Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: The Six Dimensions

by BlaiseCandell

Before the invasion of the Xyz Dimension, scans done by the Fusion Dimension reveal two more dimensions. The Ritual Dimension, and the Link Dimension. Within those two dimensions, Chiaki, Yuji, Miharu and Yuno have their lives turned upside down, and are tossed into a vicious war. Also, why are there five people with the same faces as them? (M for discussions of trauma.)

107. The Stone That Kills

Starting Notes:

Welcome back! This is the second half of the Shino focus chapters :3 It's a real interesting one… and as usual, it's pretty long, so let's get into it. I'm not going to be surprised if some of the decisions I made here are… controversial…

Just as a note—I planned this chapter in early 2022. Card releases since then have made one of the duels in this chapter look like… a very outdated version of itself, but fully updating it to its modern incarnation would make the duel impossible to write, for… card interaction reasons. Anyway, what that means is that one specific card in that archetype has been banned to make the duel even remotely possible. Sorry about that :p

Just as a note—this chapter is not necessarily as dark as certain previous chapters, but it does delve into rather complicated subject matter that may be triggery, but also incredibly spoilery for the nature of the chapter. As always, the trigger warnings are at the top of the end notes, so if you want to see them, scroll to the bottom (or if you're on AO3, click the 'more notes' button'. I cannot make this any clearer, and I don't want to get hate for spoiling/people not just… clicking to go see the trigger warnings and then saying that I didn't warn, alright? Do what you want to do.

Checked the warnings that you need to? Okay! Let's get going. That being said—this chapter does have some fluff in it, so. Enjoy that, if you're the type! It's not… uncomplicated fluff, because there's no way it's going to be. But it's a little cute!

---

Chapter 107: The Stone That Kills

Later, Shino would look back on the experience of escaping with Ryo and think: I was completely out of my mind. It was hard to explain just what she had been thinking at the time. She'd been carrying him, holding onto the knife to stop it from slipping in or coming out, and practically speeding through the streets on the wheelchair, despite how much it hurt her body.

It had been exactly that feeling of being 'out of her mind' that had led her down the street. It led her to a house that was still half-standing and still offered some shelter. It led her to find a dusty door, to fiddle with the lock and take her bleeding friend down to the basement.

The basement was far cleaner than anything above—there was an air purifier inside that turned on the moment that they came in. There was a mattress all the way in the corner of the room, and cupboards around the room. Shino put him down on the mattress, making sure not to let the knife slip out. Ryo didn't say anything—he didn't even grunt in pain. He was probably unconscious. His blood was staining her fingers—but thankfully, since the blade had stayed in the wound, it wasn't uncontrollable.

Shino looked at him for a moment.

She had to get him on the ground to treat him—and subsequently, she would need to be on the ground to handle him on the mattress.

To do that, she had to get out of the wheelchair. And it took her a while to get back into the wheelchair. Meaning that if someone found them here, she wouldn't be able to escape, no matter what.

Shino didn't even hesitate. She lowered herself out of the wheelchair, settling herself down next to him to examine the wound. It was pretty shallow, luckily—he'd need a proper check-up, but for now, she could treat this. She could.

She had to be able to.

She could feel her signature tiredness building up. It was getting to her—stress, emotion, dissociation, all of them things that aggravated her narcolepsy. She reached out, taking half a pill of her Modafinil. She'd worry about side effects later—right now, he needed her. If she fell asleep, he'd just bleed out.

Okay. She understood how to treat this. She pulled up the cloth that covered the bottom of her wheelchair, retrieving the first aid kit that she had kept there for emergencies—she had some additional supplies that Emi had given her too, but they weren't necessary right now. Carefully, she pulled out the gloves, putting them on. She was still making sure that the knife wouldn't come out. She carefully moved him into the recovery position, on his side.

"You're going to be alright," she said, though she didn't know if he was conscious at all. She carefully pulled out gauze, before she breathed out slowly. "It's going to hurt a bit, but don't worry."

She did what she had trained to do—she applied pressure, carefully stabilised him. By the time that she was done, her hands were covered in blood—some of it had gotten on her clothes as well, but she didn't really care about that. The knife was out, the bleeding had stopped, and the wound was dressed carefully. It didn't seem that any major arteries had been damaged. She leaned back, slightly worn out. She'd already tested for the signs to figure out what it was—thankfully, she'd figured it out. It was just a temporary paralytic, but thankfully, it'd also slowed his bleeding slightly. It should wear off eventually. At least it also acted as anaesthesia…

He really hadn't been conscious, right?... it'd have hurt a lot.

She sighed, peeling off the gloves. She pushed herself up onto the wheelchair, rolled over to the nearby kitchen. It was small, but it had a sink, where she cleaned and sanitised her hands with saline solution. Then, she retrieved a cloth, pouring some water on it. She wheeled herself back and pressed the cloth to his forehead. She dabbed it around his face slowly and tenderly—she breathed out slowly. Some of the anger began to seep out of her figure, even as her entire body was still rigid with tension.

"You're the one person I thought I would never have to take care of like this," she said offhandedly. As she continued to talk, she continued to dab at his forehead gently. There was nothing more she could do for him now—she'd already fixed up his wound, she'd given him the medicine which would help to fight against infection. Still, doing this helped her mentally as well—to keep herself focused, to stop herself from going out there and doing something she would regret. "Reckless… though it's not your fault for being stabbed. Sorry. I shouldn't blame you for things beyond your control. But you chose to trust me to have your back this time, and well, I was trained for this. While I'm around, I'll protect you."

She thought about that boy's wrist, crunching beneath her fingers again. Her hand froze for a moment, before she continued wiping his forehead. He was sweating slightly—his wound wasn't infected, but his body was burning its way through the paralytic—it would manage so naturally, but in the process, he'd probably be feverish.

… she could manage this much for him.

"You know," she said quietly, though she knew he couldn't hear her, "I was taught to treat myself. I'm glad that I can still use it to help others."

She reached down, holding onto his hand between both of hers. She stared at his closed eyes.

… he always looked so strong. She had never seen him so… still. Relaxed was the wrong word—he was clearly in pain.

He was in pain, huh…?

She let go of him, rolling over to the cupboards and ransacking them. She returned to the mattress a moment later, draping a blanket over him. She put another blanket on the ground, carefully positioning herself to sit down on the ground next to him again.

She'd guard him through the night.

… it wasn't like sleeping would be easy down here, anyway.

---

Standing in a room, a man carefully studied Maeda's wrist. The boy had already gotten a splint for it to keep it straight, but it was twisted in a way that was decidedly violent—as though a beast had clawed at him.

The man leaned back, listening to the report from the student. He leaned back. "So you bumped into the Kaiser and… Albion, huh."

"That girl cannot be Albion!" The boy protested. "Albion would never do that. We need to hunt them down!"

"You will do no such thing." The man raised an eyebrow. He let go of the boy's wrist, moving over to the table on the other side of the room. "If that girl truly cares about him so much, and you stabbed him in front of her… you are lucky to have escaped with only a broken wrist. Either that, or she's gone soft."

"Huh? That girl?… no way…"

"Kabayama and I investigated it a while back," the man confirmed. "Academia renamed her the Empress of Dragons, and I suspect that I know why… it's likely that for certain reasons, Eve Misogi intervened to try to hide that girl's past, and Leo Akaba allowed her to. But, before that, when she was just a brat running through this battlefield, hiding her cousin behind her back… that was the girl we called Albion."

"But the dragon that the Kaiser borrowed from her was red," the boy muttered resentfully. "That's not the colour of Albion's dragon, correct?"

"Red?" The man frowned."No. Albion's dragon is white. What was the card the Kaiser named?"

"Albion the… Branded Dragon?"

"... no, that's not it. What was the deck the girl was playing?"

"Despia…? Weirdass DARK Fairy monsters that Fusion Summoned?"

"... that's interesting." The man shook his head. "None of that is what I remember hearing about. I suppose I will have to see that girl for myself. Even if the stories were exaggerated, the person she has become cannot be so different from back then."

"Sir." The girl next to him fidgeted—she was the one that had been playing the Pikeru cards earlier. "I just thought…. I expected Albion to be older? From the stories?"

"... what stories have you heard?"

"Well, they said that she managed to fight her way through two whole armies to get out, right? And that she managed to steal a boat and make her way across the islands, all the way out of the southern islands to get to the mainland."

"Not wrong." The man adjusted some of the flasks on the table—there was an entire experimental set-up of flasks, liquids and tubes there.

"But… she would have been seven or eight…?"

"Yes." The man turned back to them. "She was eight. A child."

The girl paled. "So, you mean—"

"That girl was eight," their teacher said, looking away. "She was on a battlefield. And in the end, she left an entire army scattered behind her—half in the form of cards, half with broken bodies. Reports said that she could kill a man with anything. She's famous because she was ruthless and she was undefeated—and yes, because she was a child and no one suspected it of her. She's a living weapon—we half-suspected she was raised by something or someone for the war, only to be abandoned and left on her own."

"... then, what on earth managed to damage someone like that?"

"... don't call it damage." The man shot them a sharp look—both students gulped. They were uncomfortably reminded of their teacher's heavy breathing, of the tube plugged into his nose, of how his long black hair had long lost its silky lustre and was now going grey.

… of how he, too, was sitting in a wheelchair, because his legs could not carry him the way they used to.

"And do not call her a cripple either—that word is disgustingly cruel. Clearly, she still fights her hardest. That much is… commendable."

"... Daitokuji-sensei…" The girl said hesitantly. "What should we… do?"

"... I always knew this day would come." Kofun Daitokuji said. His breathing was laboured. "... prepare the boats. It's time."

The angry boy's eyes widened—and then, there was something like grief in his voice when he spoke. "Sensei…"

"We must evacuate some people from here, so that our information can get to the rest of the rebellion." Daitokuji exhaled slowly. "... Chronos and Tania are gone. I suppose at this point… we have been left with no choice…"

He turned his head, and he began to wheel off. The boy and the girl exchanged a look, before swiftly following him.

---

The night passed slowly. Ryo rolled and shifted occasionally—each time, Shino would watch him, but he didn't properly wake up. When he turned over on his side, she shifted him back so he wouldn't tear anything more.

The fact that he was able to move somewhat, even when he was unconscious, was a good sign.

Still, it was… kind of lonely. She twirled the flower petal that Yuri had given her between her fingers. I promised to go back, she reminded herself. There was no other option for her, except to win and go back to Academia.

… and she did not want to consider the possibility of going home without this man.

Still…

"You're Albion, the one who made it out! You're justice and freedom! So why did you come back under Academia's banner?"

Shino glanced at the sterile ceiling. The air in the room was completely still—far too familiar of a feeling.

I'm nothing. Not some kind of hero, not some kind of myth. It's not like I was the only one that escaped—after all, I brought Sora out of that warzone with me. I just wanted to live—and I was so determined to make my way out of that hellscape, to get my answers, that I didn't care what I had to do to escape. I wasn't raised for that.

They're commending a monster, or condemning a scared child. But not any kind of hero.

… I'm just a person.

She dabbed at Ryo's forehead again. It still felt warm—but he wasn't burning up as much anymore.

… it was all just so… frighteningly fragile. She had done everything right—she knew that. There wasn't a single thing more she could do for him, yet he still looked so…breakable anyway.

… breakable, huh. What a description.

Shino let go of the cloth, turning away again. It was hard to be left alone with thoughts like this. Especially because… now that the adrenaline was fading, now that she was less afraid that something horrible would happen…

The resentment from earlier was creeping back in.

Shino… did not get upset easily. Not because she did not feel anger or sadness—she certainly felt both of those things. But she knew too much about people, and she empathised with them too much to truly allow herself to be upset if they hurt her.

But…

Ryo revealing her card when he'd known that she didn't want them to see it…

She understood his intentions. He'd been annoyed at the fact that for the entire time they were here, people had been looking down on her. He wanted her to be respected, he wanted her to own the title that supposedly represented her power and her achievements. He'd had good intentions.

It warmed her heart because she understood. It also frustrated her because he did not.

Ryo Marufuji understood her a little. Perhaps he even understood her better than most people, except Yuri. (Yuri had seen though her plans once and addressed her intentions directly, instead of her actions—something that very few people had ever managed to do.)

But…

He was just always a step too slow.

… and yet I'm still so attached to him.

… maybe it's just another part of this miserable fate.

It took a while, but Shino got used to the silence—so it was surprising when she heard his voice. "Shino," he said in a low-pitched murmur—with the rasp of someone that'd just woken up.

Shino leaned over, holding onto his hand. "Hey," she said. "Are you feeling okay, Ryo?"

"... Shino," he repeated.

"... yeah?" Shino leaned over. "... is something wrong? What do you need?"

"... nothing." He shifted slightly. "... my limbs feel like lead."

"That would be the poison," Shino said—she tried to keep her voice light, but she couldn't quite manage it. "It'll fade away if you sleep more. Do you think you can drink water right now?"

"... it's a bit…" He cleared his throat roughly. "... I don't know if I can swallow properly."

"... sip by sip then." Shino pushed herself over towards the cupboards—it was basically like sliding across the floor. "... there's a water purifier in this house."

"It must have belonged to someone wealthy," Ryo managed to say. She heard shifting behind her as she started to fill a cup with water.

"Don't sit up," she chided. "Stay there." Once she got the water, she turned around—he'd shifted back to his original position, though there was a tension to his body that made it clear that he was still in pain. "Here." She shuffled back to his side, holding out the cup to his lips. He drank from it—but after a moment, a bit of water dribbled down as his lip twitched. He flushed, turning away in embarrassment.

"I apologise—"

Shino wiped off the water from his face with her sleeve. "... don't apologise," she said. "The paralytic's still in your system. It's not your fault if your body just… isn't doing what it's supposed to." She tilted his chin upwards—not willing to let him feel ashamed of himself. "Come on."

After a moment, Ryo tilted his head back and let her carefully guide him into drinking—it took a while, but he managed to get most of the water down.

"Good," Shino said gently. "Do you want to sleep a bit more?"

"... it's not responsible." He looked at her. "Were we followed?"

"No," Shino said.

"... I suppose we won't be getting any uninvited visitors then." Ryo glanced around them. "This is… very clean. Where are we?"

"Where do you think we are?" Shino returned.

"... that's not an answer."

"... it's just a house down the street. I thought it'd be safer than being out in the open."

"... I suppose so." He shifted through the blanket again—letting out a grunt as he did so. Shino's hands immediately flew to his wound—she lifted his shirt, checking to make sure that the bandages hadn't shifted or come undone. His skin was warm to the touch as she examined it—at first, it was easier to look at it instead of looking at him, but after a moment, she became hyperaware of the way that her hands were pressed to his bare skin, and how she was basically staring at his bare stomach.

… and well. It was a nice-looking stomach, obviously, but… embarrassing.

She raised her head—

But Ryo wasn't looking directly at her. He was looking at her hands.

"... you patched me up," he said, sounding surprised.

"Obviously," Shino said. Hoping to take away attention from the strange situation, she added: "I'm not going to drag a corpse back home! And I happen to like you." She drew her hands away, as though she'd been burned by the touch—she fought down the flush rising to her cheeks.

"... it's not that I didn't expect…" Ryo glanced at the bandaged wound. "... but treating something like this isn't part of Academia's training. When did you…"

… ah.

If only this man wasn't quite so sharp…

"I had some training when I was younger," Shino said.

"... for war, right?"

"I guess!" Shino kept her tone lighter. "I had to know how to patch up things if I was going to travel so much, after all—"

"That's not what I meant." He looked at her. "... I meant for war. You were trained for war as a kid, weren't you?"

Shino ran her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes. "... you know," she said, "there's a reason that people don't fight physically anymore."

Ryo frowned, clearly noticing that she'd changed the subject, but he let her carry on anyway.

"Stabbing you with a knife? What did that boy think he was going to accomplish? Our medicine's gotten to the point where we can mostly fix broken limbs in a week with enough medicine—Yuri's leg was almost completely fine by the time we left. Prosthetics fix things fine." She reached out to the medical supplies, picking up a small syringe-like object. "We have something like this—I can jab you with it once and it'll tell me about any foreign toxins in your body. We've almost got all-purpose antidotes down too—maybe in the past we needed specific antidotes for specific poisons, but now we can just boost the body to fight them all off while minimising damage. It's just… unless you kill someone immediately, any physical wound is fixable."

"That's why carding was invented, right?" Ryo said. "... what does that have to do with your past?"

Shino shrugged. "Some things are outdated. My mother didn't think so, so she raised me to learn them. That's all there is to it."

"... that's all?" Ryo said. He arched an eyebrow. "It sounds like you're still hiding things."

"I probably am." Shino bunched up the fabric of her shorts in a fist, idly running her finger along the hem of the fabric. "It's funny, huh? That this is what I'm bad at?"

"Talking about yourself?"

"Yeah." She smiled awkwardly, turning back to him. "I'm sorry, I did want to let you in a little… but this is harder than I thought. I never tell anyone about myself. I'm not sure I know how." She'd never thought through the words—because there was just so much there, far too much that she had been avoiding and hiding from others. It was easier to just accept that she'd never say them.

"... that might be the most honest answer you've ever given me," Ryo said with a sigh. When he looked at her again, his eyes were piercing. "How about I make it easier for you?"

"... do you think you can do that?"

"I think that you tangle yourself up too much in considerations that shouldn't matter," Ryo said bluntly. "It's all one big mess for you—and when you try to address a small part of it, you stop yourself because it reveals something else. So—let me lead you into it—find something simple that you can answer."

He leaned forward.

"Shino. You lied to me on the ship, didn't you? Why do you like sunshowers?"

"... it can't just be for a romantic reason?" Shino quipped. At his stare, she sighed. "... mm. You're right."

"... I try to be," Ryo said. "I don't often get it right with you. But the look on your face when I saw you on the ship… that can't be faked. So—will you explain it to me?"

"Explain?" Shino repeated quietly. He was right—it was easier to focus on something so small, so trivial and carefully drive back to the start of it.

But the start of it all… required more context than she'd ever given anyone.

"It's a long story…" She hedged. "Aren't you tired?"

"... I don't think I've ever been capable of sleeping well while I still have questions on my mind."

Shino nodded, thinking about it. "I guess it would have to go back to the start. There's an easier way to explain that part." She reached over to one of the drawers—it was a little taller than her, so she had to stretch for it. Pulling it open, she retrieved a single photo frame from within it. She passed it to Ryo, who looked at it—before his eyes widened.

Despite the decade that it had remained untouched, the frame had preserved the photograph perfectly against dust and the humid air. In the picture were three people. One of them was a woman with long icy blue hair—the same shade as Sora's hair. Her eyes were the same piercing shade of emerald as Sora and Shino's. She had a rather calm expression—but Shino knew that calmness did not mean that she was content. The other was a rather distracted-looking man that had the same purple hair as Shino's own.

And of course, in the middle…

A young purple-haired girl, with an expression like stone.

"Is this you?" Ryo asked. His finger gently brushed past her figure in the image. "You look…"

"Sad?" Shino said. She shot him a wistful look. "Believe it or not, that was probably the happiest part of my childhood." She waved a hand. "That's… something precious to me. It was so precious to me that when I took Sora and ran… I considered coming back for it. But I didn't want to risk it being destroyed… so it's been here for years."

"... earlier, you made it sound like it was a coincidence that we ended up in this house," Ryo said. He raised an eyebrow again, in that strange way that made Shino's heart skip a beat. "What you're trying to tell me is that this is your house, isn't it? You took me here because you know this place best."

"My room!" Shino gestured to the barren walls. "You're lying on my bed now, by the way. Those sheets are dust and dirt-repellent though, so they should be fine! My parents weren't the type to like doing laundry."

"... your room, in the basement," Ryo repeated. "... no way to see the outside world." He glanced around them. "... these drawers, these cupboards. They're mostly too tall for a child to reach."

… why did he have to be so observant?

"Either your parents put you in a room that was originally intended for something else—maybe storage," Ryo said, "or you were put in a room where everything was intentionally kept out of your reach. Either way, Shino, you're right. Just knowing this place is your room… tells me a lot about you. And about…" He glanced back at the image. "Your parents."

Shino stayed silent.

"... you said that it's hard for you to talk about yourself," Ryo said. "Then, I…" He closed his eyes. "Would it be easier for you, if you had a break?"

"... yes," Shino said cautiously.

Ryo nodded. He shifted again—his movements were still stiff, and his voice was still hoarse. Still, he pushed through, only coughing once or twice. "Then I'll fill the space," he said. Then, he abruptly changed the topic. "It's not fair of me to ask about you without talking about myself, is it?"

Shino blinked—and then, she perked up, smiling at him. "Oh, is the Kaiser actually going to talk about himself?" She said—squashing her awkwardness and wariness with slight playfulness instead.

Ryo sat up properly, leaning on the wall. Shino eyed his side, but he didn't seem to be bleeding again. "I suppose so," he said. "If you don't mind hearing."

"Of course not." He was trying to share details about himself so that she wouldn't feel like this was a one-sided situation, right? He didn't want her to feel pressured.

… hah. But he was still pressuring her, even if he didn't realise it. Still, Shino leaned forward to listen to him.

"I lived a fairly normal life before I came to Academia," he said. "You already know, I suppose. I grew up in Domino City—I didn't really know anything about war or care about it. I just wanted to be the best duelist possible. I was studying dueling when I was a kid—just to make all of that possible. My brother wanted to follow in my footsteps, so we just played against each other everyday—we called it training, but we were really just having fun."

… that was a pretty cute image. "You mentioned you had two dogs, right?"

"Our family had two dogs," Ryo agreed. "We got them a year before I came to Academia."

Shino laughed. "Two nice parents, two brothers, two dogs? Stereotypical!"

"That's what I'm telling you. I lived a very average life."

"As if I would believe that." She leaned her head on her arm, smiling at him. "Average lives make average men. And nothing about you is average."

"... still, nothing about my life was really all that…" He waved a hand. "Interesting. You already know that I grew up on the same street as some of our classmates—I was closer to Fubuki than anyone, but I did have a few conversations with Edo."

"Not Eri?"

"... I did, but she was always very quiet, and she didn't like talking to the rest of us." Ryo shrugged. "So Fubuki and I hung out—and Edo, Asuka, Sho and Johan were very much their own group."

Shino nodded. "So, you just… always wanted to duel, and came to Academia?"

"Yes," Ryo said. "Then at Academia, I found that the deck I'd been given as a child—I called it the Cyber Style deck, but really, it was just a deck my father got for me—was strong enough, and I had practised enough that I was already one of the strongest students in the school."

"So you got a strong deck, dueled all your life, came to Academia and found that you were stronger than most people there?" Shino asked. "... how did you not get bored?"

Ryo blinked, and then he sighed. "I did," he said. "I was bored out of my mind. Fubuki tried to rouse me, but I just got tired of winning duel after duel—especially because I wasn't enjoying it. It felt like everyone was either too weak or too desperate. It was not the kind of duel I'd been expecting or wanting. For a while… I was just unable to care about any of it."

Shino frowned. "What changed?" She asked.

"... the Professor," Ryo said. "He called me in one day to talk to me—and then, he beat me in a duel." He sighed. "He told me that he'd seen a lot of arrogant duelists in his time—people who were given everything, who'd never struggled for a single moment in their lives, and later lost their minds after losing a single duel. 'If you spend your life without ever facing your own flaws, you crash under the weight of your own imperfection.' That's what he said to me—that's why I continually try to grow now. That's what I learned from him."

Shino narrowed her eyes.

… if you're talking about who I think you're talking about, Leo Akaba, she thought bitterly, then you're a hypocritical bastard.

"Regardless, that's all there is to me." Ryo looked over at her. "... so you're incorrect. I had an average upbringing—I was simply talented from the start. And the Professor taught me not to be afraid to accept my own failings."

"And yet you're so extraordinary." Shino glanced at him fondly. "... I guess there are exceptions to what I said earlier, then."

"I don't tend to think of myself as extraordinary." Ryo glanced away. "... I'm perfectly normal. I just never settled for being that way. If either of us is the extraordinary one, it's you."

Shino gave up on fighting the blush on her face. "You're tired," she murmured.

"I am." Ryo glanced at the photo frame again. "... that's all I have—we can return to you now. I have a feeling your story isn't as short as mine."

And well—

Maybe Shino had bottled all of that up for too long. She reached out, taking the photo from him—she traced her fingers across her father's face. Even so many years later, she could see his disinterest—the photo had been taken by her grandmother at one of the few family gatherings that Shino had been allowed to attend, if she remembered correctly. (And one of the fewer that her father had bothered to attend.)

"... that's my father, Nagi Harae." She couldn't help but speak with some bitterness in her tone. "I never saw him much. My mother chased him, and he married her, but he was never really interested in anything other than his experiments and studies. He had a lot of joy in him, I think… but that joy always went to his experiments. Never to us. My mother never liked talking about him either—by the time I was old enough to understand what was going on, the two of them had already grown apart. It was a house with three people, and all three of us never wanted to see each other."

"... they grew apart," Ryo noted, "but what about you? Children don't dislike their parents for no reason."

"... my mother was obsessed with making me what she thought I should be," Shino said. She glanced at the photo frame, at the woman with icy blue hair and the face that she hated so much. "I… understood that very early on in my childhood. And I wanted to make her happy, because… she might have been cruel to me, but at the very least, her expectations were better than my father's indifference. At least one of them paid attention to me, I thought. So she said jump, and I said how high, and I did anything to live up to her expectations, to be the perfect child for her. Because I thought… I thought she did it because she loved me."

"... you don't think she did?"

Shino clenched onto the photo frame more tightly. "My… father told me something when I was four," she said. She wanted to glue her lips shut, but in the end, the terrible words still left her mouth. "He said that my mother used to be a lovely, sweet and intelligent woman, who did everything to help other people. He said that… when she found out she was going to have me, she was so happy. She sang songs to me everyday, she took breaks from work, she did everything just to make sure that I would be born healthy. She would go through names with my grandmother, my uncle and aunt, to find something lucky for me. She wanted me to be a blessed child."

"Shino means 'to weave hope', right?"

"That's how I decided to write it, yeah." Shino glanced at him. "If… that was the name I was born with, it probably would have been auspicious in some way. But…" She laughed. "... Shino is my name now because Sora couldn't pronounce my actual name properly when we were kids! I just never corrected him, and eventually it stuck. A new name was for the best, anyway."

"... your name isn't Shino," Ryo said, a deadpan expression on his face.

"It is now! I like the name." Shino winked. "Still, my mother, Nami… Harae." She hesitated as she spoke, but she let the name slip from her lips. "She was a kind woman, once."

"She looked familiar to me," Ryo said, looking back at the photo. "Maybe it's because she has the same eyes as you? The hair is still different though…"

"... I've been told I look a lot like her," Shino said. The words stung her tongue. "But anyway… what my father finished that story with was…"

She took a deep breath.

"He told me that my mother was in great pain when she was giving birth to me," she said softly. "And that… something happened when I was born. My mother never recovered from it—it was like she became a completely different person. He said… I was the one who made my mother cruel. It was my birth that… drove my mother mad…"

… and, what a horrible thing that had been to learn.

"... no," Ryo said. When Shino didn't look back at him, he reached out, grasping onto her hand and tugging her forward—forcing her to look at his face. "... listen to me. None of that was your responsibility. You can't control how you're born."

"... I know it's not true," Shino said, "but I hear his voice telling me that constantly. 'You killed the Nami Harae that everyone loved'." She smiled bitterly. "... I want to believe that he was wrong. But because he said that… my heart can't fully blame him and my mother for how they treated me. If they had a fully happy life together, and it was ruined by my birth… I thought back then that I deserved anything they did to me, if only it would make them happy again. But it never did."

Ryo didn't let go of her hand. "Your past self was ridiculous," he said bluntly. "Your mother may have loved you, but love does not justify everything."

Doesn't it? Shino thought. Aren't I doing everything out of love, in the end?

"My mother never let me leave the house," Shino finally said. "I had to be training all the time. But one day, I couldn't take it anymore, so I snuck out of the house for a brief moment… and it started raining."

She laughed.

"It started raining, and I didn't know why. I knew that rain meant darkness and gloom, but the fact that it could rain while the sun was still shining? No one had ever taught me that." She waved a hand at the room. "I didn't have windows. So I stood there like an idiot in the street, as the sunshower drenched me. I couldn't tell what was going on—but I was happy."

She giggled.

"I did get sick after that! My mother never figured out what happened, because I got home in time—but sunshowers remind me of that day. The first day I decided to just say 'screw it' and go out by myself." She glanced at him. "The first time I actually felt like a child, and not a murderer or a perfect weapon."

She raised her other hand—and tentatively pressed his hands between hers.

"That's why I like sunshowers, Ryo."

There was silence between them. Neither of them moved for a moment. It was something dangerously fragile that was hanging in the air between them now—something that had always been there, but had surfaced with this fragile, trusting honesty that she'd shown him. A vulnerability that she had never shown anyone else.

"... I was sent here with the mission to card you too if you turned out to be a threat," Ryo said after a moment, his voice quiet.

"I know," Shino said, just as quiet. "And I was sent here with the knowledge that if I ever decided that… this wasn't worth it, I would have to card you to escape."

"… and you still saved me?"

"I could never have lived with myself if you died in my arms. Even if someday I fall by your hands, I won't regret it."

Ryo nodded slowly. "Okay," he said. "... okay." Then, he slipped one of his hands out of her grip, pressed it to her cheek and pulled her in, gently pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Their hands were pressed awkwardly between them—Shino didn't bother to push him away. (She didn't want to, anyway.)

When he drew back, Shino looked at him. "... you shouldn't be letting down your guard like that around me," she said.

Ryo let out a quiet sigh. "... you have a tendency for ruining the moment."

"You know me." Shino squeezed his hand. "You know me. I'm not…"

"This entire time, you've been very open about telling me that you have feelings for me," Ryo said. "You pretended it was a joke. But you've been serious the whole time, haven't you?"

Shino met his gaze. "... I never said it was a joke."

"But you knew I would take it as one." It was no longer clear who was clinging onto the other's hand—their grips were both tight. "Shino. I've spent the better part of two years trying to see past that frivolous facade of yours."

"You don't like her?" Shino said with a weak laugh. "It's not all a lie, you know. I'm happy. I like laughing."

"If she was all there was, then there would be no reason why you would be this important to me." He pressed his forehead against hers—he was warm. "... I do not like admitting this. But after this? There is nothing that I cannot admit to you. I've been agonising over the fact that I cannot trust you and you cannot trust me for… a long time. Because without trust, nothing can exist between us."

Shino glanced away.

"But you trusted me," he said. "You protected me. You took care of me." He brushed his fingers on her cheek again—soft, feathery touches. "You let me know you."

When he met her gaze again—his eyes were an ocean, something that felt like it might consume her, if she wasn't careful.

(Who was she kidding? She'd been consumed by him a long time ago.)

"I love you," Ryo Marufuji said. "I will say it now—as clearly as I can. So, you can finally stop confessing your feelings."

Shino jolted up—she'd said it as a joke so many times, but he'd never said it—not even as a joke. He was too serious for that.

If he was saying it now…

"So, if it's possible," he said, "I want to take the chance. I don't want to hesitate—not when I know what I want."

"... you adore strength and perfection," Shino said. "I'll never be that."

"... that's funny then," he said. "Because you already are."

Shino sighed. "... I do love you," she said quietly—a confirmation. When she kissed him this time, and sank into him on the mattress, she no longer hesitated.

---

When morning came, they did not talk about it. They navigated it with all the awkwardness of two people who had never really been in a romantic relationship before, and did not know how to deal with any of this. Shino practically sprung out of bed, flailing her way to the wheelchair in a very undignified manner and immediately waking Ryo up. He glanced at her blearily.

"I—I have to check on the wound," she said. "Can you…"

Wordlessly, Ryo pulled up his shirt, letting her check on the bandage. Shino observed it, using it to take her mind off everything. Once she was sure that there was no infection, she leaned back and breathed out in relief.

"We still have some rations," Ryo said. "Should we…"

"We have canned food in here," Shino said. "Maybe we can actually—"

"It's been ten years," Ryo said, slightly deadpan.

"... right."

Still, it was nice to actually have a stove to cook the food with—hot food was nice. They both sat together on the floor, eating together and pointedly not addressing the night before.

"So," Ryo said, "I assume that our plan is to chase after Daitokuji's men."

"I would like you to rest for a day longer," Shino said. "Just to make sure you're healing alright… your ribs are still barely healed from Synchro, right?"

"I'm fine—"

"I'm the one who treated the wound, and I say that you're not fine," Shino said.

"... and this isn't just so that the students in the rebellion have time to escape?" Ryo said, glancing at her.

Shino looked back. "Not just for that, no," she said evenly. "I'm sure that anyone who's going to escape already left last night, once we were spotted. Some of them will have stayed though—the stubborn ones. And those won't just leave the next day. I'm…"

She hesitated.

"I'm genuinely worried for you, Ryo," she admitted. It was a weird feeling to be so open about this to someone that she wasn't really 'taking care of' in the same way that she took care of Sora. "Otherwise, I'd insist that we just get this done with and go home."

Ryo turned back to the food. "... alright," he said. "But no longer than one day."

"No longer than one day," Shino agreed. "Promise. Like I said—I'll do my best on this mission too." She turned to him. "... I have something for you now though. Here." She took out a card from her Extra Deck, holding it out towards him.

Ryo picked it up—he blinked. "... you can't summon this," he said. "What was it doing in your Extra Deck?"

"... it's just a friend of my monsters," Shino said. She patted his shoulder. "It's for you. What else?"

---

So they waited a day—and then they set forth again. Their radios did not work this far south—they'd have to trek all the way back up to call the Admiral and get him to pick them up again. Still…

They wouldn't be going until they succeeded.

There was tension as they moved through the town. Now that Shino had revealed her connection to this place, she didn't hold back anything anymore—instead of subtly guiding him to where the base most likely was, they just moved straight towards it.

Ryo surveyed the building that they'd ended up at. "This is…"

"We called it the community centre of the town," Shino said. "It's… a church? Kind of. They had places for people to stay though, back before the war started, and a lot of facilities. If any building here could support a large group, it would be here."

"A rebellion in a church." Ryo glanced up at the building. "It's relatively well-preserved."

"It's in the shadow of that cliff there!" Shino gestured upwards. "So there was a bit of a landslide, but the building itself didn't suffer much damage, other than the entrance." She moved forward, but Ryo stopped her before she did. "Hmm?"

"Are you sure you're ready?" He asked.

"You're the one that didn't want to slow down," Shino said. She smiled at him. "I'm fine. Really."

… the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"... alright," Ryo said. "Let's go in then."

---

"... they're here, Daitokuji-sensei."

"... alright then." The dark-haired man breathed out slowly. He brushed his arms against the sides of his wheelchair. "... it's time."

"... don't look so guilty, sir." The one who was speaking was a dark-haired boy in a yellow shirt. "... everyone here chose to stay, even when you told us to run. We did so because… you wanted to stay, but we couldn't let you just stay alone." He held onto the man's hand tightly for a moment, before letting go. "No one deserves to face a fate like this alone, sir…"

"... of course, I do not intend to stay here and simply lose." Daitokuji closed his eyes. "Still, in life, we must find our answers before it's too late… I only regret that in inspiring you all, I have inadvertently caused you all to lay down your lives for me."

"... don't regret that," the boy said. "Our choices are our own. After my father…" He trailed off. "I was lost. You gave me the will to keep on living, sir. That's why I fight for you. I can only hope that others will keep fighting too."

"... thank you, Martin. I know your father would be very proud of you."

Martin Kanou turned away, stepping towards the entrance. "She's not alone," he said. "I'll keep her partner busy. You, in turn… be careful, Daitokuji-sensei."

"... yes." Daitokuji coughed as he spoke. "... I will be."

---

The two of them dueled their way through all the opponents in front of them. (Some of them were familiar, and the boy with the koalas spat out insults at them until Ryo carded him.)

It was Ryo who pointed out the obvious thing first. "This place is very empty," he said. "It looks like some of them have escaped."

"The majority are still here," Shino said. She picked up the cards scattered on the ground one by one, her fingers gentle with them as she slipped them into the side of her duel disk. "... I wonder what kind of leader Daitokuji is, that all these people are willing to die for him."

"He's a kind one."

Both of them turned to look at the new voice—it was a dark-haired boy, staring at them. His eyes were odd—big and dark, with heavy eyebags.

"He wants to see you," the boy said, jerking a thumb at Shino. "Just you."

Ryo bristled, but Shino put a hand on his shoulder. The wheelchair's wheels rolled as she moved forward. "Just me?" She repeated.

"... you're the reason he stayed instead of fleeing," the boy said. "... I hope you're worth all the lives that were lost here today."

Shino visibly flinched. She moved past the boy—leaving just Ryo and the boy standing in the room.

"Those lives were lost because they chose to stay and fight," Ryo said. "To blame her is to mock their sacrifice."

The boy smiled cuttingly. "That so?" He said—he sounded tired. "You're Ryo Marufuji, right?"

"... and you?"

"Martin Kanou. It's not nice to meet you in the slightest." The boy raised his duel disk. "... let's duel."

---

When Shino entered the room at the back of the church, she blinked at the sight of Daitokuji—the two of them, both in wheelchairs, staring at each other.

"... your student said you wanted to see me?" She asked.

Daitokuji coughed, smiling at her—an oddly sincere smile, aimed at someone who'd just carded his students. "Yes," he said. "... looking at those eyes, I do think you're who I think you are… yet this is the first time we've met."

Shino watched him, slightly wary.

"I knew your mother," Daitokuji said, his eyes gentle. "... and you look just like she did in her youth, Shio Harae."

Shino visibly flinched. "... I don't go by that name anymore," she said quietly. "You should know that if your information is so good, Daitokuji-sensei."

"Oh? Calling me 'sensei', even though you were sent here to kill me?"

"... you're still a man I respect," Shino said. "You were one of the best teachers at Academia before you all defected because of the Professor… you stuck to your morals and welcomed students here, to take care of them. I don't have any actual quarrel with you."

"... I understand." Daitokuji raised his duel disk, resting it on the side of his wheelchair. "... I suppose you can see it, can't you? I have very little time left, I'm afraid…"

"... is there no cure for what happened to you?" Shino asked.

"... I was predicted to only live a year longer, three years ago," Daitokuji said, sounding amused. "Whatever's happening to me is beyond science, I'm afraid."

"Beyond science?" Shino repeated. "So…"

"I suppose you would understand." Daitokuji glanced at his duel disk. "... I'll explain it to you later, I suppose. Still, my illness has progressed greatly in the last few days. Whether I win or lose against you, this is likely my last duel. Will you do me a favour, Harae-san?"

… well. At least he wasn't using the full name. "... you can ask," Shino said.

"... I just want to have a conversation with you," Daitokuji said. "I have been wondering about you for a long time, Albion."

"... alright," Shino said. "But…" She hesitated.

… this was a dead man walking, right?

"You can't ever tell anyone," she said. "Alright?"

"... it's a deal then. I will take your secrets to my grave." Daitokuji finally raised the duel disk. "Shall we?"

Shino raised hers in return, before—

A ghost of a voice crept past her ear. "Be careful."

Shino tilted her head slightly. "... Aluber?" She murmured. "What's wrong?"

"... there is something sinister in that deck. It's of the same energy that afflicts him." The jester adjusted his mask as he floated next to her, his translucent figure gazing at Daitokuji. "... how hilarious. He sees me."

True enough, Daitokuji was looking at Aluber. "Your Duel Spirit?" He asked. "… how interesting."

"... I'll be careful," Shino promised.

"You'd better. I want to be entertained." Aluber vanished.

Shino turned back to Daitokuji.

"Back when you were Albion, the deck you used was the Dogmatikas, was it not?" Daitokuji said thoughtfully. "... I suppose people change."

"... they do," Shino said. To alleviate the tension in the air, she raised her hand. "I'm Academia's Empress of Dragons now—and I'm sorry, but I can't go back without taking your head."

[DUEL!]

Shino Gitsune: 4000LP

Kofun Daitokuji: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Daitokuji] [H:5]

"Oh? I suppose I'll begin." Daitokuji reached for one of the cards in his hand, before coughing. "... I'll activate the Continuous Spell, Opening of the Spirit Gates. I will add one of three specific monsters, or a monster that mentions at least one of them, from my deck to my hand."

He picked up the card.

"Then, the Spell Card, One for One. I will send a monster from my hand to the graveyard to Special Summon a Level 1 monster from my deck. Come—Chaos Summoning Beast!" A dark monster appeared, the bottom half of its body snake-like in shape. Two dark wings with pink membranes covering the underside of them whipped out around it.

[Chaos Summoning Beast (1*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Then, with Opening of the Spirit Gates's effect, I will discard a card to Special Summon a Fiend monster with no attack or defense points from the graveyard. Come—Phantasmal Summoning Beast!" A far more… chimeric demon appeared on the field, its body dark and skeletal, while its wings were bright purple. It was standing on two long, spindly legs.

[Phantasmal Summoning Beast (7*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Chaos Summoning Beast's effect. I will tribute it to Special Summon one of three monsters from my hand. Come—he with the voice that thunders like god, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"

And then—

A flash of lightning shot across the field, before an enormous yellow demon emerged from within a portal. Its body was enormous, brilliant and yet skeletal—it let out a loud, rumbling sound from its throat. Its large wings, each as large as its body (and about four times Daitokuji's current height in size) snapped through the air—there was a sharp shockwave that nearly knocked Shino's wheelchair over, if not for her swiftly reacting and pushing her weight forward to keep it standing.

… this presence…

[Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (10*/4000/4000/LIGHT/Thunder/Effect)]

"What's that monster?" Shino said, her eyes widening. "That's…"

"You feel it?" Daitokuji said. "... I suppose this is a good way to start. You know that Duel Monsters have their own power. Hamon and his brothers… are extremely powerful spiritually. Some say that the god of Duel Monsters made them specifically as a counterweight to some other powerful monsters in their world." He glanced at the monster. "... in an expedition to the Wedju Desert many years ago, I found their cards, and they cursed me when I took them."

"And yet you use the cards that cursed you?"

"... don't worry. They are incapable of cursing another, as long as they are with me." Daitokuji shot her a smile that was likely supposed to be comforting. "Still, my studies on Duel Spirits allowed me to communicate with them. That much has lengthened my time in this world—you could say that I've cheated the reaper."

Shino glanced at the monster.

"There are some monsters in this world stronger than anything you can imagine, Harae-san," Daitokuji said.

Oh, I think I can very much imagine them…

"Regardless, I will continue my turn now. I will banish my Chaos Summoning Beast from the graveyard to add the Field Spell, Fallen Paradise from my deck to my hand—and activate it. While I control one of my Sacred Beasts—those three specific monsters I keep talking about—once per turn, I can draw two cards. And then, with Spirit Gates' third effect, since I now control a Level 10 monster, I can add a Continuous Spell from my graveyard to my hand. I will add and activate Cerulean Skyfire!" Bright blue flames surrounded the field, swirling all around both of them, though the majority gathered around Hamon.

"... that seems a bit clashing for your theme," Shino commented.

"... it's good to know that you still have a sense of humour," Daitokuji said. He seemed like he was going to laugh, but then he coughed again. "I will tribute the Phantasmal Summoning Beast on my field to use its effect. Come from my deck, Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!" He held onto the card, swinging it through the air. "Then, after adding Raviel to my hand, I can Special Summon it!"

On the field, another monster with a heavy presence emerged—large, well-built and blue-grey, its body writhing as its wings moved stiffly around it. It let out a loud growl that pierced the air—and it glared down at Shino, clear malevolence oozing from its body.

[Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (10*/4000/4000/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"I will then set a card and end my turn."

… two Level 10 monsters with 4000 attack points… but did they have any protection? They probably did… otherwise someone like Daitokuji wouldn't bother using it…

She'd have to test it out.

[Turn 2: Shino] [H:6]

"Draw!" Shino glanced at the new card.

… you said you wanted me to amuse you, but I suppose you're not content to leave me alone either, huh?

She slipped the card into her hand, before revealing another. "Spell Card, Branded Fusion! I'll Fusion Summon using two monsters from my deck!"

"... Cerulean Skyfire's effect," Daitokuji declared. The Spell glowed. "By changing my Hamon to Defense Position, I can negate an activated Spell or Trap effect!" Branded Fusion shattered.

Still, that was a once per turn effect, right? So now… any Spells or Traps she activated should be fine. Still, monster effects…

"I'll Normal Summon Aluber the Jester of Despia!" The red-themed jester appeared on the field.

[Aluber the Jester of Despia (4*/1800/0/DARK/Fairy/Effect)]

"… you know things cannot be that simple, and so you're testing out what works and what does not," Daitokuji said. "… I hope giving up your Normal Summon for that was worth it. Continuous Trap, Awakening of the Sacred Beasts!" A pale glow surrounded them—the church almost looked illuminated. "For each Sacred Beast I control, it gains an effect. Since I control at least one, each time you Normal or Special Summon a monster, I'll gain life points equal to the attack points of the monster you summoned."

Daitokuji: 4000 + 1800 = 5800LP

"Furthermore, since you Normal Summoned a monster, Raviel summons a Phantasm Token to my field." A small being made of shadows appeared, floating to the right of Raviel in Defense Position.

[Phantasm Token (1*/1000/1000/DARK/Fiend)]

A Token, huh… "Aluber's effect! I can add a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand!"

"... if I control two Sacred Beasts, Awakening of the Sacred Beasts's second effect is active." Daitokuji stared at her. "... the activated effects of all monsters you control are negated."

… hmm.

… that was… a bit of a problem. In a situation like this, she would usually just bring out Masquerade and Brigrand, but if he actively gained life points from every move she made, and her own moves were impeded this heavily…

Shino glanced at the Field Spell on Daitokuji's field.

… drawing two cards, huh?

… was there something more? After all, this malicious presence…

There had to be some kind of protection for those monsters. However, Shino's main way of getting rid of them was likely monster effects.

And there were three Sacred Beasts, right? What would happen the moment that the third one took the field?

… I guess that gives me the answer.

I just have to live until then.

"Setting two cards," she said. "Over to you."

"... I doubt that's all you can do," Daitokuji said. "So… you're stalling…" He reached for the top card of his deck. "Very well. In that case, Albion, I hope you do not crumble before you can make a single move."

---

[DUEL!]

Ryo Marufuji: 4000LP

Martin Kanou: 4000LP

[Turn 1: Ryo] [H:5]

He'd take this turn a bit slower, then.

Ryo glanced through his hand.

… that last duel should never have come down to Shino's Quaeritis. He'd planned for it, but even so, he should have been able to finish it without her. He had to keep that in mind.

"I'll Normal Summon Cyber Valley," he said. The slender silver monster appeared on the field, curling up in the middle of the field.

[Cyber Valley (1*/0/0/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)]

"Activating the Spell Card, Machine Duplication. I will Special Summon two copies of Cyber Valley from my deck. And with the effect of one of the Cyber Valleys, I will banish it and a second one to draw two cards." The two clones appeared and vanished immediately. Ryo refilled his hand. "I will activate the effect of Cyber Pharos in my hand. I'll tribute my last Cyber Valley and Special Summon it from my hand." A bright beacon-like monster appeared on the field, white lasers shooting out all around it.

[Cyber Pharos (1*/0/2100/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)]

"Cyber Pharos's effect. I can immediately perform a Fusion Summon using it and other materials in my hand or on my field. I will fuse it with Cyber Dragon Herz in my hand." The two monsters dropped into the graveyard.

The truth was simple—most of Ryo's arsenal was made for attacking, and he had very few monsters that he could really summon for the sake of leaving them on the field. His Cyber Asterism Dragon was made for a end-of-game finishing blow, with its summoning conditions.

… whether Shino knew it or not… there was no need to complete that sentence. She most certainly knew that she had patched up a small hole in Ryo's dueling.

Why else would she have given it to him?

"Golden bright dragon of living weaponry," Ryo declared. "Raise your razor sharp wings and cut through to the dawn of the future! Fusion Summon!" He pressed the new card to his duel disk.

Behind him, a tall golden dragon emerged, two heads looking in opposite directions as it let out a loud roar—two roars of different pitches, overlaid on each other. Its wings were flat glowing metal plates, swinging outwards in kite-like shapes. There was an orange gem in the middle of its chest. The bottom half of its body was long, golden and serpentine in shape.

"Heosvarog the Mechanical Dawn!" Ryo declared, announcing the name of the new card in his deck.

Very well, Shino. I'll use the card you gave me.

Let's see how it fares.

[Heosvarog the Mechanical Dawn (7*/0/2800/LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Heosvarog's effect. When it is Fusion Summoned, during the next Standby Phase, I can add a card that can perform a Fusion Summon from my graveyard to my hand. And then, Cyber Dragon Herz's effect. I will add Cyber Dragon from my deck to my hand." He picked up the card, before slipping it between two other cards and taking out another one. "I will activate the Continuous Spell, Cyberdark Realm."

"Cyber Dragons and Cyberdarks…" Martin muttered.

"Cyberdark Realm's effect. I will add Cyberdark Cannon from my deck to my hand—and then, I will discard Cannon to add Cyberdark Chimera to my hand." Ryo cycled out the cards swiftly. "Cyberdark Realm gives me an additional Normal Summon each turn, as long as it is a "Cyberdark" monster. Come! Chimera!" The monster of sharp dark mechanical parts appeared on the field, letting out a sound that was a mix of grinding gears and hisses.

[Cyberdark Chimera (4*/800/2100/DARK/Machine/Effect)]

"Cyberdark Chimera's effect. I will discard a Spell or Trap to add Power Bond from my deck to my hand!" He revealed the card. "Spell Card, Power Bond. Chimera allows me to banish monsters from my graveyard as Fusion Material as well! So I'll use Chimera on the field as Fusion Material and Cannon in the graveyard! Silver war machine, crush my opponents underfoot! Fusion Summon! Panzer Dragon!" The white and gold dragon-like tank appeared on the field—Shino had mentioned that she'd seen this exact same monster in Standard, which made sense—this card wasn't unique to Ryo, he'd just picked it up because his deck could fulfil its requirements.

[Panzer Dragon (5*/1000/2600/LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Power Bond doubles its attack points." Not that it mattered—the monster was in Defense Position.

[Panzer Dragon: 1000 x 2 = 2000ATK]

"Cyberdark Chimera's effect. I will send another "Cyberdark" monster from my deck to the graveyard with a different names from the cards already in the graveyard—since I just removed Cannon, I can send another one." Ryo placed down another card. "I will end my turn. With Power Bond's effect, I will take 1000 damage."

Ryo: 4000 - 1000 = 3000LP

"... then, my turn," Martin said. He reached for the top card of his deck, before pausing. "Kaiser Ryo Marufuji. Why do you fight?" His voice was composed—maybe too composed.

"Fight?"

"For Academia." Martin's gaze was cold. "Why do you fight for Academia? It's not like you're desperate for a better world, not like the ones that come from here and the rest of the Outer Islands."

"... I simply believe that if a better future can exist, it should be everyone's responsibility to aim for it."

"... and so, the ends justify the means to you?"

Ryo raised his head. "... do not mistake me for someone unfeeling," he said. "I am fully aware that Academia can be cruel and merciless, and that some of our members are… unkind. But I have promised my loyalty, and we have not been proven wrong about the ends yet."

[Turn 2: Martin] [H:6]

"... how ridiculous." Martin stared at him. "... pathetic. You barely think for yourself. Has it never crossed your mind that you're unjust?" He picked up the top card of his deck. "The pain others suffer, the anger they feel—all of it is worth more than that beautiful future. I'll show it to you—the pain of those who suffer!"

Ryo picked up a card from the graveyard with Heosvarog's effect. "... if you want to," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Though I doubt anything you can show me will change my mind."

"... I'll activate the Spell Card, Akashic Record! I'll draw two cards, but if either of them have been played during the duel, I must banish them!" He picked up the two cards, revealing them—obviously, since he'd played nothing so far, neither of the cards were known ones, so he could keep them. "Spell Card, One for One! I'll discard a card from my hand and Special Summon a Level 1 monster from my deck. Come! Sacrifice Demon Lotus!" A fairy with a head in the shape of a pink lotus appeared, its body dark green and thin like the associated flower stem. It had a hand made of dark bark.

[Sacrifice Demon Lotus (1*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Sacrifice Demon Lotus's effect! I'll tribute it! Come from my deck!" Martin raised a card—his expression was serious. "Come! Spirit of Yubel!"

A demonic monster appeared on the field—half their hair was purple, while the other half was white. They were undeniably androgynous—they let out a soft sigh, their voice deep. A golden circle could be seen in the centre of their forehead. Thick wings spread out behind them as they rose up in the air.

[Spirit of Yubel (10*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Spirit of Yubel's effect. I can add a Spell or Trap that lists "Yubel" from my deck to my hand. And now, I will activate the Continuous Spell, Nightmare Pain! With its effect—"

"I will respond to that activation," Ryo cut him off. "... something tells me I shouldn't allow you to use it. I will activate Heosvarog's effect. By banishing two LIGHT Machine monsters from my graveyard, like Cyber Valley and Cyber Pharos, I will negate the activation of that card." The new card fizzled out—and since it hadn't resolved, it vanished from the field.

Ryo leaned back, breathing out softly.

… it does patch up a hole in my strategy.

For that and… I suppose, much more, I do thank you, Shino.

"... whatever," Martin muttered. "I'll activate the effect of Gruesome Grave Squirmer in my hand! I'll Special Summon it since I control a Fiend monster." A mummified, zombie-like dark fiend appeared on the field next to Yubel.

[Gruesome Grave Squirmer (1*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"I can then destroy a "Yubel" monster on my field! I'll destroy Spirit of Yubel!"

Destroying… his own monster?

The card blew up.

"Then, Spirit of Yubel's effect! When it's destroyed, I can Special Summon specifically Yubel from my hand, deck, graveyard or banished cards!"

Such a strong Special Summoning effect… in that case, the monster it was going to bring out was likely incredibly important to Martin's strategy.

On the field, the same monster seemed to reappear—though she seemed more stoic, and there were less shadows around her.

[Yubel (10*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"I'll set a card and end my turn!"

… huh? He'd summoned a monster like that in Attack Position… and it hadn't attacked? That was why Ryo had summoned Panzer Dragon, after all…

"During the End Phase, since I control Yubel, Samsara D Lotus comes back to the field!" The flower-like creature reappeared on the field. "Then, Yubel has a maintenance cost. I will tribute Gruesome Grave Squirmer so that it can remain on the field."

[Turn 3: Ryo] [H:4]

Ryo picked up the top card of his deck. He paused for a few brief seconds—yet, within those few seconds, he considered everything that had just happened.

He had no clue what kind of monster this 'Yubel' was. However, there were a few obvious facts about it that made it clear that it was more than it seemed. Firstly, it was a Level 10 monster which did not have its own Special Summoning condition and needed other cards to bring it out. Secondly, it had no stats at all, meaning that it was intentionally underpowered—not even just low in stats, as less powerful cards might be. Thirdly, it had a maintenance cost, and there was a card that supported it—Lotus—which seemed intentionally geared towards helping it stay on the field—there would be no reason for that, if it was easy to remove.

What did that leave him with?

… that Spirit of Yubel wanted to be destroyed, correct? To the point where Martin had destroyed it himself.

Still, that left Ryo with two options.

One—this was a monster that wanted to be destroyed. It would probably revive itself over and over again, and have some kind of effect that activated when it was destroyed. Considering that Ryo's deck was a known entity, Martin wouldn't summon it in Attack Position that easily—so it probably reduced the damage taken in battle, or possibly even increased his life points.

Second—this monster could not be destroyed. And probably stopped battle damage too—and gained something from staying on the field.

So it was one extreme or the other. Or something in between. Either way…

There was one quick way to avoid any problems involving that.

"Cyberdark Realm's effect. I'll immediately perform a Normal Summon of Cyberdark Edge." The dark bird-like creature emerged on the field with a shrill cry.

[Cyberdark Edge (4*/800/800/DARK/Machine/Effect)]

"Edge's effect. I will equip Cannon from the graveyard to it." He glanced at the field cautiously. If Martin wouldn't take the fight to him, then Ryo would have to take the initiative. Still, he could at least do it cautiously. "Spell Card, Power Bond." He revealed the card that Heosvarog had added back to his hand. "I will fuse Cyber Dragon in my hand with Cyberdark Edge on the field!" It left him with exactly one card in his hand. The two dragons faded into the vortex behind him. "Majesty that destroys and devastates—come now and quell the storm of rebellion. Fusion Summon. Level 7—Cyber Dragon Zerstor!"

On the field, another mechanical dragon appeared—its body was long and serpentine, fitting with the appearances of most of the Cyber Dragon monsters. However, the colour of the metal that formed its body was different—instead of stark, noble white, it was a dark-tinted silver. Its eyes were bright, spinning red spotlights. It was a corrupted Cyber Dragon—from what Ryo had heard about its conceptualisation, the monster was supposedly a glitching Cyber Dragon model, nearing the end of its machine lifespan.

[Cyber Dragon Zerstor (7*/2800/2100/LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Power Bond's effect. Zerstor's attack points double."

[Cyber Dragon Zerstor: 2800 x 2 = 5600ATK]

"Then, Cyberdark Cannon's effect activates. Since it was sent to the graveyard while equipped to another monster, I can draw one card." He swiped up another card from his deck. "Zerstor's effect. Its power is that of destruction."

He took out a card from his deck, flipping it around.

"In gameplay terms, by sending a "Cyber Dragon" or "Cyberdark" monster from my deck to the graveyard, like my Cyber Dragon Core, I can destroy a monster on the field with less attack points than Zerstor himself. This effect does not target."

"... go ahead," Martin said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yubel," Ryo said without hesitation, pointing forward.

The fiend monster… smiled? And then they shattered to pieces.

"That suits me just fine," Martin spat out. "When Yubel is destroyed by a card effect, I can bring out her evolution!"

Evolution, huh…

Martin flipped a card between his fingers as he held it out—surprisingly stylistic for someone with such a calm expression. "Come! Yubel - Das Abscheulich Ritter!"

In front of him, an enormous monster appeared. In some ways, it resembled Heosvarog—it was a tall two-headed dragon, after all. However, that was where the similarities ended—this monster, somehow still 'Yubel', was dark purple and black, it had two clawed feet that allowed it to stand, raising its height above both of Ryo's monsters. It let out a low groan. In the middle of its chest, muscle bubbled and writhed, before it parted—revealing a single, bright orange eye. The eye itself was rotated so that it blinked sideways—each blink sent eerie ripples across the monster's body.

[Yubel - Das Abscheulich Ritter (11*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

"Das Abscheulich Ritter," Ryo repeated. It was a familiar language, for all that the grammar of it was wildly incorrect—one of the countries to the north of the archipelago used it, if Ryo remembered correctly. It was the same language that had been used to give him the title of 'Kaiser', initially. "The Detestable Knight."

"... I suppose you would know that, Emperor," Martin said, making a derisive sound. "Do you know where that title of yours comes from?"

"... what are you insinuating?"

"Kaiser. Caesar." Martin spat out the name. A sharp, bloodthirsty smile emerged on his face. "We all know what happened to him, don't we?"

"… I'm hardly the same as that man."

"I bet all your victims prayed that you'd die like him."

"… I don't have victims, because I don't fight those unwilling to fight." Ryo narrowed his eyes. "… I fight only those that can be held responsible for their own choices. They fought, and lost their lives for it—how can they be called victims without devaluing their conviction?"

"… you don't get it." Martin glared at him. "Of course you don't. Men like you who have everything—" His voice cracked on the word as he took a step forward. "Can never understand anything!" He bared his teeth at Ryo, defiant. "People who don't suffer don't deserve to get what they want!"

… what kind of messed-up sentiment was that?

Regardless…

"Heosvarog attacks your Yubel, then," Ryo said.

An ugly, cold look spread across Martin's face. "You fell for it! When Yubel - Das Abscheulich Ritter battles, I take no battle damage—and you take damage equal to your monster's attack points! They can't be destroyed by battle either! Be buried by your own monster—and your Power Bond will finish you off!"

Yubel raised one of their monstrous arms, waving it through the air—

But Ryo stood there, unaffected. Heosvarog was unmoved as well—its lasers did not destroy Yubel, but they did not ricochet back for Ryo either.

"... trial and error," Ryo said simply. "I thought there would be some kind of battle damage reflection involved—otherwise, I would have attacked with Zerstor instead. Turns out it was simpler than I thought—your monster inflicts effect damage instead of battle damage. Zerstor's effect—it is continuous while it is face-up on the field. I take no effect damage."

He'd summoned it to protect himself from his Power Bond—but it had been a better move than he'd expected.

"How are you expecting my moves?" Martin muttered. "I don't understand…"

"... I simply know to duel to gain information." Ryo glanced at the field. "You clearly know my deck, because I have a reputation. In a situation like this where I have less information than you do—every move should give me new information about you."

And I've almost nailed down your entire strategy.

"It's the basic strategy for any good duelist," he concluded.

Martin spat at him. "Well, I'm not a good duelist, am I?"

… hmm? Ryo didn't ask any questions, but his mind was racing.

"I'll end my Battle Phase. Setting a card and passing."

"... in that case, saving my Sacrifice Demon Lotus was useless," Martin muttered. He glared at Ryo. "... don't think that'll stop me!"

[Turn 4: Martin] [H:4]

"Draw!" He glanced at his hand. "I'll activate the Field Spell, Nightmare Throne! With its effect, I will add another Yubel from my deck to my hand!" He slipped the card into his hand.

"You say you're not strong," Ryo said, though his tone made it clear that he was unmoved by the talk. "... yet, Daitokuji surely wouldn't have put someone weak in charge of facing me, would he?"

"... you don't even know me," Martin said. "You have all of this logic that was taught to you by your fancy duel school. By the same school that I would have gone to, if it hadn't—"

He cut himself off, but he'd said enough—Ryo's organised mind had found the connection, now that he knew there was one to find.

Martin Kanou, he'd called himself. Kanou, of course, referring to—

"Nareo Kanou," Ryo said aloud. "Nicknamed Napoleon."

"You—" Martin spat out. "Don't even speak his name—"

"... also known as one of the ex-teachers at Academia," Ryo said. "... a man that fled to whichever side of the war seemed safer at any time, betraying them to each other over and over again until—"

"My father wasn't a coward!" Martin shouted back. "He just wanted to live—what's so wrong with that?"

Ryo watched him.

"... he just wanted to live, and they executed him for it," Martin spat out. "I don't care what they say, they didn't have the right!"

"... I'm not particularly inclined to argue with you about that," Ryo said. "Nor am I here to argue about ideals at all. I'm here to complete my mission."

"And I'm not letting you complete it without any guilt," Martin said. "Who cares if I'm not good at dueling? If I can't play as logically as you? I only duel for one reason, Kaiser, and it's to make all of you bastards in Domino City suffer!" He turned back to his field—he still only had his Yubel, Lotus and his Field Spell there, but there was a deadly aura to it all. "You might think I need to attack, but I have no interest in that! I'll set a card and end my turn as well! And during the End Phase, Yubel wipes out every other monster on the field!" A dark aura wrapped around every monster on the field—before all three of Ryo's monsters shattered, metal flying out all around them.

"... you won't be escaping unscathed," Ryo said, still sharp despite simultaneously thinking through the situation. "First, Zerstor's effect. I will add two "Cyber Dragon" monsters with different names from my graveyard to my hand. I'll add Cyber Dragon Herz and Cyber Dragon Core back to my hand. When Panzer Dragon is destroyed, I can destroy a card you control! I'll destroy your—" He glanced across the field. "... Yubel." A missile dropped from the air, striking the draconian creature.

"... hah. But she never falls." Martin clenched a fist. "Firstly, Yubel's effect! I can Special Summon her next evolution from my deck!"

Another one… this one would be Level 12 then.

"Come! Yubel - Das Extremer Traurig Drachen!" A large, two-headed black dragon appeared, its scales a mix of that dark colour and its underbelly purple. The middle of its torso was in the shape of a face—beige in colour, with different-coloured eyes that were the same as the original Yubel's eyes. It was distorted and extremely disturbing. Its 'actual' head was neither of the dragon heads or the face on its chest—rather, it was a small, demonic dark head in the middle of the long dragon necks.

[Yubel - Das Extremer Traurig Drachen (12*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

Still horrible grammar… but, 'The Extremely Sorrowful Dragon', huh?

"Furthermore, Nightmare Throne's effect activates. When a "Yubel" monster leaves the field by a card effect, I can add a "Yubel" monster that is a Level higher from my deck, graveyard or banished cards to my hand—and then Special Summon it, ignoring all summoning conditions. I will take back my Spirit of Yubel and Special Summon her!" The original monster reappeared on the field. "I'll add another Spell or Trap that lists "Yubel" in its card text to my hand. Finally, I'll use the Spell Card, Monster Reborn. Lotus comes back to the field," Martin concluded, the flower that had been destroyed by the Level 11 form of Yubel blooming again. "Your turn."

[Turn 5: Ryo] [H:4]

"Draw," Ryo said. Level 12… he doubted that this monster could float into another one at this point. It likely still kept the damage reflection effect and battle immunity. "I'll Normal Summon Cyber Dragon Core." The small serpent-like monster appeared on the field.

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

"Core's effect. I will add a "Cyber" Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand—"

Martin shook his head. "Sacrifice Demon Lotus's effect! When you activate a monster effect, I can tribute it!" The flower vanished from the field. "Then, your effect changes! Instead, you now choose a "Yubel" monster I control and destroy it!"

… interesting. No matter which monster he destroyed, it was likely that the Level 11 form would come back to the field immediately. If Martin was willing to use the effect now, it likely meant that it didn't matter to him if Ryo chose to destroy the Level 12 monster right now—meaning that it wasn't likely to have as large of an impact on Ryo's turn. Then, he could just destroy his own Das Abscheulich Ritter to bring back that monster.

… it looked like a lot of stalling, but one wrong move could mean the end of this duel immediately. Neither of these monsters were fully known entities. Spirit of Yubel would float into the original Yubel as well. This kept it to two monsters instead of three.

But…

"Destroy Spirit of Yubel," he declared. The fiend blew up—Martin looked surprised, but he recovered a moment later.

"Nightmare Throne returns Yubel - Das Abscheulich Ritter to the field from my graveyard! And Spirit of Yubel will Special Summon my final Yubel from my deck!" The two demons reappeared on the field. "... what now? Do you have a plan to take out my monsters?"

"... I very much do," Ryo said. "You see, you're assuming that I must attack you to defeat you. In which case… you are very much wrong. Continuous Spell, Clockwork Night!" Around them, the gears reappeared, spinning rapidly. "When Clockwork Night is face-up on the field, all face-up monsters become Machine monsters."

"Why does that matter?"

"It matters because there are now four Machine monsters on the field, including Cyber Dragon Core, who counts as the original Cyber Dragon while it's face-up on the field." Ryo snapped his fingers. "There are a few people in Academia who can do this. I certainly learned it from Kisara Tsutsuji myself—the one who originated the summoning method. But I only really benefit against those who use the same type of monsters as me—unless, of course, I can change things to my favour."

It was in no way as flexible as Shino's monsters, who could steal her opponent's cards even without modifying them—but as an innate summoning condition, it could not be negated.

"I will immediately perform a Fusion Summon," Ryo declared, "using all four Machine monsters on the field!" The entire field was wiped clean. "Tempestuous dragon that destroys the strongest of defences! Contact Fusion! Come—Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!" The large purple dragon appeared, charging up its bright blue laser in its giant maw.

[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon (8*/0/0/DARK/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's original attack points become the number of its materials times 1000."

[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon: 0 + 1000 x 4 = 4000ATK]

"W-when Das Abscheulich Ritter leaves the field, I can Special Summon Das Extremer Traurig Drachen from the graveyard again!" The large dragon reappeared on the field—but it was far less intimidating now.

"... I suppose that's an effect that activates even if it wasn't destroyed." Letting him have that monster on the field again… that was not ideal in the slightest. "Quickplay Spell, Cyber Eternal!" This left Herz as the only card left in his hand. "I can revive a Machine "Cyber" Fusion Monster in my graveyard. Return—Cyber Dragon Zerstor!" The dark silvery serpent reappeared on the field. "I'll use Zerstor's effect. I will send Cyber Dragon Funf from my deck to the graveyard—and destroy your… monster."

"... screw you," Martin hissed out. His monster blew up.

… no reason to overcommit right now. "I will have Chimeratech Fortress Dragon attack you directly!"

"Continuous Trap, Eternal Favorite!" Martin's set card flipped up. "I will Special Summon Yubel from my graveyard."

… hmm.

… effect destruction was practically required to win this duel, no matter what.

A Continuous Trap, a Field Spell… about to bring back a monster. He could leave it on the field and let this effect resolve, but...

I know that Level 11 monster will field wipe me at the end of his turn. So the question is—how worth it is it to keep pushing?

… what kind of question is that?

I know what kind of person I am.

"Trap Card, Cybernetic Overflow!" He countered. "I will banish Cyber Dragon Funf and the original Cyber Dragon from my graveyard—and destroy two cards you control! I will destroy Nightmare Throne and Eternal Favorite!"

The two cards shattered.

"A Continuous Trap's effects only resolve if it's still face-up on the field," Ryo concluded. "So you won't get a free shield for this."

"... you don't get to win like that! I'll discard Swift Scarecrow from my hand and end your Battle Phase!" Martin dropped the card.

… interesting. An empty field though… his opponent would have to rebuild everything from scratch.

"Funf's effect. Since it was banished, I can discard a Machine monster and draw two cards. I'll end my turn," Ryo said, deciding to retain his hand.

Martin breathed out—he still sounded furious. "You don't deserve to have any of this!" He spat out. "You still don't realise the trap that you've landed yourself into!"

… hmm?

"You still don't realise why I let her go in alone, do you?" Martin snarled. "Daitokuji-sensei didn't say anything to me—but I know! I know! Someone like him can't be allowed to just die like that! And if he wants to talk to her so badly, it'll be to change her mind!"

Ryo narrowed his eyes.

"Or to kill her," Martin said, as though it was an afterthought. "One or the other. Either way, he'll be just fine. He's never failed us, and he won't fail us today." He glared at Ryo. "I won't let you win. I'll keep on fighting you—and buy time for Daitokuji-sensei to get what he wants! He won't lose—"

"If you think that woman changes her mind easily," Ryo interrupted, "you have never faced her wrath. And regardless, she doesn't need me to save her or steel her. This match is between you and me—don't bring unnecessary factors into it. It's your turn."

Martin glared at him, before reaching for his deck again. His field had been completely wiped clean—meanwhile, Ryo had three cards in hand, Clockwork Night face-up on the field, as well as Cyber Dragon Zerstor and Chimeratech Fortress Dragon.

There was something desperate to his opponent's expression.

… Ryo couldn't hold that against him. When his life was at stake, of course he'd be far more frantic.

[Turn 6: Martin] [H:4]

"Draw," Martin said, narrowing his eyes. "I'll…" He glanced through his hand, before staring at Ryo's field again. "I'll activate the effect of Geistgrinder Golem! I'll Special Summon it from my hand to your field, and then Special Summon a Yubel from my hand to my own!" A large, spherical golem appeared on the field, spinning around on the spot, the grey stone of its body scraping against the ground. Chains spun around it, not connected to anything else. Blue light surrounded its limbs as it shot out bright blasts—it then leapt to Ryo's field with a loud thud.

[Geistgrinder Golem (8*/3000/300/DARK/Fiend/Effect)]

The original Yubel appeared on Martin's side of the field as well, letting out an amused laugh.

"Battle! Yubel attacks Geistgrinder Golem! I take no damage, and I gain 3000 life points!"

Martin: 4000 + 3000 = 7000LP

"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn! Sacrifice Demon Lotus comes back, and I'll sacrifice it for Yubel's maintenance cost!"

… it seemed that without those Spells and Traps, he was helpless to do anything on his own turn. In that case… he'd just have to make sure that he kept most of those cards off the field.

[Turn 7: Ryo] [H:3]

"Draw," Ryo said.

What I need is to remove Yubel from the field, and neutralise that set card. Zerstor only destroys frontrow cards though, so…

"Zerstor's effect! I'll send Cyberdark Chimera to the graveyard to destroy Yubel!" This way, he'd at least push through the three forms more quickly—

"Continuous Trap, Eternal Favorite!" Martin retorted—the Trap from earlier reappearing on the field. "Since I control Yubel, I can discard a card and send it from the field to the graveyard to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters on both sides of the field!"

… hmm. So he needed specifically Yubel?

"So I'll repay your favour from earlier! I'll fuse Yubel with both of your monsters and my Geistgrinder Golem!" The four monsters vanished into a vortex. "Come now and protect me with your eternal, loving soul! Fusion Summon! Level 12! Yubel - Das Ewig Liebe Wächter!"

The androgynous demon reappeared on the field, an amused expression on her face. Her right arm had transformed into the shape of a dragon.

[Yubel - Das Ewig Liebe Wächter (12*/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"When this form of Yubel is Fusion Summoned, you take 500 damage for each of her materials!" Yubel raised her hand—a thorn whip shot through the air, slashing across Ryo's face. Another hit him across the side—luckily, the side that his wound wasn't on. Then, again and again—each one just as powerful as the one before.

Ryo: 3000 - 500 x 4 = 1000LP

… hmm. So his field was now empty.

This monster… as an upgrade, was probably immune to battle destruction as well, and still reflected battle damage. If it was upgraded, it probably was harder to get off the field…

Best to proceed as though he'd need more resources to continue.

"Cyberdark Chimera's effect. I will send Cyberdark Horn to the graveyard. Then, I'll use Cyber Dragon Core's effect in the graveyard. Since I control no monsters, I can banish it from the graveyard to Special Summon a "Cyber Dragon" monster from my deck. Come! Cyber Dragon Nachster!" The small, thin serpent-like monster appeared on the field.

[Cyber Dragon Nachster (1*/200/200/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)]

"Nachster's effect! I can bring back a Machine monster with 2100 attack or defense points, but I can only Special Summon Machine monsters this turn! Come back, Cyberdark Chimera!" The sharp, hybrid-like monster reappeared on the field. "I will discard a card and add Power Bond from my deck to my hand."

Setting the card aside for a moment, he picked up another.

"Spell Card, Cybernetic Horizon. I'll send Cyberdark Claw and Cyber Dragon Drei to the graveyard, in order to add Cyberdark Keel to my hand and send Cyber End Dragon from my deck to the graveyard. Then, I will use Cyberdark Realm's effect to perform a Normal Summon of Cyberdark Keel." The final of the three Cyberdark monsters (considering that both Horn and Edge were in the graveyard) appeared on the field, its long and serpentine body sliding across the field.

[Cyberdark Keel (4*/800/800/DARK/Machine/Effect)]

"Keel's effect. I'll equip Cyberdark Cannon to it from the graveyard! Then, open, circuit of cybernetic honour! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two Machine monsters, including "Cyber Dragon". I will set Nachster and Cyberdark Keel in the Link Markers. Now, powerful mechanical dragon, present us with the power to push every advancement forward! Let your genius design empower us to reach higher for victory! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Cyber Dragon Sieger!" His first Link Monster emerged on the field, its body shining bright blue with the light from within it.

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

"Cyberdark Cannon was sent to the graveyard after being equipped to a monster—I can draw a card." Ryo swiped up the new card.

… I suppose that will suffice.

"I will Normal Summon Cyber Alruba!" The small mechanical silver camel appeared on the field, hunched downwards.

[Cyber Alruba (1*/0/0/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)]

"Open again, circuit. Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are a non-Link Machine monster with 1000 or less attack points. I will set Cyber Alruba in the Link Markers. Knight that brings forth antiquity and imagination, emerge now! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Clockwork Knight!" The toy soldier appeared—not for any real reason, he had just needed to get Alruba into the graveyard.

[Clockwork Knight (L1/500/EARTH/Machine/Link/Effect/)]

"... what are you wasting all your summons for? You won't make it through Yubel!"

Ryo narrowed his eyes.

… he's very confident. If his monster is unaffected by card effects, then this will all have been for nothing. But cards have limits, and—a card would not both be immune to battle and unaffected by card effects.

He placed down Power Bond on his duel disk. "I will Fusion Summon by banishing Cyberdark Keel, Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Edge, Cyberdark Cannon and Cyberdark Chimera from my graveyard!" The five monsters shot up immediately.

"The Cyberdark cards… those have a Fusion Monster?"

Ryo recalled what he'd said to Kaname Mizuchi, back in the Synchro Dimension. "Those are the two sides of my deck. The Cyber Dragons, the noble machines of light that fight head-on… and the Cyberdark monsters, darker creatures that work from the shadows. They reflect the duality of measures that are necessary for victory."

"... everything has a balance," he said.

… my ace is likely unnecessary for this. Because this battle is not one that can be won with only the means that I prefer.

If I can, if I must…

I will use even that which I disdain, because in the end, there is nothing that matters more in this world than victory—nothing that opens up more paths.

So—

It must be won through a combination of methods.

"Creatures that slither in the darkness born of evolution," Ryo said. "Gather, sink and submerge yourself in poisonous corruption! Fusion Summon! Cyberdarkness Dragon!"

From the ground, a creature appeared—consisting of several different colours of metal that formed different parts, each resembling one of the Cyberdarks. Green wings, claw-like horns around its face, talons and spikes emerging everywhere in an erratic pattern across its body. A large cannon protruded from its back awkwardly, like a spine that had been ripped out and turned straight—glowing red as it charged up a shot.

[Cyberdarkness Dragon (10*/2000/2000/DARK/Machine/Effect)]

"Since Cyberdarkness Dragon was Special Summoned, I can equip a Dragon or Machine monster from my graveyard to it. I will equip Cyber End Dragon to it!"

The dragon roared, white metal floating around it, resembling a shattered version of the powerful dragon.

"Is that it?" Martin sneered. "Even if it gains attack points, against my Yubel…"

"... Power Bond's effect also activates," Ryo said. "So it gains 2000 more attack points—along with Cyber End Dragon's attack points."

[Cyberdarkness Dragon: 2000 + 2000 + 4000 = 8000ATK]

"Furthermore, Clockwork Night's effect. My Machine monsters gain 500 attack and defense points, and yours lose 500—though obviously, your monster has none to lose, even if she's been turned to a Machine anyway."

[Cyberdarkness Dragon: 8000 + 500 = 8500ATK; 2000 + 500 = 2500DEF]

[Clockwork Knight: 500 + 500 = 1000ATK]

[Cyber Dragon Sieger: 2100 + 500 = 2600ATK]

"You're just making it easier for me to crush you like this!"

"... I've already seen through you," Ryo said. More than just in this duel, too.

You are a scared boy who lost his father to things he did not understand. Now that you've grown older, you are so scarred that you are afraid to admit that he was flawed, that he was not just some helpless victim of the war but an active profiteer.

So you would rather valorise him, instead of accepting the truth about him.

… of course, I cannot discount the bravery that you have to go against Academia, despite all of that.

"Cyber Dragon Sieger's effect. It will deal no battle damage to you this turn. In return, Cyberdarkness Dragon gains 2100 attack and defense points for the rest of this turn."

[Cyberdarkness Dragon: 8500 + 2100 = 10600ATK; 2500 + 2100 = 4600DEF]

"Cyber Dragon Sieger attacks your Yubel."

"Huh? You're charging in to die yourself?"

Ryo shook his head. "At the start of the Damage Step," he said calmly, "I can Special Summon Cyber Alruba from the graveyard with its own effect." The small mechanical camel reappeared on the field. "Then, neither of us take damage from this attack—and your monster's effects are negated for the rest of this turn!"

"What?" Martin exclaimed. The two monsters clashed, and Yubel flung Sieger back briefly—but then, Sieger raised its head and shot out a bright laser, incinerating the Fusion Monster. "No! That's not how this is supposed to work!"

"... you're open," Ryo said. "Cyberdarkness Dragon."

The large dragon writhed, raising its head—

"Attack directly."

—and in a storm of blades, it charged forward, showering down shards of metal everywhere in an enormous explosion.

Martin: 7000 - 10600 = 0LP

Winner: Ryo Marufuji!

When the smoke faded, Martin was lying on the ground.

The holograms disappeared from around Ryo as he walked forward.

Martin rolled over, staring at him blearily—the shockwave must have disoriented him. Ryo stood over him, watching him. He raised his duel disk, fingers drifting to the button—

"You're not human." Martin turned his head away—his chin was trembling. "None of you are human."

"... we're just as human as you are," Ryo replied. "... we just have different beliefs. That's how war works."

"That can't be true." A sob left Martin's throat. "Because… if that's true… then how can you all be so cruel?"

… this was not the first time that someone had pleaded with him right before he carded them. Ryo wished that he could say that his face matched his heart—that he could be as collected and apathetic as he chose to appear.

… but that would be a lie.

He pressed the button, before he leaned down to pick up the card. He stared at it for a moment longer.

… when will this war finally be over?

He shook his head, and stood back up, turning towards the door that Shino had gone through.

I should go find her.

---

Daitokuji picked up the top card of his deck. "Draw!" On the field, he had both Hamon and Raviel, as well as a Phantasm Token. His Fallen Paradise, Opening of the Spirit Gates, Cerulean Skyfire and Awakening of the Sacred Beasts were all on the field—meanwhile, Shino just had Aluber and two set cards on the field. It looked pathetic in comparison…

But she wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel yet.

After all…

The field might look impossible, but Shino had never been the type to give up easily.

(And no one watching her would expect, even for a moment, that she would lose.)

[Turn 3: Daitokuji] [H:3]

"I'll—"

The sound of loud thunder rumbled outside, even though it wasn't raining.

"Sorry, Daitokuji-sensei," Shino said. She raised one of her set cards. "... I think we'll have to shut this down here."

Her voice was completely even.

"What's your plan?" He said. "Any Spell or Trap you activate won't work against Cerulean Skyfire—not when you reveal that it's your master plan so transparently."

"It wouldn't," Shino acknowledged. "… if it wasn't this specific card."

She revealed it.

Daitokuji raised an eyebrow. "Your eyes," he said. "... interesting."

Shino knew what he'd seen in her eyes. She knew the colour in them—how it would have distorted and shifted.

… it couldn't be helped. She couldn't lose here.

She held the card to her heart, before she pressed it back onto the duel disk. "Quickplay Spell," she said determinedly. "Super Polymerization!"

"Super… Polymerization?"

Playing the card sent a sharp pain through her chest—but she did not stop. "You cannot respond to the activation of this card. By discarding a card—I will use monsters from either field as material."

"Either field… interesting."

"Hamon is a LIGHT monster. Raviel is a DARK monster." Shino gestured forward. "Those are the two Attributes that fall the most under the domain of the Despias! I will fuse my Aluber with your Hamon and Raviel!"

"You cannot target or destroy Sacred Beasts with card effects while I control Fallen Paradise," Daitokuji said with a frown.

"Good thing Fusion Summoning cards don't usually target," Shino said with a wink. Her hand was still gesturing towards the two Sacred Beasts—both of whom were growling.

"He is a dangerous monster to use," Daitokuji warned. "Even if you're simply using him as material."

"Not to me," Shino said, and she meant it. What could be more dangerous to me than myself? "Lord of striking thunder!" Her voice was a declaration—one that felt like a command. "No matter how powerful you are, you still bow before the rules of dueling! Vanish from this field!"

Hamon let out a furious roar—before he was sucked into a vortex below. Aluber stared at him dispassionately, before leaping in. There was a sudden, strong pressure on Shino's body, but she shook it off—Daitokuji seemed surprised as she focused her gaze on him again.

No, not on him. On the other monster on the field.

"Do I need to order you into that portal too, lord of phantasms?" Shino challenged. Raviel howled at her.

… I'm hardly someone that'll be scared of something like this.

"Get in," she said. Her voice carried an echo to it. "You can be as indestructible as you want, but anything on the field belongs to me. I've said this every time. Get off the field now! Become my monster's fuel—lord of phantasms!"

After another growl, Raviel was sucked down into the portal too. The pressure got heavier—but Shino pushed through it.

"... now I know you're more than you seem," Daitokuji said. "... your eyes changed colour in that moment, Harae-san."

"... you must have seen wrong," Shino said, brushing it off even though they both knew it was a lie. "Eyes can't just change colour! Monument of a holier nation, be corrupted by the dark malice that has seeped into your people's bones. Carry that ugly stigma, and turn into a monster just as hideous as you once were beautiful! Fusion Summon! Despian Proskenion!" The enormous, chimeric purple statue appeared behind her.

[Despian Proskenion (11*/3200/3200/LIGHT/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"... using two Sacred Beasts as material," Daitokuji said. "... how bold of you."

"... now, you can't negate my effects—not without any Sacred Beasts on the field," Shino pointed out. "... I discarded Despian Tragedy from my hand. I can add a "Despia" monster to my hand."

"Alright." Daitokuji smiled pleasantly. "... burning away both of my monsters the moment that I start my Main Phase… how powerful."

"... you said that there were three Sacred Beasts though," Shino pointed out. "You haven't brought out the last one yet, right?"

"... you could say that. Very well—let's move back to the second stage of this test. Opening of the Spirit Gates's effect. I will discard a card and Special Summon a Fiend monster with zero attack and defense points from the graveyard again. Come back—Phantasmal Summoning Beast!" The enormous fiend reappeared on the field. "And then, I will Normal Summon Chaos Summoning Beast again! By tributing Phantasmal Summoning Beast, I can add—"

I can't let him take Hamon back. It shuts off all paths for me.

But my only way…

… don't hesitate.

"Trap Card, Branded Conscription!" Shino declared. "I'll tribute a Fusion Monster as the cost of this effect!" Proskenion vanished from the field—Shino had only summoned it to remove both Sacred Beasts in the first place. "Then… I can target a monster in my opponent's graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field ignoring all summoning conditions!"

Daitokuji's eyes widened.

Shino took a deep breath. "... to my field now. Bow down to the Empress of Dragons."

"Wait," Daitokuji cautioned. "This card—"

"The target I declare," Shino said, offering him a smile that didn't quite fit the situation. "... with full awareness of what you're trying to warn me about, Daitokuji-sensei, is the one and only Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"

And then—

Fusion Summoning with Hamon as material had already briefly hurt. But this…

It felt like lava dripping down her back, burning her spine. It felt like something reaching inside her, squeezing her organs and threatening to rip her apart—

But—

Shino grabbed onto that feeling—it was the equivalent of grabbing onto someone by the neck and holding them in the air. Suffocating it as it was suffocating her.

No matter what you actually are, in this world, all that you are is a Duel Monster with a malevolent aura.

You cannot curse that which is already cursed.

Hamon rose on her field.

Shino breathed out heavily.

You can try your hardest to damn me the way that you've damned the man in front of me, but you won't succeed. My existence is more than you can ever hope to comprehend.

I'm a fragment, a piece of something, and you cannot curse a piece without possessing the whole.

The pain remained, but it had faded from before.

Shino glanced at the monster, before shrugging as she smiled back at Daitokuji. "All settled," she said. "Let's continue with the duel! Hamon's effects are negated and he cannot battle. However, until my next Standby Phase—you cannot Special Summon monsters with the same Level or Rank as Hamon's Level."

Daitokuji narrowed his eyes.

"You paid the cost," Shino said, "but you can't summon anything now, because the Sacred Beasts are all Level 10."

"... impressive." Daitokuji cracked a smile. "... and… you are now holding my Hamon hostage. Interesting." He reached out a hand. "Regardless, I can still add a monster to my hand. I will add Uria, Lord of Searing Flames to my hand."

That must be the third one…

"I'll set a card facedown. Your move then. I'm impressed—you've flipped this entire duel with one move."

… his tone…

He probably needs Hamon on his field or at the very least, in circulation. If I keep it on my field without fusing it away…

I'm going to win this duel.

"Your skills are impressive. No wonder you gave Maeda's group so much trouble." He met her gaze. "Tell me, Harae-san. Did you card them?"

"... we did," Shino said.

Daitokuji slowly nodded. "I see," he said. "... you know, Shio Harae—"

"That's not my name," Shino said, but Daitokuji brushed past it anyway.

"Maeda-kun may have been brash, but he was also a grieving boy. Surely you understand how that feels."

"... perhaps," Shino acknowledged. "And?"

"Do you feel no guilt about the fact that you carded a boy who was just trying to avenge his cousin's death?"

"... Daitokuji-sensei," she said. "Of course I feel guilt. I feel it every day that I do anything in Academia's name—I care about everything I do. And, if I lost my cousin…" Sora. "To anyone, I would do the same." If anyone in Academia ever carded Sora for being a traitor, I would not hesitate to execute them myself.

… even if I loved them.

"… what devastating weaknesses you have," Daitokuji commented. "And you're so open about them too—about the people around you who can be turned into weapons against you."

"No one will ever succeed in that," Shino said. "… it's easier to move with love than violence."

"And you do all of this even though you're guilty."

"… yes."

"… I thought so." Daitokuji sounded disappointed. "Well, I suppose that is how you are." He shook his head. "Your move."

[Turn 4: Shino] [H:3]

"Draw!" He still had that Token and his Chaos Summoning Beast on the field, huh… still, she could force him to use that set card, whatever it was—

And then, Daitokuji flipped it immediately. "During the start of your Main Phase," he said, "I will activate the Continuous Trap, Hyper Blaze! By discarding a card, I can Special Summon a Sacred Beast from my graveyard, ignoring their innate summoning conditions."

In that case…

"Come! Raviel! Lord of Phantasms!" The blue monster reappeared on the field.

… sure. She'd figure it out. Shino revealed another card in her hand. "Meet Guiding Quem, the Virtuous!"

She Normal Summoned the monster—a beautiful white haired girl in a black shroud and dress. A dark tiara could be seen on top of her head.

[Guiding Quem, the Virtuous (4*/1500/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect)]

It looks like it's all in my favour right now, but a single mistake and… his cards recover too much advantage. I need to make sure that he cannot recover.

"Virtuous," Daitokuji repeated. "That's the title of your warriors in white, isn't it?"

"... maybe," Shino said.

"... interesting." Daitokuji gestured to his Continuous Trap. "Awakening of the Sacred Beasts's effect. Each time that you Normal or Special Summon a monster while I control at least one of the Sacred Beasts—I may gain life points equal to that monster's attack points. Furthermore, Raviel will summon another Phantasm Token to my field."

Daitokuji: 5800 + 1500 = 7300LP

… hmm. Then that reshaped how this entire turn was going to play out.

How many life points did she want to give him? How much advantage did she need to get on the field before letting him have his next turn?

Shino glanced at the field.

… hmm.

Alright. She knew what she had to do.

"Quem's effect! I'll send Albion the Shrouded Dragon from my deck to the graveyard. Then, Albion's effect. I'll send a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my deck to the graveyard and return him to the deck." She picked up the card, dropping it into the graveyard. "Let's try this again, Daitokuji-sensei."

"Hmm?"

I never run out of cards to play!

She'd have to give him some more life points for this, but… it'd be well worth it. "This is what I mean," Shino said. "Spell Card, Branded in Pacifistic Lament! Since I don't control Fallen of Albaz, I can discard a card to draw three cards." She picked up the new cards. "Then, I must reveal a card in my hand that mentions Fallen of Albaz—otherwise, I have to discard my whole hand. I'll reveal Branded Bond."

She placed the card down.

"Spell Card, Branded Bond. I can Special Summon Fallen of Albaz from my hand, graveyard or banished cards."

"In the graveyard…" Daitokuji watched her. "... I suppose you just discarded it?"

"Bingo." Shino winked as her faithful partner appeared on the field.

[Fallen of Albaz (4*/1800/0/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]

Daitokuji: 7300 + 1800 = 9100LP

"Fallen of Albaz's effect! I'll discard a card from my hand to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters on the field—including yours."

Daitokuji narrowed his eyes.

"So, like I said—let's try this again. What's yours is mine! I'll fuse Fallen of Albaz with Raviel, Lord of Phantasms on your field!" The pressure bore down on her again—on her field, Hamon let out a loud growl, clearly annoyed at her.

Raviel is a DARK monster with a high Level. I could bring out Lubellion, Titaniklad or Brigrand. I haven't been able to bring out Mirrorjade yet, since he doesn't seem to use Fusion Monsters…

No. I need to apply pressure.

"Iron swiftness, possess the physical form and crush any that are too fragile to accept your will! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Sprind the Irondash Dragon!" The mechanical aircraft-like dragon landed on the field with some whirring sounds as its wings cut through the air.

[Sprind the Irondash Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Machine/Fusion/Effect)]

"Raviel's no longer on the field. So you don't gain life points! Sprind's effect! I'll move him to any other Main Monster Zone and destroy all cards in that column!" She put him in the rightmost column—there were no other cards of hers in that column, but he had one of his Tokens in that column—and crucially, Hyper Blaze was in that column too.

She could not under any circumstances allow him to bring back two Sacred Beasts at once again. She'd either had to choose between destroying his Awakening of the Sacred Beasts or Hyper Blaze—but if she destroyed this Continuous Trap, then there was a lower chance of him having two of them on the field in the first place.

So—

The two cards blew up, destroyed by bullet-like blasts.

Now, how much did she want to commit to this field, now that everything was a known factor to her…? (Except for Uria's effects, whatever they were…)

"Well… I've never been good at holding back." Shino picked up one of the cards that she'd sent to the graveyard. "I'll activate the effect of Branded Retribution! I'll banish it from the graveyard and add Branded Fusion back to my hand—and then, I'll activate it! I will fuse Fallen of Albaz in my deck—"

I cannot afford to not force him to make more moves.

I have Sprind, Quem and his Hamon. He still has two monsters in Defense Position—and since Hamon cannot attack, the monster that I summon now will decide my offensive tempo for the game.

In that case—

Let's go for his head.

"With Dramaturge of Despia in my deck!" She flashed both cards in the air. "Lawful dragon born of the stoic judgement of the land of cruel dogma! With your ruthlessness, reduce this world to ashes. Fusion Summon—Level 8, Titaniklad the Ash Dragon!" The bright silver dragon appeared—usually the monster that she brought out for its attack point-gaining effect.

[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect)]

"Titaniklad gains 100 attack points times the total Levels of monsters used for its Fusion Summon. Albaz was Level 4 and Dramaturge was Level 8—so he gains 1200 attack points!"

[Titaniklad the Ash Dragon: 2500 + 100 x 12 = 3700ATK]

"Furthermore, Quem's effect! Since a card left my Extra Deck, I can Special Summon a monster that lists "Fallen of Albaz" in its card text from my graveyard. Return—Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous!" Another version of the beautiful young lady appeared on the field.

[Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous (4*/1500/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]

"Then, I'll use Cartesia's effect. I will perform a Fusion Summon using her and Quem." The two cards shot up. "Guiding Quem, the Virtuous is always treated as a "Dogmatika" and "Despia" monster—so this Fusion Summon is legal."

If he wanted to duel by defending himself and locking off her moves, that was fine. Shino could deal with that just as well as she could with actual attacks.

She could bring out either Quaeritis or Masquerade right now… both were good.

If she emptied his field this turn, with the kind of strategy he had, he'd probably burn himself at least… four times? Just to get a monster on board.

… Masquerade was probably the riskier option, but it'd pay off.

She'd make it pay off.

"Beautiful masks lie over a hidden darkness." Shino raised a hand to her face, touching her eyes for a moment—her entire body was stinging. "Scarlet dragon, rise up, and with the power of your envious heart, strike down all others like a phantom! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Masquerade the Blazing Dragon!" One of her most feared monsters appeared on the field with a loud roar, its curtain-like wings casting a dark shadow across the field.

[Masquerade the Blazing Dragon (8*/2500/2000/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"Battle Phase. Masquerade and Sprind attack your two monsters." The Token and the beast both shattered, leaving an empty field. "Attack directly, Titaniklad."

The silver dragon slammed its head straight into the ground in front of Daitokuji—it was clearly avoiding a direct strike.

… Shino wasn't heartless enough to attack a dying man like that.

Still, no damage…?

"Cerulean Skyfire," Daitokuji reminded her. "You took out Raviel this turn."

… hmm. Misplay on her part.

… maybe it's still bothering me every time he speaks that name.

"I'll end my turn."

[Turn 5: Daitokuji] [H:1]

"Draw," Daitokuji said. "This Masquerade the Blazing Dragon… it's the one that forces me to pay 600 life points for each effect I activate, correct?"

"Yes," Shino said.

"I see." Daitokuji glanced at the field. "What a terrifying field you've put up here… and what a terrifying girl you are."

"You could give up," Shino said—a weak joke in the situation.

"I suppose I could." Daitokuji raised the one card in his hand—it was almost a defiant kind of expression that found its way on his face. "Do you believe in destiny?"

Shino stared at him.

"Do you believe that fate is fixed?" Daitokuji said, expanding on that statement. "That we are all parts of some great design?" He coughed, leaning on the side of his wheelchair. "The concept of alchemy, you see, is the search for perfection. We do not quite know what the end result is—only what we suppose that it must be. There was a theory that emerged once—that even if we find that perfect substance that we dream of, we may not recognise it. Flawed, human eyes can never understand the divine."

Shino briefly flinched.

"No matter how much we theorise and assume, our path is wreathed in uncertainty." Daitokuji looked at her. "The end result remains unknown, and yet predetermined. If there is perfection, it is not for us to recognise or know—only to pursue, as an avenue to greater things."

"... I don't think I understand the point you're trying to make," Shino said, which was a lie—she'd understood perfectly.

"I think," Daitokuji said, "that perhaps there are some parts of this world that are greater than we know. Than we will ever understand. And that in this invisibility… lies the true answer to Academia's tyranny." He revealed the card in his hand. "... Spell Card, Mind Control."

Daitokuji: 9100 - 600 = 8500LP

"I'll take back Hamon," he said. "But he can't attack or use his effects this turn."

It was a temporary effect though, so that meant he needed it for something specific this turn. This would turn 'on' Cerulean Skyfire too…

Well, she had no choice but to let it through. The yellow beast floated to the other side of the field—immediately, the heavy pressure lifted.

"I will use Fallen Paradise's effect to draw two cards."

… yeah, I just need proper backrow negation. My deck was never made for negation, it was made for raw power and destruction.

… food for thought later.

Daitokuji: 8500 - 600 = 7900LP

"I'll activate Opening of the Spirit Gates's effect to add Hyper Blaze from my graveyard to my hand!"

Daitokuji: 7900 - 600 = 7300LP

"Then, with Opening of the Spirit Gates's other effect, I will discard a card to Special Summon Phantasmal Summoning Beast from the graveyard."

Daitokuji: 7300 - 600 = 6700LP

… that card would let him get Raviel or Uria back from the graveyard, wouldn't it? (Considering that he'd had no cards left in his hand, he must have discarded Uria for Hyper Blaze last turn. If that happened, then he'd lock off all her monster effects again. At the very least, even if he summoned the others, they had no way of getting the Sacred Beasts back from the graveyard—they could only take them from the hand or deck.

So…

Shino revealed the card in her hand. "Activating the effect of Bystial Magnamhut," she said. Her tone had shifted as she spoke its name.

… people usually just play a singular archetype. It's the norm.

Technically, everything that I have here belongs to one archetype, all connected by one card, but… if an archetype is a singular story, then my cards are mythology.

… uh oh. That might be a bit cocky. Heh.

"I'll banish a LIGHT or DARK monster from your graveyard to Special Summon it from my hand."

Raviel isn't that dangerous by itself. Uria is clearly a FIRE monster. So I'll just target…

"I'll choose Phantasmal Summoning Beast!"

The card slipped out of the graveyard slot in Daitokuji's duel disk. In front of Shino, a dark red dragon emerged in Defense Position.

[Bystial Magnamhut (6*/2500/2000/DARK/Dragon/Effect)]

Daitokuji: 6700 + 2500 = 9200LP

"Magnamhut's effect! During the End Phase, I can add any Dragon monster from my deck or graveyard to my hand."

"Interference on my turn to gain more card advantage. I see." Daitokuji… smiled? "Return. Chaos Summoning Beast." The small monster emerged on the field. "Regrettably, you were wrong this time. I already have everything I need."

He revealed a card in his hand.

"Spell Card, Dimension Fusion Destruction!"

… Fusion?

"I can banish materials from my hand, field or graveyard to Fusion Summon a "Phantasm" monster," Daitokuji said. "As you can see… all my Sacred Beasts are where they need to be."

… ah.

She'd been baited. If she'd just waited instead of assuming that his gameplan was as simple as bringing out Raviel or Uria again…

"Furthermore, you cannot respond to this if I have any of the Sacred Beasts on my field. Of course, I still have to pay the life points for Masquerade's effects… but thanks to your move, I have more to spare."

Daitokuji: 9200 - 600 = 8600LP

"Don't be too harsh on yourself," Daitokuji said, reading her expression. "You're not the only one who has been learning their opponent's style in this duel. Your style is cutting things off before they bear fruit. That was why I had to bait you out first. And I am a teacher—I learn about things like this faster than you. There is… no shame in that."

The three monsters flew into a vortex behind him—and then, he coughed. There was an odd pallor to his face.

"Lord of the three phantasms," he rasped out. "Come to this field now—and in your demonic presence, let the world wither!"

He pressed his hands together. A tall, monstrous figure emerged from the portal—the easiest way to explain it was that it was a true mix of Raviel, Hamon and Uria (what Shino assumed it looked like, at least.) The red snake-like arm was likely Uria, while the main body was more like Raviel's and the bright yellow wings were Hamon's—but the entire body had lines of all three different colours running through it.

It was… chimeric?

"Fusion Summon," he said. "Armityle the Chaos Phantasm - Phantom of Fury!"

[Armityle the Chaos Phantasm - Phantom of Fury (12/0/0/DARK/Fiend/Fusion/Effect)]

"... Armityle's effect. I can give control of it to you."

Daitokuji: 8600 - 600 = 8000LP

… then it had some kind of negative effect?

The dark monster shifted over to her field—Shino coughed immediately. There was something about the monster that went against her very soul. She shook her head as the monster turned to look over at her.

"Continuous Spell, Curse of the Sacred Beasts." Daitokuji revealed it. "By tributing a monster while Armityle is face-up on the field—either of our fields—I can Special Summon three Phantasm Tokens to my field in Defense Position!" The three dark monsters appeared on his field. "While I control only Fiend or Level 10 monsters, an Armityle monster in my control is unaffected by card effects, and my Fiend monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects."

Daitokuji: 8000 - 600 - 600 = 6800LP

"So, does your monster return to your field?"

"Interesting that you ask that." Daitokuji raised a hand—Shino saw his body briefly shudder. "I end my turn. During the End Phase, Armityle's effect activates. Since he's on your field, all cards you control are banished!"

Shino's eyes widened—

And then, a dark vortex emerged on the field. All of her cards, her Spells and Traps, vanished into it—

"And then, I summon the original version of Armityle the Chaos Phantasm to my field!" A monster that looked exactly like the one from before appeared in Defense Position—now ruling over the empty field.

… hmm.

"So this is the puzzle presented to you," Daitokuji said. "... why don't you solve it?"

Shino watched it.

An empty field. A monster with unknown capabilities. Protection from destruction, immunity to effects… at least he wouldn't be gaining life points any longer. Still, Armityle was staring her down now.

… limited time.

Still…

Shino had been thinking for only a short moment, so she was surprised when Daitokuji spoke up again.

"You know. My students thought that I wished to recruit you."

"... did you?"

"... for a wishful moment, yes. But it was just a moment." Daitokuji watched her. "I am the kind of teacher that believes in the potential of children to be good, you see. I've always believed in forgiveness and goodness. I see that goodness in you too. But… you are the exact kind of child that I worry about the most. The kind that will never listen to my good intentions."

Shino shut her eyes. "... I always believe that people are good deep down, too," she said quietly.

"Do you?" Daitokuji challenged. "... is that the reason that you can trick yourself into believing you are still a good, kind person?"

Shino blinked.

"You believe that you have good intentions, that in the end, there is some grand purpose you have to fulfil." Daitokuji shook his head. "... I have known far too many people like you, though most of them were far older. They are all dead, but what I have learned about their intentions is that… in the end, it's all selfish. In the end, all of this is a unique kind of cruelty. You will sacrifice anything and everything."

He met her gaze with eyes that were yellowed with sickness.

"Is it benevolence or malevolence that drives you? Is it righteousness or rage? How far can you really go? Will you be able to do everything that you intend to do without becoming a worse person?… Let's say that today, you kill me. I will not be the only person you have killed. If you don't succeed, then you have sacrificed it all for nothing. And you will not succeed—not alone, not against so much more than you can understand."

He glanced at Armityle, and then, at her open field.

"In the end, I leave you with this—you cannot fix that which you break. And, Shio Harae, you were raised to be a weapon. You were raised to kill with no hesitation. No matter how kind you try to be, no matter what circumstances dictate your life, you will always think that the ends justify the means. Even if you don't think you're doing so. Even if you are confident that you're trying to help, that you're sparing people's feelings… you will always scheme and manipulate for the sake of your goals."

"... do you believe that I can never be a good person?"

"I have seen people change themselves. But you… you continue with evil and accept it as a necessity to survive. You did that as a child—and even now, as you believe you are a better person, you continue to do it because you believe that your survival is the most important of all—that your plans are the most important. Your kindness is cruelty. You commit evil to survive, continue scheming, and continue that cycle until your goal is reached—but what about that plan of yours? If your heart has truly become kind, Albion, will you be able to stay the path and do what needs to be done? Or will you waste every life paid for the cost when you give up?"

When…

When I give up?

"... I believe in the value of being kind," Shino said. She pressed a hand to her chest. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I work with people that I believe are unjust, for the sake of accomplishing my goals someday. But I do care for people. I do love them. If you think that all of this is just an act for the sake of my goal… then, Daitokuji-sensei, I am a horrible actor. An actor that cannot detach herself from the role. You ask me why I'm doing this. It's not rage. It's not righteousness. Not even revenge—though once upon a time, it might have been. I just love people. I want to do my best for them. And—"

Her voice shifted—fiery and defiant. Her expression was probably fiercely serious now, too.

"I will never give up. I'll never stop. And I will achieve what I want to achieve. Of course I care about sacrifices—and of course I have regrets. But I'll shoulder it all until I get to the end. I can commit any sin for it. I can sacrifice anything for it!—and I won't break under that responsibility!"

"… so you've finally confessed it." Daitokuji sighed. "… I suppose I was wrong to think you'd be any different."

"... I think there's someone you remember, that you're projecting on me," Shino said. "But that's not me. If anything, all I've ever wanted is to be kind."

She revealed a card. "Bystial Magnamhut's effect. I'll add another Dragon monster to my hand now." He'd banished all her Fusions, so she couldn't add anything to her hand with their effects, but… she'd take what she could.

And then, all she had to do was draw—

[Turn 6: Shino] [H:2]

She lifted the card, looking at it.

"... so?"

"... I'll banish Despian Tragedy from my graveyard. I can set a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my graveyard to my field." Shino picked up a card. "... I'll take back Branded Fusion again."

In criticising her, Daitokuji had given her time to think.

… Shino knew what the solution was. She just wasn't particularly happy about it.

"Spell Card, Branded Fusion," she said. "I'll fuse my second Fallen of Albaz, along with… Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted!"

She revealed both cards—and started on a completely different summoning chant.

"Blessed freedom, with pure feathers like a dove. Liberate souls from their doomed tragedy and grant mercy to the broken! Fusion Summon!"

And then, on her field—a pure white dragon emerged. Its red eyes gazed from within its smooth, marble-like face—its entire body looked like it had been carved from that same marble, a graceful, perfect statue. At the same time, beautiful golden flames emerged around it as it let out a loud, defiant roar.

"This is the one," Daitokuji said as the golden flames flickered around them. "The one that you were really named after… isn't it?"

Shino raised her hand. The dragon leaned its head down, pressing it to Shino's bare palm, briefly closing its eyes.

"Hello," she said softly. "It's been a while."

It's been ten years.

She touched its long, graceful locks, before turning to Daitokuji. "... this is the virtuous liberator from stigma and sin," she said. "Albion the Sanctifire Dragon."

[Albion the Sanctifire Dragon (8*/3000/2500/LIGHT/Dragon/Effect)]

"... I see," Daitokuji said. "Is that what you wanted your life to mean?"

"It doesn't matter now," Shino said. "... I'll Normal Summon Aluber the Jester of Despia." Her partner reappeared again. "Aluber's effect. I'll take a "Branded" Spell or Trap from my deck."

There's only one card that'll work here…

She set it facedown. "Your turn," she said.

[Turn 7: Daitokuji] [H:1]

"Draw," Daitokuji said. "On my turn, Armityle gains ten thousand attack points! I will discard a card from my hand to use the effect of Opening of the Spirit Gates, in order to summon—"

"Nothing," Shino said. "I'll chain the effect of Albion the Sanctifire Dragon! I can target two monsters in my graveyard, and then summon one to your field and one to mine!" She revealed two cards from her graveyard. "I will give you Quem, while I'll take back Albaz! Blessing of Virtuous Glory!"

The white-haired boy emerged on her field, while the girl with the solemn expression appeared on Daitokuji's field, as the golden flames burned even more brightly around them.

"You summoned Armityle to a Main Monster Zone. Quem's summoning fills up your last Main Monster Zone—so your effect cannot resolve!" Shino narrowed her eyes. "And, now that you control a monster that is neither a Fiend nor Level 10, your Armityle is no longer immune to effects!"

On his field, sparks emerged around the Continuous Spell as it fizzled out. She leaned forward, determination in her eyes.

"And so—what's yours is mine again! Your Armityle will never get to attack me, Daitokuji-sensei! Albaz's effect! By discarding Bystial Druiswurm from my hand, I'll perform a Fusion Summon using your Armityle and my Albaz!" The two monsters shot up—

A voice spoke up in Shino's head. I know you. You are hers, aren't you—

Silence.

… the voice vanished.

Shino spat out some blood towards the side, before she turned back to Daitokuji—the monster had already vanished into the vortex.

"... I see," Daitokuji said, watching her. "... I finally understand just what you are."

Shino watched him.

"The reason why Duel Spirits love you," Daitokuji continued. "Why you can speak to them so easily without any ill will from them, even though I've studied for years without the same result. The reason why you can shrug off my curse without any force at all. Surely, it is because—"

"... do you love dueling, Daitokuji-sensei?" Shino asked. "Because I do not. I'm sure that dueling can bring others joy—but to me, it has been entirely stained by war." She pressed a hand to her heart. "... even if… if you're right, I'm still just a person."

Daitokuji watched her. "... just a girl," he said, just as quiet.

Shino turned to Albaz, who slipped into the vortex. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall," she said—an edge of hesitance to her voice. "Cruel ice bleeds into the empty glass. Reflections. Empty fighting. A cold grip. Submerge in the frozen jade, young legend, and forbid entry to the unworthy." She shut her eyes.

… please forgive me, for what I must do to keep going.

"Fusion Summon. Level 8. Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon." The beautiful dragon appeared, its crystal-covered body splitting rays of light as they shone all around the church—illuminating it.

[Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon (8*/3000/2500/DARK/Wyrm/Fusion/Effect)]

Daitokuji looked at her.

His breathing was… heavier. Slower. Shino could hear it from here.

"I cannot get any of my Sacred Beasts back from where they are now," Daitokuji said quietly. "And I assume… you can put out enough damage to defeat me next turn. There is no longer a path to victory for me, even if I stall for the rest of this duel. Very well."

He raised a hand—

The Phantasm Tokens shifted to Attack Position.

Shino's eyes widened.

"... you won't give up, correct?" Daitokuji leaned back in his wheelchair. "... if I won't last much longer, I would rather be killed than be carded. At the very least, I won't be stuck in purgatory, just to die the moment I'm freed… that shouldn't be a problem for you, if you're so determined."

Silence.

"Or are you not worthy of your own proclamations?"

"... you must have hated my mother a lot, Daitokuji-sensei."

Her words seemed to strike him—he flinched.

"Your unwillingness to see any good in me," Shino said, "is not some neutral, objective judgement. You do not wish to guide me, no matter how much you pretend to want to."

She had finally heard it in his voice, the feeling that he'd been struggling to repress this entire time, to hide from her, to hide behind the facade of a kindly teacher. His horrible advice to her, insisting on her incapability.

The feeling? Disdain.

"You gave up everything here because you hate my mother. Because you wished to take some kind of revenge on her through me—in your twisted mind, that's the result you wanted." Her voice was cold. "You selfish man! You didn't give up your students for any kind of new hope, any advantage that would help them against Academia. 'To speak to me'. That was your justification for it all!"

Aluber floated next to her, shooting her a smirk. He must have figured it out at the start.

… after all, Shino had still believed too much in the good of someone who would lead a rebellion like this.

"You just wanted to make me sink. And now that you've failed to intimidate me with your dueling, you instead hope to break me because you believe that taking the life of someone that I respect will change me. You're wrong. There's no respect left in my heart for you."

She reached for the top card of her deck.

"There is no part of me that will sink for such a pathetic man. You may have been a rebel once, but if you had faith in your cause, you've lost it! If all you care about is this petty revenge of yours, then your students should never have placed faith in you!"

[Turn 8: Shino] [H:1]

"Draw!" She picked up the card, revealing it—another copy of Branded Bond. Albaz reappeared on the field. "Mirrorjade. Albion." Her current ace and her past ace both looked at her. "... destroy the first two Tokens. Aluber, attack Quem. And Albaz… be gentle."

In order, the four monsters moved—Albaz landed the final blow, but there was no force to it at all.

"... I won't give you the satisfaction," Shino finally said. "Just know that you're dying because of your own decisions, not because of me."

Daitokuji: 6800 - 3000 - 3000 - 300 - 1800 = 0LP

Winner: Shino Gitsune!

She turned her head, about to leave the room and leave him there—

"I underestimated you," Daitokuji said. There was something amused to his tone now. "In the end, I'm impressed… that Nami Harae created a monster worse than herself."

Shino closed her eyes.

… why am I still here? The hero Kofun Daitokuji who went against Academia and saved most of the students doesn't exist anymore. He's rotted away, his resolve's left… all that's left is a man who was once great and has allowed himself to sink into this state.

… however…

No matter how pathetic of a man this is, I don't have the heart to deny him the chance to spew out more of those hateful words.

I'm the only person in the world who will ever hear them again.

"Shio Harae, you are your mother's madness and your father's single-mindedness wrapped in an optimistic, naive shell. I suppose it's fitting that you chose a fox for your name—after all, your nature is that of the sessho-seki. You know the myth, don't you? The stone that kills. Possessed by malice in the form of a fox."

She heard a cough again, and then the sound of him spitting on the floor. Whether Daitokuji was in pain or whether he was facing her with spite, Shino didn't know.

"You're right. I hated your mother. But you don't know what your mother has done to the world. And if you are the reason for it, there is no possible way that you can be blameless for the state of our world. Be good?" He scoffed. "How… ridiculous. You are not a good person. The mark of a good person is not their capability to feel guilt or remorse. It is not whether they can take responsibility for their actions. No, it's far simpler. The mark of a good person is their capability to not do evil. That's all there is to it. If nothing else… remember that. You've already done so much evil in the name of good that the scales will never turn again."

"... goodbye," Shino said. She left the room, hearing coughing behind her. (She could not leave yet, but she did not want to give him the grace of learning anything else.) As she momentarily waited outside, she heard gasping, and then a thud.

She steeled herself. She reluctantly returned—collecting proof of the vital signs, or lack thereof. Then, she left, with the proof that she needed for her own safety.

… she did not turn around again.

She could not.

Seven more to the tally… she was so incredibly tired.

"Let's say that today, you kill me. I will not be the only person you have killed. If you don't succeed, then you have sacrificed it all for nothing."

She raised her hands, covering her face. She came to a stop in the corridor.

I can't say that it doesn't matter to me.

It will never stop mattering, when I'm cold. It will never stop mattering, when I am merciless. But…

If he's right about one thing, it's that I'm no longer in the position to hesitate.

"Shino."

She raised her head. In the middle of the corridor, she and Ryo Marufuji stared at each other. She could immediately tell that something was different about him—and from the way that he stopped and looked at her searchingly, it was probably the same for him.

The wind blew through the corridor. The trees outside rustled.

"... let's go," Shino said.

Ryo nodded. "Let's go."

---

They returned to the northern shore and radioed the Admiral—who came back and picked them up. Shino immediately headed to the shower, washing off the dirt and blood from the last few days. Once she was done, she headed outside—only to see Ryo talking to the Admiral.

"We were reported missing in action?" Ryo said with a frown. "Why?"

"Well, from what the Professor has told me, it was to conceal the nature of your mission. To keep things secret, I say! Not everyone is quite as loyal and trustworthy as I am." The Admiral chuckled. "Still, that little sprite of a girl defeated Daitokuji… how interesting."

… Shino closed the door silently. She moved back into the room, staring out of the window at the waves.

The stone that kills.

She was told to bring back Daitokuji's card. She hoped that the proof of him being a corpse would suffice.

She lowered her head—and then, she grabbed a cup from the table and flung it towards the wall. It shattered. She lowered her head, letting out a frustrated sound.

There's nothing worth saving here. There's nothing, nothing, nothing…!

Are you satisfied? Are you?

She breathed out heavily.

Are you finally satisfied with making me do things like this, Eve Misogi? How many tightropes are you going to make me walk? You're the one that has wronged me, you're the one that took everything from me…

The image of her hometown in flames came back, haunting the edges of her vision. Of everyone perishing around her as she struggled to save the one person she could save…

You got me sent here just to hurt me again. Because you knew he'd drag up my past again.

I am not a monster. I'm not doomed to what my mother wanted me to be. No matter what you or Daitokuji said, all I've ever wanted in my life is to save people…

She flopped onto the bed, closing her eyes. The boiling frustration still wouldn't release her.

"Shino?"

"… can't flip over very easily." She stayed lying facedown on the bed. "Something wrong?"

Ryo did not ask about the broken cup. Instead, he seemed to hesitate, before he said: "About—"

"It won't work out," Shino said, glad that she was facing away from him. "Neither you or I can afford more weaknesses. There are already too many people that want to hurt both of us."

When Eve had sent Ryo Marufuji here with her, the order had been for Ryo to execute her if she turned out to be a traitor. Shino knew better—Eve's real intentions had been nothing of the sort. Eve Misogi would never have given up her favourite object of torment so easily.

Her intention had been to dangle Ryo in front of Shino's face—mocking her.

Reminding her what she had to lose if she stepped out of line.

My mother died long ago. In the end, I still haven't freed myself.

Until this last tormentor is gone… I cannot afford to let my guard down.

"… someday," Ryo said, "I will become the strongest man in the world." He said it as though it was a complete fact. "So strong that no one will be able to hurt me—and through me, hurt you."

His fingers brushed through her hair, behind her ear.

"When that happens," he continued. "I'll ask you again."

"If that happens," Shino said quietly, "I think I'll still say no."

"… really?"

Because if you're the strongest, then I'm not.

And I cannot ever be the weakness of another person, because I am a living curse.

"I have too many things to do," Shino said, "instead of living a content life." She rolled over, and she didn't say much more—she heard him sigh behind her, before he exited the room.

She pretended that it did not sting.

---

That night, she dreamed. She dreamed of a lot of different things, a lot of different people—

When she woke up, her eyes were burning.

She rubbed at them.

… god damn it.

---

When they reached the shore, Ryo went in to report the results. Shino headed directly into the school.

When she saw Starving Venom towering above a crowd of students, she knew she'd made the right choice. She moved through the crowd as the dragon roared, hearing Yuri's maniacal laughter. By the time that she got to him, she just reached up, tapping his shoulder—he whirled around, before his eyes widened as he saw her.

"Hey!" She said, smiling at him as brightly as she could. "Let's bounce?"

"You're back?"

"Yup. Came to find you as soon as I was done!"

Yuri's mania from before had entirely vanished—he grabbed onto the handles of her wheelchair and pushed her out of the whispering crowd. They headed into the garden.

"They said you were missing," Yuri muttered.

"Apparently it was a security measure," Shino said. "I'd have told you if I knew. Thanks for being worried for me."

"I wasn't!" Yuri rolled his eyes. "Just… you took too long, this time. Someone like you should be able to get rid of a whole group like that in a week."

Shino winced, but she kept on smiling anyway. "Guess so! I missed you—how have you been?"

"… I'm fine," Yuri finally said, clearly unused to talking about it.

"That's good… could you tell me about what's happened since I left?" Yuri reluctantly obliged her, rattling off details swiftly—apparently, Dennis had been sent to Xyz, the Lancers had been confirmed to be in Heartland, the Doktor had unearthed some kind of new experiment, and—

"... repeat the last one?"

"Huh? Fubuki Tenjoin sent back a report that—"

"Not that one! Uh, not that I'm not interested in what Fubuki's doing. Uh. The one before."

"Oh." Yuri frowned. "Eve Misogi exposed the school nurse for feeding information to the rebellion, so she was executed."

Shino's fingers froze on the side of her wheelchair. Yuri turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes.

"... she's one of yours?" He asked.

"... maybe." Shino shut her eyes. The card that Emi had given her was still in her duel disk—she hadn't used it during the duel with Daitokuji. It had been kindness from her. But now… she couldn't give it back.

Of course Eve had waited until she was gone.

Shino opened her eyes again. She leaned back, still smiling, her gaze betraying nothing.

"Keep going," she finally said.

---

OC Cards:

Cyber Dragon Zerstor

(7*/2800/2100/LIGHT/Machine/Fusion/Effect)

1 "Cyber Dragon" monster + 1 DARK Machine monster

This card is treated as "Cyber Dragon" on the field and in the GY. While you control this face-up card, during your turn, you take no effect damage. Once per turn: You can send 1 "Cyber Dragon" or "Cyberdark" monster from your Deck to the GY; destroy 1 monster on the field with less ATK than this monster. If this Fusion Summoned card is sent to the GY by an opponent's card: You can add 2 "Cyber Dragon" monsters with different original names from your GY to your hand, but you cannot summon monsters with those names this turn. You can only activate this effect of "Cyber Dragon Zerstor" once per turn.

Trivia: A corrupted Cyber Laser Dragon.

Cyber Dragon Funf

(4*/1600/2100/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)

This card is treated as "Cyber Dragon" on the field and in the GY. If this card is banished: You can discard 1 Machine monster; draw 2 cards, and if you do, you cannot declare attacks this turn, except with Fusion Monsters. If this card is sent to the GY while you have a banished "Cyber Dragon" monster(s): You can Special Summon this card. You can only activate each effect of "Cyber Dragon Funf" once per turn.

Branded Conscription

(Trap)

Tribute 1 Fusion Monster, then you can target 1 Level/Rank 8 or higher non-Fusion Monster in your opponent's GY; Special Summon it to your field ignoring summoning conditions, and if you do, your opponent cannot Special Summon monsters with a Rank/Level equal to that monster's Rank/Level until the next Standby Phase. The summoned monster cannot attack or change its battle position, and its effects are negated. If this card is in the GY because it was sent there to activate the effect of "Fallen of Albaz" this turn: You can add this card from your GY to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Branded Conscription" once per turn.

Branded in Pacifistic Lament

(Spell)

If you do not control "Fallen of Albaz": You can send 1 card from your hand to the GY; draw 3 cards, then, you must reveal a card that lists "Fallen of Albaz" in its card text, or "Fallen of Albaz", in your hand. If you cannot, send all cards in your hand to the GY.

Curse of the Sacred Beasts

(Spell/Continuous)

When this card is activated, if "Armityle the Chaos Phantasm" is face-up on the field: You can Tribute 1 monster; Special Summon 3 Phantasm Tokens (Fiend/DARK/Level 1/ATK 1000/DEF 1000) as possible to your field in Defense Position, but you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except "Uria, Lord of Searing Flames", "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder", "Raviel, Lord of Phantasms" and/or "Armityle the Chaos Phantasm". While you control only Fiend monsters and/or Level 10 monsters (min. 2): Your "Armityle the Chaos Phantasm" is unaffected by your opponent's card effects, and Fiend monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.

Cyber Alruba

(1*/0/0/LIGHT/Machine/Effect)

During either player's turn, at the start of the Damage Step, if a LIGHT Machine monster you control battles while this card is in the GY: You can Special Summon this card from the GY; negate the effects of the opposing monster while this card is face-up on the field, and neither player takes damage from that battle. This card cannot be destroyed by battle. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card battled: You can banish this card; Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher LIGHT Machine monster from your Deck, ignoring Summoning conditions. You can only activate each effect of "Cyber Alruba" once per turn.

Trivia: Fixed up some of the PSCT from its previous appearance.

---

Different Card Effects from TCG:

Akashic Record - Anime-only card.

---

End Notes:

Trigger warnings: Child abuse/neglect mentions (in the past), reference to possible postpartum depression in the past, the usual ableism that the writer does not condone.

Line break so you can scroll all the way back up!

This is… not a happy chapter. It was never going to be. And it's the kind of chapter that gives you more questions than answers :)

If many things in the chapter feel unresolved and unexplained… that's very much intentional. Your current narrator doesn't give information that freely :) And do remember—this chapter is still technically about two of the 'villains' of the story.

That being said, Shino is such a fun narrator. I always forget this because this fic, by necessity, doesn't give me the chance to have her perspective in it very often. She's contemplative, consciously considers a lot of things, and yet she's very cautious to tiptoe around specific parts of her narration too. You see what she sees, but she also blurs it for you. :3 Sometimes, she just doesn't say things too—she doesn't lie to you, but she sometimes just doesn't tell you things, and you only find out about them later from other people or just offhandedly. Overall, she's really fun!

I was like "yeah I can finish this chapter in 3 days" and then I rewrote the entire confession scene because I wasn't satisfied with me. However, they just both would not stop talking.

Daitokuji's name being Kofun comes from the Kofun period of Japan's history—specifically, the Daisenryo Kofun, a large tomb built for an emperor in ancient Japan. :)

"Shino is my name now because Sora couldn't pronounce my actual name properly when we were kids!" - True story! Someone I know goes by a nickname that's basically just a more compressed version of his name, just because all the younger cousins pronounced his name wrong and he got used to it. Harae is pronounced 'ha-rai-eh' :3

We all know that most of the Fragments chose their own names, right? I promise there's a reason for the trend… and for the one exception :)

I haven't had to write awkward teenager interactions for a while. It's doubly funny considering which characters are involved here. Ryo/Shino have such an interesting (and slightly fucked up) dynamic, all of it built around trust and the lack of it. They're technically flirting but not really? Their first outing together is to kill people? It's exactly as fucked up as I think a relationship involving Ryo Marufuji should be, because this man canonically is uninterested in things that don't challenge him and things that are constants/unchanging—he is broken by failure and then finds that he's actually completed by it, by that single touch of imperfection *rattles on about GX Ryo's characterisation for three thousand words, presses delete* And yet constancy and stability are exactly what's needed for a relationship. I won't talk about anything else, but I hope I conveyed just how strange their relationship is—it's very twisted, for all that they do love each other. And that's all very intentional—after all, there are perfectly normal couples in 6ARC :)

Also, very asexual writer here. However—the moment I planned out this scene two years ago, I realised certain things that… hmm, made it so that being more obvious about what happened between them is pretty important.

I'm also going to clarify that Daitokuji's portrayal here is not needless bashing—instead, I like the guy because he's a rather ambiguous villain and frankly speaking, not at all a 'good person' for most of the time that we see him on screen in GX. In GX, Daitokuji is dying because of the malice of the Sacred Beasts, which caused him to develop a long-term illness that eventually proved fatal. Here… well, I tried to preserve that. Being quite honest, I did not want to write his Alchemy Beasts either. And remember—in canon? Daitokuji's entire persona is a lie. A mask that eventually becomes somewhat true, though to what degree, we never really know. I tried to reflect that here too—that he is still the same kind of man that would sacrifice countless students that trusted him to a dark force he does not understand. At the same time, while he's not particularly adversarial towards her at the start (openly), Shino probably gives him more grace than she should have at the end—kinder than most people would be. Daitokuji is redeemable in some ways, but he is still the kind of man who would sacrifice everything for his own selfishness—and I don't want to just sweep that under the rug and make him the well-intentioned teacher that I see so much in fics.

Fun fact, Martin/Marcel's deck was planned to be Yubel since 2022. The problem is that I planned to cameo Yubel here longgg before it got its Phantom Nightmare support. In other words, before it was good. As such, this duel suddenly became way tougher to write, sigh. Let's be clear that irl, Cyber Dragons gets beaten to shit by Yubel—and that would have been the case even before the new cards. In the end, after bashing my head against the wall for a while and a lot of new drafts, I realised that even with how much busted new support Ryo had in this fic, I needed to ban—you guessed it—Phantom of Yubel for the duel to even be possible. I also had Ryo bomb Nightmare Pain the moment it showed up on field, because having him shoot himself in the foot every turn would genuinely have been awful writing. I think at the very least, there's some fun interactions that can be found here. Shoutout to my partner, who found me hitting my head against the wall with this duel and was the one that advised me that if I couldn't do it, I should find a different way through. In the end, it made me redo the decklist I'd made.

Writing this chapter also made me even more aware of the lack of summoning chants before 5Ds, haha. That was fun though.

Sessho-seki, as mentioned in the chapter itself, means 'killing stone'. I won't go into it here, but it's a term/myth related to a malicious fox spirit.

Fun fact, when I was making OCs for the fic, all of them had like prototype names for their folders before I concretised everything. Shino's codename was 'The Girl with Too Many Names'.

In 6ARC's Duel Spirit lore, Heosvarog is an ancestor to the Cyber Dragons, who lives deep in the Golgonda Desert. :3 That's the basics of it, at least. In the original draft, Heosvarog was a different OC monster, but with its release, I decided to just rewrite and put it in.

Review responses!

To TornadoXz825, we do all love seeing Shino on screen!

To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, thanks for the review!

To Infernal Enby, haha, I hope this lives up to what you wanted! Actually, your usage of the term cognitive dissonance in your review made me really happy, because that's exactly what I've been going for this entire time :) She's a character who seems so much like she should be doing one thing and yet her actions just don't match her words.

To Ben23ten, yeah, I unlocked Yuri in Duel Links too! Dang, it's been a while... and yeah, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

To Bryz0n, I really enjoyed writing that duel as well! Just got to pay homage to a lot of different things in GX haha.

To maryyassa523, it all turns out (relatively) well! :) Take care of yourself!

To phantomdragons, as always, thanks for the thoughtful review :) And yeah, that is one of my favourite tropes... :)

To T.V. 2000, that's one of the things that I was referencing! :3 I like matching and mirroring things with certain anime moments, just as references too.

Alright, that's it! See you guys next time :) This chapter... kinda killed me, but I'm excited to work on the next one! Can't promise that it'll be much happier, but... we'll get there!