jericho. I agree with what you're saying." Bahamut acknowledged, having obtained clarity on the plan, as well as the merits behind it thanks to Cryomancer's input on the matter.

Jericho then turned right back to Juggernaut. "I wish you the best of luck, Juggernaut. Hallucina will also be there to assist with the AI should there be issues."

"I'll make sure it gets done." Juggernaut promised, before she left the main area, intent on getting the jobs done.

"With all due respect, sir, the plan you have in place has a few risks in it." Dogma commented, which got Jericho's attention. "I believe the Dark Ignis may have ulterior motives that counter your goals. If we're not careful, we'll lose the advantage."

"There's no need to be worried, Dogma, as everything's under control. For as you said, if needed, I'll get involved personally." Jericho assured Dogma, a smirk having appeared on his face. "Even if Ai is up to no good, there's nothing he nor Playmaker and his allies can do to stop the plan. With the battles to come and the information that will be gained, our enemies' demise is bound to be certain. It's only a matter of time."

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

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

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

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

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

A split screen then pops up, showing Tsubaki spending time with Hideki on one side, while Gekiryushi is training at the Shinpi-Tekina dojo, people happy to see the dojo being rejuvenated on the other side. Portrait of Zandaka, Kataru, and Arakan are also in the background. A second split screen appears next, showing Greg and Rachel spending time with one another, while Gil is looking at documents with the Bit and Boot under his command. A third split screen appears next, showing Go Onizuka having fun with the kids at the Den City Orphanage with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, while Brion issues directions as he collaborates with the people in Central Japan so they can work together in rebuilding their home.

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

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

Card Gallery

Issachar:

High Tech Adfraudra (LV: 4/Dragon/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 1400)

Effect: During either player's turn, when your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field in defense position, and if you do, draw 1 card from the top of your deck. You can only use this effect of 'High Tech Adfraudra' once per turn. A Light or Dark Dragon monster that uses this card as material for the Link, Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Summon gains the following effect:

During either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card effect (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation. You can only use this effect once per turn.

High Tech RB Dragon Vert (LV: 4/Dragon/Dark/ATK: 1300/DEF: 700)

Effect: During either player's turn, when your opponent draws a card outside the Draw Phase (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each card drawn. You can only use this effect of 'High Tech RB Dragon Vert' once per turn. A Light or Dark Dragon monster that uses this card as material for the Link, Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Summon gains the following effect:

If this card battles an opponent's monster, after damage calculation: Banish that opponent's monster.

High Tech Flip Dragon (LV: 2/Dragon/Light/ATK: 200/DEF: 0)

Effect: During either player's turn, when your opponent activates a Spell card (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field in defense position, and if you do, Set 1 'High Tech' Spell card from your deck to your field. You can only use this effect of 'High Tech Flip Dragon' once per turn. A Light or Dark Dragon monster that uses this card as material for the Link, Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Summon gains the following effect:

During your Main Phase: You can target 1 Spell or Trap card your opponent controls; banish it. You can only use this effect once per turn.

High Tech Beta Burn Dragon (LV: 4/Dragon/Light/ATK: 1400/DEF: 0)

Effect: During either player's turn, when you take damage by battle or card effect (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field, and if you do, your opponent takes that same damage you took, and if you do that, gain LP equal to the damage you took. A Light or Dark Dragon monster that uses this card as material for the Link, Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Summon gains the following effect:

If this card attacks a monster your opponent controls in defense position, inflict piercing battle damage.

High Tech Matrix (Continuous-Spell card)

Effect: All Light and Dark Dragon monsters you control gain 300 ATK and DEF. During your Main Phase: You can activate one of the following effects:

Target 1 Light or Dark Dragon monster you control; this turn, it's unaffected by your opponent's card effects.

Target 1 Light or Dark Dragon monster you control; it gains 300 ATK for each 'High Tech' monster in your GY until the End Phase.

If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 'High Tech' card with a different name from your deck or GY to your hand. You can only use each effect of 'High Tech Matrix' once per turn.

Blue Tooth Burst Dragon (LR: 4/Dragon/Dark/ATK: 3000/️️️️⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️)

Effect: 2 or more Light or Dark Dragon monsters. During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; take control of it until the end of your next turn, and if you do, negate its effects, and if you do that, its original ATK becomes 3000, also, it is treated as a 'High Tech' monster. If this card leaves the field by battle or an opponent's card effect (Quick Effect): You can shuffle 4 'High Tech' monsters with different names from your GY back into your deck; Special Summon this card from your GY to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Blue Tooth Burst Dragon' once per turn.

QOTC

What are your thoughts on Issachar's deck? Which Rush Duel archetypes do you hope to see in Obscured Truth in the future?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 107: War on SOL: Part Four. The battle has officially begun! Ai and Roboppy launch their attack on Playmaker and the others, intent on acquiring Akira's half of the Code Key. Standing in their way first are the Knights of Hanoi, hellbent on eliminating them and finishing their life-long mission…

Author's Notes

And with that, another chapter has been completed! That being said, I do hope you all enjoy it, especially with what's to come during the next set of chapters. Given how a lot has occurred in this chapter, a recap's certainly needed:

The first scene that occurs is the conversation between Akira, Kusanagi and Katsuya. Given how Akira now knows that Yusaku is Playmaker, I felt it important for him to not address it with Kusanagi, but also explain how he was able to put two and two together. Kusanagi and Katsuya's reaction upon seeing Akira request to speak to them? They're hesitant, especially given how their common distrust at SOL Technologies for what they've done. However, after some deliberation, the duo ends up deciding to give Akira the opportunity to explain himself, which he proceeds to do so. It's also here where Akira meets Katsuya for the first time, and finds out that he's Percival in the network. After Akira promises to keep Yusaku's identity a secret, he heads back home, but not before warning Kusanagi and Katsuya about the chance of Emma snooping around to fully confirm the identity of Playmaker's close contact. To further help the duo and provide some security, Akira even provides Emma's network identity as Ghost Girl so they have some leverage in the event she plans on doing anything suspicious with Yusaku's identity as Playmaker.

The next scene that occurs is at Central Japan, which explains what Brion's been up to since the events of Chapter 95. This includes eliminating any of Balius' loyalists, destroying all of his possessions, coordinating the reparation efforts, quelling the uneasiness in Central Japan and so much more. In addition, Brion learned about Balius having a harem of wives and concubines as a last resort to ensure that his rule continued uninterrupted. To make things worse, some of those wives and concubines had children. This posed a moral dilemma for Brion, as he didn't want to kill the ones who were loyal to Balius, or else he'd be no better than him. What's more, Brion didn't want to risk a civil war over who would rule Central Japan. It's here where Greg proposes of reverse engineering the memory scanner to permanently destroy the memories of the wives and concubines who were loyal to Balius, as well as any children they had. This way, Brion would be able to retain his power in a humane manner. As for the wives and concubines who were forced into Balius' harem, Brion didn't press charges on any of them. Instead, he gave each and every one of them, along with their kids, new identities. Brion even gave them the choice to either stay in another area of Central Japan or leave and relocate elsewhere. By doing this, I wanted to show how Brion is different than Balius despite everything he went through. If anything, I wanted to show how Brion was able to retain the noble teachings his parents taught him despite there being numerous times he could abandon them for his own gain.

Greg then appears, where he not only updates Brion on how Rachel and Gil are doing, but also says that Akira wants to speak to him. While Brion still has his reservations about SOL Technologies, he agrees with Akira's request after some gentle prodding from Greg, who reminded him that not everyone at the company was evil. This then leads to the meeting between Akira and Brion, which got tense fast once the latter began slamming the former down on how SOL Technologies deserved to suffer after the crimes it committed. Akira then counters by telling Brion not to lecture him on right and wrong, as the latter tried to report the AI chip back in Chapter 65 without thinking of the potential consequences it can cause to the company should he succeed. This reminder ultimately makes Brion remember how his actions, which were motivated by his own distorted version of justice, nearly caused SOL Technologies to be brought for ruin, as it would have led the company to experience long-term repercussions down the road. Upon realizing this, Brion admits his mistake and apologizes to Akira, much to his surprise. I do want to highlight Brion's character development further, as when he was introduced back in Season 2, he was willing do whatever it took to ensure that Balius was eliminated for good. Some examples including his willingness to hunt down the Ignis and work for Jericho. The distorted sense of justice Brion developed following his past sufferings made him nearly hurt many other people just to achieve his goal. One could say he almost became no better than Balius. But thanks to the experiences Brion went through, he learned what it meant to be a true leader in time. One that stayed true to who he truly was than adopt the values of the world. One who worked for the wellbeing of others while taking every action into account rather than pursue them with reckless abandon and no regard for the consequences.

To make things right, Brion promises to provide Akira with an escort of FBI troops so he can be safely transported to wherever location he needed to be at for the battle to come. After the call, Brion even realizes how much of a threat Ai posed, which motivates him to answer Akira's call for help in the network down the road.

The third thing that happens in this chapter is the scene at Café Matsuo, where Brea explains to Yuhiro and the others what she recently found out. Specifically, the fact that Watchman hired her parents to assist in kidnapping some of the Lost Incident victims a long time ago! You could say it's a small world, don't you think? After Brea learns about what recently happened, she offers to help once again… only to suddenly fall to the ground in pain seconds later. It's revealed here that, while Brea was able to master her Chaos Xyz monster mentally, she still needed to train so she can endure the physical toll. With this information in mind, Roxy bars Brea from participating in the battle against Ai, much to her ire of course. I originally planned on Brea helping out in the battle against Ai, but I decided not to because she didn't know Ai as long compared to the others. Besides, I have enough duelists to juggle as it is for the duels in the next few chapters. So expect Brea to return later in Season 3, but obviously not right now.

Following the scene at Café Matsuo, we go to Jericho's server, where Issachar presents his device called the Materializer. Here's how it works: The Materializer uses data, along with a combination of solid vision and arc system technology to identify the subject before doing one of two things. One: To take something from the real world and provide it with a digital form. Two: To take something from the network and provide it with a solid form in the real world. This was done by scanning the object before determining how much data would be needed for it to achieve either digital or solid form. Once this was done, a blueprint would then be created so the subject can fully achieve either digital or solid form based on the situation at hand.

Seizing the opportunity at hand, Jericho demands Issachar to use the Materializer to transfer the former into a Soltis body, which the latter reluctantly complies with. Just when it seemed to work, the process suddenly reversed itself, much to everyone's shock. This is because of how Jericho was forced to adapt for so long in the dark side of the network, and now that he's returned back to his original home, he has to learn how to do it again. It's like a fish coming out of a river and being forced to adapt on land to survive. While Jericho congratulates Issachar on the test, he's still pissed that he can't infiltrate a Soltis unit like Ai and Roboppy can, thus leaving him in the network for the time being.

Nearby, Dogma has a brief conversation with Hallucina, where he learns about what Albinor Inc. went through following Urizen's exile to the dark side of the network. After being assured that SOL Technologies will get its just desserts in time, Hallucina suggests the idea of Albinor Inc. host a duel tournament not only to acquire potential funders, but also return to the spotlight as well. But before Hallucina can further discuss the idea with Dogma, Jericho appears, having decided that it's time for Issachar to begin his third test. As such, Hallucina reveals Issachar's opponent, which is one of Kitamura's AIs way back from Season 1, having been designated as AI-E.

For the duel, Issachar managed to brilliantly keep up with the 'Tentacluster' deck AI-E used with his own deck, and managed to defeat it quickly in response. Issachar uses the 'High Tech Dragon' archetype, which is a Rush Duel archetype that appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh! GO RUSH. While the archetype retains its hybrid strategy of aggro and beatdown, its strategy has also been retrained to ensure it can compete with other duelists in the story. As such, the 'High Tech Dragon' archetype's playstyle is a combination of the PSY-Frame, Cipher and Zoodiac archetypes. Since it was Issachar's debut duel, I wanted to provide him with an opponent that would be challenging to defeat, which was why I went with the 'Tentacluster' deck. Not just to provide a throwback back to Season 1, but also show other ways it can be used when used in conjunction with cards that aren't in the archetype. Following the duel, Jericho orders Juggernaut to repair AI-E while Hallucina gets a different deck for it from Albinor Inc.'s files. So expect AI-E to return later on in the story.

As for Jericho, Dogma informs him that Rachel was cured of being the Construct. This infuriates Jericho just like when he learned that the Cursed Boundary Layer was destroyed at the hands of the heroes. Angered with this, Jericho goes to the prison server to get a task done, where he dismisses Despa and Apsed before speaking with Watchman. Here, Watchman taunts Jericho on how things are not going well for the latter, as well as the fact that it will continue to do so until he loses the battle. Jericho's response? He stabs Watchman with a blade of data material, where some data transfers over to a card before dissipating. As for what Jericho officially did to Watchman, the end result will be revealed in a different chapter.

From there, we go back to Café Matsuo, where Angelica ends up dueling Aerith to see if she's ready to join the fight. Here, Aerith manages to throw roadblock after roadblock against Roxy by utilizing the new 'Trickstar' cards in her deck, as well as adapting to the situation at hand. Some of you might be wondering why Angelica allowed herself to take all of that effect damage in the first place during her turn. It was for two reasons. First, it was so Angelica can solidify her field rather than gamble it all on one card. The second is because Angelica confesses her sins to Aerith, as well as the guilt she feels for doing them. It's here where Angelica genuinely apologizes to Aerith for what she and Yuhiro had done on the Black Market, as well as the reasons for doing so. Miyu's response to this? She tells Angelica that she needs to take responsibility for her actions, as well as remember them and the consequences it produced. This way, Angelica, and by extension Yuhiro, would never do them again.

In the end, Aerith manages to defeat Angelica on the latter's own turn, thus showing how she was able to master the 'Trickstar' deck through her studies. After this, Aerith hugs Angelica, the both of them having reconciled with one another. Before logging out, Angelica promises to show Aerith the footage Yuhiro uncovered regarding her parents once the battle against Ai is over.

Next, we go to the Zaizen residence, where Akira also duels against Blue Maiden to see if she's ready to join the fight. Thanks to the 'Marincess' deck and its strategies, Blue Maiden was not only able to defeat Akira faster than Playmaker able did, but also became the first duelist to defeat Akira without losing a single life point. Impressed with Blue Maiden's skills, as well as having saw the strength she used to defeat Yuhiro back in Chapter 100, Akira allows Blue Maiden to join the fight.

Following the duels, Akira and Aoi pick Miyu up from Café Matsuo, where the both of them see her practically put Yuhiro in his place before leaving the place. On the ride to the airport, Akira provides some wisdom to Miyu to further help the latter in her dilemma on how to ultimately forgive Yuhiro for his actions. He even tells Miyu about what happened to him and Aoi years ago, as well as provides a few examples of people who did bad things, yet strove to move forward with the lessons learned along the way. After the discussion, the trio, along with Hayami, board the plane before taking off. But unbeknownst to them, a few of the FBI agents contact Yuki before providing the coordinates, plane model and number. It seems that the envoys have a few more tricks up their sleeve, don't you think?

From there, it's mostly anime scenes, but with a few differences. First is the appearance of a few more characters that agreed to help Akira out. Specifically, Drachen, Demeter, Percival, Electrolyzer and Zero. We also get to see Ondina in the network for the first time since Season 2, so expect her debut duel in the next chapter. Second being Jericho's conversation with Ai and Roboppy before they take off for the battle. He's obviously not interested in dealing with cannon fodder, especially since Ai and Roboppy were the ones who caused this scenario to occur in the first place by sending Akira that message back in Chapter 104. Besides, in Jericho's mind, there's only a few people that deserve his attention, and a majority of the people who will be partaking in the battle don't meet his criteria. But duelists such as Playmaker, Soulburner and Revolver obviously do because of how they played a role in putting Jericho's plans to a halt earlier this season. As such, Jericho leaves to get a personal task done so he can help Ai and Roboppy find Akira in the real world. This leads Ai and Roboppy to exit the Linguriboh ship before heading towards the battle, setting up the chapters to come.

Last but not least is the scene back at Jericho's server, where he and the other envoys look at the duels to come. So expect their observations of the duels in the next few chapters as they occur one by one.

Without further ado, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 106 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.

What did you enjoy the most about this chapter? The three duels? Akira's conversation with Kusanagi and Katsuya? Brion's conversation with Akira? The fact that Watchman was the one who hired Brea's parents to assist with the Lost Incident? The first appearance of Souta's device: The Materializer? Jericho's anger upon learning that Rachel was cured, as well as Watchman's taunts about it? Miyu putting Yuhiro in his place? The wisdom Akira gave to Miyu to help her with her dilemma? The anime scenes? Or was it something else?

That's all for this chapter, folks! See you next time, as the battle against Ai and Roboppy begins!