Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Altered Destiny!

by B-baller125

During the fateful duel of Yuto and Yugo, Yuya decides to step in and this changes the conclusion of the duel and destiny itself. Find out what happens to these three boys as they travel throughout the four dimensions as Lancers to end the Dimensional War and to stop the evil Academia! (Currently in Xyz Arc!) (Bracelet Girls x Yu-boys)

51. Scale-51

Powerless.

That's how Yugo felt. Completely and utterly powerless.

Why did this keep happening? Why was fate so hell bent on splitting him and Rin up like this? After just getting her back?

"Damn it...damn it all..." Yugo grunted with a shaky voice.

Meanwhile, Yuya was on his knees, seething in anger.

"I...I let her get taken...I could have saved her...but I wasn't fast enough..." Yuya uttered in anger while his fist trembled.

"Yuya...I'm so sorry..." Serena apologized with a guilt ridden look on her face.

If she hadn't been so helpless in that situation, had she been able to save herself from the Black Rose Witch, Yuya would've had enough time to save Yuzu.

"It's not your fault." Yuya cut the girl off.

"But-"

"It was Roget...he's been screwing with us this entire time...and now he's going to pay." Yuya spoke in a low tone as he rose to his feet.

"That's...right..." Reiji agreed, walking towards the boys with a slight limp while holding Reira's hand.

"W-We're going to get Yuzu and Rin back..." Reira quietly yet determinedly spoke.

"...Yuzu...I'll repay my debt to you..." Shun uttered while slowly walking forward with the help of Ruri and Yuto.

"We'll do everything we can to help. Yuzu is a part of the reason I'm here today...and Rin doesn't deserve to be held captive again after everything she went through...so we'll definitely save them." Ruri spoke out, while Yuto remained quiet.

Yugo looked around at his allies before grasping the necklace the king gave to him and standing up.

He looked out to the crowds of people in the stands, who were all still recovering from the attack. They were injured, confused, and frightened. Although he had only been a king for a few moments, he hated the pained looks on all of their faces, even the Tops. He had to fix this, as any good king would.

Yugo then saw the dazed Melissa Claire and her camera man, who were being helped by Jack Atlas.

"Excuse me, but does that camera still work?"

After the woman nodded, she handed him her microphone and they began rolling.

"People of the Synchro Dimension...Tops and Commons...enough is enough!" Yugo loudly shouted, which caught the ears of everyone in the city due to the broadcast.

"Y-Yugo..." Shun uttered in a surprised tone. Looking back to how the boy normally acted, seeing him so serious was a strange sight.

"Go forth, young king." Jack said with a slight smile.

"...I'm sick of being treated like a puppet in someone else's scheme! Roget, the Director of Security, is actually a spy from Academia! He's been working with them behind the scenes this entire time! He's manipulated the conflict between the Tops and Commons for years!"

"The Academia that just attacked us?"

"Can that really be true?"

"Isn't his job to keep us safe?"

"I know it might be hard to believe, especially for the Tops, but it's the truth. Our plan was to rally everyone after the tournament to dethrone him before moving onto Academia, but it seems he saw that coming...which is why he stole two people that mean the world to me..." Yugo said the last part quietly with a trembling voice.

Rin, the girl who he grew up with. The girl he just got back. The girl he always loved.

Yuzu, the girl who was his mentor and teammate, who helped him accomplish his dream. The girl he loved like a sister.

"I...absolutely won't forgive that bastard for taking away the people I care about! As a city, we can't sit back and let this man get away with his plans! We can't let the one who has controlled our lives from behind the scenes get away with his crimes! No more Tops! No more Commons! We're all just members of this city, united under the same cause...which is seeing that bastard Roget pay for everything he's done!"

There was a silence after Yugo gave his speech. A silence, that may have only lasted a few seconds, but felt like an eternity for the boy in the spotlight.

What started as a few murmurs in the crowd turned into some quiet chanting from a few residents of Neo Domino. As more people joined, it became clearer to Yugo on what was being said.

"...king...King...KING...KING!"

The cheers got louder and louder, filling Yugo with a strange feeling he'd never experienced before.

Yugo had always felt like he was lacking. Rin was always the stronger duelist when they were growing up. He always viewed Yuya and Yuto as ahead of him. He always looked up to Jack Atlas and wanted to be just like him, but that dream always felt unattainable. He was simply a young boy from the Commons of Neo Domino City, not destined for much in life.

But now, everything was different. He has friends. Although it's dysfunctional, he's apart of a family. He knows what he truly wants. He accomplished his dream. And now, he's the one people look up. He's the one who can change the fate of an entire dimension. He's the king.

"KING! KING! KING! KING!"

"I...don't think I could have done that..." Yuya admitted to himself, looking down at his hands.

"Good work. May I?" Reiji asked, extending his hand out for the mic. The new king nodded, before handing the spotlight over to his leader. "Attention, people of Neo Domino. With your help, we're going to storm the Security Bureau Building to apprehend Roget and save our comrades. Please, if any of you out there can manage to fight, you'd be helping us save this dimension from turmoil."

Suddenly, images of blue prints appeared alongside the podcast, displaying the information that Reira had gathered for him.

Reiji patted the boy on the head, silently telling him that he did a good job, surprising the boy.

"This information was recovered directly from Roget's servers. Apparently, he's been deliberately controlling the actions of Security Officers through electronic aggression amplifiers. He used one of these devices on one of my comrades during the semifinal round, and is even currently using an even more powerful one on of his soldiers that attacked the ceremony."

"So he's controlling them...?!" Ruri uttered in horror.

"Sort of...he's not controlling their actions, but he's manipulating their emotions and making them more hateful and aggressive..." Yuto spoke from experience.

"The Black Rose Witch...that's how he's manipulating her..." Serena realized with a horrified look.

"Kiryu didn't have one of those things though, I'm sure of it. So why is he doing this...?" Crow questioned.

"Also, Roget has been using the funding and resources from the Tops to create an inter-dimensional device that has the potential to warp reality itself. We don't exactly know what he plans to do with this device, but what we do know is that its usage could potentially have cataclysmic effects on this dimension."

Reiji's explanation caused several horrified gasps from the crowd, and even from the duelists that stood with the older teen.

"That...madman...!" Jack growled.

"We have to stop him...!" Crow grunted.

Instinctively taking the mic from Reiji, Yugo raised it to his mouth while pointing his other fist to the sky.

"We're stronger together! With everyone in this city united, we can save this dimension! Let's make this bastard pay for manipulating us all!"

"YEAH!"

"DOWN WITH ROGET!"

"WE'RE STRONGER TOGETHER!"

"Now...LET'S GOOO!" Yugo roared, activating his duel disk. With faintly glowing eyes, Yugo called upon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

Leading the charge to the final battle, Yugo hopped onto his partner's back before flying off.

The image of Yugo on his dragon flying away reflected in Yuya's eyes.

"He's grown so much...why do I feel like...I haven't...?" Yuya questioned while grabbing his pendulum. 'No, now isn't the time for this. I have to help Yugo...I have to save Yuzu...'

Gritting his teeth and looking up with glowing eyes, Yuya silently grabbed his Synchro-Pendulum hybrid. Suddenly, Odd Eyes Wing Dragon appeared before him.

"D-Did he just summon a monster without activating his duel disk?!" Hokuto asked in confusion.

"N-No way, that's impossible. W-We just can't see his duel disk from where we are." Yaiba told his friend in an unsure tone.

Masumi and Sawatari shared a concerned look with each other, remembering the warning Darkness gave them before disappearing after their duel.

Gongenzaka nervously looked on at his friend, remembering how Yuya took on the Obelisk Force during the Standard Invasion while looking and acting like a different person.

"He's...getting stronger..." Reiji noticed, pushing up his glass to mask his concerned glare.

Before jumping onto the dragon's back, Yuya instinctively took Serena's hand, who was still in a guilt ridden state due to Yuzu's capture.

"We'll save them." Yuya told the girl.

"...Yeah, we will." Serena nodded, squeezing the boy's hand.

The two jumped on the hybrid dragon's back before flying off.

"What are we waiting for?!" Crow shouted before summoning his large ace. "Hop on, guys!"

Several members of the Lancers nodded before hopping on the dragon.

Jack looked on at Crow, who already seemed like an unofficial member of the Lancers. The former king knew that there was a lot that needed to be said between them, but there was no time for that right now.

"Take flight, Scarlight!" Jack shouted, calling upon his ace before taking flight.

Stepping forward and looking at his counterparts, Yuto watched as Yuya and Yugo led the charge, flying away from the stadium...and flying away from him.

"Damn..." Yuto grunted while his fist tightened.

Yuya and Yugo had both surpassed him during their time in Synchro. Both as duelists and as people.

How could he have fallen this far behind?

How could Yuya and Yugo have grown so much in such a short time?

"Yuto..." Ruri uttered, in concern.

"You need to get your mind right, Yuto." Shun told the boy, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You've been different as of late, and I understand why. After all, us three have lost the most due to Academia's actions. However...the Lancers are our comrades now. All of them."

Yuto's eyes widened at Shun's statement. Back in Standard, he had been the one who convinced Shun to trust the new friends he made throughout his time in that dimension. He had been the one to put his trust in his new allies, despite not knowing them for that long.

But during his time in Synchro, he became cold and distant. He became obsessed with his level of power after his loss to Hell Kaiser. He pushed away his comrades and threw away his bonds to accomplish his task of saving Ruri.

"It was hard for me to trust them all, especially after what happened with Dennis Macfield. But...Sora Shiun'in proved himself loyal by keeping Yuzu safe while I wasn't there. And Serena helped Yuzu save Ruri. Although they both were once a part of Academia, as long as they continue proving they can be trusted, I'll continue to put my trust in them..."

After speaking, Shun activated his duel disk and turned away from the two Xyz residents.

"I'm not completely aware of what happened within your little group of look a likes, but whatever it was, I suggest you move past it and look forward. In the end, we're all on the same side."

Shun brought out Rise Falcon and hopped on the bird before flying off.

Yuto looked down for a moment, causing Ruri to look on in concern.

"...Let's go...together..." Yuto quietly spoke, though his intentions were clear to Ruri. The boy grabbed her hand and looked up with a determined look in his grey eyes, one Ruri had yet to see since they had been reunited.

The long-haired girl smiled before squeezing his hand tighter.

Yuto activated his duel disk, calling upon Dark Rebellion.

The two nodded at each other before climbing up on the dragon and flying off.

---

OP 1 V2: No Pain No Game by Nano

The Ending Of This story

A diagonal image of Yuya amidst a Pendulum background with a bright smile.

I Will Hold It Close As I Wonder So Aimlessly

Below the image of Yuya is Yuto, standing in front of a Xyz portal with a stern yet warm look.

Into this New World

Above the two is Yugo, who stands before a Synchro backdrop with a goofy grin.

The Game Has Only Just Begun

The three hold up their aces, Odd Eyes, Dark Rebellion, and Clear Wing, as they close their eyes...

I Can See It In Your Eyes!

...the three open their eyes in sync with their iris' glowing red, indigo, and cyan respectively as their ace dragons shine, engulfing the screen.

(This Is Where Tomorrow Brings a New Game)

Yuya stands atop a hill overlooking Miami City, his jacket blowing in the wind as a Leo Corporation jet flies past LDS. Yuto is shown in front of the Duel Sanctuary, gazing at the ruined Heartland.

(It's Time To Learn That Pain Is Gain)

Yugo is riding his D-Wheel down a Duel Lane at night, the neon signs and billboards of City aglow with life as he passes by. Out on a boat in the sea, Yuri faces Academia, arms visibly crossed.

READY FIGHT!

Yuya appears riding atop of Odd-Eyes, who fills the screen with its signature Spiral Strike Burst!

(Instrumental)

Odd-Eyes' attack fades, revealing the Four Dimensions. The "Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V" logo appears, the words "Altered Destiny" beneath it. Yuya's Pendulum appears in the background, swinging back and forth before the logo fades. Zoom in on the Standard Dimension to see Yuya walking to You Show Duel School.

I Gotta Crush and Paint Away

The Lancers appear standing in front of the LDS logo. From left to right; Hokuto, Masumi, Yaiba , and Roy stand back-to-back, ready for battle, Yaiba holding his signature wooden katana over his shoulder.

The Anguish Of My Past For Sake Of My Future

Sawatari stands self-assure with a proud grin on his face. Yugo leans on his D-Wheel, sporting a big friendly grin. Rin was on the opposite side of the D-Wheel, sternly staring at the boy for not taking things seriously. Serena holds herself ready for battle with the faintest hint of longingness on her face.

Until My Life Comes To An End

Yuya and Yuzu stand close to each other, ready to face the coming battles together. Gongenzaka stands behind of the Standard Pair, arms folded with a steadfast gaze. Next to them is Crow, who has a battle-ready smirk on his face.

I'm Gonna Fight To Tear Apart That Destiny

Yuto, Ruri, and Shun stand side by side with battle-hardened expressions. But unbeknownst to Shun, Yuto and Ruri's hands were interlocked.

(Ahh-Ahh)

Tsukkikage kneels in front of the Akabas, holding an arm out in front of them in a declaration of protection. Reira hides behind Reiji.

Break Out And Start A Revolution

Rightmost is Sora, who is consumed by the shadow and looking away from the group. But two hands reach out to him, causing him to turn around towards the light. Sora smiles, taking the hands of Yuya and Yuzu before leaping out of the shadows with a childish grin.

Until You Find The Answer

Cut to the Standard, Xyz and Synchro counterparts together on a grassy hill, gazing at the starry night sky. Yuzu and Ruri rest their heads on Yuya and Yuto's shoulders respectively, who in turn drape an arm around them. Rin does the same with Yugo, who blushes redder than Yuya's hair. It is a touching scene….

You're Looking For!

… the screen falls to reveal the Fusion Counterparts falling into darkness. Yuri grins wickedly as his eyes are whited out by a violet glow. Behind him is the shadow of an older boy, face obscured with a monstruous, inhuman smile on his face. Above him, Serena holds out her hand, desperately trying to reach her former friend. The gem on her bracelet shines like a star, cutting through the miasma that surrounds them. Behind her is the golden spirit of an older girl, trying to reach out to the figure behind Yuri as tears flow. The older teens vanish as the Fusion Counterparts' silhouettes turn to black and a large, sinister pair of draconic eyes open wide behind them.

I'll Challenge All My Limits

Crow, Kiryu, the Black Rose Witch, and Jack race in a line on the highway and call forth their dragons; Black-Feather, Infernity Void, Black Rose, and Red Daemon's.

Knowing This Could Be My Only Chance Now

Yuzu and Serena stand together striking their signature Fusion Summon poses. From behind the two, Prodigy Mozart and Cat Dancer swirl into the fusion vortex and become Moonlight Serenade.

To Overcome This Fate That's Come Over Me

Ruri and Rin stand side by side with Assembly Nightingale and Winter Bell in front of them, looking ready for battle. But behind them are the looming shadow of their respective Fusion monsters; Independent Nightingale and Crystal Bell.

The Ending Of This Story

Yuto stands alone on a battle field with explosions occurring in the background. Yuto lets out a primal scream as Dark Rebellion Apocalypse Dragon roars, causing the field to erupt in flames.

I Will Hold It Close As I Wonder So Aimlessly

Yuya and Yugo closely race next to each other on the highway as Odd Eyes and Clear Wing clash in the sky. Yuya and Yugo scream in unison as their dragons evolve into Odd Eyes Wing and Crystal Clear Wing before continuing their arial battle. As the Accel Synchro monster begins to gain an advantage, Enlightenment Paladin descends from the sky while enveloped in a brilliant light. As Odd Eyes Wing is briefly knocked away, the evolved blue and gold paladin strikes Crystal Clear Wing's head with it's majestic blade, while Yuya and Yugo can't help but grin in excitement.

Into This New World

The scene changes to Yuya standing beneath a blue landscape. A pendulum swings above him, draw arcs of light across the sky. Yusho's face is shown over the center of the arcs, smiling down at his son with pride.

The Game Has Only Just Begun

Yuya reaches his hand out as the image of his father fades. He is shown to have a look of surprise on his face...

I Can See It In Your Eyes!

…which quickly turns into a triumphant smile!

(Instrumental)

The screen flashes to a beaten Crow standing across from a strange looking Jack Atlas, which clearly wasn't the real one, who had a variant of Red Daemon's on his field. The scene shifts to Yuto standing against Kiryu's Chaos Void Dragon with Vengeful Paladin on his field, who readied it's sword for battle. The scene changes to Yuzu and Rin struggling against the berserk Black Rose Witch who wore a cracked mask. Darkness Rose Death Dragon let out a violent screech as Prodigy Mozart and Winter Bell protectively flew in front of the two girls. The scene switches to Yuya and Yugo teaming up against the mastermind himself, Roget. A large machine-like titan which was shrouded in darkness towered over Odd Eyes and Clear Wing. At the two counterparts' command, the dragons charged forward before combining into Odd Eyes Wing Dragon while the titan lunged it's fist forward. As the two collided, a white flash engulfs the screen. The song ends with the Lancers on the highway (now including Crow, Ruri, Rin, and Sora) in the Synchro Dimension, looking up at the screen with the three Yu-boys in the center, with each of their eyes flashing a red, indigo, and cyan glow respectively.

---

"We're here..." Yugo said to himself, looking on at the sight before him.

In front of the Security Bureau building were thousands of officers, who had vanished during the fight against Academia. They all protectively stood in front of the large building with their duel disks activated.

In front of their line of defense were the thousands of Commons that were apart of Shinji's revolution. The Commons had successfully surrounded the army of officers, preventing any more support from joining them while also preventing any attempts of Roget's escape.

"Hey!" Shinji shouted, running over to the newly crowned king.

"Shinji! It's been a while!" Yugo shouted as he landed on the ground and hopped off his dragon.

"We all saw your last two duels. What you did and what you said changed everything. Thank you, King." Shinji said, bowing his head in respect.

"Please, there's no need for that. After this fight, we'll all be equals." Yugo reassured the Revolution leader.

At that moment, the other Lancers joined Yugo, hopping off their respective monsters and joining Yugo.

"Shinji, thanks for bringing all of your reinforcements. I knew we could count on you." Crow said with a smile.

"Thanks for giving me this chance, Crow. We're all more than happy to help bring this bastard to justice." Shinji told his friend with a determined look.

"Your assistance is appreciated. It looks like the rest of our troupes are also arriving now." Reiji commented, causing Yugo to turn around.

Riding on their D-Wheels or flying through the air on top of their monsters, many people from the Synchro Dimension came to the battlefield to aid their new king.

"They're all here..." Yugo uttered with a tear in his eye.

"You should be proud. They all responded to your feelings and are here to fight with you." Jack told the young king, patting him on the back.

"And now we have more than enough numbers to get through Roget's forces!" Sawatari shouted.

"That's right! With our combined power, we'll finally end this!" Yugo exclaimed.

"So you've all turned against me, despite everything I've done for you? What a pity."

Yugo's eyes widened as everyone turned to see a large hologram of Roget being projected from the building.

"You bastard...I'm gonna make you pay for everything you've done!" Yugo roared at the top of his lungs, earning tons of cheers from the army behind him.

"I highly doubt that, young King. Do you truly think this big crowd of people can stop me? I've been preparing for this moment for years!"

Suddenly, a transparent wall made of green energy appeared around the building, acting as a fence to keep out Roget's enemies.

"This Solid Vision Barrier won't be destroyed by any physical attack, no matter how hard you try! Checkmate!"

"We'll see about that!" Yuya yelled, stepping forward beside Yugo.

"Go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Whirlwind Hell Dive Slasher!"

"Do it, Odd Eyes Wing Dragon! Storming Assault - Strike Slasher!"

The two dragons flew side by side, twirling through the air in unison before smashing into the barrier.

A powerful explosion ensued, causing the two boys to smirk. However, their expressions faded to disarray when the smoke subsided, revealing the barrier to be unscathed from the dual assault.

"HAHAHA! What did I tell you? You'll never reach me! Soon, I'll finally be able to forge my new world!"

"Forge a new world...?" Reira uttered in confusion.

"I guess he's really lost it..." Sawatari sighed.

"Damn it...if we can't crack that shield, we'll never be able to get to him..." Yugo grunted in frustration.

"That appears to be true, which is why I've devised a plan that will lead to our victory." Reiji spoke while stepping forward.

The older teen pressed a button on his duel disk, displaying a blue print of the building.

"This is also from the data Reira collected for me. Although his shield appears to be unbreakable, there is a way we can get around it. According to this, there is an underground subway system that spreads throughout the city. Since the barrier doesn't go underground, we can use the tunnels to get under the building. Once we do that, then we'll create our own entrance."

Reiji then zoomed in on the blueprint and pointed at the inside of the building.

"We'll split up into teams and enter the building at different points. That way, we'll be able to cover much more ground and complete multiple missions at once. I'll be able to shut down the cameras in the building so we won't have to worry about Roget knowing all of our moves. There are generators on opposite sides of the building, so two group will be in charge of shutting down the perimeter defenses. Sawatari, Masumi, Gongenzaka, I'm counting on you three to take out the western generator. Yuto, Ruri, Shun, I'm assigning you with the task of taking out the eastern generator."

"Right!" Sawatari, Masumi, and Gongenzaka shouted in unison.

"Leave it to us." Shun said, cracking his knuckles, while Ruri and Yuto looked at each other and nodded.

"Once that occurs, our army will be able to defeat Roget's soldiers and he'll be completely defenseless. Hokuto, Yaiba, Roy, you did a great job against the horde of Obelisk Force. I need you to help Shinji lead the army against Roget's army of Security."

"Alright!" Shinji shouted while the three Lancers silently nodded.

"The building contains a miniature prison area, so one group will have the objective of going there and saving Yuzu and Rin. Yuya and Yugo, I understand you want to save them, but I'm going to let Sora, Serena, and Tsukikage be in charge of this mission."

Sora and Tsukikage shared a brief moment of eye contact befor the ninja turned back to Reiji. The younger boy knew that the death of the ninja's brother by his own hands was something that he hadn't forgotten.

"...Ok. We're counting on you guys." Yugo nodded.

"...Please save them." Yuya said while slightly bowing his head.

"Relax, Yuya. I'll definitely save Yuzu, and then the You Show Duel School crew will be together again at long last." Sora said with a reassuring smile.

"I owe it to Yuzu to save her...it's the least I can do right now. Rin's been in captivity for far too long...she deserves to be free once and for all. I'll do whatever it takes to rescue them." Serena said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Serena..." Yugo uttered.

"...And I'll support you two as best as I can." Tsukikage spoke up, earning a small smile from Serena and a guilty nod from Sora.

"Right. We're counting on you guys." Yuya said, feeling slightly better about the situation at hand.

"Since I'm the most capable for the mission, I'll lead a team with the primary objective of stopping Roget's machine. Reira, you'll be with me. And if you wouldn't mind, Jack Atlas, I'd appreciate the extra man power." Reiji said, extending his hand out to the former king.

"...Of course. I'll do anything to see that snake's plans go down in flames." Jack said before accepting the handshake.

'They'll make a terrifying team...' Yuya and Yugo thought in unison with nervous sweat forming on their foreheads.

"And the last group will be the ones who will bring Roget down for good. Yugo, Yuya, we're all trusting you with this task."

"You won't regret it!" Yugo confidently shouted.

"We'll end this once and for all." Yuya sternly spoke.

"Crow, I'm trusting you to watch over and support these two."

"Tch...looks like I got another baby sitting gig..." Crow jokingly grumbled while ruffling Yuya's hair.

The boy's previous cold expression dropped and he let off a slight chuckle while rolling his eyes at his teammate's comment.

At the sight of this, Reiji let out a relieved sigh. In the back of his mind, he knew Roget was unpredictable, which is why he sent out the Lancers' arguably heaviest hitters to face off against them. But due to Yuzu and Rin's status, the state of the mind the two boys were in could only be described as unstable, especially in Yuya's case. But having someone level headed yet optimistic like Crow Hogan was a good way to counteract their mental state, especially since it was clear he was close to Yuya.

Reiji looked at the group of duelists before looking down at his hands. Things felt different to him. He wasn't moving the pieces around on a chess board, disregarding the well being of his team for the sake of their goal. If he found himself in a similar situation back in Standard, he would have gladly used Yuzu and Rin's capture as motivation for Yuya and Yugo to steamroll through Roget. He wasn't his father. He wasn't a tyrant, he was a leader. He wasn't ordering soldiers, he was commanding his team.

"I...believe in all of you." Reiji declared, looking around at his Lancers and other allies before raising his fist to the sky.

Everyone was surprised at this, especially Yuya. The boy's eyes twitched a bit, hearing their fearless leader sound like an actual human being and not some kind of robot. He snapped back to reality when he saw the others holding their fists up in a similar fashion.

Yuya still didn't trust Reiji, at least, not as much as everyone else seemed to. He still held a grudge for everything that happened back in Standard, but he would be lying if he said he didn't see a change in his behavior since the very recent invasion of Neo Domino City.

'What the hell did he go through to make him act this way...like an actual leader...like an actual person...?'

Yuya sighed before being the last of the group to raise his fist to the sky.

"Let's show Roget the strength of the Lancers..." Reiji began.

"...and the might of the Synchro Dimension!" Yugo finished.

"YEAH!"

---

It had been some time since the plan had begun. After the Lancers made their way through the subway tunnels, they split up to complete their respective missions, with Masumi, Gongenzaka, and Sawatari heading off to turn off the western generator.

"Thank god we're finally out of those tunnels." Sawatari said to his group members as they walked through a hall within Roget's building.

"Yeah..." Masumi nodded without paying any attention to Sawatari's complaining.

"Masumi, you good?" Sawatari curiously asked, noticing the girl's lack of awareness.

"Is everything ok?" Gongezaka also questioned with some concern.

"It's nothing really..." Masumi waved away her comrades' concerns before looking down. She then bit her lip, wanting to clearly say what was on her mind. "H-Hey Gongenzaka, have you ever seen Yuya act strangely? As if he wasn't himself?"

Sawatari's eyes twitched after hearing Masumi's question, while Gongenzaka thought for a moment.

"Well, there was that one time when he dueled Kachidoki back home. He seemed like a different person. And similarly, when the Obelisk Force attacked, he and Yuto began syncing up and acted really aggressive." Gongenzaka answered.

"Yeah...I've seen Yuto lose himself quite a few times, like when we dueled Team Lotten and Team Dark Hunters. And then when he dueled Yugo, they both acted like they wanted to kill each other. It made sense for Yuto since Roget was using that chip on him, but Yugo's rage seemed out of nowhere." Masumi added.

"Yeah, that's all true. But what does this have to do with anything?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Oh, it's really nothing. I've just noticed some strange things when looking back at recent events and I know your good friends with Yuya, so I wanted to hear your opinion." Masumi told the muscular teen.

Sawatari's eyes narrowed at Masumi, who was definitely thinking about what Darkness had told them after his defeat. It seemed like she was trying to put the pieces together so that she could further understand the meaning behind his words.

When Sawatari looked over at Gongenzaka, he seemed a little down after speaking about Yuya. Deep down, it looked like he already knew that something was going on with his childhood friend.

"You guys really need to lighten up. After all, we're one step away from being heroes to the people of this dimension! That'll make us heroes to two whole dimensions! Think about all the fans we'll have!" Sawatari beamed before earning a smack on the head.

"We're not doing this for the fans, idiot!"

"She's right. I, the man Gongenzaka, do not fight for fans, but for honor!"

"Heheh...sure..."

The blond boy grinning, being glad that his words managed to distract his comrades from their worries.

"Look who it is!"

"The two kids that got demolished in our duel."

"And the guy who lost in a one on three duel against that phony Death God."

The trio were surprised to find that the three voices belonged to none other than the members of Team Dark Hunters.

"You guys...!" Masumi grunted in anger.

"Did you really think you'd get to the generator without any resistance? As soon as the cameras went off, Roget dispatched us since your plan was too obvious." Bommer grinned.

"And now that we're here, we'll crush you just like before!" Demack shouted.

"And after that, we'll find that emo brat and put him six feet under for eliminating us." Rudger coldly spoke.

"You aren't even worth Yuto's time, nor are you worth ours, so get out of our way. Or don't, and we'll make you pay for it." Sawatari said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles before activating his duel disk.

"Oh, so you're the cocky one. I'll have fun taking you down first." Rudger smirked before the three of them activated their duel disks in unison.

"...I, the man Gongenzaka, will redeem myself for our last duel." The dojo student determinedly spoke before activating his duel disk.

"...So will I." Masumi resolutely added, activating her own duel disk.

"DUEL!"

GONGENZAKA: 4000 LP MASUMI: 4000 LP SAWATARI: 4000 LP vs DEMACK: 4000 LP BOMMER: 4000 LP RUDGER: 4000 LP

"I, the man Gongenzaka, will take the first turn!" Gongenzaka determinedly declared . "With the Scale 1 Superheavy General Hisu-E, and the Scale 8 Superheavy General San-5, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Two machine warriors appeared in the blue columns with the lower scale monster being green and the higher scale monster being red.

General Hisu-E 1 - 8 General San-5

"Let's go! Pendulum Summon! Come to the battlefield, the Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A! Superheavy Samurai Big Wara-G!" Gongenzaka shouted as two lights shot out of the portal in the sky, revealing two machine warriors that were black and yellow respectively.

Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A (1300/2100) LVL:5

Superheavy Samurai Big Wara-G (800/1800) LVL:5

"Now, I tune the Level 5 Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A to the Level 5 Superheavy Samurai Big Wara-G! Raging deity! In unison with the soul of a thousand blades, come forth in a spiraling wave! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Superheavy Koujin Susano-O!" Gongenzaka shouted as his large and powerful warrior with turquoise and black armor and a large sword appeared.

Superheavy Koujin Susano-O (2400/3800) LVL:10

"Alright! Gongenzaka already brought out his ace!" Sawatari cheered.

"With that, I end my turn." Gongenzaka concluded.

"I'll humiliate you just like before! My turn! From my hand, I summon the Tuner Monster, Summoner's Ape!" Demack shouted as an ape in a white robe appeared.

Summoner's Ape (0/0) LVL:2

"Summoner's Ape's effect activates! When his card is summoned, I can special summon a Level 6 or lower Beast-type from my hand with it's effects negated! Come, Fighter's Ape!" Demack shouted as the ape with knight's armor appeared.

Knight's Ape (1000/2000) LVL:5

"I tune the Level 2 Summoner's Ape to the Level 5 Knight's Ape! Beast born from darkness! Become the ruler who shall lead all things into a world of despair! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Demonic Monkey King Zeman!" Demack shouted as a large red haired monkey appeared that wore a dark blue outfit and wielded a scepter.

Demonic Monkey King Zeman (2500/1800) LVL:7

"I activate the Equip Spell, Crown of the Monkey King! Through it's effect, Zeman gains 1000 ATK!"

Zeman (2500/1800)-(3500/1800)

"Battle! Demonic Monkey King Zeman, attack Superheavy Koujin Susano-O! At this moment, Knight's Ape's effect activates in the graveyard! By banishing it, Zeman gains 500 ATK!"

Zeman (3500/1800)-(4000/1800)

"Crown of the Monkey King let's Zeman inflict piercing damage! Cursed Flare!" Demack shouted as his monkey fired a blast of flames from it's scepter at the warrior.

GONGENZAKA: 4000-3800 LP

"My Steadfast Dueling won't be defeated so easily! I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soul Fire Armor in my hand! By discarding this card, a level 5 or higher defense position Superheavy Samurai Monster on my field can't be destroyed by battle during this turn, but it loses 800 DEF each time it isn't destroyed"

Susano-O (2400/3800)-(2400/3000)

"Tch...I set a card facedown and end my turn." Demack concluded.

Zeman (4000/1800)-(3500/1800)

"I'll make you bastards pay for our last duel! My turn!" Masumi shouted as she drew. "Next, I activate the Continuous Spell, Brilliant Fusion! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight by using Fusion materials from my deck!"

"This again..." Demack grunted as he remembered how Masumi used the same card to defeat him.

"I'm fusing Gem-Knight Obsidia, Crysta, and Alexand! Sharp jet-black darkness! Gem with facets of day and night! Eye of Quartz! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Dazzling lady, Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dia!" Masumi shouted as her true ace appeared. The female knight had white armor with purple diamonds on it and had a red cape. The knight carried a sword in her right hand that had a thin blade.

Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dia (3400/2000) LVL:10

"Due to Brilliant Fusion's effect, Lady Brilliant Dia's ATK is reduced to 0."

Lady Brilliant Dia (3400/2000)-(0/0)

"Next, I summon Gem-Knight Ganet from my hand!" Masumi shouted as a red knight appeared.

Gem-Knight Ganet (1900/0) LVL:4

"Lady Brilliant Dia's effect activates! can Fusion Summon using a single material listed as Fusion material! I'll use Gem-Knight Ganet to Fusion Summon!" Masumi shouted as the yellow knight swirled into the fusion vortex. "Grind Fusion! Come forth! Level 6! Shinning crimson light! Gem-Knight Ruby!"

Out of the vortex, a knight with red armor and a blue cape appeared. The knight carried a staff that had a sharp blade at the top.

Gem-Knight Ruby (2500/1300) LVL: 6

"Next, Brilliant Fusion's effect activates! By discarding Gem-Knight Fusion, it's ATK is returned to normal!"

Lady Brilliant Dia (0/0)-(3400/2000)

"Neither of your monsters can take on my Demonic Monkey King Zeman." Demack grinned.

"Not necessarily. Ruby's effect activates! By releasing a Gem-Knight on my field, it gains ATK equal to the released monster's ATK! I release Lady Brilliant Dia!" Masumi yelled as her female knight bursted into particles which were absorbed by the red knight.

Ruby (2500/1300)-(5900/1300)

"An impressive combo indeed. However, you forget Zeman's effect to negate your attacks." Demack reminded.

"Trust me, I haven't forgotten anything! I activate the Spell Card, Instant Fusion! By paying 1000 Life Points..." Masumi began before being shocked by her duel disk.

MASUMI: 4000-3000 LP

"...I can special summon a Level 5 or lower Fusion Monster directly from my Extra Deck! Come forth! Level 5! Gem-Knight Seraphi!" Masumi shouted as a female warrior clad in white with a blue cape appeared.

Gem-Knight Seraphi (2300/1400) LVL:5

"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Particle Fusion! I fuse Gem-Knight Seraphi on my field and Gem-Knight Roumaline in my hand! Shinning knight! Sparkling light! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 6! Gem-Knight Paz!" Masumi shouted as a yellow armored knight with a green cape appeared.

Gem-Knight Paz (1800/1800) LVL: 6

"Particle Fusion's effect! By banishing this card, my monster gains the ATK of a Gem-Knight Fusion monster that was used as Fusion material until the end of the turn! Gem-Knight Paz gains Gem-Knight Seraphi's 2300 ATK!"

Paz (1800/1800)-(4100/1800)

"BATTLE! Gem-Knight Ruby, attack Demonic Monkey King Zeman! Crimson Slasher!" Masumi shouted as her knight rushed forward with a glowing red blade.

"Fool! Demonic Monkey King Zeman's effect! By discarding a Monster Card from my hand, your attack is negated!" Demack countered as a barrier blocked the attack.

"Gem-Knight Paz, attack! Lightning Cross!" Masumi shouted as her monster charged forward with two glowing yellow blades.

"Zeman's effect activates once more! The attack is negated!" Demack shouted as he discarded another Monster Card. "That was a good effort, but your attempt at destroying my monster was futile!"

"I wouldn't say that. After all, Gem-Knight Paz can make two attacks per turn!" Masumi smirked.

"I-I don't have anymore cards in my hand!" Demack realized.

"Second attack! Lightning Cross!" Masumi commanded as her yellow leaped forward and clashed it's blades against the monkey's scepter. "When Paz destroys a monster, the opponent takes damage equal to it's ATK!"

"That means he'll take a total of 4100 damage! It's a One Turn Kill!" Sawatari cheered.

"Not so fast! By sending Crown of the Monkey King to the graveyard, my monster's destruction is negated!" Demack countered.

"But you still take the damage!"

DEMACK: 4000-3400 LP

Zeman (3500/1800)-(2500/1800)

"Damn it...I end my turn. At this moment, my monsters' ATKs return to normal."

Ruby (5900/1300)-(2500/1300)

Paz (4100/1800)-(1800/1800)

"All that just to deal a minimal amount of damage. How laughable. My turn!" Bommer shouted with a grin as he drew. "While I control no Monsters, I can special summon Hidden Bomber!"

A camouflaged bomb with red eyes and sharp teeth appeared in the field.

Hidden Bomber (300/900) LVL:3

"From my hand, I summon Trap Reactor RR!" Bommer shouted as a small green machine appeared.

Trap Reactor RR (800/1800) LVL: 4

"Now, I tune the Level 3 Hidden Bomber to the Level 4 Trap Reactor RR! As the gears of war begin to turn, the machines of war begin their march! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Dark Dive Bomber!" Bommer shouted as a orange armored mech with two cannons on it's shoulders appeared.

Dark Dive Bomber (2600/1800) LVL: 7

"Hidden Bomber's effect activates! When this card is used as Synchro Material, I can special summon a Bomb Token with the same Level as the Synchro Monster that it was used to summon!" Bommer explained as a large bomb appeared on his field.

Bomb Token (0/0) LVL:7

"I activate the Equip Spell, Bombing Armor and I equip it to Dark Dive Bomber!" Bommer shouted as his monster gained a black spiky chest plate.

"This again...!" Masumi grunted.

"Dark Dive Bomber's effect activates! By releasing a monster on my field, you are inflicted damage equal to the released monster's level times 200! I release the Level 7 Bomb Token! Take this girl, Rapid Fire Shot!" Bommer yelled as his monster shot a barrage of bullets at Masumi, who braced herself for impact.

"GAAAAH!" Masumi cried as she was hit by the storm of bullets.

MASUMI: 3000-1600 LP

"Are you ok?!" Sawatari cried as he approached the hurt girl.

"I'm fine..." Masumi held her hand up, keeping the blond boy away.

"At this moment, Bombing Armor's effect activates! Once per turn, when my opponent takes effect damage, the equipped monster gains ATK equal to the damage taken! Therefore, Dark Dive Bomber gains 1400 ATK!"

Bomber (2600/1800)-(4000/1800)

"Battle! Dark Dive Bomber, attack Gem-Knight Paz! Impact Missile Barrage!" Bommer commanded as his monster fired multiple missiles at the yellow knight.

"I won't lose here!" Masumi shouted as she mustered all of her strength to leap onto a platform. "Action Spell, Damage Banish! I don't take any damage!"

"Grr...but your monster is still destroyed!"

"GAH!" Masumi yelled as the explosion from the missiles hitting their target knocked her off the platform, causing her to slam into the ground.

"Masumi!" Sawatari cried as he ran over to the girl and helped her to her feet.

"Damn you..." Gongenzaka growled.

"I set a card facedown, turn end!" Bommer concluded.

"Don't worry about me...focus on the duel..." Masumi told the boy.

"Grr...you're right. My turn, draw!" Sawatari shouted as he drew. "With the Scale 3 Abyss Actor Extra, and the Scale 8 Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

A blue cluster of three friends and a female fiend in red clothing writing music appeared in the blue columns in the sky.

Extra 3 - 8 Liberty Dramatist

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters with Levels 4 through 7! Pendulum Summon! From my hand, the star of the show, Abyss Actor Big Star!" Sawatari shouted as ace monster appeared.

Abyss Actor Big Star (2500/1800) LVL: 7

"Big Star's effect activates! When summoned, I can add a Abyss Script Spell Card from my deck to my hand! Next, Extra's Pendulum Effect activates! Since the opponent controls a monster, I can special summon this card!" Sawatari explained as the fiend flew out of the blue column.

Abyss Actor Extra (100/100) LVL:1

"Let's go! I activate the Spell Card, Abyss Fusion! I fuse Abyss Actor Big Star and Abyss Actor Extra!" Sawatari shouted as his monsters began to rise into the fusion vortex. "Star of the show! Figure in the background! Merge your talents together and bring forth the writer whose scripts preach taboos and chaos! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Abyss Actor Blasphemous Playwright!"

Out of the fusion vortex, a Shakespeare-like fiend appeared. The fiend had grey skin and wore a long black coat with purple trims. The fiend wore a fancy black hat with a purple feather attached.

Abyss Actor Blasphemous Playwright (2800/2100) LVL:8

"Blasphemous Playwright's effect activates! When this card is Fusion Summoned, cards on your field are destroyed up to the amount of fusion materials that were used! Meaning, both of your monsters will be destroyed!" Sawatari grinned.

"What?!" Demack gasped.

"Go, Phantom Alteration!"

The fiend took the purple feather off of it's hat and began waving it through the air as if it was crossing writing out on a script. The feather began to glow, causing purple energy blades to materialize above the two Synchro Monsters.

"I won't let you! Trap Activate! Decoy Bomb! An effect that would destroy a Machine-type on my field is negated!" Bommer countered as the blades exploded. "Then, the opponent takes damage equal to my Machine-type's Level times 100!"

"Eh?!" Sawatari shouted as a bomb appeared below his feet. The boy was able to leap backwards and dodge the explosion, but the shockwave knocked him to the ground.

SAWATARI: 4000-3300 LP

"I'll make you pay for that!" Sawatari growled in anger. "Battle! Blasphemous Playwright, attack Dark Dive Bomber! At this moment, Blasphemous Playwright's effect activates! Once per either player's turn, when an Abyss Actor monster battles, I can reveal Abyss Script Spell Cards in my hand to increase it's ATK by 1000 for each card! I reveal Abyss Script Romantic Terror, Abyss Script Dramatic Story, and Abyss Script Opening Ceremony!"

Blasphemous Playwright (2800/2100)-(5800/2100)

"Go...FINAL ACT!" Sawtari screamed as he snapped his fingers as the glowing skull that the fiend held opened it's mouth, releasing a powerful wave of dark energy that flew towards Bommer's field.

"By sending Bombing Armor to the graveyard, my monster's destruction is negated!"

"But you still take the damage!"

BOMMER: 4000-2200 LP

Bomber (4000/1800)-(2600/1800)

Blasphemous Playwright (5800/2100)-(2800/2100)

"Now that Battle Phase is over, I activate the Spell Card, Abyss Script Opening Ceremony! Since I control a single Abyss Actor Monster, I gain 500 Life Points!"

SAWATARI: 3300-3800 LP

"You're no match for me! Turn end!" Sawatari concluded.

"It seems your quite the confident duelist. If only your team wasn't swept by a single duelist." Rudger laughed.

"Why you...!" Sawatari grumbled.

"My turn! From my hand, I summon the Tuner Monster, Shadow Spider!" Rudger shouted as a black phantom-like spider appeared.

Shadow Spider (600/0) LVL:3

"When Shadow Spider is successfully summoned, I can special summon an Insect-type monster from my hand! Come, Dark Spider!" Rudger shouted as a green and black spider appeared.

Dark Spider (0/0) LVL:1

"Dark Spider's effect! Once per turn, I can increase Shadow Spider's Level by 2!"

Shadow Spider LVL:3-5

"Now, I tune my Level 5 Shadow Spider to my Level 1 Dark Spider! When dark overlaps with dark, the doors of the underworld will open to a world without light! Become the embodiment of evil that leads the way! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 6! Underground Arachne!" Rudger shouted as a dark blue and yellow colored arachnid appeared with a white humanoid body protruding from the top.

Underground Arachne (2400/1200) LVL: 6

"We'll see about that! Underground Arachne's effect! Once per turn, I can equip a monster on my opponents field to this card!" Rudger explained with a smirk.

"What?!" Sawatari gasped.

"I choose Gem-Knight Ruby! Go, Twiner Thread!" Rudger commanded as the monster shot a web from it's mouth at the red knight.

"This...can't be..." Masumi uttered in terrror.

"If this goes through...Masumi will be wide open for a direct attack..." Sawatari realized before leaping onto a platform and grabbing a card. "I won't let you hurt my comrades anymore! Action Spell, Guard Cover! The target of your effect is switched to Blasphemous Playwright!"

The fiend heroically dove in front of the web, causing it to get captured and dragged behind the spider.

"Sawatari!" Masumi cried.

"I can't believe it..." Gongenzaka said in shock.

"You'll pay for interfering! Battle! Underground Arachne, direct attack! Web of Terror!" Rudger shouted as his spider fired a blast of webs at the blond boy.

"Not so fast! Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist's Pendulum Effect activates! By discarding Abyss Script Dramatic Story, I can special summon this card from my Pendulum Zone when the opponent declares an attack!" Sawatari explained as his fiend flew out of the blue column.

Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist (1500/1500) LVL:4

"Summoning another monster from the Pendulum Zone? Interesting..." Rudger said with a sadistic smirk.

"Let's play a game, shall we? Liberty Dramatist's effect activates! When this card is summoned from the Pendulum Zone, I can reveal three Abyss Scripts from within my deck and to the opponent! I choose these three!" Sawatari shouted as he revealed Abyss Script Triumphant Return, Abyss Script Heroine's Gift, and Abyss Script Climatic Attack.

The boy grinned as the female fiend floated down and grabbed the three cards before shuffling them in her hand. She then flew over to the opposing trio of hunters and held the three cards in her hand.

"What is this?" Bommer questioned.

"Now it's your turn. Without looking at the card, you'll get the chance to pick which one will be set facedown on the field while the rest are shuffled back into the deck. Now, choose!" Sawatari shouted.

"...The one in the middle." Rudger said, causing the other two cards to fly back into Sawatari's deck while the chosen card was set on his field. "Enough of your games! The attack will be redirected to your monster! Web of Terror!"

At Rudger's command, the large spider fired a blast of webs which destroyed the fiend.

"Now, Liberty Dramatist's effect activates upon destruction! I shuffle Abyss Script Opening Ceremony back into my deck. Quick Play Spell, Abyss Script Triumphant Return activate! I can special summon a Abyss Actor Pendulum monster from my Extra Deck that was sent there during this turn but with it's effects negated! Rise, Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist!"

Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist (1500/1500) LVL:4

"Looks like you picked the wrong card after all." Sawatari grinned.

"You insolent brat...I set two cards facedown, turn end." Rudger concluded.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, won't let you hurt my friends! MY TURN!" Gongenzaka shouted as he powerfully drew. "Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A's effect in the graveyard activates! During the Standby Phase after it was sent to the graveyard, by banishing Superheavy Samurai Big Wara-G, I can add this card back to my hand!"

Gongenzaka grabbed the card that popped out of his graveyard slot before raising his hand to the sky.

"With the set scale, Pendulum Summon! From my hand, the Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A! Superheavy Samurai Jisha-Q!" Gongenzaka yelled as the black machine warrior and blue magnet-like warrior appeared.

Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A (1300/2100) LVL:5

Superheavy Samurai Jisha-Q (900/1900) LVL:4

"Now, I tune the Level 5 Superheavy Samurai Tsushima-A to the Level 4 Superheavy Samurai Jisha-Q! Unyielding as the mountain ranges! The soul that resides in the great rock! Now, become the towering fortress! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Come forth! Level 9! Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B!" Gongenzaka shouted as a four legged mechanized warrior appeared. The demon beast had white armor with flames protruding from it's back. The monster also carried a dark colored staff with blue orbs on it.

Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B (1900/2500) LVL: 9

"Kyu-B's effect activates! It gains 900 DEF for each special summoned monster on your field!" Gongenzaka exclaimed as fire bursted out of his monster's back.

Kyu-B (1900/2500)-(1900/5200)

"Alright, Gongenzaka!" Sawatari cheered.

"With Kyu-B and Susano-O, I'll defend my friends and take you out! Battle! Kyu-B, attack Underworld Arachne! Burning Gaia Shot!" Gongenzaka shouted as his demon beats fired a blast of flames from it's blade.

"Like the prey you are, you've fallen right into my hands! Trap Activate! Prey Capture! When your monster attacks my Insect-type, that attack is negated! And since you control more monsters then I do, the attacking monster is equipped to my monster!" Rudger shouted as the flames were dispersed while the demon beast was caught in a web.

"Impossible!" Gongenzaka cried as his monster was dragged behind the insect.

"Hahaha! You really are a big dumb oaf, aren't you?" Bommer sneered.

"You'll regret those words! Susano-O, attack Dark Dive Bomber! Kusanagi Sword Slash!" Gongenzaka commanded his ace.

"I won't allow that either! Continuous Trap, Prey Attraction activate! Targeting Underworld Arachne, you can only declare attacks against this monster as long as it's on the field!" Rudger countered as the samurai was drawn in towards the insect before striking it. "Underworld Arachne's effect activates! By sending Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B to the graveyard, destruction is negated!"

"But you still take the damage!"

RUDGER: 4000-3400 LP

"...I end my turn..." Gongenzaka begrudgingly concluded.

"You could barely do anything either. You Lancers are pathetic. The only ones that are worth anything are the ones that share the same face." Demack taunted.

"Shut the hell up! We're just as useful as Yuya and the others!" Sawatari argued.

"Deep down, do you really believe that?" Rudger asked with a smirk.

"I..." Sawatari trailed off in a defeated tone.

"Stop letting them get in your head, Sawatari." Masumi warned.

"R-Right..." Sawatari nodded.

"My turn! It's been fun toying with you kids, but we must complete our mission! From my hand, I summon the Tuner Monster, Earthbound Prisoner - Chained Monkey!" Demack shouted as a black entity shaped like a small monkey with chains on it's wrists appeared. The fiend had orange lines running through it.

Earthbound Prisoner - Chained Monkey (900/900) LVL:1

"Here it comes..." Gongenzaka trailed off in a worried tone.

"Now, I tune the Level 1 Earthbound Prisoner - Chained Monkey to the Level 7 Demonic Monkey King Zeman! Violent beast that shakes the earth! Revive from the forest of hell and bring forth the path of darkness! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Level 8! Earthbound Servant - Geo Ape!" Demack shouted as a large black entity in the shape of an ape appeared with yellow lines running through it.

Earthbound Servant - Geo Ape (3000/2000) LVL:8

"S-So these are the Earthbound Monsters..." Sawatari uttered nervously.

"Geo Ape's effect activates! By banishing two monsters in my graveyard, I can special summon a monster from my opponents graveyard! Come to my field, Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B!" Demack yelled as his ape hit the ground with both of it's fists. The ground broke apart and a yellow light shot out of the ground. The samurai appeared out of the light and it's eyes glowed yellow as it stood on Demack's field.

Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B (1900/2500) LVL:9

"And due to Kyu-B's effect, it gains 2700 ATK since my opponents control three special summoned monsters!" Demack explained.

Kyu-B (1900/2500)-(1900/5200)

"Doesn't this remind you of how you lost to me last time?" Demack taunted the muscular teen.

"Grr..." Gongenzaka tightened his fist in frustration.

"I'll defeat you just like before! BATTLE! Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B, attack Superheavy Koujin Susano-O!" Demack shouted as the demon beast charged forward. "Trap Activate! Meteor Wave! Kyu-B gains 300 ATK!"

Kyu-B (1900/5200)-(2200/5200)

"More importantly, Kyu-B can inflict piercing damage!" Demack shouted.

"Damn it..." Gongenzaka grunted as his monster was incinerated, causing a powerful explosion that sent him flying backwards.

GONGENZAKA: 3800-1600 LP

"Gongenzaka!" Sawatari shouted in concern.

"I'm...not done yet...Superheavy Samurai Kokorogama-A's effect activates! Since I took battle damage while I have no Spells or Traps in my graveyard, I can special summon this card from my hand!" Gongenzaka shouted as the green machine appeared in front of him.

Superheavy Samurai Kokorogama-A (100/2100) LVL:3

"You won't defeat me so easily!" Gongenzaka yelled through the pain.

"In that case...Geo Ape, attack Gem-Knight Ruby! FURIOUS WILD FIST!" Demack commanded. The ape beat it's chest before leaping forward and swinging it's fist through the red knight, causing a shockwave that knocked Masumi back.

MASUMI: 1600-1100 LP

Kyu-B (1900/5200)-(1900/4300)

"Now that the Battle Phase is over, I activate the Spell Card, Advance Draw! By releasing Kyu-B, I draw two cards! I set two cards facedown, turn end!" Demack concluded.

"I'll take down that monster just like before! My turn! I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed! I draw two!" Masumi shouted through the pain as she drew. "Gem-Knight Fusion's effect activates in the graveyard! By banishing Gem-Knight Alexand, I add it back to my hand! Next, I activate the Spell Card, Dark Factory of Mass Production! This lets me add two Normal Monsters back to my hand!"

"Whatever play your trying to set up won't grant you victory in this match." Rudger smirked.

"We'll see about that! I activate the Spell Card, Gem-Knight Fusion! I fuse Gem-Knight Obsidia, Crysta, and Lapis! Sharp jet-black darkness! Gem facets of day and night! Blue stone that hides mysterious power! In a whirlpool of light combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 9! Supreme radiance who illuminates everything! Gem-Knight Master Dia!" Masumi shouted as her large knight with gem-like armor and a long sword appeared.

Gem-Knight Master Dia (2900/2500) LVL:9

"Master Dia's effect activates! By banishing Gem-Knight Paz, this card gains its effects and is treated as the banished monster! And through it's other effect, Master Dia gains 100 ATK for each Gem-Knight monster in my graveyard!"

Master Dia (2900/2500)-(3700/2500)

"Thanks to Master Dia's inherited effect, it can attack twice and if it destroys a monster, the opponent takes damage equal to its ATK!" Masumi explained.

"Due to Prey Attraction's effect, you can only attack Underworld Arachne." Rudger reminded.

"I know that! I'll finish you off right now! BATTLE! Master Dia, attack Underworld Arachne! Radiant Diamond Slash!" Masumi shouted as her knight leaped forward and struck the spider.

RUDGER: 3400-2100 LP

"By sending Abyss Actor Blasphemous Playwright to the graveyard, my monster wasn't destroyed." Rudger explained.

"But now you have no other monsters equipped to Underworld Arachne! And when it's destroyed, you'll take damage equal to it's ATK! Master Dia, end him! Radiant Diamond Slash!" Masumi shouted as her knight charged forward one last time.

"I banish Prey Capture in my graveyard to activate it's effect! Since my Insect-type Monster is being attacked, I can equip an Insect-type monster from my graveyard to my monster! I equip Shadow Spider!" Rudger explained as the small spider appeared behind his Synchro Monster.

"That means...!" Masumi gasped.

"By sending Shadow Spider to the graveyard, my monster won't be destroyed!" Rudger countered.

"Tch...but you still take the damage!"

RUDGER: 2100-800 LP

"Damn it...I end my turn!" Masumi concluded.

"Once again, your efforts were futile! My turn!" Bommer shouted as he drew. "From my hand, I summon the Tuner Monster, Earthbound Prisoner - Fallen Diver!"

A sea creature shaped black entity appeared with dark blue lines running through entity had chains wrapped around it.

Earthbound Prisoner - Fallen Diver (200/400) LVL:1

"I tune the Level 1 Fallen Diver to the Level 7 Dark Dive Bomber! Ultimate predator that rules the sea! Rise to the surface and devour your prey! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant - Geo Whale!" Bommer shouted as a dark beam shot out of the sky, revealing a gigantic killer whale shaped entity with purple lines running through it.

Earthbound Servant - Geo Whale (3000/2000) LVL: 8

"When Fallen Diver is used as Synchro Material, I can draw a card! This is the end! Geo Whale's effect activates! Once per turn, by discarding a card from my hand, I can target a monster on the field and it is destroyed! Then, you take damage equal to half of it's ATK!" Bommer shouted with a smirk.

"I-I can't do anything..." Masumi helplessly said as she fell to her knees. "

"This is the end! Do it, Geo Whale! Destroy Gem-Knight Master Dia and finish her off! DROWNING DARKNESS!" Bommer commanded as his monster opened it's huge mouth and fired a blast purple energy at the knight.

"I won't let that happen!" Sawatari shouted as he began to scan the platforms above. The boy's eyes widened as he saw an Action Card above Gongenzaka.

"Gongenzaka! Give me a lift!" Sawatari shouted as he ran towards the Steadfast Duelist.

"..." Gongenzaka looked just as helpless as Masumi.

"Gongenzaka!" Sawatari screamed, snapping the teen back to reality.

"R-Right!" Gongenzaka nodded as his hands together towards the ground, allowing Sawatari to use the teen as a platform to leap upwards and grab an Action Card off a high platform.

"Tch...I have no choice...Action Spell, Encore! This card allows me to target the Action Spell, Guard Cover in my graveyard and activate its effect! Now, the target of Geo Whale's effect is switched to Liberty Dramatist!" Sawatari shouted as the blast pivoted towards the female fiend. The blast hit it's new target and caused a powerful shockwave that knocked Sawatari to the ground.

SAWATARI: 3800-3050 LP

"Sawatari!" Masumi shouted in a mix of shock and concern.

"Since you keep interfering, I'll focus on you! This is where you die! BATTLE! Geo Whale, direct attack! KILLER CRUNCH!" Bommer shouted as the entity hovered over Sawatari, preparing to eat the boy alive.

"No!" Masumi cried as she mustered all of her strength to tackle Sawatari, causing the monster's sharp teeth to slightly graze his jacket.

SAWATARI: 3050-50 LP

"Hahaha! Turn end!" Bommer concluded.

"Sawatari...you idiot..." Masumi uttered as she looked at the injured boy who saved her from defeat once again.

"...Idiot...? That's no way to thank me for saving you twice..." Sawatari grunted as the girl helped him to his feet.

"Sacrificing almost all of your life points to keep your pathetic teammate in the duel was an idiotic decision." Demack taunted.

"You would have been much better off if you just left those two weaklings behind when you had the chance." Bommer added.

"They're right...I swore to use my Steadfast Dueling to protect my comrades...but I'm not strong enough to even win my own battles..." Gongenzaka lowered his head in shame.

"...No Gongenzaka...I should be the one to apologize...you guys keep having to go out of the way to keep me in the duel...I'm so focused on defeating our opponents that I'm leaving myself open to their attacks..." Masumi uttered in anger.

"Both of you need to stop being so hard on yourselves! It's preventing you from focusing on the only thing that matters...winning this duel!" Sawatari snapped.

"It's useless. They'll lose to us just like last time they faced us...and so will you. The Lancers really are nothing without the boys that share the same face..." Rudger said with a sinister grin, striking a nerve within Sawatari.

"Why you...!" Sawatari grunted as his fist trembled in anger. His opponent's words made him think about his losses to Yuto and Yuya. He also thought about how Yugo won the recent tournament while he was knocked out in the second round. "I...know they're stronger than me..."

"Oh? I didn't expect the cocky one to actually admit it." Bommer said with a slight chuckle.

"...and because I've excepted that fact...I now have a destination to reach! I'll keep pushing myself until I can reach the summit they stand on!" Sawatari shouted with a determined smile.

"Sawatari..." Masumi and Gongenzaka uttered in shock.

"So it appears you aren't so cocky after all. Too bad you only have 50 Life Points!" Demack sinisterly grinned.

"Having a low amount of Life Points will only add to the impressiveness of my soon to be victory! My turn, draw!" Sawatari shouted as he drew. "I activate the Spell Card, Magical Mallet! By shuffling the only card in my hand back into the deck, I draw two cards!"

Sawatari shuffled Abyss Script Romantic Terror back into his deck before drawing two card. The blond haired boy grinned as he looked at his cards before he looked up at his opponents.

"You're really not going to like what comes next! With the Scale 1 Abyss Actor Devil Heel, and the Scale 8 Abyss Actor Trendy Understudy, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Devil Heel 1 - 8 Trendy Understudy

"With the set scale, I can simultaneously summon monsters with Levels 2 through 7! Pendulum Summon! Come to the stage, my monsters! From my Extra Deck, Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist! Abyss Actor Big Star!"

Abyss Actor Liberty Dramatist (1500/1500) LVL:4

Abyss Actor Big Star (2500/1800) LVL: 7

"Big Star's effect activates! When summoned, I can add a Abyss Script Spell Card from my deck to my hand! Next, I activate the Spell Card, Abyss Script Super Recasting! I can only activate this card when it's the only card in my hand and I have less life points then my opponent! Now, I can shuffle up to three Abyss Actor Pendulum Monsters from my field, hand, Pendulum Zone, or face up Extra Deck back into my deck to draw the same amount of cards plus one! I shuffle Abyss Actor Extra from my Extra Deck and Abyss Actor Trendy Understudy in my Pendulum Zone to draw three cards!" Sawatari shouted as he drew once again.

"Whatever you're trying to do won't work!" Rudger shouted.

"You're dead wrong! There's no chance I'd give up when I'm about to steal the show!From my hand, I summon the Tuner Monster, Abyss Actor Loyal Sidekick!" Sawatari yelled as a small cloaked fiend with blue skin and a broad sword appeared.

Abyss Actor Loyal Sidekick (500/300) LVL:1

"It's time for the true star of the show to appear! I tune my level 1 Loyal Sidekick to my level 7 Big Star! Magnificent artist famed for a thousand roles! Appear on this stage and dazzle the masses with your legendary talent! Synchro Summon! To the center of the spotlight! Level 8! Abyss Actor Legendary Star!" Sawatari exclaimed majestic fiend arrived onto the fiend in the center of a large spotlight. The monster had a striking resemblance to Big Star, but was much more flashy with a crystal white robe that black and gold star accessories.

Abyss Actor Legendary Star (3000/2200) LVL:8

"Legendary Star's effect activates! When Synchro Summoned, I can add an Abyss Actor from my deck or graveyard to my hand!" Sawatari explained as a card popped out of his deck. "Let's do it, Legendary Star's other effect activates! By releasing up to 3 Abyss Actors on my field, cards on your field up to that amount are returned to your hand!"

The dazzling fiend began to shine as the spotlight on it began expanding outwards.

"Let's go! I release-"

"Not so fast! Trap Activate! Earthbound Thunder! Since there are two or more Earthbound Monsters on the field, this card can negate the activation of an opponent's card effect!" Demack shouted as a blast of purple lightning shot out of the card an paralyzed the fiend.

"It looks like your plan failed!" Bommer yelled.

"I'm not done yet! Devil Heel's Pendulum Effect activates! By sending Liberty Dramatist to my Extra Deck, Underworld Arachne loses ATK equal to Liberty Dramatist's ATK!"

Underworld Arachne (2400/1200)-(900/1200)

"Now all it'll take is one attack and you're finished! Battle! Legendary Star, attack Underworld Arachne! SHOOTING STAR SMASH!"

The Synchro Monster gained a shiny white aura as it jumped high in the air and descended from the sky feet first like a shooting star.

"I'm not finished yet! Shadow Spider's effect activates from the graveyard! Since I have less than 1000 Life Points, I can banish this card to negate an attack!" Rudger countered as a shield made from webs blocked the kick. "Then, I can special summon an Insect-type from the graveyard! Rise, Dark Spider!"

Dark Spider (0/0) LVL:1

"Once again, you're efforts were meaningless!" Rudger shouted.

"That's not true! I'll show you my strength right now! Quick Play Spell, Abyss Script Fiery Exit! When an Abyss Actor Monster I control fails to inflict battle damage, I can send it to the graveyard to deal damage equal to half of it's ATK!" Sawatari explained with a grin as the fiend erupted in raging flames.

"That's 1500 damage!" Rudger realized.

"I guess my efforts were for something after all! Finish him off, Legendary Star!" Sawatari commanded as his fiend leaped forward, leaving a trail of flames behind it.

"Demack!" Rudger yelled.

"Guard's Ape's effect in the graveyard activates! By banishing this card, an instance of effect damage is halved!" Demack countered as a spectral shield appeared around his teammate.

The fiery fiend rammed into the shield, causing a powerful explosion that knocked Rudger to the ground.

RUDGER: 800-50 LP

"50 Life Points...no way..." Sawatari uttered in shock.

"You're not the only one who can barely hang onto life...but unlike you...being low on Life Points gives me strength!" Rudger shouted with a sadistic grin.

"And don't forget you sacrificed your only monster in your attempt at finishing the boss off!" Bommer pointed out.

"That's right! You've left yourself wide open to defeat! And without you, your team will have nothing left to bail them out!" Demack shouted.

"Sawatari..." Masumi uttered in horror as she looked at the boy's open field.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine...you guys don't need me to win...you have plenty of strength to do it..." Sawatari reassured his team before turning to his opponent. "I end my turn."

"It's over for you! My turn! I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed! I draw two! I activate the Spell Card, Earthbound Launch! This allows me to special summon a Level 3 or lower Earthbound Prisoner from my hand or deck! However, its effects are negated! Come, the Tuner Monster, Earthbound Prisoner - Lost Arachnid!"

Earthbound Prisoner - Lost Arachnid (0/600) LVL:2

"From my hand, I summon Earthbound Prisoner - Gate Keeper!"

A bulky humanoid black entity with chains around it appeared. The entity had silver lines running through it.

Earthbound Prisoner - Gate Keeper (800/400) LVL: 4

"Gate Keeper's effect activates! When this card is summoned while I control another Earthbound monster, I can add a Spell Card from my deck to my hand! I add Fusion to my hand!" Rudger explained.

"Fusion..." The three Lancers nervously grunted.

"I tune the Level 2 Lost Arachnid to the Level 6 Underground Arachne! Fiendish arachnid that weaves chaos! Crawl out of the underworld and unleash hell! SYNCRHO SUMMON! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant - Geo Spider!" Rudger shouted as a dark beam shot out of the sky, revealing a black spider shaped entity with red lines running through it.

Earthbound Servant - Geo Spider (3000/2000) LVL:8

"Since Underworld Arachne left the field, Prey Attraction is destroyed. Geo Spider's effect activates! By releasing Dark Spider, can target a monster on your field and it is destroyed! And if the monster is successfully destroyed, you take 1000 points of damage! Say goodbye to Gem-Knight Master Dia! Soul Breaker!" Rudger shouted as the small spider turned into particles that were absorbed into the Earthbound. The spider's eyes glowed bright red, causing the knight to explode right in front of Masumi.

"GAAAH!"

MASUMI: 1100-100 LP

"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Fusion! I fuse Earthbound Prisoner - Gate Keeper and Earthbound Servant - Geo Spider!" Rudger grinned as he pointed to the sky.

His Earthbound monsters rose up into the fusion vortex and began to swirl together.

"Fiendish arachnid that weaves chaos! Become one with the fiend that guards the gates of hell and spread your wings of death! FUSION SUMMON! Come forth! Level 9! Earthbound Servant - Geo Condor!" Rudger shouted as a wave of darkness consumed the field. A gigantic bird-shaped black entity with crimson lines running through it appeared on the field with a menacing screech.

Earthbound Servant - Geo Condor (0/0) LVL:9

"This monster..." Gongenzaka grunted as he remembered how much pain it caused Yuto.

"THIS IS MY FURY! Geo Condor's effect activates! This card's ATK becomes the difference between my life points and 4000! Since I have 50 life points...GEO CONDOR ATK BECOMES 3950!"

Geo Condor (0/0)-(3950/0)

"Although I could take out the girl...you've proven to be much more of a hassle to deal with. Since you've been so insistent on protecting your friends, you'll be the first to fall! BATTLE! Geo Condor, attack that brat directly! DEATH SINGULARITY!" Rudger shouted as the large bird prepared to swallow Sawatari whole with it's beak.

"SAWATARI!" Masumi screamed.

"I activate Abyss Actor Backgrounder's effect in my hand! By discarding it, the damage is reduced to 0!" Sawatari countered as a barrier protected him from being eaten alive.

"You think you're safe? Think again! Geo Condor's effect activates! Since this card failed to inflict battle damage, your Life Points are halved! SOUL DESTROYER!" Rudger screamed as his gigantic bird fired a blast of crimson energy that consumed Sawatari.

"GAAAAH!"

SAWATARI: 50-25 LP

"I'm...I'm still alive..." Sawatari grunted as he struggled to get back up.

"Not for long, brat! Quick Play Spell, Earthbound Rage! During the turn an Earthbound Servant was sent to the graveyard, an Earthbound Servant on my field can make a second attack! Geo Spider was sent to the graveyard to summon Geo Condor, so it gains another attack!" Rudger explained with a grin.

"You can't be serious..." Sawatari uttered before clutching his fist in anger.

"This is your fate! Now, plummet into the depths of darkness! Geo Condor, direct attack! DEATH SINGULARITY!" Rudger ferociously screamed as the gigantic bird open it's beak.

"STOP THIS!" Gongenzaka shouted.

"ATTACK ME INSTEAD!" Masumi begged.

The two teens tried to reach the blond boy, who looked up at them with a small smile.

"Masumi...Gongenzaka...win." Sawatari smiled at his friends before the bird's beak struck the ground around Sawatari, leaving a large crater in the ground.

SAWATARI: 25-0 LP

"...N-No..." Masumi covered her mouth with her hands as she processed that Sawatari's body wasn't in the crater.

"You...monsters...!" Gongenzaka grunted in a silent rage as he looked up at the Earthbound monster who had just taken his comrade away from them.

"That brat got what he deserved for interfering. I can't wait to do the same to that Yuto punk once we're done here..." Rudger sinisterly grinned. "With that, I end my turn. So, do you two still have the will to fight?"

"..." Masumi was completely silent. Her bangs covered her eyes as she continued to look at the spot Sawatari once stood without saying a word.

"...I failed to protect my comrade once again...and this time...it led to this..." The muscular teen trailed off as he looked down in shame. "...My weakness keeps causing my comrades pain and suffering. Yuya lost himself because I wasn't there for him. Yuto lost himself because I couldn't defend our team against our strong opponents. Sawatari paid the ultimate sacrifice because I couldn't protect my comrades...that ends today."

The teen's large fist tightened as he looked up, his tears seemingly all dried up.

"I'm done failing...I'M DONE LETTING THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUR GET HURT BECAUSE OF MY WEAKNESS! MY TURN! STRONGEST DRAW!" Gongenzaka shouted as he drew, whipping up a gust of wind that blew throughout the field. The teen's eyes widened as he looked at the card he had drawn.

"That burst of determination won't save you! There's nothing you can do against the might of our Earthbound Servants!" Rudger cried as the condor, whale, and ape towered over the field.

"Yuya...Yuzu...you've both used Pendulum to break through your limits time and time again...if I want to become strong enough to stand with you...I, the man Gongenzaka, have to do the same! This is my desire to protect my friends! This is the newest evolution to the Steadfast Dueling! By sending Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K from my deck to the graveyard, I can special summon this card from my hand! Come, Superheavy Monk Warrior Big Ben-K!"

The pendulum version of Gongenzaka's original ace monster appeared. This version of Big Ben-K had purple and gold armor and carried a spear with a large blade on top.

Superheavy Monk Warrior Big Ben-K (1000/3500) LVL:8

Just like how Prodigy Mozart and Odd Eyes became Pendulum Monsters for Yuzu and Yuya, Gongenzaka's ace also evolved through the power of Pendulum.

"Summoning a powerful monster so easily..." Rudger uttered in an interested tone.

"With the power that Reiji gave me when I became a Lancer...I'll protect my comrades and defeat you! Since I have no Spells or Traps in my graveyard, Monk Warrior Big Ben-K can attack while in defense mode! BATTLE! Big Ben-K, attack Earthbound Servant - Geo Ape!" Gongenzaka shouted as his warrior's blade ignited in golden energy that extended upwards, forming a large energy blade.

"It won't be so easy!" Demack shouted before turning to Rudger.

"That's right! Earthbound Prisoner - Lost Arachnid's effect in the graveyard activates! By banishing it, Earthbound monster can't be destroyed this turn!" Rudger shouted.

"But you still take the damage! STEADFAST SOUL BREAK!" Gongenzaka shouted as the warrior monk's energy blade clashed with the black entity's arm.

DEMACK: 3400-2900 LP

"Trap Activate! Earthbound Cycle! When I take damage while I control an Earthbound Monster, that monster gains ATK equal to the damage I took!"

Geo Ape (3000/2000)-(3500/2000)

"It's over for you!" Demack grinned.

"...I will protect my friends no matter what! Superheavy Samurai Spirit Sword effect in my hand activates! By sending it to the graveyard when a Superheavy monster's attack is negated, that monster can attack again and it gains 1000 DEF!" Gongenzaka shouted as a shinning blade appeared in the monk warrior's hand.

Big Ben-K (1000/3500)-(1000/4500)

"W-What?!" Demack gasped.

"This is for our last duel! Big Ben-K, attack Geo Ape once more! STEADFAST SACRED BREAK!" Gongenzaka shouted as his monster's new blade shined like a star before it was thrown through the air at the ape. The blade struck the center of the entity, causing it to let out one last cry before exploding into particles.

"Grr..." Demack grunted as he was hit by a powerful shockwave.

DEMACK: 2900-1900 LP

"You may have defeated my Earthbound Servant, but you failed to defeat me!" Demack shouted.

"No, I haven't. Superheavy General San-5's Pendulum Effect! Since a Superheavy Monster destroyed a monster by battle, by sending this card to the graveyard, that monster can attack again!" Gongenzaka explained as his monster caught the sacred sword that flew back into his hand like a boomerang.

"A third attack?!" Demack gasped.

"Superheavy Monk Warrior Big Ben-K, direct attack! STEADFAST SACRED SLASH!" Gongenzaka shouted as his Pendulum Monster hovered over the bounty hunter before striking him with the shinning blade.

"GRAAAAAAH!" Demack cried as he was sent flying backwards into a wall.

DEMACK: 1900-0 LP

"I end my turn. At this moment, Big Ben-K's ATK returns to normal." Gongenzaka explained as the shinning blade dissolved.

Big Ben-K (1000/4500)-(1000/3500)

"You bastard...you'll pay for that!" Bommer growled.

"Masumi, it's your turn now." Gongenzaka told the girl, who was still looking down at the crater where her friend once stood.

The dark skinned girl was completely lost in thought. Sawatari was the reason she wasn't trapped in a card. She was completely outmatched by Darkness and only made it out alive because of him. And yet, she couldn't do a thing to save him. In fact, her weakness was the reason he sacrificed the majority of his Life Points. It was her fault he was gone. It was her fault she would never be able to repay him for saving her life. It was her fault that-

"Masumi!" Gongenzaka yelled, interrupting the girl's thought. "Sawatari believed that we could win! We have to prove him right!"

"Sawatari...I'll avenge you!" Masumi declared as she looked up with an enraged look in her eyes. "MY TURN! I activate the Spell Card, Card of Demise! I draw five cards in exchange for discarding my entire hand in five turns! Next, with the Scale 1 Gem-Knight Spinel, and the Scale 8 Gem-Knight Jade, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

The pink and green armored knights appeared in the blue columns.

Spinel 1 - 8 Jade

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters with Levels 2 through 7! Pendulum Summon! From my hand, Gem-Knight Quartz!" Masumi shouted as a tan colored knight appeared on the field.

Gem-Knight Quartz (1500/1500) LVL:4

"I'm tired of being too weak to help my friends...Hokuto...Yaiba...Roy...Gongenzaka...Yuto...Yuya...Serena...Yuzu..." Masumi uttered to herself before clenching her fist tightly. "...I'll be strong enough to protect them...and I'll make you pay for taking Sawatari away! Gem-Knight Jade's Pendulum effect activates! Once per turn, I can Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight Fusion monster by banishing monsters on my field. But if I have less life points then my opponent, I can banish monsters in my graveyard once per duel! I banish Gem-Knight Master Dia and Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dia!"

Masumi's two aces briefly appeared before swirling in the fusion vortex.

"Supreme radiance that illuminates everything! Dazzling brilliance that shines brightly! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! FUSION SUMMON! Come forth! Level 10! Radiant ruler that shines through the darkness! Gem-Knight Queen Brilliant Dia!"

Out of the shinning light, a large female knight appeared. The knight had glimmering diamond armor and carried a large diamond sword in her right hand and a large diamond shield in her left hand. The knight had a shiny crown-shaped helmet on her head and a red cape on her back.

Gem-Knight Queen Brilliant Dia (3700/2500) LVL:10

"Queen Brilliant Dia'a effect activates! Once per turn, I can equip a Gem-Knight Fusion monster that is banished or in my graveyard! I equip Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dia! And due to Queen Brilliant Dia's effect, she gains ATK equal to half of the equipped monster's ATK!"

Queen Brilliant Dia (3700/2500)-(5400/2500)

"Also, Queen Brilliant Dia gains Lady Brilliant Dia's effect! My monster's new effect activates! I can now use Gem-Knight Quartz to Fusion Summon using a single material!" Masumi shouted as her monster swirled into the fusion vortex. "Grind Fusion! Level 8! Gem-Knight Lady Rose Dia!"

Gem-Knight Lady Rose Dia (2700/2000) LVL:8

"A new Fusion Monster...!" Gongenzaka said in awe.

"You've assembled quite the field. However, your monsters won't be able to break through our defenses!" Rudger shouted.

"You're wrong...no matter what stands in my way...I'll break through it to avenge Sawatari!" Masumi determinedly declared as she clenched her fist. "Spinel's Pendulum Effect activates! During my turn, Gem-Knight Fusion monsters gain 300 ATK for every Gem-Knight Fusion monster on my field!"

Queen Brilliant Dia (5400/2500)-(6000/2500)

Lady Rose Dia (2700/2000)-(3300/2000)

"BATTLE! Lady Rose Dia, attack Earthbound Servant - Geo Whale!" Masumi commanded as her knight leaped forward.

"Have you forgotten my monster's other effect? Once per turn, when Geo Whale is targeted for an attack, I can discard a card from my hand to-"

"...I won't let you." Masumi coldly said.

Suddenly, her newest monster's blade emanated with blue energy. The knight swung her sword, launching an energy slash that cut through the water and destroyed the large black entity.

"What the hell?!" Bommer gasped.

"Lady Rose Dia's effect activated as soon as you used Geo Whale's effect. During my turn, when the opponent activates a Monster Effect, by banishing a Gem-Knight monster such as Gem-Knight Ruby, I can destroy a face up card on the opponent's field!" Masumi explained with a look of hatred in her eyes.

"And since the attack target left the field during the Battle Step...a replay occurs..." Gongenzaka realized.

"...which means I can choose a new target for the attack! Go, attack that bastard directly!" Masumi shouted as her knight charged the defenseless bounty hunter.

"THIS CAN'T BE-" Bommer's rage was cut off as the knight slashed down at the man with a glowing blue sword, sending him flying into a wall.

BOMMER: 2200-0 LP

"This shouldn't be possible...we bested you easily last time...!" Rudger uttered in disbelief as he stared at the girl.

"The difference is...YOU KILLED MY FRIEND! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY! Go, Queen Brilliant Dia! Attack Earthbound Servant - Geo Condor! ROYAL DIAMOND EDGE!" Masumi shouted as her monster's sword gained a colorful glow. The queen leaped up in the air and raised her glowing sword to the sky.

"Geo Condor's effect! By paying half of my life points..."

RUDGER: 50-25 LP

"...I-"

"Since you activated a monster effect during my turn, Gem-Knight Lady Rose Dia's effect activates! By banishing Gem-Knight Crysta, Earthbound Servant - Geo Condor is destroyed!" Masumi shouted as her knight's sword became coated in blue energy once more.

Lady Rose Dia swung its sword through the air, slicing apart the gigantic black entity with a blue energy slash.

As the large bird was destroyed, a figure fell from the sky, causing Gongenzaka and Masumi's eyes to widen.

"Is that...?" Gongenzaka uttered before smiling.

"Sawatari!" Masumi cried as the unconscious boy plummeted towards the ground.

"Big Ben-K!" Gongenzaka called out to his Pendulum Monster, who caught the boy before he could hit the ground. The machine warrior brought the over to the muscular teen, who inspected his comrade's condition.

"It appears you were able to save your friend. However, you weren't able to defeat me! Since my Monster was destroyed during the Damage Step, a replay won't occur! You have nothing else to attack with!" Rudger shouted.

Masumi looked down at her fallen friend for a moment before glaring up at her opponent.

"...Gem-Knight Spinel's Pendulum Effect activates! Once per turn, by releasing a special summoned Gem-Knight Monster, a Gem-Knight Fusion Monster can make an additional attack! I release Lady Rose Dia to allow Queen Brilliant Dia to attack again!"

The smaller knight bursted into particles that were absorbed into the queen, causing it to gain a colorful aura.

Queen Brilliant Dia (6000/2500)-(5700/2500)

"This is...impossible...how can I lose...to the likes of you...?" Rudger uttered as he stepped back in fear.

"Go, Queen Brilliant Dia! DIRECT ATTACK! ROYAL DIAMOND EDGE!"

In a swift motion, the queen jumped forward and slashed down on the panicking bounty hunter with its colorful blade, sending him crashing into a wall.

RUDGER: 25-0 LP

WINNERS: GONGENZAKA, MASUMI, and SAWATARI!

"It's over..." Masumi sighed in relief before her eyes widened in fear as she was no longer consumed by anger. "Sawatari! Is he...?"

Masumi choked on her words as the Steadfast duelist relentlessly tried to wake him up.

"Sawatari! Wake up, Sawatari!" Gongenzaka shouted as he violently shook the boy.

"...Stop...I'm awake...you don't have to shake me down so hard..." Sawatari softly uttered in annoyance as he opened his eyes.

"Sawatari!" Masumi and Gongenzaka shouted with tears in their eyes as they both hugged the boy.

"Guys...c-can't...b-breath...!" Sawatari gasped.

"Sawatari...you idiot!" Masumi shouted as she slapped the boy across the face.

"Why do you keep calling me an idiot?! I've saved you like three times by now!" Sawatari angrily shouted.

"Never sacrifice yourself for me like that again..." Masumi angrily shouted before giving the boy another tight hug.

"S-Sorry..." The boy said with a slight blush before shaking his head. "From the looks of it, you guys snapped out of your funk and gave those guys the beating they deserved."

"That's right. I, the man Gongenzaka, found the motivation within myself to strengthen my resolve." Gongenzaka proudly said.

"I...I'm sick of seeing everyone I care about getting hurt. So I'll continue getting stronger so I can fight alongside you all." Masumi said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Good. It's about time you start acting like your usual selves. You guys were really stressing me out during that duel with all that depressing dialogue." Sawatari said, earning two fiery glares.

"YOU STRESSED US OUT BY DYING!"

"That's fair, I guess..." Sawatari nervously sighed before getting back on track. "Well now that we've beaten these guys, let's go finish the mission." Sawatari told his teammates with a smile.

"Yeah, let's go." Masumi agreed while Gongenzaka nodded.

As they passed the three members of Team Dark Hunters, Sawatari looked over at the beaten duelists with a smirk.

"I told you idiots that my friends would win."

With that, Sawatari was the last of the Standard trio to walk out of the room.

The group approached the generator that Roget's goons had been charged with guarding.

"This is it." Masumi said with a small smile.

The girl took out a wire, connecting the nearby computer to her duel disk. She then downloaded the virus that Reiji prepared into the computer. As she did this, the lights in the room began to flicker while the generator began making strange noises.

After the virus completely downloaded, all power in the room had been completely turned off.

"We did it." Gongenzaka said before sighing in relief.

"It's up to them now..." Sawatari trailed off in a hopeful tone.

---

With their experience in the war, stealth was not an issue for the Xyz trio, who hid in the shadows to avoid Roget's henchman. Although Shun wasn't against bashing their skulls in, his sister's presence gave him some clarity and allowed him to realize that avoiding the enemy was better due to the circumstances.

"Just a little bit further. At the end of this hallway, there should be an entrance to the room with the generator." Yuto said while checking the map on his duel disk.

"Good. Let's keep pushing forward." Shun resolutely said.

As they moved through the halls, Ruri looked at both her boyfriend and her brother. She couldn't help think about her counterparts and how they affected the two people she cared about most in this world.

Shun seemed to look at Yuzu in a similar manner to how he viewed herself. Yet, there was definitely a difference. Shun not only saw her as a friend, but as someone he could trust in battle. She wasn't so sure Shun trusted herself like that, and she really couldn't blame him, especially after her defeat and capture by the hands of Yuri. Although she felt frustrated by that fact, she couldn't help but feel relieved that Shun befriended Yuzu. She feared Shun would stray onto a dark path in her absence, so having Yuzu around to help him stay on the right path was something she was thankful for.

Yuto had briefly mentioned his relationship between Yuzu and Serena to his girlfriend. Yuzu had been the first person in Standard that he befriended, meaning they definitely once had a special friendship. On the other hand, Yuto had been one of the first people to believe that Serena wasn't evil despite hailing from Academia, which was something she knew was hard for him to do. She could tell the strain on his relationships with them, along with his counterparts, had affected his emotional state.

Although she felt bad for him, a part of her was happy that he managed to make these sorts of bonds during his time away from home. She knew that eventually, things would be right between them all, it was just a matter of time. In the meantime, she'd do anything to help him repair the damage that had been dealt to his psyche.

Running alongside Yuto and Shun gave her a sense of peace. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn't alone.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." A man in the distance said, causing the group to stop in their tracks.

"Who are you?!" Shun questioned.

"Aww man, you don't remember us? That really pisses me off." Another man grunted while cracking his knuckles.

"We're Team Catastrophe." The third man finally answered Shun's question. "Roget let us out of the underground in exchange for helping safeguard this facility. We'll do whatever it takes to keep our freedom. Isn't that right, Hermann, Hans?"

"That's right, Nicolas."

"Couldn't agree more, boss."

"These are the guys that fought dirty against Sawatari's team in the first round." Yuto pointed out, remembering how the goons made several attempts at knocking their comrades off their D-Wheels.

"So we'll take them on in a three on three." Ruri stepped forward, readying her duel disk.

"Yeah-"

Yuto was cut off by the sound of someone whistling, which echoed throughout the hallway.

Shun and Ruri looked at each other in confusion, but Yuto knew exactly where the whistling was coming from.

"Show yourself!" Yuto demanded with an angered look on his face.

"Now, now, there's no need to get so hostile. You should've seen this coming." Another man spoke, who calmly walked onto the scene with a smug look.

"You're..." Shun trailed off, remembering him from when he swept three of his comrades during the second round of the Friendship Cup.

"With the way things ended before, it was only a matter of time before we settled the score." The man spoke, walking past the three criminals and standing right in front of Yuto. "What do you say we take this somewhere else, huh?"

"...Shun, Ruri, I trust that you two can take care of these guys. I'll take this bastard on alone." Yuto coldly told his friends without breaking eye contact with his next opponent.

"But Yuto-"

"Go for it." Ruri cut off her brother's words, surprising the elder Kurosaki. The two siblings shared a quick glance before reaching a silent understanding. "There's nothing we can say to stop you, so go do what you have to do. We'll be fine."

Yuto briefly looked back at the girl with a small smile before reengaging in a stare down with his opponent.

"Let's get going then, Yuto. This time, I'll finally taste satisfaction."

"You're wrong...I'll defeat you this time, Kiryu Kyosuke..."

Yuto followed the man with yellow markings on his face further down the hall.

"Now, where were we? The boss said that he'd like us to take you in, missy. Come quietly and we won't beat your brother to a pulp. After all, he's already in pretty bad shape as it is." Nicolas pointed out.

"Shut up, you low life goons. There's no way you're laying a hand on her for as long as I live!" Shun angrily shouted.

"Too bad you won't be living much longer than." Hans grinned.

"You'll pay in blood for standing in the way of our job." Hermann smirked.

"Ruri, I know you've been through a lot recently. Don't feel pressured to duel these idiots, I can take care of them myself." Shun told his sister.

"Brother...I want to fight too. I know you may not have the most faith in me, considering everything that's happened because I couldn't defend myself back then. But after seeing you, Yuto, Yuzu, and Serena fight so hard to save me...I want to return the favor by fighting along side you." Ruri told her brother with a determined look.

"Ruri..."

"I can fight. So please, let me prove myself." Ruri said to her brother before turning to her opponents.

'You don't have anything to proveto me. You have to prove it to yourself.' Shun wanted to say, but kept his words inward.

The two siblings activated their duel disks, with Ruri's being the sword-shaped Academia model. She looked at the duel disk with a distain, remembering her time serving the school that kidnapped her.

'I'm not a puppet anymore...I can fight my own battles...I can do this!'

Ruri looked up with a resolute star and steeled resolve. She was ready.

"DUEL!"

RURI: 4000 LP SHUN: 4000 LP vs HERMANN: 4000 LP HANS: 4000 LP NICOLAS: 4000 LP

"My turn!" Ruri declared before grabbing a card from her hand. "I activate the Spell Card, Lyrical Luscinia Nesting! By discarding a Lyrical Luscinia monster from my hand, I can draw two cards!"

"Set up all you want, we'll easily take down anything you bring out." Hans taunted.

"We'll see about that. From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscina Cobalt Sparrow!" Ruri shouted as a brown female humanoid bird appeared.

Lyrical Luscinia Cobalt Sparrow (0/100) LVL:1

"Lyrical Luscinia Sapphire Swallow's effect in my hand allows me to special summon it and another Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia monster to the field if I control a Lyrical Luscinia monster besides Sapphire Swallow! Come, Sapphire Swallow! Celeste Wagtail!"

Two female humanoid birds that were blue and grey respectively appeared.

Lyrical Luscinia Sapphire Swallow (100/0) LVL:1

Lyrical Luscinia Celeste Wagtail (200/0) LVL:1

"Celeste Wagtail's effect activates! Now, I can add a Lyrical Luscinia Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand since this card was special summoned. Now, I overlay my Level 1 Cobalt Sparrows, Sapphire Swallow, and Celeste Wagtail!" Ruri shouted as her three winged-beasts turned into green energy that flew into the overlay network. "Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Take flight in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale!"

A beautiful female humanoid bird appeared with a blue and green feather on its body and white wings for acting as arms.

Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale (0/0) RNK:1 OVU:3

"Lyrical Luscinia's effect activates! She gains 100 ATK for each of her Overlay Units!"

Assembly Nightingale (0/0-(300/0)

"Wow, a monster with a whopping 300 ATK! What a move!" Hermann sarcastically spoke.

"I set two cards face down, turn end." Ruri concluded.

"Good start, Ruri." Shun said to his sister, receiving a nod in return from the girl.

"That was quite the underwhelming performance. I guess I'll have to make things more interesting! My turn! I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity! Now, I draw three cards and then I'll discard two. Next, I activate the Spell Card, Hidden Knight Reinforcements! This allows me to special summon two Hidden Knights from my graveyard without their effects! Come back, Hidden Knight - Hook! Hidden Knight - Dark!" Hermann shouted as the two fiends returned.

Hidden Knight - Hook (1600/0) LVL:4

Hidden Knight - Dark (800/0) LVL:3

"Next, I summon the Tuner Monster, Hidden Knight - Dagger!" Hermann shouted as a small fiend cloaked in black that was carrying a dagger appeared.

Hidden Knight - Dagger (500/0) LVL: 1

"Now, I tune the Level 1 Dagger to my Level 3 Dark and Level 4 Hook! Warrior cloaked in shadows! Emerge from the dark and slash through your target! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Hidden Knight - Shadow Assassin!" Herman shouted as a larger fiend with dark armor carrying two swords appeared.

Hidden Knight - Shadow Assassin (2900/1700) LVL: 8

"Hidden Knight - Shadow Assassin's effect activates! Once per turn, for every non tuner Hidden Knight monster used as Synchro materials, a monster on your field is destroyed and you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's level times 200!" Hermann exclaimed as his monster turned into a shadow. The shadow disappeared and reappeared behind the two magnet warriors and raised its blades, ready to strike.

"Xyz Monsters don't have levels." Shun pointed out.

"B-But your monster will still be destroyed." Hermann smirked.

"I won't let that happen. Trap Activate! Lyrical Luscinia Winged Wall! An effect that would destroy a Lyrical Luscinia Monster on my field is negated! And then, if that Monster was an Xyz Monster, I can attach this card to it as a material!"

OVU: 3-4

Assembly Nightingale (300/0)-(400/0)

"Fine, I guess I'll just clip its wings a different way! BATTLE! Shadow Assassin, attack Assembly Nightingale! Haunting Blade!" Hermann shouted as his monster charged forward with glowing purple blades.

"Assembly Nightingale's effect! By using an overlay unit, my monster isn't destroy and I don't take any damage!" Ruri countered.

Assembly Nightingale (400/0)-(300/0) OVU:4-3

"Quick Play Spell, Hidden Attack activate! My Hidden Knights monster gets to make another attack on your monster! Go!"

"Assembly Nightingale's effect activates once more!"

Assembly Nightingale (300/0)-(200/0) OVU:3-2

"You'll run out of resources soon. I set two cards facedown, turn end." Hermann concluded.

"My turn-"

"It's my turn now, draw!" Hans shouted with a devious grin, cutting Shun off.

"Grr..." Shun grunted in anger.

"I activate the Spell Card, Jurrac Charge! I can special summon a Jurrac monster from my hand by discarding Jurrac monsters whose combined levels are more than the summoned monster's level. I discard the Level 7 Jurrac Tyrannus and the Level 3 Jurrac Stauriko to special summon the Level 9 Jurrac Tatian!"

An extremely large tyrannotitan appeared. The large dinosaur had sharp red and black skin that looked like it was made of volcanic has lava running through it's body and yellow eyes.

Jurrac Taitan (3000/2800) LVL: 9

"The monster summoned through this effect can't attack during this turn, but that's fine since it won't be around for long. From my hand, I summon Jurrac Aeolo!" Hans shouted as a blue and yellow dino inside an egg appeared.

Jurrac Aeolo (200/200) LVL: 1

"Now, I tune my Level 1 Jurrac Aeolo to my Level 9 Jurrac Taitan! Fall from the heavens and drive everything to brink of extinction! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Jurrac Meteor!"

A gigantic dinosaur engulfed in flames descended from the sky in the shape of a gigantic meteor, causing Ruri to sweat.

Jurrac Meteor (2800/2000) LVL: 10

"Jurrac Meteor's effect activates! After being Synchro Summoned, all monsters on the field are destroyed! Now, Hermann!" Hans shouted at his teammate.

"Right! Trap Activate! Synchro Protection! During this turn, Synchro Monsters can't be destroyed by card effects!" Hermann yelled.

"That means the only monster that'll be destroyed is your monster!" Hans grinned as his meteor-like dinosaur collided with the ground, creating a powerful wave of fire that shot towards Ruri.

"That won't work! Assembly Nightingale's effect activates! By using an overlay unit, it won't be destroyed by your card's effect!"

Assembly Nightingale (200/0)-(100/0) OVU:2-1

"So it protects against destruction via effects as well. In that case, I'll just rid you of the last of your defenses! Battle! Jurrac Meteor, attack Assembly Nightingale! Jurassic Crush!" Hans shouted as his monster flew up into the air before crashing down on Ruri's monster.

"Assembly Nightingale's effect activates! By using an overlay unit, it won't be destroyed by your card's effect!"

Assembly Nightingale (100/0)-(0/0) OVU:1-0

"It's not over! Trap Activate! Hidden Support! By banishing all three of the Hidden Monsters in my graveyard, I can target a monster on the field and it can make another attack during this turn! I target Jurrac Meteor! Now, take out her monster!"

"With pleasure! Jurrac Meteor, attack Assembly Nightingale once more! Jurassic Crush!" Hans commanded once more.

"Oh no..." Ruri uttered in fear at the sight of the gigantic monster descending towards her ace.

"Ruri!" Shun yelled before searching for an Action Card. His eyes widened as he caught glimpse of one, but when he tried to take a step forward, his legs didn't respond.

Ruri didn't have the required instincts for Action Duels yet, so when the attack was declared, all she could do was watch the gigantic monster's attack.

The beautiful bird was demolished by the burning meteor, causing a powerful explosion that knocked Ruri through the air.

"GAAAH!"

RURI: 4000-1200 LP

"NO!" Shun gasped as he tried to run to his sister. However, he tripped on his own foot and fell to the ground.

"Brother..." Ruri said in a pained tone as she rose to her feet while her brother struggled to do the same.

It seemed like the injuries and exhaustion he sustained during the invasion had led to his current state. Unable to protect his sister and unable to even stand.

"How...pathetic..." Shun grunted in anger.

"Don't worry, Brother...we're in this together." Ruri told the older teen, extending her hand out to him.

As he looked up at the girl, he briefly saw the image of Yuzu overlapping with his sister.

"You're not alone, Kurosaki. We're comrades after all."

"You two really are similar..." Shun thought to himself with a proud smile before accepting his sister's hand.

"Aww...how touching." Hermann grinned.

"Too bad it'll all be over for you two shortly." Nicolas laughed.

"This is the end. Turn end." Hans concluded.

"No...this isn't the end for us..." Shun grunted as Ruri helped him off the ground.

"You made a crucial mistake thinking you could take on the combined power of the Kurosaki siblings!" Ruri shouted with a smile.

"I'll...no...we'll show you the unyielding will of the Resistance! MY TURN!" Shun shouted as he powerfully drew. "From my hand, I summon Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius!"

Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius (1300/1600) LVL: 4

"Since this card was summoned, I can special summon another Raid Raptors- Vanishing Lanius from my hand!"

Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius (1300/1600) LVL: 4

The two green mechanical birds flew side by side in front of Shun, who clenched his fist and raised it to the sky.

"Now, I overlay my two Level 4 Vanishing Lanius'! Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! Xyz Summon! Take flight! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Force Strix!" Shun yelled as the blue mechanized owl appeared.

Raid Raptors - Force Strix (100/2000) RNK: 4 OVU: 2

"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Rank Up Magic Skip Force! This card allows me to rank up Force Strix into a Raid Raptors Monster that's two ranks higher!" Shun shouted as his newly summoned monster turned into dark energy and flew back into the overlay network. "Prideful falcon, spread your wings dyed in the blood of heroes! Advance through the path of revolution! Rank Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 6! Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon!"

Shun's mechanized falcon appeared that had pitch black armor and blood red eyes.

Raid Raptors - Revolution Falcon (2000/3000) RNK: 6 OVU: 3

"Since this card was special summoned using a Rank 5 or lower Raid Raptors Xyz Monster, its effect activates! Now, I can target a special summoned monster on your field and it's destroyed! Then, you take damage equal to half of its ATK! I target Jurrac Meteor! Burn and scatter in the flames of revolution!" Shun shouted as his monster flew above the gigantic dinosaur and released a flurry of bombs that exploded on impact.

"Ghhh...damn you...!" Hans growled as his monster exploded into pieces.

HANS: 4000-2600 LP

"I'm not finished yet." Shun declared, grabbing another card from his hand before holding it high in the air. "I activate the Spell Card, Rank Up Magic Raid Force! This card ranks up Revolution Falcon into Raid Raptors Xyz Monster that's one rank higher!"

Once again, the mechanized bird of war turned into dark energy that flew back into the overlay network.

"Rigorous Falcon, carry the strength of our brethren and unleash it upon all who oppose us! Rank Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 7! Raid Raptors - Arsenal Falcon!"

A large black and green armored falcon with white razor-like blades on its wings appeared with a loud cry.

Raid Raptors - Arsenal Falcon (2500/2000) RNK: 7 OVU: 4

"Arsenal Falcon can make attacks up to the number of Raid Raptor monsters it has as overlay units! Meaning, you're about to feel the wrath of four attacks! Battle! Arsenal Falcon, attack him directly! Flock Barrage!" Shun shouted as his monster extended it's wings outwards. Multiple small mechanical birds shot out of the falcon's wings and flew towards Roget's henchman.

"GAAAAAAH!"

HANS: 2600-100 LP

"Second attack! Finish him off! Flock Barrage!" Shun shouted as his monster released another unit of mechanized birds that carried the man up into the air before dropping him to the ground, knocking him out cold.

HANS: 100-0 LP

"I'll make you pay for that!" Hermann shouted.

"You won't have the chance! Third attack! Take out Hidden Knights - Shadow Assassin! Flock Barrage!" Shun commanded.

"But your monster only has 2500 ATK!" Hermann pointed out.

"Not for long." Shun smirked before turning to Ruri.

"This is our combined power! Trap Activate! Lyrcial Luscinia Harmony! This card allows me to equip a Lyricial Luscinia Xyz Monster in my graveyard to another Xyz Monster on the field! I equip Assembly Nightingale to Arsenal Falcon!" Ruri shouted as the spirit of her ace appeared before flying into the mechanized bird. "Then, Arsenal Falcon gains 500 ATK times Assembly Nightingale's rank!"

Arsenal Falcon (2500/2000)-(3000/2000)

"You got to be kidding me!" Hermann shouted as the storm of small mechanical birds shredded through his ace.

HERMANN: 4000-3900 LP

"Fourth attack! Flock Barrage!"

"GAAAAAH!"

HERMANN: 3900-900 LP

"Hahahaha...you failed to finish me off!" Hermann laughed.

"Is that what you think?" Shun questioned with a smirk.

"Lyrical Luscinia Harmony's effect in the graveyard activates! By banishing this card and sending Assembly Nightingale to the graveyard, Arsenal Falcon can make another attack!" Ruri smiled.

Arsenal Falcon (3000/2000)-(2500/2000)

"HUH?!"

"Fifth attack! This is the end for you! FLOCK BARRAGE!"

"DAMN Y-"

Hermann was unable to finish his sentence before being swarmed by an army of the mechanical soldiers with wings, who left him in the same condition as his teammate.

HERMANN: 900-0 LP

"Alright, good work!" Ruri cheerfully shouted.

"Yeah." Shun nodded before giving his sister a high five.

"Wow...that was quite the display of teamwork. You have my respect." Nicolas said while slowly clapping his hands.

"You don't seem worried that you're all alone now." Shun said while narrowing his eyes.

"I don't need those idiots to deal with you two. The only reason I lost to that blond idiot you're allied with is simply because he got lucky, nothing more." Nicolas confidently declared.

"We'll see about that. I set a card facedown, turn end." Shun concluded.

"MY TURN! While I control no monsters, I can summon Knight of the Devil King without releasing!" Nicolas yelled as a knight in black and red armor carrying a black blade appeared.

Knight of the Devil King (2100/800) LVL: 5

"Then, I activate the Spell Card, Double Summon! This lets me normal summon once again! Come, Seductress of the Devil King!" Nicolas shouted as a women in a black dress that was holding a blood red staff appeared.

Seductress of the Devil King (1500/500) LVL: 3

"And while I control two or more Devil King monsters, I can special summon the Tuner Monster, Mercenary of the Devil King!" Nicolas shouted as a man appeared that had black and red clothing that had two red blades in his hands.

Mercenary of the Devil King (1000/800) LVL:2

"Seductress' effect activates! By targeting Knight of the Devil King, it becomes a Tuner Monster for this turn! Now, I tune my Level 5 Knight of the Devil King to my Level 3 Seductress of the Devil King! Raging beast that lies dormant in the underworld! Arise onto the surface and rule over everything with your demonic power! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Devil King Dragon - Beelze!" Nicolas shouted as the earth shook. Out of a momentary crack in the ground, a burst of black energy shot out. When it a dispersed and the crack closed, a red serpent-like dragon was revealed. It had two large heads and it had a dark fiend riding it.

Devil King Dragon - Beelze (3000/3000) LVL:8

"I'm not done yet! I activate the Spell Card, Call of the Devil King! By paying 500 life points..."

NICOLAS: 4000-3500 LP

"...I can special summon up to two Devil King Monsters from my graveyard in defense mode! Come, Knight of the Devil King! Seductress of the Devil King!"

Knight of the Devil King (2100/800) LVL: 5

Seductress of the Devil King (1500/500) LVL: 3

"Prepaid to sink into despair! I tune my Level 2 Mercenary of the Devil King to my Level 3 Seductress of the Devil King and my Level 5 Knight of the Devil King!" Nicolas shouted as his monster turned into two rings that flew around the other monsters.

"Here it comes..." Shun grunted.

"Demonic beast trapped in the chains of the underworld! Manifest onto the battlefield as a raging deity and consume everything in darkness! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Come forth! Level 10! Devil King Super Dragon - Beelzeus!"

Out of a large crack in the ground, an even great burst of dark energy shot out, consuming the field. A humongous black and purple serpentine dragon appeared that had two large dragon heads that were connected to a big fiendish head with sharp teeth and yellow eyes. The dragon towered over Sawatari's field, making him extremely nervous.

Devil King Super Dragon - Beelzeus (4000/4000) LVL:10

"Summoning monsters with 3000 and 4000 ATK during the same turn..." Ruri uttered in a mixture of awe and fear.

"He's definitely stronger than the other two..." Shun admitted.

"Due to my dragon's effects, they can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, so good luck with trying to rid them from the field." Nicolas grinned before turning to his bigger monster. "Beelzeus' effect activates! During this turn, any damage the opponent receives is halved. Now, I can target a monster on your field and its ATK becomes 0. Then I gain life points equal to that monster's previous ATK! I target Arsenal Falcon! HELL GAZE!" Nicolas roared. The center head's bright yellow eyes glowed as the opposing fiend was consumed in dark energy, completely draining it. Then, Nicolas was consumed in green energy.

Arsenal Falcon (2500/2000)-(0/2000)

NICOLAS: 3500-6000 LP

"It's over for you! I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Devil King's Banquet! For every Devil King Monster on my field, all Devil King Monsters gain 500 ATK!"

Beelzeus (4000/4000)-(5000/4000)

Beelze (3000/3000)-(4000/3000)

"Also, their effects that prevent other monsters on the field from attacking are ignored as long as this card is in play." Nicolas explained with a devious grin.

"He took away one of their drawbacks..." Ruri realized.

"Since Roget wants you captured, I'll take care of you first! BATTLE! Beelze, attack the girl directly!" Nicolas roared, causing the girl to step back in fear.

"I failed to protect you back then...I won't let you get taken from me again!" Shun declared, protectively standing in front of Ruri. "Trap Activate! Raid Raptors Bravery! By targeting Arsenal Falcon, it can't be destroyed during this turn! Also, you can only target this monster for attacks during this turn while it's on the field! And don't forget that the draw back to your monster's effect halves all damage I'll take!"

"How annoying...then I'll just inflict all the pain onto you! Go, Beelze! Dual Chaos Fury!" Nicolas shouted as black and red streams shot out of the dragon's mouths and collided with the large bird. Although it endured the attack, the ensuing shockwave force Shun to a knee.

SHUN: 4000-2500 LP

"Beelzeus, attack that bird! SPIRALING DARK CHAOS!" Nicolas roared as the larger dragon fired a spiraling black and purple blast from both of its mouths.

The blast clashed against Arsenal Falcon, creating an even larger shockwave that knocked Shun to the ground.

SHUN: 2500-500 LP

"Enjoy your last turns before I deal the finishing blow. I end my turn." Nicolas concluded as both of his demonic dragons roared in unison.

"Damn it..." Shun tried to stand up, but his body had already been beaten down enough. He could still feel bruises from the attack during Yugo's ceremony. He could still barely breathe as the exhaustion from his never ending battles with the Obelisk Force sapped away his endurance. He cursed himself for being so helpless, especially with his beloved sister's fate in the balance.

"Brother...it's ok. You can rest for now. I'll handle the rest of this duel." Ruri told her brother, stepping in front of him as he once did for her.

"R-Ruri..."

"You've always been there for me, even when we were little. You even crossed dimensions just to save me. For once, I want to be the one protecting you." Ruri said to her brother without turning to face him. Instead, her eyes remained locked on her opponent, who responded with a twisted grin.

"I...believe in you...now take flight..."

Ruri's lips curled into a smile as she heard her brother's words of approval. Suddenly, all of the lingering doubt and fear within her was vanquished.

"So you aren't scared of my 4000 and 5000 ATK dragons who can't be destroyed? Are you brave or stupid?" Nicolas asked.

"To be honest...I guess I'm just not impressed. I've faced much scarier people who wanted to kidnap me in the past. And those dragons aren't that scary either, especially compared to the ones I've gone up against." Ruri honestly admitted.

"Why you-"

"I'll no longer be afraid! I'll prove that I'm more than capable of fighting for my own freedom! My turn! This is it! I activate the Spell Card, Re-Xyz! This allows me to Xyz Summon from the graveyard using monsters in my graveyard as material!"

"Wha?!"

"I overlay my Level 1 Cobalt Sparrow, Sapphire Swallow, and Celeste Wagtail!" Ruri shouted as her three winged-beasts returned to the field before turning into green energy that flew into the overlay network. "Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Take flight in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale!"

Lyrical Luscinia Assembly Nightingale (0/0) RNK:1 OVU:3

"Lyrical Luscinia's effect activates! She gains 100 ATK for each of her Overlay Units!"

Assembly Nightingale (0/0-(300/0)

"Your puny little bird doesn't have enough fire power to stop me!" Nicolas yelled.

"For now." Ruri said with a smile, causing the man to grit his teeth. "My Lyrical Luscinia monsters display strength in numbers. I'll show you the true power of their overwhelming strength! Lyrical Luscinia Beryl Canary's effect activates in my hand! I can special summon this card alongside a Lyrical Luscinia monster in my graveyard! Come forth, Lyrical Luscinia Beryl Canary! Lyrical Luscinia Amethyst Finch!"

A small yellow bird-like girl appeared on Ruri's field alongside Cobalt Sparrow.

Lyrical Luscinia Beryl Canary (0/200) LVL:1

Lyrical Luscinia Amethyst Finch (0/100) LVL:1

"When did you send that monster to the graveyard?" Nicolas questioned.

"During my first turn, the first card I activated required me to discard a card from my hand. Now, I overlay my level 1 Beryl Canary and Amethyst Finch! Birds with glimmering wings! Gather on the battlefield and light up the night! Xyz Summon! Take flight in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia Recite Starling!" Ruri shouted as a bird-like women appeared with black and blue feathers and golden armor.

Lyrical Luscinia Recite Starling (0/0) RNK:1 OVU:2

"Amethyst Finch's effect activates! Since this card was used as Xyz Material, I can draw a card for every Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster on my field! I draw two cards! Recite Starling's effect activates! When this card is Xyz Summoned, I can target a monster on my field and it gains 300 ATK and DEF for each overlay unit this monster has! I target Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri yelled as her monster was surrounded by golden energy.

Assembly Nightingale (300/0)-(900/600)

"Next is Recite Starling's effect! I use an overlay unit to add a Level 1 Winged Beast-type monster to my hand. I'll add another copy of Lyrical Luscinia Sapphire Swallow."

OVU: 2-1

"And then I'll activate its effect in my hand which allows me to special summon this card and another Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia monster to the field! Come, Sapphire Swallow! Turquoise Warbler!"

Lyrical Luscinia Sapphire Swallow (100/0) LVL:1

Lyrical Luscinia Turquoise Warbler (100/100) LVL: 1

"Then, I'll normal summon Lyrical Luscinia Celeste Wagtail!"

Lyrical Luscinia Celeste Wagtail (200/0) LVL:1

"Now, I overlay my Level 1 Sapphire Swallow, Celeste Wagtail, and Turquoise Warbler!" Ruri shouted as the three birds turned into green energy that flew into the overlay network. "Birds who sing in harmony! Flock together and dance through the sky! Xyz Summon! Take flight in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia Promenade Thrush!"

Flying onto the field while was humanoid bird woman with purple, orange, and black feathers.

Lyrical Luscinia Promenade Thrush (0/0) RNK: 1 OVU: 3

"This combo...all she had was two cards in her hand at the start of the turn...and now she has three Xyz Monsters..." Shun uttered in awe of his sister's talent.

"Promenade Thrush gains 500 ATK for each one of its overlay units." Ruri explained as her newly summoned monster gained more strength.

Promenade Thrush (0/0)-(1500/0)

"So what? You assembled a field of puny birds that can't lay a finger on my monsters!" Nicolas yelled.

"Yeah, you're right about that. But luckily, I don't plan on taking on your monsters." Ruri explained.

"Then how can you defeat me?" Nicolas questioned.

"You'll find out soon enough. Promenade Thrush's effect! By using an overlay unit, I can shuffle a Spell or Trap Card back into your deck! I choose Devil King's Banquet!"

The purple and orange bird flapped her wings, creating a blast of wind that blew away the card.

OVU: 3-2

Promenade Thrush (1500/0)-(1000/0)

Beelzeus (5000/4000)-(4000/4000)

Beelze (4000/3000)-(3000/3000)

"If you aren't trying to face my monsters directly, then why weaken them?" Nicolas asked.

"My true intentions weren't to weaken your monsters but to send Lyrical Luscinia Celeste Wagtail to the graveyard. At this moment, I'll activate its effect which allows me to attach it to a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster as an overlay unit. I'll attach it to Assembly Nightingale! And since it has another overlay unit, Assembly Nightingale gains another 100 ATK."

OVU: 3-4

Assembly Nightingale (900/600)-(1000/600)

"My preparations are complete. It's time to end this! Battle!" Ruri declared.

"Declaring Battle Phase right now? Are you out of your mind?!" Nicolas shouted.

"Not at all. Assembly Nightingale has an effect that allows her to attack the opponent directly up to the amount of overlay units she has! That's four attacks!" Ruri explained with a smile.

"Four direct attacks?!" Nicolas gasped before shaking his head. "Regardless, that'll only be 4000 damage! In case you weren't aware, I have 6000 life points! You don't have enough fire power to end this duel!"

"You think so?"

"What?!"

"Assembly Nightingale, direct attack! At this moment, Promenade Thrush's effect activates! By using any amount of overlay units, another battling monster on my field gains 300 ATK for every overlay unit detached until the end of the turn! I'll use both of Promenade Thrush's overlay units to increase Assembly Nightingale by 600 ATK." Ruri explained as her two birds hummed in harmony.

OVU: 2-0

Promenade Thrush (1000/0)-(0/0)

Assembly Nightingale (1000/600)-(1600/600)

"T-T-That's..." Nicolas' eyes widened in fear.

"...more than enough to win this duel." Ruri finished her opponents sentence before looking up at her ace. "This is the power of my dueling! Finish this! Aerial Dance - Continuous Attack!"

Ruri's ace flew above Nicolas before barraging him with four blasts of wind that sent him flying through the air.

NICOLAS: 6000-4400-2800-1200-0 LP

WINNER: SHUN and RURI

"We did it..." Ruri said in a relieved tone before falling to her knees in exhaustion.

"That final turn was unbelievable. You were amazing out there, Ruri..." Shun told his sister, causing tears to form in the girl's eyes.

"T-Thank you, Brother. Now, let's not keep Yuto waiting any longer." Ruri said as she wiped away her tears before helping her brother off the ground.

"Right..." Shun nodded before the sibling duo exited the hallway, leaving Roget's goons unconscious on the floor.

---

"Alright, this spot is good enough." Kiryu spoke up as he stopped walking and turned around to face his opponent.

"You led me right to the generator, why?" Yuto asked as he looked behind Kiryu to see a door leading to his objective.

"To raise the stakes, of course. Having your goal in your field of vision while dueling like your life depends on it definitely makes you feel alive, right?" Kiryu said with a smirk.

Yuto didn't respond to his opponent's words and simply stared at him.

"God, you're no fun at all. I guess nothing makes you feel alive after everything you've been through. I bet it's been a while since you actually enjoyed a duel, am I wrong?"

Once again, Yuto didn't reply, simply staring at his opponent while agitation clearly built within him.

"That void feeling within you...I know it all too well. I've tried to fill it my entire life with satisfaction. The fact you also have this feeling of nothingness means I was right all along..."

"...Right about what?" Yuto couldn't help but ask.

"To put it simply, you're a Death God too, Yuto."

"...What?"

---

Heya. The final stretch of the Synchro Arc begins with Masumi and Gongenzaka getting some revenge for their arguably poor performances in the second round, which caused Yuto to carry the burden of winning while in an unstable mental state.

Can you actually imagine if I killed best boy Sawatari like that? In all seriousness, I decided to have Sawatari heroically sacrifice himself since he's been doing the majority of work for the Standard crew in Synchro besides Yuya and Yuzu. I've given him a lot of good wins and focus so I decided to have him step back for a change to let Gongenzaka and Masumi shine. Also, I felt like it be a good showing for his character. Although he is obsessed with upstaging everyone for entertainment purposes, when it comes to the wellbeing of his teammates, he's actually ready to play the role of a sacrificial hero.

I was going to have Ruri duel alone, but then I remembered how hard it is to write her deck, especially in a 1v3. I feel like I got a pretty good grasp on it, but it'd be a nightmare for me if I hadn't included Shun. Plus, Shun was like the only main cast member that wasn't going to duel for the duration of the arc, and this was the perfect chance for a brother sister team up, so I decided to throw him into the duel. I also wanted to show their contrast in styles. Ruri focuses on her plethora of Rank 1 birds while Shun focusing on upgrading his birds to higher ranks.

As for the characters...I've tried to subtly show Yugo's change in demeanor through Rin's eyes, as she's noted Yugo's personality changes in the last few chapters. Now, his developments are more noticeable, especially with his big speech this chapter. Shun shows off more character development while trying to set Yuto on the right path, which is something our emo needed more than anything right now. Ruri's getting fired up, wanting to prove that she isn't a damsel. This is the start of her arc, which will carry on to the next part of the story. And my boy Reiji is trying not to be like his dad. Yuya still kinda pissy with him but even he knows that Reiji is trying, which says a lot. As for Yuto being the next Death God according to Kiryu, we'll go into that next chapter. I'd like to take this chance to point out Yuto uses undead warriors for an archetype, so the nickname goes well with his cards XD.

Although the arc is almost over, we still have a few duels left to wrap everything up. I appreciate the patience and support I've received and I can't wait to jump into the climax of this arc with you all.

Reviews:

Hell Kaiser Younes: I won't go into the details but the conflict between Yuto and Yuya will be evident next arc. Too much is going on at the moment for anything to truly be resolved. Also, I definitely plan on using Shippuden OP 14 at some point.

naminexriku2468: Yusei definitely would still believe in his friends despite everything they've done. Only time will tell if our heroes can save these fallen legacy characters.

bladeWriter3: Yugo was so OP this time around that I felt like it was kind of hard to keep up the tension in the duel. That's why I decided to have Yugo lose the majority of his life points early on as a sort of crutch so he'd have to worry about defending what little Lp he had while also focusing on attacking. Also, Yuzu getting her pendulums almost a decade later is so funny yet sad at the same time XD. As for that final attack, it was kinda of a reference to Yusei using his five shadow clones of Shooting Star Dragon to defeat Placido. Also, was debating on having Ruri use her powers in this duel (which I may have done if she dueled alone), but then I decided against that since I wanted to show her off as a capable duelist in her own right. Unlike in the anime, where she didn't win a single time (though she technically let Shun win).

Gentyman: Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you liked the character interactions as I really enjoyed writing those scenes. I'm really happy that Ruri and Rin are finally actual characters in the story and no longer plot devices so I can finally give them some moments with their Yu-boys.

T.V. 2000: I 100% agree about the council being very problematic and that will definitely be addressed once all is said and done with the Roget situation. I'm glad you saw the parallel with Yusei (who used his teammates cards multiple times in crucial duels). I look forward to displaying Yugo's growth from a goofy ball of sunshine to a true leader, and I hope this chapter was a good introduction to that journey. In the past few chapters, I've tried to show Yugo's change in character through the eyes of Rin, who only knew Yugo back when he was a goofball (granted, he still is a goofball, but he knows when to be serious). Him becoming king won't be the apex of his journey, just another aspect that will contribute to his growth. If I use the new Raidraptor, it probably won't be for a while. As for the Melodious cards...they'll make an appearance in the future. There is one Xyz "Villain" I am considering for the story as a last minute addition as I plan things out and that's all I'll say for now.

Manzelot556: I feel like I've given Yuya protagonist treatment despite him not winning the Friendship Cup. Granted, I've made him a lot more OP in this story, but the future villains will be a lot stronger than cannon ARC-V villains. As for the bracelet girls, they'll be much more important to the plot and will all be treated as actual characters, not plot devices.

charly12: Thanks for noticing the duality between Jack and Yugo. I really wanted that to be a defining difference between them to add more tension to the duel. I hope Shun's talk with Yuto this chapter was refreshing, our emo boi definitely needed a wake up call.

Guest: He definitely could have and he did because I fixed that mistake. Thanks for pointing it out, I'm not sure how I missed that XD.

Belzemon1449: I appreciate the compliments! Back when I was planning things out a few years ago, I felt really edgy talking about killing off some of the cast and I kinda forgot I said this. Will that happen...all I'll say is that no one is safe and the next two arcs will be a lot more dangerous for our heroes. Back when I was writing the duels in the Standard Arc, I was pretty inexperienced and didn't really think about things like "Will Season 1 Yuzu beating Dark Johan be a good thing in the long run?" Granted, she was a lot stronger than cannon Yuzu with Xyz and Pendulum and I'd say she only won because using two new summoning methods blind sided Johan. He'll definitely make a come back soon enough. Yuri and Serena's relationship and past will get some screen time soon, so stay tuned for that!

darktheking73: So in the anime, Jack mentions the Crimson Dragon in Tyrant's chant and it even makes a brief cameo in the summoning sequence. For plot's sake, the Crimson Dragon doesn't really exist in this timeline. Or if it did, it existed in the old world where Zarc and Ray were from. Yuya will use a kuriboh at some point, not really sure when though. I've read a lot of arc v fics in the past. My favorites are Bonds of Pendulum, Fifth Factor, Age of Zarc, Fifth Circuit, and Pendulum of Hope. Another new favorite of mine I recently started is Six Dimensions which I've read 40% of in like a week.

Preview: While Kiryu and Yuto clash, Yuto tries to defy the fate that Kiryu tries to bestow upon him. Will Yuto be able to overcome this obstacle and escape the destiny of the Death God? Find out next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Altered Destiny! The fun has just begun!