Response to Reviews

Thank you to Donkeyboy100, Kingdom Hearts Guy, HunterHQ, rgriffin8999, Kcufad and T.V. 2000 for reviewing Chapter 103 of Obscured Truth.

Hello, everyone! I do hope you're all well, and are enjoying the season wherever you are in the world. I also hope you enjoy this chapter, as you're going to not only meet some new faces, but also learn some interesting stuff as well.

As such, let's get to answering some reviews:

Donkeyboy100: Glad you liked the chapter. Again, the reason why I used the Memento archetype was to provide a parallel for Jericho's duel to Ai and Roboppy's duels against Queen and Pawn.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Happy you liked the chapter.

HunterHQ: What are you talking about regarding hot potato? Are you referring to how the Kings transfer control of the Code Key amongst the higherups? For Gil, a part of him was grateful for the powers because it gave him an ability to protect himself. And Dr. Colmer didn't change his avatar. All he did was take a new body when the one he's in was wearing off. Rest assured, Dogma and the other envoys have nothing against Yuhiro. Well, Yuhiro obviously made the mistake of bearing everyone's burdens on himself, which led to his undoing in the end. I guess you could say the cruise ship was one of SOL Technologies' many ways to regain the faith of customers by giving them trips around the world. Or at the very least, parts of it, anyway. I mean, perhaps giving its former employees severance pay and paid vacation can be one of the company's ways of trying to atone for its mistakes. Yup. Jericho caused a mess on the cruise ship, which would humiliate SOL Technologies' image, that's for sure. He had fun doing it as well since he couldn't return to the real world. Pawn certainly did his best against Roboppy, only for him to lose in the end. Ai would obviously leave out innocents, as he doesn't want them caught up in his crusade. It also shows how different he is compared to Lightning, who used Jin as a 'Get out of a Loss' card just to escape defeat. I can confirm that Jericho wiped out all footage of his appearance in the server, as he had a program in place that would ensure such a thing from the moment he appeared in the server. As for the Soltis duelist, it had a good setup. Though it wasn't good enough to defeat Jericho. Note that the only AtIgnister monsters who have hands are Dark Templar, Light Dragon and Earth Golem, so none of the other monsters can technically facepalm. And I'm sure Ai would call out his duel monsters to talk to them so they can comfort him from losing so many people. Of course Skills don't count as card effects, and you can't negate them as well. And Zero's not just consciousness data. I apologize for my comment regarding the anime event divergence in the story. What I meant at the time was that some anime events may be different than what you remember from the actual anime itself. What Jericho said is certainly true, as one has a great responsibility when it comes to knowledge. Though it comes with great opportunity, which can corrupt you if you're not careful. No. I can confirm that Akira won't tell the higherups about Ai. If anything, he'll say that his team is looking into the case, and that he will report his findings once he finds it. Don't worry, Ondina will duel in Season 3. This Soltis that dueled in the previous chapter had the 'Memento' deck. Again, the whole point of it using the 'Memento' deck was for Jericho's duel to mirror Ai and Roboppy's duels, where the both of them fought old archetypes that got improvements over time. So expect the Soltis to have different decks down the road.

rgriffin8999: Jericho's allies (at least in the human world) are called the Envoys of Albinor, not enforcers (that was already taken a long time ago by another Fanfic writer). As for your question, while I can't answer it due to spoilers, I can say that you're onto something.

Kcufad: Look, I get it. Not everyone's going to like characters in my story, and I appreciate listening to people's opinions because it provides feedback. Can you blame Wraith for being shocked? An irrelevant human like Go Onizuka defeated Earth, an Ignis, in a duel. Though Wraith wouldn't necessarily be shocked if one of the heroes defeated an Ignis in a duel. Also happy you liked the duel between Blood Shepherd and Slipstream, as the former seriously needed a few more duels under his belt. I'm really glad you liked how Yuhiro realized what he did wrong in Chapter 74 and immediately apologized it. My objective at the time was to show just how much Yuhiro grown so far since the story began. Regarding Chainslaver, it was an opportunity to bring him back after being defeated a long time ago. So it was a little bit of an on the spot decision and time pondering over the pros and cons about it. Lightning knowing about the Crisis was something that was even out of his control, as he didn't know anything about it at all. Really happy you liked the duels involving Lightning and Windy, as the both of them needed victories under their belts. Again, for your query on Azrael, he doesn't want people who are in danger spots such as schools and hospitals to be killed. The former due to how valuable knowledge can be, and the latter because of how there's numerous patients receiving treatment. And Azrael isn't someone who attacks explain over the smallest comments. He punished Ace for his failures a while back after Chapter 64, so it was a punishment. Azrael also killed Monty for ultimately failing to bring Ai to him way back in Chapter 43, thus resulting in Malf's creation. Still, in the end, Ace managed to get payback by throwing a monkey wrench in Azrael's plans and getting away with it without no consequences whatsoever. To clarify, Rosetta defeated Clarice, who had the Amazoness deck back in Chapter 57. For the Azrael and Stregone duel, it's actually one of my personal favorites because of how Stregone utilized numerous summoning methods to trip Azrael up one way or another. The reason why Azrael didn't attack Miles was because of how much respect he had for Stregone, along with gratitude for taking care of Yuhiro all these years following the Lost Incident. This respect and gratitude, along with seeing Miles' bravery in the face of overwhelming danger, was what led Azrael to spare Miles' life. What's more, Azrael praised Miles for both his loyalty and his courage before leaving. Simple as that.

T.V. 2000: I get what you mean, as Chapter 103 mostly focused on canon events. I did try my best to make it a bit more different from the canon, though, so I understand if you didn't like the chapter much. For Pawn, despite being corrupt, he truly loves his family and wants only the best for his wife and son. Regarding Pawn's duel against Roboppy, there is a true reason on why he didn't use his Skill. It was to highlight how different he is compared to Queen. Whereas Queen used her Skill to try and bounce back, Pawn used his own cards in order to make a comeback and eventually win the duel he debuted in. Still, he did manage to put up a good fight against Roboppy in the end. For your query on Queen's duel against Ai and how it's practically the same as to the anime, I originally planned on not putting it in the chapter. However, I ended up doing so in order to highlight the personality and sentience of each of the AtIgnister monsters. Well, at least three of them anyway in Dark Templar, Wind Pegasus and Light Dragon. While I won't spoil the reason why Jericho wasn't able to enter a Soltis, I can tell you that you'll be able to get the answer if you pay close attention to the story. But moving that aside, Jericho being able to destroy a Soltis duelist is definitely proof of how big of a threat he is to the heroes. Also, do expect Zero to have a bigger role in the story moving forward. As for decks for Jericho's allies, funny that you mention that.

Before you read this chapter, I encourage you to read Roxy's Reports 37, as it occurs right before this chapter. With that aside, let's get onto the chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 104: War on SOL: Part One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unbeknownst to all of the duelists, Jericho is shown looking down at them on a very tall building, three individual and darkened silhouettes on each of his sides appearing beside him as one of the silhouettes disappears before revealing Dogma himself. Silhouettes of duel monsters also appear behind the group one by one, with the first two consisting of a masked man wearing exquisite white robes with golden outlines and a humanoid bird who had a mechanical wing and carried a gatling gun in his right hand. The next pair of duel monsters consisted of a massive battleship with sails and a woman whose body was made out of light-green and blue crystals, as well as a crown on her head. The last pair of duel monsters consisted of a black, armored humanoid with devil-like wings that had red orbs and eyes, and a silver, bipedal dragon that wore metallic armor over his body. The six duel monsters then disappeared, where Persona Force – Arsene the Joker rose above the group before letting out a loud roar.

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

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

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

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

In the real world, at SOL Technologies…

Akira walked down the hallway and took a few lefts, along with a right before eventually making it to a holographic room. This morning was stressful for two reasons. First being the fact that both Queen and Pawn were attacked last night by an unknown assailant, which led the two of them to be taken to a private hospital for recovery. The second was that Akira knew who was responsible for such a deed because the culprit left behind a video.

Ai. The Dark Ignis. The one who worked with Playmaker and the others for a very long time.

This greatly troubled Akira because he couldn't imagine an ally of Playmaker's doing such a horrific thing. What could have caused Ai to attack Queen and Pawn like that? What was Ai's ultimate endgame? Or was there something else going on the scenes. Something darker. Something that would lead to an even deadlier threat down the road. Akira hoped to get answers to his questions so he can plan out what to do next in the long-term. But for now, Akira had to meet with the Kings and update them on what was going on. Still, there was no way Akira would tell them that Ai was the one who went after Queen and Pawn last night.

After waiting for one more minute, the room changed to a digital landscape, where Lycaon, Perseo, and Jeromy appeared as silhouettes instead of in person.

"Kings." Akira said, having bowed in front of the trio. "You wished to see me?"

"We have indeed, Zaizen, especially given the recent and troubling event that occurred last night." Lycaon answered.

"If our investors learn that Queen and Pawn are out of commission, it will mean disaster." Perseo warned everyone present.

"And it'll only get worse if the general public finds out the truth as well." Jeromy added, before turning to Akira. "Were you able to figure out who was responsible for the deeds that occurred last night?"

Akira shook his head back in response. "Not yet, sirs. But rest assured when I say that my team is looking into the situation as we speak. I'll provide you any further information my team finds once it's obtained."

"Whoever was responsible for such a deed will pay for it dearly." Perseo growled, hellbent on brutally punishing the one who was responsible for staining SOL Technologies' name with their actions. "The last thing either of us want right now is a repeat of the events that occurred over ten years ago."

"Calm down, Perseo. That temper of yours doesn't look well on you." Lycaon snidely told Perseo, who seethed back at the former after the latter smirked. Though Perseo did make a point in saying that neither of them wanted a repeat of what happened over ten years ago. Specifically, how Project: VIII's abrupt shut down led to Zero being thrown out of SOL Technologies, which also caused the company to go through difficulties in rectifying the matters that popped up afterwards.

"Lycaon's right, Perseo. Anger won't help solve this situation." Jeromy firmly supported Lycaon's point, which led Perseo to calm down in the end, knowing that fighting amongst themselves wasn't going to stop the problem at hand. He then turned to Akira, having managed to calm his brother down. "Your orders are clear, Zaizen. Find the culprit and protect the other half of the Code Key at all costs. If you succeed, we will reward you tremendously for your efforts."

"Of course, sirs." Akira complied with a bow, as the meeting ended, which left him alone in the room. If he was being honest, he thought that the meeting would be a bit longer, as a part of him expected the Kings to provide updates on what the other higherups were doing. But given how time sensitive and urgent the situation was, it only made sense for the Kings to give the orders to Akira before leaving, as the trio had other matters to take of themselves. It was also likely that the Kings didn't tell Akira about what was being done to keep the other higherups safe in order to further protect them. This would make sense, as the last thing the Kings wanted was for the other higherups to get attacked by someone.

Thus, Akira left the holographic room before turning right and walking down the hallway, where he saw Hayami waiting for him. "There you are, Hayami. I trust you were able to get the recent reports from our private investigators?"

"Of course, Mr. Zaizen. And rest assured, the public still doesn't know what happened to Queen and Pawn last night." Hayami answered. "With Queen no longer your boss, I wondered who called you for the emergency meeting. Was it one of the other higherups?"

"No, Hayami. The Kings did." Akira replied back, which made Hayami gasp.

"Seriously? Your new bosses are the three Kings themselves?"

"To an extent, yes. But I also collaborate with the other higherups as well." Akira frowned as he looked out the window. He didn't expect things to get this drastic, especially now that he knew Ai's role as the culprit in this entire mess. Due to Ai being able to defeat Queen, that meant he had one half of the Code Key, which meant he would be going after Akira next. In addition, with Ai having defeated Pawn as well, that meant he had the latter's access card in acquiring SOL Technologies' various secrets. As such, Akira would need to call for help from every duelist he knew to ensure his protection.

Perhaps Playmaker can help me out with this situation, as he knows Ai way longer than I have, Akira thought in his mind. If he reached out to Playmaker, then perhaps he can get his insight on what to do next, and maybe uncover some missing information as well. But the topic on how to contact Playmaker was tricky, as the last time Akira spoke to Playmaker was several weeks ago, where the latter reached out to the former.

The only likely way of contacting Playmaker would be to reach out to Yuhiro first, as the latter collaborated with the former for a very long time. However, there was an issue with this because of what the both of them went through recently. Specifically, how Yuhiro got infected by the Cursed Boundary Layer and ended up defeating Playmaker in a brutal duel. While Akira was more than glad that Yuhiro was freed from the Cursed Boundary Layer and its infection, he was still uneasy due to Yuhiro's recovering mental state. It could mean that Yuhiro wouldn't be able to duel and help Akira for the time being. Still, contacting Yuhiro was Akira's only shot in reaching out to Playmaker and getting his aid.

"Everything, okay, Mr. Zaizen? You seem to be really deep in thought." Hayami pointed out, which made Akira snap out of his thoughts.

"Apologies, Hayami. I was thinking over some pressing matters." Akira responded. "Excuse me." He then continued walking down the hallway, having decided his next course of action. Given everything that's happened lately, Akira would need all the assistance he can get if he was to protect the people from what was to come. For if his suspicions were correct, then all the aid obtained would be of massive help in order to keep both him and the general public safe from something deadlier down the road.

Elsewhere, at Café Matsuo…

"What? No way!" Yuhiro exclaimed, as he sat down on one of the available seats beside Roxy.

"Who would do such a horrible thing, auntie?" Miyu inquired, as she also sat down on the other available seat beside Roxy. Arin quickly ran up Miyu's left arm before standing on her left shoulder seconds later.

"I don't know, Miyu. I really don't know." Roxy answered. After she completed the updates on the profiles for those who died before closing them up for good, she received a phone call from Akira, who told her of what happened last night. Specifically, how an unknown assailant attacked Queen and Pawn on the cruise ship. Not just that, but how the unknown assailant obtained both Queen's half of the Code Key and Pawn's access card, which allowed them to access some of SOL Technologies valuable secrets. "What I do know is that Akira asked us to contact Playmaker so he can arrange a meeting with him."

"Perhaps Jericho could be behind last night's attack." Arin hypothesized. "I mean, he is the son of the man who started up Project: VIII. If I were to guess, Jericho needs something from SOL Technologies, which is why he went after Queen and Pawn first."

"It isn't wise to make assumptions, Arin, as it could lead us to make impulsive decisions before taking every factor into account." Rasterliger pointed out.

"RL's right, Arin. Until we know more information on what happened, we shouldn't take any unnecessary risks." Yuhiro voiced his agreement towards Rasterliger's point.

Roxy turned to look at Yuhiro, having raised an eyebrow at him. "You being cautious for once, Yuhiro? If so, then it looks like Herald's rubbing off on you even in death. Nonetheless, I'm pleased to see this."

"My impulsiveness has caused nothing but pain for everyone involved in recent events. It needs to be reined in, lest it cause further and unnecessary destruction." Yuhiro sheepishly explained, knowing that it was the unfortunate truth.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you acknowledge that fact, Yuhiro. For patience is a virtue." Miyu firmly told Yuhiro. Even though communication was tense between the three of them, they were still able to speak with one another on friendly terms, especially with what Miyu learned from Yuhiro and Roxy last night. Specifically, how Yuhiro and Roxy committed crimes under Miyu's name just to get the money needed for her hospital care. As such, Miyu still had the mental note in her mind to speak with Yuhiro and Roxy further on this topic, along with reconciling with the two of them in the end. For anger would only poison someone from the inside out, and Miyu didn't want it to affect her life.

"I never was the best at patience, Miyu. I can be quite impulsive at times." This led Yuhiro, Roxy, Miyu, Arin and Rasterliger to share a chuckle amongst themselves, having managed to somehow break the tension last night's events have caused.

"But moving that aside, we have to let Kusanagi know of this." Roxy stated, as she typed on the digital keyboard for a few seconds before a screen popped up on the monitors, which showed a phone. After a minute or two of waiting, the screen briefly disappeared before being replaced with a window that showed Kusanagi.

"Morning, Roxy. I wasn't expecting you to call this morning." Kusanagi said. "Everything okay?"

"The three of us were hoping to speak with Yusaku, Kusanagi. Is he there?" Roxy asked back.

"Hang on. I'll go get him." Kusanagi stood up from his seat before heading outside, where he called for Yusaku a few seconds later. Once this was done, both Kusanagi and Yusaku returned to the inside of Café Nagi. It wasn't just them, as Takeru and Arashi were also there at Café Nagi at the same time.

"You wanted to speak to me, Roxy?" Yusaku inquired, aware that Roxy wanted to speak with him.

"Yes we did, Yusaku." Roxy confirmed. "Though I didn't expect Takeru and Arashi to be at Café Nagi this morning."

"Arashi and I went to Café Matsuo to get some food." Takeru quickly explained, which made Roxy pout back in response.

"We were talking with Yusaku when Kusanagi went to get him, Roxy. And given how we're nearby, it's only fitting that we also attend the chat to see how you guys are doing as well." Arashi stated.

"I'm getting better with each and every day that passes, Arashi." Yuhiro assured Arashi and the others, having anticipated that they'd ask him that question.

"What about you, Miyu? How you feeling these past few days?" Yusaku inquired.

"Fine. Just fine." Miyu simply responded back, wanting to move to the main point of this meeting.

"Moving the greetings aside, there's a reason why we called this morning, Yusaku." Roxy gently interjected. "Earlier today, I got a call from Akira, saying that he wants to meet you guys in the network. He even sent an email earlier today too containing the coordinates for the meeting."

"Is it a trap?" Takeru wondered cautiously.

"I don't think so, Takeru." Kusanagi said. "According to the news, SOL Technologies has removed Playmaker, Soulburner, Slipstream and Raguel from their wanted list. Any bounties that were previously on there have been removed as well."

"Portions of LINK VRAINS have been closed following our battle against Bohman, Takeru. Some areas, on the other hand, are still available to the general public." Yusaku told Takeru.

"If anything, I bet SOL Technologies did that so people can log in and enjoy a good time with one another after recent events." Arashi theorized.

"I'll forward you guys the email." Roxy stated, as she typed on the digital keyboard for a second or two before forwarding the email to Kusanagi. Within a minute, the email popped up on Café Nagi's screens, which indicated that Kusanagi received it.

"It says here that Zaizen wants to meet us at Central Station instead of the general network." Kusanagi read over the email.

"If Zaizen wants to meet us at Central Station of all places, then it has to be about something very important." Arashi deduced, knowing that Central Station was practically closed off to the general public, except for a few selected individuals.

Yusaku put a hand to his chin as he thought things over for a few seconds before speaking. "We should go. Something must have happened if Zaizen's contacting us."

"Alright. I'll meet you guys at the coordinates from the email." Yuhiro decided, as he stood up on his feet.

"I'm joining you guys as well." Miyu piped in, having also stood up on her feet.

"Hey, don't count Kusanagi nor I out, Miyu. The both of us are accompanying you all too." Roxy pointed out, as she stood up on her feet.

"Then we'll see you guys in a few minutes." Kusanagi said, before he hung up on his end, with Roxy doing the same.

"Sweet! A mission! It's a great chance to show you guys that you can trust me!" Arin stated.

Miyu, in response to this, shook her head. "It's just a meeting, Arin. What's more, aside from us, no one else knows of your existence. That's why you'll need to hide in plain sight."

"Miyu's right, Arin. The last thing we want is for someone to make an incorrect assumption and try to kill you." Roxy agreed with Miyu's point, which led Arin to slouch over in disappointment.

"Fine. But I'll still be listening one way or another." Arin jumped off of Miyu's shoulder before turning into a bracelet on her right arm. This would not only enable Arin to hide in plain sight, but also gain an understanding on what was going on as well.

"Then you know the drill, guys. Let's meet up with everyone else and see what's going on!" Roxy exclaimed, as Yuhiro ran to the closed off space with Rasterliger in the backroom while she and Miyu ran upstairs, intent on logging into the network. Before doing so, Roxy made a mental note to put in an additional space in the backroom so Miyu can log in with Yuhiro at the same time.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" Yuhiro, Roxy and Miyu all shouted in unison before the trio officially logged into the network.

Several minutes later, in LINK VRAINS, at Central Station…

Playmaker, Soulburner, Slipstream, Raguel, Aerith, Angelica and Kusanagi logged into an empty Central Station, intent on rendezvousing with Akira. For Kusanagi's attire, it consisted of a baseball cap and a red overcoat. As if on cue, two people materialized in front of the group, which were Akira and Blue Maiden.

"Playmaker. Soulburner. Slipstream. Raguel. Thank you all for coming." Akira greeted the group. He then looked at Kusanagi, wondering why he was there with the others. "And you are?"

Kusanagi stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm Unnamed. I provide support for Playmaker and the others."

"So you're the guy. Nice to meet you." Akira said back, having shook Unnamed's hand. He then turned to Aerith afterwards. "Blue Maiden told me about you, Aerith, and how you not only helped saved Raguel's life, but also put an end to the Shadow as well. For that, you have my sincerest thanks."

"I would have arrived onto the scene one way or another, Mr. Zaizen. Besides, I care for Raguel's wellbeing just as much as the others do." Aerith replied, having tilted her head to Raguel before giving him a gentle smile.

"You can just call me Akira, Aerith. No need for formalities." Akira then turned to Angelica. "As for you, I assume you provide support for Raguel?"

"That's right. I'm known as Angelica in the network." Angelica introduced herself, as she offered her hand to Akira, who shook it back seconds later.

"So, Zaizen, why the secret rendezvous?" Soulburner interjected, having walked over to Unnamed's right side.

"I'll tell you when the others arrive." Akira answered to their curiosity.

"Others?" Playmaker repeated, as several more people logged into the Central Station, which surprised everyone but Akira and Blue Maiden.

"Blood Shepherd! And Ghost Girl!" Raguel recognized two of the individuals present.

"Not just them, Raguel. Go Onizuka's here as well." Soulburner recognized the third person that logged in just now.

"Go Onizuka. You're looking better than we last saw you." Playmaker commented the obvious.

Go closed his eyes and sighed before opening them again. "I sure am, Playmaker. And I'm feeling a lot better too. Had it not been for you and the others, then my selfish actions would have permanently been my undoing."

"I'm glad to hear you're making a speedy recovery." Playmaker meant every word just now, as though he didn't fully trust Go, he was glad to see him get better.

"I'm not only grateful for you saving my life despite my sins, Playmaker. I also am grateful for you and the others destroying the Shadow while I was away." Go frowned. "That being said, I owe you all an apology for how my sins made things worse for you guys. I promise to make things right."

"And I owe you an apology as well, Go Onizuka." Raguel said, which got everyone's attention upon hearing his voice. To Go's surprise, as well as everyone else's surprise (except for Blood Shepherd, who didn't really care about it), Raguel bowed in front of him.

"What's this about?" Go inquired.

"I want to take the words I said to you after you defeated Earth in a duel. Specifically, how I wanted to rip that AI chip out of your brain as punishment for capturing Earth." Raguel told Go. He now saw a piece of himself in Go on how the both of them threw away their principles just for the sake of power. In the end, Raguel was ultimately no better than Go due to what the both of them nearly lost as a result of their selfish actions. "I don't know if you'll be able to forgive me one day, but know that I am truly sorry for what I said back then."

Go frowned as he thought over what Raguel said just now. While Go didn't know how, a part of him knew that Raguel went through Hell recently, and it must have had to do with the Cursed Boundary Layer. This was evident by how damaged and broken Raguel's avatar was since the last time the two of them encountered one another. Not just that, but Go could tell that whatever Raguel went through, it was bad to the point where the latter was intent on making things right no matter what. If anything, Go was impressed with Raguel's immediate intention on atoning for his mistakes, which was something he planned on doing as well. "Thank you for the apology, Raguel. I appreciate it very much, and I would like to bury the hatchet on this matter if it's good with you." He then offered Raguel a hand, who looked at it seconds later.

"I'd like that as well." Raguel replied, having shook Go's hand back in response, the hatchet having been buried between the two for good.

"If we're done being sentimental here, I'd like to get this meeting started already." Blood Shepherd voiced his opinion rudely.

"For once, I'm with the cowboy here." Slipstream agreed, much to Blood Shepherd's irritation upon the former calling the latter a cowboy.

"Knock it off, Slipstream. We're not here to fight right now. We're here to discuss urgent matters." Angelica told Slipstream.

"If you brought together this lineup, then something big must have recently happened." Unnamed surmised.

"Yes, something big did happen." Akira confirmed, having got everyone's attention. "I'll keep this short. Last night, Queen and Pawn, who are two of the higherups at SOL Technologies, were attacked and put in an unconscious state."

"Well, that is big, and a bit disturbing to say the least." Ghost Girl commented.

"Hang on a second, Zaizen. Pawn, the same guy who defeated Electrolyzer in a duel, was attacked and knocked unconscious by a mysterious culprit?" Go questioned, which led Akira to nod his head in confirmation. Based on what Go learned, the higherups at SOL Technologies were the most powerful duelists in the company. They were on par with the Charisma duelists, if not stronger than them. If the culprit was able to defeat two of the higherups in duels, then it certainly meant they were a threat.

Akira summoned a digital screen beside him, which showed one of the Soltis androids. "The culprit who executed the assault hacked into one of SOL Technologies' Soltis units. They also caused chaos on the cruise ship by tampering with the ship's systems."

"You guys were attacked by your newest product? Now that's hilarious." Blood Shepherd said. He found the situation ironic because of how SOL Technologies sought to use AI for their products by capturing the Ignis. Not only was SOL Technologies getting a taste of its own medicine, it also showed just how incompetent the company was as of late, which was the only thing it excelled at recently.

"You may laugh, but this is no laughing matter, Blood Shepherd." Akira chided Blood Shepherd. "For it's because of the culprit's actions that they were able to obtain two things. First, Queen's half of the Code Key to our central mainframe. The second being Pawn's access card to SOL Technologies' stocks and assets."

"Okay, I get it. You want us to get these things for you, right?" Ghost Girl asked.

"No, Ghost Girl. I'm asking all of you to protect me." Akira corrected, which made both Ghost Girl and everyone else raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Protect you?" Angelica repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

In response to that question, Akira summoned a few more digital screens, with the first one showing SOL Technologies' Code Key. The other two digital screens showed a picture each of Akira and Queen. "The Code Key is split into two parts. One half was given to me while the other half was given to Queen." As if to back up Akira's point, the first digital screen split in two, with one half of it going to the digital screen showing Queen and the other one going into the digital screen showing Akira. "This contingency was created a long time ago in the event someone wanted to control SOL Technologies for their own purposes. Given recent events, this contingency was activated in order to ensure SOL Technologies' safety."

"I get that. It's only natural to make sure your data's safe, right?" Slipstream guessed, which made Akira nod in confirmation. "But based on how the culprit was able to hack into one of the Soltis, there's something else we really need to take into account."

Aerith put a hand to her chin before her eyes widened out of shock, having immediately come to a conclusion. "If the culprit wanted to, they could hack into another Soltis and attack us in the real world!" That comment made everyone gasp upon hearing it. Even Blood Shepherd was shocked, as while he was an expert in eliminating AIs in the network, he never had to deal with one in the real world. If such a thing happened, then it'd take everything Blood Shepherd had on hand just to try and eliminate such a threat.

This meant everyone present was dealing with a new enemy. One that was sneaky and willing to use whatever means necessary just to achieve their goal. One that wouldn't stop until their goal was accomplished, no matter how many people had to die or get hurt to achieve it.

"That's why you want us to protect you." Playmaker deduced.

"Hang on a second, Zaizen. It can't be that big of a deal." Soulburner interrupted. "We all hacked into your mainframe at some point. Just update your security and move on."

Slipstream, having heard that comment, facepalmed in irritation. "Soulburner, there's more to technology and how it's connected to everyday life than meets the eye, man. If this Code Key is as important as Zaizen's saying, it can cause some severe damage should it fall into the wrong hands." Just like how Windy hijacked the car and tried to kill me, only to injure Takeda instead, Slipstream thought in his mind. He did not want anyone else to experience the pain he went through all those weeks ago, and would fight to make sure such a thing never became a reality again.

"That's correct, Slipstream." Akira confirmed, impressed that Slipstream was able to figure out the situation quickly. "Updating our security won't help us in this matter because the Code Key is a special key that controls the mainframe. In other words, whoever has the Code Key will be able to gain control of the whole company itself."

"SOL Technologies has over 30% share of Den City's network." Unnamed informed the others present. "It plays a major role in Den City's infrastructure."

"So if the culprit takes the Code Key, then they can cause major damage to Den City." Angelica realized in horror.

"And they'll gain control over all the Soltis. They're on the market, after all." Blue Maiden reminded everyone present.

"Okay, now that's a problem." Soulburner said, as Aerith ended up pulling his right ear, which made him squirm in pain.

"Of course it's a problem, Soulburner! There's a lot at stake here!" Aerith told Soulburner. "Seriously, you need to better analyze the situation before speaking, as like Slipstream said, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to a situation!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh. You made your point, Aerith. Please let me go." Soulburner put a hand to his right ear after Aerith let it go, the pain still coursing through it. In a way, it reminded him of how Kiku put Soulburner in his place when he was mean, irritable or in a rut back home. As such, Soulburner made a mental note to be a little less impulsive, lest he hear the end of it from either Angelica or Aerith.

Angelica couldn't help but smirk upon seeing Aerith put Soulburner in his place. It looks like a part of me has rubbed off of Miyu after all, Angelica thought in her mind.

"Do you know who the culprit is, Zaizen?" Playmaker asked.

"I have more than a clue, Playmaker. I managed to figure out who was responsible." Akira answered, not just to Playmaker's surprise, but to everyone else's surprise as well.

"You did?!"

Akira nodded in confirmation as another digital screen appeared in front of him. "After Queen and Pawn were knocked unconscious, the culprit left behind a video message, saying that he'll attack me three days from now." He then had the screen more forward so that it faced everyone present.

Once that was done, footage began to play on the digital screen, where it showed Ai sitting on a chair.

"Hi!" Ai exclaimed, before waving with his right hand.

"What's up, everybody?" Roboppy cheered, his hand gestures resembling that of peace signs as he ran over to where Ai was.

"Guess who has two thumbs and beat the Queen? This guy!" Ai gestured to himself, as if he was bragging his victory in a video game.

"And guess who has two thumbs and defeated Pawn? Me!" Roboppy happily smiled, wanting to get in on the glory too.

Raguel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the digital chips on their necks. "Those two are Soltis, which means they might be AI…"

"And that, Zaizen, leaves just you to cross of my to-do list." Ai continued on the footage.

"Yup." Robppy simply added.

"And to think that we were once allies on the same team, meatbag."

"On the same team?" Playmaker repeated. "But how? I never met him before."

"He also said the term 'meatbag'." Raguel said, a frown evident on his face. His eyes suddenly widened upon realizing who the culprit was. After all, there was only one person in the world who would say the word 'meatbag' to someone else.

"Here's the thing. Ai may look different on the outside, but I'm still Ai on the inside." Ai remarked. "Get it? It's me, Ai!"

That led everyone, except for Blue Maiden and Akira, to gasp out of shock upon learning the culprit's true identity. But of everyone who was shocked, Playmaker was the one who was shocked with this news the most. He never imagined Ai, his comrade, being the one who attacked Queen and Pawn. Even though Ai was annoying sometimes, he did prove himself as an ally time and time again, especially with how much he cared for humanity.

What's more, Ai recently helped contribute towards destroying the Cursed Boundary Layer by providing the coordinates on two different instances. First, a set of coordinates to find Raguel's location and try to stop him. Second, a set of coordinates to rescue Playmaker and Numera from Raguel's grasp after he captured them both. Playmaker also surmised that Ai helped behind the scenes in saving Raguel and destroying the Cursed Boundary Layer as well, even though he didn't know all the details.

"Ai?!" Playmaker finally said, still in shock by the heartbreaking news, as Akira closed his eyes, knowing how much it hurt the latter. He wasn't the only one, as Blue Maiden was also concerned for Playmaker's wellbeing, especially after recent events.

"And for those of you in the audience who don't know who I am, my name is Roboppy." Roboppy added.

"Roboppy?" Soulburner said, surprise evident in his tone. The last time Soulburner saw Roboppy, the latter was merely a cheerful, clueless and happy house cleaning robot. He never expected Roboppy to turn evil.

"Damn. Ai managed to not only give Roboppy sentience, but also increase his intelligence as well." Slipstream commented.

"Zaizen, the Queen's half of the Code Key is useless unless I have yours to complete the set, which I much prefer over Pawn's access card." Ai stated, as he pointed at the screen. "So you can expect a visit from me in three days from now. Use the time you have left to get any things off your bucket list before then. Get a last meal with your loved ones, set your affairs in order, et cetera."

"But it's still not going to change what happens next to you, Zaizen! Not one bit!" Roboppy said.

"As happy as I am to hear that you've been promoted to Executive Vice President, I'm afraid your time in your new job position is coming to an abrupt end. See you soon!" Ai waved his hand, as if to indicate that the footage was ending.

"Yeah! See you soon!" With that, the video footage ended, leaving everyone still in a state of shock on what they heard. Not just that, but the revelation of who attacked Queen and Pawn as well.

"Ai…" Playmaker muttered.

"It can't be…" Kusanagi muttered as well.

"This has got to be some trick, Zaizen. Ai isn't someone who would go and attack people." Soulburner voiced his opinion on the situation.

"It's unfortunately no trick, Soulburner. By taking down Queen and Pawn, Ai's effectively declared war on SOL Technologies itself." Akira replied back. "The only thing that's preventing Ai from getting full access to SOL Technologies is my half of the Code Key."

"Come on, Akira. This is Ai we're talking about here. He's not gonna suddenly turn on us after being our ally for a long time, is he?" Ghost Girl asked.

"Of course he is because he was fooling all of you this entire time." Blood Shepherd immediately said, which made everyone turn to him. "He was playing the long game by gaining your trust so he can backstab you at the best possible moment. One that would greatly benefit him in the long run, and it seems that moment has arrived now. A simple, yet effective tactic if pulled off correctly." He then turned to Playmaker. "And I strongly believe Playmaker knows where the Dark Ignis' location is in the network."

"Hey, you're accusing Playmaker?" Soulburner asked angrily.

"Playmaker is the friendliest with the Dark Ignis, so it's only natural to assume that he knows where it's hiding." Blood Shepherd replied.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Akira exclaimed. "Playmaker fought for AIs and humans to coexist! If he already knew this had occurred, he would have acted!"

"That's true." Go agreed with a frown.

"Guys, guys, let's take it down a notch or two here. No need to get up at each other's necks." Slipstream stated. "Ai said he'd come in three days, right? I've been doing some thinking, and I believe that there's something going on behind the scenes. I mean, Ai wouldn't be attacking SOL Technologies unless he had an absolutely good reason, right?"

"Slipstream's right, guys. As much as we should prepare for what's to come, let's do some research to see if there's other information we're missing here." Aerith suggested.

"Oh, please. The both of you are only saying this because you have sympathy for that AI." Blood Shepherd dismissed Slipstream and Aerith's suggestions, which caused the both of them to grit their teeth after hearing that statement.

"I advise you to back off, Blood Shepherd." Raguel warned Blood Shepherd, which got his attention.

"Really? And what will you do-?" Blood Shepherd began asking, before he suddenly let out a gasp. While he didn't know how, he knew that something happened recently. Something that practically affected both Raguel and everyone else in this room. Something that damaged Raguel to his core, if not irreparably. "Forget it. No need to respond to someone who's wellbeing is severely damaged from the inside out."

That statement not only made Raguel gasp, but it also made both Angelica and Aerith gasp as well. They weren't the only ones, as Playmaker, Soulburner, Slipstream, Blue Maiden and Akira gasped seconds later. Go crossed his arms while Ghost Girl raised an eyebrow, wanting to know what else was going on here.

"Raguel…" Aerith muttered, having put a hand on his shoulder to see if he was okay.

"I'm fine, Aerith. I'm fine." Raguel assured Aerith, despite being deeply offended by Blood Shepherd's last remark.

"While you and Slipstream make good points, Aerith, the truth remains that Ai's after my half of the Code Key." Akira firmly reminded not just them, but everyone present as well. "I think we can all agree that having any one individual control all of SOL Technologies' resources isn't a good idea."

"I concur." Angelica stated.

Akira then turned over to Playmaker, knowing that he didn't want to involve him in his fight. However, if Akira was able to get Playmaker's assistance, then it would make things easier. "Playmaker, I get it. I know what I'm asking isn't easy for you because it means that you may have to fight your friend. I wish there was another way, but will you help me? You know the most about Ai out of anyone here."

Playmaker frowned back in response as he thought this over. As much as he wanted to help Akira, he couldn't bring himself to fight against the very Ignis who sacrificed everything so they could still have a future. What's more, Playmaker didn't know what to make of it, as his entire world may have been turned upside down as a result of what he just learned. "Give me some time to think about it," he finally said, needing to straighten his thoughts and process everything. After Akira nodded in confirmation, Playmaker logged out, with the others proceeding to do so one by one.

"Wait a second, Angelica. Can I visit Café Matsuo later today? I have some questions I need to ask you." Ghost Girl requested.

"I'm available later this afternoon. If not, then tomorrow morning." Angelica simply answered, with Ghost Girl nodding in confirmation before the two of them logged out.

"Hang on, Blue Maiden. I need your assistance on something." Akira said.

"What is it, Akira?" Blue Maiden asked, as Akira pressed a button on his duel disk, which showed the following message:

"I wish to help you and be your ally. Please meet me at these coordinates, and I'll answer whatever questions you may have to the best of my ability."

"I was hoping if you could help me investigate this message, Blue Maiden. It was sent to me earlier today from an unknown address. With Playmaker needing some time to himself and Raguel recovering from his ordeal, you're one of the few options available to help me out with this interesting development."

Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes after reading the message. She had a feeling who sent the message, but wanted to keep her options open in the event her theory was incorrect. After all, anyone could have sent that message. "Yeah, Akira. I'll go with you later today. Maybe you can ask Ghost Girl as well to provide backup from the real world."

Akira shook his head back in response. "No, Blue Maiden. It's better we take care of this ourselves, as the last thing we want is to distract everyone else from what's going on right now." And in the event this is a trap, Roxy gave me programs a while back to use so we can get out of it, Akira thought in his mind.

"Got it." Blue Maiden replied, having understood Akira's response. With that, the both of them logged out, the meeting officially over.

One hour later, in the real world, at Café Matsuo…

"Okay, based on what Roxy told me, I assume each and every one of you are here?" Leshawna asked the people in the living room of Café Matsuo.

"Yup. Those who chose to come to this session are here." Yuhiro confirmed. He wasn't the only one attending his therapy session, as some of his 'Cyreath' monsters were also in attendance as well. Sitting on one of the couches was Atalanta and Achilles, with Alastor, Macarios and Adele on the other couch. Leaning on a wall nearby was Medusa, having opted not to sit on one of the couches in the living room portion of Café Matsuo. Rasterliger was resting nearby, ready to intervene if needed.

"Hang on a second. You're not freaked out at seeing a talking duel monster?" Atalanta asked Leshawna out of disbelief, who shook her head back in response. This… was a first not just for her, but for the other 'Cyreath' duel monsters as well.

"Nope. Roxy already filled me in on the situation, and given how I deal with a ton of clients with different issues, I got some practice in a way." Leshawna responded. "Roxy also wanted me to tell you that she has her eye on each and every one of you, so if any of you bozos try to hurt me, she'll know. I'll just say it right now: The last thing either of you want is to get Roxy angry, so no funny business."

That comment made all the 'Cyreath' monsters gulp in fear of that warning while Yuhiro merely chuckled. Given how Herald was afraid of Roxy at times, it only made sense for the other 'Cyreath' monsters to be afraid as well. Despite all their abilities and how they were displayed as mythological figures, they were afraid of Roxy one way or another.

"Alright. With all of us here, we can officially begin. So, who would like to share?" Leshawna looked around the living room, eyeing each person there to see who can go next.

"I suppose I can go first, if that's okay with everyone else." Achilles volunteered, with the others nodding in confirmation. "I'm Achilles, and Herald created me by using inspiration from my legend, which occurred during the Trojan War. To not waste time, I'll just sum up my legend by saying that I fought until my last breath during the Trojan War, where I died of my wounds afterwards."

"Thank you for keeping the time for our meeting in mind, Achilles. If memory serves, when you grew up, you wanted to be a hero. Given how you fought until the very end in the Trojan War and became a hero in the end, does a part of you want to recreate the ending of your legend? Or more specifically, do you want to achieve brilliant feats in battle and die as a hero again?"

Achilles shook his head. "Honestly, I don't see a need to do it again because I already accomplished that goal. Herald showed me how humanity's evolved since then, along with the potential it still has for goodness despite the dark times it went through. Thus, I fight not to achieve brilliant feats, but to protect Yuhiro and the people he cares about. I mean, life is important when you have people to enjoy it with, right?"

Leshawna nodded, pleased to hear Achilles' response. "Thank you once again for your answer, Achilles. Now who's next?"

Atalanta slowly began to raise her hand, unsure whether she wanted to speak or not. Leshawna turned to Atalanta seconds later, the former having noticed the latter raising her hand. As a result of this, Atalanta gulped, now realizing that she was in the spotlight now. "Um, okay. My name's Atalanta, and Herald created me by using my legend as an inspiration, where I sought to create a world where all children were saved."

"Interesting. Are you okay if I ask how that dream came to be?" Leshawna asked.

"It's fine, Mrs. Leshawna. I'll answer the question." Atalanta replied, having taken a deep breath before doing so. "That dream slowly came to be when I was abandoned by my father in the wilderness, who wanted a son. Artemis saved my life by sending a bear to take care of me. For this kind act, I became a follower of Artemis, and made a vow to myself to make sure no other child would suffer the same fate I went through. In other words, I wanted to create a world where children were not only saved, but also loved as well."

"I see. Thank you for sharing this information with me, Atalanta." Leshawna made a quick note on her note pad before a thought popped in her mind.

"But that dream I had… it became distorted ever since recent events." Atalanta's eyes began to widen as all the pain from the past while raced in her head. "All that chaos… all those kids who suffered in the crossfire… it could have been stopped if I was stronger…"

"Atalanta…" Yuhiro muttered, concerned for his friend. In a way, he can understand her, as he knew what it was like to feel helpless. He knew what it was like to pursue strength in order for something to never happen again, only for such a goal to corrupt him down the road.

"Not one word, Yuhiro! Not! One! Word!" Atalanta fiercely told Yuhiro with a growl, which made him gasp out of horror. "I allowed you to enhance my strength so that no more lives were lost in the battles to come. But the moment the Cursed Boundary Layer appeared, you allowed it to seep into your mind and soul without fighting back at all. It got to the point where it ended up hurting us as well. As a result, my dream was corrupted to the point where I was willing to let scores of people die just to… Oh, God…" She began to cry, which led Achilles to put a hand on his shoulder to assure her that it'd be okay.

"Atalanta's right." Alastor commented. "Your pain was one of the main factors that caused us to suffer, Yuhiro. I mean, look at me. You created me as a duel monster born from pain that I may never be able to escape from! You denied me freedom from my pain!"

"Alastor, please listen…" Yuhiro began speaking, only for Alastor to suddenly stand up on his feet in anger, which caused the former to gasp in response. Rasterliger immediately stood up on his feet and growled at Alastor, as if to warn him of what would happen should the latter try any funny business.

"Dad, there's no point in getting angry! Stand down!" Macarios pleaded.

"Yeah, dad! You need to heal! Hurting people will only aggravate your pain!" Adele added, now concerned for Alastor. After seeing the worried expressions on Macarios and Adele's faces, Alastor sat back down on the couch.

Well, this is interesting, Leshawna thought in her mind. Now that Alastor's opening up, I can get down to see if he really thinks he's a monster. "If you believe you're truly a monster, then why don't you take off that helmet of yours? Let us see what you look like behind the mask."

"What did you say?" Alastor turned to look at Leshawna. "Are you aware of what I've done in my legend?"

"I do. How you became a servant of the gods in exchange for getting revenge on those who destroyed both your village and your family. How, upon realizing that the gods were ultimately responsible for your suffering, you killed yourself to give humanity the power of hope against times of despair. Just like with Atalanta, I believe you've defined yourself based on your legend. If you don't believe me, then prove it. Take off your helmet. Let us all see what you really look like with it off."

"Fine." Alastor complied, knowing that he had no choice in the matter. Before he did so, Leshawna gestured Achilles to get a handheld mirror, who stood up as he quickly grabbed a mirror from downstairs. He then handed it to Leshawna before sitting down beside Atalanta on the couch. Once that was done, Alastor took off his helmet, where everyone gasped out of surprise upon seeing his face. Instead of being demonic, his face resembled that of a male human's face. He had brown eyes and short, black hair, along with a small beard. Leshawna gave Alastor the handheld mirror, who gasped upon seeing the reflection of himself in the handheld mirror. "My face. It's… It's healed. It's a miracle."

"Dad! You're back to normal!" Adele cried out of joy.

"It's good to see you officially back in our lives, dad." Macarios added, as he and Adele proceeded to hug Alastor, grateful that he was back in their lives.

Yuhiro frowned as he looked at Macarios and Adele celebrating that Alastor had been cured from his pain. Alastor must have been purified when Miyu used Rule Breaker to destroy the Cursed Boundary Layer, Yuhiro thought in his mind. This had to be the case, as with the Cursed Boundary Layer destroyed, all of the other 'Cyreath' monsters had been freed from its curse.

"Can you say that seeing your children again was what led you to regain your hope in humanity?" Leshawna questioned, which got Alastor's attention.

Alastor chuckled. "If seeing my children alive is a sign that miracles can happen, then I can say that I'm regaining my faith in humanity one step at a time, Leshawna. In time, I believe I'll be able to fully find my faith in humanity again."

"I actually have another question in mind as well." Leshawna turned to Medusa and Achilles. "You two could have gone rogue and assisted Yuhiro when he snapped. Yet you didn't. Instead, the both of you fought alongside Playmaker and his buddies to save Yuhiro's life. Why was that?"

"I suppose I can answer that question first." Medusa volunteered, which got Leshawna's attention. "As you all know, my legend was doomed to end in tragedy the moment I was cursed by Athena. I turned into a monster, and eventually, I was killed by Perseus. However, after I was made, Herald showed me the ever-growing potential humanity still has for goodness despite what they went through. I also met Yuhiro and Miyu, the both of them having suffered at the hands of our respective transgressors. Not just that, but the three of us all lost someone we cared about."

"I see. So this connection you formed with Yuhiro and Miyu was what led you and Achilles to fight to save his life?"

"It wasn't just that. It was what Herald told me about the world today and how it's worth protecting. Those were the reasons why I helped in fighting to save Yuhiro."

"Same for me." Achilles commented. "I mean, the world became a better place since my legend came to an end. What's more, I got to meet some great people as well, with Yuhiro being one of them. All in all, I can say that those are the reasons why I helped in fighting to save Yuhiro's life."

"Thank you both for answering my question." Leshawna said, pleased with their answers. The therapy session was ultimately going smoothly, as now everyone was willing to listen and speak gently.

Medusa then turned to Yuhiro. "I may know the answer to this, but Pandora and Teferi are dead, aren't they?"

"Yeah, Medusa. They are." Yuhiro confirmed. "Pandora killed herself to buy the time needed for you guys to stop me, and I ruthlessly killed Teferi for his failure. Two of the duel monsters I created to destroy my enemies died because of my need for vengeance."

"And I was one of the corrupted 'Cyreath' duel monsters you made as well once you found the truth about yourself. Pandora, Asterios and myself were the first of them. You made us to destroy your enemies." Alastor added.

"But you didn't just stop there. You created more 'Cyreath' cards to make sure you always retained control of the duel against an opponent." Medusa continued. "In a way, you tainted the 'Cyreath' deck, and you now must make things right, like you're doing right now."

"You're right on that topic, Medusa and Alastor." Yuhiro reluctantly agreed with what Medusa and Alastor said just now. Since everything that's happened, Yuhiro made more 'Cyreath' cards so he can prevent the opponent from gaining the upper hand. He didn't want to lose and have all of his efforts be for nothing, which was one of the many motivators on why he created the new cards in the first place. For in Yuhiro's mind at the time, you were nothing without strength. Unfortunately, that mindset was his undoing, as it led Yuhiro to throw away the very strength he truly used to defeat his enemies.

The bonds he made with his duel monsters, as well as the bonds he made with the people in his life.

This strength was something Yuhiro developed over time, and it helped him triumph repeatedly in the face of adversity. But throwing that strength away was the highlight of stupidity on Yuhiro's part when he was infected by the Cursed Boundary Layer, and now he had to make amends with everyone in his life. It was something Yuhiro had to do if he wanted to maintain the bonds of friendship he forged with them, which was something he obviously didn't want to lose. Not when he needed those bonds more than ever.

"Do you plan on reviving Pandora and Teferi, Yuhiro?" Atalanta inquired out of curiosity, which got Yuhiro's attention.

Yuhiro, in response, shook his head. "No, Atalanta. I don't plan on reviving Pandora and Teferi, nor do I plan on creating copies of them. If anything, the both of them should rest in peace."

"You guys mind if I say something real quick? I'm just glad to see you all opening up and talking with one another. This was seriously needed for each of you." Leshawna stated, which got everyone's attention.

"It was, that's for sure." Yuhiro acknowledged, glad for this opportunity to talk with his duel monsters in a safe space. "I mean, talking with you guys is important for reconciliation, especially when I have to do it with everyone else I've hurt. As well as other mistakes that've recently come to light."

"Recently come to light?" Macarios repeated.

"Yeah." Yuhiro sighed. "Miyu knows the truth about my missions on the Black Market, as well as how Roxy was involved in it."

"She would have found out one way or another, Yuhiro. It was only a matter of time." Adele pointed out.

"Nonetheless, you need to set things right with Miyu." Leshawna firmly told Yuhiro.

"I'm perfectly aware of that, Leshawna!" Yuhiro snapped, before realizing what he did. "Sorry, I didn't mean that."

Leshawna nodded in assurance, knowing that Yuhiro meant no harm just now. "Would you be willing to share your thoughts on this matter then?"

"Again, I really fucked up on that matter. I really did." Yuhiro admitted. There was no point in hiding the truth, as he needed to confront it instead of running away from it out of fear. "Miyu learned the truth a night or two ago when we were doing the profiles. After finding out the truth, she was pissed at Roxy and I for what we did on the Black Market, and called us monsters. Terrible people even. Honestly, after thinking about it, Miyu was right. I really am a terrible person. But I… I don't wanna be this way. Not forever."

"Like I told you a few days ago, Yuhiro. Admitting it is a start. A real start." Leshawna assured Yuhiro. "The fact that you want to reconcile with your friends, allies and loved ones, as well as commit to regaining their trust, are both great first steps. I mean, you're talking with your duel monsters and friends again, so you're going in the right direction."

A sad smile appeared on Yuhiro's face, knowing that Leshawna was right on the matter. "Yeah, I guess you're right overall."

With that, Leshawna began to give instructions to Yuhiro and the other 'Cyreath' duel monsters present, where she wanted the whole group to go through a communication exercise in order to slowly build reconciliation with one another. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Miyu was nearby, her eyes having glowed with a light-blue color as she eavesdropped on the entire conversation. From what she heard, she knew that Yuhiro was speaking the truth this entire time. He really did regret his actions, and wanted to become a better person as a result of them.

"You see, Miyu? Yuhiro isn't a terrible person. He's just someone who screwed up badly and wants to repent for them." Arin whispered to Miyu, who was propped on the latter's right shoulder. "If that's not a sign of someone who wants to become a better person, then I don't know what is."

"I guess you're right, Arin. I guess you're right." Miyu quietly acknowledged, before she quietly went downstairs to the back room, intent on helping Roxy figure out what was really going on behind the scenes regarding Ai. After all, in her heart, she knew there was more going on than what Ai said in his message. For the sooner Miyu and the others discerned the truth, the better it will be in the battles to come.

Meanwhile, in the network, at Jericho's server…

Jericho frowned as he typed on the digital keyboard, having continued to scroll through all the data he obtained from the cruise ship. Last night, he found that he couldn't enter into the real world through a Soltis, unlike Ai and Roboppy. As a result, Jericho had to assist from the sidelines by causing chaos on the cruise ship so Ai and Roboppy can get their part of the mission done. While Ai and Roboppy disposed of Queen and Pawn, Jericho infiltrated the cruise ship's server in order to steal the data on the Soltis so he can figure out why he couldn't enter the real world through one of their units. After all, if Jericho can return to the real world, it'd be a massive advantage for him.

Ai and Roboppy were able to hijack their Soltis units by rewriting their code with their own, so what's preventing me from doing such a thing, Jericho angrily wondered in his mind. Or maybe this problem has nothing to do with code. Maybe it has something to do with myself! I mean, I've been stuck in the dark side of the network for so long, so perhaps I'm so assimilated to the environment there that the real world's a completely new one all over again! It's like I'm a fish out of water! He narrowed his eyes as the words Watchman told him appeared in his mind.

"When one's forced into a desperate situation, they'd do whatever it takes to protect themselves. Let's just say one of the methods tested a long time ago assisted me in evading the authorities and survive at the same time."

Jericho made a fist with his right-hand seconds later. Watchman assimilated himself into the network by using one of the two forbidden test methods to do so a long time ago, yet he was able to hijack a Soltis and return to the real world with no trouble whatsoever! Perhaps Jitney and her little apprentice will be able to help me figure out the answer to this puzzle, as the sooner I solve it, the better! But before Jericho could continue thinking, Dogma logged into the server, which got the former's attention upon doing so.

"Ah, Dogma. Glad you can make it." Jericho greeted Dogma, as he walked over to where the latter was.

"I trust last night's mission was a success?" Dogma asked.

"It was indeed. I got the data from SOL Technologies' cruise ship, and Ai and Roboppy disposed of Queen and Pawn. Overall, a good night's work."

"That's certainly good to hear, sir." Dogma then turned to look at the light-green monitor, where it showed several pictures of the Soltis, along with a blueprint or two. "Now that's interesting. I didn't expect SOL Technologies to have data on the Soltis in the cruise ship's database. I thought they'd have more important things in the database to use should something pop up."

Jericho turned back to the light-green monitor as well, a frown evident on his face. "Given how Queen and Pawn were on a business trip to sell the Soltis, it makes sense. Unfortunately, last night, I found I couldn't hijack into one of the Soltis units despite my best efforts. If I can figure out what's preventing me from doing so, then I can make the necessary modifications needed so I can return to the real world."

"Yes, and in turn, enable your father and his forces to eventually return to the real world after you synchronize the Unity." Dogma finished.

"Precisely!" Jericho confirmed, a smirk having appeared on his face.

Dogma, having looked at the Soltis blueprints, put a hand to his chin as he pondered something over. "Permit me to suggest something, Master Jericho. While technology is Jitney's area of expertise, I do see an opportunity to test her apprentice and see if he's worthy to join us."

"You make a valid point, Dogma, but Jitney's apprentice will need to pass more than one test so we can evaluate his worth. After all, the last thing I need right now is to deal with another Electrolyzer." Jericho grit his teeth. This was certainly true, as he didn't want to risk another of his workers throwing a monkey wrench in his plans. Not after everything that's happened so far, as well as how important it was for Jericho to complete his mission.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a knife flew through the air, which Jericho immediately grabbed upon seeing it. He looked at the knife, having analyzed its structure and the metal used to forge it. There's only one person who wields such a rather custom knife, Jericho thought in his mind, a grin having appeared on his face. "Brigadier, I know you've arrived. Why don't you emerge from the shadows and show yourself already?"

As if on cue, a man with grey hair and dark-brown skin that wore a red hood over his head emerged from the shadows. Covering the lower half of his face was grey bandages, which almost resembled that of a lower mask. His attire consisted of a black jumpsuit with a silver belt around his waist that had a holster on the left side. Attached to his upper body was a piece of metallic armor, with pieces of armor also being attached to his lower legs. Lastly, he had a left shoulder pad that consisted of chain mail attached to it.

"Here I am, just like you asked," Brigadier said. "Dogma informed me that you're back, so I came to Japan once I got the news. Welcome back."

"Glad to be back, Brigadier." Jericho replied, having thrown the knife back at Brigadier, who caught and sheathed it with one motion. He walked over to where Brigadier was before shaking his hand. With a man like Brigadier at his side, Jericho was certain that he'd be able to triumph over his enemies, especially since Brigadier once worked for the military.

As if on cue, another person logged into the network, which led Jericho, Brigadier and Dogma to turn over to the woman that appeared just now. The woman had long, auburn bushy hair, as well as a pair of glasses covering her light-blue eyes and two earrings attached to her ears. Her attire consisted of a sleeveless, short-blue and red checker pattern high-neck minidress with black-colored jeans and tights with red shoes. Lastly, wrapped around her minidress was a white lab coat.

"Speak of the woman we talked about earlier, Juggernaut has arrived, Master Jericho." Dogma stated the obvious, having addressed the woman by her name.

"I can see that, Dogma, thank you very much." Jericho told Dogma.

"I'll be honest, I was shocked to hear that you've returned." Juggernaut admitted, as she proceeded to walk over to Jericho before shaking his hand. "Nevertheless, it's good to have you back."

"I'm just glad to be back on this planet after all of this time, Juggernaut. Speaking of which, I heard you took an apprentice under your wing."

Juggernaut then turned to glare at Dogma, angry that he told this information to Jericho. "I told you not to tell him, Dogma. Souta doesn't need to be involved in this."

Jericho, having sensed Juggernaut's concern, shook his head in response. "Relax, Juggernaut. I don't plan on speaking with your apprentice today. Though I do wish to see him in the days to come." But before Jericho could say anything else, he and the others noticed three more people log into the network.

The first was a tall man with long, spiky black hair that reached the back of his neck, black eyes and numerous scars on his body. One scar was across his left cheek, the second was on his left bicep and an 'X' shaped-scar on his left pectoral reaching over his left shoulder, with two smaller ones on the upper-left of his abdomen. His attire consisted of black chest armor with a green midsection and shoulder pads that was over a long-sleeved, form-fitting suit, along with purple form-fitting pants with white boots that have a green striping at the toes. He even had black wristbands on each of his arms. Lastly, draped around his waist was a green fur pelt, which resembled that of an animal's ear.

The second was a man who wore white robes with six, red and purple-colored lappets at the front that each ended in bells. He also wore white, baggy pants that had red and purple lines on them, along with white boots with red and purple outlines that ended in pointy toes. The man had long, black hair that had red and purple strands embedded in it, with each piece of hair ending in a curl. He also had light-green eyes that were in the form of slits.

The third was a man who wore black robes with six, red and purple-colored lappets at the front that each ended in bells. He also wore black, baggy pants that had red and purple lines on them, along with black boots with red and purple outlines that ended in pointy toes. The man had long, white hair that had red and purple strands embedded in it, with each piece of hair ending in a curl. He also had light-green eyes that were in the form of slits.

"Yǐjīng hěnjiǔle. Hěn gāoxìng zài zhème cháng shíjiān zhīhòu jiàn dào nǐ," the tall man said.

(Note: The translated phrase from Chinese to English is this: 'It's been a long while. Great to see you after all of this time').

"Vraiment, cela semble une éternité depuis que vous nous avez honoré de votre présence. À quel point tu m'as manqué, à moi et à mon autre moi," the second man said, before giving a bow.

(Note: The translated phrase from French to English is this: 'Truly, it has felt like an eternity since you have graced us with your presence. How deeply I and my other self have missed you').

"Même si je suis heureux d'entendre la bonne nouvelle, vous n'avez pas besoin d'être flamboyant à ce sujet, Apsed," the third man spoke up, having firmly addressed the second man by his name.

(Note: The translated phrase from French to English is this: 'As happy as I am to hear the good news, you don't have to be flamboyant, Apsed').

"Bahamut! Apsed! Despa! Speak English!" Jericho snapped at the three newcomers. "Not everyone in the audience knows how to speak your languages!"

Bahamut gasped before clearing his throat. "My apologies, Jericho. Despa, Apsed and I have arrived a day ago. And frankly, I'm still surprised to this day that Despa and Apsed each have avatars despite being one half of a man's personality."

"We heard that, Bahamut!" Apsed snapped at Bahamut.

"You really need to take it down a notch, Apsed. Do you not see we're at a social gathering here?" Despa pointed out to Apsed, who gasped after being reminded of that fact.

"Calm down, all three of you. Let's rejoice in the fact that you're all here right now among friends." Jericho said, which stopped the fighting seconds later as they all looked around to see Dogma, Brigadier and Juggernaut. "If memory serves, we're missing one last envoy of Albinor. Do any of you know where Yuki is, Dogma?"

"Master Jericho, you must be patient. Remember it's not rude to rush a lady." Dogma firmly told Jericho, who nodded in agreement. It never was wise to rush someone, especially if you haven't seen them in a very long while.

Seconds later, another person logged into the server, where everyone turned to see who it was. This person was a short and petite woman who had light skin and silver-colored eyes. She also had white-colored hair that reached her shoulders, with several strands of it always hanging in front of her face. On top of her head was half a crown of ice, which extended to the back of her head. In addition, there was a small, ice flower formation attached to the center of her chest. For her attire, it consisted of a white, ankle-length kimono with lined patterns. It also had an ornate collar and edges attached to it as well.

"This is the server, am I not correct, Dogma?" the woman asked, which led Dogma to nod in confirmation.

"It is indeed, Cryomancer." Dogma answered, having addressed the woman by her name.

"Cryomancer, it's been a very long time." Jericho greeted Cryomancer, the two of them having proceeded to give each other a quick hug. "Dogma told me of all your successes as of recently. Well done on each and every one of them."

"Thank you." Cryomancer simply responded, as Jericho looked around the entire server. With every single envoy now here, he can fill them in on what happened.

"First off, everyone, I am beyond joyful you answered the call after a very long time." Jericho gathered the envoys to where he was. "I am also aware that you've questions."

"Yeah, I have one." Juggernaut immediately stated. "What the Hell happened to you and Ukyos all of those years ago? The world believes the both of you are deceased."

Jericho chuckled. "Yes it does, doesn't it? And if Dogma didn't find someone to keep Albinor Inc. running, SOL Technologies would have absorbed it by now." He clapped his hands. "But to answer your question, Juggernaut, father and I were banished to the darkest depths of the network."

"What?" Juggernaut blinked, shocked at what she heard just now.

"You and Ukyos were banished into the dark side of the network?" Bahamut asked, a frown evident on his face. He wasn't the only one, as Dogma also had a frown on his face as well. The other envoys present had different reactions. For Apsed, he gasped while Despa sighed out of surprise. Brigadier narrowed his eyes, wanting more information. As for Cryomancer, shock was registered on her face.

"Yup. You all heard me. Banished. By Myojin Furutani and Arshad Saito." Jericho continued. "Ukyos, Myojin and Arshad all had big dreams in saving the world through Project: VIII. However, Myojin and Arshad were too conservative, and unwilling to go the extra mile needed for Project: VIII to reach completion. This led to disagreements, and out of fear, Myojin and Arshad betrayed Ukyos before banishing him, myself and our allies to the dark side of the network. Let's just say we were stuck in that hellhole for a very long time as a result."

"Aye aye aye." Bahamut shook his head, still shocked by what he heard.

"Oh, that is truly tragic. But my other self and I are glad that you're back on Earth at last." Apsed assured Jericho, with Despa nodding in agreement. While he didn't always get along with Apsed, he was grateful to see Jericho again after all of this time.

"Which brings me to the present." Jericho commented, having reacquired everyone's attention. "It took a very long time, but I was able to eventually realize that I made it home onto this planet. And now that I'm here, the world's salvation is at hand."

"That's good to hear, Jericho, but you'll need a plan and allies if you wish to achieve it." Brigadier pointed out. "With us here, you now have both."

Dogma frowned, knowing what the true story was and what happened on that dreadful day. There was no way he'd tell the other envoys the truth, as it could risk some of them either backing out of the plan or betraying Jericho should they find this information out.

In response to what Brigadier said just now, Jericho pressed a button on his duel disk, where a digital hologram appeared that showed many things. One of which was pictures of all eight Ignis. The second were several blueprints and findings regarding Project: Apotheosis. Finally, the third was pictures of Albinor Inc. and SOL Technologies. "As you all know, Project: VIII's purpose was to help humanity find the Root of All Knowledge by creating the Ignis and the Construct, which in turn will enable its ultimate salvation. On the topic of the Ignis, I have some news."

"Which would be what exactly?" Cryomancer inquired, which led Jericho to press another button on his duel disk, where a second digital hologram appeared in the middle of the room. This hologram showed the monolith, which had the energies of the seven Ignis inside it, as evident by the incomplete octagon.

"Dr. Kogami continued Project: VIII through the Lost Incident over ten years ago, where he succeeded in creating the Ignis. He also had a woman named Athaliah Kuraishi initiate Project: Apotheosis sometime after the Lost Incident ended, which resulted in the creation of a Construct." Jericho explained. "Over time, I was able to get seven out of the eight Ignis, with only one remaining. I also tried obtaining the Construct a while back, but she unfortunately slipped through my fingers thanks to Raguel, Playmaker and their little buddies. So right now, the plan's first phase is to capture the last Ignis and complete the Unity, as well as acquire Albinor Inc. and SOL Technologies for the next phase."

"The Unity?" Juggernaut repeated.

"Yes. A method that Urizen used to see if the planets in the network had the Root of All Knowledge inside them." Jericho clarified. He obviously wouldn't tell Juggernaut that the Unity scorched the planet it was on first before enabling the ISOs to see if the Root of All Knowledge was there or not. That would make Juggernaut suspicious on whether Jericho's intentions were truly pure or not. "In order for the Unity to be achieved, one must collect all of a planet's vital elements before coalescing them all into one, where it will enable someone to see what's beneath the surface." Jericho then pressed another button on his duel disk, where it showed a hologram of a planet before a ripple of chaotic energy coursed through its surface. As a result, the first layer of the planet was destroyed before showing the next layer underneath it.

"Interesting. So it's like peeling an orange open to see the contents inside of it." Despa figured out, which led Jericho to nod in confirmation.

"That's correct, Despa. But moving that aside, I also have some other news. Just recently, I managed to locate the final Ignis."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's gang up and capture it!" Bahamut exclaimed, eager to get the hunt started.

"Hang on, Bahamut. Master Jericho isn't done looping all of us in on the situation." Dogma interjected.

"You found the last Ignis, yet you haven't killed him for some reason. I sure hope it's for a very entertaining one." Apsed commented.

Jericho chuckled after Apsed deduced that fact. "You're right, Apsed. I didn't kill the Dark Ignis because I made a deal with him. As long as he helps me acquire Albinor Inc. and SOL Technologies, I'd bring his little friends back to life. Or in this case, Urizen, as he has the power to do so. Besides, now that Raguel, Playmaker and his allies know of my existence, it's only natural to get allies so you can fight back. Especially allies who can wound the enemy from the inside out."

"You revealed your existence to Raguel and his allies? Not smart." Brigadier simply stated.

"It wasn't smart at all." Cryomancer agreed.

"Hey, in my defense, I was focused on reconnaissance at the time." Jericho countered, as he raised an eyebrow to get his point across. "Once I figured out that Earth had the Root of All Knowledge in it, Urizen told me to disregard all orders regarding reconnaissance and focus on achieving the Unity."

"I do have something to point out for you, Jericho." Despa calmly interrupted, which got Jericho's attention. "Let's say that, once the Dark Ignis completes his role and you capture him, what resources does Albinor Inc. and SOL Technologies have to assist with the second part of the plan?"

"And how exactly are we going to seize both companies? The higherups at SOL Technologies aren't going to just give it to us on a silver platter, as they'd rather fight tooth and nail to protect it." Apsed added before giggling. He really wanted to duel the higherups and bring each one to despair, especially with the deck he and Despa wielded for a very long time.

"On the bright side, Albinor Inc. should be easier to acquire, especially since Dogma put someone he trusted to ensure its running." Juggernaut stated.

"While that's true, Juggernaut, Urizen developed a contingency regarding the company in the event something should happen to him." Dogma told Juggernaut and everyone else present as he pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused a hologram of a violet key made of data material to appear seconds later. "Urizen created a Code Key that will enable someone to control Albinor Inc. only if they have both halves of it. I gave the half belonging to the Inquisitors to Jericho, and the person I appointed has the other half."

"Then the answer's simple. We just go to Albinor Inc. first, tell the person that Jericho's back, and they'll have to give it to him. Simple as that." Bahamut said.

Dogma, in response, shook his head. "I had instructed the person to make sure the other half of the Code Key is safe and secure. They won't let Jericho have it easily, and will obviously want to test his strength to see if he is truly what he says he is."

"I, for one, am looking forward to dueling this person Dogma appointed to take care of Albinor Inc. for many years." Jericho genuinely said. "As for SOL Technologies, the mission in seizing it is going pretty well. For last night, Ai and Roboppy obtained the first half of the Code Key by eliminating Queen and Pawn."

"Well, that's some good news." Cryomancer simply stated, glad to hear that Jericho was one step closer to seizing SOL Technologies.

"I am concerned about something, though, Jericho." Bahamut spoke up, which got Jericho's attention. "What are the chances of Ai and Roboppy turning on you after obtaining both halves of the Code Key for SOL Technologies? The both of them could use the company's resources for their own goals if we're not careful."

"I concur with Bahamut. It isn't wise to leave the plan to chance." Brigadier advised caution. Having once been a member of the military, Brigadier knew that leaving things to chance was never a good idea. For having a plan was always beneficial when it came to completing a mission, as well as a contingency should things go south.

Jericho chuckled in response to Bahamut's comment and Brigadier's advice. "You need not worry, Bahamut and Brigadier. I have a contingency on hand should Ai and Roboppy plan on backing out of our deal." As if on cue, Jericho's duel disk began beeping. "That must be Ai and Roboppy calling to tell me some good news. Excuse me." With that, Jericho walked away from the group, intent on answering the call.

Juggernaut put a hand to her chin, having pondered over everything she learned so far. It's disappointing that people continue to misuse technology for their own ends no matter if their intentions are pure or not, Juggernaut thought in her mind. If this kept up, then humanity would end up destroying themselves and doom the planet in the end. Based on this unfortunate fact, Jericho's return couldn't have come at a better time, as Juggernaut now had the opportunity to contribute her knowledge and skills towards this mission. That way, when it was all over, humans would be able to use technology for everyone's prosperity rather than their pain.

"You seem pretty quiet, Juggernaut? Has Jericho's tragic tale given you a frowny face?" Apsed inquired.

"No! I was thinking of something else!" Juggernaut replied back, irritation evident in her tone.

"Don't tease her, Apsed. She has a lot on her mind right now." Despa told Apsed, who groaned.

"Fine…" Apsed conceded, disappointed that he can't poke fun at Juggernaut right now.

"Be at ease, Juggernaut. Once Jericho's plan comes to fruition, humans will no longer use technology selfishly." Dogma assured Juggernaut, who nodded in response to the former's words.

"Well, we have a small problem on our hands." Jericho begrudgingly announced, as he walked over to where the envoys were. "It seems that Akira Zaizen has learned what happened last night, and most likely passed the information onto Playmaker and his little buddies by now."

Bahamut crossed his arms after hearing this information. "Given how Akira is now Executive Vice President, he would have found out this information one way or another. Perhaps we should strike now while he's still vulnerable, Jericho."

Jericho turned to Bahamut quickly after hearing that suggestion. "And expose the fact that all of you are working for me, Bahamut? That is something I can't risk yet! Besides, Ai and Roboppy told me that they plan on attacking Akira three days from now. I don't know why those imbeciles did such a thing, but once I find out the truth, they'll be severely punished."

"Permit me to make a suggestion, Jericho. I sense a pattern here from my old days in the military." Brigadier stated, which got Jericho's attention.

"An old pattern?" Jericho repeated. "Do tell."

"Since the Dark Ignis left a message to Akira about the coming attack, the higherups would prioritize on keeping Akira safe to ensure the enemy is focused on him. This is due to his high-level position in the company and how he's responsible for keeping it safe. In the meanwhile, the higherups would make plans to flee with as many valuables and/or stocks as possible so they can save their own lives."

"That's cowardly." Cryomancer simply commented.

"But it's utterly delightful to hear, Cryomancer." Apsed said. "Just think about it. The higherups running for their lives, only for each and every one of them to be stopped before being taken down."

"What Apsed means by his flamboyant comment is that we should take out the higherups while we have the chance." Despa told not just Jericho, but everyone else present. "It's likely that one of them has the other half of the Code Key, or knows where it's located. Not only will we have the chance to acquire the other half of the Code Key, we'll also eliminate any potential enemies as well if we act now."

Jericho pondered this idea in his mind. Brigadier and Despa did make valid points regarding the situation. Since Akira was likely recruiting powerful allies to protect him as the group spoke, the other higherups would use this situation to save themselves before things got worse for them. If anything else, the other higherups may had already made a plan to escape and start from scratch should SOL Technologies ultimately fail in the end. Thus making it even more important to strike now before they fled for their own lives. "Alright, then. Let's go hunting."

"Yeah! I like the sound of that!" Bahamut exclaimed, now looking forward for the fight to come. The other envoys also nodded in approval, ready for the fight to come.

"If we're going to do this, Master Jericho, we'll need to divide and conquer. For the higherups aren't stupid enough to live in the same building." Dogma told Jericho.

"That's certainly true, Dogma." Jericho agreed, as he walked over to the light-green monitor before pressing a button on the digital keyboard, where a digital globe appeared in the middle of the room. "Wherever they are, they won't be getting out of the country alive. Each and every one of us will see to that. As for their half of the Code Key, it will be in our possession by tonight." A grin then appeared on his face, now looking forward to the coming battle. Oh, this will be fun.

Elsewhere, at another area in the network…

Akira and Blue Maiden arrived at the coordinates that was embedded in the message. Looking around, the two of them saw the area slowly being rejuvenated with life, which was evident by the grass growing from the ground. It was as though a great battle had occurred recently that damaged in the wildlife, and was in the process of rejuvenating itself as a result.

"What in the world happened here?" Akira voiced his wonder loudly, intent on getting answers from whoever sent him that message.

"Akira, look up ahead." Blue Maiden stated, which got Akira's attention as the two of them found what appeared to be a house up ahead. That must be where the person who sent Akira the message is living, Blue Maiden figured out in her mind, as she and the former quietly trekked through the area, wanting to remain unseen. Eventually, they made it to the house, with Akira hiding just beside the door while Blue Maiden knocked on it. After a minute, Zero opened the door, a serious expression evident on his face.

"Akira Zaizen. Blue Maiden." Zero greeted both individuals, with Akira's eyes widening in shock while Blue Maiden remained calm.

"No. It can't be…" Akira whispered, still shocked to see that Zero, the previous ruler of SOL Technologies after all of those years was still alive. The information about Zero, along with how he nearly brought to SOL Technologies to ruin flowed through his mind as Akira proceeded to try and attack him.

"Akira, calm down!" Blue Maiden exclaimed, having gotten in front of Akira to stop him from doing something he'll regret.

"That man nearly brought SOL Technologies to ruin! He nearly ruined so many lives!"

Blue Maiden turned to Zero. "Is that true?"

"No. There's more to the story than the both of you realize. I'm not what you think I am." Zero answered.

"Akira, please calm down. This man helped us when we fought to save Raguel's life from the Cursed Boundary Layer. If anything, he wants to help us now." Blue Maiden pleaded. "Please. Give him a chance."

Akira, after hearing Blue Maiden's pleas, calmed down. "Alright. I'll give you a chance, Mr. Saionji. But if you try anything suspicious, then we'll know." In a way, Akira had every right to be mad, especially given what he learned about Zero and how he was exiled for nearly bringing ruin to SOL Technologies all those years ago. After all, the last thing Akira wanted was to deal with another Watchman right now.

"Very well. Come in." Zero said, having gestured Blue Maiden and Akira to enter into the house, which they did. "Have a seat on the couch. Make yourself at home."

"No thank you. What I want is answers." Akira replied. "What truly happened that day when SOL Technologies was in chaos?"

Zero sighed. "I assume you both know about Project: VIII, right?" After seeing Blue Maiden and Akira nod in confirmation, Zero continued talking. "Some time after Myojin and Arshad banished Ukyos deep into the network, I was accused of causing Project: VIII to end in disaster. However, my only role at the time was setting up and funding Project: VIII."

"What's the point?"

"The point is that the destruction caused by Project: VIII all those years ago is on Ukyos, not on myself." Zero clarified. "He had ulterior motives in exploiting the network and enslaving those inside it to find the Root of All Knowledge. Unfortunately, my sons, who are the current Kings, seized the opportunity to pin the blame on Project: VIII's failure and destruction on me, having worked with the other higherups to do so."

"Your sons?" Blue Maiden repeated.

"Yes. The current Kings today are my sons. Lycaon, Perseo and Jeromy." Zero sighed. "Due to their actions, I was forced to fully integrate myself into the network using a device and forbidden method to evade capture. To this day, the authorities believe me to be dead."

"If this were the case, then why didn't you return to help SOL Technologies get through everything it faced off against?" Akira questioned. "The Tower of Hanoi, the Turf War, and the attacks in the network and in the real world could have been mitigated if you returned."

Zero turned to Akira in response to this question. "Tell me something, Akira Zaizen. Between fighting a war and rescuing a company, which do you think takes priority?"

"You were in a war?" Blue Maiden inquired, which got Zero's attention.

"I am currently involved in a war." Zero corrected Blue Maiden's question. "My benefactor rescued me, and out of gratitude, I chose to help her fight against Ukyos, who had now gone by Urizen in the network. And now that Jericho has returned, he'll most likely go after Akira to get his half of the Code Key."

Akira pondered this information over. Given how Jericho murdered the Ignis, along with releasing the Cursed Boundary Layer and using Raguel as a pawn to try and capture Numera and Ai, it made sense. But what would Jericho want with SOL Technologies? Maybe Slipstream and Aerith were right. Maybe there was something sinister going on behind the scenes regarding the current situation Akira and the others were in right now, and Jericho most certainly and a role in it. "In that case, there's something you need to know." Akira then told Zero about how Ai, the last Ignis, attacked Queen and Pawn before stealing the first half of the Coe Key. He also told Zero about the message Ai sent him last night, and how the latter planned on attacking him three days from now.

Zero narrowed his eyes after hearing Akira inform him of recent events. "That… is not good at all."

"It certainly isn't." Akira agreed, before sighing. "I don't know why Ai wants my half of the Code Key, but having any one individual control all of SOL Technologies' resources isn't a good idea."

"Which makes it more urgent than ever to ensure you and the other half of the Code Key is safe." Zero acknowledged. "I called you here because I want to make sure of that. I also wish to make amends for not being here to help when all of those catastrophic events occurred."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "And what do you want in return? If anything, you'll want our assistance in achieving a selfish goal."

"Akira's right, Mr. Saionji. We can't take any risks. Not after what happened with a former ally of ours." Blue Maiden pointed out.

"First off, the both of you can call me, Zero. No need for formalities." Zero told both Blue Maiden and Akira. "Second, I am not like Watchman at all. Unlike him, what I want is only for the benefit of others. After all, I founded SOL Technologies to serve the people, not the other way around. Third, to answer Akira's question, I want to assist in helping humanity prepare for the battles to come. With Jericho having appeared on the scene, it's only a matter of time for Urizen to also appear as well."

"Thus leading for something worse to arrive down the road if we're not prepared." Akira realized. He made preparations to further update the network's security, only for it to fail during Bohman's final duel against Playmaker. If what Zero was saying was true, that meant Akira would need all the help he can get to prepare for what was to come. "I see. So you wish to restore SOL Technologies to its former days before your sons took over."

Zero nodded in confirmation. "Pretty much, which is why I want your assistance in driving the higherups out. For when I conducted my research on people who wish to serve the people rather than the company, I found that you were the only one who shared my values. Whereas the other higherups remained at the comfort of their own homes, you fought on the frontlines to keep the people safe. You prioritized protecting the people over profit, and in the process, you demonstrated true integrity. That is why I wish to help you. That is why I see you as a true leader at SOL Technologies. With you as the head of the company and my knowledge about Urizen, you can truly keep the people safe from him and his forces."

"Wow. Now that's a huge compliment from the founder of SOL Technologies, Akira." Blue Maiden whispered to Akira.

"I suppose it is." Akira whispered back, as he turned back to SOL Technologies. "I will admit in saying that I've had reservations about the higherups lately. They're up to something, and I'm gathering allies to drive them out when this is over. I'd welcome any assistance in that goal."

"And I appreciate the opportunity, Akira. I will help protect you and the other half of the Code Key. I will prove how trustworthy of an ally I can be not just to you, but to Playmaker and the others as well." Zero promised. "Lastly, I will show you that I am not like Arshad. I will be true and authentic. You have my word on that."

"Please give Blue Maiden and I some time to talk this out, Zero." Upon hearing Akira's request, Zero gestured him and Blue Maiden to leave the house, which the two of them proceeded to do so.

"What do you think, Akira? I mean, Zero did help us to save Raguel's life." Blue Maiden said.

"I know, Blue Maiden. It's just that I don't want another Watchman scenario to occur." Akira reminded Blue Maiden.

"I get it, Akira. Watchman used us as pawns just to achieve his selfish goals by twisting his words and actions. But I don't think Zero's like that. Based on what he told us, he genuinely wants to protect the people and help them flourish. That's why he founded SOL Technologies in the first place." Blue Maiden put a hand to her chin as she thought things over. "Besides, actions speak louder than words, Akira. Let's give Zero a chance. Who knows? I bet that Zero will be a valuable ally not just for what's going on, but also for the battle against Urizen as well. Given Jericho's appearance, we're going to need all the help we can get so humanity can survive."

Akira sighed. Though Blue Maiden made a point, he couldn't just put all of his faith in an unknown person. It was like putting all of your efforts and resources in one plan that would be of waste should it all fall apart. Still, Akira could use an ally like Zero, as he very likely knew how to stop Jericho should he appear on the scene once again. Nevertheless, Zero would have to work hard to acquire Akira's trust, especially since the former had a role in Project: VIII. Thus, Akira made a mental note to question Zero further on that topic to see if there was anything else the latter did aside from providing funding for that role.

"Have you made your decision?" Zero asked, which got Blue Maiden and Akira's attention.

"We have." Akira answered. "Alright, Zero. I accept your offer of assistance. Do note that you'll have to prove yourself numerous times if you want to earn my trust."

"Of course. I knew you'd say that, as it's wise to keep your guard up when you work with someone who's different than you."

"That being said, if you wish to help fight alongside me, I need a demonstration of your strength." Akira activated his duel disk.

"Hang on a minute, Akira. You're actually going to duel against Zero?" Blue Maiden asked.

"I need to see how strong he is as a duelist, Blue Maiden." Akira simply explained, before turning to Zero. "If he was there to help save Raguel's life, then he must be a powerful duelist. I want to see it for myself."

"If I'm being honest, I always wanted to see how strong of a duelist you are as well, Akira." Zero admitted, as he also activated his duel disk. "Let's begin, shall we?"

"Duel!"

A few hours later, in the real world, during the evening…

Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, Miyu and Arashi looked out at the waterfront, having taken in how bright the lake was due to the glowing sun. Arin was also with the group, having turned into a bracelet on Miyu's right arm once again to hide within plain sight.

"Man, crazy times, right guys?" Takeru asked the others.

"You can say that again. I mean, just when we stopped the Cursed Boundary Layer and put a halt on Jericho's plans, Ai appears and declares war on SOL Technologies." Arashi commented.

"I can't help but feel there's more going on behind the scenes than we already know." Miyu said.

"Same here." Yuhiro agreed. "Nevertheless, we are in one unexpected situation, that's for sure."

"That's putting it mildly." Yusaku also acknowledged. For just when everyone was out of a very severe jam, they were now in another one. In other words, out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Takeru frowned and then looked up. "There's something I planned on telling you guys earlier, but I couldn't due to the emergency meeting and everything else that happened recently."

"What's up, Takeru?" Arashi asked.

"Well, I was going to tell you guys that I planned on going back home." Takeru reluctantly answered. "But I have to put that plan on pause once again. As much as I miss my grandparents and Kiku, I can't go back home until my other family's all good again. Miyu and Arashi were right earlier when they said there's more going on behind the scenes. So I'm sticking around to ensure we all understand the full picture, and by doing so, we can put an end to whatever's truly going on. It's what Flame would have wanted."

"I see." Yusaku simply responded.

"What about the rest of you? What are you going to do?"

Yuhiro sighed. "Well, given how I've been sentenced to protect the network, I'm going to help Akira out and keep him safe. Even if I wasn't sentenced, I would have done it anyway because it's what Herald would have wanted me to do."

"I'm fighting as well because Aqua would have wanted me to keep the people close in my life safe and sound." Miyu stated.

"I'm also sticking around because I too want to put an end to whatever's truly going on." Arashi added. "And besides, my exchange program isn't over yet, so I won't be going home until it's done." He then turned to Yusaku. "What about you, Yusaku?"

"Ai… isn't himself. I've known him for a long time, and he wouldn't hurt people out of the blue. It has to be some misunderstanding." Yusaku said. "No matter what, I still believe in Ai."

Yuhiro frowned after hearing Yusaku's answer. This made sense, as when Yuhiro wasn't himself, Yusaku and the others still had faith in him. They persevered and continued fighting to bring him back to his usual self. At this moment, Yuhiro understood where Yusaku was coming from. Due to how everyone kept going to save Yuhiro's life, he now had to have faith in trying to change others first.

A frown appeared on Miyu's face as she sighed. "Excuse me." She then proceeded to walk away from the others, needing some time to herself.

"I'll go with her. Roxy would kill us if something happened to Miyu." Arashi volunteered, having quickly ran over to where Miyu was.

"You don't have to accompany me, Arashi. I'm perfectly fine of taking care of myself." Miyu told Arashi.

"I get that. But I can tell something's on your mind, and we're here to listen if you want to talk about it." Arashi replied, which made Miyu sigh.

"Okay, fine. Follow me." Miyu gestured Arashi to follow after her to a bench nearby, where the two of them sat down. "The truth is, as of last night, I'm upset at Yuhiro and Auntie after learning something shocking from them."

"What would that be?"

Miyu narrowed her eyes in anger as she looked down at the ground. "For three years, the both of them had committed crimes on the Black Market just to get the funds needed to support my hospital care. The worst part was that they did it under my name, which makes me furious at them for such a thing. And because they did such a thing, it feels like I'm responsible for all the pain and suffering everyone else caused. Overall, I feel angry and confused, and I don't know what to do now."

Arashi sighed after hearing what Miyu said just now. "Well, first off, let me just say that you are allowed to feel what you're feeling, and that goes for everyone else. Emotions are neither good nor bad."

"I am?" Miyu turned to Arashi, curious by what he meant by that comment.

"Of course. I mean they are feelings. However, we all have a responsibility on deciding what to do in response to these emotions, and our choices will determine what happens next." Arashi looked up at the sky. "Take me for instance. When I first came to Den City, it was so I can find out who sent my cousin to the hospital and bring them to justice. Unfortunately, I learned a horrible truth along the way."

"What happened?" Miyu inquired.

"I found out that my own Ignis, Windy, was the one who did such a thing. When I found out the truth, I wanted to kill him with my own hands." Arashi admitted. "A part of me knew that my anger would only make me someone I didn't want to become, which was why I sought out wisdom from people I knew."

"Like Yuhiro, Herald and Auntie…" Miyu narrowed her eyes as she paid attention to Arashi's story.

"Yeah, and some other people along the way as well. Want to know something interesting?" Arashi sighed. "If it wasn't for my selfish quest, then I would have never got to meet you guys, nor would I have gotten the advice needed to retain my true self. In the end, we're all responsible for our own actions and decisions. What truly matters in life is how we move forward once they're done. Like you said with Yuhiro and Roxy, they messed up, but they're doing their absolute best to learn from their mistakes and move forward. In fact, we all sometimes need a little help to truly move on from the pain our decisions cause, don't you agree?"

Miyu pondered those words over, having listened to each and every one of them. Arashi did make some good points on how it's okay to feel what you're feeling in response to different situations. He also made a strong point on how once a mistake or decision is made, you have to learn from it before moving forward. After all, dwelling on it will only make one stuck in their pain. Though Miyu was still angry with Yuhiro and Roxy for their mistakes, she did plan on letting it go, but not before giving each of them a stern talking-to first.

"Hey. Everything okay over here, guys?" a voice asked, which led Arashi and Miyu to turn to see Yuhiro, Yusaku and Takeru walk over to where the others are.

"Yeah. Everything's good here." Miyu assured Yuhiro with a smile, which led Yuhiro to slightly blush before smiling back.

"T-That's good to hear." Yuhiro also chuckled, glad that the tension between him and Miyu was loosened a little more. He made a mental note to thank Arashi for helping Miyu out with whatever was on her mind.

"If there's one thing I'm grateful for, it's that whatever we're facing next, we're facing it together." Takeru stated, gratitude evident in his tone.

"Same here, Takeru. Same here." Yusaku reluctantly agreed, with Yuhiro, Miyu and Arashi also nodding in agreement as well.

Elsewhere, in the real world, during the night…

"I'm on a highway to Hell! Highway to Hell!" Rook shouted, enjoying the music blaring through his car as he drove down the road. He had a great workout at the gym, and was heading back home to chill for the night. Earlier today, Rook had to attend an emergency meeting with the other higherups, where they all agreed that they needed to prepare for the worst in the event Akira should fail them. Thus, the three Kings had one of the many contingencies created long ago activated, where they would flee with as many stocks and valuables available should SOL Technologies fall at the hands of their enemies. While they didn't want this worse case scenario to occur, they all had to be prepared in the event that it arrived.

After a few more minutes of driving and singing, Rook eventually made it back to his location, which was a large condominium that comprised of individual units inside of it. Or more specifically, condos inside a large building. Having parked his car inside the parking garage, Rook walked over to the elevator nearby before entering inside and pressing a button on it. The elevator went up for a few seconds before stopping, where the doors that opened allowed Rook to walk to the main lobby. From there, Rook walked over to another elevator and pressed a button, which caused it to go up a few floors before eventually stopping at the designated floor. Upon doing so, the elevator doors opened, thus allowing Rook to walk on the floor. He eventually reached the door to his place, as evident by the number and letter code that was on it.

GA54

A smirk appeared on Rook's face as he opened the door, ready to kick back and chill for the rest for the night. The condominium was a large area, which had a large couch and a TV attached to the wall on the other. There was also a shelf with several books inside them, along with a small statue on one of the sides. Nearby the area was a kitchen with a large stove and everything, as well as a table. Finally, some distance away from the kitchen and living room was the bedroom, which had a shelf for books, a large bed and a large cabinet for his clothes. Overall, a simple condominium for a higherup.

However, what Rook didn't expect was to see a woman inside his condominium investigating the area. The woman had ink-black hair, pale skin and grey eyes described being clear as a void. For her attire, it consisted of a dark-blue yukata, laced-up boots and a red leather jacket. On the right side of her jacket was the FBI badge.

This woman's name was Yuki Fuyuyoshi, the FBI's main investigator. However, unbeknownst to the world, her avatar in the network was Cryomancer, one of the envoys of Albinor. After the group determined where the executives were located, they all made decisions on who they'd go after to see who had the other half of the Code Key. Since the three Kings all lived in the same location and were very likely the strongest of the higherups, Bahamut, Dogma, Despa and Apsed volunteered to go after them. Seconds later, Juggernaut decided to go after Knight while Brigadier chose to go after Bishop, with Yuki going after Rook as a result. Before the group logged out of Jericho's server to begin the attack, Jericho requested that he be the one to speak with the Kings, as he .

"Oh! You're a detective from the authorities! I wasn't expecting a visit today." Rook stated. Perhaps Yuki can help SOL Technologies figure out who was responsible for attacking Queen and Pawn last night. "How can I help you?"

But before Rook can say anything else, Yuki quickly dashed forward and immediately knocked him out with a quick strike to the neck, which made him lose consciousness as he fell the the ground. However, Yuki grabbed Rook before dragging him to his bed and placing the latter on it. This way, no one would hear the loud thud and investigate it. She then pressed a button on her duel disk, which caused a set of coordinates to appear on Rook's duel disk before he was forcefully logged into the network.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" Yuki shouted, as she put her deck into her duel disk, where she logged into the network afterwards.

Minutes later, in the network…

Rook gasped as he looked around at his surroundings, having realized that he was forcefully logged into the network. He noticed that he was in an icy area, which was evident by the frozen grass and wildlife. In addition, there were icicles that hung from the trees

"What? What's going on?" Rook questioned loudly.

"It's simple. You've been forcefully logged into the network." Cryomancer stated with the obvious, having appeared some distance away from Rook. "And before you ask what my name is, you can call me Cryomancer."

"Okay, I'm obviously aware of that, Cryomancer. What I want to know is why this is going on."

Cryomancer frowned in response. "Fine. If you must know, you've been targeted for extermination. For just like with Queen and Pawn, you will fall."

Rook narrowed his eyes back in anger. "I see. So you're the one who attacked Queen and Pawn last night."

"No, I wasn't." Cryomancer responded, before pressing a button on her duel disk, which caused a red wave of energy to spread out through the whole server as it scanned Rook's duel disk seconds later. According to Jericho, Queen used her Skill in an attempt to stay in her master duel when she dueled against Ai. Thus, Juggernaut created a program that would prevent the other higherups from using their own Skills during their own master duels. In other words, this will enable Cryomancer and the other envoys to complete their missions to the letter. "What I've done just now was disable your Skill. Now, you won't be able to use it in a master duel."

Whoever this woman is, she must be in league with the person that attacked Queen and Pawn last night, Rook deduced in his mind. Otherwise, there was no way she would have known that the higherups can use their Skills during master duels. Maybe if I defeat her, then I'll be able to figure out the real culprit in last night's events. "Alright, lady. I don't know what your business is with SOL Technologies, but there's no way I'll let you and whoever you're working with desecrate the company's good name. Prepare yourself!" He activated his duel disk.

"Same for you. For if you lose this duel, you'll suffer the same fate Queen and Pawn experienced due to their arrogance." Cryomancer also activated her duel disk seconds later.

"Duel!" Cryomancer and Rook shouted in unison.

Cryomancer: 4000 LP

Rook: 4000 LP

"I will be going first." Cryomancer decided. "My turn! I summon Ice Knight from my hand to my field!" A humanoid who wore light-blue armor made of ice, as well as purple padding on its hands appeared on Cryomancer's field. In its right hand, it carried a glaive.

Ice Knight ATK: 1300 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

"I activate Ice Knight's effect. Once per turn, I can Normal Summon one Water monster from my hand in additional to my Normal Summon or Set. In exchange, I can only summon Water monsters for this turn. I summon Icejade Aegirine from my hand to my field." A little girl whose body was made entirely out of icy crystals appeared on Cryomancer's field. She had two crystal pigtails for hair, and on top of her head was a small crown, with a green gem on her forehead. As for her attire, it consisted of a crystal skirt with two gems on the sides.

Icejade Aegirine ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000 LV: 3

She already has two monsters on her field. I have a feeling that she'll Link Summon very soon, Rook hypothesized in his mind.

"When Aegirine is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add an 'Icejade' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I add Icejade Cradle from my deck to my hand." Cryomancer decided, as a card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand. "I also activate the Spell card, Icejade Cradle. It lets me add one 'Icejade' monster from my deck or Graveyard to my hand with a different name from the cards that I either control or in my Graveyard. I add Icejade Creation Aegirocassis from my deck to my hand." A second card popped out of Cryomancer's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"I activate the effect of Icejade Tremora from my hand. By sending it from my hand to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Water monster from my hand. I send Tremora from my hand to my Graveyard, and Special Summon Icejade Creation Aegirocassis from my hand to my field." After Cryomancer took a card from her hand and sent it to her Graveyard, she played the declared card. Soon, a massive construct made of entirely ice that resembled an arthropod appeared on Cryomancer's field. It had numerous spikes on its body that ended in bloody tips, as well as ones just near the top that were in the form of eyes. Attached at the top was a female humanoid made of ice that had a visor covering her eyes, along with what appeared to be a halo with spikes.

Icejade Creation Aegirocassis ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Three monsters in one turn? It looks like you're about to set up something big." Rook acknowledged. "Then again, you'll need all the help you can get if you wish to defeat me."

"Then allow me to show my strength." Cryomancer coldly responded. "I tune the Level 7 Icejade Creation Aegirocassis with the Level 3 Icejade Aegirine!" A bolt of crystal lightning struck her and the world greyed out before her two monsters disintegrated into particles. Two rings, one light-blue and one white, appeared before turning blue and merging. Eight rings, stacked in a tower, appeared, a screen displaying "7 + 3" in front of them. The screen changed to "10" as light surged through the rings.

"Crystalline child filled with sorrow and pain! Gather the fragments of the fallen and forge the blades of vengeance! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Icejade Gymir Aegirine!" A woman whose body was entirely made of icy crystals appeared on Cryomancer's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Her attire consisted of a white dress that had dark-green spikes at the chest portion, along with at the end of her sleeves. The lower end of the dress was also adorned with spikes that ended with bloody tips as well. She had two long crystal pigtails for hair, with one piece hair covering her right eye, and on top of her head was a large crown. In addition, on her forehead was a green gem that glowed briefly before dimming down. Orbiting on each of her sides was a pair of bladed ice crystals that ended in bloody tips, as though it were a pair of claws.

Icejade Gymir Aegirine ATK: 3000 DEF: 1500 LV: 10

"Interesting. So your deck has Synchro Summoning in it." Rook observed. "No matter what you bring out, it will fall at my hands."

"We'll see in due time." Cryomancer simply replied. "Ice Knight has a second effect. For every Aqua monster I control, it gains 400 attack points. Since I control two Aqua monsters, Ice Knight gains 800 attack points." A light-blue aura surrounded Ice Knight as its strength increased.

Ice Knight ATK: 1300 + (400 X 2) = 2100

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Cryomancer narrowed her eyes. "I've heard rumors about how the higherups are the strongest duelists at SOL Technologies. Ones that rival the strength of the Charisma duelists, if not stronger. Show me if they're true or not."

"Be careful what you wish for, lady. Because you're about to see just how strong one of the higherups are at SOL Technologies." Rook replied. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Gladiator Beast Lanista from my hand to my field." A green-skinned, humanoid eagle that wore green armor all over its body appeared on Rook's field. In its hands, it carried a lance.

Gladiator Beast Lanista ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

"I also activate the effect of Test Tiger in my hand. Since I control a 'Gladiator Beast' monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field." A tiger with blue and orange armor, along with a brown cloth on its legs appeared on Rook's field.

Test Tiger ATK: 600 DEF: 300 LV: 3

"Appear, my royal circuit!" Rook declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two monsters, including a 'Gladiator Beast' monster. I set Gladiator Beast Lanista and Test Tiger into the Link Markers!" Lanista went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Test Tiger went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Test Panther!" A panther with dark-blue pieces of armor on its body that had golden outlines, along with a brown cloth attached to the pieces at the front appeared on Rook's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Test Panther ATK: 800 LINK-2 ↙️⬇️

"When Test Panther is Link Summoned, I can add one 'Gladiator Beast' monster from my deck to my hand." Rook explained. "I add Gladiator Beast Noxious from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Get ready for this! I activate the Spell card, Test Fusion. This card lets me Special Summon one 'Gladiator Beast' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck that lists two monsters as Fusion Material by sending monsters from my hand to my Graveyard."

"Interesting. It looks like you're the one who's pulling out all the stops just to defeat me." Cryomancer said.

"When you're defending a powerful company like SOL Technologies, you can't take any risks for the sake of its reputation." Rook countered. "I use Gladiator Beast Noxious and Gladiator Beast Alexander from my hand as Fusion Material!" Soon, two silhouettes appeared on Rook's field.

The first was a bipedal leopard that wore pieces of purple armor on its body, along with gauntlets that ended in sharp blades.

The second was an orange, bipedal lion who wore golden armor and had emerald bladed wings with golden outlines on the sides.

Seconds later, Noxious and Alexander broke into red and blue particles, which went upwards before swirling into a vortex afterwards. From there, two tornadoes of energy shot upwards before they merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Beasts from the ancient colosseum! Be shackled by the strength of one who lords all over you! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor!" An anthropomorphic deer with golden, flaming horns and wore maroon-colored armor with a red sash around his waist appeared on Rook's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Test Panther pointed to. In his hands, he carried a trident with a long whip attached to the end that cackled with electricity.

Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor ATK: 2400 DEF: 3000 LV: 8

"I activate Tamer Editor's effect." Rook added. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'Gladiator Beast' Fusion monster from either of our Extra Decks to my field, ignoring its summoning conditions. I Special Summon Gladiator Beast Domitianus from my Extra Deck to my field!" Tamer Editor struck the whip end of his weapon to the ground, where a portal appeared seconds later. Soon, a colossal, purple-colored anthropomorphic serpent that wore different colored pieces of armor throughout its body appeared on Rook's field in the second Main Monster Zone Test Panther pointed to. The chestplate was colored gold with a skull on it, while the shoulder armor was colored blue and the right gauntlet was colored black. For the armor on its long neck, it was colored green with a net-like pattern on the sides. It also had knee padding that had spikes curving outwards, as well as light-blue armor on its shins. In its right hand, it carried a weapon that was a hybrid between a sword and a trident.

Gladiator Beast Domitianus ATK: 3500 DEF: 1200 LV: 10

Two powerful monsters in one turn. Better make sure my monster is kept safe from what's to come, Cryomancer decided in her mind. "I activate Gymir Aegirine's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns-."

"I'm not letting that happen. I activate Domitianus' effect!" Rook interjected. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a monster effect, I can negate the effect and destroy it."

"Crap…" Cryomancer muttered, having been caught off guard just now.

"I negate Gymir Aegirine's effects. Trident Invalidation!" Domitianus fired a blast of energy from its weapon at Gymir Aegirine, who screamed as she turned into particles. To Rook's surprise, Cryomancer smirked. "What's so funny?"

"You didn't think ahead, Rook, and you'll now pay the price for making such an egregious error." Cryomancer gestured to her field. "Trap card, activate! Icy Crevasse! When one monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target a monster you control and send it to your Graveyard. What's more, you take damage equal to its original attack points."

"What?!" Rook gasped out of shock after hearing this information.

"I send Domitianus from your field to your Graveyard, which means you take 3500 points of damage!" An icy burst of energy fired out of Icy Crevasse that hit Domitianus, which froze it and sent it to Rook's Graveyard. Suddenly, the same burst of ice hit Rook, who screamed as his life points dropped.

Rook: 4000 – 3500 = 500 LP

Ice Knight ATK: 2100 – 400 = 1700

"You'll seriously regret that!" Rook snarled. "I activate the Spell card, Back-Up Rider! I can target one monster I control and increase its attack points by 1500 until the end of this turn. I target Tamer Editor!" Tamer Editor was surrounded in an aura that increased its strength.

Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor ATK: 2400 + 1500 = 3900

"Battle! Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor attacks Ice Knight!" Tamer Editor charged forward and slashed Ice Knight with its trident, which turned the latter into particles as Cryomancer shielded herself from the resulting explosion.

Cryomancer: 4000 – 2200 = 1800 LP

"How's that, lady? This is the power that SOL Technologies' possesses as a company!" Rook boasted. "You'd be wise to surrender now."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not surrendering because you sealed your doom with that attack." Cryomancer responded.

"What do you mean by that?"

Cryomancer didn't respond to Rook's question as she instead gestured to her field. "Trap card, activate! Ice Rage! I can target a monster you control that destroyed an Aqua monster by battle and destroy it! Not just that, but also inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points on the field!"

"What?!" Rook exclaimed out of shock.

"I target Tamer Editor, who has 3900 attack points, which means you take 3900 points of damage!" Cryomancer said. "Get out my sight." A silhouette of Gymir Aegirine appeared out of Ice Rage before icy energy surrounded her body, where the two of them hit Tamer Editor and caused a massive explosion upon impact. The resulting explosion sent Rook flying off the ground seconds later, where he landed on his back as his life points dropped to zero.

Rook: 500 – 3900 = 0

Rook managed to get himself back up on his feet, only for him to stagger upon doing so.

"Why, you! For your actions, you've declared war on-!" Rook began speaking, as he suddenly noticed his body began to freeze up. This was evident by how ice began to form around his legs, which eventually spread throughout his body before he let out a loud scream of horror upon realizing what was going on. By that point, it was pretty much over for Rook, as he was now frozen as of several seconds later.

Cryomancer walked over to where the frozen Rook was, having pressed a button on her duel disk that released a wave of data that scanned him seconds later. To her irritation, she found that Rook did not have the other half of the Code Key in his possession. Thus, Cryomancer pressed a button on her earpiece, her mission pretty much done. "I defeated Rook. He doesn't have what we're looking for."

"Thank you for the report, Cryomancer. Return to the real world at once." Dogma requested. "I'll inform Jericho about this, and he'll decided what to do next."

"Understood." Cryomancer complied, before logging out of the network, leaving a frozen Rook alone in the process.

Meanwhile, in the real world, during the night…

Knight took a final sip from his wine before finishing up his fish and chips, content with the meal he had just now. Today was a long day for Knight, especially given the emergency meeting with the other higherups. While Akira focused on finding the culprit on who attacked Queen and Pawn, the other higherups had to make plans on what to do in the event the worse case scenario occurred. Specifically, in the event SOL Technologies ultimately fell at the hands of the culprit. Even though Knight hoped that it never occurred, he still had to prepare should the worse case scenario in SOL Technologies falling at the enemies' hands come to pass.

Knight then made a hand signal to the waiter nearby, having non-verbally asked if he can have the bill for his meal. This led the waiter to go over to the register before inputting in all the correct information on a hand-held card machine, where a piece of paper containing said information being printed afterwards. Once that was done, the waiter then headed over to where Knight was, his task having been completed.

"Your bill, sir," the waiter said, having handed over a piece of paper and a machine for Knight to make his payment on. Pulling out a credit card, Knight proceeded to pay for his meal before thanking the waiter for the service. Afterwards, he stood up on his feet and headed over to the entrance of the bar, where he pulled out his phone to call a taxi. A minute or two later, a taxi with a Soltis driver arrived at the bar's entrance, where Knight headed over to it before opening one of the passenger doors and entering inside.

"7461 Hyatt Grove." Knight told the driver, who complied by starting up the taxi as the requested coordinates appeared in the GPS server. The doors also auto locked up seconds later to indicate that the process had begun. From there, the Soltis driver began to drive the car in order to drive over to the correct address. Since the announcement of the Soltis, many people utilized the androids to take them to the requested locations, which led to a great amount of sales for SOL Technologies itself. Even if people didn't buy a Soltis for themselves, they were still using them for everyday objectives such as driving to locations. It just went to show how people began to shift towards changes in technology. It would, however, take time, as people were resistant to change at first. Eventually, they'll come around.

"Traffic detected. Change in route implemented," the Soltis driver told Knight, as the Soltis driver went ahead to turn left on the road, where Knight let out a sigh, having faith that the latter knew what it was doing. After all, the Soltis driver had the information of every street in Den City, which enabled it to detect the best route in response to certain events going on in real time.

Thus, Knight felt the effects of the wine go through his body as he slowly began to take a quick nap, intent on recharging his energy so he can get his remaining tasks done once he returned home. Suddenly, the Soltis android's eyes glowed red as energy began to emit from it and spread through the whole taxi, which snapped Knight out of his half-tired state upon doing so.

"Soltis, initiate diagnosis scan-" Knight began ordering, before the electricity surrounded his body as it formed into a sphere of data, which forcefully logged him into the network.

Minutes later, in the network…

Knight slowly stood up on his feet as he tried to understand what happened. A minute or two ago, he was in the real world on his way home. But now… now he was in a server in the network. In terms of the server, it resembled that of a desert with pieces of destroyed machinery on the ground, along with bones erupting from it. There were also pieces of large, emerald pillars that were rusted in the ground as well.

How could such a thing be possible? How was Knight forcefully logged into the network? And who was responsible for doing so? Whoever it was, Knight would make sure they returned him back to the real world, lest they feel his strength as a higherup at SOL Technologies.

"What's going on here? Let me out of here at once." Knight firmly requested, wanting to know what was happening.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go yet. Not until you provide me with information," a voice responded, as Juggernaut appeared several feet away from Knight in the server.

"And you are?" Knight raised an eyebrow, wondering who this woman was ahead of him. Maybe she can help him get out of this trap, as well as who was responsible for activating it in the first place.

"You can call me Juggernaut. And like I said, I can't let you go until you provide me with some information."

Knight frowned, having heard that request. Perhaps if he answered this woman's request, she'd let him go. So long as it was reasonable, of course. "Very well. What is it you want to know?"

"Simple. I would like you to tell me where the other half of SOL Technologies' Code Key is." Juggernaut requested.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot provide you with that information. It's highly classified." Knight denied that request.

Juggernaut sighed, disappointed that Knight did not provide her with the information she was looking for. "A shame. I really wanted to settle this peacefully. For despite being a higherup, you're not necessarily a bad person." She then pressed a button on her duel disk, which caused a red wave of energy to spread out through the whole server. It also hit Knight's duel disk as well, having prevented him from using his Skill.

"The Hell-?!" Knight exclaimed, shocked by what happened.

"I disabled your Skill, as I heard that the higherups can use it during master duels." Juggernaut explained, which made Knight gasp upon hearing the former word's just now.

"How do you know that?" Knight inquired, before narrowing his eyes. Based on what this woman said just now, she must be affiliated with the one who attacked Queen and Pawn last night, Knight thought in his mind. If I defeat this woman in a duel, I'll be able to get that answer and bring it to the Kings! As such, Knight activated his duel disk, knowing what he had to do if he wanted to get out of the network and back to the real world.

"I am not obligated to answer that question of yours, Knight." Juggernaut also activated her duel disk in response to what Knight did just now. "I will, however, give you the chance to escape out of this server if you win. But if you lose, then… well, I bet you already know what will happen should I win the duel."

"Which is something I won't happen." Knight grit his teeth. "Let us begin!"

"Duel!" Juggernaut and Knight shouted at the same time.

Knight: 4000 LP

Juggernaut: 4000 LP

"I'll be going first. My turn!" Juggernaut said. "I activate the Spell card, Terraforming, which lets me add a Field Spell card from my deck to my hand. I'll add Great Sand Sea – Gold Golgonda from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of Juggernaut's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"I now activate the Field Spell card, Great Sand Sea – Gold Golgonda. While this card's on the field, all 'Springans' Xyz monsters on the field gain 1000 attack points."

"But you don't have any Xyz monsters yet." Knight pointed out the obvious.

"Not yet, but in due time." Juggernaut countered. "I activate Gold Golgonda's second effect. Once per turn, if I control no 'Springans' Xyz monsters, I can discard one card to Special Summon one 'Springans' Xyz monster from my Extra Deck."

"What?! That's impossible!" Knight gasped. "You need to adhere to the proper summoning conditions in order to Xyz Summon an Xyz monster!"

Juggernaut narrowed her eyes in response. "Usually, yes. However, with my Field Spell's second effect, it'll speed things along. I send Springans Branga from my hand to my Graveyard, and Special Summon Springans Ship – Exblowrer from my Extra Deck to my field!" After Juggernaut took a card and sent it to her Graveyard, a massive portal appeared behind her, where a massive, violet orbital battleship that had two large sails attached to its rocket-like body, as well as a large cannon resembling a hand on each side appeared on Juggernaut's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. At the back of the ship, it had a total of four, airplane-like wings, along with numerous engines that resembled a rocket's engine. On the deck of the ship were several turrets, each one having four crystals on the sides and an orange gem at the front for firepower. Finally, underneath the ship's deck was what appeared to be a single eyeball looking over the area.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer ATK: 1600 DEF: 2500 RNK: 8 OU: 0

Springans Ship – Exblowrer ATK: 1600 + 1000 = 2600

"Next, I activate the effect of Branga in my Graveyard. If it's in my hand, field or Graveyard, I can target one 'Springans' Xyz monster on my field and attach it to that monster as Xyz material. I target Exblowrer!" A yellow orb of light flew out of Juggernaut's Graveyard, which went over to where Exblowrer was before orbiting around it.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 0 + 1 = 1

"I also activate the effect of Springans Rockey in my hand." Juggernaut continued. "When it's in my hand, field or Graveyard, I can target one 'Springans' Xyz monster on my field and attach it to that monster as Xyz material. I target Exblowrer!" A second yellow orb of light flew out of Juggernaut's hand, which went over to where Exblowrer was before orbiting around it.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 1 + 1 = 2

"In addition, I activate the effect of Springans Brothers in my hand. When it's in my hand, field or Graveyard, I can target one 'Springans' Xyz monster on my field and attach it to that monster as Xyz material. I target Exblowrer!" A third yellow orb of light flew out of Juggernaut's hand, which went over to where Exblowrer was before orbiting around it.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 2 + 1 = 3

"How unique. Instead of bringing out an Xyz monster the usual way by using monsters as materials, you brought it out first before giving it material." Knight remarked.

"It's too early to be impressed." Juggernaut responded. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Knight said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Reinforcement of the Army, which lets me add one Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from my deck to my hand. I'll add Noble Knight Ivyanne from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Knight's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"I summon Noble Knight Ivyanne from my hand to my field." A man who had long, violet hair and wore light-cyan armor with golden outlines on his body appeared on Knight's field. In his right hand, he carried a sword.

Noble Knight Ivyanne ATK: 1700 DEF: 1600 LV: 4

"I then activate the Equip Spell card, Excaliburn and equip it onto Ivyanne." Knight continued, as an elegant sword with a golden hilt and a blade shining with light-blue and red energy fell down from the sky before landing on the ground. The sword in Ivyanne's hands disappeared as he pulled Excaliburn out from the ground before wielding it. "A 'Noble Knight' monster equipped with this card can't be targeted by your card effects. Next, I activate Ivyanne's effect. Once per turn, when he's equipped with a 'Noble Arms' Equip Spell, I can Special Summon one 'Noble Knight' token to my field." A silhouette of Ivyanne appeared on Knight's field.

Noble Knight Token ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"Appear, my royal circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above Knight. "The summoning conditions are two Warrior monsters. I set Noble Knight Ivyanne and the Noble Knight token into the Link Markers!" Ivyanne went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while the Noble Knight token went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning them both red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights!" Two women appeared on Knight's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The first woman had blond hair and wore a royal, red dress that had a fur coat at the top. The other woman had grey hair and wore a white shirt with black pants, as well as a black cardigan. A flower was also embedded in the woman's hair on the left side.

Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ↙↘

"When Isolde is Link Summoned, I can add one Warrior monster from my deck to my hand. In exchange, I can't summon that monster, nor activate its effects for the rest of this turn. I add Noble Knight Peredur from my deck to my hand." Knight decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "From there, I activate Isolde's second effect. Once per turn, I can send any number of Equip Spell cards from my deck to my Graveyard to Special Summon one Warrior monster from my deck to my field whose level is equal to the number of Equip Spell cards sent to my Graveyard by this effect. I send Noble Arms Clarent, Gallatin, Arfeudutyr and Caliburn from my deck to my Graveyard, and Special Summon Noble Knight Artorigus from my deck to my field!" Five cards popped out of Knight's deck, where he took four of them before sending each one to his Graveyard. After that was done, he played the final card, where a man with brown hair who wore silver armor all over his body appeared on Knight's field. In his hands, he carried a large broadsword.

Noble Knight Artorigus ATK: 1800 DEF: 1800 LV: 4

"Next, I activate the effect of Noble Knight Gawayn from my hand. As I control a Light Normal monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field in defense position." A man with long blond hair that reached down to his neck appeared on Knight's field in defense position. He wore golden armor all over his body, along with a green sash wrapped around his neck. In his right hand, he carried a sword.

Noble Knight Gawayn ATK: 1900 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"Two Level 4 monsters… He'll most likely do an Xyz Summon next…" Juggernaut hypothesized.

"I overlay the Level 4 Noble Knight Artorigus with the Level 4 Noble Knight Gawayn!" Knight declared, as a galaxy portal appeared behind him. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Artorigus turned into a stream of white energy while Gawayn turned into a yellow stream of energy, with the both of them entering into the portal as a pillar of light erupted from the center.

"King of the Noble Knights! Pick up your blade and charge into battle! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights!" A man with brown hair who wore silver armor that had golden outlines on it appeared on Knight's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Isolde pointed to. Pieces of his armor was lined with white fur, with a majority of it being around his upper back. In addition, there were blue, pulsing lines that coursed through the armor as though it was pure energy. A red cape was also attached to his armor, which flowed upward before settling down. In his hands, he carried a wide, long sword.

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"When Artorigus is Xyz Summoned, I can-." Knight began speaking.

"Sorry, but there's no way I'll let you increase your monster's strength." Juggernaut interjected, aware of Artorigus' effects as she gestured to her field. "Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Xyz Import! This card lets me target one Xyz monster I control and one monster you control whose attack points are less than or equal to the Xyz monster targeted by this effect. By doing so, I can then attach your monster to my Xyz monster as an Overlay unit."

"What?" Knight could do nothing but gasp in surprise after hearing this information.

"I target Exblowrer on my field and Artorigus on your field. Since Artorigus' attack points are less than Exblowrer's attack points, that means he becomes an Overlay Unit for my monster!" Soon, Artorigus turned into a yellow orb of light that went over to Exblowrer before orbiting around it.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 3 + 1 = 4

"Very clever of you to do that. However, craftiness can only get you so far in a duel." Knight pointed out. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Overlay Unit Reborn. This card lets me Special Summon two monsters who were previously used as Xyz material for an Xyz monster. Return to me, Artorigus and Gawayn!" At Knight's command, Artorigus and Gawayn reappeared on his field.

Noble Knight Artorigus ATK: 1800 DEF: 1800 LV: 4

Noble Knight Gawayn ATK: 1900 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"I overlay the Level 4 Noble Knight Artorigus with Gawayn once again!" A second galaxy portal appeared behind him. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Artorigus turned into a stream of white energy while Gawayn turned into a yellow stream of energy, with the both of them entering into the portal as a pillar of light erupted from the center.

"Heroic warrior from the medieval times! Come forth now and bring peace to this era! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Comics Hero King Arthur!" A man with very long blond hair who wore silver armor appeared on Knight's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Isolde pointed to. Yellow plating was on the chest portion of the armor, as well as on his elbows. Covering his face was a silver mask with eyeholes. In his hands, he carried a large sword.

Comics Hero King Arthur ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"Get ready for this! I activate the Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force!" Knight added.

"Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force?" Juggernaut repeated. "If you have that card-!"

"Indeed. I have a member of the Deadly Seven." Knight smirked, having caught Juggernaut off guard. "This card lets me target one Xyz monster I control and Special Summon one Chaos Xyz monster that's one Rank higher than the targeted monster by using it as Xyz Material. I overlay Comics Hero Legend Arthur into the Overlay Network! Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution!" King Arthur turned into a gold and black stream of energy that went into a galaxy portal that appeared above Knight. Upon doing so, the portal exploded into energy.

"Mighty king ruling over the medieval land! Immerse yourself with the power of chaos, and forcefully bring peace with your tyranny!" Knight chanted. "Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 5! Chaos Xyz Comics Hero Legend Arthur!" A man with very long blond hair who wore pieces of silver armor on his arms and legs appeared on Knight's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Isolde pointed to. The armor on his main torso was colored black with hardened edges, and his shoulder pads were also in the form of castle-like towers. Red lines pulsed through his upper body, along with on his legs. Covering his face was a silver mask that had eyeholes and red lines on it. In his hands, he carried a long sword. Three red diamond shaped crystals appeared in front of Legend Arthur, representing its Overlay Units.

CXyz Comics Hero Legend Arthur ATK: 3000 DEF: 2400 RNK: 5 COU: 3

"Rank-Up-Magic Barian Force's second effect activates! I can target one Xyz monster you control and-."

"I activate Exblowrer's second effect!" Juggernaut interrupted. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can banish it until the End Phase!" Suddenly, Exblowrer turned into particles.

"I see. By banishing Exblowrer, you prevented me from taking your monster's Overlay Units and making it weaker." Knight frowned. "However, it'll cost you, as I have two powerful monsters to attack you directly with."

"Not necessarily. For I activate Gold Golgonda's second effect. If an Xyz monster leaves the field by a card effect, except during the damage step, I can target one monster you control and prevent it from attacking for the rest of this turn. I target Comics Hero Legend Arthur!" A sandstorm soon erupted out of the ground and covered Legends Arthur, which obscured his vision.

"In this case, you'll survive this turn." Knight said. "Battle! Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights attacks you directly!" Both women charged forward and slashed Juggernaut with their combined strength, which made her take a step or two back as her life points decreased.

Juggernaut: 4000 – 1600 = 2400 LP

"With that, I end my turn, which means the effects of Gold Golgonda and Exblowrer end." As if on cue, the sandstorm surrounding Legend Arthur dissipated, while Exblowrer reappeared on Juggernaut's field in one of the Main Monster Zones.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer ATK: 1600 DEF: 2500 RNK: 8 OU: 0

Springans Ship – Exblowrer ATK: 1600 + 1000 = 2600

"My turn! I draw!" Juggernaut said, as she drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the effects of Springans Branga, Rockey and Brothers from my Graveyard. Just like before, when they're all in my hand, field or Graveyard, I can target one Xyz monster I control and attach them to it as Overlay Units. I target Exblowrer!" Three golden orbs flew out of Juggernaut's Graveyard, which went over to where Exblowrer was before orbiting around it.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 0 + 3 = 3

"I activate Exblowrer's effect. Once per turn, I can choose either a Main Monster Zone or Spell & Trap card zone on your field and detach as many Overlay units as I want. Then, by doing so, I can destroy the same number of cards you control that are in the chosen zone and any adjacent Main Monster Zones and/or Spell & Trap card zones."

"Oh no!" Knight exclaimed, knowing what Juggernaut will do next.

"I choose the middle Main Monster Zone and detach one Overlay unit from Exblowrer to destroy Legend Arthur!" Juggernaut decided, as one of the three Overlay units orbiting around Exblowrer went into Exblowrer, which powered it up.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 3 – 1 = 2

"Turret Frenzy!" The turrets on Exblowrer's deck turned on before aiming at Legends Arthur, where they released a barrage of fire power that turned him into particles. "I also activate the Spell card, Overlay Barrage. By targeting one Xyz monster I control and detaching all of its Overlay Units, I can inflict 500 points of damage to you for each Overlay unit detached by this effect. I target Exblowrer, which has two Overlay units. That means you take 1000 points of damage!" The remaining two Overlay units detached themselves from Exblowrer before flying straight towards Knight, which made him stumble with each hit as his life points dropped.

Springans Ship – Exblowrer OU: 2 – 2 = 0

Knight: 4000 – (500 X 2) = 3000 LP

"I activate the effect of Supreme Sovereign Serpent of Golgonda!" Juggernaut continued. "If I control a Field Spell card while it's in my hand or Graveyard, I can Special Summon it to my field. In exchange, I have to banish it once it leaves my field." A pale-brown serpent with scales and three, glowing purple eyes on each side of its face appeared on Juggernaut's field. It had black diamond marks with purple energy radiating from each one all underneath its body.

Supreme Sovereign Serpent of Golgonda ATK: ? DEF: 0

"Unknown attack points?" Knight inquired out of confusion, wondering why Juggernaut would bring out a monster like that on her field if it were to be banished once it left there. She'd only do that if it had a powerful effect, Knight realized in his mind.

Having saw the look of realization on Knight's face, Juggernaut smirked. "You are right. In normal circumstances, my monster's attack points would be unknown. However, since I have Gold Golgonda on the field, Supreme Sovereign Serpent of Golgonda's original attack points become 3000!" Supreme Sovereign Serpent let out a loud hiss as its strength went up.

Supreme Sovereign Serpent of Golgonda ATK: ? + 3000 = 3000

"Battle!" Juggernaut thrusted out her right hand. "Supreme Sovereign Serpent of Golgonda attacks Isolde, Two Tales of the Noble Knights!" Supreme Sovereign Serpent charged forward and coiled itself around both women before squeezing them to death, where they both turned into particles as Knight grit his teeth, his life points having dropped in the process.

Knight: 3000 – 1400 = 1600 LP

"It's time to finish this! The battle continues!" Juggernaut declared. "Springans Ship – Exblowrer attacks you directly! Fireball Volley!" The large hand cannons attached to each of Exblowrer's sides charged up energy before firing a barrage of molten fireballs at Knight, which caused a series of explosions that made him stumble back several steps with each hit. Once that was done, Knight's life points dropped all the way down to zero.

Knight: 1600 – 2600 = 0

Knight got his bearings back, having managed to steady himself after the duel was done. "You may have won, but there's no way I'll-."

Juggernaut quickly threw a hexagonal device with orange energy in the air above Knight, which released a cage of energy that trapped him inside as he tried to break free from it. In response, electrical energy coursed through his body, which made him fall to the ground seconds later. After making sure Knight was unconscious, Juggernaut pressed a button on her duel disk, where it released a wave of data that scanned him seconds later. To Juggernaut's disappointment irritation, she found that Knight did not have the other half of the Code Key in his possession. Thus, Juggernaut pressed a button on her earpiece, her mission pretty much done. "I defeated Knight. He doesn't have what we're looking for either."

"That is fine, Juggernaut. Regardless, you have succeeded in eliminating one of the higherups." Dogma assured Juggernaut on his end. "Return to the real world at once. I'll inform Jericho of what happened."

"On it." Juggernaut said back, before hanging up. Even though she had no quarrel with Knight, he had to be eliminated lest he become a threat down the road. For the last thing neither the envoys nor Jericho wanted was threats that they didn't take into account. Still, she couldn't just leave Knight in that taxi for a very long time. As such, Juggernaut pressed a few buttons on her duel disk, having instructed the Soltis to take Knight to the hospital as soon as possible. Once that was done, Juggernaut logged out of the network, having completed her mission.

Elsewhere, in the real world, during the night…

In the shadows was a man who had black, spiky hair and brown eyes, having sported a blank expression evident on his face as he quietly continued trekking through the shadows, intent on getting his task done. His attire consisted of a grey, buttoned up shirt with a black suit jacket and pants. He also wore a black trench coat as well.

This man's name was Gunther Garrison, who, unbeknownst to the world, went by Brigadier in the network. Someone who was an envoy of Albinor.

Gunther's mission was simple: Take down Bishop and acquire the other half of the Code Key. If not, then obtain its location and report it back to Jericho. For this mission, he really didn't need much since it was classified as an infiltration one. All Gunther technically needed was his phone, animals, duel disk, a pair of binoculars, and in case of emergency, his Thompson Contender. All these items were carried in a large, black military bag, which enabled them to blend in with the shadows.

Gunther quickly ran over to a small hill nearby and hid behind it before opening up the military bag, having taken out a pair of binoculars in the process. Using the binoculars, he zoomed in on the location his target was in, which consisted of a large, pristine hotel. Gunther then noticed a limo pull into the entrance of the hotel, having turned his head to see who just arrived. He zoomed in closer on the person who exited the limo, which was revealed to be none other than Bishop as he headed on over to the entrance of the hotel.

The target has moved into the location, Gunther thought in his mind. Let's begin Phase 2. He put the binoculars in the bag and pulled out what appeared to be a robotic rat. It wasn't just the only one, as Gunther pulled out four more robotic rats before turning each one of them on. He also pulled out a robotic construct out of the bag before pressing a button on the top, where it transformed into a falcon with eyes resembling that of a sonar radar. Lastly, Gunther pulled out a second metallic construct before pressing a button at the top, which made it transform into a robotic dog with super sonic hearing.

"Rat Units IVE One to Five. Zoom in on target. Subject: Infiltration." Gunther whispered, as he pulled out a remote control before inputting coordinates in the system. This led the five robotic rats to blend in with the environment as all of them dashed towards the hotel while Gunther inputted the same coordinates for the next robotic unit. "Falcon Unit MH. Scout out the area. Subject: Surveillance." This led the robotic falcon to fly in the air as it began to patrol the hotel while Gunther put in the same coordinates one more time in the system. "Dog Unit KE. Eliminate any potential hindrances to the mission. Subject: Sabotage." The robotic dog ran towards the environment, making sure to stay hidden so it can dispose of any unexpected surprises along the way.

Once that was done, Gunther grabbed his phone, duel disk and Thompson Contender before putting hiding the remainder of his stuff in a bush, ensuring that it was safe and sound deep inside it. From there, Gunther quickly blended in the shadows as he made his way towards the back door of the hotel, having hid behind a bush nearby to ensure he wasn't spotted. He then pressed a button on the mobile system in his hands, which enabled him to see where the robotic rats were in the hotel. Once that was done, Gunther pressed another button on it, which caused the robotic rats inside to begin chewing through the cables, intent on causing a distraction to force the residents out of the hotel. Not just that, but cut off any means of escape for Bishop as well. No need to get anyone else involved, especially since this was a covert mission.

Seconds later, the power in the entire hotel was cut off, which caused the emergency bell to ring as people received calls from the staff inside. As such, Gunther watched as people ran out of the emergency exits, having been escorted by the hotel staff in the process. Once this was done, Gunther quickly bolted through the back door and headed towards the elevator shaft, intent on beginning to climb it to the floor Bishop was located. But before doing so, Gunther pressed a button on the mobile system before typing in a set of coordinates, which caused the robotic dog to emerge out of hiding and quickly run up the emergency stairs in order to stop Bishop from escaping his room.

Gunther, in the meanwhile, began to quickly climb up the elevator shaft to reach the same location. He had done this many times before when infiltrating buildings, especially ones with many floors. Gunther grabbed the sections of the wall and climbed upwards before jumping to the other side, where he quickly grabbed the railing afterwards. From there, he continued to quickly climb up the wall in order to reach the eighth floor, which was where Bishop was located in the hotel. As a result of doing this so many times, Gunther managed to build up enough stamina over the years to do it without a sweat.

Eventually, Gunther made it to the eighth floor, which was evident by the elevator door having the number eight inscribed on the silver railing. He vaulted himself upwards and grabbed the upper railing of the elevator door, where he quickly pulled out a small device resembling a glowing dot from his trench coat before putting his finger on it. From there, Gunther leapt off of the elevator door as the small device eroded it within several seconds, where he pushed himself off the wall behind him with his feet and arrived on the eighth floor.

Before running down the hallway, Gunther hid behind a wall and grabbed the mobile system in his trench coat, wanting to see if things were still clear. Good. Falcon Unit MH hasn't detected any threats yet, and even if it did, it would have disposed of them, Brigadier thought in his mind, content with what he was seeing on the mobile system. What's more Dog Unit KE has found Bishop and cornered him. It also looks like Rat Units IVE One to Five have joined in on the fun as well. Let's begin Phase 3.

As such, Gunther stealthily ran down the hallway in order to reach the hotel room Bishop was staying in for his visit. Eventually, he reached the location and hid behind the wall nearby, where he found Bishop being cornered by Dog Unit KE and Rat Units IVE One to Five.

"W-Who the Hell are you?! Stay away from me!" Bishop exclaimed, hoping to find a way to escape out of his hotel room. Unfortunately for Bishop, Dog Unit KE blocked the door fiercely, while Rat Units IVE One to Five prevented him from reaching the window, ready to pounce should he try anything suspicious. Besides, Bishop was at one of the higher floors of the hotel, so there was no way he'd open the window and jump down from it.

Brigadier loaded the Thompson Contender with a slim and copper bullet before aiming it from the shadows at Bishop. This bullet was made by Juggernaut, which would forcibly log someone into the network upon being hit. Given its design on forcing someone to log into the network, the bullet had a function to immediately disintegrate should it end up detecting a vital part of the human body such as the brain or heart. In other words, the person would ultimately stay alive so someone can capture them in the network.

Thus, Brigadier fired the bullet from his Thompson Contender, which sped through the air and hit Bishop on his right side before it disintegrated. As a result, he let out a gasp before his eyes rolled back, where he fell onto his bed seconds later. Soon, a digital sphere surrounded Bishop's body, which indicated that he was logged into the network.

"Now onto Phase 4." Brigadier whispered to himself, as he walked into the hotel room and slowly closed the door behind him. Dog Unit KE stood guard while Rat Units IVE One to Five slipped into the shadows, the latter having completed their mission while the former wanting to make sure there weren't any unexpected interferences from other sources.

Brigadier pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a set of coordinates to appear on it before being transferred over to Bishop's duel disk. After that was done, he put his deck in his duel disk before logging into the network, ready to complete the final phase of his mission.

Minutes later, in the network…

Bishop gasped as he looked around the area, shocked that he was somehow logged into the network against his will. Just who would do such a vile thing to him? Who would dare attack a higherup in the middle of the night?

As if on cue, Brigadier appeared some distance away from Bishop, which pretty much answered the latter's question on who logged him into the network by force.

"Who in the world are you?" Bishop inquired.

"My name is of no importance. What is important is that you're on my hit list." Brigadier answered, which made Bishop raise an eyebrow in response.

"And why is that? I have committed no crimes whatsoever."

Brigadier narrowed his eyes back in response. "So you say. But I know of what SOL Technologies has been up to behind the scenes, along with the role you and the other higherups played in it."

"Oh, please. SOL Technologies is a company that promotes growth for all individuals in every aspect of life." Bishop countered. "Being a higherup at the company, I can assure you that it hasn't committed any wrongdoings since it was established."

"On the contrary, you're mistaken, Bishop. Especially since SOL Technologies failed to keep its people safe as of recently." Brigadier replied, as he pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused a red wave of energy to spread out through the server before a portion of it scanned Bishop's duel disk. As a result, Bishop was unable to use his Skill for the coming master duel.

"I see. So based on what you just did, I'm to assume you locked me in a duel? Should I also assume that diplomacy has failed?"

"Pretty much. Oh, and given how I know that the higherups can use Skills in master duels, the program I used just now prevents you from using it."

Bishop gasped, surprised that Brigadier knew of the higherups being able to use Skills during master duels. Given Brigadier's answer on how Bishop was on his hit list, it led the latter to assume that the former was responsible for attacking Queen and Pawn last night. As such, it also led Bishop to assume that Brigadier was a bounty hunter hired by someone else to take down SOL Technologies. Someone who held a grudge against the company to the point where they'd play dirty to try and eliminate it for good. Thus, whoever hired Brigadier to do their dirty work would pay for trying to desecrate SOL Technologies' name. Not just that, but for trying to destroy it as well. For once Bishop was done with this farce, he would make sure Brigadier gave the name of his employer before passing it onto the Kings. Ultimately, SOL Technologies will persevere, just as it did before!

"Alright, hitman. I'll have you know that you messed with the wrong company by attacking a higherup such as myself." Bishop firmly told Brigadier. "In the name of SOL Technologies, as one of its higherups, I will eliminate you and ensure your boss never goes after the company again!"

"Then stop talking and start dueling. I'm on a clock here." Brigadier responded, as he also activated his duel disk.

"Duel!" Brigadier and Bishop said at the same time.

Brigadier: 4000 LP

Bishop: 4000 LP

"I'll be going first. My turn." Brigadier said. "I activate the effect of Tri-Brigade Kerass from my hand. By discarding one other Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster from my hand to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field. I send Tri-Brigade Nervall from my hand to my Graveyard, and Special Summon Kerass from my hand to my field!" After Brigadier took a card and sent it to his Graveyard, a humanoid ox who wore a purple fur coat with numerous patches on it appeared on Brigadier's field in defense position. It had two long, curved horns, along with a gas mask covering its face. In its hands, it carried a massive bazooka with two holes at the front instead of one, as well as a cannister containing purple energy attached to it.

Tri-Brigade Kerass ATK: 1200 DEF: 1500 LV: 2

"Nervall's effect also activates! As it was sent to the Graveyard, I can add one 'Tri-Brigade' monster from my deck to my hand with a different name. I'll add Tri-Brigade Fraktall from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Brigadier's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I also activate the effect of Tri-Brigade Fraktall from my hand. By sending it from my hand to my Graveyard, I can send one Level 3 or lower Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Tri-Brigade Kitt from my deck to my Graveyard." Brigadier took a card from his hand and sent it to his Graveyard, where a card popped out of his deck seconds later, which he also took and sent to his Graveyard.

"In addition, Kitt's effect activates." Brigadier added. "When she's sent to the Graveyard, I can send one 'Tri-Brigade' card from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Tri-Brigade Mercourier from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Brigadier's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Brigadier frowned. "I was told you guys are the strongest at SOL Technologies. So you better demonstrate this so-called strength to me in this duel. Otherwise, this mission will be done faster than I expected it to."

"Don't make assumptions you can't back up, intruder. For just as you requested, I'll demonstrate the strength SOL Technologies has as a higherup at the company." Bishop replied. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Pre-Preparation of Rites. Not only does this card let me add a Ritual Spell card from my deck to my hand, I can also add a Ritual monster from my deck or Graveyard to my hand whose name is listed on that Ritual Spell. I'll add Contract with the Dark Master and Dark Master Zorc from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Bishop's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"I now activate the Ritual Spell card, Contract with the Dark Master. This card lets me tribute monsters from my hand or field whose combined levels equal or exceed that of the stated Ritual monster, and then summon it from my hand."

Brigadier narrowed his eyes. It looks like he's resorting to Ritual Summoning in order to try and defeat me, Brigadier observed in his mind. While it's an outdated summoning method, it can catch an opponent off guard if they're not careful.

"I tribute Archfiend Empress from my hand." Bishop decided, as a magical circle with numerous red and purple ribbons, as well as eight flames appeared on his field. A female, grey-skinned fiend with very long, purple hair appeared on Bishop's field. She had four horns, with the two at the front being colored sand yellow while the ones at the top of her head were colored red. On top of her head was also a skull with black lines on it. Finally, attached to her back was a red cape. In her right hand, she carried a two-pronged scepter.

Within seconds, Empress disintegrated into light and entered the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of dark red light.

"Great embodiment of darkness itself! Unveil yourself, and drag my opponents to the deepest shadows they can never escape from! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 8! Dark Master Zorc!" A muscular man who had long, spiky green hair, along with a purple mask that had bat wings at the sides and a red jewel at the top appeared on Bishop's field. Strapped to his shoulders were two purple blades that protruded outward in different directions, which acted as his shoulder pads. He also had very long red wings, which almost resembled that of a cape. Lastly, he carried a sword that had a large, golden hilt in his hands.

Dark Master Zorc ATK: 2700 DEF: 1500 LV: 8

"I now activate Dark Master Zorc's effect." Bishop said. "I can roll a six-sided dice to apply one of three effects. If I roll a one or two, then all monsters you control are destroyed. If I roll a three, four or five, I can destroy a monster you control. Lastly, all monsters I control are destroyed if I roll a six. Go, Dice Roll!" A dice appeared in front of Bishop, where it was tossed in the air before landing on the ground. After rolling on the ground for a few seconds, it landed on a four. "As I rolled a four, that means I can destroy a monster you control. I destroy Kerass! Dark Dissipation!" Zorc fired beams of dark energy from his eyes, which hit Kerass and turned it into particles.

"I activate Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror's effect from my hand. I can Normal Summon it from my hand to my field without tributes in exchange for halving its original attack points. What's more, it's destroyed during my End Phase upon being summoned by this effect. Thus, I summon Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror from my hand to my field!" A massive, purple-colored fiend that had skulls and red orbs on his knees, along with a red orb on the left side of his chest appeared on Bishop's field. He had two horns on the sides of his head, which curved inwards. He also had two large horns for shoulder pads as well. His left eye glowed with a red color, which indicated that it was working. As for his right eye, it had no eyeball in it. In his hands, he carried a massive, purple and red sword.

Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror ATK: 3000 / 2 = 1500 DEF: 2000 / 2 = 1000

"Bringing out your monster immediately to your field only to weaken it is such a waste in my eyes." Brigadier stated.

"Your observations are irrelevant, as my moves will help me win this match." Bishop responded. "Battle! Dark Master Zorc attacks Tri-Brigade Kerass! Dark Catastrophe!" Zorc charged forward with his sword, intent on destroying his target.

Brigadier gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Tri-Brigade Revolt! This card lets me Special Summon any number of Beast, Beast Warrior and/or Winged Beast monsters that are banished or in my Graveyard to my field in exchange for negating their effects. Return to me, Tri-Brigade Nervall, Fraktall, Kitt and Mercourier!" Soon, four monsters appeared on Brigadier's field.

The first was a humanoid owl with white, muddy fur and a canister attached to its back. Its attire consisted of a green trench coat with a hood, two orange tubes connected underneath its bird-beaked gas mask to the canister at the back and gloves with sharp blades on its index finger and thumb. It also wore black straps on its legs, as well as golden boots that had claws at the end. In each of its hands, it carried a golden grenade that had blue energy inside them.

The second was a centaur with very long, blond hair that wore a gas mask on its face. Its attire consisted of a red and brown trench coat that had numerous straps on it. Attached to its sides were holsters to hold its weapons, along with pockets so it can hold supplies. In its hands, it carried a massive crossbow, which had a canister containing purple energy attached to it.

The third was a young girl with yellow eyes, pink ears and pink hair that was tied in two short pigtails. Tied at the back of her hair was a blue handkerchief, along with a pair of goggles on her head. Her attire consisted of an orange tank top, grey baggy pants with large boots and two orange gloves. The one on the right had pieces of armor on it while the one on the left did not. In her hands, she carried a massive wrench.

The fourth was a golden, mechanical bird with blue eyes and an antenna on the back of its body.

Tri-Brigade Nervall ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 1

Tri-Brigade Fraktall ATK: 1900 DEF: 1600 LV: 4

Tri-Brigade Kitt ATK: 700 DEF: 1000 LV: 2

Tri-Brigade Mercourier ATK: 800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Then, immediately after this effect resolves, I'm allowed to Link Summon one 'Tri-Brigade' monster using only the monsters I Special Summoned by this effect." Brigadier continued.

Bishop gasped after hearing the second part of Revolt's effect. "You're Link Summoning on my turn?"

"Appear, the circuit on the frontlines!" A Link Portal appeared above Brigadier. "The summoning conditions are two or more Beast, Beast Warrior and/or Winged Beast monsters. I set Tri-Brigade Nervall, Tri-Brigade Fraktall, Tri-Brigade Kit and Tri-Brigade Mercourier into the Link Markers!" Nervall went into the left arrowhead, Fraktall went into the right arrowhead, Kitt went into the bottom-left arrowhead and Mercourier went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Mighty leader of the united tribes! With your wings of freedom, pave the way to liberty!" Brigadier chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen!" A humanoid shrike who had spiky white hair and two wings, with his right wing having feathers while his left wing was mechanical with a claw at the end appeared on Brigadier's field in the right Extra Monster Zoner. His attire consisted of a black trench coat with multiple pockets, a tactical belt with several canisters strapped around his body, and a black, bird-beaked gas mask that had blue eyes and several spikes protruding from the back of it. He also had padding on his lower legs, as well as sharp spiked toes. In his hands, he carried a massive grenade launcher that had blue canisters attached to it.

Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

"When Shuraig is Special Summoned, or when another Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster is Special Summoned to my field, I can banish a card on the field."

"Oh no!" Bishop exclaimed, as if he knew which card Brigadier would go after next.

"I banish Dark Master Zorc!" Brigadier decided. "Grenade Volley!" Shuraig took two grenades from the tactical belt strapped across his body and threw them at Dark Master Zorc, which turned him into particles.

Bishop grit his teeth, knowing there wasn't much he can do for the rest of this turn. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror is destroyed." As if on cue, Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror turned into particles.

"My turn! I draw!" Brigadier drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn, which lets me target one monster in either of our Graveyards and Special Summon it to my field. I target Mercourier in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it back to my field." Soon, Mercourier reappeared on Brigadier's field in attack position.

Tri-Brigade Mercourier ATK: 800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Shuraig's effect activates once again! Since another Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster is Special Summoned to my field, I can banish a card on the field." Brigadier pointed to one of the cards on Bishop's field. "I banish your face-down card."

"Then I better use it before I lose it." Bishop said, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Archfiend's Roar! By paying 500 life points, I can target one 'Archfiend' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. However, it can't be tributed, and is destroyed at the end of my turn. Return to me, Empress!" At Bishop's command, Empress reappeared on his field in defense position. Seconds later, a purple aura surrounded Bishop, which made him grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Archfiend Empress ATK: 2900 DEF: 2100 LV: 8

Bishop: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP

"Since Archfiend's Roar is no longer on the field, that means your monster's effect resolves without doing anything." Bishop smirked. "I do wonder what you'll do now."

"I'll start by doing this. I summon Tri-Brigade Fraktall from my hand to my field." Brigadier said, as a second copy of Fraktall appeared on Brigadier's field.

Tri-Brigade Fraktall ATK: 1900 DEF: 1600 LV: 4

"I activate Fraktall's second effect. Once per turn, I can banish as many Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monsters from my Graveyard to Special Summon one Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast Link monster from my Extra Deck. However, its Link rating must be exactly equal to the number of monsters I banished by this effect."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Bishop seethed in anger. That meant he'd had to deal with another of Brigadier's monsters very soon.

"I banish Kerass, Kitt and Nervall from my Graveyard to Special Summon Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller from my Extra Deck to my field!" Brigadier decided, as three cards in his Graveyard turned into particles. Soon, a rugaru with very long white, curly hair and a gas mask on his face appeared on Brigadier's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Shuraig pointed to. His attire consisted of a black jacket that had several patches and symbols on it, along with two belts and brown pants that had silver knee pads. A blue ribbon was also wrapped around his left bicep as well. In each of his hands, he carried a pistol-shaped axe, each of which had a blue canister embedded inside them.

Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ➡️⬇️↘️

"I overlay the Level 4 Tri-Brigade Mercourier with the Level 4 Tri-Brigade Fraktall!" Soon, a galaxy portal appeared behind Brigadier. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Mercourier turned into a stream of yellow energy while Fraktall turned into a red stream of energy, with the both of them entering into the portal as a pillar of light erupted from the center.

"Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Diamond Dire Wolf!" Brigadier shouted, as a wolf made entirely of diamonds that had red and grey armor on its legs appeared on his field in the second Main Monster Zone Shuraig pointed to. Diamond crystals also sprouted outwards from its armor, which almost acted like claws.

Diamond Dire Wolf ATK: 2000 DEF: 1200 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"From there, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Tri-Brigade Rendezvous. This card lets me target as many linked Beast, Beast Warrior and/or Winged Beast monsters I control and increase their attack points by 700 until the end of this turn."

"What?!" Bishop exclaimed, shocked at what he heard just now. If he wasn't careful, then he'd be finished by Brigadier's stronger monsters.

"I target Shuraig, Rugal and Diamond Dire Wolf on my field." Brigadier stated, as all three monsters were surrounded in rainbow-colored auras, which increased their strength.

Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen ATK: 3000 + 700 = 3700

Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller ATK: 2300 + 700 = 3000

Diamond Dire Wolf ATK: 2000 + 700 = 2700

"Battle!" Brigadier thrusted out his right hand. "Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen attacks Archfiend Empress! Airborne Bombardment!" Shuraig aimed the grenade launcher before firing many artillery blasts from it at once, each of which hit Empress as several explosions occurred. The explosions also made Bishop wince as his life points dropped.

Bishop: 3500 – 100 = 3400 LP

"I activate Empress' second effect!" Bishop responded. "When she's destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can target one Level 6 or higher Fiend monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. I target Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field!" Soon, Archfiend Emperor reappeared on Bishop's field in defense position.

Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

"Hide behind all the monsters you want. It's not going to change anything." Brigadier callously told Bishop. "The battle continues! Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller attacks Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror! Swift Elimination!" Rugal charged forward and brought down his pistol-shaped axes onto Archfiend Emperor before firing several rounds of energy blasts from them, which caused the latter to scream in pain as he turned into particles.

"The battle continues! Diamond Dire Wolf attacks you directly!" Diamond Dire Wolf charged forward at Bishop, intent on slashing him with its claws.

"This duel's not over yet!" Bishop shouted back. "I summon Battle Fader from my hand!"

Great. Not that card, Brigadier cursed in his mind, as a small creature with no arms or legs appeared on Bishop's field. Its body consisted of two large mechanical limbs. One mechanical limb was in the shape of a clock hand, while the other limb had a golden bell attached onto a hook. On the creature's back was four sharp protrusions stretching outwards. Attached to the front was a small demonic face.

Battle Fader swung the limb with a bell like a pendulum, creating a barrier that pushed Diamond Dire Wolf back and made it retreat back to Brigadier's field.

Battle Fader ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"If you attack me directly, I can Special Summon this card and end the Battle Phase. However, since it was summoned this way, I'm required to banish it once it leaves the field."

"I see. You escaped the jaws of defeat… but only for now…" Brigadier acknowledged. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Rendezvous end, and the attack points of all my monsters return to normal." As if on cue, red auras surrounded Shuraig, Rugal and Diamond Dire Wolf, which returned their strength to normal.

Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen ATK: 3700 - 700 = 3000

Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller ATK: 3000 - 700 = 2300

Diamond Dire Wolf ATK: 2700 - 700 = 2000

"My turn! I draw!" Bishop said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I will admit that you caught me off guard with your unique strategies. However, my odds of winning this duel are still strong, starting with this! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Forbidden Chalice. This card lets me target a monster you control and negate its effects in exchange for increasing its attack points by 400. I target Rugal!" As if on cue, Rugal was surrounded in a golden and grey aura, which increased his strength in exchange for negating his effects.

Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller ATK: 2300 + 400 = 2700

I see. Rather than negate the effects of my stronger monster, he negated my other monster's effects so I won't be able to recuperate from my losses during his turn, Brigadier observed in his mind. In other words, Bishop prevented Brigadier from using Rugal's effect to acquire more resources. If Brigadier was in Bishop's position, he would have done the same thing.

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Card of Demise, which lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. However, I must send all cards from my hand to my Graveyard during the fifth Standby Phase of the turn I activated this card." Thus, Bishop drew five cards from the top of his deck. "From there, I summon Archfiend Cavalry from my hand to my field." A fiend rider with red armor that rode on a bronze-armored black horse appeared on Bishop's field. In the rider's hand hand, it carried a bone lance.

Archfiend Cavalry ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"I also activate the effect of Archfiend Commander from my hand. Since I control an 'Archfiend' monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field in exchange for it not attacking this turn. Thus, I Special Summon Archfiend Commander from my hand to my field!" A purple-skinned fiend that wore pieces of grey armor on its body appeared on Bishop's field. It had two horns on the sides of its head, along with three light-blue orbs. One being on top of his forehead, the second being on his upper chest and the third on his lower chest.

Archfiend Commander ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LV: 6

"Commander has an additional effect! Since it was Special Summoned by its own effect, I must target one 'Archfiend' monster I control and destroy it." Bishop stated. "I target and destroy Cavalry." As if on cue, Cavalry turned into particles.

"Cavalry's effect! As it was destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can target one 'Archfiend' monster in my Graveyard with a different name and Special Summon it to my field. But in exchange, it can't attack this turn. I target Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror and Special Summon it back to my field!" At Bishop's command, Archfiend Emperor reappeared on his field.

Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

"Appear, my royal circuit!" Bishop declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two Fiend monsters. I set Battle Fader and Archfiend Commander into the Link Markers!" Battle Fader went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Commander went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Masterking Archfiend!" A massive, purple-skinned fiend that wore bone armor all over his body appeared on Bishop's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On top of his head was a crown with a large, purple gem and bones on the sides, some of which protruded outwards. He also had large wings that had pieces of bones attached to them as well. In his hands, he carried a bone sword with a blue hilt.

Masterking Archfiend ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"Since Battle Fader left the field, it's banished." Bishop reminded Brigadier. "But moving that insignificant detail aside, I activate Archfiend Emperor's effect. Once per turn, by banishing one 'Archfiend' card from my hand or Graveyard, I can target one card on your field and destroy it. I banish Archfiend's Roar from my Graveyard, and target and destroy Shuraig!" Archfiend Emperor swung its sword in front of it, which released a wave of energy that hit Shuraig before turning him into particles.

"Shuraig's final effect activates!" Brigadier responded. "When he's sent to the Graveyard, I can add one Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster from my deck to my hand, whose level is less than or equal to the number of Beast, Beast Warrior and Winged Beast monsters that are banished. I'll add a second copy of Nervall from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Brigadier's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"In that case, I activate the Spell card, Summon Dice. By paying 1000 life points, I can roll a dice and apply one of three effects. If the result is one or two, I can Normal Summon one monster. If the result is three or four, I can Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard. Lastly, if the result is five or six, I can Special Summon one Level 5 or higher monster from my hand."

"Another effect that lets you roll a dice? You must be willing to take risks just to try and be rid of me." Brigadier said.

"There is nothing wrong with taking this particular risk, as one way or another, I get a new monster on my field." Bishop countered, as a red aura surrounded his body, which depleted his life points.

Bishop: 3400 – 1000 = 2400 LP

"Go, Dice Roll!" A dice appeared in front of Bishop, where it was tossed in the air before landing on the ground. After rolling on the ground for a few seconds, it landed on a four. "As I rolled a four, that means I can Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard. Return to me, Empress!" At Bishop's command, Empress reappeared on his field.

Archfiend Empress ATK: 2900 DEF: 2100 LV: 8

"Masterking Archfiend's effect also now activates! Once per Chain, when I pay life points, I can send one Fiend monster from my deck to my Graveyard whose attack or defense points are equal to the amount paid. I send Archfiend Heiress from my deck to my Graveyard." Bishop decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "Heiress' effect activates as well! Since she was sent to the Graveyard, I can add one 'Archfiend' card from my deck to my hand. I'll add Annihilator Archfiend from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"I now activate Masterking Archfiend's second effect. Once per Chain, when a Fiend monster is sent to the Graveyard, I can roll a dice. If the result is one, I can add that monster to my hand. If the result is two, three, four or five, I can shuffle that monster back into my deck. Finally, if the result is six, I can Special Summon that monster from my Graveyard to my field."

Brigadier rolled his eyes. Great. Another dice effect, Brigadier thought in his mind. Just how many more dice effects is this guy going to use on his turn?

"Go, Dice Roll!" Bishop shouted once again, as a dice appeared in front of him, where it was tossed in the air before landing on the ground. After rolling on the ground for a few seconds, it landed on a six. "Since I rolled a six, that means I can Special Summon Heiress back to my field. Come to me, Heiress!" A small, female fiend who wore an intricate purple and silver dress appeared on Bishop's field in defense position. She had long, purple hair, along with a skull-like headdress on top of her head. In her right hand, she carried a bone scepter.

Archfiend Heiress ATK: 1000 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"With that out of the way, I activate the Spell card, Double Summon, which lets me perform an additional Normal Summon this turn. As such, I tribute Heiress and Archfiend Emperor to Tribute Summon Annihilator Archfiend from my hand to my field!" As if on cue, Heiress and Archfiend Emperor turned into particles before leaving the field. Suddenly, a massive fiend with dark-blue skin and two large horns that protruded upwards on its head, as well as large wings appeared on Bishop's field. On top of its head was a crown, with three throned circles attached to its back. In addition, there were numerous yellow orbs both on its upper chest and its arms. In its right hand, it carried a large scepter with a purple gem and a serpent's head at the top.

Annihilator Archfiend ATK: 2000 DEF: 3000 LV: 9

"I now activate Annihilator Archfiend's effect." Bishop added. "Once per turn, I can target a card I control and a card you control and destroy them both. I target Masterking Archfiend on my field, and your face-down card on your field."

I better act before it's too late, Brigadier immediately thought in his mind, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Tri-Brigade Revolt! Just like before, this card lets me Special Summon any number of Beast, Beast Warrior and/or Winged Beast monsters that are banished or in my Graveyard to my field in exchange for negating their effects. Return to me, Kerass, Kitt and the first copy of Nervall from my banished zone!" Soon, Kerass, Kitt and the first copy of Nervall reappeared on Brigadier's field.

Tri-Brigade Kerass ATK: 1200 DEF: 1500 LV: 2

Tri-Brigade Kitt ATK: 700 DEF: 1000 LV: 2

Tri-Brigade Nervall ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 1

"And just like before, immediately after this effect resolves, Revolt's second effect Link Summon one 'Tri-Brigade' monster using only the monsters I Special Summoned by this effect."

"I see. So you're preparing in advance for what's to come…" Bishop muttered.

"Appear, the circuit on the frontlines!" Brigadier said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more Beast, Beast Warrior and/or Winged Beast monsters. I set Tri-Brigade Kerass, Kitt and Nervall into the Link Markers!" Kerass went into the bottom arrowhead, Kitt went into the bottom-right arrowhead and Nervall went into the right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller!" A second copy of Rugal appeared on Brigadier's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ➡️⬇️↘️

"With Revolt no longer being on the field, you must choose a new target for Annihilator Archfiend's effect, and you only have three options to choose from." Brigadier told the obvious to Bishop.

"I'm well aware of that, thank you very much." Bishop snapped back. "I target Masterking Archfiend on my field and your first copy of Rugal on your field." Annihilator Archfiend raised its scepter high in the air, where it released purple lightning that hit both Masterking and the first copy of Rugal before turning both of them into particles. "Annihilator Archfiend's second effect now activates! If I destroyed a Fiend monster by its effect, it gains attack points equal to half of the destroyed Fiend monster's original attack points until the end of this turn. Since Masterking Archfiend had 2000 attack points, that means Annihilator Archfiend gains 1000 attack points!" Annihilator Archfiend let out a loud roar as its strength increased.

Annihilator Archfiend ATK: 2000 + 1000 = 3000

"I activate Rugal's effect on my field. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster from my hand or Graveyard to my field in exchange for negating its effects. It's also returned to my hand during the End Phase." Brigadier responded. "Return to me, Fraktall!" At Brigadier's command, Fraktall reappeared on his field in defense position.

Tri-Brigade Fraktall ATK: 1900 DEF: 1600 LV: 4

He's planning on making a comeback on his turn, Bishop observed in his mind. As unique as his deck is, I must not let that happen. "Battle! Annihilator Archfiend attacks Diamond Dire Wolf!" Annihilator Archfiend pointed its staff at Diamond Dire Wolf before firing purple lightning at it, which hit the latter upon impact and turned it into particles. Brigadier winced as his life points dropped seconds later.

Brigadier: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"The battle continues!" Bishop thrusted out his right hand. "Archfiend Empress attacks Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller!" Empress fired purple lightning at her scepter, which hit Rugal upon impact and caused a massive explosion. Brigadier winced for a second time as his life points dropped.

Brigadier: 3000 – 600 = 2400 LP

"When Rugal sent to the Graveyard, all monsters you control lose 300 attack points for each monster type I control until the end of this turn." Brigadier explained. "Since I only control the Beast Warrior Fraktall, all of your monsters lose 300 attack points." Silver auras surrounded Annihilator Archfiend and Empress as their strength decreased temporarily.

Annihilator Archfiend ATK: 3000 – 300 = 2700

Archfiend Empress ATK: 2900 – 300 = 2600

"That's not much of a nuisance." Bishop remarked back. "I end my turn, which means the effects of Annihilator and Rugal end." As if on cue, both Annihilator Archfiend and Empress were surrounded in auras that reverted their strength to normal.

Annihilator Archfiend ATK: 2700 – 700 = 2000

Archfiend Empress ATK: 2600 + 300 = 2900

"And since it's the end of my turn, Rugal's effect requires me to return Fraktall back to my hand." Brigadier replied, as Fraktall turned into particles seconds later. He could have used Rendezvous' second effect to protect Diamond Dire Wolf from destruction and keep it on his field. However, it would have meant losing more life points as a result. Thus, Brigadier chose long-term survival over short-term advantage.

"My turn! I draw!" Brigadier drew the top card of his deck before looking at it, a smile having formed on his face. Perfect. "I activate the Equip Spell card, D.D.R – Different Dimension Reincarnation. By discarding one card from my hand, I can target one banished monster and Special Summon it back to my field in attack position before equipping it with this card. I discard Nervall and Special Summon Shuraig back to my field." After Brigadier took a card from his hand and sent it to his Graveyard, Shuraig reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

"The effects of Nervall and Shuraig activate in sequence." Brigadier began speaking. "First, when Nervall's sent to the Graveyard, I can ad one 'Tri-Brigade' monster from my deck to my hand. I'll add a second copy of Kerass from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Brigadier's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Second, just like before, when Shuraig's Special Summoned, or when another Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monster is Special Summoned to my field, I can banish a card on the field."

"You have got to be kidding me…" Bishop seethed, as if he knew which card Brigadier will banish next.

"I banish Empress from your field!" Brigadier decided. "Grenade Volley!" Shuraig took two grenades from the tactical belt strapped across his body and threw them at Dark Master Zorc, which turned him into particles.

"Next, I summon Tri-Brigade Kerass from my hand to my field once again." Soon, a second copy of Kerass reappeared on Brigadier's command.

Tri-Brigade Kerass ATK: 1200 DEF: 1500 LV: 2

"From there, I activate Kerass' second effect." Brigadier added. "Once per turn, I can banish as many Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast monsters from my Graveyard to Special Summon one Beast, Beast Warrior or Winged Beast Link monster from my Extra Deck. However, its Link rating must be exactly equal to the number of monsters I banished by this effect."

"Wait a minute! So Fraktall isn't the only monster with such an effect?!" Bishop exclaimed, his eyes having widened in shock in the process.

"A great majority of the monsters in my Main deck have that effect, yes." Brigadier answered, a smirk having formed on his face. "I banish Mercourier, Kitt and Nervall from my Graveyard to Special Summon a third copy of Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller from my Extra Deck to my field!" After three cards in Brigadier's Graveyard turned into particles, a third copy of Rugal appeared on his field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ➡️⬇️↘️

"Battle!" Brigadier thrusted out his right hand. "Tri-Brigade Rugal the Silver Sheller attacks Annihilator Archfiend! Swift Elimination!" Rugal charged forward and brought down his pistol-shaped axes onto Annihilator Archfiend before firing several rounds of energy blasts from them, which caused the latter to scream in pain as he turned into particles. This also made Bishop shield himself with his arms as his life points dropped.

Bishop: 2400 – 300 = 2100 LP

"This duel is as good as over!" Brigadier told Bishop. "The battle continues one more time! Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen attacks you directly! Airborne Bombardment!" Shuraig aimed the grenade launcher before firing many artillery blasts from it at once, each of which hit Bishop as several explosions occurred. Each of those explosions made Bishop stagger before eventually falling on his hands and knees, his life points having dropped all the way to zero once it was over.

Bishop: 2100 – 3000 = 0

Bishop tried to stand up on his feet, only for him to fall on his hands and knees once again seconds later. Apparently, his strength had been drained away over the course of this duel, which was why he wasn't able to stand up on his feet. Just when Bishop was able to stand up on his feet, Brigadier quickly dashed forward and punched him very hard in the gut, which made the former gasp in pain upon impact. Brigadier did nothing but watch as Bishop fell forward onto the ground in pain, having fallen unconscious seconds later. From there, Brigadier pressed a button on her duel disk, where it released a wave of data that scanned him seconds later.

Unfortunately, he found that Bishop did not have the other half of the Code Key in his possession. This meant that, while his mission was complete in eliminating one of the higherups, the long-term mission in acquiring the other half of the Code Key was still in effect. As a result, Brigadier pressed a button on his earpiece, having no choice but to contact Dogma to inform him of what happened.

"Hello?" Dogma said on the other end.

"This is Brigadier. Though the threat's been neutralized, Bishop doesn't have the other half of the Code Key." Brigadier reported.

"Thank you for the report, Brigadier. The other envoys and I will handle it from here. Return to the real world for now."

"Alright. Signing off." Brigadier hung up on his end before logging out of the network and returning to the real world, intent on escaping so the authorities couldn't figure out what was going on.

Meanwhile, in the real world, during the night…

In an area at Den City was a massive family villa, which was where the three Kings lived since they were born. This place was where the three can not only get away from the day's activities, but also plan things out to ensure SOL Technologies' prosperity over the long-term. After all, they were the true rulers of the company, and were in charge of making sure that all the tasks assigned to the proper parties were completed.

But unbeknownst to them, tonight, they were going to receive an unexpected visit from three individuals. Those individuals were some distance away from the family villa, one of them using a pair of binoculars to look over the area.

The first was Constantine Colmer.

The second was a muscular man who had disheveled brown hair with a long strand of it that was in front of him. For his attire, it consisted of a grey leather jacket and pants that had a dragon symbol on them, along with a Japanese character for the word dragon. On the front were various buttons and pins of different colors. He also wore black boots and two paddings on each of his shoulders and elbows. This man's name was Jiao Long.

The third was a man who had long blond hair that went down to the end of his upper back, along with light-blue eyes. For his attire, it consisted of a dark-brown buttoned up shirt and pants, black shoes and gloves. He also wore a crimson long coat, and even had a crimson top hat on his head. In his right hand, he carried what appeared to be a staff that had a large orb at the end. This man's name was Pierre Pantomime.

In the network, these three men were Dogma, Bahamut, and Despa/Apsed, who all served as envoys of Albinor.

Constantine frowned as he looked the villa was the place the Kings lived at, ready for the attack to come. "Well, this is the place, gentlemen."

"It definitely is, Constantine. Though I thought a family villa would be a bit smaller," the third man commented.

"It doesn't matter how long or how big it is, Pierre. What does matter is disposing of the three Kings and getting the other half of the Code Key," the second man told the third man, having addressed him by his name.

"At ease, Jiao. No need to be hyped up. Save it for the battle." Constantine advised the second man, having addressed him by his name.

"Of course, Constantine. Understood."

Constantine gestured Jiao and Pierre to look at the surroundings of the family villa, which showed some challenges the trio would have to face to complete their mission. First, there were security cameras that overlooked the area to ensure intruders stayed away. Second were several Soltis, each of which had sonar-like eyes that also scanned the area, intent on making sure the villa and its residents were secure. Lastly, there was detection systems embedded in the ground, which activated during the night and deter anyone that planned on trying to attack the villa. If the intruders persisted despite the warning, then the system would immediately alert the authorities. Overall, the security setups the three Kings established were strong. Ones that Constantine, Jiao and Pierre would break through soon enough.

"Shall I release my surprise tricks on the system, Constantine?" Pierre asked. "I really… really want to kick things off with a bang."

"You may, Pierre." Constantine replied, as the orb on Pierre's staff glowed with red energy seconds later, ready to be used. Pierre then tapped his staff on the ground, causing small embers of energy to seep into the ground before infiltrating it. Those same embers coursed through the ground and traveled towards the detection systems, having proceeded to incinerate them all within several seconds. This was evident by the small puffs of fiery smoke that appeared in the air before evaporating.

"Alright, the detection systems are down, everyone. Time for the next part to begin."

While Pierre stealthily headed towards the family villa's garage to cut off any means of escape, Constantine jumped off the ground and landed on one of the large branches, two Black Keys appearing in his hands. Jiao, on the other hand, ran over to the front of the family villa, ready to begin the frontal assault at Constantine's command. Constantine threw a Black Key at the cameras attached to the villa to destroy them, and upon doing so, all of the Black Keys returned to him, having caught each one in the process. With that out of the way, Jiao slammed his fists together as light-green energy coursed through his body, now looking forward to what's to come.

Jiao charged forward at the Soltis guarding the area, hungry for battle as he caught them off guard and proceeded to practically tear each one into pieces. The remaining Soltis' eyes glowed red as they charged forward in order to subdue Jiao. Unfortunately for the Soltis, Jiao continued to tear each one apart that tried to go after him, where he noticed a few of them aiming their guns at him so they can take him down. In response to this, Jiao used the light-green aura surrounding his body to melt the bullets into pieces, which allowed him to charge forward and brutally pulverize the Soltis that fired at him. Several more Soltis that were alerted to the commotion at the front immediately ran towards Jiao in order to confront him. This allowed Pierre and Constantine to get into position so they can get ready to infiltrate the villa. One being at the garage, while the other was positioned on a branch of a tree, eavesdropping on the meeting going inside it.

Elsewhere, inside the villa…

"This, my brothers, is not a good time for us." Jeromy said. Right now, he, Perseo and Lycaon were upstairs in one of the meeting rooms, discussing not just their recent meeting with the other higherups, but also make preparations if the worst came to pass.

"Obviously, Jeromy. I mean, who would have the balls to attack Queen and Pawn last night?" Lycaon wondered out loud.

"Whoever did such a thing has to be powerful, Lycaon. Maybe more powerful than the Ignis or the Knights of Hanoi." Perseo theorized, before turning to Jeromy. "Do you think it's Watchman?"

Jeromy put a hand to his chin as he thought over the question in his mind. "Maybe, Perseo. Although we'll need to look deeper into the situation so we can figure out who's responsible for declaring war on SOL Technologies."

Perseo frowned after hearing Jeromy's response. "Well, luckily, we have Zaizen to investigate the situation. However, as per the meeting earlier today, we should fall back on our last contingency if SOL Technologies truly falls."

"That's true, Perseo. I mean, we still do have some business partners who owe us debts and favors for helping them reestablish their footing in the world." Lycaon pointed out. This was certainly true, as SOL Technologies assisted many businesses and individuals recoup from their losses as part of the reparation efforts.

"Indeed, Lycaon. They might even help us lay low as well." Jeromy agreed with Lycaon's point. With the situation being dire as it is right now, it may reach the point where he, Perseo and Lycaon will have to flee Den City for their own safety. They may also have to flee from Japan overall if Akira wasn't able to bring the situation either under control or eliminate the perpetrator.

"Then we should make the preparations as soon as possible." Perseo voiced his suggestion, with Lycaon and Jeromy nodding in agreement.

KABOOM!

The whole family villa began to shake as a result of the explosion, which led Lycaon to press a button on the remote nearby in order to access the installed cameras. To their horror, they saw the feed in each of the cameras being cut off seconds later. Lycaon pressed a button on the remote to activate the alarm, but found that it didn't work after several clicks.

"Damn it! Someone's attacked the villa!" Lycaon realized.

"Then we need to move as soon as possible." Jeromy decided. "Perseo, go to the front and fend off the attackers. Lycaon, get the car running. I'll make sure to get the assets transferred to our emergency accounts."

"You leave this to me." Perseo said, as he grabbed a sword with a golden hilt before running downstairs, with Lycaon going down another set of stairs to get to the garage. Jeromy, on the other hand, immediately activated the systems before typing on the keyboard. For if he hurried, he can-.

CRASH!

A burst of fiery energy broke the window into pieces, which produced a burst of smoke that allowed Pierre to enter into the villa without being seen. Jeromy gasped in horror upon seeing Pierre's unexpected appearance in the villa.

"What are you-?" Jeromy began asking, as Pierre jabbed the former in his stomach with the staff in his hands seconds later.

"Shh, shh, shh. It'll be over soon." Pierre whispered to Jeromy before the latter fell onto the floor, where the latter immediately knocked the former out with one last swing of his staff. After closing the door, Pierre pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a set of coordinates to appear on it before being transferred over to Jeromy's duel disk. This led to a sphere of data surrounding his body as he was forcibly logged into the network. From there, he put his deck in his own duel disk before logging into the network afterwards.

Meanwhile, in the villa…

Perseo gripped his sword as he investigated the area, intent on trying to find who was responsible for attacking the family villa during the night. Suddenly, a remains of a destroyed Soltis were tossed out of nowhere right at Perseo's feet, where Jiao emerged out of the shadows.

"Hello, there." Jiao said, only for Perseo to charge forward with the sword in his hands to try and land a blow on the former, who dodged each of the attacks. He chuckled as he dodged each of the attacks, having seen them as sloppy and unfocused.

"Fight back, coward! Fight back!" Perseo exclaimed, which only made Jiao chuckle again as he continued dodging the attacks. He then struck Perseo on numerous pressure points on his body, which made him fall to the ground before losing consciousness temporarily.

With that out of the way, Jiao took Perseo's limp body and put it on one of the couches, wanting to give him a chance to defend himself in a duel. Jiao then pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a set of coordinates to appear on it before being transferred over to Perseo's duel disk. This led to a sphere of data surrounding his body as he was forcibly logged into the network. Once that was done, Jiao sat down on one of the couches before also logging into the network, looking forward for the duel to come. After all, it wasn't every day you got to duel against one of the Kings at SOL Technologies.

Elsewhere, in the villa…

Lycaon immediately found the car in the garage before getting in the door, intent on starting it up. However, several Black Keys flew out of nowhere and pierced the tires of the car, which prevented it from moving at all.

"Oh no!" Lycaon exclaimed, as the garage door was sliced into pieces, where it showed Constantine casually walking into the garage. Constantine then threw several Black Keys at the car itself, which forced Lycaon to exit it as they all hit the vehicle and prevented it from operating. Lycaon immediately headed over to another car in the garage in an attempt to start it up, only for Constantine to throw another set of Black Keys that popped the tires so it couldn't move.

"My apologies, but I cannot let you escape tonight." Constantine remarked, as he threw another Black Key at Lycaon, which stopped him from escaping before the former charge forward and pressed his finger on the latter's forehead. From there, Constantine whispered an incantation that put Lycaon to sleep before he fell onto the ground. He grabbed Lycaon and put him in one of the car seats, where he pressed a button on his duel disk that caused a set of coordinates to be transferred over to Lycaon's duel disk. This led to a sphere of data surrounding Lycaon's body as he was forcibly logged into the network. Once that was done, Constantine logged into the network, intent on finishing the mission.

Several minutes later, in the network…

Jeromy looked around the area, having narrowed his eyes and braced himself for whatever was to come next. He was angry with how the three attackers managed to breach into the family villa, he, Perseo and Lycaon lived in for a very long time ago. The worst part was how the attackers managed to brutally destroy the Soltis guarding the area, along with cutting off any chance of escape in the process. What's more, the attackers also cut off the means of transferring assets to another server and bank account. One that the three Kings set up in the event SOL Technologies fell and was unable to be saved.

"Welcome, your highness. We're so glad you came here to play," a voice eerily said, as Jeromy turned to see who was talking to him. A humanoid silhouette emerged from the shadows and walked to where Jeromy was, where it split in two different individuals. Specifically, Despa and Apsed.

"I'm not here for games, so the both of you better tell me who you are right now and why you're here!" Jeromy demanded.

"For starters, you can call me Apsed, and I am the comedic side of my core self." Apsed introduced himself.

"You can call me Despa, and I am the tragic side of my core self." Despa also introduced himself to Jeromy as well. "As for your question, I'm sure an old person such as yourself can guess the real reason why we're here, right? I mean, you do look the part, that's for sure."

"Oh, damn! I didn't see that coming!" Apsed exclaimed, surprised that Despa made fun of someone else. Usually, Apsed was the one making snide remarks and enjoying the pain of others. But seeing Despa do such a thing was a pleasant change in pace.

Jeromy narrowed his eyes in fury, now hellbent on showing Apsed and Despa who was truly superior. "You clowns are among the many who made a grave mistake attacking my brothers and I tonight. After I beat one of you in a duel, then the other one goes next!"

"Hold on a second. Instead of taking us on in two separate duels, why don't Despa and I duel you together? This way, we can sort this out in one duel rather than two." Apsed suggested.

"It also evens things out, as we've heard how you and your brothers are the strongest amongst the higherups." Despa added, before something crossed his mind, where he pressed a button on his duel disk that caused a red wave of energy to spread out through the server. Some of it then scanned Jeromy's duel disk, which prevented him from using his Skill for the coming master duel.

"Oh, we also forgot to add that Despa and I know of how you higherups cheat using Skills during master duels. So we disabled that in order to even the playing field even more!"

"Why, you!" Jeromy exclaimed, now furious with these two clowns in front of him, as well as how they and their allies are ruining things right now. This farce shall not be tolerated any longer, as Jeromy would show why he and his brothers are the strongest of the higherups at SOL Technologies. "Prepare yourselves, as the both of you and your allies have passed the point of no return! I will claim victory and set an example on what happens to those who dare oppose SOL Technologies!" He then activated his duel disk.

"We'll see in due time." Despa and Apsed responded at the same time, as both of them activated their duel disks.

"Duel!" Jeromy, Despa and Apsed said in unison.

Jeromy: 4000 LP

Despa and Apsed: 4000 LP

"I will go first. My turn!" Jeromy immediately stated. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Forbidden Dark Contract with the Swamp King. Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'D/D/D' monster from my hand in defense position in exchange for negating its effects. I Special Summon D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon from my hand to my field!" An armored, black bipedal dragon that wore pieces of silver armor on its body appeared on Jeromy's field in defense position. It had numerous spikes on its gauntlets and legs, as well as ones on its wings that protruded outwards.

D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon ATK: 2600 DEF: 2400 LV: 7

"I now activate Forbidden Dark Contract with the Swamp King's second effect. Once per turn, I can Fusion Summon one Fiend Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Material, including the one that was Special Summoned using its first effect."

"I see. So you're immediately going all out from the very start. A wise decision." Despa observed.

"Loosen up a little, Despa. After all, it's the opening act of the duel." Apsed pointed out. "Let's wait and see what he brings out."

"I will use D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon on my field, and D/D Proud Chevalier in my hand as Fusion Materials!" Jeromy decided, as a silhouette of a silver-armored knight with long, blond hair appeared on Jeromy's field. It had a black and red cape in two separate pieces, as well as a grey mask that had three, light-blue dots on it. In its right hand, it carried a sword. The two of them broke into red and blue particles, which went upwards and swirled into a vortex, where two tornadoes of energy shot upwards before they merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Monsters that come from different dimensions! Be reborn into a new king that seals the fate of his enemies! Fusion Summon! Be born! Level 7! D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc!" A feminine fiend who wore silver armor and had large, red and dark-blue colored bat wings appeared on Jeromy's field in the right Extra Monter Zone. In her hand, she carried a sword.

D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"I now activate the Field Spell card, Dark Contract with Patent License." Jeromy continued. "When you Special Summon a monster with the same card type as a 'D/D/D' monster I control, you take 1000 points of damage. What's more, you're not allowed to Special Summon monsters with the same card type as that Special Summoned monster for the rest of this turn."

"Oh my. Now that's a surprise!' Apsed exclaimed with a giggle. Despa, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. Why did his other half have to be so ridiculous sometimes?

"It may be a surprise, Apsed, but only for now." Despa told Apsed.

"You two bickering fools will know your place soon enough. I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Jeromy concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Despa said, having drawn the top card of his deck. "I activate the Field Spell card, Despia, Theater of the Branded!" Soon, a purple void opened in the sky as a massive, floating building that had golden holes and red jewels on the structure, as well as four red towers descended from it. "Once per turn, I can Fusion Summon one Level 8 or higher Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters from my hand or field."

"You're Fusion Summoning despite the detrimental effect of my Field Spell card for you both?" Jeromy asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

"Correct." Despa simply confirmed. "I will use Dramaturge of Despia and Despian Tragedy from my hand as Fusion Materials!" Soon, two silhouettes appeared on Despa and Apsed's field.

The first was a white-armored priest that had feathery wings, which ended in numerous spikes that protruded inwards. At the end of each of his hands were a set of metal spikes in place of fingers, each of which had diamond-like patterns on them. His face was covered with a white mask that had grey outlines, and he also had a spiked halo attached behind his head. On his chest and sides were red cracks of energy that glowed before dimming down. In his right hand, he carried an elongate staff that not only had a red gem at the center, but also pieces of a halo attached to the sides as well.

The second was a bizarre, green-colored monster whose body consisted of a skeleton-shaped object that ended with a blade, to which three spiked collars were connected through chains. For its face, it had a joker mask.

Seconds later, Dramaturge of Despia and Despian Tragedy broke into red and blue particles, which went upwards before swirling into a vortex afterwards. From there, two tornadoes of energy shot upwards before they merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Darkness sealed within a suit of holy armor! Emerge now in the flurry of the rising curtains and crush them in the emptiness of destruction! Fusion Summon! Emerge! Level 8! Despian Quaeritis!" A draconic, humanoid clad from head to toe in black armor decorated with red gems and had a black mask with red spikes attached to its face appeared on Despa and Apsed's field in the right Extra Monster Zone It had four wings made of roots with crimson eyes in them and claws at their tips, as well as spikes attached to the outlines of them. In its hands, it wielded a long red and black lance.

Despian Quaeritis ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"You fool! Since you Fusion Summoned a Fusion monster and I control a 'D/D/D' Fusion monster, you both take 1000 points of damage!' Jeromy exclaimed, as Despa and Apsed were surrounded in purple auras, which drained their life points.

Despa and Apsed: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"Since Tragedy was sent to the Graveyard, I can add one 'Despia' monster from my deck to my hand." Despa said. "I add Despian Comedy from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Despa's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"In addition, since Dramaturge of Despia was used as Fusion Material, I can Special Summon him to my field." Seconds later, Dramaturge reappeared on Despa and Apsed's field.

Dramaturge of Despia ATK: 3000 DEF: 1500 LV: 8

"Planning to launch a counterattack, huh? I won't let that happen!" Jeromy declared, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! D/D/D Headhunt! When I control a 'D/D/D' monster, I can target a monster you control and take control of it until the end of my next turn in exchange for negating its effects and preventing it from attacking. What's more, I can treat it as a 'D/D/D' monster if the targeted monster was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck. I target Quaeritis!" Headhunt released a purple burst of energy that hit Quaeritis, which turned it into particles before reforming onto Jeromy's field.

"You may have protected yourself, but you'll still lose life points." Despa replied, as he thrusted his right hand outwards, ready to declare his Battle Phase.

"Wait a minute, Despa!" Apsed interjected, which got Despa's attention. "I got a rather intriguing idea on how we can beat this guy!"

"Really, now? Do tell." Apsed then whispered some words in Despa's ear, which made him nod in agreement after thinking over them. "I see. Very well, I'll utilize your suggestion."

Despa smirked, knowing what he had to do next so he and Apsed can win the duel. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

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

"Ah, ah, ah. You won't be doing anything just yet." Apsed interrupted, as he gestured to his and Despa's field. "Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Super Polymerization!"

"Oh no! Not that card!" Jeromy gasped out of shock after seeing Super Polymerization being activated. Soon, the sky darkened as lightning hit the field, where it formed into a dark-blue and grey Fusion portal.

"By discarding a card from my hand, I can Fusion Summon one Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using only monsters from either player's field as Fusion Material. Neither of us aren't allowed to activate cards or effects in response to its activation as well." Apsed grinned as he pointed to his targets. "I send Ad Libitum of Despia from my hand to my Graveyard, and use Dramaturge of Despia on our field, along with Despian Quaeritis and D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc on your field as Fusion Materials!" Despian Quaeritis turned into a red sphere and Oracle King D'Arc turned into a blue sphere while Dramaturge turned into a yellow sphere, with all three spheres getting sucked into the Fusion Portal as it glowed with white energy.

"From the depths of the despised stage, rise and take your place in the spotlight! Show your power and grace! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 11! Despian Proskenion!" A large, purple, demonic construct that had two large bat wings with numerous claws at the ends appeared on Despa and Apsed's field in the right Extra Monster zone. It had two, centipede-like dragons coiling around the whole construct.

Despian Proskenion ATK: 3200 DEF: 3200 LV: 11

"And since D'Arc is no longer on your field, that means you can't use its effect to reverse all effect damage!" Apsed told Jeromy. "Also, since Dramaturge of Despia was used as Fusion Material, I can Special Summon him to our field." Seconds later, Dramaturge reappeared on Despa and Apsed's field.

Dramaturge of Despia ATK: 3000 DEF: 1500 LV: 8

"During each of my Standby Phases, Forbidden Dark Contract of the Swamp King's second effect activates, which means I take 2000 points of damage." Jeromy reluctantly said, as an aura surrounded his body, which made him grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Jeromy: 4000 – 2000 = 2000 LP

"I activate the first effect of Forbidden Dark Contract of the Swamp King once again. Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'D/D/D' monster from my hand in defense position in exchange for negating its effects. I Special Summon D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas from my hand to my field!" A man who wore golden armor all over his body, along with a golden helmet appeared on Jeromy's field in defense position. Attached to his back was a red cape, which flowed upwards before dropping down. In his right hand, he carried a sword, while he carried a circular shield in his left hand.

D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas ATK: 2600 DEF: 1200 LV: 7

"I end my turn." Jeromy concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Apsed said with glee, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Despian Proskenion's first effect! Once per turn, during either of our Main Phases, I can target one Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster that's in either of our Graveyard and choose one of two options. I can either banish it or Special Summon it to our side of the field. I target D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it to our field!" A fissure appeared on the ground, with Oracle King D'Arc leaping out from it and landing on Despa and Apsed's field.

D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Battle!" Apsed thrusted out his right hand. "D/D/D Oracle King D'Arc attacks D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas!" Oracle King D'Arc charged forward and slashed Rebel King Leonidas, which turned him into particles.

"Let's draw the curtain on this duel, shall we?" Apsed stated. "The battle continues! Despian Proskenion attacks you directly! Flames of Comedy and Tragedy!" Proskenion fired violet-colored flames from its mouths at Jeromy, which pushed him back several feet upon impact as his life points dropped to zero.

Jeromy: 2000 – 3200 = 0

Jeromy then fell to his knees, having been unsteady by the final attack of the duel. But before he could do anything else, Despa and Apsed grinned as wings made of roots with crimson eyes in them and claws at their tips quickly sprung out of nowhere. They zoomed towards Jeromy and quickly ensnared him so he couldn't log out of the network nor escape. Once this was done, both Apsed and Despa pressed a button on their duel disks, which released a wave of data that scanned Jeromy seconds later. To their disappointment, they found that Jeromy didn't have the Code Key in his possession. However, there was more than one way in getting what one wanted for their goals.

"Alright! One down, two to go!" Apsed cheered. "Let's go see how the others are doing, as I want to see this bozo's brothers fall in battle! Maybe this guy will be more cooperative after he sees his brothers being mercilessly cut down one by one!"

"For once, we're on the same page." Despa acknowledged, as he, Apsed and a captured Jeromy teleported out of this area of the server before going to another area of it.

Meanwhile, at another area in the same server…

Perseo gripped his sword as he looked around the server, shocked that he was forcibly logged into the network. Whoever of the three attackers did this would pay for their lives. "Come on out, coward! Face me like a man!" As if on cue, Bahamut appeared in the network, which got Perseo's attention.

"You asked me to appear in the network, so here I am. Warrior to warrior." Bahamut replied.

"Warrior? Ha! I highly doubt that, as a warrior doesn't attack people in the night." Perseo scoffed.

Bahamut chuckled back at Perseo's comment. "Says the guy who's planning on running away with his brothers instead of confronting the threat head on. I mean, come on, you guys failed in both protecting the network and the people in Den City. One can say that you and your brothers are more bark than bite."

"Watch your mouth at once!" Perseo warned Bahamut. "For my brothers and I are the strongest of everyone else at SOL Technologies. We control more than you realize, and our word is final in all matters!"

"All matters, huh? Looks like you and your brothers aren't in control of anything at all right now." Bahamut stated with another chuckle, which angered Perseo. "But like I said to you in the real world, I am willing to give you a fair shot of defending yourself, duelist to duelist. However, one thing must be done to even the playing field, especially given the secret weapon you guys rely on in duels." He then pressed a button on his duel disk, that caused a red wave of energy to spread out through the server.

"What did you do?" Perseo looked at his duel disk, having noticed that some of the energy scanned it just now.

"I disabled your Skill just now, which means we battle only with our cards and nothing else." Bahamut activated his duel disk, ready for the duel to begin. "Let's see just how strong you guys are without your little tricks."

"You will regret humiliating me in the real world, as thanks to your mercy, I have an opportunity to pay that humiliation back in spades!" Perseo exclaimed, as he activated his duel disk, also ready to throw down.

"It's time to duel!" Bahamut and Perseo shouted at the same time.

Perseo: 4000 LP

Bahamut: 4000 LP

"I will be the one to go first. My turn." Perseo said. "I summon D/D Orthros from my hand to my field." A bipedal, two-headed dog with grey fur and pieces of blue armor on its legs, as well as two bronze collars around its necks appeared on Perseo's field. Attached to its back was a green-skinned snake, which not only had pieces of blue armor, but also acted as its tail as well.

D/D Orthros ATK: 600 DEF: 1800 LV: 3 PS: 3

"I also activate the effect of D/D Gryphon from my hand. Since I control a 'D/D' monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field in defense position." A bipedal, brown-skinned gryphon who wore pieces of black chainmail throughout its body appeared on Perseo's field in defense position. It had two unique arms, with its right arm resembling that of a wolf's arm, while its left arm resembled that of a bird. Last but not least, it had two brown wings with sharp feathers attached to its back.

D/D Gryphon ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200 LV: 4 PS: 1

"Appear, my royal circuit!" Perseo declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two 'D/D' monsters. I set D/D Orthros and D/D Gryphon in the Link Markers!" Orthros went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Gryphon went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh!" A male humanoid with blue skin that wore pieces of black armor on his shoulders, upper chest and legs appeared on Perseo's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On top of his head were a total of six horns, which formed what appeared to be a crown. He also had a black and velvet cape, which ended in sharp blades as it settled down to the ground. Strapped to his back were numerous weapons such as swords, axes, daggers, a bow and a quiver of arrows. In his right hand, he carried a lance, while a sword was in his right hand.

D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh ATK: 1800 LINK-2 ↙↘

"When Abyss King Gilgamesh is Special Summoned, I can take two 'D/D' Pendulum monsters from my deck with different names and place them in my Pendulum Zones." Perseo explained. "In exchange for this, I take 1000 points of damage. I place D/D Savant Kepler and D/D Savant Galilei in the Pendulum Zones." Two cards popped out of Perseo's deck, which he took and placed in his Pendulum zones. As a result, two pillars of light appeared on Perseo's left and right sides.

In the pillar of light on the right was a blue, white and golden statue that had different colored orbs on its body.

In the pillar of light on the left was a brown and golden statue with metal rods and gears holding it in place.

D/D Savant Kepler PS: 10

D/D Savant Galilei PS: 1

Seconds later, Perseo grit his teeth as a red aura surrounded his body, which decreased his life points.

Perseo: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"With the Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters whose Levels are between 1 and 10 at the same time! Come forth, my servants! D/D Nighthowl and D/D Pandora!" Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where two lights emerged. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

The first was a set of jaws with eyes at the top and very sharp fangs.

The second was a female, green-skinned doll whose lower half composed of a purple treasure box with golden outlines on it. Her upper body had a long, metallic belt tied throughout her left arm, and three golden rings on her right forearm. On top of her head was a very long, red headdress.

D/D Nighthowl ATK: 300 DEF: 600 LV: 3

D/D Pandora ATK: 1700 DEF: 2100 LV: 5

"I tune the Level 3 D/D Nighthowl with the Level 5 D/D Pandora!" Perseo declared, as a bolt of lightning struck him and the world greyed out before his monsters turned into particles. Two rings, one colored violet and the other purple before turning blue and merging. Eight blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "3 + 5" in front of them. The screen then changed to "8" as light surged through the rings.

"Accursed king! With the bloodstained blade in your hands, climb over the corpses of those you have slain! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 8! D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried!" A man with long white hair who wore silver and blue armor that had orange outlines appeared on Perseo's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Abyss King Gilgamesh pointed to. Wrapped around his neck was a long, red scarf that flowed in the wind before settling down. Covering his face was a silver mask, with a black headband around his head. In his right hand, he carried a massive sword that had orange outlines and a yellow, glowing line in the middle.

D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried ATK: 2800 DEF: 2200 LV: 8

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Perseo concluded. "Now then, intruder. Let's see if you have the cards needed to break through my formation or not."

"With pleasure! My turn! I draw!" Bahamut said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Bystial Magnamhut from my hand. Once per turn, I can target a Light or Dark monster in either of our Graveyards and banish it. By doing so, I can Special Summon Magnamhut from my hand to my field."

"Either of our Graveyards?!" Perseo repeated out of shock, wanting to make sure he didn't mishear what he heard just now.

"That's right. I target and banish D/D Pandora from your Graveyard, and Special Summon Bystial Magnamhut from my hand to my field!" Soon, a bipedal, red-colored dragon with curled black horns on top of its head and a silver muzzle over its mouth appeared on Bahamut's field. It had pieces of violet armor with silver lines chained onto its chest and thighs, along with silver spiked pads on its knees. Its arms were sealed in two large containers with blue gems and broken chains at the ends, which only showed its claws as a result.

Bystial Magnamhut ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

"I also activate the effect of Bystial Baldrake from my hand. Once per turn, I can target a Light or Dark monster in either of our Graveyards and banish it. By doing so, I can Special Summon Magnamhut from my hand to my field."

Not this again, Perseo cursed in his mind. If Bahamut had more monsters like that, then Perseo would end up either losing his strongest monsters, or crucial ones that can help him stay in the game.

"I banish D/D Nighthowl from your Graveyard, and Special Summon Bystial Baldrake from my hand to my field!" Bahamut decided, as a purple dragon with two curved horns on top of its head and a sharp beak on its upper jaw appeared on his field. On its body were pieces of black armor with blue lines and spikes, along with several chains. It also had two sharp wings, along with a black tail that ended with spiked fur.

Bystial Baldrake ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

"I now activate the effect of The Bystial Alba Los from my hand. By tributing two 'Bystial' monsters I control, I can Special Summon it from my hand or Graveyard. I tribute Bystial Magnamhut and Baldrake to Tribute Summon The Bystial Alba Los from my hand to my field!" Both Magnamhut and Baldrake then turned into particles seconds later. Soon, a massive white and silver draconic construct that had four large wings, along with a halo attached underneath its body appeared on Bahamut's field. It had a total of three red eyes, with two of them under its wings while the third one was in the middle of the halo. It also had two dragon heads with red eyes and long necks that were attached to its body, with each one having multiple spikes. Attached to its halo was a bipedal, white and silver dragon with large, fang-like shoulder pads.

The Bystial Alba Los ATK: 3500 DEF: 3500 LV: 12

I'll take massive battle damage if I don't act soon, Perseo realized in his mind, having gestured to his field. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Dark Contract with the Witch! While this card's on my field, all Fiend type monsters I control gain 1000 attack points during your turn only." Soon, Cursed King Siegfried and Abyss King Gilgamesh were surrounded in purple auras that increased their strength.

D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh ATK: 1800 + 1000 = 2800

D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried ATK: 2800 + 1000 = 3800

"Battle!" Bahamut declared. "The Bystial Alba Los attacks D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh! Fission Decimator!" Energy gathered in each of Alba Los' mouths before firing them both at Abyss King Gilgamesh, which tore him apart into pieces as a massive explosion. As a result, Perseo was forced to use his right arm to shield himself from it as his life points dropped.

Perseo: 3000 – 700 = 2300 LP

"That wasn't wise, intruder." Perseo snarked back. "For when D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh is destroyed by battle with your attacking monster, or by your card effect while it's in the monster zone, I can-!"

"I won't let you bring out a powerful monster!" Bahamut interjected. "Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Called By The Grave! This card lets me target one monster in your Graveyard and banish it. By doing so, I can not only negate its effects, but also negate the activated effects and effects of monsters with the same name on your field until the end of the next turn! I target and banish Abyss King Gilgamesh!" As if on cue, one of Perseo's cards in his Graveyard turned into particles, which made him gasp after looking at it.

With Abyss King Gilgamesh gone, that meant Perseo could no longer use Gilgamesh's second effect to bring out a powerful monster to his field. This intruder may have caught me off guard, but that's only for now, and I'll make him pay for his arrogance, Perseo thought in his mind.

"I also activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Super Rejuvenation. At the end of the turn this card was activated, I can draw cards equal to the combined number of Dragon monsters I discarded or tributed from my hand or field this turn." Bahamut grinned. "I end my turn, which means I can draw two cards since I tributed two Dragon monsters this turn." He drew the top two cards of his deck. "In addition, Dark Contract with the Witch's effect ends, and your monster loses his attack point boost." Cursed King Siegfried groaned as his strength returned to normal.

D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried ATK: 3800 – 1000 = 2800

"Magnamhut's second effect also activates! During the end of the turn it was Special Summoned, I can add one Dragon monster from my deck or Graveyard to my hand." Bahamut added. "I add Bystial Druiswurm from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Bahamut's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"My turn! I draw!" Perseo said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Cursed King Siegfried's effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can-."

"Sorry, but you're not allowed to do such a thing, especially with Alba Los' effect!" Bahamut suddenly interrupted. "While Alba Los is in the monster zone, the effects of all Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link monsters on the field are instantly negated! Abysmal Suppression!" Alba Los let out a loud roar as it spread across the entire field, which drained Siegfried of his effects.

"Crap. With Siegfried's effect negated, I have no choice but to resume with Dark Contract with the Witch's effect. During each of my Standby Phases, I take 1000 points of damage." Perseo grit his teeth as a purple aura surrounded his body, which decreased his life points.

Perseo: 2300 – 1000 = 1300 LP

"With the Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters whose Levels are between 1 and 10 at the same time! Come forth, my servant! D/D/D Doom King Armageddon!" Perseo shouted, as within several moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where one light emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated, where it revealed a giant crystal with a pointed end and a harness around it. A golden face was attached to the front of the crystal, and it had a core pulsing with dark energy inside it.

D/D/D Doom King Armageddon ATK: 3000 DEF: 1000 LV: 8 PS: 4

"Battle!" Perseo thrusted out his right hand. "D/D/D Cursed King Siegfried attacks The Bystial Alba Los! Accursed Slash!"

"Strike back, Alba Los! Fission Decimator!" Bahamut shouted back, as Cursed King Siegfried charged forward, intent on striking down Alba Los. However, energy gathered in each of Alba Los' mouths before firing them both at Cursed King Siegfried, who turned into particles upon impact. The explosion that occurred soon after made Perseo shield himself as his life points dropped.

Perseo: 1300 – 700 = 600 LP

"If I know one thing in my numerous duels, it's that a duelist wouldn't do such a thing unless they had a plan to reap from a temporary loss."

Perseo smirked in response, having seen that Bahamut realized what was going on. "You're right, intruder. That attack was a part of my strategy to regain the upper hand in this duel. Starting with this! First, when Cursed King Siegfried is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 life points for each 'Dark Contract' card I control. I only control one right now, which means I gain 1000 life points!" A yellow aura surrounded Perseo as his life points increased.

Perseo: 600 + 1000 = 1600 LP

"Second is Doom King Armageddon's effect! If a monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can target that monster and increase its attack points equal to the destroyed monster's original attack points until the end of this turn! In exchange, it can't attack directly. I target Cursed King Siegfried in my Graveyard, which means Doom King Armageddon gains 2800 attack points!" A white aura surrounded Doom King Armageddon as its strength increased.

D/D/D Doom King Armageddon ATK: 3000 + 2800 = 5800

"The battle continues!" Perseo reminded Bahamut. "D/D/D Doom King Armageddon attacks The Bystial Abla Los!" Energy gathered inside Doom King Armageddon's core before firing streams of purple energy that pierced Alba Los completely, which turned it into particles as a massive explosion occurred. This pushed Bahamut back several feet as his life points dropped.

Bahamut: 4000 – 2300 = 1700 LP

"With that, I end my turn, which means Doom King Armageddon's effect ends." As if on cue, a red aura surrounded Doom King Armageddon, which returned its strength to normal.

D/D/D Doom King Armageddon ATK: 5800 – 2800 = 3000

"How was that, intruder? What you've seen just now was but a portion of the strength my brothers and I possess." Perseo stated. "You'd be wise to surrender now."

"Surrender? If you think you've gotten me on the ropes by that move, you're mistaken." Bahamut replied. "For a dragon represents supernatural power, wisdom, strength and hidden knowledge. No matter what happens, the dragon always perseveres and reigns in the end."

"Is that so? Well then, intruder. Let's see how you get out of the predicament you're in right now."

"Just watch and see for yourself! My turn! I draw!" Bahamut drew the top card of his deck.

"Since it's now your turn, the effect of Dark Contract with the Witch now activates, which increases the attack points of all Fiend type monsters I control gain 1000 attack points during your turn only." Perseo told Bahamut, as Doom King Armageddon was surrounded in a purple aura that increased its strength.

D/D/D Doom King Armageddon ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000

"As gutsy as what you did on your previous turn, it's been a long while since someone defeated Alba Los in combat." Bahamut admitted. "Still, you had the audacity to sacrifice your own monster like it was a tool."

Perseo raised an eyebrow in response to Bahamut's comment. "And is that a problem? When it comes to a duel, every card plays a piece to help someone eventually become the victor. If you're not willing to sacrifice a few cards just to achieve victory, then you'll lose in the end."

"Then for treating your own cards like tools, I'll make sure you don't make a comeback." Bahamut gritted his teeth, hellbent on making sure Perseo couldn't recuperate from what was about to happen next. "I activate the effect of Bystial Druiswurm from my hand. Once per turn, I can target a Light or Dark monster in either of our Graveyards and banish it. By doing so, I can Special Summon Druiswurm from my hand to my field."

"Great. Not this again…" Perseo cursed, knowing which card Bahamut will banish to bring out his monster.

"I banish Cursed King Siegfried from your Graveyard, and Special Summon Bystial Druiswurm from my hand to my field!" Bahamut decided, as a large, grey and blue dragon with golden antlers for horns and a silver mask on its head appeared on Bahamut's field. It had pieces of dark-cyan armor with silver outlines and broken chains attached to its body. Forcibly fastened onto its wings with chains were silver clamps that had blue gems on it.

Bystial Druiswurm ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

"I also activate the Spell card, A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. By returning a Level 5 or higher Dragon monster on my field back to my hand, I can destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field."

"Then that means-!" Perseo began speaking, realizing what was about to come.

"Yup. You won't be able to Pendulum Summon your monsters any longer." Bahamut confirmed "I return Druiswurm back to my hand." Druiswurm turned into particles that went back to Bahamut's hand. A burst of wind then fired out of A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon, which destroyed Kepler, Galilei and Dark Contract with the Witch, turning all three of them into particles. As a result, a red aura surrounded Doom King Armageddon, which reverted its strength back to normal.

D/D/D Doom King Armageddon ATK: 4000 – 1000 = 3000

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Foolish Burial. It lets me send one monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Eclipse Wyvern from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Bahamut's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.

"And when Eclipse Wyvern is sent to the Graveyard, I can banish one Level 7 or higher Light or Dark Dragon type monster from my deck." Bahamut said. "I banish The Bystial Lubellion from my deck!" One of the cards in Bahamut's deck then turned into particles seconds later. "I also activate the effect of Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End from my hand. By banishing one Light and Dark monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field. I banish Eclipse Wyvern and Magnamhut from my Graveyard." A bipedal, light-brown and cyan dragon with long, orange hair appeared on Bahamut's field. It wore pieces of golden armor all over its body, along with an orange gem at the center.

Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"Eclipse Wyvern's second effect activates! When it's banished from my Graveyard, I can add the monster banished by its effect. I add The Bystial Lubellion from my banished zone back to my hand." A card appeared in Bahamut's hand afterwards.

"From there, I activate the Quick-Spell card, Flying Dragon Whirl. By sending up to four Dragon monsters from my deck to my Graveyard, I can target one Dragon monster on my field and increase its attack points by 300 for each Dragon monster sent to my Graveyard by this effect. I target Chaos Emperor Dragon, and send White Dragon Wyverbuster, Darkflare Dragon, Bystial Saronir and Chaos Emperor, the Armageddon Dragon from my deck to my Graveyard!" Bahamut stated, as four cards popped out of his deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. Once that was done, Chaos Emperor Dragon roared, its strength having increased.

Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End ATK: 3000 + (300 X 4) = 4200

"I also summon Chaos Mirage Dragon from my hand to my field." A white, serpent-like dragon with golden scales all over its body appeared on Bahamut's field. It had long, wispy-purple hair on the sides of its head, along with pieces of armor that had spikes on its shoulders and legs. Lastly, its tail ended in a blade resembling that of a scythe.

Chaos Mirage Dragon ATK: 1600 DEF: 600 LV: 4

"Next, I activate Chaos Mirage Dragon's effect. Once per turn, I can target one banished Light or Dark monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field with its effects negated. In exchange, I can only Special Summon Light or Dark Synchro monsters from my deck to my field for the rest of this turn." Bahamut announced. "Return to me, Magnamhut!" At Bahamut's command, Magnamhut reappeared on his field.

Bystial Magnamhut ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

"Last but not least, I activate the effect of The Bystial Lubellion from my hand. By tributing a Level 6 or higher Dark Dragon monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand or Graveyard to my field. I tribute Magnamhut and Special Summon The Bystial Lubellion from my hand to my field!" After Magnamhut turned into particles, a white and silver, bipedal dragon that wore metallic armor all over his body appeared on Bahamut's field. On top of his head were a total of six horns, with the two silver and chrome horns at the back protruding outwards to the back, which almost resembled a ram's horns. The black and thin ones in the middle, which resembled tusks, also did the same. For the silver and chrome horns in the front, it protruded inwards, which almost resembled a bull's horns. On his shoulders were large, fang-like shoulder pads, each of which had three ridges and a long spike at the end. Last but not least, he had long wings, which had silver and chrome outlines.

The Bystial Lubellion ATK: 2500 DEF: 3000 LV: 8

"Battle!" Bahamut declared. "Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End attacks D/D/D Doom King Armageddon! Cemetery of Fire!" Flames gathered in Chaos Emperor Dragon's mouth before firing it at Doom King Armageddon, which incinerated it completely as a massive explosion occurred. Perseo was forced to shield himself once more as his life points dropped.

Perseo: 1600 – 1200 = 400 LP

"Let's end this duel! The Bystial Lubellion attacks you directly! Imperial Turmoil!" Red, hot chrome energy gathered in Lubellion's mouth before he fired it straight at Perseo in the form of multiple silver flames. In response to this, his sword appeared in front of him as he grabbed it and began to spin it in front of him. This enabled Perseo to withstand the attack fired from Lubellion and keep his footing as an explosion occurred. After it dissipated, it showed Perseo having fallen on his left knee with his sword planted in front of him, where his life points still dropped all the way to zero.

Perseo: 400 – 2500 = 0

Perseo struggled to stand up on his feet, having fell over a few times as he continued to try to do so. While he managed to succeed in doing so for a few seconds, he exhausted a great amount of energy defending himself from the last attack of the duel, which made him fall on one knee once again as a result. Unfortunately, it only got worse for Perseo, as he gasped out of shock upon seeing Lubellion still on the field. "Impossible! How's your duel monster still on the field?! With the duel over, it should be gone!"

"Let's just say that's a story for another day." Bahamut replied, obviously not going to tell Perseo on how Lubellion, the former's ace duel monster, remained on the field despite the duel being over. Only someone who showed true strength would be worthy to hear how Bahamut's monster was able to stay active following the duel's conclusion. Lubellion immediately dashed forward and grabbed Perseo, who struggled as he tried to escape from the former's grasp.

Bahamut then walked over and pressed a button on his duel disk, which released a wave of energy that scanned Perseo seconds later. Unfortunately, Perseo didn't have the Code Key in his possession, which meant that either Lycaon or Jeromy had it in their possession. But the only way to find out was to rendezvous with the other envoys first. Thus, Bahamut mounted Lubellion before taking off, intent on delivering this information to Dogma before figuring out what to do next.

Elsewhere, at another area of the same server…

Lycaon looked around the server, knowing that he and his brothers were certainly logged into the network by force. As for who did such a thing, it was obvious, especially since the three Kings received unexpected visitors in the form of their attackers. Thus, Lycaon and his brothers would have to eliminate the attackers before things got worse than it already had for them right now.

"Ah, so you know what's going on. Good. It looks like I won't have to do much explaining," a voice observed, as Dogma appeared some distance away from Lycaon.

"On that topic, maybe you should explain who you are and why you're here." Lycaon suggested, practically irked that someone would have the audacity to attack him and his brothers during the night.

"While I won't tell you who I am, I will tell you why my associates and I are here in the first place." Dogma responded. "You see, we're after the other half of the Code Key, which we know is in your possession. As such, you and your brothers have two choices. The first being that you either hand it to us or give up its location. The second being that I force it out from you in a duel. What's more, your brothers are in the same situation you're in right now."

Lycaon grit his teeth in anger. This very meant one of two things. One: Dogma and his allies were responsible for attacking Queen and Pawn. Two: Dogma and his allies were working for the one who committed the deed. Whatever it was, it didn't change the current situation Lycaon and the others were in right now. For the trio had to defeat Dogma and his allies if they wanted to escape out of Den City. Whoever these people are, they will pay for daring to attack us, Lycaon thought in his mind. I will see to that personally! "While I'm not sure how you guys know about the Code Key, my brothers and I aren't foolish enough to just give it to someone such as yourself! If anything, you aren't worthy of using it!" He then activated his duel disk.

"Hmph. So you're going after the second option. Very well. Then let us proceed." Dogma also activated his duel disk, ready for the duel to come. If anything, Dogma wanted to finish this up quickly so he can see whether Lycaon had the other half of the Code Key or not. For the sooner this was done, the better.

"Duel!" Dogma and Lycaon shouted in unison.

Dogma: 4000 LP

Lycaon: 4000 LP

"As you attacked us, I'll be taking the first turn. My turn!" Lycaon said. "Using the Scale 1 D/D Savant Copernicus and the Scale 10 D/D Savant Newton, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Soon, two pillars of light appeared on Lycaon's left and right sides.

In the pillar of light on the right was a red and golden telescope with metal arcs in its body, along with a cradle attached to its left arm. Dangling underneath its left arm were a total of five orbs, each of which were different colors. Its face consisted of a golden and purple mask with blue eyes on it.

In the pillar of light on the left was a bronze orb that had a core resembling that of a sun at the center. A total of eight different-colored gems were at the top, which resembled that of a solar system. Its face composed of a mask with blue eyes on it.

D/D Savant Copernicus PS: 1

D/D Savant Newton PS: 10

"With the Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters whose Levels are between 1 and 10 at the same time! Come forth, my servants! D/D Cerberus and D/D Berformet!" Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where two lights emerged. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

The first was a bipedal, three-headed dog with green fur and pieces of bronze armor on its legs, as well as three bronze collars around its necks.

The second was a yellow-skinned fiend that had two white wings attached to its back, as well as a black wing in place of a left arm. It had two arms on the right side of its body, along with pieces of metal armor strapped to its left leg and a lower metal jaw.

D/D Cerberus ATK: 1800 DEF: 600 LV: 4 PS: 6

D/D Berformet ATK: 1400 DEF: 1800 LV: 4

"I overlay the Level 4 D/D Cerberus with the Level 4 D/D Berformet!" Lycaon declared, as a multi-colored portal with numerous symbols appeared behind him. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Cerberus and Berformet turned into green and yellow streams of energy before entering into the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"King of surging power! In order to subjugate all that resides in this world, descend onto the peak of this world here and now! Xyz Summon! Be born! Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar!" A dark-blue humanoid that was clad with purple armor, as well as silver armor on his back that had spikes appeared on Lycaon's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. In his hands, he carried a massive broadsword.

D/D/D Wave King Caesar ATK: 2400 DEF: 1200 RNK: 4 OU: 2

"Using Wave King Caesar, I now rebuild the Overlay Network!" Lycaon suddenly said, as the multi-colored portal with numerous symbols appeared behind him once again, where Wave King Caesar turned into energy before going inside it, which caused a pillar of light to erupt from the center seconds later.

"Interesting. So you're performing a Rank-Up Xyz Change…" Dogma deduced, having put a hand to his chin as he wondered what monster Lycaon will bring next.

"Hero of legends! With your profound sense of justice, pierce through all things!" Lycaon chanted. "Rank-Up Xyz Change! Be born! Rank 5! D/D/D Marksman King Tell!" A green-skinned humanoid whose chest resembled that of an apple with a chunk taken out of it, along with a green waist cape appeared on Lycaon's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Three arrows were sprung out of the upper left side of his chest, as if he had been recently pierced. He had green hair, with the front ends of it spiking upwards before protruding to the back. He also wore pieces of black armor on his legs and right arm. Attached to his right arm was a golden crossbow that had a dragon's mouth at the end

D/D/D Marksman King Tell ATK: 2300 DEF: 2000 RNK: 5 OU: 3

"But why stop there, as I use Marksman King Tell to rebuild the Overlay Network for a third time!" The multi-colored portal with numerous symbols appeared behind Lycaon once more, where Marksman King Tell turned into energy before going inside it, which caused a pillar of light to erupt from the center seconds later.

"Ancient king that conquered another dimension! Overthrow the lesser kings and absorb your enemies!" Lycaon chanted. "Rank-Up Xyz Change! Be born! Rank 10! D/D/D Deviser King Deus Ex Machinex!" A massive humanoid who wore dark-blue armor all over his body, along with a pair of wings that had copper blades appeared on Lycaon's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, who sat on a throne. He had very long grey hair, with four strands going on the sides of his neck while the rest flowed behind his head. On the sides of his head were two red horns, with the both of them curving upwards.

D/D/D Deviser King Deus Ex Machinex ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000 RNK: 10 PS: 10 OU: 4

"Fascinating. You utilized two Rank-Up Xyz changes to bring out your ultimate monster in one turn. How impressive." Dogma remarked.

"Deus Ex Machinex isn't my ultimate monster, you know. If you last long enough, you might meet my true ultimate monster soon." Lycaon responded. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Dogma drew the top card of his deck.

"Not so fast! Continuous-Trap, activate! Dark Contract with the Eternal Darkness!" Lycaon gestured to his field. "While this card's on the field, any player that doesn't have a copy of this card can't activate Spell or Trap cards that target a monster. What's more, they can't tribute monsters on their field for a Tribute Summon, nor can they be used as material for a Fusion, Synchro or Xyz monster."

"So you plan on blocking my Extra Deck, huh? That won't be a detriment to me at all." Dogma responded.

"Is that what you really think? All duelists utilize the Extra Deck to bring out their strongest monsters, yet you say it won't be a detriment to you? How ridiculous you sound right now."

"It isn't a detriment at all, spoiled brat. Allow me to show you what I mean." Dogma took a card from his hand before playing it. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Dogmatikamatrix. When this card is activated, I can add one 'Dogmatika' Ritual monster or one 'Dogmatika' Ritual Spell card from my deck to my hand. However, if you control a monster, I can add one 'Dogmatika' monster from my deck to my hand. I add Dogmatikalamity and Dogmatika Alba Zoa from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Dogma's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"I now activate the Ritual Spell card, Dogmatikalamity." Dogma continued. "This card lets me Ritual Summon one 'Dogmatika' Ritual monster by tributing monsters from my hand or field whose levels equal the stated Ritual monster. In addition, I'm also allowed to send one monster from my Extra Deck whose level equals the Ritual monster's level."

"You can tribute monsters from your Extra Deck as material?!" Lycaon questioned out of shock.

"Yes, but lucky for you, I won't need to do so. I tribute Dogmatika Ashiyan and Dogmatika Adin, the Enlightened from my hand!" Soon, a black diamond appeared above in the sky, where two silhouettes appeared on Dogma's field seconds later.

The first was a white-armored warrior who wore a hood and a white mask with golden outlines, as well as three, very long bladed claws on each of his hands.

The second was a man who had combed black hair, along with a silver crown with golden outlines that was on his forehead. His attire consisted of white robes with golden outlines, along with a white cape strapped to his back. He also had two golden shoulder pads, each of which had a piece of cloth that flowed downwards to the man's sides. Orbiting above his hand was a book with a golden circle that had spikes on both sides, which emitted with power.

Soon, both monsters disintegrated into light and entered into the center of the black diamond above in the sky, which unleashed a burst of purple and black light.

"Holy man who sacrificed everything to sit upon God's throne! Revel in your malice and take on a form to conquer everything!" Dogma chanted. "Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 12! Dogmatika Alba Zoa!" A massive, grotesque humanoid with no eyes, two crescent pieces of a halo attached to his head, a long purple tongue and several spikes popping out of his body appeared on Dogma's field. At the center of his body was dark-grey skin that had spikes orbiting around a red core with a spike in it, which almost resembled a mouth. The majority of his skin was pale white, along with light-pink lines and light-pink skin on his arms. For the skin on the lower half of his body, it was also colored dark grey. His hands were draconic-like, which ended in long fingernails. Attached to his back was a pair of feathery wings, with each side ending in numerous spikes that protruded inwards. Lastly, orbiting behind his back was a halo made of purple diamonds.

Dogmatika Alba Zoa ATK: 4000 DEF: 4000 LV: 12

"A Level 12 Ritual monster with 4000 attack points?!" Lycaon exclaimed, shocked at what he saw in front of him.

"Indeed, and this rather… unique monster will be your ultimate undoing." Dogma replied. "For you see, while Alba Zoa is on my field, all 'Dogmatika' monsters I control are unaffected by the effects of your Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Link monsters. Unholy Dominion!" The purple diamond halo orbiting behind Alba Zoa's back glowed with energy as it surrounded Dogma's field.

Damn it! That means I can't negate Alba Zoa's other effects with Deviser's effect, Lycaon cursed in his mind. That meant the only way Lycaon can truly destroy Alba Zoa was either through Spell or Trap card effects or by battle.

"Next, I activate Alba Zoa's second effect. Once per turn, you must choose and apply one of two effects." Dogma held up one finger. "The first effect is that you must send one card from your hand or Extra Deck to your Graveyard for every two monsters in your Extra Deck." He held up a second finger. "The second effect, on the other hand, requires you to return all Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Link monsters back to your Extra Deck."

"WHAT?!" Lycaon exclaimed, having gasped as his eyes widened out of pure horror.

"Unholy Coercion!" Dogma shouted, as Alba Zoa released a wave of white and red energy from his wings at Lycaon, which surrounded his body seconds later. "Now choose the effect you wish to apply."

Lycaon grit his teeth in pain as the energy surrounding his body intensified, knowing that it'd get worse for him if he didn't choose an effect soon. "Fine! I choose to apply effect one, and since I have twelve monsters in my Extra Deck, that means I have to send six cards from my hand or Extra Deck to my Graveyard." As such, Lycaon took six cards from his Extra Deck before sending them to the Graveyard.

"I also activate Dogmatikamatrix's second effect. Once per turn, when I control a 'Dogmatika' Ritual monster, I can look at either of our Extra Decks and send a card from it to the respective player's Graveyard." A screen suddenly emerged out of Lycaon's Extra Deck, which showed his remaining cards to Dogma. "I send D/D/D Abyss King Gilgamesh from your Extra Deck to your Graveyard." The declared card then turned into particles seconds later.

This guy… just who the Hell is he, Lycaon wondered in his mind, the shock still evident on his face. Despite Lycaon being a higherup and wielding a very powerful deck, his whole strategy was getting torn apart by this intruder in front of him.

"From there, I activate the effect of Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted from my hand." Dogma said. "Since you control a monster from the Extra Deck, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field." A tall, female knight who wore silver armor on her body appeared on Dogma's field. Around her waist was a cape that glowed with a golden glow. In her right arm, she carried a large broadsword, while attached to her left arm was a large, circular shield.

Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

"What's more, as I control another 'Dogmatika' monster when she was Special Summoned, I can negate the effects of a monster you control until the end of this turn. I negate Deus Ex Machinex's effects!" Fleurdelis slashed the large broadsword in her hands in front of her, which released a wave of energy that hit Deus Ex Machinex before he greyed out, his effects having been negated in the process.

"Battle!" Dogma declared. "Dogmatika Alba Zoa attacks D/D/D Deviser King Deus Ex Machinex! At this point, Fleurdelis' second effect activates! When a 'Dogmatika' monster I control declares an attack, all 'Dogmatika' monsters gain 500 attack points." Both Alba Zoa and Fleurdelis were surrounded in golden auras that increased their strength.

Dogmatika Alba Zoa ATK: 4000 + 500 = 4500

Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

"Unholy Purification!" Alba Zoa's chest illuminated with purple and red light as it spread throughout his body, where it went upwards before turning into a large silhouette of a demonic angel. Alba Zoa then launched the large silhouette at Deus Ex Machinex, which vaporized him completely into nothingness in a massive explosion. The same explosion forced Lycaon to shield himself with his right arm as his life points dropped.

Lycaon: 4000 – 1500 = 2500 LP

"This duel is pretty much over." Dogma said. "The battle continues! Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted attacks you directly!" Fleurdelis charged forward and brought the large broadsword down onto Lycaon, who was pushed back several feet upon impact, having been forced to take a knee as his life points dropped to zero.

Lycaon: 2500 – 3000 = 0

Lycaon struggled to get up on his feet, the impact of the last attack having drained away a portion of his strength. While he managed to stand up on his feet, he unfortunately lost his balance and fell on his back.

"All that talk of being worthy, yet you couldn't even defeat me in a duel." Dogma remarked, having voiced his disappointment just now. Suddenly, he and Lycaon heard the roar of a dragon, where Lubellion and Bahamut appeared before landing on the ground. After Bahamut jumped off of Lubellion's back, Lubellion then unceremoniously threw Perseo down onto the ground. Seconds later, Despa and Apsed appeared, along with a captive Jeromy, where the two of them threw him to the ground as well. To ensure the three Kings couldn't escape, Dogma threw several Black Keys to the ground, which caused electricity to course through them before forming into what appeared to be a translucent cage.

"If this is how strong SOL Technologies' rulers are, then it demonstrates just how incompetent the company truly is." Bahamut stated, having crossed his arms out of disappointment.

"You said it, Bahamut. No wonder SOL Technologies failed as of late." Apsed commented with glee.

"The old man doesn't have the Code Key." Despa told Dogma.

"Neither does the young adult." Bahamut informed Dogma as well.

Dogma, having taken this information into account, walked over to where Lycaon was before pressing a button on his duel disk. Upon doing so, a wave of data was released that scanned Lycaon for a few seconds as it dissipated. Like with Perseo and Jeromy, Lycaon didn't have the other half of the Code Key in his possession. "And unfortunately, the boy of the Dragon King's sons doesn't have the other half of the Code Key either."

"You know of our father?" Perseo inquired.

"I've known him for a long time, Perseo." Dogma answered, which made him gasp. "The three of you are spoiled, pitiful and pathetic. Nothing like Dairoku Saionji at all."

"Father was weak to believe that power should be shared. Power only belongs to those who are strong and willing to monopolize it." Jeromy said.

"Besides, thanks to us, SOL Technologies prospered and recovered during difficult times." Lycaon added.

"Yeah, I highly doubt that." Despa commented, which made the three Kings narrow in eyes after hearing it. Apsed laughed upon hearing Despa's comment, once again happy to see his other half being the one to inflict pain on others and enjoying it. Even Dogma couldn't help but let out a chuckle as well.

"As for the comments about your dad, it has nothing to do with the situation at hand." Bahamut reminded Lycaon, Perseo and Jeromy. As if on cue, Lubellion let out a loud growl, which scared the three Kings in the process.

"If anything, Dairoku proved to be a better ruler than you three clowns combined." Dogma stated. This was true. Dogma genuinely respected Zero due to how his rule kept SOL Technologies stable and running. However, when his sons took over, SOL Technologies suffered over time. This was evident by how the company failed to keep the people safe in the face of numerous situations such as the Turf War, as well as making shady deals with the Black Market and Balius behind the scenes.

"Enough talk, Dogma. Let's torture these three and get the information we need!" Apsed exclaimed, intent on making Lycaon, Perseo and Jeromy suffer.

"No. They're mine now," another voice said, as a purple portal appeared, which Jericho stepped out of before rendezvousing with the others. He turned to Dogma, wanting to ask him a question. "Have the other higherups been disposed of?"

Dogma nodded in response to Jericho's question. "I spoke with Cryomancer, Juggernaut and Brigadier earlier, sir. Unfortunately, after they defeated the other higherups in duels, I learned that neither of them have the other half of the Code Key."

"And since the Kings don't have it in their possession, they probably know where it is." Bahamut deduced.

Apsed clapped with his hands, delighted with what was about to happen next. "Oh, goody! I can't wait to see them scream in pain!"

"It's better if spill the beans quickly. Otherwise, they will indeed suffer." Despa acknowledged.

Jericho narrowed his eyes as he walked over to where the three Kings were, intent on interrogating them. If the Kings knew where the remaining half of the Code Key was, that meant SOL Technologies would finally be in Jericho's grasp. For one way or another, Jericho would get what he wanted.

"It can't be…" Lycaon whispered, a look of horror evident on his face.

"It's impossible…" Perseo also whispered, the same look of horror also appearing on his face.

"You should be dead." Jeromy whispered as well, the same look of horror having already appeared on his face.

"Politicians. Terrorists. Religious figures. Criminals. Hypocrites. Sinners. Like little children. Always fighting. While others have to clean up the mess." Jericho remarked with disgust, a sword made of data material having appeared in his right hand. He really hated how, rather than collaborate with one another in creating a better world, humans chose to fight amongst themselves for petty things. All just so they can revel in the corrupted pleasures of this world. "There's only one way you get out of this with your consciousness intact. Tell me where it is. Where is the other half of the Code Key?"

"Never…" Lycaon spat out in defiance.

"Like we'll tell you…" Perseo stated defiantly.

"Whatever plans you have for SOL Technologies will never-" Jeromy began to defiantly add, only for Jericho to fire blasts of data material from the data material sword in his right hand at each of the three Kings, having knocked them unconscious upon impact.

"Never is still here." Jericho commented back, disappointed that he couldn't get information from the Kings on the whereabouts of the other half of the Code Key. This meant the only one who knew of its true location was Akira, and thanks to Ai's ridiculous message, Jericho would have to wait three days before launching the attack with him.

But despite this minor inconvenience, it did open up a few opportunities for Jericho. For one, he can test Juggernaut's apprentice in Souta to see how capable he was as both a duelist and a hacker. In addition, Jericho can go re-take control of Albinor Inc. from the person Dogma appointed to maintain control of the company. On that topic, Jericho can test this person to see if they were worthy of being an envoy of Albinor.

"Did you kill them?" Bahamut inquired.

"No. Like with Queen and Pawn, the three Kings have been knocked unconscious, and any memories of what happened will disappear." Jericho answered Bahamut's question. "They can prove to be useful in the event Zaizen decides to recruit allies to protect him that are not from this world."

"That is wise, sir. For killing them would only bring attention to us." Dogma supported Jericho's decision.

Jericho put a hand to his chin, having thought things over before speaking. "Let's meet up tomorrow to discuss next steps. Have Juggernaut bring Souta to me as well. I have some tests I want him to complete if he's to work for us." With that, Jericho, Dogma, Bahamut, Despa and Apsed logged out of the network, the mission to dispose of the higherups having been accomplished. If this mission indicated anything, it was that the true war had begun. Everything up until now was the prelude, and when it was over, the world would be freed from sin forever.

In the sunset over Den City, Yuhiro, Miyu, and Arashi are depicted with Yusaku, Aoi, and Takeru looking out over the area.

Silhouettes of Earth, Windy, Aqua, Flame, Lightning, Herald, and Wraith are shown as Ai clenches his heart in despair before morphing into his human form. The screen shifts to the real world, which shows Roboppy looking out a window as a silhouette of his human form is shown with him.

Jin, Kusanagi, and Katsuya look at the starry skies, grateful smiles on their faces as they do so, glad to be reunited with one another. Silhouettes of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Codebreaker Virus Berserker appear in the area to ensure the peaceful moment wasn't disrupted.

Emma and Kengo Dojun are shown at the Den City hospital visiting his mother as she wakes up, happy to see her son again. A light-blue glow briefly surrounds her body before dimming, as though it were blessing her. In another area of the hospital, Roxy is shown lovingly embracing Miyu with joy, Aoi also smiling after seeing her wake up. Nearby is Yuhiro, who smiles as he watches the group. However, he lowers his head in sadness as he recalls everything that had to be sacrificed for this moment to occur.

Akira is shown rushing over to a helicopter, intent on completing an urgent business assignment. Hayami follows after him in a hurry, having also been called to assist him in completing the assignment.

A split screen then pops up, showing Tsubaki spending time with Hideki on one side, while Gekiryushi is training at the Shinpi-Tekina dojo, people happy to see the dojo being rejuvenated on the other side. Portrait of Zandaka, Kataru, and Arakan are also in the background. A second split screen appears next, showing Greg and Rachel spending time with one another, while Gil is looking at documents with the Bit and Boot under his command. A third split screen appears next, showing Go Onizuka having fun with the kids at the Den City Orphanage with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, while Brion issues directions as he collaborates with the people in Central Japan so they can work together in rebuilding their home.

The screen then shows Youta, Ryoken, and Takeya looking over a high platform, with Yua, Kyoko, Aso, Eizaburo, and Mikuru in the background watching them. It then shifts to show Emon looking over Beatrice's grave at the cemetery before fading away.

A portrait of everyone riding their duel boards in LINK VRAINS appears on a table as Yusaku and Yuhiro put down their duel disks, having accepted everything that's happened as they strive to move forward towards a brighter future.

Card Gallery

No new cards introduced in this chapter.

QOTC

Which of the envoys so far are your favorite in terms of appearance, personality and deck?

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Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 105: War on SOL: Part Two. With news of the remaining executives being defeated in battle, Akira continues to prepare for Ai's attack in the hopes of protecting SOL Technologies, intent on resorting to desperate measures to do so. Meanwhile, Jericho returns to Albinor Inc. to reclaim Urizen's former business for himself, only to encounter numerous obstacles along the way as he aims to achieve his objective…

Author's Notes

Massive credit to HunterHQ for thoroughly reviewing the duels between the envoys of Albinor and the higherups. Thank you very much!

Well folks, another chapter is done, especially one that had a lot of things in it. Going forward, do expect more things to occur in the chapters, as things are only going to get even more awesome from there! But I digress. Let's get to the recap:

First up is the anime scenes, where the heroes find out that Ai was responsible for attacking Queen and Pawn. While not much goes on here, I will highlight a few things. First being that Blood Shepherd, Ghost Girl and Go Onizuka know that something bad happened recently, which is evident upon seeing Raguel with the group. Though they don't know what happened specifically, all three of them know to be wary of Raguel, especially since he's not himself. The second is Raguel's interaction with Go. Recall back in Chapter 73, where Raguel said some mean stuff to Go and threatened to rip out the AI chip from the latter's head as punishment for defeating Earth. Here, Raguel sincerely apologizes for his words and wants to make things right with Go. What leads Go to accept Raguel's apology is the acknowledgement that the both of them made some messed up mistakes, and are looking to atone for them as well. Thus leading Raguel and Go to reconcile with one another in the end. The third is Akira officially meeting both Angelica and Aerith in the network for the first time, having also joined the meeting in order to identify next steps now that Ai is responsible for what happened to Queen and Pawn last chapter. Before leaving, Akira asks for Blue Maiden's assistance in investigating a message he received earlier in the chapter. As for who sent that message and why will be explained down in the author's notes later on.

Next up is the much-needed therapy session between Yuhiro and his duel monsters. Since he's been sentenced to protect the network for the rest of his life, he needs to reconcile with them if he's to adhere to his sentence. Some of you might be wondering this question: Why isn't Leshawna afraid of the duel monsters? It's because Leshawna dealt with a ton of clients in her work as a therapist, thus giving her experience on who different people are, how they got to the state they're in right now and the factors that led them to do so. That, and Roxy gave Leshawna a heads up before coming for the group therapy session.

Here, Leshawna figures out what's going on with some of the 'Cyreath' monsters present and why they are the way they are right now. As a result of Herald using their legends as inspiration to create each of the 'Cyreath' duel monsters, some of them decided to define themselves based off of their legend. In Atalanta's case, she wants to create a world where all children are saved. For Alastor, it was because he lost his children and his home. The both of them wanted to achieve the feats and goals their legends had achieved in order to obtain fulfilment. Unfortunately, both Atalanta and Alastor suffered as a result of letting their legends define them. This painful wake up call is one of the reasons both Atalanta and Alastor lash out at Yuhiro, angry with how his pain infected the both of them and their dreams. Whereas for Achilles and Medusa, the both of them didn't let their legends define them, and instead chose to become their own individuals. That was one of the many reasons why they assisted the heroes in saving Raguel's life several chapters ago. You could say that, while Yuhiro has work ahead of him, the fact that he's able to communicate with his 'Cyreath' monsters is definitely a first step in reconciling with them. After all, when Yuhiro snapped, he threw away his greatest strength in the bonds he forged with both the 'Cyreath' monsters and his friends. Ultimately, Yuhiro needs to make amends with everyone if he wishes to maintain those bonds, as this is one of his greatest challenges this season. On the plus side, he's off to a good start.

The 'Cyreath' duel monsters also learn that Miyu knows about Yuhiro and Roxy's activities on the Black Market, along with their reasons for doing so in the first place. Do note that Miyu learned the truth in Roxy's Reports 36 and 37, so read them again if you need to. Regarding Miyu's thoughts, I'll touch on that later in the Author's Notes.

Following the group therapy session, we go on over to the network, where Jericho meets up with Dogma once again. It's here where we meet some new characters that will be working with Jericho this season. Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present you with the envoys of Albinor, who are the villainous faction for Season 3! Below are the other members of the envoys of Albinor, along with their real-world and network appearances, as well as what they're based off of:

Gunther Garrison/Brigadier – Real world appearance is based off of Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Stay Night, while his network identity Brigadier is based off of EMIYA (Assassin) from Fate/Grand Order. He uses the 'Tri-Brigade' deck.

Jitney Phaeton/Juggernaut – Real world appearance is based off of Hinako Akuta from Fate/Grand Order, while her network identity Juggernaut is based off of Android 21 from Dragon Ball Z. She uses the 'Springans' deck.

Pierre Pantomime/Despa and Apsed – Real world appearance is based off of Cornelius Alba from the fifth chapter of Kara no Kyoukai: Paradox Spiral, while his network identities Despa and Apsed are each based off of Ashiya Douman from Fate/Grand Order. The both of them use the 'Despia' deck.

Jiao Long/Bahamut – Real world appearance is based off of Ryo Sayama from Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, while his network identity Bahamut is based off of Broly from Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He uses the 'Bystial' deck.

Yuki Fuyuyoshi – Real world appearance is based off of Shiki Ryougi from Kara no Kyoukai, while her network identity Cryomancer is based off of Rukia Kuchiki in her Bankai form from Bleach. She uses the 'Icejade' deck.

I really hope you enjoy the envoys of Albinor, as they'll be appearing more often moving forward!

Meanwhile in the network, we have Akira and Blue Maiden intercept the message at the coordinates provided in it, where they learn that Zero sent it. Some of you might be wondering why Akira furiously attacked Zero. It's because of his perception of Zero, and how he caused SOL Technologies to go through difficult times, which caused several people to either lose their jobs or be laid off so the company can survive. After Zero promises that he'll explain everything, Akira (with Blue Maiden's gentle probing), agrees to hear him out. Thus, Zero informs both Akira and Blue Maiden about how his sons overthrown him following the destruction of Project: VIII, with the assistance of the other higherups. Zero also tells both Blue Maiden and Akira about how with Jericho back, he'll likely go after Akira to acquire the other half of the Code Key. This leads Akira to inform Zero about Ai and his attack on Queen and Pawn, which upsets him greatly because of how it conflicts with the orders Kairi gave him a few chapters back. Akira also questions Zero why he didn't come to assist with situations such as the Tower of Hanoi event, the Turf war and many others. In response, Zero says that he's currently in a war against Urizen, and now that Jericho appeared on earth once again, it's only matter of time for his father to appear once again. As such, Zero explains his reasons on why he wants to help Akira. He not only wants to make amends for not being there when those events occurred, but to also keep SOL Technologies safe from Jericho and Urizen. Zero even tells Akira that, of all the individuals at SOL Technologies, the latter is someone who's a true leader. Someone who almost shares the same values as Zero. Someone that Zero sees as worthy of running the company itself one day. Finally, Zero wants to help humanity prepare for the battles to come, as the heroes' chances of defeating Jericho and Urizen will certainly go up with his knowledge. After discussing this information with Blue Maiden, Akira accepts Zero's offer of assistance, but not before telling him that he'll have to prove himself numerous times. After all, the last thing the heroes want is to deal with another Watchman. In addition, Akira challenges Zero to a duel to see how strong he is as a duelist. Unfortunately, this duel's off screen, and it'll officially be shown in one of the Roxy's Reports down the road. I'm sure all of you know who pretty much won the duel between Akira and Zero, so there's no need to show it.

From there, we go to another of the anime scenes, which is the discussion between Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, Yuhiro and Miyu. While this is an anime scene, I do want to highlight the discussion between Arashi and Miyu. It's here where we learn about Miyu's thoughts upon learning about Yuhiro and Roxy's activities on the Black Market, along with the reason they did it in the first place. Miyu's practically angry and confused as a result, but mostly the former with Yuhiro and Roxy for what they've done. How does Arashi respond to this? He starts by assuring Miyu that it's perfectly normal to feel these emotions because they're neither good nor bad. What matters, however, is what you do after feeling them. Ultimately, we all have a responsibility on what to do upon feeling these emotions, as we'll end up regretting something if we make the wrong choice. Arashi even tells Miyu about the reason he came to Den City in the first place, and how he would have turned into someone he hated had it not been for the people in his life. Lastly, Arashi tells Miyu that what truly matters in life is how we move forward after making mistakes. Yuhiro and Roxy certainly messed up, but they're doing their best to make amends for their mistakes and move forward. So while things between Miyu, Yuhiro and Roxy are going well, do expect her to give a stern talking-to for each of them first.

After that, we get to the main part of the chapter, which is the envoys attacking the higherups and their duels against each one afterwards. Given how the envoys launched the attack in the night, they were able to catch the higherups off guard and force them into duels. This is done for two reasons. The first is to dispose of any potential individuals that can potentially get in Jericho's way, as he doesn't want to take any risks after Brion betrayed him back in Chapter 65. The second is so that Jericho can use them in the event Akira gets allies that are not of this world. But moving that aside, let's get to the six duels of the chapter.

The first duel is between Cryomancer and Rook, where we learn that Rook has the 'Gladiator Beast' deck. However, thanks to Cryomancer's calculated moves, Rook's strength proved to be his undoing, as she seized victory in the duel.

The second duel is between Juggernaut and Knight, where we learn that Knight has the 'Noble Knight' deck. Makes sense, as he is a knight. In addition, Knight has a member of the Deadly Seven in the form of CXyz Comics Hero Legend Arthur. Despite this unexpected surprise, Juggernaut was able to cleverly evade Knight's moves and eventually defeat him in the duel.

The third duel is between Brigadier and Bishop, where we learn that Bishop has the 'Archfiend' deck. Despite some difficulty, Brigadier was able to eventually pull through and defeat Bishop in the duel.

The fourth duel is between Despa and Apsed against Jeromy, where we learn that Jeromy has a copy of the 'D/D' deck. I'll just say this now: Each of the three Kings has a copy of the 'D/D' deck. However, they all specialize in a type of summoning method. Jeromy specializes in Fusion Summoning, Perseo specializes in Synchro Summoning and Lycaon specializes in Xyz Summoning. But moving that aside, both Despa and Apsed manage to evade Jeromy's attempts at winning the duel before seizing victory in the end.

The fifth duel is between Perseo and Bahamut, where Perseo also has a copy of the 'D/D' deck. Despite some difficulty, Bahamut was able to persevere and brutally defeat Perseo in the duel for treating his cards like tools. Just to point something out here you'll find interesting: Bahamut says a rather unique quote about dragons. One that Drachen said all the way back in Chapter 48. Let's just say things are going to get interesting with Bahamut, especially since his duel monsters have a form of sentience.

The sixth and final duel of the chapter is between Lycaon and Dogma, where Lycaon has a copy of the 'D/D' deck as well. In addition, we learn that Dogma has the 'Dogmatika' deck in his disposal. It should be obvious, especially given Constantine's avatar name. But nevertheless, Dogma proceeds to swiftly finish Lycaon off and seize victory before he even had a chance at trying to make a comeback.

Following the duels, each of the higherups are knocked out unconscious once the envoys confirmed that neither of them have the other half of the Code Key. Jericho also appears in front of the Kings to demand where the other half of the Code Key is, which shocks them as they all believe that Jericho's dead. After the Kings refuse to answer Jericho's question, he proceeds to knock each of them unconscious before he leaves with the envoys, the mission having been accomplished.

Now that everything's been recapped, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 104 of Obscured Truth. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favourite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released. If you can also answer the QOTC, that would be awesome as well.

What did you enjoy the most about this chapter? The duels? The group therapy session between Yuhiro and the other 'Cyreath' duel monsters? The official appearance of Jericho's allies? Zero appearing in on the scene and offering his assistance to Akira? Or was it something else?

That's it for now, everyone! I will see you all next time!