Field: Gotem City

Sera decided for a change of scenery. The beach was nice and calming, for sure, but he was tired of sitting there and listening to Haruka spout on about drivel of change and existence. Haruka inwardly pouted whilst travelling the streets of Gotem City. It was more lively than usual.

The zombies had been unreversed. Or at least a good portion of them. Weird.

Sera sat on a windowsill outside of an antique shop towards the south side of the district. Checking through his deck, he finds the ace unit. Re-Birth. Haruka was totally against using this card if ever, but Sera was totally fine Cardfighting with it. It was his own comrade anyways...

Sometime had passed since the events between the madman and Diablo, it was nice to have some peace in Gotem City since Diablo was busy unreversing people in Gotem City whilst sending small reports in the form of text message to Yukino as Tsubasa. Today was supposed to be the day that his brother came back from Hawaii, luckily Fei told him that he helped Haruto arrive at their new house for today, Tsubasa was still busy dealing with several incidents that commissioner Gordeen had informed him about regarding reversed fighters.

"..I need to hurry, gotta get back home and see Haruto." he thought as he leaped from building side to building side.

As he continued his last survey of the central square he noticed something that caught his attention, it was Haruka, he still remembered the conversation he had with him in this very city, a conversation that set the tone for some terrifying future events. He went closer to his area, as he noticed him holding a card in his hand, upon further inspection he saw something strange...he saw Dragonic Overlord but completely overwhelmed by the reverse energy...

"No denying it now..."

He descended to an area above Haruka's location and immediately turned on the voice changer,"What's a guy like you doing with a reverse card?" he said, his voice sounding as menacing as ever.

The sound of an electronically sounded voice rang through for a moment. Despite the area being lively, it was still relatively quiet. People were just getting used to the way things were again, and most weren't exactly prepared for anything exciting to happen.

Too bad for them.

"What about it? Reverse is going to take over the area in a few days time anyways. This unit is just a catalyst; speeding up the process. Why, do you want to fight me? Stop me from doing what I'm doing?"

Sera looked up.

"Really, what do you expect from me? I mean, if you wanna talk that's cool but..."

Sera's voice was solemn, not angry nor particularly sadistic. It also had a tinge of just straight-up casual tones to it. He simply expected that his entire plan would simply ahead without a hitch.

"That doesn't sound like what you want, am I right?" Sera stared right in the sky, not much of a care in his voice. He was actually getting semi-pumped up, but he didn't want to give that away just yet.

There he was, Sera, the being he spoke to that was within his friend Haruka, at first his nature and way of speaking worried Tsubasa for a minute, though of course it would not show through the mask. Tsubasa knew that something along this line would come to pass eventually, it was the implication that both he and Haruka were aware of when they each chose their seperate paths.

"You have a choice..."

"After all that you have done as of now, I can't see how idle chatting would change things, the way I see it." he said, as he jumped to be in his view. "If you're going to stand by this path then I have no choice but to stop you, I won't allow the Reverse to take over."

This time even the voice changer could not mask the implications behind Diablo's statement, if he could end things at any point and help his friend he would take the chance."We all have a choice to make, I choose to go against the Reverse, and believe me I will not allow it to spread any further."

"Then show me what you've got."

Sera shuffled his deck, standing before the man. Upon drawing his hand, he looked around. The setting was off. Something wasn't right... Not exciting enough. Sera sighed, pinching his nose.

"Hey boy. Don't tell Haruka, but I saw you running across the Mega Mall roof earlier. You can fly boy? Hmm, maybe fly is wrong. You're an artist, if I could say. An acrobat, an artist of travel. So am I."

Sera snapped, infusing his cards with Reverse energy. They began to shake and rattle. The moved from his hands to the air, floating up.

"Like that?" He snapped again, allowing the man's cards to do the same. Sera had a smile. What a great start! Now, how to progress... Ah, they need energy. Standing still is no fun anymore...

"Now. Do as the Romans do?"

Sera winked, as he disappeared from where he was standing. He was now leaning against a wall... about five stories up from the ground. He stared down at the man, waving to get his attention. This man had never been Reversed before so telepathy was not an option. They were shouting for this fight.

With a yell, Sera called out to the man. "Oi, get up here. This fight is coming to the skies. You afraid of heights? I sure hope not. Today we fight like those on Cray! We fight alongside our units... Our real units."

Sera had the intent of summoning along his side, Nehalem, Bahr... Overlord. All of them. The materialization of units only takes one will, nothing more. However the will in this case was excitement. He wasn't worried about winning anymore. He wanted something entertaining.

"Hurry up!" Sera flashed a peace sign, gliding across the sky to the next building. He was expending his Reverse energy to allow both of these people to access to flight and not only that, but Haruka had actually developed a miniature closed space within the area. He was only able to hold it for so long though, so this fight would have to be so amazing that Sera would find it worth all the work.

The boxed in "closed space" meant they wouldn't injure anybody considering well.... Fire. Explosions. Swords. Arrows. All of that could kill a human. However these two were experienced Cardfighters. They were ready for the risk. Sera and the man would be able to see around the area, but wherever they went, the space followed them. There was no way it would cause actual injury... except maybe among the fighters themselves.

"If you really want to stop me, come and catch me." Sera was cocky. But rightfully so. He loved Cardfights with a bit more of a bang to them. Literally, in this case.

Diablo listened to Sera make his statements, but he ignored many of the idle jabs at him and instead focused on the spectacle he was proposing, a simple cardfight did not seem to be the desire of this one, he wanted to feel the experience more and that mean't to fight alongside your units...kind of like what happened in the shopping district.

"Tch..." the thought of having another destruction incident here clouded Tsubasa's mind at first, but when Sera created that 'fight space' something began to stir insider Tsubasa's head. Why would someone interested in reversing the world worry about destruction this time around...could it be...

Diablo could feel the reverse energy as it reached his deck and his body, but he could also notice that it was not infiltrating his body or trying to control him but rather, giving him something like a pair of wings to face Sera. It's presence annoyed him on the inside but as Diablo he simply stood there his arms crossed, as a shockwave appeared from under him as he took to the sky in front of Sera.

"I won't hold back, this time I will make sure that I end things, I won't allow things to happen the same way as the Shopping District...though I will say this much, this will certainly be interesting." he said.

Exiting the building's rooftop access door, Karin walked to the edge and gazed out over her city. "Where are you...?"

Pondering to herself, she continued her scan across the city's horizon line, her eyes occasionally darting from one building to the next. Until, that is, she found something to focus her attention on. What appeared to be two people not too far away from where she was, clearly about to begin a cardfight. They were a little lower down from where she was, but were close enough that she could, at the very least, make out what they were doing.

Sensing the familiar burning energy that she had come to know so well herself, Karin's interest was captured. "Is one of them among the Empire as well? Could they have any clue where he is?" Karin questioned herself as she stood, silently observing whatever events were about to unfold.

The very instant the fight started, as if being pulled towards it, the Figure appeared once again. Covered from top to bottom in mysterious energy that distorted the surroundings around him to the point where it was impossible to recognize the person. Accompanied by a much bigger figure standing right next to him, it too was distorted in similar fashion, and clearly it wasn't a human.

He threw the scythe he always carried around into one of the taller buildings so that it'd impale into it with the handle facing upwards, then jumped onto it balancinig perfectly on the blade in a half crouched position, observing the fight and laughing under his nose.

The fight started with the obvious riding of units. The Grade 1's were simple, Dorint and Gojo, for Shadow Paladins and Kagero respectively.

...

But they didn't simply just ride their units. They summoned them from the cards themselves. Translucent formations of playing boards traveled with fighters as they circled through the air, dashing forward when units clashed and strafing from side to side to avoid incoming attacks.

Turns out, this was far closer to life-or-death rather than who wins the fight or not. Sera was intent on having fun with the fight, sending out minor jabs to the man, "Diablo", in order to get a reaction. Sadly, he was not up for having any fun with this fight. He was taking it dreadfully seriously.

With a sigh and a pinched bridge of the nose, Sera called forth Haruka's Avatar, the Dragonic Overlord.

"Don't you dare ride that devil-beast. The messed up one."

Sera gritted his teeth. Its not like he particularly had a choice, considering the card hit the damage before Sera could draw it for his own. Haruka must have willed it so, because during the Twin Drive, Sera actually grabbed a Break Ride of Dragonic Overlord. Tahr had to be obliterated by blades and lightning several time. Dragonic Burnout breathed flames so hot they turned poor little Judgebau to a pile of dust, which promptly was swept away by the wind.

Sera did take a few direct hits. A slash from Blaster Dark Revenger, and an impalement from Mordred Phantom. That's not the say that he didn't do a fair share of damage back, sending a triple critical Overlord after Diablo. The sword of Overlord grew in length, width, and sharpness after each critical. That sword could cut an entire skyscraper in half, right down the middle.

They soared. They clashed. The very essence of a war was happening between the two as energies collided in a kaleidoscope of pain and power and fire and swords. It was a shounen anime if you'd ever seen one before. Except neither of these two are really any good protagonists at the moment.

Units were slain, no longer standing in three by two column formations. They spewed from their cards as real units on Earth and rushed forth to battle. They fought. They died. All for the sake of protecting their Vanguard, and to grasp victory from the hands of the other fighter.

It was intense.

After a few bruises and scratches were left from the fight, Sera realized he was out of options. Unable to find Re-Birth in his arsenal, by the will of the other entity in the body, he found himself at a loss this fight. Was his host really so weak to not allow victory from this vessel? Would Sera have to separate altogether to fix together what he wanted?!

Sera motioned for Diablo to follow him down... but he was called by a different name.

Haruka.

So this was a friend of his... By deduction, there were few candidates who it could be under that mask. Shiki... No, he's Reversed and under the orders of the Clown. Or rather. Working with him. They have a strange relationship.

Cero would never stay so calm. His voice carries too well, even through a mask that booming thunder would be traceable from miles away. Sera was 1001% sure of it. Whose left then? Where is that last missing piece of the puzzle.

"Ah..."

With a smile, Sera's toes reach the ground, turning to face the descending Diablo.

"Alright. You win. I don't know what you expected to prove because, news flash, I'm not Reversed." Sera waved his jazz hands, and did a small spin, then shrugged. Like a little jig. Then standing up straight and seriously, he yawned, stretching out like Haruka usually does. Their habits sort of formed as one.

"It was fun... You know? I thought so anyways. It's not like Haruka would let me use that Reversed unit against you anyhow. Too destructive. In the scenario we were in." He turned around, facing Diablo once more.

"It could've killed you. Maybe me too."

With a spin on his heels, he proceeded to walk towards the end of the street.

"Sayonara... and tell Haruto I said hi."

Sera began merrily strolling down the road, humming a tune from earlier in the evening.

You actually suck. How do you even know that's-

Because. Trust me.

Guhhh... Okay, we need a plan, and a plan soon. This is getting ridiculous.

Pardon me?

This, whatever just happened. We could have died had those attacks been stronger. We got STABBED. S T A B B E D.

And?

Sera, we need to split bodies. You can't use my body as a vessel forever you know-

I'm aware... Give it time.

Hmph...

Karin watched quietly as the two fighters clashed ferociously, leaving her both anxious and perplexed at once.She could make out the first fighter's deck with ease- Every unit, every attack, every trigger. Shadow Paladin, a clan Karin was only mildly familiar with. It was the second fighter that gave Karin her mixed feelings.

She could barely see his cards. As if a thick fog obscured them, his cards seemed faded and dark, making it impossible for Karin to discern what most of them were. A Gojo at the start, a Berserk Dragon at the end... These few bits and pieces she knew were definitely of Kagero, but she could not clearly see any of the other cards. In the end, Karin found herself certain of only one thing: The Kagero fighter seemed wrong, as if he and his units were only half-existing. She could feel the same warmth that her own inner flames provided, but it was different, polluted.

Keeping her watch from the rooftop, Karin pondered if she should confront the mysterious fighter.

Truly one of the most exhilarating fights that Diablo has been a part of, it reminded him of the battles he had to go through during the shopping district raid, but at the same time he felt stronger as he brought his allies to his side. Nevertheless, the battle itself was fierce and above all dangerous, if one fighter stayed in one place or did not move around or attack the other they could get seriously injured direct hits were taken by both sides but because of Diablo's power he was able to recuperate and launch a counterattack, though the entire time he was hesitating with each strike as he knew that his friend was in there, masks aside, this was the same friend with whom he enjoyed his time with during the camping trip and on several occasions, he could not bring himself to harm him.

Dorint into Blaster Dark, slashes, to Mordred several strikes at the shrouded Overlord and finally leading into the final turn. As Diablo prepared himself to end it he realized something, he noticed how Sera was not unleashing the full power of Overlord like Haruka usually does, what could the reason behind that be?

"Beast of Illusion descend and destroy your enemies, appear before me and stand as a guardian to all who dare to invade the sanctuary! Crossbreak Ride! Revenger Dragruler, Phantom!"

As Dragruler made the final strike and the fight was over, Diablo's mouth slipped, maybe it was his way of reaching out to Haruka the same way Haruka reached out to him during their fight, he called him by his real name, something not many people would know. Unfortunately, Sera was able to figure out his identity with ease because of that one, taunting him with the most terrifying of statements, a jab? a joke? a threat? No matter what it was it sent chills down Tsubasa's spine as his brother was mentioned, showing Sera's deductive skills along with the fact that tsubasa needs to keep a good eye out for Haruto.

"...You won't lay a finger on Hayato!" he shouted, as Sera made his exit.

"...I need to get going...that fight did a lot, besides i'm not yet ready to face him.." he said, as his eyes shifted towards a figure standing on a sickle engraved in the side of a building.

With a quick movement, Diablo was gone, on his way to his home where he hopes to check up on Haruto, and make sure that he was safe and sound.

Queen Yukino soared over the highways of Gotem City, laughing her noblewoman's laugh. She was being chased by Cero Kirguis, the "King" of Europe. This one had more drive, she could just tell. In her timeline, Cero's Avatar: Vermillion was killed by turning its life force into power like Overlord. The difference is that the fool was not Overlord. His death was a sure thing, and it came about when the King and Queen fought.

The Cero of her timeline is a broken man because of this.

But this one didn't give up yet.

That was exciting.

News Helicopters and the like chased the Queen and Kaiser.

Cero was in hot pursuit of the winged beast. Her laugh was taunting, but he was gaining on her. There's no way he'd let her escape. Even if she could Stride, Cero would just surpass Stride itself and put an end to this Yukino. The news helicopters that were now following them were more than a little irritating, as he was riding the walls of the skyscrapers to be on the same level as the monster. Pushing the accelerator, Cero got as close to Yukino as he could and shouted to her, "Yukino! I'll be the one taking you down, and it's going to be here and now!"

"I'll believe that when I see it, little King."

Oh, Queen Yukino would give him his "respect" by acknowledging his royal status. At the same time, he was nothing more than that. A man with a title. A little man. A little man who defied physics but could not obtain the power he was desperately trying to discover on his own. A chuckle came out, finding the similarities hilarious. Looking off to the side, the imperial flew into a news copter to move it out of the way.

Her Vanguard cards were summoned, and twelve lights appeared in the skies of Gotem City. They were Vanguard Circles. Yes, she was making a magical mat to duel in mid-air.

Truly, only something a Queen could do.

Insert noblewoman's laugh.

When the mat appeared, Cero's motorcycle changed from riding on walls to riding on... Nothing, it seemed. It was as if the wheels turned into trails of lightning, somehow propelling the cycle forwards. It seemed the more Cero existed, the less sense he made. In the beginning the fight was extremely close. Eradicators exchanged blows with Blasters, each attack countered by another. However, with the appearance of Majesty Lord Blaster, the game began to turn in the winged beast's favour. While Yukino was left at three damage, the onslaught of the Lord pushed Cero to five.

However, this is also where Cero's comeback began. With the addition of a new unit, Gauntlet Buster Dragon, Cero was able to wipe away most of his opponent's field and gain immense power and critical, forcing Yukino to 5 as well. From there, it returned to an almost equal battle, yet Cero was being pushed to his limits by Yukino's sheer power, yet it seemed she was holding back against him. Pushing forward, Cero kept the pressure on his opponent the best he could and even earned a compliment from the Queen compared to her dimension's Cero, who barely stood a chance against her. However... With the appearance of Yukino's second Stride, the situation seemed grim.

"Bow before me, Cero Kirguis," the winged devil said as the Holy Dragon, Religious Soul Saver descended to power up the field immensely. With an additional Critical, and two triggers in a row, it seemed Cero had reached the end of the line. Yet, he hadn't given up yet. Pulling a miracle double heal trigger, Cero managed to remain in the game. However... He had nothing to counterattack with. His field was almost completely empty and his hand was a mere 3 cards.

"Yukino... What happened to Vermillion in your timeline?" Cero posed the question, almost not wanting to hear the answer he needed to.

"He died. He tried to play Overlord, burning his life away for power. However, the weakling wasn't Overlord, and died when you lost to me with THE BLOOD," laughing her noblewoman laugh.

Of course. Dead, in there just like this timeline... But the way she said it... And that damn laugh, the way she was constantly comparing him to the weak version of himself that existed in the other world. All his loss at failing Stride while everyone else around him succeeded. His failures as a Cardfighter, his failures to his clan, and his failures to his title. Faced with this inevitable defeat, the endless cycle of defeat he seemed to live in whenever he was in this country... He snapped. The motorcycle fell down to the streets, but Cero was still in the sky, his aura exploding like it never had before.

"Generation Zone, Release! Ultimate Power that I seek, Come unto me, wipe away my weakness and eradicate my enemies! Stride Generation! True Eradicator, Final Blow Dragon!" A gate in the sky opened, and the power Cero had been after for so long was finally his. Through the crimson gate descended a massive monster. "Yukino! This is the power my rage has given me! Now, face my full wrath!" However, even though the appearance of Stride massively leveled the playing field, the battle was still not over. In the end, both Cero and Yukino were completely drained of their power, the game result being left undecided.

Panting and laughing, a maniacal grin on his face, Cero fell flat on his back. "Now that! THAT was a cardfight!"

The aerial cardfight had most of Japan's full attention. This wasn't the first time either, as Gotem City seemed to be the place for ridiculous happenings revolved around Vanguard. They watched a man playing card games on motorcycles while defying physics, and a woman doing the same without a vehicle. Instead, she was flying with actual angel wings. "What the hell is going with this city?!" A reporter shouted, questioning the supernatural. Royal Paladin and Narukami met on the battlefield - Majesty Lord Blaster and the Eradicator commanders met. The Queen and Kaiser gave the world a sight beyond what most national tournaments would be like. And Cero was already a fan favorite, having been in last year's nationals. Units were even flying in mid-air, and not just the dragons. The knights and all. This fight was a new kind of high for Queen Yukino, as the Cero Kirguis of her time was declared a weakling who lost very, very quickly against her, despite them being rivals.

This Cero Kirguis was different.

He was the worthy rival she remembered.

Nevertheless, she and Majesty Lord Blaster were just too strong. Instantly upon using the Avatar of Twin Blades' skill, double criticals came in. Cero was only on two damage, and this meant four criticals. If it wasn't for Seiobo after the first damage check, it'd have already been game over. He's strong enough to survive that, but it'd only go so far, she thought. He used a Break Ride, along with double Especial Counterblasts for Gauntlet Buster to power up massively. Her field was hindered, so Soul Saver would've been less effective. However, Gablade was stridden instead, and while he got Perfect Guarded, it still gave her what she needed: three cards as opposed to two. The woman used transcendence as a stepping stone. That in itself was a sign of true power.

The battle grew more ferocious as Cero showed endurance beyond the average human. Still, with a heavy disadvantage against a Vanguard with a 12000 base, while having a grade one column of only 14000... The other column was only making up for it with Shuki's power gain. Those poultry rearguards didn't mean anything. It was the Eradicator commanders that were the problems. Tempest Bolt Dragon appeared to duel against the paladins, gaining power for every open circle. Even so, it was manageable, as his Limit Break never happened. Meanwhile, thanks to a surplus of triggers, the imperial was building. She was building for a massive turn, and then it happened. To congratulate Cero for lasting so long, she unleashed her true power, performing Stride once more to summon Religious Soul Saver. The look of awe on the Kaiser's face was like that of the King's in her time. Except, the King's face was full of dread and horror. The same face he had when Vermillion was dying.

"Bow before me!" She commanded. The Cero of her time knelled down in defeat, cursing fate.

The Cero of this time refused.

Yes, he refused.

Not only did he survive with barely anything left, but healed twice out of six damage. He was lucky and strong. A commendable effort. The real sparks of their rivalry that fell apart in their respective timelines with their respective "original" rivals. Or at least, that's what she thought. The miserable "Yugure" could never give him a match like this. After that, he inquired about the details concerning the lightning kaiser's death in her time. Vermillion had attempted to "play Overlord", sacrificing his life force for power. Unfortunately, the weak fool couldn't handle it, and died fighting against her. She laughed, of course she did. Weaklings belonged under her heel, and rebellious weaklings belonged in the dirt.

Suddenly, Cero exploded into lightning.

His wrath reached a zenith.

"Generation zone, release!" He announced, surprising the woman. She knew the people of this timeline could Stride after... the brutal counterattack of that dragon knight centaur beast. But she didn't believe the man who was simply just another failed parallel of the fallen King could have done it. Especially not thinking the Eradicators themselves would transcend with him. Finish Blow Dragon appeared, the evolution of Gauntlet Buster Dragon. It destroyed a rearguard, and gave itself five thousand power, along with a Critical. On top of the natural Triple Drive G Units get, this was proof that the Cero of the prime dimension was a new kind of strong.

"Perhaps it was better Vermillion died then, for you to obtain power like this..."

If the death of a weakling resulted in the transcendence of strength, Cero should've been happy in her eyes.

A Perfect Guard stopped it. Three triggers were drawn, but she still stopped it. They kept going, Queen Yukino healing out of an attack without issue, Cero successfully guarding again her last attack. They were exhausted... but she could still keep going. The problem was, the paladins couldn't. Not even Majesty Lord Blaster - the Ultimate Vanguard. The Eradicators didn't look any better, and frankly, neither did Cero.

"You still... can't reach me."

That was her departing taunt. Despite all the power in the world... he couldn't land the finishing blow.

He was lucky she couldn't either.

Queen Yukino was gone.

The news was in an uproar.

Xat soon arrived In Gotem City and got off the bus. When she first got off she was met with some reversed fighters and she smiled. "Guess its time to play." She said as she took them on and won each of her battles back to back. After defeating the reversed at the bus station xat went outside and to began to look around defeating every reversed fighter that came her way. It turns out her training has been payed off for each time she used her bangil for stride it would take not as much energy as it did, however she had decided not to over use and save her strength. She also began to look for the one who sent her the text.

Noel of the present day found herself walking around Gotem City. She was deep in thought on how to gain the strength to be able to perform Stride just like the beings from the different dimensions. If they were able to do it, then so can everyone else, but the question is how? It troubled her to the point that Noel wasn't aware of where she was even going. I have to get stronger somehow... the way I am now... I'm just useless and just be in the way... if only... no... I can't use her, I just can't... and Queen Yukino... why am I so obsessed on watching you get defeated?

Next thing she knew, Noel had stumbled across a building with a familiar logo that said: "Kusanagi Technologies Co."

"Huh, so this is where it was, father wastes no time. I wonder what this place was before he tore their souls apart... at least I won't get lost here..." Noel sighed because she knew that this was here as a way to keep an eye on her. At least it created more jobs and help advance the technology that is in part used for new fighting systems for Vanguard.

That's when Noel got an idea and took out her phone. She started to message Tsubasa as a fellow Paladin user to help her get stronger. "Hey, meet me at Gotem City where you will see the biggest skyscraper. I need to train, I want to be able to summon what those people from the other dimension can summon!"

A day had passed since the event that took place in NYC Tsubasa had dropped Yukino off at the Espoir Manor before making his way to the training facility to check up on any issues.

"..I hope you will be okay..." he would think.

He then received a message from an old friend, Noel. At first his mind shifted to the time her alternate self defeated him but at the same time, he would remember the few times they spent, she really was a good a friend and a strong cardfighter.

"...I see...well then I guess I better grab one of these.." he thought, as he took a brand new bangle and made his way to Gotem City.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Upon arrival he would use his Diablo capabilities, which have now become even smoother as he had a bit more control over his abilities. He found the highest skyscraper that Noel mentioned, recalling the time Sky kidnapped Haruto he slowly, put his hand in his pocket and took out his deck.

"Today we fight to help others get stronger...not to fall again.." he said.

He continued his way to the area that Noel specified, going up the skyscraper from the sides of the building and aiming to reach the roof with ease. In about 30 seconds he had arrived on the rooftop and stood there watching Gotem and the scenery awaiting for Noel's message. He was unaware that Noel mean't to meet him on the ground not on the roof...

"O̷̵h̵̢̢͘ ̷̧̢̛͢y̶̢͘͟͠ǫ́͢u̸͘͟ ̴̧̧̕͠b̵́͘̕èt̛҉͝҉̛ ͏͏̧͜͞y̵̕͟͡͡ơ̢͡͠͞u͞҉͟'̶ļ͢͞͝l̴͟ ̴̶̢̨͞ḩ͢e̡l̸̨͝͝͝p̕͘ ̛͠͡ǫ̢̛͜ţ͜h̨͝e҉̡͝r̵̢͘s̶̢͟͠.̀͡͡.̵͡", the distorted voice echoed above the lone man on the roof, accompanied by the source of it, the unknown figure coated in energy from top to bottom. With his trusty scythe, he swung at him aiming straight for his heart, regardless of succeeding or not he'd jump back to where the exit was.

"I̷̸͜ ̸̢̛͜w̵̸͠a͟͢s͝ ̶h̷̀͜͏o̸̷̕n̡e̡̡͡s̷̕t̨̡̕͠͝l̴̕y̸̕͡ ́҉̷a̷̛͟͟ĺ̛́͘w̷̡̕͟a҉͢y̧s͡͏̴ ̸̨͢͏̛a̡͘͞ ̶͢͜͜͞f̴a҉̶̶n̢͞͝͏ ̸̧҉o̢̡f̶̶ ̛͠s̴̢͢͠u҉̸̧҉r̸̴̶̴͡p̛͘̕͡ŕ̶̵í̸̶͜͢s͢͜e҉̢̀ ̨͝a̶̶̢t̵̶̀͡t̨̀͠a̢͞͏̛ç͘͜͡k̸͘͘͞ś̕,͝҉͜͟͞ ̴̨̨y̵̕҉̶ǫ҉̧̧̨ù̢͝ ̀͡͞k̷̨̡ǹ̴̢ó͏̸w̡.́̀"

A disturbing presence shook Tsubasa's soul as he heard a voice that he could not remove from his nightmares...the voice of the clown who almost got him killed in their last encounter...

"..Huh..." he gasped, looking upwards at the scythe hurling towards him.

With a quick back-flip Tsubasa dodged the hurling scythe as he saw it engrave the roof of the skyscraper with it's terrifying presence. Now near the edge of the roof he spots Noel standing at the bottom of the skyscraper, but at the same time his focus shifts back to his attacker as he contemplates what he can do in this situation.

"...You...well you were never were one to be direct i'll give you that much...but for how long do you plan on playing this  game? Why don't you just face me and get it over with, so I can find out who you really are..." he said, facing the clown.

"..I have to keep his attention on me...I can't have him go berserk on anyone innocent..including Noel..this place won't suffer to the same fate that the shopping district fell to...it won't happen again.." he thought.

Having firmly landed, he dusted him off from non existend dust, simply trying to look cool.

"T̨̧h͘҉e͞͡r̛͘͘e̴̸͝ ͏̸̡̧i̵̵͠͝s̡ņ͘͘͢'̴͟҉̀t́͘͜͝ ̴̛͢͠r͏͝e̢͟͠á̴̧͝͞l͏̧͏̡͢l͏͘y̛҉҉ ̸́a̷̡͘n̷̴̨҉̨y̶̷̨͟ ̸͡g̡͏a͝m̢̨e̷̛̕͜͢ ̸̵t҉̀o̴̴ ̷͢͞b̵̵͜e͜͏̸̀́ ̨́p̴̕l̷̡̧a̢͏y̷̨̧͢͢e̷͜͞d̴́͠.̸̛ ̸̧B̵̛̕͏e̸̢̛͞͡ş͘͠͞ì̢̕͠d̕͢͏e̵̕s̢̛,̵̡͜͝ ̢̨̀̕҉d͏̀͠ơ͟͡ ̧̛́͘͟y̵͏̢͢o͘͢͡u̢͠ ̴̷́r̶̀è͜҉a̶͜͞͡l̸̵̢͝҉l̶̸̕͢ý͢͝ ̶̢͠t͏͞h̛͝i̷̡̢͜ǹ́ḱ̢͞ ̧̛͢͢͡t̶̵̨͢h̡̢͠à͘̕t̵̸͢͝͞ ̸́͢͝͝I͠͏'̸̵͝d̴͞͏̴͢ ̕҉̢j̡͏̴̨u̶s̕͟t̡̨͢ ̀͟͟͝t̵̶́͏͜e͟͜l҉̷l̷̀͘͠ ̴͘͢҉͢y̧͜ó̕͟͡͏ù ̸͘͜e̸̴̢͘͡v̴̡̢͠è̀r̨̛ỳ͝t҉̧͠h͜i͜͞n̸̵̨̢ģ̵̷ ̢͢͞͠í͞͏f̛̀̀͜ ̢͞͡I̸̶̧ ̢̡̀̕d̨́̕è̶̢̧c̵̶̡͏̕į̀͘d҉̧͢è͠d̡̕͟͢ ̴̴̢̨͡t̢͏̢o̵̴̧̡ ͏ḿ̴͡͠às̴̛̕k̀́͞͝ ̕m͟͞y̴̵ ͘͡i҉̷d̢͟ȩ́n̴̵t̴̴̡̧͠í͟͢t̴̶̡́҉y̢̢͜?͜͝͡͡ ̸C̡͏̛o̸m̀́é̢ ̶͘͞ơ̴ņ͝ ̧́m͘͘a͟͠͠ǹ̶̷͝ ̧̨͠t̛͜h̸͟i̶̢͞͡ś̶̸̷̢ ̧̕͝i͝͝s̨̢͡͞n̵͢͟͡'̀ţ̛̛ ̛̕j҉̶͠͠u͢͠s̶̢̀͞t̸͝͠ ̸̨͘͝f̀̀o͏̛͟r҉̛͢͢ ҉͢͡ş̡́h̀͜ǫ̵̨́͢w̧̛͘͞s̶̕.͝". After he responded to Tsubasa the figure once again dashed forth towards him aiming yet another strike at his heart. "I̷̸̧̡͟ ͠҉̴̕j̨u͏̕s̷̀͡t̛͟͏́͡ ̕͢͝ẃ̨͠a͡͏̶̀͜n̵̴̴̢͞t̴̷̡ ̴̧̨̢t͏̢̀͜o̴̢͘ ̶̀́͞ś̵͡ţ́͟͝a̶̵b̢̧͢ ͏̢̕ý̷ơ̷̕͢ư͞ ̧̧̀̀a̛̛̛͘n͘͜d̵͏ ҉͜g̛̕e͘͜t̶ ̴͢t͏h̸̶́ì̴͝s̸͘ ̶̢̛͢o̸v̴̸̢̕e̵̸͜r̵҉̨ ̡̢̡͘͠w̧̧į̷͟͡t̛͝ḩ̴́ ̛̛̀r̡͘͘͜͢è҉͏̢͠a̕͝l͏̧͘l̸̢ý̛҉̷́.̧̕ ͏̡Í͞t̨̢҉̶ ̴͞d̵̸̀͡͏ơ̡͜ę̸̀͜͞s͏̸̷̵n͏̸'͏̸̡́t͏̶͜ ̶̸͠͠ḩ̕u̶̷r̢͢t͘ ̷̷I҉̸͡ ̢͝p̴̴̧̀͞r̨̛͠ó̸m̧͞í̴̛́ś̢͠͝ȩ̡͡,̶̀͏͞ ̡͡w̴̛͟e͝҉ļ͠l̷̢͝ ̀͟m̕̕͞͏͜a҉̧҉̕y҉͠b́̀e͟͟͡ ҉̡̀à͜͏̵̨ ̴̕͟͠͞t̴͠҉̵i̵͝n̵̢͢y̵̸̷͡ ̴̶͟͢͏b̢͡i̸̶̡͜͝t͜ ̵̸̶͞͞b͏̡͡u̴͘͢t̢́ ̕I̷͟͝͏͏ ̢͏̷͡w̵̵͜ò̢̕u҉̷̶͞l̶̷͟͠d͏̶̨̀n͏́'̷̷̡͠t̸̨̡̡̡ ̶̨̛k̛͝n̶̶o̷̕҉ẁ̸̢̛̀.̸̀̕͠͞:

As the figure lunged at him once again with his scythe, Tsubasa placed his hand on his deck and waited as the figure got a bit closer, before moving his hand quickly and sending a powerful shockwave, sending the figure back and halting his assault.

"..You're not gonna land an attack!...-...you're only hiding because you're afraid to face me, whether this is some sick joke to you or not I won't let you do anymore harm." he said, now that there was distance between them.

"You keep talking about how these weapons are the key to solving our issues with this war...but these weapons came from this cardgame...stop this pointless clash and use your deck against me, at least then you would have a chance." he said, staring the figure down, with his deck in hand.

It was intriguing  why Tsubasa was so fixated on card fighting this figure, was it because of the unfinished fight they had before when he was Diablo? Or was it something else?

Once again, the figure firmly landed on the ground. He turned to Tsubasa, and laughed under his nose a bit.

"H҉a͡҉ḩa.̧͝.̀ ̨́c̶o͢m̛e̛͟ ̕ó͠n ̵̧̨n͢o̡̡͢w̕, d̸ơ̧ ́͟͢ỳ̵ou̕ ͘͜t̵h̸͝i̛͞n̴͟͏k͡ ̢̕͘j͡͞͝u̶͜͏s͝͏̸t҉̷̕ ̷b͏̡é́c̢̛a̸͟u͡҉se̵҉ ̶͢͠i̶̛t̕'s͝ ̨s͠o̡m҉e͜ ͏̨͟b̷̛i̢z̧̀͜z̴͡ar̨͝e̸̕ ̴͝ẁ̢e҉̴a̛̛ṕo̶̕҉n l̕i̸͘k̶̡e͘͢ ͝a̢̛ ͟͠s̴͞c̨y̶t̷͜h̸̨͜e͟ ͏̸͏it h̨̧̛a̵҉̸s̷ ţo͏́͜ ̛͡co̷m҉e̷͜͡ ̶f̢r͝ơ͠͠m ҉̷̛a̶̢͝ c̶a͘͞҉r͝ḑ̶ ̶͠g͟ame?҉͏ ͘̕Th̨͝i͘s̸ ̢͟iş͡ ͠͞g҉e͏̶n̶͟͠ų͢i̡͏n̸͢͝e̢̛ m̵͏a̶̢ń́." he spun around his scythe and outright started playing with it as if it was a toy.

After a while he put it away, smashing it into the ground so it can stand on it's own. "B͟l̷ąh̵͠ b̸l͏̛a̛h͞͠ ̧b̶͜͟ļ̵̧àh̵̡,̵ t́r҉̡y͠i̛ǹg͜ ͞t̴o̴ ̢̕de̡͏̸f̷̧͏e̷̛a̷t̶ ̢̨g̷r͡e̛͠a̶t̨̧͞ ̷͜èv͏́í̷ļ ̶͘wi̛t̀͠h ̡͢͢c̢̛á̴͡rd̀͞ ͘g̨am̧͘͢e̕̕͢s̢͡, ͡b̕ĺ̢a͜h b̧̕͢l̴̨ah͏ ̧̡͡b̵l̶͠a̢ḩ̴͠ ̸͞c͘a̛r̡͜͟d̢͏ ̴̷͡g̨͝ame͘͜s͝.̛" he started outright mocking Tsubasa, doing the mouth motion with his hands.
"D̸͢҉o ̴͞y͞͝o̧͏͘u̴ ́ȩv́̕en ҉ļ̴̀i̸s̀t̸eń́ ͜t́̕o̴҉ ̸̢̕ỳ̧o̡͠ųr̨s̢͝ȩ̡̀l̵͡͡f̨? ́Ý͟o͠u͏ ć͏͏al͏l ̴̡mę҉͝ ̀͡a̸̷͝ ͟͏͘c̶͏́o̧͜wa̴r̕d,͠ ͞y̶͞e̡t̢ ̢͡ý̛ou̸̢҉'͠҉r̡e͢͏͞ ͏̵̀t̀he͏ ̴̨̕o̢ǹ͢e̷̸̢ ͢t̕͟͠h̶a̕͏t͠ ̨͟s̵u͢͠g̡͟g̨̢͘e҉̴̀s͠t͟s ̡ṕ̡u̷͟҉t̕t̡̕í͟ǹ̸̸g̨̛ ̛áw̛a̶y̴͞ ͞à̧̛n̕͜ a͟c̷̕t̶̶̕u̧al̸͟ ̡f̨ì̢g̶͡h̛t̵ ̢͏́o҉f ͠sk̴͘i̧̕ll͟ ̶̵i͠n ̸̧f̶a͘̕͝vor ̵͢o̧f̡̡ ̡á ̴҉c͜͞a̢̛̕r̵͏̛ḑ ͏g̶̕ame͘̕͠ ͏d͏ȩ̴͝p͞en͏͏̵d̢̧i҉n͏g̕ o̸̧n̸ ̡͘l̷͘̕u̡c̛k͢?̡҉̛ ̵Y͞o̶̸u̷͘ mą̀͢k҉é̸͢ ̀͡no͜͠ ͠͠͏s͡͞e͘͘͢n͟s̶e̡̧҉ àt̶̶͟ ̸̀a̧ll̴͘.҉ ̧҉̀Ma͠y̧̢b̵̕e̷̶͘ ̛͏̕ỳ҉o͠u҉͏͡'͡r͜͢e̴͘ ̸̧th͘ę̀҉ ̵͜ć̸͞ow̸̴̨a͝҉rd͘͢ ̡̧̛h͘͜e̡͏͢rȩ͡?̴̢ ̶T̵́o ̨͞m̛͘e t͏h̀͡ì̷̛s̶͜ ̛s̶͢ǫuń̕d̀́͝s̴̀ ̛l̀i̷k͘͡e̛ ̴̀͠ỳ͢o͝u'̧r̷͜e ̛҉a̢f̢r͟͢a̢̛͠í̛͞d ͟ò̵͜f ̸͡͏a̴͠c̷t͘͝u͟à̕l͝͡ w̡͢͞e͢͞a͘͜p̢͟o͘n͠͏ ͟ćo̴͏m͟͞b̴̷a̛t̢̀ ͢͠b̀҉e̵̴̵c̸a҉̴͝u͟͡͞se͘͟ ͏y̢o̶u̷̵̧ ̴̵͏ça̛͜n͜͝ ̸̢ģ̕ȩ͢t̸̢ ́͞ḩ̢͝u̡rt̛̀̀, ͜b͞u͘͠t̨͠ ͢͞ó̶n͞ t͏h͏̧e̵͢ ̨͠ó͟t̶͟h̡̛͘ȩ͏̨ŗ̷ ̀e̵̴̡ņd̵̢ ̴̢ơ̢f̡̕ th̛̀e ̶t̛͘a̶b̡̛͜l҉͝ę͞͠ ͠you̷'́r̷͠͝e͞ oh̨-̨s̴̡o̸҉-̴͜͡s̕͜͞a͢f̷̢e̡ ҉͞a҉̀ń҉d͏ ha̷v̶̀e҉͞ ̢̡a̶n͜ ̸a̧͝c̀͢t͞͠u͢a̵̵l̴͘ ͜c̴͜ha͜͏ń̨c͏́e̢ ̸̢́of͞͡ ́͝w͞i̸͡n̵͡ǹ̵̛iņ͞g̷ ͝d͠͡u͏̴͞e̸ ̴to ̸l͟͡u͏ć͜k͏.̸͝" he added and turned his back to Tsubasa, behind whom the gigantic Dragon figure suddenly appeared, the very same that usually accompanied the figure but was oddly missing throughout this entire fight. Raising it's gigantic scythe, it too took a swing at Tsubasa from behind.