Tournament Stadium

The swiftest arrow of the Triad arrived at the stadium first. Maybe it was because he was only several blocks away from the hall in the first place. That... probably had something to do with it. After a few trips around shopping centers in search for new ties, he got the message. He had to payout and go as soon as possible if only to not miss out on registering.

The hall was actually about the imagined size he figured. The area was starting to be buzzing with excitement of people and competitors. Even supporters of the tournament were showing up rather early. Maybe this text was just sent to everyone everywhere? There wasn't exactly a contact tied to the number of whom the message was sent by after all.

Haruka entered from the front of the hall in his military uniform. He'd switched over it to keep the Resistance representation up, but in reality he really wanted to just start wearing his suit and tie again. It felt better making coffee at home than sitting in the slums waiting for death to approach.

"How are you feeling, Captain?"

"If I gave you my straight answer, the rest of the squad might get worried. Just assume I'm fine."

Thavas was sweating already.

The Kaiser stepped into the tournament, having received the text. He placed the Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion deck down, allowing it to be scanned as he handed his forms in. That dragon was the same one that appeared several months ago with the seeds. . . Whatever this tournament was, it was going to be important. Cero couldn't be at any less than his absolute peak.

Picking up his deck, the Kaiser continued forwards towards the stadium, the generic populace giving looks that varied from fear to wonderment at the reputation the Kaiser had gained.

Trinity watched passively next to Harbinger, wearing a hooded cloak to hide her new mechanical body. She didn't feel she needed to join and would be much better spent being at her Lord's side for anything Harbinger would need done during the tournament. Her eyes gazed for where the Chosen Sword would be, her only regret not being able to take this chance to take the Resistance commander out.

Meanwhile, a woman dressed in a sort of maid getup that gotten a few looks from people approached to register herself. Her deck was scanned as everyone else and once all the things were done, she stood away from the people in a diligent stance. "Ok Beatrice. You've join the tournament. Hopefully I can find the one person that I am destined to serve." Beatrice's eyes scanned the people, getting strange vibes from the many she had witness register. Something felt...off about this tournament. But what? Maybe she was just imagining things.

Neo walked into the tournament arena looking foward to the tournament. He gave the lady at the desk his I.D and Deck to be scanned. While that was happening Neo saw all of his friends as it looked like they joined the tournament as well.

Looks like this tournament is going to be a good turnout

Aoi zoomed in at the speed of sound, proceeding to roll in dramatically, performing a spindash as she entered the registration area. Perfectly, the lass uncurled upon arriving to the table, and slapped her hand down on a participant sheet. Officials and other contenders were in awe, as this was the power of the Chinese Champion. Such ferocity and spirit, such technique! Smirking arrogantly with a smug giggle, the pen in her hand danced and the Ripple faction was scanned. This bubbly storm was prepared to lord over a second country. A conquest to conquer Vanguard with no fear.

This was so much better than expecting a Reaper attack.

Yukino and others walked in, Jessie having completed his registration with Okuri. Bashiro slowly dragged himself over to the booths to turn his sheet in that he filled in back at HQ. Big Bang Busters were scanned some time after Ancient Dragons. Yukino's Seekers came in, deciding that the Chosen Sword would have to be at the top of her game for this competition. Due to the still faint hints of distrust toward Phantom Blaster, she couldn't synchronize with him immediately yet.

"Oh, my." Harbinger sarcastically sneered, knowingly getting Yukino's attention upon opening her mouth.

"Harbinger!" The Chosen Sword turned.

"Good, good, Shitstain and company are joining. This becomes all the more exciting."

"I should stab you where you stand."

"What do you think your infinite number of summoned toothpicks will do against me?"

Yukino cringed, not having an answer. Harbinger pointed and laughed at the Chosen Shitstain, holding her side with another arm. Officials wished to inquire what was happening, but chose not to disturb them if they weren't actually going to have a physical fight. The God of Death's jeer settled in as the redhead turned to depart, not taking part of the tournament itself. Bashiro placed a hand on Yukino's shoulder, silently attempting to have her relax, and it worked surprisingly enough. Yukino took a deep breath, knowing there was nothing to be done at the moment and turned-

is that Haruka in the distance?

The commander pushed Bashiro aside, knocking him to the floor as she rushed over.

"Haruka!" His fiancee called out to him.

"Please use this to submit your deck for registration."

Satoshi sat with a piece of paper, scrawling at it the contents of the deck he was going to play. Everyone, from what he was aware, was invited to this tournament, "Chronicle's Eve." From who they were accepting, it seemed simply an opportunity for leisurely contest in a time of war, for the sake of leisurely contest. Clearly there was something more to this, but as to what exactly that was...he wasn't sure.

It had been a short while since Hiro and Sakuya had awakened as seeds. A weird day, to say the least, considering it was also the day Neo Nectar lost two from their Musketeer army at the hands of the reapers. Staring at Yggdrasill, he sighed. Seph had to find ways to recruit new members for Musketeers back on Cray, so for the time being, the deck had to be set aside. Besides, the ancient magical powers of the Regalia would likely come in handy at this tournament in particular, given who was entering.

Still, what Hiro had said, and how Seph helped him cool down Sakuya...maybe the rest of the seeds would realize who their common enemy was, just as his own distant brother had.

He also still owed an explanation to Mizumi. Hopefully she'd show up; they hadn't really spoken in a few days. Maybe she was mad...

---

Lua had a hell of a week.

Since seeing Seifer off, promising him everything was going to be fine, she had silently observed, from the sidelines, everything she could possibly be present for. This included the end result of saving him from his own hell, where things were turning out alright for everyone involved. She was glad he made his mind up to stay. Moreso, she had silently observed the return of his beloved and betrothed, the person she wanted to eliminate in the first place. Similarly, she was glad for her return to bring him more happiness.

But all the while, because she knew Seifer would be fine, and that perhaps her insane infatuation was nothing more than just that...she herself suffered. Her workplace was destroyed, so she was now jobless. Her purpose for becoming a drone was shown to be a fleeting feeling. If anything, her youthful existence was suddenly cold and gray in day-to-day expression.

She had gotten a shorter haircut and chose to wear a hoodie, jeans and sneakers for this tournament. If anything, she looked more a tomboy than her normal, cheery, feminine self. And yet, despite her mild depression reflecting upon everything...this was a chance for her to do something fun for a change. Even if she had been called to do it by the reapers themselves as a form of pre-game entertainment.

She lightly drummed her fingers on her thigh as she filled out a deck report. Her eyes were no longer purple, but their gentle blues were dulled. She was not going to be completely in this, even if she wanted to be.

Mitsuki attended the tournament as a visitor thanks to a ticket her friend gave her. She was particularly interested as many of her brother's friend participated in this tournament, not to mention how widescale it was. Though she does not know whether her brother will participate or not as she has not asked him. Waiting eagerly for the tournament, she chatted to her surrounding friends in excitement. One day she'll be on that stage.

Darren went to the registration booth, signing up and having his deck scanned. His units were created by Seed Powers but they were still legal cards. He never really understood how that worked. Once he was finished, he turned and gave a glare. He could very clearly see Harbinger's energy. "So, Tomato Head's already here," he muttered.

Raiden registered himself quickly, staying as far out of sight as possible. He didn't want anyone to notice him as he was suppose to still be in the Hospital. His injuries hadn't healed as of yet and he wasn't medically cleared to be at this event, but he couldn't let his friends fight while he did nothing.

Karin picked her deck up off the scanner, looking back at the gathering crowd. Yukino and Harbinger were trading blows (verbally this time) already... And Harbinger seemed to be in a winning position like last time. Well, that was expected. As for the rest of the Resistance, it seemed like everyone was accounted for. At least, everyone Karin recognized. There were a few new faces in the mix, but they looked... at least vaguely familiar. Maybe from Harbinger's last attack.

Then there was Cero. The violent man Karin distinctly remembered dropkicking twice, once only a few days ago. She could barely even remember his name, having only heard it a scarce few times, but she remembered his face clearly. Her orange eye let out a barely noticeable glow, just for a moment. She had her duty ahead of her... But that was definitely a man she did not want to lose to.

---

Sakuya filled out her registration form and scanned her deck alongside the rest of the Resistance upon arrival, doing her best to hang back and not gather attention. It had been a while since she had participated in a major tournament, and even if this one had some sort of hidden agenda she had heard vague whispers of, she still had a reputation to uphold. Being the residing Champion of Korea, she wanted to, at the very least, perform at a suitable level for her status.

It was nice to have something to keep her mind off the voices in her head, too. A tournament could let her refocus on the game, a welcome change of pace from the previous few nights she had spent, alone in her home, trying to shake the whispers from her mind. They had gotten better over time, but they were still ever present, showing no indication of leaving her entirely alone.

Sera was picking through his deck, looking for the best strategy to take down opponents brutally this time. Of course, Sera was trying to use a bit of dignity this time around. After escaping from the conversation with Yukino a day or so ago, he arrived here after charging his phone and finally receiving that text which seemingly everybody else had gotten one of.

He was here now and ready to fight, still basically oblivious to what this tournament meant to the fate of humanity or whether or not it impacted anything other than good fun and a shot at some miniature fame.

------------------------------------

Haruka glanced around after reassuring Tidal Assault he would have nothing to worry about and that he would only be called on when the coast was clear of Pain Lasers and Vortex Dragonewts. He appreciated Haruka's sentiment. His name was called off in the distance, but it took only a few moments to realize it was his beloved off in the distance. Must be everyone in the Resistance and their mother in this place, considering how crowded it was.

He waved, Thavas and Lambros saluted the wife-in-duty.

"Ah, Yukino. Good to see you made it..."

He adjusted the collar of his uniform as it was getting stiflingly warm in here.

"Ready for the tournament...?"

He smiled, trying to reaffirm his position. He felt inferior to Satoshi and Yukino in pure strength and knowledge, but maybe if he ended his games fast enough it wouldn't matter...

The brackets were going to be announced soon, and many individuals were already arriving at the stadium for the big event. There were a few recognizable faces now that time had passed, even Chronos was apparently at the stadium now. The biggest concern that kept Haruto on edge was the presence of several drones though, granted Chronos and the others were around, but any surprised attacks could be a problem. On that note, if this tournament had any significance for the 'future of humanity' why is Chronojet allowing these drones to join?

"This will definitely be interesting." he thought, as he took out his phone and started typing a message to Xat.

"The location of the tournament stadium is attached to this message, hope so see you soon." -Haruto

Xat arrived at the stateum and got off her wolf. SHe began to look around with it following her to protect her, she soon spoted the others and waved to them. "Hey guys." She said as she ran over to them hoping that they will forgive her for leaving them in such a time. She saw drones and frowned comming to a walking pace, and began to wonder what they are for as she came to a stop in front of haruto and the others.

Yukino immediately attacked Haruka with her lips once he was in range, angrily smooching her beloved, then letting go of him. "You", she started. "You need to stop getting out of my line of sight. I'm considering-" The Chosen Sword decided to stop herself, realizing they were in public and talking about chaining him to her or something of the like was... probably not appropriate. Instead, the woman just stared at his chest, trying to shyly hide her blushing face from the world. ... Staring at her significant other in uniform didn't help.

"Xat!" Aoi happily greeted, waving.

"Welcome, one and all!" Oshiro's voice rang throughout the city on many screens within the stadium and on the electronic monitors of the nation. The Prime Minister beamed with great glee, a smiling brunette in red clothing and a kingly dressed blonde standing behind him. "We've been in some dark times for our beloved game these days. But, I promise you, we shall not be daunted! There is still a shining light - a beacon of hope! That is us - our own feelings towards Vanguard! I, Daisuke Oshiro, give you the newly building Cardfight Association's declaration of taking back our beloved competitive sport! It is not a tool of war, but our salvation! The time to change is now! This Chronicle's Eve is our revolution against the supernatural! Our rebellion against those monsters - against evil!

Today, the games we will speak of in our future to the next generation and beyond begin!

With the simplicity of Cardfight Vanguard!!"

The man in red who is simply the best their is and the crowned legend of the white dragon king joined hands, a firm shake between the two as fireworks were set off, revealing a large "V" shaped golden trophy. The victor of this tournament would be crowned national champion, as this event was enough to restore the morale of the shaken citizens of Japan. Tourney brackets were listed, Humanity versus the Drones were to begin. Preliminaries set, Chronos and Harbinger glaring one another down.

"I guess this is the place." It was a large building one that he has never seen before, to him anyway. His pale blue eyes began to water from anxiety; however after a bit of breathing, he was calm. His only real concern was how far he'd go. He'd only recently got a deck from Yukino and quickly glanced over the cards, it wouldn't be a total surprise if he lost the first round. Nevertheless, Jellal was determined and stepped forth into the building.

"Aoi whats with all the meachens?" she asked as she listened to the anouncer waiting more then ever to partcipate but knew she couldnt due to the fact her battles will now happen with units comming to lofe due to not having full control of her skills. The practice would need to happen to control it

Carlos arrived to the stadium where the tournament was being held. And, of course, he was late. "How come *PANT* they don't get *PANT* Lost!?" He thought out loud. Even though he followed the Resistance fighters, he ended taking the wrong path again and again. "This is not funny anymore!!".

Before continuing with his complains, he proceeded to register properly. He made some last minute changes to his deck before handing it for scanning. "I'll just switch this card... And this card... Add this one... Done!" He said while editing his deck. Once he was done, he went inside to see the matches. "Damn, I missed the opening ceremony! Well, it doesn't matter! This is my first big tournament, so I'm going to leave a mark one way or another!".

And so another crazy adventure was over. The tournament ended and Chimera was sent packing for now. For the most part everyone made it safe and sound with not many injuries.

As for Neo, he couldnt help but think back to everything that just happened. He had received a new power and his Brawler deck had evolved into the ultimate form: Knuckle Buster! But could Neo control it.. and what was Neo to do now..

Darren's body gave a momentary twitch as he opened his eyes. His body felt as if it were made of lead. He could barely move an inch. He looked up and saw the sky, the bright sky of dawn that told him they had won. He did his best to hold off the Star Vaders alone and it seems it did mean a lot. He had wished he had done more but he hit his limit in that battle. He still needed more training with his power, and soon. The battles would only become more difficult from here.

Standing with Rosalia, Blaster Dark, and Mordred, Seifer watched the Mixed Deletor flee from their combined onslaught... The last two fighters managing to instill absolute fear into it. He was happy... But still, pursing his lips he just shut his eyes, standing there in the company of the three he'd been with since after his fight.

Fubuki just kind of stayed in Aoi's arms for awhile. Although it didn't show, Fubuki was incredibly frustrated with herself. She had been completely useless. She failed to avenge Cyan, she failed to do anything to the Reaper, she failed to be even remotely useful. All she could do was fail.

"I-i. . .. " Fubuki muttered, before pushing Aoi away and running off towards. . . Somewhere. Away. Anywhere else.

Okuri had to simply watch in awe as he saw just what humans were capable of. Noel's determination, Haruka's fortitude, and most certainly Hikari's incredible trasformation. It had been simply too much for the Reaper who, while still alive, would cower in fear of humanity from this day on. The sun was rising on a new day, one where all of the people in the area could truly celebrate. While overjoyed at the events Okuri couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. This was humanity's victory. A showing of human potential. Once again the question of why he hadn't been a human himself came to mind. It seemed so much more fulfilling.

Choosing to not dwell on such thoughts but simply take in the moment, Okuri let out a bit of a howl to join in the celebration and then made his way over to his friends' sides. Jessie, Bashiro, and everyone around them was busy celebrating too.

"Think I need a drink after all that." he said smiling. It certainly sounded like an open invitation. Maybe not quite as open as that night in Umano had become. At the least he didn't intend on paying for an entire bar's night of drinks again. He looked over to Hikari and Haruka who were quite preoccupied with one another. He couldn't help but laugh a bit. "It would seem it'll be a while yet before I get that story." he said out loud but to no one nearby him in particular. He had a pretty good idea where Haruka would be for a while and it certainly didn't include telling an old dog like himself about what he'd been doing the last few days.

The battle was finally over, and with the Resistance as its victor. Rosalia herself felt like she did pretty well for her first time as medic, or more like white mage? Yay game references. In any case, the pinkette shut her eyes as she breathed a sigh of relief. They won, and that was all that mattered. She did, however, feel a tired smile spread across her lips as she looked to her fiancé, only shrugging when he had asked what she managed to do in regards to healing. "Truth be told, I have no idea. But, ever since I came back, I've been seeing this light from my deck. It always felt super warm and made me feel safe. It was only when I was running after Yukino without a Reality Bangle yet that I realized what it did, 'cause it helped my unbearable headache on the way." She then pointed to the bangle which Yukino made for her on the fly, then glanced out to where her Angels were still finishing up across the battlefield. "With the help from my units, we're kinda acting as the Resistance's head medic team, I guess? I'd like to think so~"

Still, it would be a lie if Rosalia said she wasn't tired. Whatever this new healing was, it took a lot out of her, and she used a load of energy for the first battle. She was tired and leaned against Seifer and his own units for support, her head on the brunette's shoulder. No, she wasn't asleep, which was a surprise in itself considering the female was known to pass out in the middle of the public eye. Me and my Angels... We're useful, even if we didn't fight... Guess I got my wish about being a medic...

Speaking of Angel Feather units, with the battle over, the Legion Pairs of azure wings did what they could to treat both high- and low-ranked soldiers. Clumsy Celestial Batrael was helping Mizumi treat the wounded, Seizing Celestial Hael finished up Raiden with Beatrice's help and moved on to others. Overdose Celestial Asmodel was still on the very front lines, checking up on Noel, Yukino, and Haruka as they finished the battle.

Holy Edge Celestial Malchedael was searching the grounds, stopping by where Darren now laid on the battlefield, seeming exhausted. "Rest easy. The battle is over, though the war remains," the violet-haired Grade Three Angel mused, placing a hand lightly over the male's forehead. The warming light returned, healing injuries as well as exhaustion, though it was still a good idea not to jump into a five mile race once he could get to his feet.

"Wait, Fubuki! Where are you going?!" Aoi shouted, chasing after her.

Jessie immediately turned to petting Okuri, and Bashiro was still laughing like an idiot with a number of soldiers and thugs. "We all need drinks after this shit, man!" The brawler shouted with glee, unfortunately offering open invitations on Okuri's behalf again. What an asshole.

Yukino finally got her lips off of Haruka's to let him breathe.

Civilians rushed out, cheering for the Resistance and others.

"Good job, kid", the man in red of the Association offered to Darren, standing over him. Soldiers were approaching with a stretcher, seeing as he couldn't move.

"There's a good feeling in the air now, a change from the stagnant, disgusting taste of it from before." The Guidance Sage, Zenon chuckled quietly to himself.

Darren gave a small chuckle. He closed his eyes and said, "Thanks, but I still have a ways to go." He tried to stand once more in vain. Even with the help of the angel, the problem wasn't just a matter of exhaustion. He had over used his power and it was having an effect on his body, one he would have to get used to eventually. "One step at a time. We can take out the Reapers, and if we do we'll have time to deal with the bigger threats." He looked up at the man from the Association, not recognizing him. "Hey, who are you, anyway?"

"Call me Enma", the man in red offered his name to the hero who solo'd Reverse. The Resistance arrived to help Darren off the ground and transport him to HQ soon so he can rest in the medical bay.