Ice Queen Cometh

by Nox Barian

Rio Kamishiro never expected her life would become so chaotic in such a short period of time. First her brother, Shark is set on fire and put in the hospital by a psychopath. Then, she is dragged into the War of the Number Cards alongside her friends. but when familiar faces from the past arrive on Earth, she will begin to question whether she is even human at all. (REMAKE)

10. Agent of Chaos

Welcome Back, Everybody!

Once again, special thanks to Donjusticia and EpsilonTarantula for being great editors and better friends.

And an equally special thanks to everybody who wants to keep reading! I appreciate every single one of you!

Enjoy!

---

Chapter 10: Agent of Chaos

It took a long time for Girag to get his bearings once he ventured away from the docks and into the city streets. Human cities were far different than anything found in the Barian World, and that difference was usually for the worse. He was starting to understand why Mizar complained so much about being forced to come here. The city was so noisy, and everyone always seemed to be heading off to a different destination in a hurry, and that was just the people on foot.

Girag had almost been hit by a car five different times during his attempts to navigate his way through the city, quickly learning the hard way that humans do not walk to their destinations in the middle of the road. Pretending to be a human was harder than it appeared. Even in his human disguise, he stood out like a sore thumb, his figure far taller and more robust than most humans. Not to mention, there were so many rules to follow, too many to keep track. It was a struggle to remember everything he was taught about how to blend in.

Fortunately for him, Mizar told him that most humans believed they were alone in the universe, completely ignorant of the existence of other worlds or alien races, and as a result, whenever a passerby noticed his towering figure or his odd behavior, the worst thing they gave him was a bewildered stare in his direction.

Finally, Girag came across a building that matched the description of what he was looking for, the educational facility where he would find Yuma Tsukumo.

Now all Girag needed to do was patrol the school grounds until he found who he was looking for, not just Yuma, but an ideal human to recruit to the Barian cause so as to defeat Astral's lackey.

He couldn't just pick any human, as this mission was too important to fail. He needed a powerful duelist, and naturally with dueling being just as important to humans as it was to Barians, he assumed many of these students would duel with each other after class. Finding the right candidate was now only a matter of watching enough duels until he found someone strong enough. However, Girag knew he would have to be careful. While Mizar had provided him with a clothing reference to use in his human form that matched the school uniform of Heartland Academy, said human form still looked much older than the typical age of students attending Heartland Academy. If any of the humans realized he wasn't a student, he could risk blowing his cover.

He was still contemplating where to start looking when the sudden ringing of the school bell made him jump. Seeing the sudden output of several students, he ducked behind a nearby grove of trees and bushes near the entrance, forced to crouch down due to his size. He watched as the students passed his hiding spot, lost in their own conversations, completely unaware of his presence. It seems he hadn't been caught after all.

Realizing he misinterpreted the bell as a security alarm, he breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the sweat that trickled down his green mohawk and onto his dark skinned brow. He waited until the last of the students exited the building to step out of his hiding spot and blend in with the crowd. He couldn't help but smirk as he noticed how the students were too enraptured in their conversations to even bother paying attention to him or notice that anything was amiss. He almost felt sorry for these humans. They had no idea their city was about to be the epicenter of a warzone between two dimensions of order and chaos, and one of them would have the honor of being his most valuable pawn.

"Any sign of Yuma?"

Girag's ears twitched and his eyes darted in the direction of where he heard the name of his target. Just outside the school grounds was a small park with several courts set up for the students to duel. While several other students had paired up to play their little games, Girag focused his attention on an adolescent female with long blue hair. The mention of Yuma's name had come from her voice, meaning this was likely a friend of his prey. This could be the opportunity he was looking for.

Using the crowd of departing students to his advantage, Girag crept closer like a crocodile swimming towards an unsuspecting gazelle at a watering hole. Finding another tree to hide behind, he began eavesdropping on the female human's conversation. Three other humans were with her, two other females and one male.

"So, Yuma's decided to skip our afternoon hangouts again?" The rotund male asked, a disappointed and frustrated frown on his face. "Man, I don't understand what he's thinking? We're his friends. You'd think he'd understand that we want to help him."

"Considering what we found out about the Number Hunter, I don't think he believes there's a point, since other than Rio, we can't help him." the green haired female replied bitterly. "But yeah, I agree with you, Tetsuo. I don't understand why he thinks isolating himself from us is the right decision. For him to just cut us off like that…. That hurts…."

"Well, Yuma's not exactly known for making the best decisions," the male admitted.

"So what do we do?" The third female, a gray haired girl with large glasses finally spoke up, her voice an introverted whisper.

A determined look flashed in the male's eyes. "We go with my idea just like we talked about. Going to see Yuma together like we're staging an intervention is only going to make him less willing to talk to us, so I'll go talk with him alone."

"Not that I don't have any faith in you, Tetsuo," the green haired girl interjected. "But what makes you so sure you can bring the old Yuma back to us when I couldn't? Actually, now that I think about it. Why not have Rio do it? She already knew about the Number Hunter before Yuma encountered him, and she's the only one out of the four of us who can actually help Yuma if that creep shows up to duel Yuma again."

"Honestly, I don't think I'm the right person to get through to Yuma," the bluenette, whose name Girag now knew as Rio, admitted.

"I warned Yuma not to duel the hunter, so if I show up, he's just going to feel guilty for dueling the Hunter when I told him he needed my help. But I've got a feeling that the Hunter didn't give him the chance to run away, so Yuma probably didn't have any choice, but that's not the point. If I try to talk to Yuma about the Hunter, he'll assume I'm angry with him."

"Besides, I have a plan to get Yuma back to his old self," Tetsuo declared, his tone becoming more lighthearted and assured as a confident smile appeared on his face. "Don't worry. Yuma just needs some sense knocked into him, and I do have a bit of a track record of knocking sense into him every time we duel, am I right?"

Rio couldn't help but smile and let out a small quiet laugh. "Yeah, you always seem to bring Yuma down to earth whenever he gets overconfident, so I guess it makes sense you should be the one to lift Yuma up when he's lost his confidence."

"Yeah that's pretty much what I'm thinking," Tetsuo said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, Yuma loses to me all the time, but he's never let it get to him no matter how many times I've beaten him. He always gets back up hungry for more. I'm hoping I can use that to remind him not to let a bad loss get to him."

"It might not be that simple," Cathy whispered pessimistically. "There's never been any stakes during all the times Yuma dueled you. If the hunter took Yuma's Numbers, he could have ended up just like those poor people at the hospital."

"...Don't remind me," Tetsuo shuddered, shaking his head in disgust as the image of Yuma as a shriveled up husk appeared in the minds of the four teenagers. "That's all the more reason we have to snap Yuma out of it and get his dueling spirit back. If the hunter comes back, then Yuma needs to be at a hundred percent. He definitely doesn't stand a chance if the hunter decides to kick him while he's down."

"Alright, then that's what we'll do," Rio resigned, having failed to think of a better idea. "I just hope you can help him. Yuma's nothing if not stubborn."

At that, Tetsuo gave a thumbs-up. "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty stubborn myself too."

Having made up their minds, the four friends went their separate ways, completely unaware they were being watched. Girag couldn't believe his luck. Not only did he encounter humans who knew Yuma Tsukumo personally, but if what the round human said was true, he was a duelist who had battled Yuma Tsukumo multiple times and successfully defeated him every single time. The thick lips of the Barian Emperor's human disguise curled into a sinister grin.

"Looks like I've found my assassin," he muttered darkly to himself.

Waiting until the coast was clear, he emerged from his hiding spot and tailed Tetsuo, who mounted his skateboard and sped away. Girag broke into a run, his athletic physique making it easy for him to keep pace with the speeding teenager. His pursuit took him through downtown Heartland, all the while Girag formulated a new plan to get Tetsuo to stop so he could make his move. A network of alleyways nestled to the right of the sidewalk Tetsuo sped down, and Girag ducked into the urban maze, navigating his way through the tight corners until he overtook Tetsuo. Now ahead of the human, he found the perfect opportunity to step out of the alleyway and into Tetsuo's path, fabricating an accidental encounter.

"WOAH!" Tetsuo saw the large man emerge from the alleyway too late, and he skidded his skateboard to slow down before his inevitable collision with the giant. He prepared for the inevitable impact, only for the stranger to catch him and stop him from hitting the pavement.

"Hey, kid! Are you alright?!" Girag exclaimed, playing the part of the concerned bystander perfectly. "Sorry about that. You're not hurt are you?"

"It's all good," Tetsuo said, brushing himself off. "It was my fault. I was kind of in a hurry."

"Really? Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Just meeting a friend…."

Girag noticed the guarded tone in Tetsuo's voice and frowned. Of course the young human would be on edge from encountering a stranger. The Barian would have to approach this from a more subtle angle…

"Oh sure, no problem, but before you go, I have just one question. Are you a duelist?"

Tetsuo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Why? If you want to duel, I'll have to say no and duel you some other time. Like I said, I'm in a hurry."

"Alright, alright, fair enough," Girag feigned defeat. "Probably not my business, but is your friend okay? This isn't some crisis where your friend is hurt or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Tetsuo explained. "I mean, he's not physically hurt, but…."

"He's going through a rough time?" Girag finished for him. "Yeah, I can relate to that. Although I wish I could have been there for my best friend…."

Girag's implication piqued Tetsuo's curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"No, it's nothing… just…. Something really terrible happened," Girag lied. "Poor guy's in the hospital right now in some kind of coma, looking like some shriveled up husk. If only I knew what happened to him I could have…. Well…."

Girag shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, forcing out a few tears for good measure to make his performance all the more convincing, and he could tell by the shocked expression on the human's face that it was working perfectly.

"No way….. Dude, I know what happened to your friend! There's a guy out there attacking duelists and leaving them exactly the way your friend is right now! Your friend must have had a Number card. That's why he was attacked!"

"Number card?" Girag repeated, pretending not to know what they are.

Quickly, he took his secret weapon out of his pocket and showed it to the unsuspecting human, who stared at it, perplexed and intrigued. "You mean like this card right here? Is this a Number card?"

"Eh?" Tetsuo asked, confused at what the stranger had pulled out. "No, that's not a Number Card. Numbers are Xyz Monsters, and that's a Spell…. WOAH?!"

Tetsuo jumped back in shock as a brilliant flash of red light burst out of the card, bathing the entire street in an eerie red glow. Girag broke his facade and allowed himself to smirk maliciously as he watched his target become more and more entranced by the card's hypnotic energy, as the crimson aura began seeping into his body.

"You know something, human, I'm honestly touched as to how far you're willing to go to help out your best friend, but Yuma Tsukumo has chosen the wrong side in this war, so if you want my opinion, I think you need a new best friend, ME!"

The glow of the card subsided, and Tetsuo's posture straightened. He blinked a few times before taking the card in his hands, acting as if it was a perfectly normal card.

"Wow, thanks for the card, man!" Tetsuo exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear and acting as if Girag had simply given him the card as a gift. "You sure you don't want me to trade you anything?"

"Nah!" Girag waved his massive arm dismissively, playing along with the illusion he implanted in his new minion's mind. "I've got tons of those cards. I was planning on giving them away, and you, my friend, seem like the perfect duelist to use it. You just promise me to use that card to win your next duel."

"Oh, that I can definitely do! Later!" Tetsuo saluted before mounting on his skateboard and speeding away, leaving Girag to grin with pride at his accomplishment.

"All too easy…" he said to himself, and he casually walked in the same direction as his new sleeper agent, eager to watch the events that would now unfold.

---

However, unbeknownst to both the Emperor and his new soldier, his usage of Barian's Force had not gone unnoticed. A few miles away, as Rio journeyed back to her house, a searing pain shot through her head, and she stopped to clutch her temples to ward off the sudden migraine.

And yet, her instincts told her this was something else. Something deep inside her was calling to her, beckoning her to seek the energy she was now detecting.

"Something is wrong…." she muttered to herself. While she initially agreed to let Tetsuo handle the situation by himself, the sense of danger she felt after the sudden pain in her head was too great to ignore. She turned around and began making her way to Yuma's house, praying that she was just imagining the danger.

---

The teenage boy in question was sitting on a park bench across the street from his house, his head slumped down, fixated on an interesting looking patch of grass. He didn't feel like going inside just yet. His grandmother was like a bloodhound when it came to his emotions, instantly capable of detecting when something was wrong with him. He was able to avoid her questions yesterday, but he couldn't do it forever.

What could he even tell her, that he almost lost his soul in a duel? He chuckled humorlessly, imagining Akari having a meltdown from hearing about that and going back on her promise to allow him to continue dueling, not like Akari could protect him from the Number Hunter.

…And not that Yuma could find it in himself to blame her. He deserved to be banned from dueling after his performance that night.

"What am I going to do?" he whispered to himself.

"Since you seem incapable of figuring out this dilemma on our own, perhaps you would like assistance on this matter?"

Yuma briefly turned his head to see Astral floating beside him, only to turn away in disinterest and look back at the ground. He didn't have the energy to yell or be angry right now.

"I apologize for my lack of interest in helping you the other night," Astral began, surprising Yuma who turned to look back at him. "I should have engaged with your attempts to strategize a solution against the Number Hunter instead of making the situation seem hopeless."

"No, Astral. You did nothing wrong," Yuma droned monotonously, with Astral's normally stoic face breaking from hearing Yuma's voice devoid of its natural energy and spirit.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I mean, look at me. You wouldn't have had to worry about that Number Hunter if you partnered up with a proper duelist."

"Yuma!" The trace of genuine anger in Astral's exclamation made the boy jump. "Do not say that! Our defeat at the hands of the Number Hunter has rattled us both, but I must reiterate that you did everything correctly during that duel. You are a proper duelist, Yuma. Our opponent was simply, and unfortunately, superior to us both."

Astral folded his arms. "I must be honest, Yuma. You say many ridiculous things, but claiming you are not a proper duelist? When we first met, I may have agreed with that statement, but now? That has to be the most outlandish thing I have ever heard you say. With the right focus provided, you've made astounding progress in the time we've known each other. Anyone could see the difference."

"But… well…" Yuma stuttered. "I don't know. Maybe you're right. Maybe I am being too hard on myself, but if I want to stand a chance when that Number Hunter shows up again, I need to be leagues better than I already am, and… well…. It's just like you said. You don't have a strategy to defeat that dragon, and I don't have the natural skill to come up with something either! I know I shouldn't give up, but…I..I-I!"

"Yuma…" murmured Astral, concerned at what seemed like some kind of breakdown.

"I just…. I'm used to failing all the time, but I've never failed like this before. I could deal with failure when the only thing at stake was my pride, but….."

"This time your life was on the line, as was mine," Astral finished for him. "The Number Hunter put the fear of death in both of us, and yet running away and hiding from him is not an option. We cannot complete our mission to obtain all the Number cards without defeating him, and even if we should try to avoid him, he will undoubtedly find us again. He already has several of them at his disposal, and he will not rest until he has all of them."

"Thanks for reminding me," Yuma grunted bitterly.

Astral raised a dissuading hand. "Apologies. It is not my intention to worry you further by reminding you of what is at stake, but you must remember you are not alone in this fight. I may not have a strategy for dealing with the hunter's dragon at the moment, but I have no intention of assuming that victory is impossible. I admitted earlier that the Numbers have weaknesses, and so, logically, so too must Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon have one as well."

He then continued. "Furthermore, I am not the only ally at your disposal. Rio has Numbers of her own, so it is safe to assume the Number Hunter will target her as well. If we stick together, we could duel the hunter together just as Rio wished."

"But what if that guy strikes when we're alone like he did last time?!" Yuma asked, his tone growing panicked and restless. "What if Rio's help isn't enough? What if…. What if….."

Yuma stopped to take a deep breath and calm down, closing his eyes and burying his face in his hands, unable to finish his sentence as countless worst-case scenarios piled atop him in his mind.

"I wish Mom and Dad were here..." he whispered under his breath. He looked up to gaze at his house, knowing he couldn't stay outside forever. He was just about to get up and go inside when the familiar skidding sound of a skateboard caught his attention. Yuma sighed as he knew it was Tetsuo before he even turned around, realizing that he should have known the consequences of avoiding his friends would come back to bite him.

"Rough day, Yuma?" Tetsuo asked, hanging the board over his shoulder, the ice breaking question obvious and rhetorical.

"You can say that," Yuma answered before getting up and attempting to distance himself from Tetsuo and head inside. He would rather take the risk of his grandmother pestering him about his mental state than having Tetsuo egg him on. "Sorry I didn't show up for dueling practice again. I guess I'm just tired. I haven't been getting much sleep, and…."

"Yuma, come on!" Tetsuo interjected. "You don't need to lie to me like that."

"And you don't need to be so pushy!" Yuma argued back. "Yes, I'm not in the mood to duel! Yes, there's something that's really bothering me, and I don't want to talk about it, so could you just leave me alone and give me some space?!"

"Yuma, I know about the Number Hunter!"

Yuma froze, his breath hitching and his eyes doubling in size. "You… you know?"

"Yeah. Rio told me. She told all of us," Tetsuo explained with a grim sense of sympathy. "The way I hear it, he messed you up pretty bad, and if it wasn't for some stroke of luck, you wouldn't be with us right now. You'd be just like those poor guys at the hospital."

Yuma couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't hold back his emotions, and he felt the tears beginning to build up in his eyes. "Yeah….. I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you! I mean…. How do you tell your friends that you almost lost your soul!?"

"Lost your….. Woah…." Tetsuo's voice trailed off in horror, not expecting such a disturbing answer and even more so at seeing the true extent of Yuma's distraught state. "You mean…."

"Yeah, that's what happened to those people," Yuma confirmed grimly. "That Number Hunter, Kaito, whenever he takes a Number, he takes the soul of his victims with it, and he had the duel won. He would have done the same thing to me if he hadn't canceled the duel at the last second. Don't know why though, some kind of emergency with whoever his boss is?"

"Well, the good news is, you're still here," Tetsuo tried to sound positive, but that only seemed to sour Yuma's mood further. Yuma turned away from his friend, frowning bitterly, but Tetsuo grabbed his shoulder and forced Yuma to face him.

"Hey, come on, Yuma! You lost the duel, but you lived to see another day. In a life or death situation like that, I'd consider survival as a small victory, even if you did get lucky like you said. That means you can do something that those other duelists couldn't do. You can challenge him to a rematch. You may not be ready now, but you've got four friends, five if you count Astral, who want to help you get ready, and we can't help you if you're just going to cut us off like this."

"But…. you can't help me…." Yuma replied.

"What do you mean we can't help you?!" Tetsuo exclaimed. "I'm doing it right now, aren't I?"

"Huh?" Yuma tilted his head in confusion and even Astral turned to pay close attention.

"Rio told me about the hunter's weird time stopping ability, meaning Kotori, Cathy and I can't help you out directly and duel alongside you, but so what? We can help you in other ways. We can help you get stronger so you won't need somebody dueling alongside you."

"But…. We've been practicing every day for the past two months ever since the Numbers showed up." Yuma replied pessimistically. "Tetsuo, it's only because of the Numbers that I've been getting stronger, and this guy made my Numbers completely useless. He didn't just beat me! He made me realize something worse. I haven't improved as much as I thought!"

"So?" Tetsuo countered. "Maybe we need to change how we practice, or maybe we need to find you a different teacher, but you're not going to get any better if you just give up!"

"I know that!" Yuma shouted, exasperated. "Of course I don't want to give up! I'm not a quitter, but…."

Tetsuo placed a hand on his shoulder, and the warm touch of his best friend's hand seemed to slow down his heartbeat to a calmer state.

"Tell you what," Tetsuo offered, smiling sadly. "Let's just have one duel, just one, and win or lose, I'll leave you alone afterwards. This guy scared you to death. I get it, and you want to shake off all that trauma, but taking a break from dueling isn't working. In fact, I think it's making it worse!"

Yuma frowned. Tetsuo did have a point. If anything, the anxiety he felt had only increased, as while he was trying to take his mind off dueling to destress, he just couldn't stop thinking about the hunter and his dragon.

"Well….. Yeah, you're right. It's been two days and I still haven't felt any better, but how is dueling you going to make any difference?"

"Think about it! You need to face that fear, and that means staring down a seemingly unbeatable situation, and who's the one guy you've never beaten even though you've dueled him a million times?"

Tetsuo's question forced a chuckle out of Yuma. "Heh, you!"

"Right! Sure, I gave you a hard time a lot, and I always made fun of you when you lost, but you always got right back up and challenged me again. You never let any defeat ruin your passion for the game, so I figured I might be the best person to help you get back into that mindset, so when it comes time to duel the Number Hunter again, you won't be a nervous wreck. You won't let the fear of losing get to your head, and that way you can keep pushing until you finally beat that creep."

Yuma was still skeptical. "You really think that will work?"

"Sure! Astral can help with the strategy part, but a good strategy won't meant anything if your head's not in the game, and that's where I come in."

Astral was intrigued by this suggestion. "I must say, Tetsuo does have a point. Kaito will come for us again at some point in the future, but we cannot hope to face him again if our minds are crippled with fear."

"Well…."

"Come on, Yuma. Do it for me, just one duel for old times sake, and I'll leave you alone."

Yuma finally sighed in resignation. "Alright, Tetsuo. I'll duel you."

"Perfect! Just promise me one thing! You duel at your best, and that means going all out against me, and that means using your Numbers in this duel."

"What? Really? Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure!" Tetsuo affirmed. "You need to duel at your best, and those Numbers are your best cards. Sure, the Number Hunter rendered them useless, but who cares? Maybe you'll figure out a different way to use them. You won't know until you try!"

Yuma turned to Astral, looking for his opinion, as in the past, Astral never granted Yuma access to the Numbers during practice duels. Perhaps that needed to change, as this wasn't simple practice anymore. This was serious training for the inevitable rematch with their deadliest enemy.

Astral nodded. "I am in agreement with Tetsuo. Therefore, I shall grant you access to the Numbers for this duel."

While Yuma was still not in the best mindset, he had to admit, the chance to finally use his Number Monsters against Tetsuo was exhilarating. Who knew? Maybe with a card like Hope or Volcasaurus, he could finally get the satisfaction of beating Tetsuo, and Yuma knew that would definitely cheer him up.

"Alright, Tetsuo! You want to face my Numbers, Astral says you can! And…."

He paused. "Well…. Honestly, I still don't know if this will fix anything, but… thanks…."

"Anytime, Yuma!" Tetsuo replied, giving his best friend a thumbs up. "Now let's duel!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Tetsuo Takeda: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"Alright, Yuma. Show me what you can do!" Tetsuo ordered.

Yuma blinked, looked at his hand, and shook his head. "No, you go first, Tetsuo. It's okay."

Tetsuo grimaced. Well, it was probably unrealistic to hope that Yuma's confidence would return quickly enough for him to take the initiative like he usually did.

At least he'd agreed to the duel. That was progress, at least.

"Alright, fine! In that case, I'll start by activating the continuous spell, Iron Assembly Line! Then I'll summon Aye-Iron!"

Tetsuo's first monster appeared on the field in the form of a brown mechanical lemur. It was toy-like in appearance, with large cartoon eyes, a wind-up mechanism on its back, and two musical symbols in its hands. The creature beat its two symbols together, barking "Aye! Aye! Aye!"

Aye-Iron: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1600 ATK/1800 DEF

"Aye-Iron's effect activates! It can power itself up by four hundred points, but it can't attack during the turn I use this effect. Of course, it's the first turn of the duel, so that doesn't matter. What does matter is that it triggers the effect of my Iron Assembly Line! Whenever a machine type monster activates its effect, I can special summon another copy of it from my deck and power it up by four hundred attack points, so here's another Aye-Iron!"

A large machine with a conveyor belt appeared behind the first Aye-Iron and summoned forth a second one. Like its twin, the second Aye-Iron beat its symbols together, barking "Aye! Aye! Aye!"

As the machine vanished to be used again later, Tetsuo pointed at the duplicate of his monster. "Now I activate the effect of my second Aye-Iron, so now my second Aye-Iron has twenty-four hundred attack points!"

First Aye-Iron: 2000 ATK/1800 DEF

Second Aye-Iron: 2400 ATK/1800 DEF

"Next, I activate the spell card, Iron Draw! Since I control two machines, I can draw two cards, but I'm only allowed to summon one more monster for the rest of the turn!"

Tetsuo drew his cards, and his eyes lit up when he saw one of them, exactly what he needed.

"Oh yeah! One of the cards I just drew is the continuous spell, Iron Artillery! This lets me power up my stronger Aye-Iron by another four hundred points, but this time, there's a little bonus. Now my spell card inflicts damage to you equal to the difference between my monster's current attack points and its original attack points. So, in case you're still bad at math, my monster gained twelve hundred attack points, so you lose twelve hundred life points!"

"Iron Artillery, FIRE!"

A bore mounted cannon appeared behind the two Aye-Irons, erupting out of the ground and loading its rounds before firing at Yuma, who recoiled as the blast from the attack took away a good chunk of his life points.

Second Aye-Iron: 2800 ATK/1800 DEF

Yuma: 4000 - 1200 = 2800

"I end my turn!" Tetsuo declared. "Well? Are you just going to stand by and let me steamroll you like always? Make your move, Yuma!"

Getting hit with a familiar feeling was like being shaken down with a bucket of wet water right now. After being smacked like that, Yuma felt himself starting to get invested in the duel, and he couldn't help but give Tetsuo praise.

"Man, Tetsuo! What a move! I didn't see that one coming. I've never seen you duel this aggressively before. You're really stepping up your game!"

"You have no idea…" Tetsuo muttered, and Astral took notice of the strange and sudden tone change in the heavyset teenager's voice.

"Something is not right," Astral remarked, causing Yuma to turn to him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what you said." Astral explained. "While this may be the first time I have allowed you to use the Numbers in a casual duel, I have paid attention to every time Tetsuo has dueled you, and you are correct. This style of dueling is far more aggressive than what I am used to seeing from your friend. He seems different, almost as if he is not treating this as a casual duel. He seems more driven, as if he duels for a greater purpose."

"Of course he is!" Yuma replied. "He's dueling for me! There's no greater purpose than helping out a friend in need!"

"Hey, Yuma! You got a problem with me pulling out the big guns early?" Tetsuo smirked. "You know this is just the start. I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Of course I don't!" responded Yuma defiantly, clenching his fist as his fighting spirit began to return.

Astral's eyes softened. Silently, the spirit decided to simply drop the subject so Yuma could focus on the duel. The uneasy feeling inside him still had not gone away, but he was hoping it was nothing. After their horrifying encounter with that Number Hunter, Astral wasn't sure if they could handle any more unexpected threats.

"My turn, draw!" Yuma drew his card and studied the field with focused intent.

"Remember what we talked about, Yuma," Tetsuo called out to him. "You have to treat this as if you're dueling the Number Hunter again. Pretend the stakes are high, but don't let it get into your head. Bring out your best against me!"

"Alright, Tetsuo! You want my best? I'll give it to you! I summon Gagaga Magician!"

Yuma's first monster appeared, a monster Tetsuo knew all too well, his signature brown robed magician.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I equip it with the spell card, Bound Wand! This card increases my magician's attack points by an amount equal to its level multiplied by a hundred. Normally, my monster would only gain four hundred attack points, but Gagaga Magician is going to use his effect to change its level all the way up to eight, meaning it gains eight hundred attack points instead."

A long metal staff with a beautiful red crystal at the tip appeared in the magician's hands, and he flexed his arms as he felt the power of the staff flow into his body.

Gagaga Magician: 2300 ATK/1000 DEF (Level 8)

"Battle! Gagaga Magician, attack his weaker Aye-Iron! Gagaga Magic Attack!"

The magician twirled his staff in his hands and fired a blast of magical energy at one of the robotic lemurs. The attack was a direct hit, blowing a hole in the toy animal's chest. The malfunctioning machine spasmed and convulsed, crying "Ayeeeeeeeeeee!" before exploding, sending the resounding shockwave back at Tetsuo.

Tetsuo: 4000 - 300 = 3700

"I'll move onto my second main phase by activating Gagaga Bolt to destroy your stronger Aye-Iron!"

This time, the magician fired the magic from his staff into the air, which came down in the form of a lightning bolt. A loud "Ayeeeeeeeeeeee!" came from the electrocuted machine's mouth as it writhed on the ground before exploding.

"I'll set this card face-down, and now my magician's level becomes four again, so his attack points drop to nineteen hundred. I end my turn."

Gagaga Magician: 1900 ATK/1000 DEF (Level 4)

"See? Look at that, Yuma! You still have it in you!" Tetsuo encouraged his friend. "Look at what you just accomplished. I put some serious pressure on you, and you bounced back. That's what you always got to do in a duel. It ain't over until it's over."

"Yeah, I know," said Yuma meekly, Tetsuo still bewildered at just how foreign it was to hear that tone of voice out of his friend. "But let's be real. This isn't the same as how it was when I was dueling the hunter. I'm familiar with your cards, Tetsuo, so I don't think this plan of yours is working. I'm not feeling it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to kick it up a notch!" Tetsuo replied defiantly. "My turn, draw!"

"I summon Tin Goldfish, and when this fish is summoned, I can Special Summon any level four monster I want from my hand! I'll use this to special summon a second Tin Goldfish, and after that, the effect of my Iron Assembly Line lets me summon out a third!"

A red metal goldfish with a flat circular body and googly eyes appeared on Tetsuo's field, chirping excitedly. Then, as if the chirping was a call for assistance, two more goldfish appeared on the field.

Tin Goldfish: Level 4/WATER/Machine/800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Three monsters, all of them level four…" Astral noted.

"Yeah, Tetsuo's bringing out his ace," Yuma replied with grim certainty.

"I overlay my three goldfish together! With these 3 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON, APPEAR! TIN ARCHDUKE!"

The overlay network appeared in the sky, sucking the three fish inside of the portal. Then, in a brilliant flash of light, Tetsuo's favorite monster fell from the sky and touched down on the ground, sending a shockwave across the field. The giant tin robot dusted itself off, brushing debris off its red doublet and gold mustache. Its googly eyes locked onto Yuma, prompting it to unsheathe its silver cavalry sword and point it towards Yuma as a challenge of honorable combat.

Tin Archduke: Rank 4/EARTH/Machine/Xyz/2200 ATK/1200 DEF

"Next, my two spell cards will activate their effects!" Tetsuo continued. "Iron Assembly Line has another effect! It can power up any Xyz Monster I summon by four hundred points. After that, I'll use my Iron Artillery again! After my Archduke gains four hundred more attack points, you'll take eight hundred points of damage!"

Tin Archduke: 2200 + 400 = 2600 ATK

"Not if I activate this!" Yuma countered. "I activate my trap, Gagaga Blizzard! This trap special summons Gagaga Girl from my deck, and then I can destroy your Iron Artillery!"

A gust of wind billowed out of Yuma's card, so strong that it lifted the artillery turret off the ground before it could fire and tore it to pieces. The wind then spiraled into a vertical tornado on Yuma's field, heralding the arrival of Gagaga Girl, who took her position next to the magician.

Gagaga Girl: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/800 DEF

"You might think she's an easy target for your Tin Archduke," Yuma continued. "But Gagaga Blizzard prevents you from targeting my Gagaga Monsters with card effects for the rest of the turn!"

"That changes nothing!" Tetsuo rebuked. "You're still going to take a nasty hit from my Archduke. Attack his magician, Tin Archduke! TIN BLADE BEATDOWN!"

The giant robot raised its sword into the air and brought it down on top of the magician, sending a shockwave in Yuma's direction. Yuma braced for impact as his life points went down. When the dust settled, Gagaga Magician was gone, but the bound wand was still on the field, ominously floating in the air.

Yuma: 2800 - 700 = 2100

"Bound Wand's effect activates!" Yuma announced. "Since you destroyed my magician, my bound wand brings him right back to the field!"

The red crystal of the wand pointed downward, conjuring a violet portal which brought Yuma's magician back from the dead. The wand vanished, and the magician was ready for battle once again.

"Good to see you're still fighting Yuma!" Tetsuo applauded with a smile and a nod. "But remember. You've never beaten my Tin Archduke before!"

Something about Tetsuo's comment stung Yuma in a way that he never felt in any of their previous duels. Before, this was something that never bothered him, as he dueled Tetsuo hundreds of times and every time he lost, he would walk away confident he could defeat Tin Archduke next time. Here, however, the idea of confronting a threat that he could never defeat no matter how hard he tried caused his mind to drift back to his duel with Kaito. For a brief second, he imagined Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in place of Tin Archduke, Kaito's glowing coat and ruthless smirk in place of Tetsuo. The fear of failure was returning, palpable and poisonous to his spirit.

"Sounds like you're feeling it, Yuma," Tetsuo said with sympathetic observation.

"Yeah…" Yuma lowered his head in shame. "I'm feeling it alright."

The bearer of the Emperor's Key gave a loud defeated sigh. He thought he could push through this, at least for the sake of the friends who believed in him, but the anxiety was just too much, and even worse, he felt like he would be failing everyone yet again if he admitted it was too much for him.

"Yuma, are you alright?" Astral woke his partner out of his forlorn trance.

"No…" Yuma confessed, before looking up at Tetsuo. "Hey, Tetsuo, can we just stop for now?"

"No way!" Tetsuo shouted, making Yuma jump from how loud and aggressive he suddenly shouted. "Let me ask you something, Yuma. When have you ever forfeited a duel?"

"Well…. I…."

"I'll tell you!" The heavy-set teen continued. "Never! My best friend has never forfeited a duel, and that's why even though I beat you every single time, even though you seemed to make the most bone-headed mistakes, even though I thought you were one of the worst duelists I have ever met, I still supported you and respected you, and I always accepted a challenge when you came back hungry for more. Every time we dueled, I thought maybe this would be the time you'd start using your brain and finally beat me, so imagine my surprise when you started getting better over the past several weeks."

"You…. wanted me to beat you?" Yuma asked, equal parts shocked and touched.

"Of course!" Tetsuo affirmed. "Sure, smacking you around is fun and all, but I'm still your friend, and you can bet I would be happy for you if you ever did, so why quit now? You've improved quicker than any duelist I've seen and it's not just because of those Number cards. Sure, they're a big help, but a big strong Xyz Monster is nothing in the hands of a duelist who doesn't know how to use it properly."

"But…." Yuma's eyes drifted back to the ground, the self-doubt returning in full force. "I only won most of my duels because Astral was giving me advice. Yeah, I've managed to figure out a few good moves on his own, but when I asked him last night if he could help me come up with a plan to defeat that Number Hunter, he came up with nothing. Astral is the best strategist I've ever seen, so if he doesn't know how to beat this guy, then what chance do I have when he comes for me again? As long as I have Numbers, we both know he's going to come after me again!"

"Just because you don't have a plan now, doesn't mean you can't figure out one eventually," Tetsuo continued, his voice firm but inspiring. "Look, I can't talk to Astral or even see him, but if he can hear me, then let me just say I think he's just as rattled from that duel as you are, so maybe this duel will be for his own good just as much as it is for you, Yuma."

Astral looked up and locked eyes with Tetsuo, his mood shifting from forlorn to curious. He studied Tetsuo thoroughly, and there seemed to be no trace of what he saw earlier.

"Perhaps my own fears regarding the Number Hunter were getting the better of me, and I was merely seeing things…" he muttered to himself, while Tetsuo continued his motivational speech.

"So what are you waiting for, Yuma? Let's see if today's the day you beat me. Maybe you'll lose again anyway, and maybe you're still no match for that Number Hunter right now, but you definitely won't be a match for me or him with that kind of attitude, so summon one of your big bad Numbers already! I'm ready for them!"

Yuma took a deep breath to calm himself down and allow Tetsuo's words of encouragement to invigorate him. In the end, his friend was right. The fear of failure was still there, and he knew it wouldn't disappear overnight, but if Tetsuo still believed in him even after all that has happened, what kind of friend would Yuma be if he repaid Tetsuo's faith in him by giving up?

If his parents were here, they would be telling him the same thing. For a brief moment, he imagined his father behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and telling him to reach for the stars and high five the sky.

Deep Breaths. Calm Down, and Draw.

"Kattobingu Da Ze Ore!" Yuma shouted. "My turn! I draw, and I summon Dododo Warrior! Even though he's a level six monster, I can normal summon him without tributing a monster as long as I lower his attack points by five hundred.

Yuma's viking warrior fell from the sky and stomped his armored legs into the ground, brandishing his poleaxe and shield in an aggressive, battle-ready posture.

Dododo Warrior: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK

"Next, I activate Gagaga Girl's effect. She can change her level to match that of Gagaga Magician, making her a level four monster, and that means I can overlay them both together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! NUMBER 39, KING OF WISHES - HOPE!"

The two magicians vanished into the overlay network, which conjured the Number's sealed form. The metallic wings unfolded and transformed into Yuma's ace monster, hovering above the battlefield and staring down Tin Archduke with its glowing red eyes.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

As Tetsuo locked eyes with the Number Monster, Astral spotted the dark glint in the machine duelist's eyes again.

"Tetsuo is being so helpful to Yuma, like a proper friend should," Astral muttered, pondering this strange feeling inside him. "And yet, something doesn't feel right. Is this feeling caused by our ordeal from the Number Hunter, or are Tetsuo's motives not so altruistic?"

Astral knew making accusations of foul play at one of Yuma's friends was a bad idea, especially given Yuma's vulnerable mental state. He had only recently ended his feud with Rio, and the last thing he wanted was to ruin all the hard work Tetsuo seemed to be doing to help Yuma by throwing suspicion in his direction, at least not without evidence. He decided to merely do as he usually did, quietly observe and assess the situation.

"I hope you're not getting second thoughts about dueling against one of my Number Monsters!" Yuma exclaimed, feeling his beaming smile returning to his face as the idea of being able to use his Numbers against Tetsuo invigorated him. "After all, you asked me to summon it, so don't complain when Hope attacks your Tin Archduke and finally destroys it."

Unfortunately for Yuma, Tetsuo was more than prepared to deal with Hope.

"You won't get the chance to attack it! Tin Archduke activates its effect! I detach one overlay unit to switch Hope into defense mode. GO! ROYAL COMMAND!"

Tin Archduke absorbed one of its overlay units into its sword and pointed it at Hope. Then, as if Hope was being crushed by an invisible pressing weight, the Number Monster was forced to assume a crouching defensive stance.

"Ha! Even Number Monsters bow down to my Tin Archduke!" Tetsuo gloated playfully.

"Yuma! I would have thought you would remember Tin Archduke's effect!" Astral chastised him, but Yuma's grin remained on his face, and Astral realized Yuma had a plan to deal with the Archduke.

"Fine by me, but I have a lot more things for you to worry about than just my Number Monster. In fact, I'm about to do something I've never ever done before. I'm going to turn that Tin Archduke into scrap metal! Since my Gagaga Girl was used to Xyz Summon this turn, your Tin Archduke's attack points drop to zero!"

"So? Hope's not able to attack Archduke right now!" said Tetsuo confidently.

Yuma grinned. "That might be true, but without its attack points, Tin Archduke is wide open for my Dododo Warrior to attack it! Tin Archduke's effect can only be used once per turn, so now that my warrior is on the field, he can finally smash that robot to pieces!"

Tetsuo grimaced as a circle of green light surrounded Tin Archduke, sapping it of its strength and forcing it down on one knee. Even worse for the machine duelist, the instant the circle appeared, Dododo Warrior lifted his axe and shifted into a battle-ready stance.

Tin Archduke: 2600 - 2600 = 0 ATK

"Battle! Dododo Warrior, attack his Tin Archduke now! DODODO AXE!"

The armored Viking now charged forward, leaping in the air and slamming his axe into the robot's right shoulder. Tetsuo desperately moved to save his monster as the robot recoiled in pain from the mighty blow, sparks from the attack raining down on him.

Tetsuo: 3700 - 1800 = 1900

"I activate the final effect of my Assembly Line! By sending my continuous spell card to the graveyard, I can prevent my Tin Archduke from being destroyed!"

As the conveyor belt behind the Archduke shattered into pieces, the robot regained its footing and shrugged off the attack, much to Yuma's frustration.

"Ah, damn it! I knew I forgot something!" Yuma stomped his foot into the ground. "I end my turn."

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Yuma," Astral tried his best to reassure his human partner. "Tin Archduke is now completely neutralized. Tetsuo can no longer use it for battle, and he can only use its effect to keep your monsters at bay two more times. If you keep pushing and do not allow your momentum to slip away, you will eventually destroy it and prevail."

Peering out from behind a broad tree, hidden by the shadows of the branches, Girag watched the duel with intense focus, grimacing at seeing Yuma gain the upper hand.

"So, Yuma Tsukumo's doing pretty well, even when his mind is in such a vulnerable state. Well, just you wait, little human. Your friend Tetsuo has a little surprise for you. I hope you like it."

"My turn, draw!" Tetsuo drew his next card, but the moment he saw what he drew, his demeanor instantly changed. Astral saw the dark glint in Tetsuo's eyes once again, and the spirit suddenly felt a foreboding sense of dread and unease as Tetsuo's lips curled into a malicious grin.

"Yuma…. Something is very wrong with Tetsuo." Astral finally decided to voice his concerns to his partner, but predictably, Yuma was equal parts confused and skeptical.

"What are you talking about, Astral? I mean sure, I bet Tetsuo's not too happy that I crippled his best monster and gained the upper hand, but this is a casual duel. We're not dueling for Numbers, so what's there to worry about?"

A dark chuckle from Tetsuo drew Yuma's attention back to the iron duelist.

"Actually, Yuma, I'd say the two of you have a lot to worry about, especially you, Astral! I was waiting for you to bring out Hope, and now I can crush it and take it from you, along with every single Number you have!"

"WHAT?!"

A rose red glow enveloped Tetsuo's body, and Yuma's eyes widened in shock as a stylized blue symbol resembling a fleur-de-lis with a red gem in the center appeared on Tetsuo's forehead.

"T-T-Tetsuo what's going on?" stuttered Yuma, his eyes growing wide as he realized Astral's fears were correct. "Don't tell me you've been possessed by a Number!"

Astral's eyes remained transfixed on the symbol on Tetsuo's forehead, alien yet familiar, a long-forgotten threat. "No, I do not think he has a Number," Astral theorized. "This is something worse."

"I've been given a great gift, something that will make all our problems go away!" Tetsuo answered, his voice growing erratic, maniacal, and somewhat disturbingly eloquent. "I've been blessed with a power that will put those vile Numbers to shame, the power of Barian World!"

"Barian World?!" Yuma repeated. "Tetsuo what are you talking about?"

"Didn't Astral tell you that he was from a place called Astral World?" Tetsuo inquired. "Well, the power I've been given comes from its polar opposite! The sworn enemies of Astral World are finally here to claim what is rightfully theirs and crush their hated enemies once and for all!"

Astral's eyes widened at the revelation, then quickly narrowed. "Then that means this is the great enemy I was tasked with defeating," the spirit deduced. "These two worlds must be at war with each other, Yuma, and that must be why the rulers of Barian World want the Numbers. They must be the key to winning this war."

"So…. So wait, this entire duel was a trap?!" Yuma asked in horror, and Tetsuo shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, truth be told, I was coming here to duel you anyway and help you out like the good friend I am, but then my new master made me an offer I just couldn't refuse, and I realized the power of Barian World could finally make all our problems go away!"

Yuma took a step back as Tetsuo's eyes turned maniac and insane, a completely out-of-character sneer on his face that made him look like he'd been brainwashed by a cult.

"Think about it, Yuma. Think about everything that's happened over the past month and a half; The airship almost crashing and killing your sister, Aika trying to brainwash the whole school, that incident with the pack, and now that incident with the Number Hunter where we almost lost you. None of those things ever would have happened if Astral hadn't shown his ugly face here and brought those Numbers to earth, so I think it's time he pays for everything he's done!"

Astral, once again recalling Yuma's duel against Kaito, lowered his head in shame. Tetsuo, despite his being corrupted by this unknown force, did have a point, whether those words were manufactured or not.

While he had no idea what caused him to lose the Numbers in the first place when he came to Earth, they were still his responsibility, pieces of his memory, and when the Numbers scattered, they unleashed a multitude of dangers for the humans of this city. Had Astral, Yuma, and Rio not put a stop to these possessed duelists, then the responsibility for the harm they caused to others would fall unto Astral's shoulders.

Yuma, on the other hand, was quick to defend the spirit.

"That's not fair and you know it!" he argued. "Astral lost the Numbers by complete accident. He never meant for any of this to happen. Sure, we have a long way to go before we restore his memories and find out the truth, but I don't think Astral is a bad person. If anything, these Barian people sound like the real bad guys! Only a sick piece of work would brainwash somebody to do their dirty work for them!"

"Oh please!" Tetsuo scoffed. "As if what you're doing is any different. Astral's using you to do his dirty work by having you gather up all the Numbers, and you were so naive to agree to help him without questioning his true motives, that you might as well be brainwashed yourself! Besides, what you call brainwashed, I call enlightened, and if you still think following Astral is the right thing to do, then maybe this card will knock some sense into you!"

Tetsuo then brought the card he'd drawn forward, before flicking it to reveal the same symbol on his forehead emblazoned on it.

"I activate the spell card, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! Now I can transform my lowly Tin Archduke into a brand-new monster capable of destroying your Number and Astral, a Chaos Xyz Monster!"

"A Chaos Xyz monster?!" Yuma exclaimed. "What's that?"

"I have never heard of such a creature," Astral replied, equally shocked and confused.

From his hiding spot, Girag saw his puppet activate his secret weapon and grinned maliciously.

"Heh Heh Heh. Now the fun part can get started. Go, my assassin! Teach Astral to fear us once again!"

As Tetsuo held the card in the air, its foreboding aura bathed the entire battlefield in an eerie rose red glow. Astral physically recoiled from the toxic light, his instincts telling him to stay away from the energy, the…the Chaos.

The fear Astral felt from staring down the Number Hunter's dragon returned in full force, but this was different. At least Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon had felt…familiar, despite the dragon's ferocity. Everything about this power however, felt wrong to him, the antithesis of everything that defined his existence.

A new portal opened up above Tin Archduke and bathed the creature in the same red energy. Tin Archduke curled up into a ball of Earth-attributed energy that shot into the air, allowing the energy to cloak its body in a spiraling dark green shell, the energy initiating the transformation and infusing it with the power of chaos.

"Barian Power born of chaos, unleash your judgment on this world of filth!"

"Arise and cleanse the rabble with your metal blade! CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! APPEAR, CHAOS XYZ, TIN TYRANT!"

Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the green orb shattered, revealing Tetsuo's new Xyz Monster, a twisted doppelganger of the original Tin Archduke. All traces of its previous comical identity were long gone, replaced by a soulless machine. Its peach-colored metal skin was now a cold steel gray, while the gentlemen's doublet it wore was now a suit of spiked black armor with a red cape attached to it at the back. Glowing red veins decorated the armor, empowering the robot with the chaos that created it. The robot's hair had transformed into a shaggy red mane, while its mustache, once a curled imperial blonde style, had grown into a red handlebar mustache with a thick beard to accompany it. Most threatening of all, its once comical googling eyes had transformed into empty black voids that were only lit with the same glowing red light from the Barian card burning inside them.

CXyz - Tin Tyrant: Rank 5/DARK/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/1500 DEF

"Tin….. Tyrant?!" Yuma gasped, reeling from the stupefying sight of the Xyz Monster's transformation, and yet he still tried to summon a flicker of bravery in the face of his new threat. He had to. This was no casual duel between friends anymore. Now this was a duel with serious stakes, and if Barian World truly was the sworn enemy of Astral World, then there was no question that losing this duel would result in Astral's demise.

"Well… Okay, fine! You made your Tin Archduke stronger, but only a Number can destroy a Number, and even if you could, you've seen Hope in action enough times to know its effect. It can negate your monster's attack before it can even get near him."

Tetsuo chuckled again, making Yuma realize he was about to eat his words.

"Oh, Yuma. This is why you always kept losing to me. You were always too stupid to see the real danger right in front of your face. Tin Tyrant isn't a normal Xyz Monster, and Barian's Force is far more than your average spell card! It doesn't just make my Xyz Monster stronger, it makes your Number Monster weaker! Barian's Force can take both of Hope's overlay units, and then your Number Monster loses three hundred attack points for each overlay unit I just took from it. Go! CHAOS DRAIN!"

Tin Tyrant unsheathed its sword, curved and jagged, and the robot fired a beam of red energy from its blade, striking Hope and knocking its overlay units out of orbit. The two floating orbs were dragged towards the CXyz monster and transformed into more of the large red diamonds, infected with the same chaos.

Hope: 2500 - 600 = 1900 ATK

"Next, I activate Tin Tyrant's effect! I use one chaos overlay unit to switch Hope from defense to attack mode, but there's an added twist this time around. When your monster's battle position changes, you take damage equal to half its current attack points. TYRANNICAL ORDER!"

The corrupted archduke made a slashing motion with its sword, sending another wave of rose colored energy towards the Number Monster, striking it in the chest and forcing it to stand back up. Electricity crackled around Hope's body, which then traveled down the ground towards Yuma and Astral, shocking them both.

Yuma: 2100 - 950 = 1150

Yuma clutched his stomach as his life points went down, but he was more worried about his partner. As he turned around to check on Astral, he could see the red lightning continue to crackle around the spirit's body, while Astral continued to cry in agony.

"Astral! What's happening to you?!"

"This…. Energy…" Astral grunted. "I cannot…. Tolerate it… I feel so weak…"

"Tetsuo, stop it!" Yuma shouted, turning back to the duel to try and reach his friend. "You're hurting Astral!"

"Oh, I'm hurting Astral?" Tetsuo parroted with mock concern. "My mistake! I was trying to kill him! Maybe wiping out the rest of your life points will do the trick!"

Yuma's heart sank. It was growing clear to him that similar to being possessed by a Number, there was little he could do to reach out to his friend while he was in this corrupted state. However, this gave Yuma a glimmer of hope. If this Barian's Force card's corrupting influence was similar to how the Numbers controlled people, then that could mean he would free Tetsuo if he won the duel. Steeling himself, Yuma resolved to push on and do just that, as now two of his friends were in danger.

"Well if you want to get to my life points, you'll have to go through my Number Monster, and–"

"Yeah, let me stop you right there, buddy!" interrupted Tetsuo. "Before you repeat yourself like a brain damaged parrot about how only a Number can destroy a Number, let me let you in on a secret. That's not necessarily true. Chaos Xyz Monsters summoned through the power of Barian's Force can destroy Number Monsters by battle!"

"WHAT?!"

"Tin Tyrant, attack and destroy Hope! TYRANNICAL TERMINATION!"

The robot raised its massive blade over its head and charged, the rockets underneath its feet propelling it forward like a bullet train. Hope matched the challenge head on, taking flight with his mechanical wings and drawing his own swords to defend itself, but the chaos xyz monster effortlessly disarmed Hope, knocking the two blades out of the Number Monster's hand before bringing its sword down once again, slicing across Hope's chest and shattering the Number Monster to pieces.

The resulting shockwave knocked Yuma off his feet where he fell hard on his back, all while more of the red electricity continued to shock and torment him.

Yuma: 1150 - 1100 = 50

"I end my turn. Make your last move, Yuma, and don't worry," Tetsuo gloated. "As your best friend, I'll be sure to offer my condolences when Astral is destroyed and your precious Numbers belong to Barian World."

Yuma staggered to his feet, battered but prepared to continue the duel. Astral on the other hand was not so lucky. Yuma saw that his friend was in a far worse way than he was, red sparks crackling around his body as he curled up into a ball on the ground, shuddering from the violent shocks.

"Astral! Astral, come on! Get up! We can't stop now, not when your Numbers are on the line!"

"Yuma…." Astral wheezed. "I am sorry…. I cannot tolerate this energy…. I have to… retreat…."

Astral's body began to fade away, and Yuma realized his spirit partner needed to return to the Emperor's Key for protection against this energy, this chaos that was somehow poison to his own body. Yuma began to panic, as while he understood Astral was in pain, if he left now, then Yuma would be forced to continue the duel on his own.

For a brief second, Yuma thought he heard the growling of the hunter's dragon.

"Astral, come on! You can hang in there for just a little longer!" Yuma pleaded. "I can't win this duel without your help!"

"You must…I… trust you…Yuma…You are…good enough..."

"Astral! No! Come back!" But Yuma knew it was no use. Astral desperately needed to rest, and he couldn't stay even if he wanted to. "Astral…."

"Yuma!"

A familiar voice from behind him gave Yuma a sense of relief. He turned around to see Rio approaching, a look of concern on her face, as she arrived just in time to see Astral fade away.

"Yuma, what happened to Astral? Is he okay?"

"Astral's fine! He just needs to rest, but we have bigger problems! Tetsuo's not himself…. He's well…. See for yourself!"

The instant Rio turned her head to look at the field, she felt that sharp pain in her head yet again as she locked eyes with the symbol on Tetsuo's forehead. She then saw the monster on Tetsuo's field. It somewhat resembled Tetsuo's favorite monster, yet it looked different, changed, wrong.

"What…. Is That?!" The Ice Queen exclaimed in disbelief.

"Rio, so glad of you to show up!" Tetsuo greeted the Ice Queen, his voice sinister and mocking.

"You saved me the trouble of tracking you down later. Once I finish mopping the floor with Yuma like I usually do, I'll be taking your Numbers next, so you can just stand there and look pretty while I finish the duel!"

"What's gotten into you, Tetsuo?" Rio exclaimed. "What is that thing on your forehead?"

"This?" Tetsuo pointed to the blue crest. "This is true power, the power of Barian World!"

"Ba….. Barian World?" The word, Barian, echoed in her mind, foreign yet familiar, like the echo of a forgotten dream. She turned to Yuma for answers.

"It looks like we finally found the bad guys that Astral was supposed to fight before he lost the Numbers," Yuma explained. "You know that super important mission Astral kept talking about? I think this is it. I don't know all the details, but according to Tetsuo, Astral World and Barian World hate each other, almost like they're sworn enemies fighting in a war."

"Couldn't have explained it better myself," Tetsuo replied with a sneer. "And all I have to do is win this duel to win the whole war. Astral World will fall without its precious Original Number to protect it, and Barian World will enter a Golden Age."

"Yuma, when did this happen?!" Rio asked. "Tetsuo was fine an hour ago."

"I have no idea!" Yuma exclaimed. "One minute, he was helping me out of my funk, and I thought this was just a friendly duel, and the next minute, he's giving evil speeches about the Barian World and talking about killing Astral! All I know is that somehow, he got his hands on this weird spell card, Rank Up Magic Barian's Force. It's possessing him, kind of like how the Numbers possess people."

Rio's brow furrowed as she processed this new revelation, which now added a new layer of complexity to the war for the Numbers.

"Just like the Numbers…" she whispered, pondering the implications. "People who get possessed by Numbers snap out of it when we beat them in duels, so if this spell card does the same thing, then you know what needs to be done. You have to win this duel!"

"But…." doubt crept into Yuma's eyes, and they drifted to the ground, ashamed to look at his friend as he admitted his lack of confidence. "But… Astral's not here anymore… and…."

"I get it Yuma! I really do!" Rio sympathized. "That duel against the Number Hunter messed you up really bad, and you couldn't beat him even with Astral helping you. Now you're facing a similar threat, and the burden falls entirely on you to make all the decisions. I know how horrible that feels. I've felt that kind of anxiety before. The first time I dueled somebody after my brother got put in the hospital, I was a nervous wreck. Ryouga always supported me when I dueled, so I couldn't imagine dueling without him being there for me, but I realized something important that helped me keep going."

Yuma perked up, curious. "What did you learn?"

"Even if the people you care about aren't physically with you, they're still with you in spirit. Astral's still in the Emperor's Key. He's not gone forever, and even if he can't be there to help you, you know he's supporting you. You know he has enough faith in you to finish the duel without his help. Otherwise, he might have risked his health to stay here and hold your hand."

"You're wasting your time trying to give him a pep talk, Rio." Tetsuo scoffed. "I know we've seen Yuma pull a miracle out of nowhere before, but nothing can save him this time."

Yuma ignored Tetsuo's taunting, focusing instead on Rio's advice. His mind drifted back to the day he realized his parents were not coming home, the worst day of his life, a day that made him tempted to never duel again. How could he enjoy his favorite pastime when the people who inspired him to duel in the first place were no longer there to watch him grow?

It was only when his grandmother ensured him they were still watching over him, regardless of where they were, that he decided to pick up his deck and keep moving forward.

Deep breaths. Stay calm and draw.

Yuma gave Rio a reassuring smile. "Thanks, Rio. I needed that."

"Any time, Yuma," Rio nodded. "Now summon one of your Numbers and crush that monster."

"Uh…. yeah about that…" Yuma nervously confessed. "I already tried that."

"What do you mean?"

"That thing Tetsuo has on the field right now isn't an ordinary Xyz Monster. It's something called a Chaos Xyz monster, and apparently these things can destroy Number Monsters in battle!"

"WHAT?! Then how can you…."

"He can't!" Tetsuo interjected in malignant triumph. "We both know those Numbers are the only cards in Yuma's deck worth anything, and without those Numbers, he's nothing, just the same old novice he was before Astral showed up!"

Yuma hated hearing words like those out of Tetsuo of all, and for a moment, he was tempted to falter…but then a thought struck him. His friend would never say things like that, and if he didn't beat him now, then the forces that had taken control of him would never let him go. He wouldn't let that slide, he would not lose this duel!

"There's only one way to find out!" Yuma replied defiantly. "My turn… Draw!"

Yuma looked at his card, and a look of determination came upon his face. "I activate the spell card, Dododo Draw! I send Dododo Warrior to the Graveyard to draw two new cards!"

Yuma's viking sank into the earth, and the syllable duelist drew his cards, hoping for the miracle he needed, but fate was not on his side this time.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Yuma shouted.

"Bad draw?" Rio asked, visibly cringing from Yuma's exasperation.

"You could say that…."

Yuma looked down at his hand with a frustrated glare in his eyes.

"Ganbara Knight and Pixie Gong of Courage? I can't do anything with these," he whispered to himself, internally kicking himself as he realized he forgot to take Pixie Gong of Courage and the monster it supported, Joe the Pixie, out of his deck the last time he rebuilt it. Every time he tried to use Joe the Pixie, it backfired on him and cost him the duel. It seemed to Yuma that Joe the Pixie was only good for stalling and nothing else.

Then again, stalling was exactly what he needed to do in this situation. At this point, surviving the next turn was a small victory in his eyes.

"Well, it's better than nothing. I set a monster face-down and one card face-down and I end my turn!"

"Ha! See? What did I tell you?" Tetsuo sneered. "No Hope… well…. Ha ha…. No Hope!"

"Tetsuo, that's enough!" Rio snapped. "I know you're possessed, but this is your best friend you're dueling! If your so-called masters are in the right, why would they force you to hurt your best friend?"

"Actually, if you think about it, I am helping him!" Tetsuo replied. "We were doing just fine until Astral showed up, just casually minding our own business until he brought the Numbers here and threw the whole city into a state of mayhem. Just look how many times people's lives have been at risk because of these Numbers, and that's not even counting the Number Hunter that almost put Yuma in a coma like those other poor souls. Think about it, Rio! If I get rid of Astral and take away both Yuma's Numbers, and yours, then the Number Hunter won't come after you. We'll be safe from harm, and we can go back to our normal lives! We're in over our heads, so I'm doing you a favor!"

"Killing an innocent person doesn't do anybody a favor!" Yuma shouted. "And I'm not going to sit around and do nothing while these Barians brainwash people to get what they want, so there's no way I'm looking the other way while this war is going on! I'm staying and fighting whether you like it or not!."

As he continued to watch the duel from his hiding spot, Girag audibly growled at Yuma's comment, clutching his shoulders as memories of the war echoed in his head.

"So you think Astral's innocent? Oh, Yuma Tsukumo, how little you know…"

"Have it your way," Tetsuo replied. "It's not like it's going to matter since you're about to lose! It's my move, and I activate Tin Tyrant's effect again to flip your mystery monster into attack mode! Once that happens, you'll take damage equal to its attack points and lose the duel! Let's see who it is!"

"GO! TYRANNICAL ORDER!"

The chaos infected robot pointed its jagged blade at the sideways card, forcing it into an upright vertical position and revealing the monster in a glow of light. The maroon armor, football helmet and twin green shields immediately gave away its identity as Ganbara Knight, much to Tetsuo's surprise.

Ganbara Knight: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/0 ATK/1800 DEF

"Oh wow! Lucky you! Ganbara Knight has zero attack points, so that means you don't take any damage from my Tin Tyrant's effect."

"Even better, Tetsuo! Ganbara Knight can use its effect to switch itself back to defense mode!"

"You think that's going to save you? My monster inflicts piercing damage when it attacks a monster in defense mode, so you're still going to lose! Go Tin Tyrant, attack his Ganbara Knight and end this duel! TYRANNICAL TERMINATION!"

The robot launched itself into the air with its rocket powered feet, preparing to slam its sword down on the helpless warrior, but Yuma was ready with his last line of defense.

"I activate my continuous trap, Pixie Gong of Courage! This card special summons Joe the Pixie from my deck, and now you have no choice but to attack him instead!"

A golden gong manifested beside the knight, while a tiny red fairy floated above it with a small mallet in her hands. The fairy rang the gong with the mallet and in a flash of light, a new monster stood in front of the knight, an elderly male fairy dressed like a modern American soldier, complete with a dark green uniform and army helmet. The tiny soldier took the hit of the incoming blade, shattering into dust as he sacrificed himself for the knight.

Joe the Pixie: Level 1/EARTH/Fairy/100 ATK/300 DEF

Tetsuo couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the familiar monster. "Ha! Really? That's your last line of defense? Out of all the monsters you could summon to protect you, you choose to bring that thing out? Just how desperate are you?"

"Since you're so familiar with Joe the Pixie, you probably already know that I don't take any battle damage when he's destroyed, but what you don't know is that as long as my Pixie Gong of Courage is on the field, my little soldier here will just keep coming back for more!"

Tetsuo rolled his eyes. "Yuma, come on! There's no shame in admitting you can't win! You've never beaten me and this duel will be no different. I get you don't want to lose Astral since he helped you become a better duelist, but he's an alien creature you barely even know! Why risk your neck for him? Just hand over your Numbers and we can go back to the way things used to be."

Yuma stepped forward defiantly. "Tetsuo, you've been my best friend for years. You should know that it doesn't matter how long I've known somebody. I'd risk my neck for them in a heartbeat if they need my help! It's just who I am, and right now, both of you need my help. I'm not just dueling to protect Astral. I'm dueling to get that weird symbol off your forehead!"

Tetsuo shrugged his shoulders. "My offer still stands. My masters from Barian World won't need me anymore when they have what they want, so they'll gladly release me from their services the moment this duel is over. Once again, just make it easy on yourself and hand over your Numbers."

"Don't do it, Yuma!" Rio insisted. "If these people are willing to resort to fighting dirty by sending brainwashed minions after you instead of fighting you themselves, then I wouldn't trust them to keep their word!"

"Don't worry, Rio! I wasn't planning on accepting the offer anyway," Yuma reassured her, causing Tetsuo to roll his eyes.

"Typical! You never knew when to just walk away, and what has that ever gotten you? You've had to deal with failure after failure, after failure. When are you going to learn?"

"I'd rather fail and risk getting hurt again than live with the shame of running away and quitting just so I could feel safe and comfortable!" Yuma snapped.

"Then make your move already! Barian World does not like to be kept waiting."

"Fine!" Yuma felt his hands shake, and he hesitated to draw his card. The fear was there, palpable and parasitic, the same he felt when he stared down the hunter's dragon.

"Come on, Yuma!" Rio shouted. "Kattobingu Da Ze Ore!"

Hearing his father's battle cry pushed the fear back inside.

Deep breaths. Stay calm, and draw.

KATTOBINGU DA ZE ORE!" Yuma shouted. "Draw!"

He inspected his new card, and his brow furrowed. "Mini-Guts? What can I do with….?"

At first his brain wrote off the spell card as another bad draw, but then his eyes drifted to the golden gong still on the field and a bright light went off inside his mind. There was still a chance after all.

Yuma's lips curled into an excited grin. "Hey, Tetsuo! Tell your new friends over in Barian World that they'll have to send somebody else to come and get my Numbers because I'm about to win this duel! On my standby phase, I activate the effect of Pixie Gong of Courage! Since I don't control Joe the Pixie right now, my gong summons him right back to the field, reporting for duty!"

The red female fairy appeared again to ring the gong, conjuring a bright light that brought the cherub soldier back to the battlefield.

Joe the Pixie: Level 1/EARTH/Fairy/100 ATK/300 DEF

"Now I activate the spell card, Mini-Guts! All I have to do to activate this card is tribute a monster, like my Ganbara Knight, and when I do, this spell card drops your Tin Tyrant's attack points all the way to zero!"

Tin Tyrant: 3000 - 3000 = 0 ATK

"You still don't know when to quit, do you, Yuma? Go ahead and take away my monster's attack points! You won't even get the chance to attack my Tin Tyrant because I'm using his effect to target Joe the Pixie and switch it to defense mode! Sure, with only a hundred attack points, you'll only lose fifty lifepoints, but last time I checked, fifty is all you have! You lose again, Yuma!"

"Not this time! You can't target or destroy Joe the Pixie with card effects as long as I control my Pixie Gong of Courage, so I'm afraid the only one losing here is you!"

Tetsuo's face suddenly went pale as he realized the shocking implications.

""You…. but, that means…. Even with only a hundred attack points, Joe the Pixie can destroy my monster if he attacks! No! This can't be happening! My chaos xyz monster can't lose…. To… to… to THAT!"

"Joe the Pixie, attack Tin Tyrant! PIXIE PUNCH!"

The soldier beat his fairy wings and took flight, charging towards the gargantuan machine like a buzzing insect preparing to sting a giant. With pristine agility, the soldier reached his target, the core of the machine at the center of its chest. Rearing its fist back, the soldier punched the metal structure as hard as he could.

At first, the attack appeared to have no effect, as to be expected from a pint-sized monster attempting to destroy something so much larger than itself. However, a small crack appeared in the tyrant's armor, which only grew wider with each passing second as the energy within began to leak out and corrode the monster's armor.

Tetsuo could only watch in horror as the crack turned into a gaping wound, exposing the raw Barian energy inside the machine which began to leak everywhere like an oil spill.

Tetsuo: 1900 - 100 = 1800

"And now the second effect of Mini-Guts activates!" Yuma announced, his voice triumphant and eager to witness his impending victory. "Since your monster was weakened by Mini-Guts and I just destroyed it, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points! I win, Tetsuo!"

"NO WAY!"

The damage to the mechanical structure became too much for the tyrant to bear. With an awful groan, red lightning crackling around its body as its systems short-circuited, the robot began to fall apart piece by piece. As its limbs, gears and head tumbled to the ground, liquid chaos leaking everywhere, the wrecked machine finally exploded, knocking Tetsuo off his feet as he was thrown across the field, falling on his back, unconscious and defeated.

Tetsuo: 1800 - 3000 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: YUMA

When Yuma realized what just happened, he briefly thought he was dreaming. After hundreds of duels, he had finally done it. He finally defeated Tetsuo, and yet he realized with bitterness that he couldn't even enjoy the victory. This wasn't a fun game between best friends. This was a battle between two drafted soldiers dragged into a war against their will and forcefully placed on opposite sides, which could have resulted in the death of his newest friend had the duel turned out just like all the other times he dueled Tetsuo.

"Yuma, look!"

Rio snapped Yuma out of his thoughts and pointed towards Tetsuo's unconscious form. Taking a closer look, they saw the Barian symbol on Tetsuo's forehead shatter like glass and vanish. Two seconds later, Tetsuo began to stir, dazed and confused, but otherwise unharmed.

"What…. What happened?" he groaned. "My head….. Wait, was I in a duel just now?"

Rio came forward and helped Tetsuo to his feet, causing the heavy set teenager to blush. As Yuma approached him, Tetsuo noticed the distress on his best friend's face. Whatever happened while he was unconscious had to be terrible for his friend to be in an even worse state than he was before he came here to talk with him.

As Rio picked up his cards, she took account of what was present, and more importantly, what wasn't.

"Where is it?" she asked herself, her voice a perplexed whisper.

"Where's what?"

"That Chaos Xyz monster you used against Yuma, and that weird spell card Yuma mentioned, Barian's Force."

"Barian what-now?" Tetsuo asked, more confused than ever. "And what's that about a Chaos Xyz monster? I don't have a card like that in my deck! Hell, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a chaos xyz monster."

"You had a card like that in your deck ten seconds ago!" Yuma explained. "How could it just up and disappear? Not even the Numbers did that! Every time we defeated one of those, they were right there for Rio or Astral to take them."

"Numbers?!" Tetsuo exclaimed, his confusion transitioning into fear. "Would somebody tell me what's going on? You both are starting to freak me out."

"Well… I hate to freak you out even more, Tetsuo," Yuma began. "But there's apparently a new type of card that can possess people, some kind of spell card called Barian's Force."

"Barian's Force?" Tetsuo repeated, struggling to follow along.

"Yeah! One minute you were fine, and the next minute you summoned that weird Xyz monster and started talking about taking my Numbers and serving Barian World."

"Barian World? What are you guys talking about? Is that like the Astral World?"

Yuma nodded. "Yeah! Based on everything you said when you were possessed, it looks like these Barian guys are the people attacking Astral's home. It's war, and given how they just took control of you so they could take my Numbers and kill Astral, they're willing to use any means necessary to get what they want."

"You really don't remember anything?" Rio inquired. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well…." Tetsuo paused. His mind was still in a haze and he desperately tried to focus so he could clear the fog in his brain and recall the gap in his memory. "I was on my way to go talk to Yuma and duel him so I could get him back to normal just like we talked about. Then….."

Tetsuo's eyes suddenly widened. "There was this guy! I ran into him and then….. Nothing….."

His brow furrowed. Try as he might, he couldn't recall the name or the face of the strange figure he encountered. "That can't be right! How could I just forget his face like that?"

"That must be part of how the brainwashing process works," Rio deduced. "Whoever gave you that card would obviously want to cover their tracks in case you failed and snapped out of it."

"Well, it's a good thing you were here to stop me, Rio," said Tetsuo, gratefully, but this caused Rio to giggle. Tetsuo raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"I'm not the one who defeated you in that duel." Rio confessed. "Yuma did!"

Tetsuo's mouth gaped open. He turned his head to look at Yuma, who lowered his head in humility instead of boasting about the victory he wanted for so long, and he realized Rio was being serious. Seeing that Yuma was still not in the best of moods and wanting to cheer his best friend up, Tetsuo scoffed playfully, pretending not to believe them.

"Okay, now I know you guys are messing with me. That's why this Barian card disappeared. It doesn't exist. You were just making this up to play a joke on me, right? That's the only explanation I can think of as to why you'd go and say that Yuma beat me!"

"HEY! It's not that ridiculous that I would finally beat you!" Yuma whined, but he knew Tetsuo was only trying to lighten the mood. Tetsuo's smile changed from playful to serious.

"Honestly, not at all. I was hoping one day you'd catch up to me and become a rival instead of a punching bag. I just wish I could remember what happened. Seriously, Yuma. You should be proud of yourself! You not only finally beat me, but you saved my life and Astral's as well. Here I was coming to help you, and you ended up helping me out instead."

"Well… yeah I guess…" Yuma replied meekly, and Tetsuo responded by placing a thick hand on his friend's shoulder.

"There's no, 'I guess,' about it. I think you should take this as a sign that you've still got it. Even though that Number Hunter put the fear of death in you, you buckled down and pulled through when another life or death situation came your way. You got back up and found your fighting spirit again without even realizing it."

"Yeah…. I kinda did…." Yuma whispered, the realization making the heavy burden he felt for the past two days feel just slightly lighter.

A bright flash of light from the Emperor's Key alerted two of the three humans to the reappearance of Astral. The spirit floated in the air in a slumped position, still exhausted from the grueling ordeal of being exposed to the chaos energy, but otherwise alive and unharmed.

"Hmmm, I take it that due to the absence of that symbol on Tetsuo's forehead, you managed to succeed in defeating him without my assistance," Astral deduced before providing Yuma with a small, impressed smile. "Well done."

"Astral! You're alright!" Yuma breathed a huge sigh of relief from seeing his partner again.

"But why did you retreat to the Emperor's Key?" Rio asked.

"It seems the chaos energy created by these new cards are quite harmful to my body." Astral explained. "Even being near it was bad enough, but once I felt the full force of that monster's attack…" Astral's eyes softened and he turned away. "I apologize for abandoning you in your hour of need, Yuma."

"No, Astral! Don't apologize for needing to rest when you got hurt!" Yuma reassured the spirit. "Besides, it all worked out. I got lucky, and we stopped these new bad guys from getting your Numbers."

"Yuma!" scolded Rio. "Do you seriously not realize what you accomplished? Look at the similarities to this duel and your duel with the Number Hunter! You faced a new monster that was designed to counter your Numbers, and you figured out how to defeat it all on your own, without using an Xyz Monster, by the way! How are you not proud of that?"

Yuma smiled softly. "I mean…. Yeah, I guess I do have something to celebrate about."

"Even more than that!" added Tetsuo. "You finally beat somebody who seemed unbeatable to you, and keep in mind, that Barian card, or whatever it was that messed with my head, made me way more threatening than I usually am, and you beat me anyway! If you can do that, then you and Astral can figure out a way to beat the hunter!"

Yuma's soft smile transitioned into a full fledged beaming grin, and he brushed away the gathering moisture in his eyes. "Thanks, guys."

"Anytime, Yuma!" replied Rio.

"Where would you be without us?" Tetsuo teased.

"And we're going to keep helping you however we can. You can't shake us off that easily."

"May I suggest, Yuma, that you heed your friend's advice and keep them close at hand," Astral advised. "Isolating yourself from your friends resulted in this new enemy infiltrating our ranks."

Rio's expression turned serious as she turned towards Astral and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's the bad news. Now we have a new enemy to deal with. First the Number Hunter, and now these people from the Barian World. It seems like the longer this race to collect the Number cards drags on, the more threats show up to want to take them."

Tetsuo placed a supportive hand on Yuma's shoulder. "Best thing we can do now is keep our eyes peeled and be careful. I'm not letting those guys get the jump on us again. Even if we can't fight these guys for you, Yuma, we're going to make sure you and Rio are ready for them."

"So I guess that means the new plan is the old plan?" Yuma inquired. "Just keep collecting the Numbers, and if Kaito or another agent from Barian World shows up, we take care of them!"

As the three friends bonded over Yuma's renewed vigor, Astral watched the scene unfold from above, happy to see Yuma's mood improving overtime. He looked towards Tetsuo and allowed the ghost of a smile to appear on his face once again. Ironically, even though he was forced to be Yuma's enemy today, Tetsuo accomplished exactly what he promised to do. He rekindled Yuma's spirit, and now Astral's partner was more fired up than ever, determined to help him collect the Numbers and protect his home from the forces that threatened it.

Unbeknownst to Astral, the threat he was destined to face was still watching him. Slinking back into the shadows, Girag stormed off, the anger from witnessing his own failure boil over until he couldn't take it anymore. Taking his anger out on a nearby street sweeping litterbot, the Barian lifted his massive fist upward and brought it down on the machine, smashing it to pieces.

"Astral, you have no idea how lucky you are today," he growled. "But that was just a taste of what Barian World can do. I'll send as many assassins as I have to after you and your little pet human until you finally get what's coming to you."

He held up the signature spell card of the Emperors, clutching it with determination. "Barian World will have your Numbers, one way or another."

---

Author Made Cards

CXyz - Tin Tyrant: Rank 5/DARK/Machine/Xyz/3000 ATK/1500 DEF

4 Level 5 Monsters

Effect: Once per turn, (Quick Effect), you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; change its battle position. (Flip Effects are not activated). If this card attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to the opponent. If this card has Tin Archduke attached to it as Xyz Material, it gains the following effects:

Once per turn, (Quick Effect) if a monster's battle position is changed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half its current ATK.

Iron Assembly Line: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: If a Level 4 or lower Machine Monster activates its effect, you can Special Summon 1 monster with the same name from your Deck, and if you do, it gains 400 ATK. During your Main Phase, you can target 1 Rank 4 or lower Machine Xyz Monster you control; it gains 400 ATK. If a Machine Monster(s) you control would be destroyed, you can destroy this card instead. You can only use each effect of "Iron Assembly Line" once per turn.

Iron Artillery: Continuous Spell Card

Effect: During your Main Phase, you can target 1 Machine Monster you control; it gains 400 ATK, and if it does, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference between its current ATK and its original ATK. You can only use this effect of "Iron Artillery" once per turn.

Gagaga Blizzard: Normal Trap Card

Effect: Target 1 Spell/Trap card on the field; destroy it. Then, if you control a face-up "Gagaga" Monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Gagaga" Monster with a different name from your Deck. If your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the extra deck, they cannot target "Gagaga" Monsters you control with card effects for the rest of the turn.

Pixie Gong of Courage: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: Special Summon 1 "Joe the Pixie" from your hand or Deck. Your opponent cannot target monster's you control for attacks, except "Joe the Pixie". Also, any "Joe the Pixie" you control cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects. If "Joe the Pixie" is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon the destroyed monster during the Standby Phase of your next turn. You can only use each effect of "Pixie Gong of Courage" once per turn.

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND DONE!

Now the Barians are here, and thus the other main aspect of Ice Queen Cometh's alternate timeline has finally arrived.

What consequences could arise for the Barians showing up early? I hope you stick around to keep reading and find out!

So, what did you think of the chapter? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Whatever your opinion may be, feel free to leave a review and let me know!

Until Next Time, THIS IS NOX SIGNING OUT!