Reggie was left shocked and pale. She was afraid that this conversation would be brought up. She had hoped that she would avoid it altogether. But unfortunately, Kuromu had asked the question and now she was forced to respond. Of course, it was unavoidable that Kuromu was watching her Duel with Tsukasa. She knew that. But to think that he would be able to see that card in her hand from that distance…
"I… I beg your pardon?" Reggie asked.
"That card in your hand, there was something in the text of that monster. It said "Tuner"." Kuromu said. "What's a Tuner Monster?"
She tried to dodge the question, "It's nothing. Just another mechanic like Geminis, Toon, and Flip Monsters." the militaristic woman tried to say.
"But I'm sure that we would have been taught about Tuners if that were the case." Kuromu argued, "So again I ask, what's a Tuner Monster, and why did you refuse to summon Minerva when you had her in her hand?"
"She has nothing to do with it." Reggie growled.
"That's a lie and you know it." the Rider Duelist called out.
"Lady MacKenzie…" Lightlord Maiden Minerva, the said Tuner Monster in question, was left uneasy, "It's fine… he has the right to know."
"But…" Reggie said conflicted. "If you're exposed then…"
She then recalled what the intruder had told her…
"Oh and D'Arc? I know you're sidelining the rest of your Extra Deck."
"The boss meant to say that we shouldn't reveal how to make them. He never said that we couldn't use them."
Reggie was left shaking, but given Kuromu was going to be here a while, and he had seen Minerva, he had the right to know.
"Very well." she relented, "But promise me this. Whatever is heard here must never be spoken about ever again."
"Fine, but first…" Kuromu said, looking at his arms. "Mind getting me down from here?"
The militaristic woman sighed, after a moment of contemplating, "I suppose it would be cruel to let you stay there all night." Then with a snap of her fingers, the cross lowered down and the ropes that bound him came loose, allowing him to touch the ground, albeit collapsing sloppily.
"Ugh… finally, I can move my limbs again…" Kuromu sighed, before managing to sit on the floor, crossing his legs. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be a member of the Seven Stars, you're not exactly good at being one."
"I suppose that is true. Darkness and David were more focused on the mission than I was." Reggie had to admit.
With another sigh, Kuromu said, "So… mind telling me what you know now?"
With a heavy heart, Reggie looked towards Minerva who looked towards her with an understanding sigh. She then sat down across from him in a ladylike manner. "A Tuner Monster is what's used for… a new summoning technique: the Synchro Summon."
"Synchro what?" Kuromu said wide-eyed.
"As of now, it's in the experimental process." She said, "The basic principle is, much like Contact Fusion, you do not need to use a spell card to activate it. You need a Tuner Monster, then other monsters whose combined Levels equal the Level of the Synchro Monster you want to summon." She then showcased Minerva's card alongside that of a Lightlord who was an angel with purple hair, "For example, I could tune Minerva with Lightlord Angel Cherubim to create this card." She then showcased a new card that showcased an older Minerva now sporting longer hair and angelic wings, "Level 8, Lightlord Athena Minerva."
"The card is… white." Kuromu noticed before realizing, "So, that's what's beyond Fusion and Ritual?"
"Yes, completely. You could say that Synchro Summoning is the next evolution of Contact Fusion." she said firmly, though Reggie herself knew there was more to just Synchro given the test duels she, David, and Conquete had endured.
"You mean… this is what Kaiba-san has been working on this whole time?"
"Y-Yes, and I'm its first test subject." She said, but she knew that was a lie.
Oogumo just gave her and her fellow subjects a forced look into the future.
"T-That's incredible. This could revolutionize Duel Monsters for the future." Kuromu realized. "Why hasn't this-"
"Again, it's in the experimental process. One cannot reveal premature results after all." Reggie pointed out.
"I suppose that's fair." Kuromu hummed in thought. "So then… Why go through all of this? You went out of your way to abduct me just so I can't Duel again, under the pretense of a possible Spirit Bond I have with one of my Kamen Riders, yet you have nothing to show for it. And here we are talking casually about an experimental mechanic that will literally be game changing, like nothing happened."
"Because, as I said, I'm worried about the monster you might become if you do obtain that card." She admitted, "You've seen what a Spirit Bond can do. It twists a person's noble traits into something malicious."
"Yeah, I have…" Kuromu frowned. "However, at the same time, it feels like you're acting out of fear for an event that will likely never come."
"And it may!"
"It also may not." Kuromu said. "No one knows what the future holds. Sure, what we do in the here and now can shape that future, but even then, we won't know until it plays out."
"And if it does happen? What then?"
"Then I hope you stop me."
That caught Reggie completely off guard.
"Rika was able to stop your brother, and from what I can tell, you two stopped Rex from going off the deep end." Kuromu argued, "Besides, what's going to stop you or any of my friends from saving me from myself?"
"Kuromu…" Reggie murmured.
Minerva smiled as she saw the resolve Kuromu displayed.
"So?" Kuromu smiled softly, "What's it gonna be?"
The militaristic woman, for the first time this night, had no answer to give.
"DAMMIT!" Rex snapped, banging his fist on the table.
Everyone had gathered at the Osiris Red Dorm's cafeteria, regrouping after Tsuaksa's loss to Reggie. To say that they were upset was an understatement. Sure, they got Kuromu's Deck back, but Kuromu was still up there with the militaristic woman in that temple. This was Oogumo's ultimatum all over again. Only this time, Kuromu and his Deck were the bargaining chips instead of Yukina and Ryotaro. No matter what happened, in either case, they had lost.
"Professor, let me go-"
"Absolutely not-nya." Daitokuji quickly shot down Rex.
"We can't just sit here and twiddle our thumbs all night and into the next day!"
"We don't like this any more than you do." Ryo said. "But it is what it is. Kadoya-sensei lost and we have to honor that deal until one of our real Spirit Key holders steps up to the plate."
"Speaking of…" Judai said, turning towards Tsukasa, who was still a spirit, "I'm surprised you're still around. How come she didn't do anything to you after your Duel with her? Wasn't she gonna do something with those scales of hers once you lost?"
"She did." Tsukasa said as he tried to switch to his corporeal form, but he could not leave his Duel Spirit form. The only reason he was corporeal was because Kyoshiro placed his card on a Duel Disk.
"Wait, you mean you can't switch?" Rika asked.
The dimensional Rider shook his head. "I think she locked that ability away. Likely as part of my 'punishment' for what I did."
"Well that's wonderful…" Jun grimaced.
"So what's our next move?" Misawa asked. "We have to consider it carefully."
"I mean, outside of going there with a different Duelist." The mutt pointed out, "The real question is, which of us can fight off that Judgment Dragoon Reggie can summon. As long as she's got Lightlords in her graveyard, she can summon it."
"We'll have to either have her reshuffle those monsters back into her Deck, or negate Judgment Dragoon from either being summoned or prevent it from activating its board wipe effect." Koji said.
As everyone pondered and conversated about this, only Asuka remained quiet throughout. The Foodon Duelist could only look at the Obelisk Queen with worry, and rightfully so. Reggie is holding the one person Asuka cares about most, as a prisoner. Throughout their time at that sky temple, she felt helpless. She couldn't do anything to help him.
And she wasn't the only one as the disco fan was putting his detective mind to good use alongside Misawa's genius, and Rex's strategist mind as they all tried to put a game plan together.
"I'd lend one copy of Gladial Beast Chariot, but it only works if there is a Gladial Beast on the field." The mutt sighed.
"God's Pronouncement is also a tricky card to work around due to Lightlord Magician Lyla's effect affecting the Spell/Trap Zone." The genius pointed out.
"That means we'll need an Effect Monster." Koji said, "But then we're back to square one since there's a chance that she might have some monster negates of her own." Koji said before the three scratched their heads over what to do.
It was then the Obelisk Queen stood up from her seat.
"Asuka-chan?" Rika said, confused.
"What's wrong?" Sho asked.
"I need some air." She told them before walking out of the dorm. The chef wanted to follow, but it was clear that Asuka needed some time alone.
Coming out of the dorm, Asuka found herself standing at the edge of the cliff behind the dorm, staring out into the sea. Or rather, staring at the sky above it. The sky was partially cloudy, no doubt due to the sky temple that was still up there, holding it up.
She was left conflicted as to what she could do to save Kuromu. But of course, there was still that dragon to deal with, one that was likely worse than her brother's A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon since all she needs is the Life Point lead.
"What do I do…?" Asuka murmured. But then a certain memory had her recall what Kuromu had said to her.
"If we can't do anything, and there's nothing we can do… we do what we can."
She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her Deck Box, to which she took her Deck out to look at. Scanning over the card, her eyes locked onto the new Ritual Monsters she had gotten in preparation for the Inter-School Duel. Her mind went back to memory lane of how she bought a whole bulk of booster packs and had Kuromu help her sort them out.
Flashback
Kuromu stared at Asuka in shock and slight horror as she was holding a plethora of booster packs in her arms. After finding her way towards Kuromu's room, and letting herself in after Kuromu opened his door, she dropped them all on his coffee tables. The packs spread out all over said table without care, piled up in a mini hill.
"…Do I even want to know how many Duel Points you spent on those packs?" Kuromu finally asked.
"Being the Obelisk Queen has its benefits." She said as she opened the first pack and began scanning its contents.
However, Kuromu didn't look convinced as he stared at her aridly. "Alright, what did you bribe Tome-san with?" he asked as Asuka quickly became sheepish before she could see the last card in the pack.
"I… may have promised you and I would work part-time for the next few days…" she timidly muttered.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!"
When Asuka dropped the cards she was holding to cover her ears, Kuromu noticed something in the pack. He picked it up and saw the name.
Cyber Angel - Vishnu
"This card…" Kuromu muttered, before showing it to Asuka. "Think you could use it?"
"Huh, I didn't know this archetype existed." she observed, "But this is a Ritual Monster, we'd need Machine Angel Ritual in order for me to use it, and that's an Ultra Rare."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Kuromu said, as he started on another pack. "I still can't believe you bribed Tome-san to have us work part-time at the card shop." He grumbled. "What are we gonna do with the cards that we don't need?"
"Simple, give them to our friends." she said as she placed down some cards.
"And if they don't need them?" Kuromu said before looking at the first cards she placed down.
Miracle Fusion, Super Vehicroid - Mobile Base, Gladial Beast Assault Fort, Reinforcement, Cyber Dragon Core, and Ripple Barrier - Wave Force -
"We could always resell them for Duel Points." Asuka offered, "After all, that's what the Card Aftermarket is for." she pointed out.
"True. But next time, if you're gonna buy packs, bring me with you, so I can temper your spending habits…" Kuromu sweat dropped.
"I'm not that bad at spending…"
"Your mother had to literally give me your credit card to keep you from maxing it out!"
Asuka smiled at the memory. In the end, it paid off, figuratively and literally. The figurative side was that they won their Tag Team bout against North Academia. The literal side was that all the cards they never used, and ones not given to their friends to support their decks, were resold back to Tome-san for more Duel Points.
…she was glad Kuromu never brought up her overspending to her parents.
"Kuro…"
"Asuka-chan?"
The Obelisk Queen turned around to see Kyoshiro approaching her.
"Mr. Kyo." Asuka acknowledged as the Kururugi patriarch stood next to her.
"I know that my son's situation is eating at you right now." Kyoshiro stated. "I know, because I'm feeling the exact same way you are right now: helpless, worried… but if I know my son, that's not going to stop him. There are things that he still needs to do."
"Yeah, what we need to do…" Asuka agreed then looked towards her friends trying to figure out how to beat Judgment Dragoon. "I just wish there was a way I could help."
Kyoshiro couldn't help but smile.
"You know, you sounded just like my wife for a moment." he reminisced.
"Huh? Mrs. Yukina?" Asuka blinked.
"Yeah." Kyoshiro replied, but then pondered on something, "Hmm… Have I ever told you how I met Yukina?"
"Not really." the Obelisk Queen shook her head.
Kyoshiro grinned at this, "I guess now is a good time for story time." He then sat down, gesturing to the Obelisk Queen to sit down next to him, to which she complied.
Flashback - 16 Years Ago
"Crap, crap, crap, crap! I'm late! I'm late!" A much younger Kyoshiro panicked as he rushed through the park. He had just gotten out of class for the day, and would've gotten out earlier, but the lecturer kept dragging the lesson longer, squeezing every second of the students' time until the bell rang. It didn't help that the plethora of assignments he was given for homework will keep him from having more free time to himself for the next week. So Kyoshiro wanted to at least have a sort of one last hurrah for his free time, before being buried in those cursed abominations that are homework. Whoever invented homework sucked!
"I was only 24 at the time when I met her; a year before Kuromu was born. I was just your average college graduate majoring in Fine Arts at Domino City University. Here I was cutting through the park after classes were done for the day. Quite literally, since I was running through the park at sunset because my lecturer just wouldn't shut up."
"Sorry, coming through!" Kyoshiro called out as he desperately tried to weave through the park goers.
"That must have been rough." Asuka commented.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Kyoshiro chuckled.
"Ugh, of all the days Magic and Wizards gets a new season, it had to be today!" Kyoshiro growled.
"Magic and Wizards? You were panicking… over missing a TV show?"
"It was the season premiere. I couldn't miss it."
"Goodness… like father, like son."
"Anyways, getting off track." Kyoshiro cleared his throat. "So here I was cutting through the park like usual, to get home as quick as I could. I was almost there until I met the woman who would eventually become my wife."
"Did she fall into your arms, so-to-speak?" Asuka asked with a slight giggle.
"In a way…"
"Alright, I'm good on time! I'm gonna make it! I just need to get home before the show-"
Before he could finish the sentence, something or rather someone landed on top of him.
*THUD!*
"…starts," he groaned, the college graduate having landed on his back, "Ugh, and so close to watching the premiere early…" he lamented. "Seriously, what the heck just-"
"Mmm…"
"Huh?" Kyoshiro got out, as he lifted up his head and saw someone on top of him, 'A girl?' He soon called out, "M-Miss? Are you okay?"
Yukina groaned as she slowly pushed herself up from him, looking around and then, towards herself strangely enough. She seemed to be lost in thought about something, muttering to herself, though the man couldn't discern what she was talking about.
"Uh… excuse me?"
"Hm?" Yukina blinked, then looked down, seeing Kyoshiro looking up at her. Her brain then started to catch up to her, now realizing that she was on top of a man. Blushing heavily, she did the only thing that was natural of her to do.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
*WAPISH!*
"YEEEAAAOOOWWW!"
Slap the poor guy into the nearest tree.
"That must have hurt…" Asuka winced.
"I had splinters for weeks after that." Kyoshiro grumbled.
"So… what happened next? After you got yourself out of the tree, of course."
"Well, I remember she was apologizing a lot afterwards."
"I am so sorry!" Yukina apologized profusely, bowing to him deeply and constantly. "I didn't mean to do that!"
"It's… fine…" Kyoshiro groaned in pain, stabilizing himself as he sat against the tree he slammed his back against. "Ughhh, I'm gonna have trouble sleeping when I get home."
"S-Should I take you to the hospital?" Yukina asked.
"Nah, it's fine." Kyoshiro reassured her, "But that's besides the point. What about you? That was a pretty bad fall."
"Um…" Yukina trailed off, looking nervous.
"Where did you even come from?" Kyoshiro asked, but then noticed her dress and attire. It was a rather simple looking lab coat, albeit with grime and dust on it, over a white button up shirt that seemed a bit large for her frame, and beige dress pants that had a pant leg torn, and dark brown loafers. "Uhhh… I'm guessing a science experiment went wrong?" He joked sheepishly.
"You… you could say that." She nervously said, "It's nothing serious!" She quickly affirmed, "Just some flight mishaps!"
"Flight?"
"Y-Yes, I was testing a form of flight using hard light constructs."
"Like… hard light projections?" Kyoshiro blinked owlishly.
"E-Exactly!" She seemed to insist, "I just haven't seemed to find the right image to help that…"
"Wow, it's like seeing a baby bird learning how to fly."
"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Yukina said, before looking around, "Um… where exactly am I?"
"You're in Domino City." Kyoshiro answered.
"Domino City?" Yukina parroted before again becoming lost in thought.
"Uh… miss?" Kyoshiro called out, snapping her out of it.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm keeping mental notes." She said to him,
"Right…" Kyoshiro muttered, though he could tell there was more to that answer than she would let on. With a sigh, he stood up, albeit painfully, from the ground, gingerly dusting himself off from whatever splinters he may have on the front of his body. "Well, since you came all the way here, seemingly from out of nowhere, why don't I bring you over to my place?"
"A-Are you sure? I won't be intruding?" Yukina asked with uncertainty.
"Sure, I'm sure." Kyoshiro smiled, holding out his hand to her. "Besides, it's not in me to leave a girl all by her lonesome. And judging how you look, you're pretty much far from home."
"Y-You do have a point." She chuckled nervously, before taking his hand and Kyoshiro gently pulled her up to her feet. "Then… I'll be in your care. Um…"
"Kururugi." He introduced himself. "Kururugi Kyoshiro. And you are?"
"Shiryuu…" she said. "Shiryuu Yukina."
"After that, we got closer and the rest is history." Kyoshiro finished.
"That's a sweet story." Asuka admitted.
"You should hear the story of how I introduced Yukina to your mother and oh boy was she jealous." Kyoshiro chuckled, "That was the first day I stared down a demoness in the eyes."
"Okaa-san or Mrs. Yukina?"
"Yes."
Asuka sweat dropped at this, making Kyoshiro laugh momentarily before things calmed down.
"Listen, Asuka-chan. It's obvious that you care a great deal about my son. I know you'd do anything for him, despite having problems of your own. That's why… I have faith that you're going to save him." He said before giving advice, "And for duelists, belief is power."
"Mr. Kyo…" Asuka murmured with wide-eyes, "That's it! That's how we can beat Reggie!" She realized.
"Huh?" Kyoshiro looked confused, as Asuka stood up.
"Think about how Reggie dueled against Kadoya-sensei. What exactly did she not believe in?"
He then made the same realization.
"She didn't summon that Michael monster. In fact, she refused to summon it." Kyoshiro got out. "So then… you could corner her and if she keeps refusing to summon it…"
"She'll make a lot of misplays and I can get through to her." Asuka finished, "As long as we can focus on that angle, we can beat her."
"You mean you are going to beat her."
The Obelisk Queen quickly remembered that and soon that fiery gaze gave way to slight bashfulness.
"R-Right. I was getting way too into that." She apologized.
"Well then," Kyoshiro said as he stood up. "You better tell the others your plan."
"Y-Yeah." she nodded, then scampered off.
As he watched her go back inside the Osiris Red dorm to tell them of her plan, Kyoshiro looked back out towards the horizon then at the sky. "Son, don't worry. Asuka's coming to get ya."
Kuromu sighed as he stood at the edge of the sky temple, looking downward. Academia Island was just down below him, and if he jumps now, then he'd fall into the sea. But the odds of surviving that fall came into question. If he had to guess, he would estimate that this sky temple was most likely thirty-thousand feet in the air. Only one person, a flight attendant, was recorded to have survived a free fall without a parachute in the 1970's when her plane went down.
But that was because she landed on land. If he jumped and fell into the sea, the water could cushion his fall, but even that was questionable at best.
"I… wouldn't jump off if I were you." A voice said. Kuromu turned around and saw Minerva standing behind him.
"Hehe… yeah, I guess you're right." Kuromu laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Didn't hurt to consider the option and try it." As he looked out however, he then pondered something. "Tell me, Minerva-chan,"
"Yes?"
"Why do certain archetypes choose to reveal themselves to us Duelists?"
"What do you mean?" Minerva asked, confused.
"Why do spirits like you, Shiz-I mean Silent Magician, Winged Kuriboh, Chimera the Winged Phantom Beast, or Ojama Yellow appear in our world?"
The maiden thought about it for a bit before answering, "Maybe it's because Duel Spirits like us can see something in Duelists like you?"
"Really now…" Kuromu mused. "And what do you see in MacKenzie-san that you and the other Lightlords would reveal yourselves to her?"
"Perhaps a sense of justice that resonated with our leader."
"This Michael person that Kadoya-sensei mentioned, during their Duel." Kuromu guessed.
She nodded, "Our leader chose Lady MacKenzie to wield our order's power."
"I see." Kuromu nodded.
"What about you?" Minerva asked, catching his attention. "Why did these Kamen Riders choose you to wield their powers?"
Kuromu looked surprised at the question, before softening up, "It's a bit complicated. The reason why I wield them is… because of my mother."
"Your mother?" Minerva asked, to which Kuromu nodded and looked back out into the horizon.
"My mother, Yukina, was abducted by this spider-masked man named Oogumo. They have some sort of connection, but I don't know what that connection is. The only thing they have in common, at least as far as I know, are my Kamen Riders who have some sort of bad blood with Oogumo."
"Oh my…" the maiden muttered.
"The Kamen Riders were handed down to me by my father, who created the cards. I didn't realize that they were Duel Spirits until my encounter with Oogumo at the Abandoned Dorm when I Dueled him in a Game of Darkness. And even then, Judai and Rex could tell way before I did." Kuromu sighed, "I'm just wondering how much of this game we do not know about?"
"I see…" Minerva murmured.
"Lately, I feel that I'm left with more questions than answers." Kuromu added, "Maybe this was how Yugi-san and his friends felt when he and the others faced those Ghouls and the like?"
"Sometimes… there are things that you're not supposed to understand." Minerva said, making the Rider Duelist look at her in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Humans like yourself can only rationalize so much before you lose yourself in that rationale. Everything happens for a reason, and there's no way one can explain why incidents need to happen."
"You mean… everything that's been going on is part of some sort of grand plan?" Kuromu asked.
"That is what our leader has taught us." She affirmed. "And… in your case, about your mother being abducted, which you have my sympathies for, I'm sure there is a reason for all of it to happen."
"There is." Kuromu said, before fishing out of his pocket, the flash drive. "It's this. Whatever information is in here, that's what Oogumo wants, but I can't give it to him. As long as I hold onto this, he's going to keep my mother imprisoned. Sure he claims that he'll release my mother if I give him this, but there's no guarantee that he'll go by his word."
"You… did not look into it?"
"No…" Kuromu shook his head. "And even if I wanted to, it's just not the right time."
Minerva giggled, "You speak as if that is the Star Key."
"The… Star Key? What's that?"
"It's…" she began to contemplate, "It's something of a powerful ancient artifact where I'm from. One that may become important in the future."
"In the future? Like ten or twenty years from now?"
Minerva could only shrug, "Who's to say? But that's a story for another time."
"I… suppose." Kuromu said.
"Minerva." A voice called out. Kuromu and Minerva turned around to see Reggie approaching them.
"L-Lady MacKenzie!" Minerva squeaked.
"Is everything alright?" The militaristic woman asked.
"We were just getting to know one another." Kuromu smiled softly. "Right, Minerva-chan?"
The maiden nodded.
"I see…" Reggie nodded back. "Minerva, can you excuse us for a moment?"
"Of course." Minerva said, before bowing and taking her leave.
"What's up?" Kuromu asked.
"I've… given much thought about what you said earlier tonight." Reggie stated.
"And?" Kuromu prompted.
"You truly believe what you said? About going through with your plan of being stopped by myself and your friends if the Demon King of Time were to appear?"
"With confidence." He nodded.
Reggie stared at Kuromu for what seemed like an eternity.
"If you still have doubts, use your scales on me and judge for yourself." Kuromu encouraged, much to Reggie's surprise and bafflement.
'How could he have such confidence and faith?'
"Very well, but I'm scared of what may happen next, so brace yourself." She said before she lifted the scales. Like before, the flames appeared… but neither flame dipped to either side. The purple flame was the same weight as the golden flame. "What?"
"What's wrong?" Kuromu asked.
"How could this be? Your soul… is perfectly balanced." Reggie said, almost in awe and somewhat terrified.
"Is… that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kuromu asked, but Reggie said nothing. "MacKenzie-san?"
"I'll be honest. I have no idea." She admitted. "Usually, it falls on one side or the other, but this is the first time where the scales have found balance."
"That's… actually scarier than I thought." Kuromu said, "It's like that one old-school anime Koji showed me. Like I have the potential to become a demon…"
"…or a god." Reggie finished before giving clarification, "Metaphorically speaking."
"Yeah, not like I'd want to be a god." Kuromu agreed.
"Yes, it would be rather foolish." Reggie sighed. "All that aside, I… I suppose I can trust you on this matter."
"Really?" Kuromu said wide-eyed. "You mean that?"
"I just hope I don't regret this later." The militaristic woman hoped.
"So then… you'll let me go?"
"Oh we certainly can't have that. Conquete?"
"Who-"
A gray blur suddenly tackled him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Kuromu stepped back due to being blasted back. 'W-What the heck? That speed… it felt like Rex's!'
When the Rider Duelist looked up, there stood Oogumo, and one other figure.
"Aw, and here I thought his friends would be tougher." A voice chuckled as Kuromu turned around and soon looked face-to-face with someone with a sadistic grin, his face hidden underneath his very tattered cloak.
"Who are-"
*SPLASH!*
Kuromu suddenly held his gut and keeled over, coughing out blood, having now just felt the blow.
"Who I am ain't important for now." the hooded figure chuckled, looking at the Rider Duelist dead in the eyes.
"Enough, Conquete." The spider-masked man sighed, "We don't want to kill him, now do we?"
"Fine. Not like he would have been that much of a challenge." the hooded figure groaned.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Reggie demanded.
"One of my crew heard ya snitching about Synchro Summons and reported back to me." he said as a monkey wearing Japanese grunt armor began screeching, "Don't tell me you also spoiled my summoning technique too."
"S-Shien's Footsoldier?" Kuromu gasped, "But that's a-"
"A Six Samurai monster, or I guess Six Warman since we're in Japan." the hooded figure sighed as he removed the hood to reveal Wally.
"Wait, y-you're-"
"Ah, so you know about me." the leader of the Wild Ones sighed, "Guess that means that report Leone told me was true."
"MacKenzie-san, you and your brother are in leagues with a bunch of criminals?!" Kuromu growled.
"It wasn't my choice…" Reggie looked away.
"She's right on that. Too much of a goody two-shoes to work with me anyway." Wally scoffed. "Now to be fair, I'm part of those Seven Stars as well. But that's besides the point."
"You… why do you-"
"MacKenzie. What did I tell you about our deal?" Oogumo reminded her.
"I…" Reggie murmured, before her body suddenly froze.
"It looks like I'll have to teach you manners." Oogumo said, holding out his arm and on it was a parasite-like bug attached to his arm. He seemed to be controlling it.
"Stop! Leave her alone!" Kuromu shouted, but was kicked to the ground by Wally. "Gah!" He cried out in pain.
"Shut up, ya mug!" Wally snapped. That's when he noticed something on the ground. "Well, well, what have we here?" He said, as he walked over to pick up… the flash drive.
"No…! Give that back!" Kuromu shouted, as he struggled to stand up, but staggered to one knee. Luckily, he was able to headbutt the Wild One in the stomach and got the flash drive back.
"Grr! Why you little shit!"
"That's enough!" Oogumo said as he held Wally back, "We're not here to start a fight. Not yet…"
"Grrr…" Wally growled.
"Now then, boy. Hand it over." Oogumo said.
"Over my dead body." The Rider Duelist snapped.
"A shame really." The spider-masked man sighed. "Fine then, the hard way it is. Conquete?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't kill him, but do make an example out of him." Oogumo said. "His friends need to see this."
Wally in turn, chuckled as he cracked his knuckles, "Alright then. I'm gonna have fun with this…"
Kuromu could only grit his teeth as the gang leader approached him menacingly…
The next night…
"Asuka-chan, are you alright?" Rika asked, as everyone had met up at the front of the Ra Yellow Dorm once more. "You look pale."
"I… don't know." Asuka trailed off, looking conflicted with worry and dread. "I just have this bad feeling that something may have happened to Kuro."
"But Reggie gave us her word that nothing will happen to him while he's up there," Judai pointed out. "She seems trustworthy enough…"
"Let me remind you we thought about her brother the same way." the mutt reminded him.
"Well let's not dilly-dally any longer!" Koji said.
"Yes. Time is of the essence. We need to rescue Kuromu." Misawa agreed.
"Asuka, are you ready for this?" Kyoshiro asked.
"Yes." Asuka nodded, as she stepped up towards the sparkling motes of light and the stairway to the heavens appeared before them, rising up into the clouds. "Let's go, everyone!"
"Right!"
When they got to the top of the stairs and into the temple, they were greeted by Kuromu who, from the looks of it, had gotten a prison beating while he was strapped to the cross.
"KURO!" Everyone shouted.
Asuka looked enraged, and was about to confront Reggie, but the mutt held her back. "Wha?! Rex, what are yo-"
"Asuka, look at Reggie's eyes and tell me that's the face of a woman who'd brutalize someone she wants to save." he said.
At first, she thought he was crazy. But then she noticed the regret and guilt in the militaristic woman's gaze. When Kuromu saw Rex, all he could think of was the sadistic message the mutt's former friend left him.
"Let Nick know… the stars will damn his path."
"Well, well, looks like the gang's all here." A familiar voice said, as the spider-masked man walked out from behind the cross. Wally was not with him since, as per Oogumo's request, he wanted him and the other Wild Ones to continue scouting out potential bases and vantage points for whatever plan he has cooking.
"Oogumo!" Kyoshiro snarled.
"The hell are you doing here?" Jun demanded.
"I was merely checking on a promising Duelist." the spider-masked man mused, "I could have gotten what was rightfully mine, but your boy was still stubborn about holding onto it. He actually reminds me of his mother in a way."
"Despicable…" Ryo grunted.
"What did you do to our friend?!" Judai demanded.
"Oh it's not what I did. It's what one of my associates did. One I'm sure the anomaly is very familiar with." Oogumo chuckled darkly.
All color left Rex's face upon hearing that, and Judai could tell why. Everyone else however was left confused, and Koji was now even more intrigued by the mutt's past.
"No… you mean-"
"Oh yes…" Oogumo chuckled again. "They had a message for you by the way. They said that the stars will damn your path."
Rex was left conflicted, but Kuromu knew what that meant, and the Rider Duelist wasn't exactly in the best shape to tell him.
"Let Kuromu go this instant!" Asuka demanded.
"You're in no position to be making demands, girl." Oogumo said curtly. "I'm the one in control. And I'll control this girl with my newfound pet." He said, revealing his hand that had the parasite attached to him. With a clench of his fist, Reggie suddenly went stiff and her eyes went soulless.
"Lady McKenzie!" Minerva cried out while Shien's Footsoldier laughed and howled with delight.
"What did you do?!" Rika demanded.
"What I had to." Oogumo said. "See, Ms. MacKenzie here seriously considered letting go of the boy up there, due to her change of heart. She deviated from the mission, so… I'm setting back on track."
"By controlling her with that bug?!" Sho shouted.
"Exactly. This, my Roid friend… is a Parasite Fusioner." he chuckled, before turning to Reggie. "Now then, I believe you have a Duel to perform?"
"Yes… I shall cast judgment upon those who oppose us…" Reggie murmured robotically, stepping forward and activating her Duel Disk.
Asuka now realized that her initial plan to psych out has now been thrown out the roof. Now she needed to free Reggie from whatever that thing was possessing her.
"Asuka-chan," Kyoshiro said, and the Obelisk Queen looked at him. "You know what needs to be done."
She nodded before looking towards the possessed Reggie, activating her Duel Disk. "Don't worry, I'll save you. You and Kuromu."
The two then drew their starting hands.
"DUEL!"
Asuka: 8000
Reggie: 8000
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her sixth card. Looking at her hand, she strategized in her head, what move she could do. Her Duels with Koji during their training for the Inter-School Duel gave her somewhat of an idea. After all, Lightlords mill their Deck rather quickly. If she could force Reggie to Deck Out, then this Duel will be quick and over.
With her mind made up, she began her move. "I'll start by summoning Cyber Petit Angel in DEF mode!"
The little pink cybernetic creature with its small pair of angel wings quickly emerged (2/ATK: 300/DEF: 200).
"When it's summoned, I can add one Cyber Angel or Machine Angel Ritual from my Deck to my hand. And I choose to add the latter!" She then scanned her Deck and revealed it before adding it to her hand and shuffling her Deck afterwards. "And next, by Tributing Cyber Petit Angel, I can special summon this card from my hand! Cyber Tutubon!"
A girl wearing a green and pink futuristic bodysuit that had a skirt, a visor, and two floating bells by her ankles appeared (5/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1600). Twirling around, she posed with a wink.
"I'll finish by placing one card face-down. Ta-n shuuryou." Asuka finished, as a reverse card appeared on her side of the field.
"Not bad," Oogumo chuckled, "I will admit, seeing how fast it was for you to complete your turn was… refreshing to say the least."
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Asuka spat.
"Now then, Ms. McKenzie, if you will?"
"It's my turn… I draw." Reggie said stoically, drawing her sixth card. "I activate the Field Spell, Justice World."
"Aw man, not again!" Sho complained as their surroundings changed and the group returned to the field where it all began.
"Asuka! You need to prevent her from milling her Deck!" Rex called out.
"I summon Lightlord Warrior Garos in ATK mode." Reggie began, placing the card on the tray.
Soon, a burly man with blue hair, the same white and gold armor, and an ornate axe emerge (4/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1300). But, there was something… off about him. He didn't speak like the other Lightlords. In fact, his glazed eyes looked a lot like Reggie's.
"Then I shall equip him with the Lightlord Rapier, giving him an extra 700 ATK."
He soon received an ornate rapier to wield in his off-hand.
Lightlord Warrior Garos: (ATK: 1850-2550)
"Battle. Lightlord Warrior Garos attacks Cyber Tutubon." Reggie ordered monotonously.
The warrior nodded in kind as he rushed towards Cyber Tutubon in an attempt to slash her in two.
"Reveal trap card! Doblé Passe!" Asuka said, revealing the trap card.
"Asuka-chan, no!" Rika yelled.
"Asuka!" Kuromu shouted.
The Obelisk Queen saw it coming and quickly jumped out of the way, only for the force of the attack to fling her into one of the temple's pillars instead.
"ASUKA!" The group shouted.
Asuka: 5450
Reggie: 8000
When the dust settled, Asuka was struggling back to her feet, using the pillar as support as she slid back up. "Doblé Passe… forces your monster to attack me directly…" Asuka gritted her teeth in pain with one eye shut. "But… in exchange, my monster can do the same thing to you!"
That was the cue for Cyber Tutubon to dash in and kick Reggie back. The militaristic woman, for a moment, briefly regained control before the parasite forced her back to her lucid state.
Asuka: 5450
Reggie: 6200
"It may be high risk, high reward, but she made sure it counted." Ryotaro commented.
"For sure. She's willing to take that risk for the kid, after all." Tsukasa added.
"I end my turn." Reggie said.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka declared, drawing her card, albeit painfully, but drew it nonetheless, increasing her hand to five. "I activate Supremacy Berry! If my Life Points are lower than yours when I activate this card, I gain 2000 Life Points!"
A bright light appeared and a dove descended down, holding a small branch with two berries attached to it. The dove soon landed on Asuka's finger as she plucked the two berries off the branch before the dove flew off. After eating the berries, her body glowed, as she felt her strength returning.
Asuka: 7450
Reggie: 6200
"Next I activate my Machine Angel Ritual! With this, I will sacrifice Cyber Angel - Dakini from my hand to perform a Ritual Summon!" Quickly, the altar emerged as the four-armed Cyber Angel leaped into the fire and quickly became engulfed in said pillar of fire.
"Angel of light hiding eternal power! Let the sun shine upon my enemies and grant me victory!"
From there, the skimpy Cyber Angel emerged as she spun her two weapons around.
"Ritual Summon! Cyber Angel - Izana (8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2600)!"
"And what good will that do?" Oogumo scoffed. "Lightlord Warrior Garos is stronger than your Izana."
"For the moment." Asuka smirked, confusing Oogumo, "But when she's Ritual Summoned, she gets to destroy one Spell/Trap on the field, and Lightlord Rapier qualifies!"
The angel quickly tossed her axe towards Garos' hand, striking him hard enough to drop the rapier and bounce back to her hand.
Lightlord Warrior Garos: (ATK: 2550-1850)
"Alright! Now he's weak enough to be destroyed!" Sho cheered.
"Battle! Cyber Angel - Izana attacks Lightlord Warrior Garos! Code Harbinger!"
After charging up her magic into her weapons, Izana dashed forward and stabbed Garos with her trident, and then slashed at her caught opponent with her axe.
Asuka: 7450
Reggie: 5550
"Now I'll have Cyber Tutubon attack you directly!"
The cyber girl with a nod, dashed forward and landed two swift kicks to the possessed girl. She stumbled backwards, once again, she was in control of herself for a brief moment. And in that brief moment, she mouthed out, "Help me…" before being controlled by the parasite once more.
Asuka: 7450
Reggie: 3750
"Did you see that?" Rex muttered.
"Yes, for a moment." Misawa frowned.
"I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n shuuryou." Asuka finished, as another reverse card appeared on the field, still remembering the brief look of fear she saw on Reggie before the parasite regained control.
"This is gonna be tough." Rex observed, "After all, there's still Judgement Dragoon to worry about."
"It's my turn. I draw." Reggie said, drawing her next card, increasing her hand to four. "I activate Resurrection of the Dead to bring back Lightlord Warrior Garos."
The holographic ankh appeared and Garos returned to the field. (4/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1300)
"I then activate Reinforcement of Light. By sending the top three cards from my Deck to the Graveyard, I add a Level 4 or lower Lightlord from my Deck to hand." She said, revealing the top three to mill to her Graveyard. "The cards that are sent are Lightlord Paladin Jain, Lightlord Magician Lyla, and Lightlord Dragon Gragonith."
She then took out her Deck to search for a card and reveal it. "I add Lightlord Druid Aurkus to my hand." With her hand at three, she inserted her Deck back and shuffled. "Justice World's effect activates, allowing me to gain 3 Shine Counters, which boosts Lightlord Warrior Garos' ATK by 300."
Justice World: 3 SC
Lightlord Warrior Garos (ATK: 1850-2150)
"Now, I activate Dual Summon to summon twice this turn. I summon both Lightlord Druid Aurkus then Tribute Lightlord Warrior Garos to Advance Summon, Lightlord Angel Cherubim in ATK mode."
Soon, a man with slicked back white hair and a white and gold garb that had red shoulder pads (3/ATK: 1200-1500/DEF: 1800) and the angel Lightlord appeared on the battlefield. She had long blue hair that fell to her legs, tied in a dolphin hair, wore white armor on her chest and shoulder along with a white dress that fell to her ankles She also had a pair of angel wings, equipped with a staff (5/ATK: 2300-2600/DEF: 200).
"Firstly, Lightlord Druid Aurkus prevents either of us from targeting Lightlords with card effects. Secondly, when Lightlord Cherubim is Tribute Summoned, I send the top four cards of my Deck to the Graveyard in order to destroy up to two cards you control on the field. I choose to destroy your Cyber Angel - Izana and Cyber Tutubon."
"With Lightlord Druid Aurkus's effect, Asuka can't use Izana's effects or use her face-down!" Rika said worriedly, as Reggie milled the top four cards on her Deck. The possessed angel raised her staff and fired a beam at both Izana and Tutubon, destroying both of them in the process.
"So not groovy!" Koji groaned. "Reggie's gonna wipe the floor with her!"
"Worse, there's a chance that she has the amount of Lightlords to summon her ace monster." Jun groaned.
"Thanks to my Lightlord Angel Cherubim's effect, Justice World gains four more Shine Counters, empowering my Lightlords even further."
Justice World: 7 SC
Lightlord Druid Aurkus (ATK: 1500-1900)
Lightlord Angel Cherubim (ATK: 2600-3000)
"Battle. Lightlord Druid Aurkus and Lightlord Angel Cherubim will attack you directly." Reggie said, holding out her arm to command her monster to attack the Obelisk Queen.
Both Lightlords then let loose another pillar of light and holy blast to ravage Asuka's body, searing her in the holy light.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"ASUKA!" Kuromu shouted.
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 3750
"Reggie, stop this!" Kuromu shouted, but then coughed out blood.
"Don't bother to even reach out to her, boy." Oogumo said. "Your voice won't reach her. My Parasite Fusioner gives me complete control over her body and mind."
The Rider Duelist was left helpless as he watched on from where he was hanging. When the light faded, Asuka was barely able to stand, but her body was slightly charred from how much the holy light burned her. Her clothes were also somewhat tattered with burn marks charring the fabric.
"Damn you, Oogumo! Haven't you gone far enough?!" Kyoshiro demanded.
"That depends on what I do after I get what I want." He chuckled.
"That ends my turn." Reggie said.
"Asuka!" Judai was about to rush over to her.
"Move, and your friend dies on that cross!" Oogumo threatened, pointing his parasitic fist at the Rider Duelist, prompting the Elemental HERO Duelist to stop in his tracks. "She's the strongest female Duelist in Duel Academia, is she not? Then let her prove that she can still stand on her own two feet."
Once more, the dark aura briefly formed around Judai, one that Oogumo was surprised to see. Despite that, the Elemental HERO Duelist was forced to back off.
"I'm fine… Judai-kun…" Asuka panted heavily, as she struggled on her feet. "It will take more than being seared by light to take me down." She almost collapsed, but still managed to stay on her feet. "I'll do whatever it takes to save Kuro… he did so much for me, so it's time I repaid him back."
"Asuka…" Kuromu muttered.
"How touching…" Oogumo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes behind his mask. "It makes me want to puke. Just start your turn already and be done with it."
The Obelisk Queen snarled before she finally got back to her feet.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Asuka drew her lone card. "I activate Treasure Cards from the Heavens! We each draw until we have six cards in our hands!" Both players drew their six. "Now I activate Fusion! By fusing Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater together from my hand!"
Like before, her two signature monsters came together in a pillar of ice.
"Maiden of the digital realm, merge with the warrior of the rink and bring forth a blizzard of beauty!"
The two Cyber Monsters skated/flew at each other, causing a tornado to form around them, and from the tornado came a woman with dark blue hair, a red visor over her eyes, red shoulder spikes along with Blade Skater's skates, purple gloves on her dark blue skin and red body, the skirt flowing as she descended down.
"Fusion Summon! Cyber Blader (6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 800)!"
"Sweet! And with two monsters on Reggie's side of the field, Cyber Blader's ATK doubles!" Judai cheered.
Cyber Blader (ATK: 2100-4200)
"But the question is, which of her Monsters is the bigger threat-nya?" Daitokuji pointed out.
"Great. Out of the icebox and into the snow." The mutt groaned.
"Strategically, she could go for Lightlord Druid Aurkus, due to his ability and she can reduce MacKenzie-san's Life Points significantly." Misawa analyzed. "On the other hand, Lightlord Angel Cherubim has high ATK points and could pose a bigger threat later on."
"Battle! Cyber Blader attacks Lightlord Druid Aurkus! Glissade Slash!"
The skater warrior wasted no time as she twirled rapidly towards the druid, slicing him.
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 1450
"Nice, now she can target Reggie's monsters with card effects!" Judai cheered.
"But that also set up the Graveyard for Judgement Dragoon." Rex pointed out.
"Ta-n endo." Asuka concluded. At this, Oogumo chuckled darkly. "What's so funny?"
"I find it amusing that you humans are that foolish in thinking that you'll win."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Jun frowned.
Kuromu paled.
"Oogumo. Don't…" he muttered in fear, "Please don't do it!"
"And why not, boy?" Oogumo sneered. "Think of it this way. Your girlfriend will be the first test subject of-"
"SHUT UP!" Kuromu shouted. "MacKenzie-san! Don't do it! Don't summon her out!"
"Do it, MacKenzie!" The spider-masked man declared.
"My turn." She drew her next card, "First, I'll activate my own Supremacy Berry, gaining 2000 Life Points." The same dove appeared, dropping the berries and allowing her to eat it.
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 3450
"Next I activate the Spell Card, Star Blast. For every 500 Life Points I pay, all the Monster cards in hand have their Levels reduced by one until the End Phase. I choose to only pay 500 for this turn."
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 2950
"But why do that-nya?" Daitokuji asked.
"Yeah, it seems kind of weird to do that." Judai added.
"Oogumo, you bastard…" Tsukasa growled under his breath.
Reggie then set down the card she drew, "And now… I summon the Tuner Monster, Lightlord Maiden Minerva."
Minerva soon appeared, but it was clear she was struggling to remain in control (3-2/ATK: 800/200).
"Tuner?" Asuka said, confused, as were everyone else.
"M-Ms. Tenjoin. S-Save Lady MacKenzie!" Minerva pleaded, much to Rex and Judai's shock.
'A Duel Spirit?!' They thought.
"MacKenzie-san! Don't do it!" Kuromu shouted.
"Now, I tune my Level 2 Minerva with my Level 5 Cherubim!" She declared before the energy started to overwhelm her.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Minerva cried out in pain as her being suddenly turned into… two green rings?!
"What's going on?!" Sho panicked as Oogumo started to laugh evilly.
Meanwhile Lightlord Angel Cherubim turned itself into an orange outline of itself, revealing five spheres of light that resemble stars. The stars began to line up as the two green rings formed a tunnel surrounding the stars.
"The fuck?!" Rex gasped before Reggie began to chant.
"Angel of light, ride the beast of vengeance and bring forth justice!"
Then, as she placed the white card onto her Duel Disk, Reggie MacKenzie utter the first instance of…
"SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
"SYNCHRO WHAT?!" Everyone shouted before the Judgement Dragoon emerged from the tunnel, and it was not alone. This time, there was someone atop of the dragon. Riding on the dragon was a man dressed in golden armor with white cloth underneath, with two large golden wings, and a huge sword with a golden circular handle and a glowing blade.
"Shine bright! Lightlord Ark Michael (7/ATK:2600-3300/DEF:2000)!"
It was at that moment when Rex heard the roar of Domitianus ring out in his head as he fell to his knees in agony, the beast's cry calling for blood. And he wasn't alone. Light and Darkness Dragon was also seemingly screaming in Jun's head, as was Feastivus in Rika's. Judai however… he began to hear a different cry.
A seemingly human cry.
But strangely, Kuromu saw Sougo was being tortured as well. He was briefly confused at first, until when he saw the young man and Rex cry out in pain, their eyes briefly, but simultaneously glowed a bright fuschia.
"Damn you, Oogumo! What have you done?!" Tsukasa shouted as Michael was also affected by the parasite's control, just like the rest.
"Hahahahahaha! I see that you children have taken this new power quite well." he mused, looking towards the other Duelists who could see Duel Spirits being tortured by the cries of their ace monsters nearly going berserk.
"This power… what…" Judai snarled.
"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Rika cried out.
That was, until Oogumo was left clutching his chest and felt the same pain the others were feeling.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Oogumo demanded.
"Oya, oya, you're not supposed to disrupt the timeline, Oogumo. Shame on you."
"Tsk, about damn time you got here…" Tsukasa chuckled as he looked at the person behind the spider-masked man, a man with long black hair and wore a light beige jacket and a long gray scarf. In his hands was a book that had the words "Oma Advent Calendar" on the front alongside some gears.
"Woz!" Zi-O shouted with some relief.
"Woz?" Rex asked whilst still in pain.
"Grk, so you have made yourself known, Quartzer…" the spider-masked man snarled.
"Oya, waga maou." Woz chuckled, ignoring Oogumo as he casually observed Sougo fighting through the pain that was torturing Rex and the others, "I see you and Taylor have connected."
"Maou… Demon King…" Kuromu grunted. "So MacKenzie-san wasn't lying…"
"Ah, you must be my king's contractor," Woz mused. "You have my deepest appreciation and thanks for looking after my king." He bowed to Kuromu.
"You're… welcome?" the Rider Duelist asked in a confused way.
"Allow me to show my gratitude," Woz said, before snapping his fingers.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT!*
Suddenly, all of time stopped. The monsters, the Duelists, and everything froze in place. Well, almost everything.
"Nice timing, time stopped." Sougo said.
"Huh? Why can't I move? What's going on?" Rex asked as while his body was frozen, his mind wasn't.
"My apologies. This will only take a moment." Woz said, as he threw his scarf which elongated to great lengths, and meticulously freed Kuromu from the cross before bringing him over to his friends. He then snapped his fingers as time resumed, allowing Kuromu to fall into his friends' arms.
"Son!" Kyoshiro shouted, holding him in his arms.
"KURO!" Asuka and the group cried out in relief.
"Uhh, what was that?" Rex asked the chronicler now that the mental stress was subsiding.
"Don't worry about it." Woz reassured him, "Now then, Asuka-san. You have a duel to win?"
"It won't matter!" Oogumo snarled, now realizing that Woz freed Kuromu. "She has lost this Duel! Now, attack!"
Reggie then spoke, "I activate Lightlord Ark Michael's effect. By paying 1000 Life Points, I can target one card on the field; banishing it. I choose your Cyber Blader."
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 1950
Without words, the archangel pointed his sword towards the skater and ordered Judgement Dragoon to vaporize the monster with its power.
"Battle, Lightlord Ark Michael attacks you directly." she continued.
However, Asuka was quicker at the draw.
"It's not happening! I activate the Trap Card, Attack Nullification!" she shouted. "This ends your Battle Phase immediately!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Oogumo snarled.
"I end my turn… I mill the top three cards of my Deck, gaining three more Shine Counters."
Justice World: 10 SC
Lightlord Ark Michael (ATK: 3300-3600)
"Asuka…" Kuromu muttered, prompting the Obelisk Queen to look over her shoulder. "Please… win this…"
"I will." she said before closing her eyes, 'Please, guide my hand. Let me draw the card that can save Reggie from Oogumo's control.' Opening her eyes, she declared, "Watashi no ta-n! Draw!"
*WOOSH!*
She then smiled as she then looked at her hand of four, "I have it!"
Kuromu's eyes widened in surprise, as did the rest.
"I play the Ritual Spell, Machine Angel Ritual, offering up my second copies of Etoile Cyber, Blade Skater, and Cyber Petit Angel as Tribute!" she declared.
Soon, the components of Cyber Blader appeared alongside the little angel bot before they were all consumed by the erupting flame pillar. As that happened, the sun began to rise while Asuka began to chant.
"Angel of light hiding eternal power! Show your form to this vast world and illuminate all creation!"
After the fire dissipated, the strongest of the Cyber Angels made her appearance with the sunrise as her backdrop. This seemingly also snapped Michael and Judgement Dragoon out of the control of Parasite Fusioner.
"Ritual Summon! Descend, Cyber Angel - Vishnu (10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000)!"
"I… where…" he muttered, his voice sounding surprisingly youthful for a man of his age. He then looked towards Cyber Angel - Vishnu and smiled, "Ah, I see that you have found your chosen one."
"Now then, since I didn't get to use this trick back at the Tag Duel, how about I show you what she's really capable of?" the Obelisk Queen smirked, "I activate Cyber Angel - Vishnu's effect! If this card is Ritual Summoned, I can destroy as many face-up monsters that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck."
"Even if you do, when Miachel is destroyed, he can send all Lightlords from the Graveyard to the Deck and will gain 300 Life Points for each, including itself! That's 8 Lightlords! Meaning she gains 2400 Life Points! Bringing her total to 3350 after Effect Damage!"
"That's where you're wrong." Asuka said, "If I do, not only can I deal 1000 damage to you for each one I smash, but I can also make a second attack during my Battle Phase!"
"What?!"
As the queen of the Cyber Angels flew into the air, Michel could only smile as he embraced his own destruction.
"Do it, Cyber Angel - Vishnu! Ascension Burst!"
After her visor flipped down, the queen of the Cyber Angels unleashed three powerful bursts of light from the halos that were attached behind her. The first hitting both Lightlord Ark Michael and Judgement Dragoon due to her effect.
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 950
Michael's effect soon activated, a light shining down on her as her Life Points recovered.
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 3350
However, that didn't matter as the other two bursts of light hit Reggie dead on, sending her straight into the cross; snapping it in two and dislodging the Parasite Fusioner attached to her.
Asuka: 2550
Reggie: 0
The Solid Vision disappeared as Asuka fell to her knees in exhaustion and pain. She had done it. She saved Kuromu and Reggie from Oogumo.
"Asuka-chan!/Asuka!" Rika and Koji rushed over to her.
"Are you okay?!" Koji asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Asuka nodded. "What about Kuro?"
"I'm fine…" Kuromu muttered, as he was being helped by Jun walking towards her. He then steadily walked over without the Ojama Duelist's help and embraced the Obelisk Queen, much to her surprise. "Baka, what were you thinking? Don't scare me like that…"
"S-Sorry about that." she chuckled weakly.
Meanwhile, Tsukasa solidified himself into his corporeal form.
"Whaddya know? I'm finally back." Tsukasa said, looking at himself.
"That's good to hear." Ryotaro nodded.
Woz walked over to the defeated Reggie and picked up the Synchro Monsters that were in Reggie's possession. He sighed as he placed them into a small deck box he kept with him. He was tempted to grab Minerva's card as well, but then he noticed the Duel Spirit look on with a bit of hesitation.
"You do realize that by staying here, there's a chance that time could end up becoming undone." he told the Lightlord Maiden.
"…"
Unbeknownst to them, the Shadow Charm Scales that were on the altar shattered, leaving behind a stone fragment, much like the one on David's Shadow Charm Visor and flew away to meet with its other broken fragments in the Shadow Charm Pendant.
"Damn you all…" Oogumo snarled, getting their attention. "This isn't over…"
Meanwhile, MacKenzie groaned as she slowly got up from the ground. "What… where…" However, she was suddenly held around the neck, thanks to Oogumo. "Gh…!"
"Let her go!" Kuromu demanded.
"Be glad I'm letting you leave with the device and your lives in the first place." He snarled, "For now, I have some unfinished business to attend to with this failure. She, like her brother, has her uses. And I intend to fully use them until they've outlived their usefulness."
"Lady MacKenzie!" Minerva cried out.
"Minerva…" Reggie gritted. Just then the temple started shaking. Cracks formed from the ceiling before chunks of rock and marble started falling down.
"We gotta boogie on out!" Koji shouted.
"I'll try and get everyone out as fast as I can!" Rex said, only to be stopped by Woz.
"Now now, it's best not to overexert yourself." he chastised the mutt.
"Come puppet!" Oogumo snapped, roughly pulling Reggie away.
"MacKenzie-san!" Kuromu shouted.
"Kuro, we have to go!" Judai urged.
"We can't leave her behind!" Kuromu argued.
"It's no use, son! We have to go now or we'll all fall into the sea!" Kyoshiro pointed out.
Using what little strength she had, the Lightlord Duelist tossed Minerva's card towards Kuromu, to which he managed to catch.
"MacKenzie-san…!" Kuromu gasped in surprise.
"Take care of her!" Reggie called out. "Go! Now!"
Woz nodded as he removed his scarf and flung it, commanding the cloth to fly around the group and whisk them away as the temple crumbled into the sea below.
Everyone met up at the Ra Yellow Dorm's cafeteria as the sun rose on a new day. But it was a rather bittersweet feeling. Asuka rescued Kuromu, but Reggie was taken prisoner by Oogumo and Minerva was left in the Rider Duelist's care. Not only that, their supposed new ally has yet to formally introduce himself. Speaking of…
"Start talking." Rex said curtly.
"Ah, I see you look just like him." Woz said as he examined Rex, "I see that the darkness hasn't gripped you just yet, unlike your friend." He briefly looked towards Judai before placing a hand to his chin, "Although, it seems your speed may bring that into question."
"Wait what?" the mutt asked before looking at Sougo, "Dude, since when was your retainer this much of a weirdo?" he asked with a sense of confusion.
"He's always like that. Don't let it bother you." Sougo shrugged.
"Seriously, who are you exactly?" Kyoshiro asked.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Woz chuckled, "My name is Woz, I am my demon king's humble advisor. At your service." The chronicler said as he bowed.
"Demon King?" Everyone asked.
"He means Zi-O." Kuromu spoke softly.
"I'm sorry, what?" Rex asked, speaking what everyone else was thinking.
"Trust us! It's a long story! One I don't think we need to tell right now!" Sougo said, reassuring the mutt that there was nothing wrong.
"Okay, why and how are you here?" Rika asked Woz.
Tsukasa, who had regained his ability to shift between corporeal and spirit, looked to Woz. with a "Tell them what they need to know, but not over explain" kind of look.
"Yes, well… I suppose explanations are in order." Woz cleared his throat, "Now then, I assume you were quite shocked to not only see a Synchro Summon, but feel it's Dueling energy affecting your monsters."
"What exactly is a Synchro Summon?" Misawa inquired.
"A new summoning technique that shouldn't exist in a primarily Fusion-focused era. That technique… is from the future."
"…"
Woz and Tsukasa, knowing what was coming, covered their ears.
"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
"Great Scott!" Rex gasped in full English, something only a few of their friends understood.
"From… the future?" Ryo asked, shocked.
"Yes, one that won't be developed until much later. It will be fully realized way past your lifetimes. And yes… this is the experimental summoning technique that Kaiba Seto has been working on."
"I knew it!" Misawa exclaimed.
Kyoshiro shook his head, "Kaiba, you son of a bitch…"
"So then… Why is a summoning technique from the future here?" Judai asked.
"A question best left unanswered, lest you all go mad from the revelation." Woz ominously said.
"This… this is heavy." The mutt admitted, "I mean, we're talking about bringing a power from a time long after we're dead to this time. That… that could possibly tear a hole on the space-time continuum." He then noticed Misawa was staring at him, "What? I read time travel stories. I know how this shit works."
"Oho? So you're aware of this." Woz mused with interest.
"Look, the point is, Oogumo pulled something from the future somehow and some way, that figuratively came out of his ass in hopes to get an advantage over us and it failed. Meaning, we can't slack off this time." Kuromu said.
"I just hope that's the last time we have to deal with something from the future." The mutt sighed, only to look at Kuromu and notice him giving him a deadpan look. "I just jinxed it, didn't I?"
*BONK!*
"OW!" Rex cried out, after Rika hit him with the cast iron.
"You moron!" she snarled, "Now we gotta worry about one of the other Seven Stars pulling crap like that!"
"She's right. There's a chance that this isn't going to be just an isolated incident." Tsukasa said. "We have to prepare. But in the meantime, you all need to rest and recuperate. Especially you two. I'll be sure to tell the principal you two will be having some time off classes." He said to Kuromu and Asuka.
"Yes, Kadoya-sensei." Kuromu and Asuka sighed with a nod. As everyone left, they couldn't help but chuckle at how bruised and beaten they both were.
"You look worse for wear." Kuromu chuckled.
"Says you! You don't look like you're doing any better." the Obelisk Queen lightheartedly chided him.
"Heh, yeah I guess that makes two of us." The two chuckled before taking a deep breath and just enjoying the morning sun. "I-"
"You don't have to say anything." Asuka cut off, before looking at him with a soft smile. "Because I know you'd do the same for me if I were in your shoes. In fact, you had done the same for others. I don't think I've thanked you enough for saving my friends."
"Asuka…" Kuromu muttered, before blushing when she rested her head on his shoulder, before letting out a sigh, "I guess you're right."
"I know I'm right." Asuka giggled. "Just… promise me something Kuro."
"Say it, and I'll keep it." the Rider Duelist promised.
"No matter what happens, don't leave my side." Asuka said. "Even after this war with the Seven Stars, whatever we have to face in the future, whether it's some crazy, supernatural, or something personal like Oogumo… I want you at my side. Because we're in this together."
The two smiled, ready to face another day. However, just out of their sight, Wally was watching the school from afar. He sighed as he had just arrived to watch the Duel between Reggie and Asuka but saw that he was too late.
"Aw well, maybe once I get my turn, I'll show off what I can do…" he chuckled before he held a card in his hand, one that had a black border around it.