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Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


"... Isn't that too much?"

Just as Hotsuma observed, they were taking way too much blood! At least Yuna thought so, and had no qualms voicing her thoughts about the issue. She'd been positive that by the fourth vial, they would stop. But no. It kept going ... finally stopping after eight goddamn vials of her blood were taken. "Goddamn," she muttered, groaning and holding her forehead as Aki patched the area where the needle had been up. "The fuck is all that for?"

.. No verbal answer was given. All Yuna saw from Aki was a look that practically had the reply reflecting in her eyes.

You should know that, Yuna."

She didn't say or even think it, but with how fatigued Yuna was, she almost swore she heard it come from ... somewhere.

"Yuna? Are you going to be alright to keep going?"

"Now you worry you took too much?" Yuna quipped, chuckling as she slowly got up to her feet. Her balance did indeed temporarily fail her. But probably through sheer willpower, she kept herself standing. By the time she was done with everything, however, she was panting. Sweating. And seconds after the last pull-up was finished ...

"Oh shit! Yuna?!"

Then she allowed her body to cave in. Her head started to fall backwards onto the mat under her. It would have, too, if Aki hadn't caught Yuna's caught and laid it gently upon her leg. The red-head was wearing a frown as she stared down at the unconscious teenager. "The fuck are you all doing staring?!" she hissed at the gawking doctors. "Water! Go get some! Now!"

"S-Sorry! Yes ma'am!"

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"Ngh? What ... ??" Yuna's eyes slowly fluttered open as she weakly opened her eyes. She found her head still supported on Aki's leg, her body angled in a mainly lying down position.

"You went into a syncope."

"I what?"

Aki bit her lower lip, suppressing the urge to elicit an irked sigh. "Simply put, you fainted. Admittedly, this should have been asked before either of you started any of this, but do you have any medical conditions you know about?"

"Not .. that I know of, no."

Now Aki allowed the sigh to resound, but the annoyance was more at a combination of herself and Divine. Even without being a licensed medical doctor, it was a common sense sort of thing. Worse off, she was having serious doubts on allowing Yuna to change into Rose and bother taking this test at all. "Well," Aki muttered after quietly contemplating for a few moments, "If it was even caused by anything, it should show up in your blood test. Before you go through with the second phase though, here."

Lowering her hand down, Aki handed Yuna a bottle of water. "Hopefully it's something on the easier side of things to deal with. Such as dehydration."

Nodding weakly, Yuna carefully pushed herself to a sitting position. After unscrewing the cap, she tilted her head back and began to sip the water.

"Not too fast," Aki advised, nodding as she saw the gulps slow down. "There. Like that."

"Ah! Hah ... hah .... " Yuna's head bowed forward, falling upon her right knee as she re-covered the bottle with the cap. Aki's gaze continued to look between Yuna and Divine, finally resting at Arcadia's leader. Her mouth opened as she insisted to let Yuna be exempt from the next part.

"It's fine," Yuna interrupted, cautiously getting up to her feet. "I'll do it. Especially if we are getting a more official break before this starts."

By the time Aki looked back over, Yuna had shifted and became Yuse. " ... Alright. But if you feel light-headed again, say so. Take it easy in the mean time. I'll see if the lab is done with either of your guys' blood work." Offering both the fused Yuna and Hotsuma a low bow first Aki then pivoted and left, going to do exactly as she stated.

Yuna - or Yuse, now - noticed a few differences. She'd had her blade unsheathed last time she was in this form. But now, the blade was magically back in its scabbard. As if she'd never pulled the sword out in the first place. She hadn't bitched or whined about it, but she did remember her clothes had gotten a bit torn from the Psychic damage. Yet, there she was ... looking fine. As if she walked off one of the cards from Yuna's deck.

"Good riddance," Rose growled, "Eight fucking vials?! The hell is wrong with you all?!" Her arms angrily crossed over her chest as she glared at Divine; partly because he was the highest figure of authority remaining and, also, Aki had been smart enough to haul her ass out. "You better hope nothing is found in that blood work. Or I'll personally deal with you the moment I see the best opportunity arrive." For now, though, she knew there was no need to give into her wrath just yet. So, until Aki came back, she chose to simply sit down, close her eyes, and began doing some sets of deep breathing.

"You should take advantage of this pause, Emperor. Even if your - as you call him, vassal - isn't as exhausted ... better safe than sorry."

Unfortunately, because she was speaking more with the fiend instead of Hotsuma, she did't expect her words to be heeded. But it wouldn't stop her from trying. And, in truth, this was partly a test. Who was more in control? Usually, it would be half and half with herself. But the truth was .... Yuna had rapidly passed out the moment she turned into her alternate form. This was thus one of the few times Rose was completely in control.

Around the time their break ended, Aki came back.

" ... We'll talk later," Rose merely decided, standing up and moving to the agility course.

If Hotsuma had thought Yuna kicked ass by herself, he saw almost impossible speed for a normal human. If he blinked, he would miss Rose run, literally looking as close to a ninja as possible. It wasn't too wrong of a guess, either; she did know a few people and card spirits from such heritages and clans. And it showed with how graceful and swift she was, completing the track in what was very likely a new - and highly likely - unbeatable record.
 
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"Yuna! Hotsuma called from within the Emperor's mind; and before his contractee could even react, the Emperor was already standing over her - that last piece of wrought iron covering his waist - and even though the expression couldn't be read in the slightest, the posture told them that he was worried. But seemed to relax a little as she woke up, having witnessed her transforming into Yuse before his glare went up to Divine.

Still, he was relieved she didn't seem too overdrawn by this, let alone permanently...But his anger wouldn't show that. "This is your fault! You had them took way too much!" Hotsuma/Emperor bellowed, pointing a thick digit at Arcadia's boss before adding "Do that again and I'll rip you apart!" Divine's eyes flashed a little, "Now, now...No need to get fussy. I'll admit maybe it was a bit overzealous to draw that much in one go, but we needed to run these tests before you exerted yourselves."

Both of their respective attentions soon went to Yuse as she commented the Emperor allowing his veseel a reprieve of his own. "Feh, a mortal woman daring to command me? the Emperor snarked, Hotsuma replying "Dude...Chill. She's right though; we're going to be pushing ourselves more physically than before. And if we're going to test how well we work as a team, I'm going to need you to stow your pride as a ruler for a moment."

At this the Emperor went silent, only to add a few moments "Just remember whose body this is, worm..." Of course, no one likely would have expected much less; it seemed despite their earlier cooperation to win against Tokumo, there was still a good deal of tension between the two. Not that most would have blamed Hotsuma; the encounter with Beelze made the already wary of demons even more so, and showed that the monsters that lurked in the dark were not to be trusted to any significant degree.

"Don't worry, Rose...I'm just glad Yuna's alright" he would finally reply verbally, his voice still very much that of the Emperor himself; if only for now, Hotsuma seemed to be the dominant will within their combined form. Their break wouldn't last long, however, and soon they would be back to it.

Even the technicians nearby seemed amazed, mind-blown almost if one were try to find a more accurate descriptor of the surprise they showed on their faces. "N-nineteen-point-one seconds..." the young mousey-looking male stammered as he tried to recover; it was so quick he nearly didn't press the stop button on the timer. The feat was certainly inhuman, more so than anything that had been shown so far...Even with her walking on air stunt she pulled in her Duel against Jun, that paled in comparison to the extreme speed and dexterity in which she completed the agility track...Especially since it was a quarter-mile run coupled with various obstacles to overcome.

Something that was quite the opposite for the Emperor's host; the larger and bulkier could maneuver quite well, but the difference in speed (between their combined forms) was extremely apparent. "One minute, fifty-nine seconds" the technician stated; still an impressive time, but much slower than Rose's speedy completion. "How the hell did she do that in less than twenty seconds?" Hotsuma/Emperor breathed out, hunched over to catch his breath; unlike Yuse, it seemed their bodily synchronization wasn't quite there in terms of completion, but he was getting better.

"To be expected" Divine mused calmly; it seemed both were capable of superhuman agility, but one significantly more so than the other. Even still, Hotsuma in that form could move remarkably well; though then again, he was without that cumbersome metal plating. But now would come a series of tests of strength, one they had done while in their human forms...It would give further insight into the true changes their physical bodies had undergone.

From curls to deadlifts, from pull-ups to pushups again, the two went through the motions of testing. Hotsuma's augmented strength was readily apparent; his new form clearly allowed for a significant increase in strength factor, and the numbers showed an increase by an average factor of fifteen. But what came last would be the icing on the cake.

"Now, Hotsuma...I believe you'll like this test most of all. All you have to do, is hit it as hard as you can." Divine stated after Yuna took her turn, having finished the five strikes prescribed: It was a specially rigged accelerometer, designed to measure the force of direct strikes. It looked like a punching pad, and had five separate target areas all over its circular surface. "Just tell me when to punch..." Hotsuma chuckled, cracking his knuckles of his new form.

Hotsuma took his position, fist clenched as he waited for the technician to give him the go-ahead.

"First strike...Full power right cross."

Unfortunately, that would be the only strike this machine would receive: Hotsuma let out a rather bestial roar before his meaty fist drove forward....A loud crunching sound would blast across the room, the massive apparatus lifted right off its supports before being flung across. A loud 'BANG' then erupted as it catapulted through the room before breaking through the opposite, its smoking ruin being launched across the street and embedding itself in an abandoned building there.

"...Well, I guess that's that...Was there any reading at all?" Divine asked the team after staring at the gaping hole in the wall for a few moments, one tech responding "The last reading was around 5000 kiloNewtons...But for all we know, it was stronger." Divine just nodded, stating "Well, I suppose next we should..."

However, this would be the last test either of them would do...A panicked cry came from the intercom system, one of the other enforcers that Divine left in charge:

"Divine-sama! Aki-san! We have an emergency! 14th floor!"



A short while later, Divine, Aki, Yuna and Hotsuma would arrive at the hospital wing, seeing medical staff part as their leader made his way forward, other high-ranking guards helping to keep the rest of the population at bay: On the bed lay Jun, his face frozen in utter shock and his body stiff as a board. "What happened?" Divine asked, a nurse replying "We don't know, sir...Kayete came in to do a vitals check and found him this way."

"How long?" Divine then asked, the same nurse replying "About an hour...More or less. We've submitted blood for toxicology, but we're not sure it was poison to have caused that." Divine just sighed, "Agreed. Everyone...Please return to your quarters for the time being. Is Tokumo still in his bed?"
 

Rose rolled her eyes as Divine tried to save his sorry ass. Naturally. Of course it wasn't his fault.

"Shut up! Just man up already! You keep trying to look for ways out when shit gets fucked up! I don't know who you think you are, but you're most definitely not acting like a leader of any kind! Stop trying to justify your actions! HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE EVEN BEEN THE RIGHT FUCKING MOVES TO MAKE?! HUH?!" Though the warrior stood in place, it was definitely not out of pity nor mercy. It was simply out of respect. She wouldn't force Yuna to take a life, especially if she didn't share that desire.

... But it wouldn't stop the merged and literal Fiend or anyone else from feeling the huge amount of bloodlust now surrounding Yuse. Becoming a completely second, new aura around the red-haired woman.

"And you," she quipped to the Emperor, "I'd suggest learning the difference between a person 'commanding' them to do something and 'advising'. Because, trust me, there is a huge distinctness. My Mistress may be asleep, but I can still use her body and abilities. Which means your silent thoughts are anything but quiet."

She could have gone on and on in this state.

But ... there was no point. It would have been redundant to keep going. Besides, Hotsuma managed to convince the Emperor to calm down and simply take her words in stride. Good. It meant he hadn't fully allowed the Emperor to take over. She only was simply because Yuna was just that worn out from the blood drawing. Otherwise, at least a small part of Yuna would have been heard in her voice. As things were, she was nowhere to be heard. Now that her point had been made, she resumed with all of the exercises, finding the repeating nature to honestly be a bit pointless.

So, she was glad that a new test was introduced.

Her head tilted, first out of curiosity. Rose had never seen such a device.

Ah well. If they wanted her to hit it, she would.

Reaching down, Rose gripped her blade, keeping it sheathed, and slammed it against the device, as well as a clenched left fist.

"Three-thousand and five. Ummm .... miss? Without the sword the next four times, please? This is meant for your actual strength, meaning without any assistance in any form or fashion."

" ... Hmph. Only because you asked nicely."

It showed that even without the use of her katana, Rose was indeed a dangerous opponent. Two-thousand eight hundred and five, two-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-nine, two-thousand four-hundred and ninety-six, and finally one-thousand two-hundred and forty-five.

The last attack very likely would have been stronger ... but she was already keeping her Mistress safe. Between that and Rose's own fatigue, it was a bit evident how tired she was steadily getting. Even still, the fact it was over one-thousand was impressive in its own right. That in itself was a sign; don't fuck with Yuna, regardless of whether she was Yuse or simply Rose. She held even more potential than anyone would have originally assumed, especially from an initial encounter.

... When the Emperor outright broke the machine, Rose merely smirked. As if she'd expected that ... which was true. She most definitely did.

She had aced the agility test. It made sense that an actual Fiend would be able to surpass and master any strength-related test.

It was only somewhat unfortunate to see he had broken the device on the first punch. She would have been curious to see an exact number. Ah well.

Before any new experiments could be relayed, though, the PA system activated and a frantic voice resounded throughout the base.

" ... Fourteenth floor?" she repeated, shrugging as she began to follow Aki. The look in the other red-head's eyes hinted she understood what that meant, even if the duel spirit didn't.

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"What - Who - in the hell did this?" Aki asked in a hushed voice, as if uneasy that speaking of whatever had put Jun in this state would try - and maybe succeed - in ambushing her.

"We're not sure."

Now Aki took her turn to narrow her eyes. "Are there not cameras in these rooms?! Rewind them! Look over them. Idiots." The last word was muttered under her breath as she sighed. "Hotsuma? I'm going to help Divine inspect Tokumo's room. Please make sure Yuna gets back to her room fine."

"I'm --- "

It's fine, Rose. Just go along with this, please.

Finally, Yuna had began to stir. Enough to talk Rose into heeding Aki's suggestion.

"Very well. But only because the young Mistress asked me. Come, Emperor Hotsuma. And don't you dare try to accuse me of insulting you. It's a way to combine your names until you can figure something out like how we did. Under normal circumstances, I'd be Yuse. Actually ... now that Yuna has stared waking up, I am back to Yuse instead of only Rose."

Pivoting on her feet, she began walking with the other fused human, going back towards the elevator.
 
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Given the brutal nature of the kill, even without visible injury, Divine knew having people remain in their rooms for the time being would be the safest course of action. He didn't need anyone else falling prey to whatever did this to Jun.

"Aki, let us go see Tokumo...You, is he still in his room?" Divine then commanded another doctor, who nodded in the affirmative. And with Aki having given the clear directive to look at the camera footage in the rooms, which would take a little while...But they did share one suspect in mind: Tokumo. And they would focus on him first. "Very good. Let's go see what he has to say...See if he has any information about our dearly departed friend's circumstances before his death."

The two would soon arrive, seeing the man lying contentedly on the bed with the monitors still hooked up to his vitals. Nothing seemed abnormal...But this man's tendencies definitely painted him as a 'snake-in-the-grass' type, one very apt at learning how to move without being tracked. Even so, he should have sensed something; at the very least, he should have felt Jun's psychic energy vanish if he were to die.

"Tokumo...Wake up, I believe there's something we need to discuss." Divine then stated, crossing his arms as he stared down at the man.


Hotsuma looked on, still in his Emperor form but now fully redressed with the ornate purple armor of his namesake monster, blade slung across his back. The Emperor still seethed at being referred to as 'Emperor Hotsuma'; such a disgrace, to have this boy wear the title in other's eyes. Even if it was just one other, but repeated insistence from Hotsuma made him silence his tongue. It wasn't permanent, after all; if needed, they could find something similar to Yuse.

And it wasn't like Hotsuma liked the name too much either: Sounded way too pretentious, even if that wasn't the intent. He was no ruler, no god like figure. Just a survivor like Yuna was. Packing a lot more firepower to be sure.

"Don't expect me to like it, woman. Just be aware that I am the only Emperor in this whole thrice-damned establishment" the Emperor snarled, Hotsuma sighing mentally as he followed Yuse to the elevator. At the very least though, they could more accurately determine a plan to break out of here. This unseen specter could very well be a blessing in disguise; with everyone back in their rooms, it would give the two of them even more access to the rest of the building.

Back in their room, the Hotsuma/Emperor fusion closed the door, letting out a deep sigh from beneath his helmet. "Not exactly how I expected the day to go...Guess that means he and I won't be having that follow-up Duel he always wanted." Emperor Hotsuma murmured, not really caring about whether his alleged rival would have lived long enough to Duel him again. He was only pissed that he wasn't the one to finish him off.

"Hopefully they got what they were looking for, because I'm tired of this guinea pig BS...However, our dear friend's timely demise does give us an opportunity." he stated, placing his armored back against the wall. Much as he would love to reflect on his strength, he wasn't about to waste a potential chance to find what they were looking for.

"I know we don't have a lot to go on...But I was thinking we could try to find where those Beelze cards are being kept. Since no one else seems intent on breaking Divine's orders to stay inside, I figure that should give us a pretty sizable window to look around. What do you say? Not right now, of course; I imagine you need a rest before we start. Still...Something to think about, right?"
 

Aki didn't need to hear Divine's order. She had been more than ready to go there herself. Thankfully, the fact Divine suggested they go right to Tokumo's mind hinted their minds were on the same page. It seemed that her boss also felt Jun's supposed 'partner-in-crime' may not be as innocent as he could look or claim to be. And, according to the report and sight of him still lingering in the hospital bed ... it was gonna be very difficult to rove he had indeed been behind this.

Prior to getting a hold of the security footage, anyway.

"Hmm?" Tokumo groaned, slowly opening his eyes as Divine's voice managed to register into his mind. "What's up?"

Aki raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was being dead serious or an incredibly good actor. Both were viable options. "Jun is dead," she bluntly stated. "We found him that way. Apparently, he's been deceased about an hour or so. Very recently, therefore. Did you see or sense anything?"

" ... No. I've been here. Getting the ordered rest the nurses and doctors have been adamant on."

" .... " Aki looked over to Divine, wearing an expression that practically screamed she wasn't buying his words. But ... she couldn't simply begin an unnecessary 'witch hunt', either. Definitely not without proof. "Even while asleep, you didn't sense any odd auras or readings?" As she watched him shake his head weakly from side to side, Aki sighed.

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Why should I?" Aki shot back. "The timing isn't exactly looking good for you. Not too long after Beelze cursed you, and you lost your duel. What say you to that?"

"Habeus corpus, Aki-san. Come back when you're completely sure I'm the right person you're looking for." It took every ounce of willpower not to flash a knowing smirk to the red-head. But, hey. She'd just volunteered as the next woman in line after he finished with Yuna. That was more than okay with him. Truth be told, before Yuna arrived, she had been on his list. Tokumo just knew better than to be too hasty. Now, though, things were different. And he would gladly use that to his advantage ...

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It definitely hadn't been the intent. Nowhere close. But it was the first thing that came to Yuse's mind aside from simply 'you' or even 'Fiend'. Given those two sounded even more rude than 'Emperor Hotsuma', she figured it was better than what she could have resorted to using.

"I don't," the Emperor was quickly reassured, "It's but a temporary thing until you two figure something out."

Her own arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the elevator wall. When the topic changed to the others being as fed up as she and Yuna were with the guinea pig' status, they would be greeted with a smirk. "Good. Glad to hear it isn't just us. Yeah. We've been the same. Mistress has been trying to stay silent to avoid sounding too .... emo - whatever that means - on the topic. But she's relayed that to me quite a few times, especially as of the rather recent past."

Her fingers lightly tapped against the sheath keeping her blade hidden. There was only one real problem with the plan tossed over ...

"Like you said, it's highly unlikely anyone will leave. Anyone. However .... hmm. This probably will be one of the better times to try to look for them. Hopefully, a good majority of the people's attention will be on this new case instead of us, so ... deal. But, like you said, not today nor tonight. We will definitely dwell much more on it upon arriving, though ... I don't think you will get any arguments from Mistress on the plan."

As the elevator doors re-opened, the fused warrior stepped out. Soon, the red turned back to black as a shaky Yuna now stood before the two.

" ... Heh. I kinda wish I'd kept that water. Ah well. I'll ... get some in my room."

A slight frown crossed her face as she realized the sudden death had cut short any ability to ask how her blood tests had come out. Ah well. That could wait. Right now, she was exhausted, ready to fall asleep pretty quickly. Not the moment she laid her head on her pillow, but pretty damn close to that level of fatigue. Cautiously, Yuna began walking back to her room, taking note of her body in case her balance risked vanishing at the last - and worst - possible second.
 
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It was all too clear that Aki didn't believe Tokumo in the slightest. Not that Divine could blame her, because he didn't either. But without further evidence, it would be very difficult to prove and he knew that even if Tokumo did have some level of involvement, he wouldn't openly admit it.

And as much as it irritated Divine to admit it: They were stuck.

Still, he would be keeping a very close eye on Tokumo, have guards watching his every move until such time that he could declare his own building safe again. However, he had no idea about Aki being a target of Tokumo's perverse desires; though given that she wasn't unattractive in many respects of the word, perhaps it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think he'd wanted her in some fashion. Though in his current state, such an action would be borderline suicidal.

Regardless, there was nothing much else that could be done. "Well...Sorry to disturb you, Tokumo. Given the nature of the death, we just needed to chase down any leads. We'll let you get back to resting now...Come, Aki." The security footage would show them more proof about whether or not Tokumo actually left his bed....There wasn't anything more they would be able to glean here.


"Yeah...Now that one of their own's gone down, even if he was a piece of shit, you can bet Divine's going to try and find out who it was. Obviously won't suspect it was us...That arrogant dick's had us under a microscope from the moment we landed here." Hotsuma responded, shaking his head; it was such crap. But hopefully at the very least, they could try and figure where they were keeping those pilfered cards.

Hotsuma sighed as he felt his energy starting to drop; it was getting time to shift back, and if he didn't he could very well end up like Yuna was. And moments later, he was back to his normal self, keeping stride with Yuna in case she might fall down. However, they got there without major incident...But at the very end both would be quite tired.

"Well...We can at least get some quiet for a change. Probably won't last though...You just know he's going to try and find a way to both test us and figure who killed that creepy clown-faced prick." he stated with a smirk, getting water for her as she would be able to relax. He didn't really share Yuna's curiosity about the blood test results...Except for one of hers. One that he didn't really think about until now.

"It won't do you anything to worry about that. Unless part of your venture includes delving into those confounded electronic information stores, that is." he heard the Emperor remark plainly, this time their conversation truly private. True...It would be something that would have to wait for now.

"But hey...You kicked ass today, you know that? I was shocked as hell when you did that obstacle course...Less than twenty seconds on a quarter-mile stretch? That's seriously a world record." he then said to his partner and lover, handing the large cup of water for her to partake in.
 

Aki all but stormed out of the room, barely waiting for Divine to give the green light to do so. Her fists clenched as they stood outside Tokumo's room. Every now and again, her head turned back, looking as if she were trying to glare at Tokumo through the door. Finally, she looked back in front of her, exhaled deeply, and then shifted her gaze to Divine. "I'm going to go try something. It's a technique no one has done, probably ever. Certainly not here. But ... if it can give any sort of hint, it'll be worth it."

She had reasons for being vague. Damn good ones.

"I'll be occupied for several hours, more likely than not. Don't wait for me."

Divine would see Aki re-enter Jun's room. Her nickname suggested Aki was a witch and, in some regards, it was actually a bit true. Now, she was ready to allow that to turn to a more specific type of witch, should this even work at all.

"Excuse me, Jun," she whispered, swallowing nervously as she gently laid her hands atop his forehead. "But ... I - we - need to know." Naturally, his organs had ceased functioning the moment he perished. However, with memories being a very tricky subject, the faintest bit of hope that Aki was clinging to ... relied on if she could hear, see, or succeed in doing both of Jun's last moments. If flashbacks were things that tended to remain, even after death, then maybe - just maybe - she could get a visual or audio-based clue.

The theory was mostly true. She had heard Jun was, indeed, murdered. But ... that was the most she could confirm.

"No, please don't!"

"It's not my fault!"

"W-What are you gonna do to me?!"

Phrases like that had been the most Aki had been able to pick up on. Either he hadn't actually been given enough time to add the name of his assailant ... or his memories had .... been tampered with?

It wasn't an impossible thought, but definitely terrifying in its own rights. Her head turned as she panted heavily, now trying to look towards Tokumo. There were no out-of-the-ordinary auras emanating fro that area ... but with someone like him, it didn't mean jack shit. "Damint," Aki muttered, sighing in frustration as she stood shakily up. At least the past few hours hadn't been a complete waste. Still, compared to how that could have gone?

Yeah. She was very annoyed at it, all things considered. Then, she didn't expect to succeed in the endeavor with flying colors, either.

And hell, the fact it did work at all is a feat in itself ...

Nodding to her self and knowing Aki had done everything she could, the red-head pivoted, navigating herself towards the elevator. She pushed down on the button pointing south, stepped in as it opened, and headed to her own room.

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"Well yeah. Anyone would investigate, even a place like this."

Yuna chuckled nervously, realizing Hotsuma was still fused at the time with his card. "Not trying to sound like a smart ass or anything, but ... well ... even in Satellite, that's how it would go. Whether you're with Sector or a group doesn't matter. The moment one of your allies goes down - let alone in such a brutal manner - yeah. Everyone will put aside differences to figure out who was guilty and give them hell for it."

It was things like that which kept her from completely giving up on humanity altogether. Still, some days, she found it very tempting to not care about things like honor or giving even half a shit about one's comrades and whatnot. They were all but fallen angels, sadly. Ones who had their wings practically ripped out. Yet, knowing she had uttered little more than the actual truth - for once - made her feel better. The feelings intensified as Hotsuma finally did go back to normal and helped her get back to the room.

She hadn't stumbled or lost her balance, but the precaution was a nice one all the same.

"You did too. Maybe not with speed, but ... "

Yuna chuckled, accepting the water and downing some eagerly. "I don't think I could get anywhere close to those numbers. Not like this ..."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Suddenly, I feel really fucking inferior. Like I have to rely on Rose in order to be even somewhat decent, outside of dueling, anyway. That ... really annoys me in its own regards."

It wasn't her fault, nor anyone's around her. This went right back to Divine. It was another of his errors he had yet to 'man up' about and accept responsibility for.

" ... For now .... yeah. Probably should get some rest. Sleep on all of this, huh?"

Kicking her shoes off, Yuna slid under the covers. It wasn't only an excuse to drop the subjects, though that was partly correct. Her mind really was drawing blanks. It may have just been as simple as doing too much thinking. That was actually a damn good chance of what had ended up happening. On the other hand ... what was there to say? Right now, not much. Even though Jun had been the more tolerable of the two, Yuna couldn't really say she felt overly sorry for him.

Maybe a small bit, simply because he was outright murdered.

But .... that was it. As far as she was concerned, this probably would have ended up happening, even if not necessarily today. It wasn't too amazing.

Hooooly fuck. Am I literally starting to completely turn into Rose now?

.... That could be interesting in some regards. But if she was going to have this cold and heartless attitude should that happen, no. She didn't want it. Yuna was trying to keep some of her own humanity, despite having the smallest ounces of faith in said topic. Reaching forward with a slightly shaky hand, Yuna first placed her half-empty cup down on the night stand before extending it towards Hotsuma. "Mind joining me?" she asked with a coy grin, trying to hide the fact she was actually getting a bit nervous from her own wild thoughts and assumptions that, really, were probably adding up to nothing.

Or almost nothing, anyway.
 
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Divine raised a brow as Aki would tell him of her intent to do...something. Still, she'd done nothing at all to earn his distrust; in fact, it would be undeniable to anyone with sense that Aki was Divine's favorite for a reason: Everything she did was for the greater good of Arcadia. There was very little she wouldn't do to ensure that this place would stand tall, and she was very good at it to boot.

A remarkable woman in every sense of the word. Those were Divine's thoughts.

"Very well. I'll see to the security footage." he told her, leaving her to her business as he would take an elevator to the topmost floor where the main surveillance was kept. The two on-duty guards already had the footage from around the time Jun had supposedly passed on per his right-hand woman's request, but what Divine would find was both interesting and disturbing: Each room showed static on the screen, and the numbers of the room in the corner the camera corresponded to were also distorted beyond recognition.

In short, something had jammed the feeds.

"Can you clean it up anymore?" the Arcadia leader asked, one guard shaking his head, "We've tried, sir...And this is the best we could do." Well, that was a problem, leading him to ask "Any evidence of outside interference" to which the second responded "No, but we did look further just to make sure. Nothing was found." Divine could only sigh; he honestly should have figured this wouldn't be easy. Whatever had done this to Jun clearly did not want to be seen, which in his mind only affirmed that it was someone within his organization.

His thoughts traveled to both Yuna and Hotsuma...But Yuna already got her revenge, and Hotsuma's Emperor seemed to currently more want to establish himself as a dominant force. Which wouldn't have benefited him by killing Jun, so he was out too...Which then meant it circled back to Tokumo as the likely suspect. As Aki had pointed out, the timing and events prior to this certainly cast doubt on his proclaimed innocence.

Even so, the security footage was a dead end. "Very well...Thank you both for your assistance, and let me know right away if you happen to notice anything unusual." he then requested, both guards affirming with nods before the man would take his leave. Today had been a long day, and he felt some rest was well deserved.


Hotsuma let out a snort as she commented about feeling inferior, grinning a little as he replied "Did you really forget about your time as Yukio? Remember how much ass you kicked as him? Remember Yomi? Hajime? And me? All of that was you, stupid, before any of this shit happened...And if you're starting to talk like that, that's even more proof we need to get out of here."

He finished his mini-tirade as he poked the fiery woman in the forehead, looking right into her eyes, "And don't you forget that for a second. You being contracted with Rose only means you can deliver said ass-beatings to a wider audience...It's still you, just as my contract with the Emperor means I'm still me."

At her request, he let it go though; it wasn't going to do him any good to keep pressing. Hotsuma grinned and sat down on the bed next to Yuna before sliding under the covers with her, "Don't mind if I do".



Over the next few days, nothing really happened; there were no similar incidents. Divine was still hesitant to let people wander the halls of Arcadia, as such the entire building was still in a state of lockdown. Which gave the lover duo a clearer chance to explore; they could avoid the patrols easily enough...There was no telling how much attention Divine and Aki would pay to them, especially if they were trying to investigate who killed Jun.

"Well...We don't know how many floors there are, we have no clue how the floors are even laid out...But if we're going to do this, we need to do it now. And if we can help it, no transforming into our alter egos." Hotsuma stated, finishing a set of pushups to keep himself loose for what they were about to do. He and Yuna had a (very loosely set) plan of action: They would split up and go floor by floor, trying to find areas of interest on each one. And they would go anywhere they could and explore...As for if they got caught?

"Hey, Yuna...Had something I wanted to talk to you about." he then started, letting out a small huff. "I know I was kind of...dismissive...about trying to negotiate our way out of here. But I took some time to think...And I'm thinking if we get caught, we should try it. Here's my thought: If either of us runs into either Aki or Divine, we tell them we want out. I mean, it's not like they don't know anyway...And we give them this deal: If we win, we go free...And, we get 12 copies of Beelze. Each."

Letting out another sigh, he finished with "I realize that we'll be tipping our hand...But with how things are now, maybe we can leverage their desire to keep the peace to warrant a bet? And it's uncertain, since neither of us know their decks. But....What do you think? Worth a shot?"
 

So basically ... as long as I'm not myself, I'm competent? Is that what that means?

... That definitely made any confidence Yuna had possessed, especially with herself, decrease. Damn nearly completely disappeared altogether. Her head quickly shook as she sighed. "Yeah," she softly agreed, "We just need to high-tail ourselves outta here."

The briefest of pauses would hover over the two, before her eyebrows narrowed. "Those fuckers better not have tampered with our D-wheelers in any way. Or I really may kill someone if I learn otherwise." Yuna had never forgotten how they arrived here, or even the fact they had originally followed what they were certain were Sector officers on wheels, not foot. She just hadn't been able to dwell or concentrate on her ride. But with the desire to leave sooner instead of later increasing, it seemed like a valid point to mention.

It didn't take long for Yuna to pass out. She needed little more than her head to lightly rest against Hotsuma's chest before her body caved in and allowed the last bits of consciousness to fade away.

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The lockdown state implied whomever had murdered Jun hadn't been found. Or it hadn't been confirmed if they had the right person. Regardless, that was nerve-wracking in its own rights to Yuna. She wasn't exactly fond of waiting for an answer to be given, and even less keen on being in such close proximity with a potential murderer. The past few days had been incredibly restless for her.

Thus, when Hotsuma suggested acting today, Yuna wasted little time in standing up on her feet.

"Fuck and yes. No arguments from me on that."

Before she could leave, though, he began to slowly admit something. And as that confession became more and more obvious, Yuna couldn't help but smirk. "Hah! See? I do have some decent ideas every now and again. And hell, this will still technically include your own desire to fight our way out."

But now, they would be separated. And while they were both strong in one on ones, the leader and right-hand woman would be very real possibilities for opponents. It was because of that very fact that Yuna was even somewhat anxious.

"Yeah. It's definitely worth a shot. I mean ..... we at this rate, we have to take the chance. Otherwise, we're just gonna be stuck here. And though Rose spoke for me last time, she was otherwise correct. I'm as ready to leave as you are. Since no one's gonna let us out, we gotta do this."

Taking a slight breath, Yuna leaned forward and gave Hotsuma a quick hug and peck on the cheek.

" ... Careful, okay? I'm pretty sure Aki didn't earn the rank of Divine's right-hand woman because of something petty like looks. She probably is tough in her own rights."

Of course, he may not even run into Aki. But some odd instinct was feeling like that would be what would end up occurring. Which would likely leave her with Divine. Oddly, Yuna was fine with going against Divine. She felt confident he would be easier to handle than Aki.

... Yeah. That made no sense. But that was what she believed in .... or wanted to, anyway.

Not long after Yuna and Hotsuma parted ways, however, would they each have their respective encounters. Sure enough, the unmistakable red-haired Aki stepped in front of Hotsuma. Her eyebrows raised; already quite a few things looked very out of place. "Hmm? Where do you think you're going, let alone without Yuna around?" That had been what made her the most suspicious. Otherwise, she wouldn't have cared half as much. But knowing the two were an item, it was very weird to see Hotsuma without his other half.

In the opposite direction, Yuna stopped dead in her tracks, barely managing to avoid completely bumping into Divine altogether. A slightly irritated sigh would be the first thing he'd hear, followed by a chuckle. "Ah well. Subtlety was never my forte, and really, probably never will be. I wish I could say I didn't see this coming, but truthfully, I sorta did."
 
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Unseen to both of them, the very man they planned to escape from sat at his desk in his private quarters, hands folded under his chin as he stared at the opposite wall in contemplation. Yes, he'd known of their desires to flee...And he knew that there was still here that they wanted.

"Aki, dear...You go to see to Hotsuma, make sure he doesn't rough up anyone. Don't worry, I'll have any guards who might happen across him to make themselves scarce. Whatever you feel needs to be done, do it."

It was here that he stood up; while his most trusted associate would deal with the Fiend...He'd go see to the Warrior; this would be a great test, after all. And maybe it could give him the break he needed to find whoever murdered Jun.

Hotsuma didn't think he'd lowered Yuna's self-esteem any, but also didn't think to check in with her to see if she was feeling any better.

Though he kind of got an answer when she all but jumped to her feet when he mentioned them starting their little recon mission. If one could call it that, anyway; usually recon involved at least a basic familiarity with the area. This was, by and large, unknown and hostile territory...One that an all-seeing tyrant had an iron grip.

Sure, no pressure.

Hotsuma chuckled as she smirked her response, "You've always had good ideas, Yuna. Remember, you formed our little trade pact back in Satellite." True though; worse came to worse, he would probably be fighting one of them...Or maybe even both of them. Or neither of them.

Still, wouldn't do much good to dwell on it; they'd be fine.

When she kissed his cheek, he hugged her back even more tightly, "You do the same...Divine might look like a pompous prick, but he knows what he's doing. If you run into him and have to fight, don't hold back one iota." He figured she might not even see the strange-haired dick, but there was...a gut feeling of sorts. Almost as if he could feel what was about to happen next. Was it more of his Psychic abilities awakening? He didn't know...And he wasn't sticking around long enough to try and figure it out.

They had a job to do. Something he kept in mind as they would go to divide and conquer, as the old adage went.


Both would go opposite ways, Hotsuma opting to use an elevator after making sure the coast was clear; though instead of actually riding, he had it going right to the top floor but slipped out as soon as the doors closed to take the stairs. He wouldn't go all the way up, but a decent number of floors...He lost count after thirty and after peeking through the doorway, found the coast clear again and made his way out...

Only to run right into the one person he would have hoped to avoid.

"His guards may be dolts, but she is not, it seems. Fine by me, I look forward to seeing her crushed in a battle." the Emperor snarked, all too eager to annihilate the redhead. Hotsuma just grinned, "Well...Cozy as the room is, I tend to get a little antsy just sitting in one place. So I thought I'd stretch my legs...That's not a crime, is it? Yuna's probably out doing the same...But I imagine you know that already And besides, we're not joined at the hip. We're our own separate people and she can take care of herself." Of course, he was all too ready for her to be able to read his true intentions...Not that he would leave much to the imagination.

"But since you're here, I suppose there's no harm in proposing a little agreement. You and I..." he paused to motion with his arms, first to her then himself, "are going to have a little Duel. Right here, right now. If I win...Yuna and I go free. No strings, no bullshit attached." Holding his arms open as if to show no hostility, he then asked "Well, what do you say? Seems a fair enough deal right? I'd say Yuna and I have earned a right to fight for our freedom, if you ask me."


Divine casually walked along, hands in his pockets as he followed the signal of Yuna's mind. He'd spent more time focusing on Hotsuma, really, so this would be a great way to gain further insight into how Yuna got along with Rose. Assuming things played out the way he was expecting them to.

And all too suddenly, she would appear around the corner, seemingly surprised and not surprised to have run into him. Of course, she likely wasn't expecting to run into him so soon. Oh well...If they were looking for a way out, then he would give her the opportunity to explain herself and what she was doing out of her quarters.

"How fortuitous...It seems this was a meeting of fate indeed." Divine commented casually, adding "I have to say, it's odd to see you without Hotsuma by your side. Such loyal friends are hard to find these days. You should consider yourself quite fortunate, Miss Takeda; I'd daresay that young man would fight everyone here if he had to in order to get you out." Brushing a bit of his longer hair back, he smirked and gave her a knowing look, "But...Might I ask what you're doing here? The building is on lock-down until we figure who - or rather, what - ended Jun's life. It's for your own safety, really...So if you'd be so kind as to go back to your room, I'll forget I ever saw you."
 

An almost knowing smirk slid across Aki's lips. Almost, but not quite. She knew Divine had assumed enough to send her after the fiend rather than the warrioress. And, after giving up with his 'beating around the bush' talk, there it was. The true reason they were both out and about. Her eyes crossed as she leaned against the wall behind her, the expression rapidly changing from a smug one to a more serious look. "Hmmm," Aki finally began to dictate after some contemplation, "I do know about what you're asking for. There are some things Divine-sama keeps from me; that, however, isn't one. He gave me the location in case something with those cards backfired .... or like this tried to happen."

Her right index and middle fingers lightly tapped against her sleeve as she stared firmly into Hotsuma's eyes.

"I hope you realize what you're saying. Nine out of ten people who challenge me tend to regret doing so. And ... I have no intentions of holding back. Even though I will admit .. some of what Yuna told me during your duel against Tokumo is making more and more sense. Which, thus, means a lot of what Divine has been continuing to do is feeling .... out of place. Wrong, even. Nonetheless ... I can't simply turn my back on him, for rather similar reasons you're so loyal to Yuna. Not in the same, intimate sense, but one that's as important to me. If you're truly sure though .... "

Reaching down into her side deck, Aki pulled out a magic card. Her eyes closed as she focused on the card she was gently but firmly holding, concentrating on making the words literally manifest and come to life. Before he could read too much of the text, vines that almost felt and certainly acted like manacles wrapped around both her ankles as well as Hotsuma's.

"This way, it's a fair exchange. I think you would agree with that much, yes? As far as the counter-bet goes, I will leave the full verdict to Divine-sama. However, it's safe to assume he will likely use twelve -maybe twenty-four - in his own bet somewhere. It's likely going to be a number, an amount of how long you two will end up remaining here. I can safely say it won't be as few as minutes; think years, more likely than not. Should there end up being a tie - me or Divine wins one match, but you or Yuna win one, the two winners will meet up and fight to break the tie." Aki would wait, ensuring no objections were heard before raising her arm, "Now then ... get your disk ready."

Stretching her left arm out, Aki activated her own duel disk, the cards automatically shuffling several times.

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"I most definitely count myself as fortunate. Make no mistake about that much."

So .. how to go about this, exactly?

Well, if you're shitty about being subtle, direct then. Duh.

Nodding at her own internal quip, Yuna took a deep breath before moving her head from side to side.

"I'm not out here just because. I am out and about for a reason. The Beelze cards; me and Hotsuma want those, as well as our freedom. If we win, we get twelve copies. Each. So ... no. I'm not simply going to head back, even if I would prefer you simply forgot about seeing me right here and now. Yet, I'm not overly stupid. It's clear as crystal you're not gonna do that, so ... "

Yuna lifted her left arm, already ready to turn her own duel disk on.

There was only one thing she had to wait for, and it was Divine accepting the duel. There were few ways to literally force a person into one, unfortunately. Alas, Yuna had no such ability to coerce Divine into agreeing. Even if she used Rose or as much of her psychic powers to somehow manipulate him, that wouldn't be nearly as satisfying. So, she needed to hear the word 'yes' herself.

Although ... she felt just as confident as she had minutes ago. After all, when had Divine last dueled? A while, if she had to guess. He'd be a true idiot to decline this offer.

But .... just in case .....

"You can make your own counter-offer to ensure this stays fair. So name it. We'll accept whatever terms you choose."
 
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Hotsuma scowled as she gave a very vague description of how the consequences would be played out; still, should have figured that it would be this way. "Let not her words shake you...So long as you trust in the power of the Archfiends, you will emerge victorious." the young man heard the Emperor say, Hotsuma's eyes narrowing as he brought his disk out.

Though that was the least of his worries, for soon his ankles would be wrapped up in vines. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but if she was trying to scare him it wasn't going to work. "You think I would run? Really? I don't care how strong you are. I might not win here; hell, I've gotten my ass kicked more times than you think. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tuck tail; that's not how I operate. I didn't get where I am by backing down when someone talks big. And kind as you've been to Yuna, you're no exception to that rule." he replied finally, letting his cards be shuffled before they would both draw and their Life Points would reach 8000.

"Hope you don't mind all the same, if I have first turn. I think it's only fair, right?" Hotsuma then stated, pulling a card out of his hand, "I set one monster in Defense position and place one card face-down." Standing up a little straighter, he then right at the red-head and finished with, "Turn end. Your move."



Divine just nodded as she mentioned the counter-offer; he knew quite well what Aki would say, but may not be able to give specifics. Which suited him fine, because one way or another he planned to keep them around for as long as he was able.

"Well, I won't lie, Miss Takeda. I've not dueled in some time, but I promise to give it my all. As I'm sure will you." was the first part of his reply, adding on "As for the counter-offer, I believe I know exactly what I want. You and Hotsuma, should you both fail in your duels, will spend the rest of your time here in Arcadia. Additionally, you and Hotsuma will spend a minimum of twenty-four months apart. Isolated...It's clear as day you both embolden each other, so you can see why I would make that stipulation."

Giving a sigh, he then finished with "However...I believe that is enough chatter, yes?" Sliding on his own Duel Disk, he slid his deck into the receiver and let the autoshuffler do its work. "As a sign of good faith in that you'll follow through, you will have first turn. I wish us both the best of luck in this duel" And with that, the Life Points read 8000...Signaling the start of the second duel.
 

Aki shrugged as Hotsuma reacted about her use of Ivy Shackles. "I don't know for sure what you would or would do. Some people intentionally messs up their own minds and trains of thoughts. Make it jumbled up and confusing in order to throw other people off. But .... fair enough. You have been rather blunt and to the point; something I appreciate, even if I haven't managed to tell you." Her head lifted, an eyebrow slightly raising as she heard the Emperor's words. That was an intriguing sight alone; why hadn't he changed the moment he saw her, anyway? Was he simply trying to save up his own power, or ... was there another motive, maybe?

Honestly, as long as he didn't try to run, she could care less.

"Anyway," she added, "The card is my form of reassurance. Yes, you can go first. Yuna's not the only one who doesn't view herself as the typical lady enough to like going first."

Aki was simply too used to cries like "Monster!" and other things of the like. It was thus another reason she protected and had been helping out the two. While the red-head did see a lot of Yuna in herself, the simpler truth was ... Aki was jealous of Yuna. She had a lot that even she didn't possess, and it was more than simply the amount of power. That, however, was an issue in its own regards, yes.

"Hmm, very well. My turn. Draw. I'll set two of my own cards and summon Botanical Lion." Though she didn't use a purely 'Botanical'-themed deck, it fit her own very well, and Hotsuma would see why. "Due to this effect, he jumps from 1600 to 1900, boosting all plant type monsters. As you can see. it does include himself. He'll attack your set monster and I'll end."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

"Th... the rest of our lives?! The fuck?!"

Sure, it was more incentive to win instead of lose. All the same, Hotsuma's warning wasn't without its merits. This man was eccentric and annoying as all fuck. But there had to be a reason he was appointed the leader of this place. Luck could only do so much, especially on its own. No. He needed to have much more than only that. Some leadership .... a lot of skill. So, when her lover warned he probably knew what Divine was doing, it was a very valid concern, even if it didn't sound like it.

And, in truth, she could honestly have done with the forced living arrangements. It was really the last part that made her face pale a bit.

Two years .... isolated?

Granted, at least there would be one saving grace, and it came in the form that one of their ex-assailants was deceased. Cold, but true all the same. Which meant Tokumo would be the only thing to really worry about. Of course, that was still a very large problem in itself.

... Still ...

"Fine," she muttered after dwelling over Divine's conditions a few moments. "Deal. I started this, may as well end it all." Her eyes rolled slightly as she drew her hand. "Really, I did hint I don't care much about order but ... I'll make an exception this time."

Definitely not because it had been from Divine, but ... how to word it?

It .. literally felt like her going first would somehow benefit her. That was the best way to explain and describe it.

... Is this really the correct first move to make?

"That's why you take your turn, Mistress; to find out."

... Rose ...

"I'll stay here, like Hotsuma requested. However, should times like this arise, then I will speak up. You're never truly alone; don't ever forget that."

An amused smirk, followed by a light 'hmph' passed her lips. "Fair enough," Yuna lightly mused, her muscles easing up as she relaxed. "Alright then. I'll set one card face down and summon Fortress Warrior." It would look, on any given day, like an incredibly foolish choice. And, granted, there were fair reasons for it. However ....

"Think of it akin to a warrior version of Dark Resonator, with a few differences. I take no battle damage while this monster is face-up on the field. Very much like Dark Resonator, it has to be attacked and killed twice before it truly vanishes. And, with that, I end."

The effects alone had been exactly why Yuna chose to take the risk though. Unless he could swarm with multiple monsters, she was safe. Of course, if her risk didn't pay off ...

Well, that was why she had more cards. Other cards that could be used.
 
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Hotsuma didn't reallly understand Aki's motives, nor did he try to ask; though even if she had explained that she was called a monster for the better part of her life, he'd probably have reacted the same way as he did when he found out Yuna was a woman. Who people were and what abilities they possessed, that didn't mean jack shit to him. It was what people did that mattered, because in the end, people weren't remembered by their names alone. They were remembered because of their actions, good or bad.

And when she had her Botanical Lion attack his face-down, the card image of Stygian Security would appear before shattering. "Because you destroyed Stygian, I can Special Summon a Level One monster from my deck. And I choose Double Resonator in Defense Mode!" he declared, the two-headed little demon standing on the field.

"I draw. And now I tribute Double Resonator to Advance Summon Sillva, Warlord of Dark World!" And with that, the tiny monster was replaced by a Level Five demon possessing 2300 ATK, his silver-colored armor glinting from the ambient light in the room. "Why you bother with these traitors is beyond me...All they will do is drag you down. You will lose if you continue to rely on them!" Hotsuma then heard the Emperor shout in his ear mentally, the boy stating "They, like you, have their uses. And right now, I needed a monster to kill hers. Sillva's my only option at this point."

Even with two face-downs, she would find that he was not so easily deterred. "Sillva, time to do some weeding! Destroy Botanical Lion!" he shouted, Sillva's blade raising up as its length coursed with dark energy, the monster slamming it down to have a powerful shockwave rush towards the creature...But it was not to be.

"Trap card activate, Magic Cylinder!"

Hotsuma cursed as he saw the twin tubes appear, Sillva's otherwise lethal strike being absorbed into the one to his right before instantly shooting out of the one on the left. He barely had time to cross his arms over his chest and shield himself before the impact, the wind rushing out of him as he was knocked back several feet. Fucking hell, he felt that one!

Coughing a few times, he shot Aki a glare and muttered as he wiped the corner of his mouth, "Damn it...I'm not out yet" at the same time his Life Points dropped to 5700. Little did he realize that any other Duelist would have probably been knocked down and very likely out cold after a hit like that, his newly acquired Psychic traits allowing him to sustain higher damage in a Psychic Duel.

Looking down at his hand, he saw no other plays and just said "Turn end."



Divine, meanwhile, watched on with interest as Yuna would summon a similar monster to Tokumo's Dark Resonator. Troublesome indeed; he could see why Jun had such a hard time with her if she had this kind of defense at her disposal. She fought diligently, preferring to build a solid defense before summoning her higher level monsters.

And when she ended her turn, he silently drew a card and looked at his hand. "Well now...I'm afraid there's honestly not much I can do here. But of course, I haven't Dueled in some time, so it's very possible I'm fairly rusty along with having just plain bad luck." he commented, taking three cards from his hand. "From my hand, I activate the Permanent Magic, Teleportation and set two-face down cards." he then explained his moves, the image of Teleportation being revealed to her before the two face-downs would appear alongside it.

Giving her a smile, he then added "Turn end. Your move, Miss Takeda."
 

Aki clicked her tongue as the advanced summon was performed. She knew exactly what this would mean. To be fair, that was exactly why she had set her cards down; to prepare for something as dangerous as Silva arriving. Still, she hadn't wanted to worry about using any of her sets this soon. Unfortunately, her opponent had a deck that was rather good with swarming. It thus wasn't too amazing he already had a monster with over two-thousand attack out on his side of the field.

When all was said and done, she found the main question rushing through her head being which card would be the best to use.

By the time he declared his attack, Aki had her answer ready. Her head calmly moved from side to side as she pushed down on her duel disk. "I think not. Trap card activate, Magic Cylinder!"

Her fingers rested atop her deck as Aki waited. Once Hotsuma officially ended his turn, she drew. "I wouldn't quite say that's the case," she answered, not exactly caring whether Hotsuma or the Emperor would like her joining into their mental argument or not, "It's not the inclusion of the Dark World cards that's weighing Hotsuma down. His lack of synergy isn't only obvious in his different forms, however. It most definitely applies to all of the deck. It could include any faction. Perhaps more importantly, though, what do you view your deck as?"

She'd allow the question to hang in the air, giving Hotsuma more than enough time to answer that inquiry in any form or fashion.

"If the answer implies you only use a soldier-like point of view, that would be the next biggest mistake. Even if I do not have the exact same abilities you and Yuna do, I understand that concept well enough. And with that, onto my turn. I will equip my Lion with the Thorn of Malice, boosting him to 2600. Botanical Lion will then attack Silva."

Whereas Hotsuma would probably expect to see an empty field, that was not what his eyes would be greeted with. His Silva stayed on the field ... but there was a major, and very vital difference.

"Any monster equipped with Thorn of Malice doesn't send them to the graveyard. Instead, they are weakened. To be exact, they lose 600 attack."

This was by far one of her more sadistic cards.

.... But ... well ... she wasn't caring or fretting about opinions. Even if Aki was having second guesses on everything happening to Yuna and Hotsuma, she was definitely not going to hand him an easy victory over. No, he'd have to earn that.

"Turn end," Aki declared in a matter-of-fact voice.

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Divine's thoughts were only partially correct. It all heavily depended on what she drew, really. While that applied with pretty much any duelist, Yuna always had a certain set of thoughts that she followed and used. If there were more cards that would be better to use as shields, then she'd take on those sorts of tactics. Otherwise, she could - and would happily - go right on the offensive side. This hand hadn't favored either. She had a bit of both, and thus had to choose one way or the other.

She could build up.

But ... is that really smart when he's set that Teleportation card out?

That was the main inner conflict going through her head. She could summon more offensive-based cards. Start working towards hurting him on a much harder level than what she had now.

.. But if he simply used that card and got rid of anything she played, it would make her efforts go to waste.

Nodding to herself, Yuna didn't set any cards; spells, monsters, or traps. Instead, she pointed towards Divine. "Fortress Warrior! Direct attack!"

This was part two; she needed to see if those other two set cards Divine had were something like hers. Apparently not, as the attack went through.

.... Or, he was merely saving them. Waiting for a more appropriate time to use them?

Whatever the case, she seemed to be safe for now, and that was what mattered to Yuna.

"Turn end."
 
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"And who the fuck do you think you are to lecture me on synergy?!" Hotsuma shouted back as she started her turn; there it was, right in those eyes of hers. That smug expression of superiority, even if no words stated as such. No doubt she thought herself above him in every sense of the word, it was the vibe he'd gotten from her the moment he'd got her...And now she was just fucking with him.

Even so, he waited until she would equip Lion with that strange Equip Spell, the lion's body covered in dangerous looking vines that seemed to take the form of natural armor...Even worse when it boosted the plant-beast's ATK to well over that of Sillva. He braced himself for the strike, grunts of pain leaving him as the backlash caused lacerations to appear over the front of his arms and chest, one coming up to slice his cheek a bit, trails of red running down his chin.

"Sorry to disappoint you...But being a soldier's all I've known. Every day of my life since I was a kid, I've had to fight and shed blood for everything I hold dear...And this deck is the representation of who I am! So fuck you if you don't think it's good enough!" was his next declaration, wiping the blood off his cheek before yelling "Draw!"

Even if his hand wasn't all that good right now...He almost had what he needed. He'd get his momentum, then he'd hammer it home!

"I place another monster face-down, and set down another card! Turn end!" It seemed her words, even if they were just meant to be an honest survey of his lack of synchronization, struck a chord in him. Whether the choice to leave Sillva in Attack mode was intentional or not was certainly up for debate; he could have known that Thorn of Malice allowed the equipped monster to deliver piercing battle damage if it attacked a monster with lower DEF, but it was more likely that in his moment of anger he forgot to build his wall up. So much so that even the Emperor seemed to say not another word. Even more so when Hotsuma held out his arms, leaving himself completely open "You Tops dicks are all the same...Anyone beneath you is scum. Well, come on then! Hit me! "


Divine felt a gentle breeze rustle past him as Fortress Warrior's ATK lowered his Life to 7400; true, his cards couldn't be used quite yet. Well...Not in the conventional way anyhow. It really had been too long since he'd been acquainted with his Deck; maybe he would see about Dueling his subjects more often, if only to help keep his own skills sharp.

"Guess it's my turn then, yes?" Divine asked rhetorically, drawing another card. Good, a monster...And a decent one at that too. Even so, he should see what she has face down. Would she trigger it though? That was the question.

"I Summon Silent Psychic Wizard in Attack Position" the Arcadia leader stated calmly, the 1700 ATK monster appearing before them. "Of course...With your Fortress Warrior in the way, getting a direct hit will prove rather difficult." he mused, closing his eyes as he contemplated his next move. Unlike Jun, he would be exceptionally resilient to the otherwise dangerous conditions of a Psychic Duel.

"So I think I'll use this now. A Trap Card, Past Image. With it, your Fortress Warrior's taking a little trip down Memory Lane. Only for one turn though, so don't fret, he'll be back." Divine commented playfully, Yuna's sole wall monster now gone and her only defense that single face-down. "Silent Psychic Wizard will then attack you directly...." he started to say, but got cut off as his monster charged up the staff it held,

"Trap Card open, Magic Cylinder!"

A bemused smirk crossed Divine's face; how ironic, considering what was going on with both Aki and Hotsuma. "Always a fan favorite...Nothing quite so demeaning than to turn a strike against your opponent. It seems you have a more tactical approach than Hotsuma, I applaud you. But I activate a Counter-Trap, one of my favorites, really: Mind Over Matter. By Tributing one Psychic-type monster I control, I can negate the activation of a Spell, Trap or monster card effect and destroy that card."

And once that chain of events finished, Divine's field was wide open except for Teleportation, though his Life Points were currently untouched. "Well, this is quite the pickle...Oh well. I set one card face-down and end my turn." he replied calmly; for someone who seemed to be on the receiving end of a potential beatdown, he was unusually composed. Leading one to wonder whether he actually expected to lose this duel or not.
 

In all honesty, Aki wasn't trying to mess with Hotsuma. She was simply stating observations. Facts. For her, those were things that stood out to her. Now that she noticed the Emperor had gone silent ... it strengthened her suspicions about Hotsuma being rather out of sync with his abilities. As far as she was concerned, she'd proven herself to him.

It was, however, slightly true she did have a bit of a superiority complex.

... But ... well ... she could at least back it up. And that was exactly why she had one at all.

"Curse all you want," she serenely muttered, "It's not going to do you any favors in this duel. And you're by no means the first to call me such petty things and more. I'm used to it." The last few words were murmured in an irked, low volume; yet audible all the same.

"Ask and you shall receive," she mused, nodding after drawing her next card.

.. It wasn't completely a bluff, but it was somewhat. So, even though it didn't need to be set, she put Seed Cannon face down. "Botanical Lion! Go and assault Silva again!"

Some people could have argued that was the wrong move to make. For Aki, this wasn't true. In fact, this was making up for having ot use Magic Cylinders so early. The other vital card she'd set would make up for what she was practically allowing and encouraging Hotsuma to end up doing; summoning one of his strongest monsters, one that would be an actual, legitimate threat to her lion and the entire outcome of the duel.

"Turn end!"

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Very much like Aki, Yuna would wait to see whether to activate her set card or not. Her preference was to save it, naturally. It was valuable, and one of her better cards to help turn the tides in her favor. However, when Divine activated Past Image, her eyes narrowed.

... Did that asshole just ... ??

Her fists clenched tightly, her nails beginning to dig into her palms. "Oi," she muttered darkly, "Don't fuck with my deck like that!"

Rose didn't emerge in physical form. However, she had no qualms voicing her anger at a monster being temporarily forced out of play and into a void. Her fingers let go of her skin, if only to do what Divine had fully expected. "Trap Card open, Magic Cylinder!"

A low "Hmph" resounded from Yuse's lips. On one hand, one of her better traps got negated. On the other, her monster returned and Divine's field was now wide open.

Just take the chance given to you ... she inwardly mused, taking a deep breath as she drew her card.

"I activate Double Summon to call Command Knight and Tune Warrior to the field. But they're not staying for long. I'll combine them both and tune them!"

The two monsters jumped up, eerily re-enacting a very familiar sight in front of Divine's eyes. This was something he had definitely seen during her duel versus Jun, and the entry would be just as memorable, along with the chant. "Long lost kin of Gilford holding an electric blade! Come by my side and join in on the fray, for your sword and strength are needed! Synchro Summon! Lightning Warrior!"

Her head lowered as Yuse took a moment to briefly glance back down at Divine's field. when she - they, technically - felt confident the attacks would work, Yuna nodded. "Before we go into battle, I'll equip Lightning Warrior with Fusion Blade Sword Murasame. Now, I directly attack, starting with Fortress Warrior!" Her confidence grew as she watched the attack go through without interruptions. "Now, Lightning Warrior, your turn!" The same result reflected, making an inward sigh of relief echo in Yuna's head. "And with that, I'll end my turn."
 
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The force was unreal...Not that he'd expected nor wanted her to hold back, but damn this was something else. Even worse than the ass-kickings he'd taken from Sector's goons. And with Sillva remaining on the field and its ATK reduced to 1700, Hotsuma's LP dipped even lower to 4700. This time, however, even though he'd taken the full force of her strike...He was thrown like a ragdoll, sliding a few meters on his back before coming to a halt.

He was rather slow to get up as well...But he did, with some effort, a small groan of pain leaving him as he stood fully upright once more. His ribs creaked from the stress; nothing felt broken, but he'd already taken a bit of a beating. Nothing he wouldn't survive, but some of the previous cuts got even deeper and new ones appeared to join them. Spitting off to his right, he just snarled 'Draw...'

No matter how times she might knock him down, he wouldn't stop fighting. No matter how strong she might be...He was going to get them both out of here. Yuna and him, escaping from this fucking prison!

"I Advance Summon again! Sillva and Sprocket will be the sacrifices! Encroacher in the shadows, ascend and claw from the blackest corners of reality! Rise! Invader of Darkness!" A bubbling pit of shadows seemed to form on his field before a gold-armored, cloak-wearing demon seemed to rise up. Eyes red as the woman's hair gleaming and staring right into her soul, a terrifying sight for most. And with an ATK of 2900, it was definitely nothing to sneeze at.

She wanted strong, she would get strong.

"Boy, you are making a mockery of the Archfiends! If you don't turn this around, I'm taking over...I'll not sit idly by and let this wretch walk all over us!" the Emperor declared, rage lacing every syllable even as Hotsuma would return with one of his own, "Like hell you will! This is my fight; if anyone's going to crush her, I'm doing it!"

And without giving his alter ego a chance to get a word in edgewise, he shouted, "Shred that weed into mulch! Attack!" "You fool!" the Emperor shouted, far too late. And right as the demonic beast charged in, its form changing into something more spectral, he would get yet another surprise.

"Trap Card activate, Wall of Thorns"

And much like the card's name, a literal wall of thorn-covered vines sprung and protected Aki's Lion from destruction; instead, a howl left Invader's unseen maw as its image blew apart after it contacted the barrier. Hotsuma had to shield himself with an arm as his monster was annihilated; well, fucking great, he thought.

"Whether you believe it or not, I don't want us to lose to her, boy! And right now, you're basically handing victory to her on a silver platter!" the Emperor declared furiously, justifiably upset his host had yet to even scratch her lifepoints. "Will you shut up already?! You howling in my head isn't going to change that!" he shot back, starting to get noticeably more aggravated...Though maybe he was partially doing it on purpose. After all, it wasn't until he got really pissed at Tokumo that he got the momentum he needed.

And maybe...His deck responded better to his rage. Right now though, it wasn't looking good at all. If something was going to happen.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you. I bet you get a real kick of watching your opponents flounder about like this." he growled at Aki, huffing "Turn end" . There wasn't anything he could do yet. If he managed to survive one more turn and drew a particular monster, he could turn this around yet.



Divine knew he was going to get hit hard; it seemed Rose and Yuna didn't like their monsters being pushed aside. Likely to do with not dying a warrior's death, or maybe it was their deep-seated dislike of him. Ah well, he'd made an error in judgment...And now he would get his just desserts for it.

"Ah yes, the monster that gave Jun his last Duel...Well, that and Crimson Blader I mean. Quite the line-up of monsters, Miss Takeda." Divine grinned; he could feel how the Duel between Aki and Hotsuma was going...Seemed the boy was having trouble, not that he was surprised. Best not to let Yuna find out though. Not yet, anyway...Right now, he wanted to see if she had the skills to stand on her own as a Psychic Duelist.

And so far, she was doing more than admirably. Yes, he was glad to be her opponent.

As before, Fortress Warrior's attack did little to phase him, his LP dropping to 6800 before Lightning Warrior's own strike connected, further cutting his Life Points to 3600. That one he felt a little, both the impact and the tingle from the high-power current flowing through the warrior's form. "Well...It seems things are looking quite grim for me." he commented, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face.

"I draw. Then I summon Telekinetic Shocker in Attack Mode. Furthermore, I activate my Trap, Psychic Rejuvenation. With it, I gain 1000 LP for every Psychic monster I control." he explained, a green light enshrouding him as his LP rose back up to 4600. Undoing part of the damage Yuna had inflicted unto him.

"I apologize this Duel isn't more exciting, Yuna; it seems my lack of practice is showing. But I'm afraid I must end my turn here." he then said, letting the young woman go again.
 

Aki grimaced, watching him still get hurled back whist the Ivy Shackles kept him trapped and held down against the floor. In actuality, this was all the exact opposite. She held no joy in wounding Hotsuma, be it with his body or pride. It may not be overly obvious now, definitely not with some of the quips and phrases he was hearing from her - but Aki did actually respect him and Yuna quit a bit. Not just as duelists, but leaders of their own groups.

At the same time, however, she wouldn't take back her words about his lack of synergy.

He was continuing to prove her right tie and time again, ad each new move - lack of, at times - only made her points that much sharper.

There it is, Aki decided, watching as the massive Invader of Darkness emerged. Had she not been prepared for something like this to arrive, Aki definitely would have been a bit nervous. As things were? She had expected something exactly like this to happen. So, when he began to run forward towards her lion, she pushed down on her disk once again, "Trap Card activate, Wall of Thorns!"

Reaching down, Aki gripped her next card as Hotsuma ended his turn. For a few seconds, she seemed to ignore his rhetorical question and merely carried on with her turn. It wouldn't be until after she studied her hand that Hotsuma would see her move her head from side to side, "Wrong," she answered, keeping a cool tone all the while. "I'm not a sa --- well, okay. I'll admit that's not completely true. However, whereas Tokumo loves such things, I do not. So no. I'm not enjoying this at all. However, just as you will not betray Yuna, I have the same belief with Divine-sama, somewhat unfortunately for you two. I'll furthermore confess that, as of late, I've been having my own second thoughts; however, I've yet to get an actual reason to pivot on my feet and give up on him. Still ... "

Looking back down at the cards in her hand one more time just to be damn sure on what she'd end up doing this time, Aki's sentence finished as she spoke again, "Even with my own hesitant views, I'm definitely not going to hand this victory over. I wouldn't expect you to, and I hope that applies vice versa. Now that your field is clear, Botanical Lion, go! Direct attack! Turn end."

He probably wouldn't believe her, but that was fine. Hopefully, over time, someone or something would smack sense into the boy. It didn't have to happen right away, though Aki couldn't deny she'd prefer it to be sooner instead of later. Time would reveal how and when that goal would succeed. Until then, her concentration stayed on the here and now, which thus translated to this very duel.

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"They are my most frequently summoned Synchros for damn good reasons," Yuna merely replied, smirking rather proudly as Divine took note of Lightning Warrior appearing once again, albeit in a more front-row seat fashion. "I'm sure even you have your own ace monster, both in and out of the extra deck, yes?"

Almost everyone she knew did. Definitely in, if not both that plus out of it. It'd be weird to hear the answer could be no ... but if that was his honest reply ... ah well. It at least wasn't her speaking. She may die of the shame, as that implied having made a deck with no real thought or devotion behind it. Of course, that only applied if she would ever be in Divine's place. Alternatively, a reply such as not possessing an ace monster may even just a really fucking laissez-faire strategy which ... wasn't much better in her mind.

... Why does he not seem to care about losing this badly? Is he even trying?

If it weren't for the fact he had managed to summon several things, it was easy to believe otherwise. And it was one of the few things keeping Yuse's temper in check. Just thinking he wouldn't give enough of a damn to take her seriously ... oohhh that really began making her blood boil. That was by far one of her worst pet peeves; not being taken seriously as a duelist in any regard.

"Well then ... draw. I summon Blue Flame Swordsman to the field. Battle! Lightning Warrior will be the first to charge forth!"

Again, nothing ceased her attack from working. Her smile widened. Although Yuse mentally noted it was risky to start becoming cocky, the warrior side of her couldn't help it.

... If you've had this side of you your whole life, it's probably the portion that thrives a bit - okay, lot - on adrenaline and anything related to it. Makes sense it's happy to see yourself doing well, and against the leader of this god-forsaken place at that matter.

Either way, if he'd had any card to worry about, the best time to use it would very likely have been just then ... which meant those were other supports. More likely than not.

"Blue Flame Swordsman and Fortress Warrior will simultaneously attack!"

Yep. Probably were bluffs, supports, something of the like, because nothing was done to prevent those either.

"Turn end. Also, lack of experience isn't an excuse. And I sure as shit hope you're not holding back because of a really petty reason. Because I don't accept those either. Hell and no."
 
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Hotsuma grimaced, his body hurting all over; his ankles felt raw from the vines rubbing against them, and his earlier little flight didn't do much help in that department either. Even worse when Botanical Lion attacked him directly, slashing his Life Points to 2200 as he was thrown down yet again with a loud cry of agony, a deep trio of cuts going across his chest and staining his clothes red. This time though, he didn't rise up right away. A clenched fist thumped against the floor, those blue eyes filled with determination. With hate at his current situation.

And she would see that he would rise again. Beaten and scarred, but not broken. He'd never let her break him again, not like the first time he got here. "Boy, I'm taking over...And I'm not hearing a word edgewise..." he heard the Emperor growl, a dark aura surrounding Hotsuma's bloodied form as his Duel Spirit attempted to usurp control...Only to have nothing happen.

"And I'm sure I told you...to fuck right off. This uppity bitch is mine."

This phrase was said aloud, albeit mutedly, if only to help psyche himself up; she undoubtedly heard everything thus far, even if the Emperor had tried to conceal it. Not that the prideful asshole would have, Hotsuma thought. And with some fairly visible effort, Hotsuma threw his right arm outward, dispelling outward.

"I don't care how much you call yourself a King. I don't give a fuck how many legions fall on bended knee in your presence. So long as I'm able, I won't let you take matters of my pride from me! This duel is mine, you interfere again and I'll come in there to shove that sword right up your royal ass! Draw!" Hotsuma declared next, pulling a card from his deck.

"I Summon Trance Archfiend in Attack Mode!" was the young man's first move; with this combo, he had every chance of turning it around. "I activate his effect: By sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I raise his ATK to 2000!" At this, Aki would see the same move he'd used against Tokumo, the otherwise unimpressive and shriveled little imp soon shifting into a massive hulking wall. "I then activate a Trap Card, Demon's Roar! I pay 500 LP and Special Summon an 'Archfiend' monster from my Graveyard!" A red mist surrounded him as his LP dropped to 1700, his mouth forming a tight grimace as the painful leeching ended and a card slid from his Graveyard slot.

"Arise, temptress of Hell! She who rules the darkness without mercy! Archfiend Empress!"

And then she came in an eruption of black miasma: Beloved wife of the Emperor, elegant yet terrifying in her power, smiling at the young woman before her. And with an ATK of 2900, he now had two heavy-hitters...And finally a chance to ding Aki's Life. "You've gotten me good...So how about I return the favor? Empress attacks first! Destroy Botanical Lion!" he shouted, the Empress accumulating dark energy in her left hand before shooting it at the flower-beast, the excess of the blast shaving 400 LP from Aki.

"Trance Archfiend then attacks you directly!" was his next move, the massive ogre-like demon flying forward with those newly-enlarged wings; and whether she'd felt it or not, the demon would punch her in the face and drop her Life Points to 5600. "And with that I end my turn...And because of Roar's effect, Empress is destroyed!" The demonic female shattered, but she left behind a strange pool of the same miasma she'd arrived. "When she's destroyed, I can target one Level Six or higher Fiend-type monster in my graveyard and Special Summon it. Rise again, Invader of Darkness!"

And in a flourish of dark light, the demon that had fallen the turn before was back on the field, leaving Hotsuma with a much stronger presence than before. "Heh, well I've been wrong before...This is where we turn it around. You sure took your sweet time doing it." he then heard the Emperor quip, the young man stating "I'm not letting her win without taking damage of her own. Even if that's the only hit I get in, I'm going down fighting."



"Very true, Miss Takeda. It is not an excuse...But at the same time, I'm sure I could have made better decisions than this, don't you agree?" was his reply to her end statement, the combined attacks dropping his life even further down to a parse 700. "And I'm honestly not trying to insult you, far from it. I'm just afraid that my deck has given me nothing to work with. As such, I'm making do with what I have available. Surely you can relate, right? From your time in Satellite, I mean."

Drawing another card, he then continued, "Perhaps there were moves I could have played differently, but alas we learn more about ourselves from defeat rather than failure. I'll be sure to review my choice of cards once this Duel is concluded. But for now, I'll summon this little gem. Human Psychic Borg in Attack Mode." And on his field came a strange mechanical being, in its right hand a beam saber and an ATK of only 1500. "I then activate his effect. Twice per turn, I can banish a Psychic-type monster from my graveyard and raise Borg's ATK by 500. First I banish Shocker." With that move, Borg's ATK rose to 2000. "Then next is Wizard, and Borg's ATK now at 2500. Enough to deal with your Swordsman, at least. I attack Blue Swordsman with Borg."

Borg readied his weapon and dashed forward with surprising speed, the energy weapon cutting through Blue Swordsman and taking 700 points from Yuna's life. "And with that, I end my turn." Giving her a polite and very much meaningful bow, he finished with, "I know when I'm bested, so if you would be so kind as to finish this, Miss Takeda. Then we can see how Hotsuma's doing, yes?"
 

Aki steeled herself, initially preparing for what seemed like the inevitable change to happen. Usually, when the Emperor declared he'd do something, he kept his word. He wasn't one to give empty threats, so it made sense to assume he would she was about to stare at a literal fiend as opposed to a metaphorical one.

... But when nothing happened, her head tilted, and an amused smirk crossed her lips.

"Not bad," she praised, "You're definitely improving."

Just like how Divine had been keeping Psychic tabs on their duel, Aki was doing the same. And although it didn't look obvious on her face, she was confused. Even a bit horrified. Divine was ... losing? Granted, he was against one of the toughest women Aki had seen besides herself, but .... still. This wasn't simply a win for Yuna; it was a very one-sided win. She'd barely taken much damage, and their own duel was about to end. Which made the timing of her own that much more ironic.

Hotsuma would have realized if he paid heed that she wasn't losing her cool for an array of reasons. But one of the most important ones was linked to the past several turns and how slow they all looked. Because, typically, she could do multiple summonings like how Hotsuma had been doing. However, it appeared she had done the right thing and saved certain cards she'd been drawing. As she grabbed the card atop her deck, Aki knew exactly what to do.

"I'm sorry," she spoke, "But it ends now. You saw this used on Yuna; now you get to see how it truly works. I activate Mark of the Rose. I'll remove the lion you just sent to the game out of play and take command of your Invader of Darkness. Next, I play Raigeki to completely wipe any more resistance on your side."

... Aki was relatively sure that she could attack with no problems.

However, just as a precaution against the one set card he still had, she glanced again through her own hand ad found a perfect solution for anything akin to Mirror Force or his own version of Wall of Thorns. "I set a monster. Invader of Darkness, you are mine for now. Give your last ounces of loyalty and strength to me and attack him directly!"

Sure enough, that same card hadn't been anything to prevent the attack in any way. So, even though both Hotsuma and the Emperor would be absolutely livid with her for resorting to something as low as taking control of one of their cards and using it against him, it had done its job. The last of Hotsuma's life dropped, his disk eventually reading "0000 LP".

"Don't worry. It's going to be a tie, from what I've been feeling."

"Divine-sama? When you are done, please escort Yuna to us. It'll be needed for the tie-breaker and, more importantly, Hotsuma is in no shape to move on his own."

Finally dismissing the Ivy Shackles from herself, they stayed wrapped around Hotsuma's ankles. She doubted much explanation would be needed .... but just in case, Aki went on and filled him in. "They'll be here soon, with a confirmation on whether I was right or not. Also, Divine will probably give the official verdict of his counter-bet, if I had to guess. Either way, I'm likely going to have to go against Yuna to break the tie. Try to remain still until - and even after - they arrive. No sense in adding more damage to your body."

And in all honest to gods truth?

Aki was torn. Just as she hadn't thrown away her duel for Hotsuma, she wouldn't do so for Yuna. Yet, part of her was rooting for the warrior user as much as she was praying victory would come to he once more. It was ... odd. She'd never cared or wanted an opponent to win before. So why was Yuna different?

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"Well, yeah. You have ... something that should have given you an easy advantage from the get-go. There's no warrior equivalent card like that. I'm honestly blown away you didn't use that at all. And now ... it's not going to matter."

Those last set of words seemed to strike her own chord. Her body began to shake furiously as she drew. Was this what it felt like to literally murder someone? To shove them onto their backs and stalk towards them, smirking or chuckling all the while? Knowing there was literally nothing they could do to stop you?

It was terrifying.

And yet, so many of her cards had done just that, regardless of why. Now, this was Yuna and only her going through with the action. There was only one reason he would be able to walk away with his pride and body wounded; and that was because whereas Aki had been concentrating her Psychic energy into every attack, Yuna hadn't even bothered doing such a thing. If it ever emerged, it had been on a subconscious note.

Alas, those were the keywords; it had been doing that.

Now, her power surged, the anger building up so she could ensure Divine wouldn't be able to turn away from her without wearing several bloodied reminders of why she wasn't one to be taken lightly. "You're not convincing me," she darkly stated, "You say you're taking me seriously, but how?! Your actions and words don't fucking match! If you're gonna lie, make it fucking convincing! Oi! You're not doing such a thing to my Blue Swordsman, by the way! His effect activates! Help Lightning Warrior out! Don't worry; this won't be in vain."

Divine would see Blue Flame Swordsman's attack drop to 1200 while Lightning Warrior's jumped to 3800.

"And now, for his second effect. I'll remove him from the graveyard and special summon another fire warrior. Command Knight! Return!"

As it did, the attacks of everyone increased once again, with Lightning Warrior standing at a solid 4200.

"Now that it's my official turn, I'll set a card." Just as a precaution, more than anything. It probably wouldn't be needed. Always better safe than sorry, though. "Lightning Warrior. Deliver the last blow."

Around the same time Divine's last bit of hit points plummeted to zero, she heard the message. It may have been addressed to Divine, but she had't cloaked it or anything, and thus Yuna had been able to hear it as easily as Divine.

The fuck does that meant?! Did ... did he ... ??

Granted, it was Aki. She had shown and proved to be a very tough person, both as a duelist and right-hand woman. But the thought of having to do a tie-breaker against Aki was honestly terrifying. If this bet hadn't been stressful enough, things had officially become more real than she ever began to imagine. Indeed though, the more important part of that message was the last half. Why couldn't Hotsuma move? Yuna didn't wait for Divine to gather his bearings, as she began running towards them, keeping herself locked onto both Aki and Hotsuma's auras.

" .... Holy fuck .... Hotsuma?!"

The sight she got greeted with was far from pleasant. Even if he had won, it wasn't without one fuck of a beating.

However, the look on his face hinted that it was indeed going to be up to her to win.

Oh shit ....

Yuna looked nervously between the two, looking for some sort of confirmation. Something to prove she was reading the mood wrong; that Hotsuma had won and no tie-breaker would be needed. When she was only informed her observation had been correct, Yuna felt a knot form and tighten in her stomach. Her legs felt heavy, and she almost caved in and fell down.

"Fine," she whispered, a few of the words getting caught in her throat. "Then I guess this has to be done."

Gulping nervously, Yuna pushed her deck into her disk, allowing it to be shuffled one more time.
 
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Hotsuma eyes narrowed at her compliment; was she fucking with him again, or did she mean it? And if she did, what the hell was she trying to get at? "Tch" he sneered, thinking that this was just another way of her trying to make a dig at him. It was painfully obvious, though, that he was having a damn hard time even standing.

Something that was about to get even harder, for fate would not let him win this encounter. It wasn't long before she pulled out a card that he'd seen when they first got here, though he didn't know its name until she said it. "That's..." he started to say, only to see a rose-shaped tattoo appear on Invader's left cheek, seeming to teleport over to Aki's field and give her a bow of servitude.

And an arm came to shield his face as a raging bolt of lightning struck down Trance Archfiend, a wound above his right eye starting to leak blood and blur the vision. "Damn it!" he cursed, seeing Invader ready to attack...

And savagely it did so, unseen pressures causing hairline fractures and minor breaks all over his skeleton as he was enveloped in what looked like a tornado of shadow, numerous lacerations and bruises appearing as his former monster tore him to shreds while Aki's Shackles bound him in place, unable to escape. Only when the onslaught stopped did the chaos die down, Hotsuma's last vestiges of energy going into staring Aki right in the face. His eyes fading as he drited into a near-coma and saying, "S...sorry, Yuna...I fuc..." before falling backwards, his head hitting with a severe 'thud' on the hard floor as his consciousness swam about.


Divine figured it would be fruitless to argue, but even so, she should know that sometimes - even with people who constructed their decks well - there was simply nothing they could do. And he was fine with that; if anything, the Duel that would follow this would be very interesting to watch.

And once Yuna's monster depleted his Life Points, he still stood there, smiling as he clapped his hands genuinely. "Believe me or don't, Miss Takeda...But I did attempt to use my deck, however much it gave me. Simply put you bested me" he stated, pausing to listen to Aki's message. "Very well, dear...We're on our way over now." he replied mentally.


Within minutes, Divine would witness what she'd done to Hotsuma, letting out a 'Hmm' of contemplation as Aki stared blankly at the two.

"A shame...I do hope he's still alive, Aki." he stated rhetorically, knowing full well he was. "Of course, Master...He fought well, but in the end his lack of synergy simply could not come through for him." the redhead replied, touching the cheek where his monster had taken that chunk of her Life away. It didn't really hurt, but she felt the slightest pressure from where the beast had struck her.

Seeing that both of them were ready and still quite primed from their own fights, Divine would mediate while watching over Hotsuma. "Well...Here's a scenario I could have only hoped for. Since Hotsuma failed and Yuna did not, this match will be a tie-breaker. The rules regarding the outcome are simple: If Yuna wins, we treat it as if they both win. Consequently, if she loses, then it is treated as both of them losing." A grave price indeed, and one Hotsuma could hear (barely)...

"Yuna... he called out weakly to her mind, "Sorry...I really fucked up, thought I had it but she steamrolled me...Do me a solid and kick her ass, yeah?" Hotsuma's voice, even mental, seemed weak compared to what it could be. It was like his duel with Aki had taken a severe toll on him in every aspect of the word.

Divine smiled upon hearing this; yes, he was sure these two would give it their all. He had faith in Aki, though, and largely expected her to emerge victorious.

"Yuna...Before you get too upset, just know that I did not enjoy having to take it that far. But he was hardly leaving me much choice, I only hope you can understand that I was trying to help" the redhead stated, her eyes sincere. "If it is alright with you, Divine-sama, I would like to attack later." she then asked, Divine nodding, "Well, you heard her, Miss Takeda...You have the first move once again."

And just like their, the Life Point counters would reset to 8000...And the duel that would determine the course of their immediate future started.
 

"Hotsuma? Holy fucking shit."

Her body began to shudder and shake harder than it had been mere moments ago in her duel versus Divine. Slowly, she knelt beside her partner-in-crime, her lover for fuck's sake. She could feel tears threatening to form and fall down her eyes. Before her temptations could take over, Yuna bit firmly on her lower lip, It wouldn't be what Hotsuma would want to see from her, and it'd only give ... well, Divine at least, a type of satisfaction he most definitely didn't deserve. Even though he was still a bit iffy on trusting Aki, Yuna wanted to believe her judgment about the other red-haired female was right.

But god help her and everyone here should she find out Aki had been deceiving them both.

Because ... well ... this place would very likely vanish overnight should she discover Aki had never been able to be trusted at any point in time.

Is he ... asleep? Unconscious?

Yuna started to stand, shakily getting back up to her feet. She was only up on one knee as Hotsuma begged for her to pull through. The plea made her heart beat wildly in her chest. Yuna's head lightly bowed as she slowly nodded. I'll fucking try. I really will. I mean ... fuck. If you struggled with her ... I likely will also. But I sure as shit won't go down without a fight; that much I can swear to you without any doubts.

But an actual victory?

Yuna had no clue if she could end up doing such a thing, let alone against whom had obviously been the toughest person in this cursed base thus far.

"Help?" Yuna repeated, not trying to hide how incredulous and inappropriate the word had sounded. "I can think of at least half a dozen ways that would better help both you and him out. This was .... pushing it. Jesus, why are those fucking shackles still on his ankles, even?! We're both stubborn fighters, sure. But we know when we're beat and when acting would be foolish. At least remove those. Please."

... Was this even possible? To win against someone like Aki?

Statistics said yes.

But ... she would need a lot more than percents and shit on her side.

"Mistress, don't you dare start thinking like that. The moment you let things like despair and panic fully take over, you've all but handed Aki the win."

But ... I mean ....

"But nothing! Do you want me to take over?"

Yuna quickly moved her head from side to side. "I promised not to change forms," she muttered, beginning to draw her starting hand.

"Then you damn well better prove I don't need to take over this duel."

"Understood," Yuna whispered, taking a few deep breaths before looking down at her hand.

Okay. Alright This is doable ... good.

"I'll summon Blue Flame Swordsman and end for now. Your turn."

It may not be the most flashy beginning. But then, managing to summon a monster right off the bat with 1800 attack was pretty damn good in its own rights. Hopefully that in itself would help Yuna out. Aki didn't seem like the type to create a pure beatdown deck ... but she couldn't make that call for sure.
 
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Divine watched on as Aki and Yuna would begin their final showdown; she'd managed to nearly shut him out completely. It was ironic that both he and Hotsuma shared a similar tale of defeat: Both only managed to land a single if somewhat devastating strike, and were otherwise completely decimated by their opponents. And now, two women that had grown to respect and perhaps even come to call each (very, VERY loosely) acquaintances. He doubted either would say they were friends, even though they were close enough to where one just might step in if they ran into trouble.

"This is all your fault you're like this, boy...Had you just listened to me, we could have turned this around" he heard the Emperor snark, Hotsuma forced to just lay there, his body so weak he couldn't even block him out. "It's bad enough I got my ass kicked. It's bad enough that Yuna has to clean up my fucking mess...I don't need you rubbing it in." the young man weakly retorted; in truth, he felt shame that the woman he loved was forced to get them both out.

"Now now, Hotsuma...Wallowing in pity isn't going to help." Divine gently chastised, watching as Yuna made her first move. Blue Swordsman...An interesting choice of first monster, but at the same time, even if it was destroyed its effect could greatly help her down the line.

Aki drew a card silently from her deck, checking her hand to see what moves she could make. Just like with Hotsuma, she wouldn't hold back one bit..And she was more than sure that Yuna wouldn't either. Especially now that Yuna had seen the state she'd left her dearest friend and lover in.

"I set one monster and one card face-down...Then I activate the Field Spell Black Garden" Aki declared, the slot for field spells opening so that she could slide it in; within moments, vines lined with black roses began to erupt from the center. Covering every inch of the walls and letting a relaxing fragrance permeate the air, petals occasionally flitting through the air before falling onto the ground. Were this not a Duel, one could find it a macabre and yet oddly peaceful atmosphere.

"With that I end my turn." was the Psychic redhead's declaration; should Yuna continue to summon monsters, she would see just what the effects of Black Garden would be.
 

Seriously, Yuna inwardly agreed as she heard the Emperor begin to speak. There really is no need to rub it in. Rose didn't when ... okay. True, we didn't have our powers awakened when Tokumo got that one turn victory off on me. Still ... I doubt she would have added salt to the wound if I knew of her by then. Please just ... quiet.

It was the best she could offer. Then again, it was easy enough to fill in the blanks and assume a good chunk of what Yuna had been trying to hint.

She had her own thoughts and voices screaming in her head, ranging from mimicking a frantic, almost panicking tone to a more determined one. Having dueled Divine first and knowing exactly what was at stake was an incentive to come out of this as the winner. But ... knowing who her opponent was made doing just that so much easier said than done. Yuna just wasn't expecting Aki to hold back, and she definitely didn't intend to do the same.

This was going to be one of the most intense fights of her life. Aki was one of the few people who had no qualms holding back. Add in the fact she had unnatural powers that could make the pain worse? Yeah. This all made Yuna's anxiety that much more worse.

"Black Garden?" Yuna finally repeated, hastily leaving her thoughts as she looked around while the scenery emerged. She frowned, scooting away as numerous thorns that could easily pass off as barbs with how sharp they were steadily got close to Yuna's skin. Her love for ... daring outfits made her that much easier to wound, and she wasn't exactly fond of becoming as much of a mess as Hotsuma was. Not if she could help it anyway.

A small sigh of relief elicited as Yuna watched Aki simply set a monster instead of going on the offensive like Yuna had half-expected.

"Draw. I summon my second Blue Flame Swordsman --- "

The moment she read its attack, though, her sentence stopped. "Oi. That's wrong. It should be 1800 also. The fuck's going on?"

When the explanation came, Yuna's eyes visibly widened.

"What?! Why in the fuck would you ... I mean, you said it yourself! It works both ways! Isn't that just as risky for you too?!"

It made no sense. Sure, this would most definitely hurt Yuna. A lot. But what she noticed still remained.

Her head shook as Yuna scoffed. "Whatever. Fine. I'll make this work somehow." Nodding to the weakened Blue Flame Swordsman, she then pointed at the token that had appeared on Aki's side. "You can still kill that, so go forth and remove the token from her field."

Seeing the first attack succeed, her attention shifted to her fully powered-up Blue Flame Swordsman. "And now, get rid of her set monster."

What used to be a Copy Plant was slashed in half, quickly vanishing off the field and entering Aki's graveyard.

"Turn end!"

So far ... well ... it was definitely not the smoothest, no. But it was something Yuna could work with, even despite the Garden's appearance. That thought was keeping her from immediately assuming any worst case scenarios. She clung tightly onto that hopeful feeling, trembling slightly as she watched the red-head take her next turn.
 
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