Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The following week passed by in a flash, and with each passing day, Yuma's sense of accomplishment continued to grow. The Duel Sanctuary and its new eccentric master had changed him forever, creating a sense of studious discipline within himself that he never thought he could muster. He even found himself entering that same mindset at school. Imagining Roku in place of Professor Ukyo seemed to help keep Yuma more engaged as he eagerly awaited the end of school so he could race to the Duel Sanctuary for another lesson.

"Now then, if someone could bring up the answer to the question here. Are there any volunteers?" said Professor Ukyo.

He displayed a holographic projection of (X 7)2 (X 9)2 = 34. He looked around the room, considering, then pointed at Yuma.

"Yuma, you seem rather focused today, care to take a crack at it?"

"Um, let me look at my notes," said Yuma in concentration, writing down the steps, totally oblivious to how his classmates were staring at the fact that he was bothering to do that in the first place.

"X = -4 or 12?"

Professor Ukyo blinked. "Well, uh, yes, that's completely correct! Excellent job, Yuma!"

The other students began to mutter to themselves. Even Tetsuo and Kotori looked at Yuma in bewilderment. He looked at them quizzically.

"Something wrong, guys?"

"Uhhhhh…" they said in unison, before letting the subject peter away.

Unfortunately, his new enemies from the Barian World were relentless in their pursuit to assassinate Astral and take Yuma's Numbers. If anything, they were growing more aggressive with each passing day. Every day for the following week that Yuma arrived at school, he and his friends would discover yet another of his classmates had been brainwashed by Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force as part of some elaborate scheme to get Yuma alone and duel him.

First it was the student council president, Mamoru Jinguji, who attempted to have his junior and the class rep of Yuma's grade, Takashi Todoroki, corner Yuma following his academic successes, then force Yuma into a rigged duel where his monsters could be forced off the field simply if they did not meet school guidelines, a rule that was unfortunately enforced by hacking into Yuma's duel disk until Todoroki had at least seen the duel for what it was, using his own programming skills to remove the virus and allow Yuma to fight back and defeat Mamoru.

Yuma had never seen eye-to-eye with the class rep before, but he was certainly thankful for Todoroki's help.

The very next day, the head of the school's art club, Chitaro Ariga had attempted to corner Rio with some kind of comic book-themed trap to keep her away from Yuma whilst using the AR-tech to craft a life-like illusionary trap to hold Kotori, Cathy, and Tetsuo at bay and to use them as leverage against her. Thankfully, Yuma was able to find Chitaro's drawing tablet, the source of the program, and quickly smashed it to pieces, enabling Rio to deal the finishing blow.

Unfortunately, Yuma still had to pay for breaking the tablet in the first place.

Another scheme involved the head of the school's soccer club Yata Garasu, who took the opposite approach of a complex scheme and simply confronted Yuma directly, a regular challenge to lower Yuma's guard so he would not suspect his opponent was brainwashed until it was too late, similar to his duel against Tetsuo. Luckily, Yuma wasn't fooled, having noticed Yata Garasu's odd behavior long before the duel began, and the attempt once again led to the defeat of another Barian minion.

Finally Barian World managed to get their hands on a pro duelist named Daisuke Katagiri, who appeared as a guest to promote the World Duel Carnival at the Academy as well as sign autographs and duel a few of the students. Only when it was time to duel Yuma did Daisuke reveal himself as a sleeper agent of Barian World, and Yuma was forced into another duel for his and Astral's lives, a duel where he would have to put his lessons at the sanctuary to good use, as Astral was forced to retreat to the key the moment a new Chaos Xyz Monster appeared.

Fortunately for Yuma, Astral was growing alongside him. The spirit was determined to increase his pain tolerance to the chaos energy unleashed by the sinister spell card, and so he would intentionally stay with Yuma as long as he possibly could before the pain became too much for him.

And while Rio had obviously not remained idle, given her defeat of Chitaro and making sure that Yata's teammates were likewise not brainwashed, the constant attacks had forced her to endure great pain as well. Rio's headaches were a constant problem for her, and the chaos unleashed by the Barian World had something to do with it, but despite their best efforts, they could not figure out why.

And thus, Yuma and his friends fell into a new routine. They would attend classes as per usual while keeping a watchful eye for any students or faculty exhibiting strange behavior, and once classes were over, Yuma would head to the Sanctuary for more training while Rio, Kotori, Cathy and Tetsuo would split up to try and find any clues to where their enemies might be hiding. Yuma initially tried to dissuade Cathy, Tetsuo, and Kotori from helping Rio search, even trying to compromise by insisting they all stay with Rio just in case they were captured and brainwashed, but that only lead to a heated argument with Kotori, who was still hurt from being kept in the dark about Kaito and was now growing increasingly incensed with Yuma's attempts to keep her out of danger.

Speaking of the Number Hunter, neither Yuma nor any of his friends had seen a trace of Kaito since his last appearance, and while part of Yuma was grateful he could train a little bit longer before his inevitable rematch with him, another part of him was quite worried, worried for anyone else who might cross paths with the Number Hunter. The fact that they had only encountered brainwashed Barian Soldiers throughout the week and no new Number holders could potentially indicate they had already been snatched up by Kaito, and that would mean more victims having their souls stolen.

Even so, Rio insisted Yuma focus on his training while she and the rest of his friends pick up the slack for him, and for that, Yuma was grateful. The Sanctuary lived up to its name, a place where Yuma could put his fears aside and let his passion for Duel Monsters flow through him. It didn't even bother him any more that Roku would occasionally put him to work doing strenuous chores around the Dojo in exchange for another lesson. It was all worth it in the end if it meant he could be ready for the challenges ahead.

There was just one dark spot clouding the sanctuary with negativity, and that was the only other student in the Sanctuary, Kaze.

Despite Yuma's attempts to be friendly, the ninja continued to be antisocial and hostile towards him, constantly questioning why Yuma kept returning to the sanctuary and throwing backhanded comments in his direction whenever the two crossed paths. While Kaze still maintained utmost respect and obedience towards his master, it was different when Yuma and Kaze were alone. The aloof and stoic mask the ninja wore began to slip, his inner sense of resentment becoming more clear whenever he spoke to Yuma, and it seemed to grow worse with each passing day. Yuma couldn't fathom what was bothering Kaze to make him so resentful despite being the student of such a great man, having an opportunity that most duelists would kill for, but the bearer of the Emperor's Key had a feeling it would come to a head very soon.

And come to a head it did, when Yuma arrived at the Sanctuary the following Saturday and Roku summoned both of his students into the Hall of Statues.

"So, Yuma…." Roku began. "It has been a week since you started training here at my Sanctuary. Have you enjoyed your time here so far?"

"Are you kidding?!" Yuma exclaimed, leaping into the air. "If I had known this place existed, I would have come here sooner! This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life! I've learned so much since I came here and I feel…. I just….. I can't explain it, but I feel closer to the game I love so much! Honestly, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to teach me."

Roku's eyes softened with warmth, but Kaze, his eyes shut, as if he didn't even want to be present, scoffed loudly, his voice filled with bitter cynicism, snapping Yuma out of his elation and ruining the moment.

Despite that, Roku seemed to take it in stride as he turned his attention back to Yuma. "Young man, it always warms my old heart when a new student falls in love with the Sanctuary. You've grown faster than I thought, like a little acorn that became a giant oak tree overnight, but you still have room to grow yet, and with the tournament coming up soon, I'm certain you're eager to learn even more. Now, as fun as it is to whoop your scrawny behind, one cannot call themselves a true duelist unless they test their mettle against all sorts of opponents. That is why I wish for you to duel Kaze today. Perhaps the both of you can learn from each other."

"WHAT?!" Kaze's stoic mask shattered as he made his objection known, before instantly correcting himself and lowering his voice. "Ahem…. Forgive me, Master. I mean no disrespect, but I did not return to this sanctuary to be a teacher."

Roku's eyes grew sharp as he frowned at Kaze. "You are not listening, Kaze. I am not asking you to teach Yuma. I said the two of you can learn from each other. After all, you are still my student too, Kaze, or did you return to the Sanctuary simply to be its groundskeeper?"

"I fail to see how I can learn anything from a child who has his head in the clouds," Kaze retorted dismissively. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Master. I must return to my duties. I have a lot of work to do."

As Kaze turned around to leave the room, a sly grin appeared on Roku's face, as if the Master of the Sanctuary knew the ninja would react this way. "What if I sweeten the deal a little bit?" He inquired, causing Kaze to immediately stop moving. "What if I allow the winner of this duel to pick out a card of their choosing from the vault?"

Yuma gasped, his eyes growing wide at the prospect of finally getting to see the vault, a prospect he had initially dismissed, as he was just happy to be here and learn so much. Meanwhile, Kaze's head whipped around, his sharpened eyes studying Roku's face, questioning the sincerity of his offer.

"Do you actually mean it this time? Or are you dangling another carrot in front of the stubborn mule to get it to move? I would appreciate it if you don't use the false promise of the vault to manipulate me."

"Kaze, I have never lied to you about the vault!" Roku snapped, growing stern. "I offer it to you whenever I believe you are ready, but time and again you prove that you are not. That is why I wish for you to duel Yuma. Perhaps he can give you what you've been looking for, a brand new perspective that will finally allow you to put your past behind you and regain what you've lost. My offer stands, my boy. If you are still so dead set on pursuing power, then I shall only grant it if you've proven to me that you have learned what I have been trying to teach you."

"You mean to tell me you are actually going to offer the cards in the vault to a student who has only been here for a week?" Kaze asked as he desperately tried to maintain his composure.

"Circumstances in this young man's life have forced me to consider it," Roku replied sternly. "Besides, Yuma has proven to be a fast learner, and I am trying to be as fair as I can with the both of you. Therefore, I have decided to extend the same reward to the both of you. It is up to you, Kaze. You can decline if you wish, but I would prefer it if you open your mind a little bit. After all, it can grow tiresome when your only opponent has been me for as long as I can remember. It's high time you duel somebody new and remind the world what you are capable of."

The Ninja paused, looking down at the ground in contemplation, before letting out a loud sigh.

"Very well, master. I will duel the boy. Come, Yuma. Let us get this over and done with."

The two duelists took their positions and activated their duel disks, with Yuma for once not feeling excited to duel, despite the potential for an amazing reward.

"Man, does this guy even have fun when he duels?" Yuma muttered under his breath as Astral exited the key and floated alongside him. "Why does he even stay here if that's how he's going to act?"

His spirit partner offered his own opinion. "My time on this planet has allowed me to understand that different people duel for different reasons. Unfortunately, it seems that this man has chosen to duel for the wrong reasons. However, do not mistake his dispassion for a lack of skill. I fear that his hostility may mark him as a very ruthless opponent. Whatever cards he is using, we must be prepared for anything, especially with the reward of a card from the vault on the line."

As Yuma locked eyes with his opponent, he feared Astral was right.

Kaze was Roku's student for a reason and unlike Yuma, he had been training here for years. He was likely a very powerful duelist, and whatever anger issues he had would only fuel his desire to win. Still, Yuma had every intention to win this duel and make his new teacher proud.

This was just another obstacle on his way to being ready for the true threats that lay ahead.

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Kaze Yamikawa: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"The first move is mine," Kaze announced. "I shall start this duel by summoning Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo to the field. When this monster is Normal Summoned, I can add one Ninjitsu Art card from my deck to my hand. I set four cards face-down and end my turn."

Kaze's first monster appeared in a shadowed corner of the dojo, leaping from pillar to pillar with astonishing speed and acrobatics before landing gracefully on the field. Its appearance was that of a masked ninja garbed in a black gi martial arts uniform with silver stripes. Emblems of orange flames decorated the ninja's silver shoulder pauldrons, knee pads and the headband on his horned helmet.

Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

The dramatic entrance of the ninja combined with the glare coming from his glowing orange eyes took Yuma by surprise, but the bearer of the Emperor's Key knew the real threat was behind it, the four face-down cards which were almost certainly deadly traps.

Yuma didn't need a reminder from Astral to know he needed to play cautiously. The traps could be anything. One false move could spring them and completely ruin his strategy. Therefore, he knew there was only one correct move to make. Assuming Kaze did indeed have a field full of traps, Yuma needed to make absolutely sure his life points would be kept safe in the event of a trap going off and that meant getting Hope on the field as soon as possible. Luckily for him, he had the perfect opening hand to achieve his desired outcome.

"I draw! I'll summon Gagaga Magician, and since I normal summoned a monster this turn, I can also Special Summon Kagetokage."

Yuma's signature magician appeared on the field to stare down the ninja, and at his side emerged a second monster, a jet-black lizard with beady red eyes, its flat body blending in perfectly with the floor.

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Kagetokage: Level 4/DARK/Reptile/1100 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I'll overlay them both together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I can build the overlay network and Xyz Summon this! NUMBER 39: KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Both magician and lizard vanished into the golden portal, conjuring the sealed form of Hope, which floated up in the air and transformed into its true form. Yuma relished at the sight of getting Hope out so early in the duel, but his pride was about to shatter. His eyes drifted away from Hope and towards his opponent, and Yuma noticed an ever so subtle upward curl on Kaze's lips, and Yuma realized his fears were about to come to pass.

Number 39, King of Wishes - Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"I suspected if I put enough pressure on you, you would summon your most powerful monster," Kaze announced, his voice stoic but strong.

"I activate my trap, Ninjitsu Art of Shadow Sealing!"

Upon activation of the deadly trap, Hanzo leaped forward, racing towards the Number Monster before leaping into the air and brandishing several kunai in his hands. The Ninja tossed the many blades, but he was not aiming for Hope. The kunai sailed past the Number Monster and struck the shadow behind him. Yuma was confused at first, wondering why Hanzo would miss his target, but then the kunai began to glow, turning blue and unleashing the curse inside the trap card. Within seconds, both Number Monster and Ninja were shrouded in darkness, vanishing into thin air and leaving only the glowing kunai behind.

"HOPE! NO!" cried Yuma.

"And Hanzo has vanished as well!" Astral pointed out, sharing Yuma's shock. "Unlike Master Roku, Kaze appears to have no problem sacrificing his monsters to accomplish his goals."

"What did you do?!" Yuma demanded, and Kaze wasted no time explaining, his satisfaction obvious despite his stern expression remaining unchanged.

"By tributing one Ninja Monster, I can activate my Shadow Sealing trap. Now your Number Monster is banished, and as long as this trap remains on the field, the zone your monster occupied can no longer be used, reducing the maximum number of monsters you can summon from five to four."

"And you would just sacrifice your only monster to do that?" Yuma questioned.

"Hmph! You are starting to sound just like our master," grunted Kaze. "Unlike him, I understand that our monsters are only worth keeping around when they can serve their purpose, but as of right now, Hanzo has yet to outlive his usefulness to me! For that, I will revive him from the Graveyard with my second trap card, Call of the Haunted!"

A dark portal opened in the ground where the ninja once stood, and Hanzo leaped out of the portal, gracefully backflipping in the air before landing on the ground, ready for battle once more.

"Summoning Hanzo a second time triggers his effect once again, but now you will find that it has changed. As Hanzo was Special Summoned, instead of adding a Ninjitsu Art, I can add a Ninja Monster from my deck to my hand."

"So that was his plan," Astral deduced, his eyes narrowing. "By removing Hanzo from the field, only to summon it again, he can acquire the cards he wants as quickly as possible, a very resourceful strategy."

"Kaze…." Roku spoke his student's name quietly in the form of a stern warning, but Kaze ignored him.

"Well, boy!" Kaze called, his harsh voice as sharp as the kunai on the ground. "What will you do now that your favorite monster has abandoned you when you needed it the most?"

Unfortunately for Yuma, the answer, at the moment, was nothing.

"I…. I end my turn."

"As I thought. My turn! Draw! I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!"

A second ninja leaped out of the shadows and joined Hanzo on the battlefield, its body covered head to toe in a skin tight suit of silver armor, with a loose fitting green gi uniform covering its body but leaving its armored torso exposed.

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"Now I shall perform an Xyz Summon of my own! I overlay Sasuke and Hanzo! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! Come out! Blade Armor Ninja!"

The two ninjas obediently dove into the portal, heralding the arrival of a third more powerful ninja. This one was different from the others, its body more akin to a machine than a man, as its purple armor was sleek and futuristic, and the only parts of its face not concealed by its face mask and black kabuto helmet were the glowing red eyes of an android. The ninja wielded twin katanas, conjuring a gale when unsheathed as if the warrior commanded the wind itself.

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

Yuma's eyes grew wide with recognition. "Hey! I recognize that monster!" He pointed at one of the statues in the dojo, which was identical in appearance to the ninja on the field. Kaze looked at the statue and his scowl deepened, something which left Yuma and Astral perplexed. If this was Kaze's favorite monster, important enough to him that Roku would make a statue of it, then why would he look at the statue with disdain instead of pride?

"But…. Master Roku said he only builds statues when his students graduate." Yuma continued.

"I did graduate!" Kaze corrected him. "But circumstances forced me to return here for further training."

"Really? Why?" asked Yuma.

"That is no concern of yours!" Kaze snapped. "You should focus your attention on the duel, or more specifically, your impending defeat. Observe! I activate the effect of Blade Armor Ninja! By using one overlay unit, my monster is allowed to make a second attack during this turn's battle phase, giving it more than enough power to eliminate all of your life points. A shame this duel had to end so soon. I'm certainthe master wanted to see more of what you've learned. Now you shall learn about the cold reality of defeat! Blade Armor Ninja, attack him directly! CRESCENT MOON BLADE DANCE!"

The ninja absorbed one of its overlay units into its sword, and then it raced forward, dashing so fast it appeared to vanish from view. As Astral frantically searched for their attacker, he was almost too late to notice the Ninja in the corner of the dojo behind them, leaping out of the shadows with its katanas pointed at Yuma's back.

"Yuma, behind you!" Astral cried out in warning, and the spirit's partner turned around, gasping in horror as he realized they only had seconds to make their final move.

"Use our last line of defense! Quickly!"

"Right! Hey, Kaze! My field might be empty, but I'm not done yet! If you attack me directly, I can activate the effect of Gagaga Gardna in my hand. He arrives just in time to special summon himself to my field and protect my life points!"

Just as the blade came down, the sudden appearance of a new monster halted the ninja's assault. Blade Armor Ninja found its path towards its target blocked by a massive metal kite-shaped shield, dark blue with yellow stripes and a red outline. Holding it was a male human warrior with long red hair dressed in a sleek black trenchcoat, which covered the chainmail underneath. The shield bearer's face was concealed with a thick orange scarf along with a silver helmet and goggles. The warrior stood firm, shield raised, his thick heavy snow boots planted firmly into the ground, awaiting the ninja to make a move. The ninja silently turned its head back to Kaze, awaiting its master's command to either continue or abandon its attack.

Gagaga Gardna: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 ATK/2000 DEF

"So, you had a hidden surprise of your own? Impressive," Kaze remarked, giving Yuma a rare compliment.

"However, your monster is still weaker than mine. Blade Armor Ninja, continue your attack!"

Turning its head back towards the shield bearer, the Ninja swung hard, bringing its blade down in an attempt to cleave through the shield and reach the warrior behind it.

"That attack won't do a thing!" Yuma replied triumphantly. "Gardna's effect activates. By discarding a card, I can prevent him from being destroyed by your attack!"

The blade slammed into the shield, but try as the ninja might, the soldier stood firm, its shield keeping the ninja at bay.

"You should have just allowed your monster to serve its purpose and be destroyed," Kaze grunted, seemingly disapproving of Yuma protecting his monster. "Instead, you will pay a much heavier price for protecting it. If you won't let me destroy your monster, then I will force you to empty your entire hand to protect it. By the time I'm finished, you will have nothing left to make a comeback on your next turn, and then you will regret your decision to protect such a weak monster."

"Blade Armor Ninja, unleash your second attack!"

The Ninja brought its blade down again, aiming to shatter the warrior's shield, when suddenly a new monster, a small black pig, appeared out of nowhere and stepped in between the two battling monsters, taking the hit instead.

Bacon Saver: Level 2/DARK/Zombie/700 ATK/600 DEF

"What?! Where did that thing come from?!" Kaze exclaimed in anger. "What did you do?!"

"What I did was block your second attack, and this time I didn't have to discard anything!" Yuma explained.

"The card I discarded the first time I used Gardna's effect was Bacon Saver, and now that it's in the Graveyard, I can protect myself using its own effect instead of using Gardna's effect a second time. By banishing it from my Graveyard, your attack gets negated!"

"And thus, you don't have to waste resources in your hand, since you had an alternative means to protect yourself," Kaze deduced, before nodding with approval. "It seems the master has trained you well. I set one final card face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Yuma was admittedly nervous. This draw would decide whether it was smart to protect his monster or to let it be destroyed like Kaze suggested, but Roku's teachings remained firm in his mind. He repaid his monster's act of protecting him by protecting his monster in return, and sure enough, when he drew his next card, his faith in his deck was rewarded.

"Alright! I summon Gagaga Child! When I summon him, I can add a Gagaga Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I choose Gagaga Revenge, and I'll use that card to resurrect Gagaga Magician from my Graveyard."

Yuma's next monster took the form of a red-haired boy no older than five, dressed in a blue cloak and matching blue conical hat, licking a blue ice cream bar without a care in the world. Once Yuma acquired and activated his spell card, the adult magician returned to join the young child on the field.

Gagaga Child: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/800 ATK/1200 DEF

Gagaga Magician: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Kaze carefully studied the field in an attempt to predict his opponent's next move.

"And so you have two level four monsters on the field once again, meaning now you can Xyz Summon once more. So, tell me, boy. What sort of Number Monster do you intend to summon next?"

"Actually, I have a better idea! Why would I need to summon a Number Monster when my three magicians are capable of taking out your ninja and your life points all by themselves?"

"What?! You're bluffing!" Kaze yelled incredulously, but Yuma was quick to prove him wrong.

"I activate the spell card, Gagaga Tag! This card causes all my monsters to gain five hundred attack points for every Gagaga Monster I control. I have three Gagaga Monsters, so they all gain fifteen hundred attack points!"

Gagaga Magician: 1500 1500 = 3000 ATK

Gagaga Gardna: 1500 1500 = 3000 ATK

Gagaga Child: 800 1500 = 2300 ATK

The sudden spike in power shattered the remaining composure on Kaze's face. His eyes began to twitch violently, dancing with a mix of panic, fury, and disbelief. Much to Yuma's confusion, Kaze's anger seemed to be directed not at him, but at his own monster, Blade Armor Ninja.

"Kaze…" Roku spoke up once more. "Stay calm. Do not allow your anger to govern the way you duel."

Astral looked at the situation, and more specifically Kaze's reaction, with intrigue. "Hmmmm, Kaze's behavior is most perplexing. While his field still contains several potential traps, his reaction seems to hint that he may not be able to stop our attack should we decide to go on the offensive. If that is the case, then the game is ours, but if it is not…."

"Then we pay for it big time," Yuma finished. "But we don't have anything that can destroy traps, so there's only one way to find out if we have game or not. Battle! Gagaga Magician, attack his Blade Armor Ninja! Gagaga Magic Attack!"

Yuma's magician raised its right arm in the air, conjuring a black ball of arcane energy in its hand, but as the magician prepared to fire, Kaze revealed another trap.

"Trap card activate! Ninjitsu Art of Betrayal! This card sends Blade Armor Ninja onto your side of the field, and now that I have no monsters left on my side of the field, the Battle Phase ends."

The magic in the magician's hand vanished, just as the ninja vanished from view. A second later, the Ninja appeared next to the magician, facing Kaze as if he was the ninja's enemy rather than his master.

"You…. you're giving me your only monster?" Yuma asked, the move having baffled the boy completely. Out of all possible traps Yuma was expecting, there was no way he could anticipate a duelist giving their best monster to him.

While Yuma and Astral could hardly fathom what Kaze was planning, Roku saw it right away, the strategy being all too familiar to the Master of the Duel Sanctuary, a strategy he deeply objected to.

"Kaze! No! I told you not to use that card!"

Sadly, for the final time, the master's warnings were unheeded by the Ninja as he revealed the card Roku knew was next in the deadly strategy.

"I activate my final trap, Ring of Destruction! This card destroys one monster on the field, and then both of us take damage equal to its attack points."

"My target is Blade Armor Ninja!"

"WHAT?!"

Yuma could only watch, his mouth gaping open with surprise as a metal collar with grenades attached to it appeared around the Ninja's neck, squeezing tight and choking it. The Ninja grabbed at the collar, pulling and prying at it with its hands, desperate to avoid its impending fate. The Ninja turned its mechanical head to Yuma and then back at Kaze, as if it was silently begging for its life, but there was nothing Yuma could do. The collar exploded, shattering the Ninja's body and knocking Kaze back as the explosion badly damaged his life points.

Kaze: 4000 - 2200 = 1800

"Why would you do that?!" Yuma shouted, his surprise giving way to the same anger shared by his teacher. "You could have targeted any one of my monsters and you would have hit me with more damage that way, but you chose to torture your own?! Why?!"

"So you can fall victim to my true strategy!" Kaze explained, his voice callous and devoid of remorse. "When the Ninja Monster I gave you from my Ninjitsu Art of Betrayal card is destroyed, you take damage equal to its attack points, thereby taking the damage from Ring of Destruction twice. So instead of losing a mere twenty-two hundred life points, you will lose all of your life points! In other words, I win the duel!"

Yuma only had a second to process Kaze's words before a second explosion went off right underneath his feet, knocking the boy to the ground and taking all of his life points in one fell swoop.

Yuma: 4000 - 2200 - 2200 = 0 (LOSE)

Winner: KAZE

Kaze's demeanor immediately shifted upon realizing he won. His anger quelling, he breathed a satisfied sigh as he deactivated his duel disk and relaxed.

"At last…." he whispered as he approached Yuma and helped the stunned student back to his feet.

"You fought well, Yuma. You have some skill, but you're young and inexperienced. You have a long way to go before you can call yourself a true duelist. Now, if you'll excuse me…."

"You're not setting one foot in that vault, Kaze," Roku replied sternly, his disappointment painted clearly on his face.

Kaze stopped dead in his tracks, his fists immediately clenching tight and his face stiffening into an expression of barely suppressed rage.

"What did you say?" he whispered.

"I believe you heard exactly what I said," Roku replied, his tone firm and uncompromising.

"We…. we had a deal!" Kaze hissed, his rage beginning to boil over. "You said that if I defeated this boy in a duel that you would finally allow me to take a card from the vault, and now you have the nerve to go back on your word, after everything I have done for you?"

"You did not listen to me, Kaze!" Roku argued. "I said I would give you access to the vault if and only if you prove to me that you have finally learned what I have been trying to teach you, but it is clear to me that you have learned nothing at all."

"I won the duel!" Kaze snapped. "I did not cheat! I dueled with honor and showed respect for my opponent!"

"But you did not show an ounce of honor or respect towards the very monster I gave you when you first graduated from this sanctuary!" Roku shouted back, his voice elevating as the argument grew more heated, while Yuma stood there in silence, caught in the middle and not knowing what to do.

"You let your anger and fear of losing get the better of you again, and then you take your frustration out on your own monster, when the responsibility, win or lose, falls on the duelist. I have tried for so long to give you the tools you need to get back on your feet and carve a new future for yourself, but your behavior proves that you are stuck in the past."

"And whose fault is that?!" growled Kaze. "Who filled my head with dreams? Who gave me that card and told me that with it, I could accomplish the impossible? Who told me that all I needed to do was believe in my cards and remember your teachings, and all my desires would come true? I came back here thinking you could help me, but all you've been doing is spouting off the same drivel as before, the same ideals that you would realize are nothing more than delusions if you had spent even a single day out in the real world, but no! You haven't left the sanctuary in years. You're content to live in your fantasy land because you can't admit that your ideals have no place in the real world!"

"Kaze, come on!" Yuma interjected. Even if he didn't get along with Kaze or agree with what he was saying, the last thing he wanted was for either of them to say or do something they would later regret. "I get that you're angry, but Master Roku's not trying to put you down. He's trying to help."

"Stay out of this!" shouted Kaze, angering Roku further, who came to Yuma's defense.

"That's enough! Kaze, I've been trying for far too long to help you, but you continue to push me away! I gave you a place to stay, and you are repaying me with disrespect. You will never overcome the darkness that haunts you if you continue to take your anger out on others and blame them for your failings. I gave you the tools for success, and it was up to you to use them to succeed. I did not set you up to fail, Kaze! You did that yourself, and the fact that you cannot understand that continues to stupefy me."

Roku finished his scolding and waited for a reply, but Kaze responded with heavy breaths and shaking fists, his teacher's harsh lecture having stoked the fires of his temper even further. Kaze's eyes drifted off into the corner, the statue of his own monster, Blade Armor Ninja, seeming to glare at him the same way his master did, as if it was mocking him. His eyes drifted back to Yuma, the pity in Yuma's eyes only angering him further.

It was too much for the ninja to bear. Kaze saw red.

"Oh? I'LL STUPEFY YOU!"

Without warning, his hand drifted to his waist and he unsheathed his katana. Yuma gasped in horror, believing Roku was the target of Kaze's blade, and for a brief moment, the ninja appeared to consider it, but his eyes drifted back to the statue, and with a snarling cry of feral fury, Kaze charged at the wooden ninja.

"Kaze, what are you doing?!"

"This is what I think of your ideals!" Kaze bellowed as he brought his sword down on the statue's shoulder, cleaving it in half with a single diagonal cut. Time seemed to slow down as the top half of the statue sailed through the air and landed in front of Roku, the noise of the crash snapping everyone back to reality.

"Leave…" Roku's anger faded away into a defeated, disappointed whisper. "You are no longer welcome here. Depart this sanctuary at once."

A flicker of surprise and regret appeared in Kaze's eyes, something Yuma took notice of immediately, even though it vanished as quickly as it appeared, the anger returning in full force.

"With pleasure," Kaze growled. "Truth be told, I have considered leaving for quite a while, but now you just made my decision easier. Congratulations. You've proven my greatest regret is ever returning to this place."

The ninja unsheathed his blade, and with a heavy-hearted sigh, he turned around to leave the dojo, only to see Yuma with his arms stretched out in a desperate attempt to block his path.

"Wait a minute, Kaze! Don't leave!" Yuma pleaded, before calling out to Roku.

"Please, old ma…. Er … Master Roku, Sir! Don't kick him out."

Yuma's desperate request took both Roku and Kaze by surprise. The last thing the ninja expected was for Yuma to try to vouch for him.

"Look, Kaze, you made a mistake in the heat of the moment. We can fix the statue, but…. Well….. I mean…. Come on, Kaze. You said you've been here for years! This place is practically your home. You guys just had a blow up. It happens, but you don't really want to leave this place, right?"

"I suggest you mind your own business, boy," Kaze snapped. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll leave as well. If you stick around and let him plant his ideas into your head, then you'll never grow strong enough to defeat your enemies."

"I don't duel to defeat my enemies," Yuma rebuffed. "I duel to help my friends."

"Then you're even weaker than I thought," Kaze scoffed. "Try saying that when all your friends have either abandoned you or betrayed you. You're just a child right now, and it may feel good to have friends now, but once you become an adult, you'll understand really quickly that the only person you can rely on is yourself. If you don't, then you'll never see it coming when your friends inevitably let you down, one way or another."

"Is that what happened to you?" Yuma inquired, causing Kaze to look away from him. For a brief second, the teenage boy saw the glimmer again, the trace of vulnerability behind those hardened hate-filled eyes.

Kaze said nothing. He merely walked around Yuma and continued on his way, exiting the doors of the dojo and making his way down the stone stairs to the valley below.

"Yuma, my boy, if you don't mind, I think we should conclude today's lesson and pick up where we left off another time," Roku finally spoke up, his voice sounding far older than he already was, and when Yuma turned to face his teacher, it truly looked as if the conflict with Kaze had aged Roku by another decade. "I'm a bit tired from all this…. Well…quite tired really…. You know how it is at my age…."

Yuma understood, having felt his excitement to learn fade away from being caught in the middle of the argument.

"Do not fret, young man. You'll be fine. You're making a lot of progress, but I think you have a tendency to get a little too excited when you believe you are about to win. That can blind you to danger. You should always anticipate the possibility that your opponent will find a way to steal victory out from underneath you."

Yuma couldn't tell if Roku was trying to make him feel better by ending the lesson on a more positive note, or if he was just trying to change the subject and get the image of Kaze slicing the statue out of his mind.

"I'm more worried about Kaze than myself right now," Yuma confessed.

"So am I, Yuma…" Roku sighed. "In many ways, he is right. I did fail him, but unfortunately there is only so much I can do to help him when he refuses to accept help from others."

"Master Roku, if you don't mind me asking…. Well…" Yuma paused. "You said he graduated already, but then he came back to stay here after something happened to him, right? What happened?"

"That is Kaze's story to tell," Roku replied solemnly. "It is not really my place to give the specifics, but let's just say when Kaze was your age, he felt more at home here than he did with his parents for a very good reason. He was one of my best students. The spark inside him burned brighter than anyone I had taught in the past. I was so proud of him when I deemed his training complete, and I gave him the Blade Armor Ninja card as a thank you for being my student. I gave him that card so he could have a friend to help him endure life's challenges, to remind him that even if I can't physically be there to help him, I will always support him in spirit. Unfortunately, the world was not finished being unkind to Kaze. An opponent can attack you, Yuma, but only a friend can betray you, and suffice to say, Kaze suffered a heartbreaking betrayal from somebody he thought he could trust, someone he deeply cared about. He lost everything, and with nowhere else to go, he came back to the only place he felt at home, back here with me."

"Oh…." said Yuma quietly, not knowing what to say after hearing of such a story, of which Roku was only stating as a summary, and not every sordid detail.

"Sadly, the man who came to my door that night was not the young bright-eyed boy I taught all those years ago. There was nothing left but a callous, cold-hearted man who put up a wall around his heart. I let him stay here and agreed to train him once again because I thought I could bring back the old Kaze, the one who had so much potential, but I fear the old Kaze might be gone forever."

"Well…. What if I talk to him?" Yuma offered, causing Roku to raise an eyebrow.

"You're showing an unusual amount of concern for someone you met only a week ago, somebody who hasn't exactly been very friendly towards you…"

"Well…. Yeah, but so what?" Yuma argued. "Yeah, he was being a jerk, and he had no right to destroy that statue, but still. You said it yourself. He has nobody else, no friends, no family. Nobody deserves to live like that, and if he doesn't come back here, then he'll be completely alone. We're both students here and we both love dueling, so I thought… well… Even though he was rude to me at first, I thought we'd eventually be able to put aside our differences and be friends. He could certainly use a friend right about now…."

Roku smiled softly, the pain of losing his old student soothed by the words of his new student.

"I appreciate that, Yuma, but I don't know if Kaze is in the mood to listen right now. We'll just have to see what the future holds. Now, run along. You're dismissed for the day."

Yuma, feeling defeated in more ways than one, said no more and agreed to leave, staring off into the sunset as he descended the stone stairs.

"Yuma, we must pursue Kaze at once," Astral popped into view from out of nowhere, his voice urgent.

"What, why?"

"He must have a Number card," Astral deduced. "The darkness Roku spoke of inside Kaze, it must be because of whatever Number Monster he possesses. If we want to return Kaze to his normal self, we must defeat him in a duel and remove the Number corrupting his soul. We should consider ourselves very lucky he did not summon his Number during today's duel and took ours. Otherwise, I would not be standing here right now."

Yuma shook his head. "No, Astral. I don't think he has a Number."

"You don't?"

"I know we've seen Number cards bring out the worst in people, but trust me. People don't need Number cards to put their mind in a dark place. Sometimes they do that by themselves. Trust me, me and Tetsuo have had some nasty fights without him getting brainwashed by supernatural alien cards. I still remember this one time we had a blow up so bad, he slugged me right in the face and gave me a black eye."

Astral looked at Yuma quizzically. "Yet you continue to remain companions?"

"Well yeah!" replied Yuma. "We fight, we bicker, but we're still friends. Plus, well, you saw how Akari didn't want me to be dueling after mom and dad… well…. I told you what happened to them…."

"I think I understand…." Astral placed his hand on his chin as he tried to follow along. "Humans malfunction at times, the emotions in their minds becoming too much for them to bear, and in a conflict of interests, this can severely damage their relationships with other humans, but once they have taken the time to calm down, they reforge their relationships anew and become friends again."

"Yeah, sometimes that happens," Yuma muttered sadly. "And sometimes it doesn't…."

"What happens when it does not?" Astral asked.

"Depends on the person, I guess," Yuma sighed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"And what kind of person is Kaze?" Astral continued.

"Somebody with a lot of issues, somebody who's been…. Well… malfunctioning for a long time the way you put it, but you know something, Astral. It's those kinds of people who need friends the most, even if they don't want to admit it."

Astral said nothing more, retreating back into the Emperor's Key to contemplate what Yuma said, but as the young duelist made his way down the stairs, the heavy weight of the afternoon's events blinded his senses to danger and made him oblivious to the familiar threat spying on him.

Girag had seen everything.

Sunday began with Yuma attempting to locate Kaze, wanting to at least talk with him for Roku's sake. Even if Kaze rejected him, he had to try. Unfortunately, Yuma realized he had no idea where to look, and he realized he should have asked Roku the previous day for clues as to where Kaze could have gone. In the end, since he was planning to spend his Sunday at the Sanctuary anyway, he decided to put Kaze out of his mind for the time being and focus on his training. With Kaito still on the loose, and Barian World more than likely to send another minion in his direction, Yuma knew skipping a day that could be spent on preparing for the battles ahead was not an option.

A quick trip up the stone stairs led him back to the doors of the dojo. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Yuma leaned against one of the stone pillars in the courtyard to catch his breath.

"Hey, Astral, how many Numbers will I have to acquire for you to teach me how to fly?" Yuma asked, perplexing his floating friend.

"That is a very odd question, but based on my knowledge of human physiology, I do not think that is possible. Perhaps if you…." The spirit's voice trailed off as he saw the truth of Yuma's question.

"Ah, that was a joke. You despise climbing the stairs and you are envious of my ability to avoid the physical labor of doing so with my ability to hover in the air."

"Okay, rule Number One of sarcasm and comedy. Never explain jokes. It sucks out the fun," Yuma remarked before getting back on his feet and opening the doors to the sanctuary. However, instead of the warm and jolly greeting of his teacher, he saw only the dark and empty hallways ahead. Roku was nowhere to be found.

"Huh… that's weird…." Yuma muttered as he looked around for any sign of his teacher. "Master Roku is always here to meet us the moment we walk in…" He half expected the eccentric old man to jump out and surprise him as part of some kind of lesson for the day, but the sanctuary was dark and silent, with no sign of his teacher anywhere.

"Hey Master Roku!" Yuma called out, but there was nothing there except for the echo of his own voice, while Astral floated around the grounds, attempting to assist Yuma in the search.

"I am afraid I do not see any sign of our master," Astral replied. "And I doubt he would leave the sanctuary without informing us of his absence."

"Maybe…." Yuma paused, trying not to grow worried. "Maybe Roku left to go find Kaze himself."

"It is possible…." Astral admitted, although it was clear to the spirit Yuma didn't even believe his own theory.

After everything the two of them had been through in the past two weeks, facing threat after threat, Yuma didn't want to believe that something was wrong. Up until this point, the sanctuary had been just that, a sanctuary, a safe place for Yuma to train. If the place he had grown to revere so much had been compromised, and the enemy had finally found him….

The sound of a loud blast interrupted Yuma's thoughts, immediately forcing him into a frantic sprint. It came from the Hall of Statues, and when Yuma opened the doors, he was just in time to see Roku fall to his knees as the violent attack of an unseen duel monster reduced the last of his life points to zero.

Shocking as it was for Yuma to witness Roku losing a duel, the true surprise came when he recognized Roku's opponent, who immediately walked over to the downed elder and hoisted him up by his scarf.

Kaze had returned.

"I win, master." Kaze spat, the title of master slithering off his tongue full of venom and devoid of respect.

"You…. you will never get the keys to the vault this way…." Roku wheezed.

"Now, whoever said I returned here for some insignificant cards in your vault?" Kaze replied before wrenching Roku towards him, forcing the old man's neck dangerously close to his sword.

"I am not here to raid the vault, old fool. I am here for your other student. Where is Yuma Tsukumo?"

"I'm right here!" Yuma shouted at the top of his lungs immediately after hearing his name.

"Get away from Master Roku! I can't believe you, Kaze! You're threating him with a sword just because you had a bad day yesterday? What is wrong with you?!"

"Yuma…. Run!" Roku insisted, fighting through the pain to force the urgency into his voice. "Leave me and don't look back! Kaze… he's gone mad!"

"Oh, I've gone mad, have I?" Kaze scoffed before violently tossing the old man aside and turning to face Yuma. "I have not lost my mind. In fact, I haven't felt more clearly in years. Do not fret, Master. After today, I will never darken your doorstep with my presence again, but I am not leaving empty handed, not until I settle matters with the one student left who is still foolish enough to fall for your delusional teachings."

"Why me?!" Yuma asked, stepping forward to challenge Kaze. Part of him was certainly tempted to heed Roku's warning and run, as there was no telling what Kaze might do with that blade in his hands while he was in such a hostile state, but he couldn't live with himself if he left his master behind.

"You got what you wanted!" Yuma continued. "You delivered your payback to Master Roku, and now you have free reign to raid the vault. Why come after me? You already defeated me yesterday!"

"Ah, but I forgot to claim my prize!" Kaze replied, a malicious smirk sprouting on his face.

"Those Number cards of yours, they possess a power far greater than any card in the old man's pathetic little collection. Why would I raid the vault when I can simply take your Number cards for myself, especially given how easy it was to defeat you yesterday."

"Numbers?!" Yuma exclaimed, taking a step backwards in surprise while Astral narrowed his eyes.

"It appears I was right all along." the spirit commented, to which Yuma shook his head.

"I still don't think he was possessed yesterday." he whispered Astral.

"But what are the chances he found a Number overnight, right after he left?"

"Given his behavior, I would say the chances are very high."

"Well?" Kaze interrupted. "Are you going to accept my offer for a rematch, boy, or are you going to waste time conversing with yourself? If you don't accept my challenge, then I will destroy more than just a few statues."

"Not happening!" Yuma growled and activated his duel disk immediately. "If you want to duel, Kaze, then you've got one. Just promise me you'll leave Roku alone!"

"As you wish." Kaze replied, and much to Yuma's surprise, he relaxed his body and sheathed his sword. "If you wish to throw yourself into danger defending my former master, then be my guest, but by the time I'm done with you, you'll regret ever setting foot in this sanctuary. LET'S DUEL!"

Duel Gazer Set

Augmented Reality Vision Online

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP

Kaze Yamikawa: 4000 LP

DUEL!

"I'll start by lowering the attack points of the Dododo Warrior in my hand by five hundred. This allows me to summon him without a tribute even though he's a level six monster. I'll follow it up with two cards face-down. Your move!"

Yuma's first monster appeared on the field, his armored viking warrior, who fell from the sky and slammed into the ground with its massive muscular legs, brandishing its circular shield in its left hand and its long pole axe in its right.

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

Dododo Warrior: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK

"That was a foolish move," Kaze scoffed. "Had you merely waited until you could sacrifice a monster to summon Dododo Warrior, it would have been stronger than the monster I intend to crush you with, but I suppose the old fool's teachings give you comfort, a nice security blanket to make you feel better when you lose. Now it's my turn. Draw!"

"Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Earth Armor Ninja from my hand. Next, I will use my normal summon to bring forth Air Armor Ninja."

Kaze's opening move summoned forth two ninjas, who leaped out of the darkness and took point on the battlefield, one wearing brown robes and a matching brown helmet, the other wearing green. Unlike the ninjas Kaze used in his previous duel, these ninjas appeared to possess the qualities of cybernetic androids, the right halves of their faces, along with their arms and legs, encased in a sheet of sleek futuristic metal.

Earth Armor Ninja: Level 5/EARTH/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF

Air Armor Ninja: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/1400 DEF

"Air Armor Ninja's effect allows me to lower the level of one Ninja Monster on the field by one, so I will change my Earth Armor Ninja's level from five to four! That means I can now overlay my Earth Armor Ninja and my Air Armor Ninja! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! COME OUT, BLADE ARMOR NINJA!"

The two ninjas vanished into the summoned portal, conjuring forth the same monster Kaze relied on during his previous duel with Yuma, much to the young duelist's surprise. Considering the way Kaze treated his monster during their last duel, he certainly didn't expect him to summon it again.

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"I activate the effect of Blade Armor Ninja! By using one overlay unit, my ninja gains the ability to attack twice! Battle! Blade Armor Ninja, strike down his Dododo Warrior! Crescent Moon Blade Dance!"

The ninja obeyed, absorbing an overlay unit into its sword and dashing forward with lightning speed, moving so fast it appeared to vanish, and then reappearing behind the viking with its katanas drawn, slicing across the viking's torso before it could even have a chance to turn around. Dododo Warrior shattered instantly, but to Kaze's surprise, Yuma's monster reappeared on the field a mere second after its demise, as if the attack never occurred.

Yuma: 4000 - 400 = 3600

"I activate my trap card, Guard Go! Since you destroyed my Dododo Warrior, this card brings him back, and it also allows him to call for back-up! Now I can special summon two other monsters from my hand. I special summon Gagaga Caesar and Gagaga Girl in defense mode and revive Dododo Warrior in attack mode!"

As soon as the viking returned from the grave, two magicians appeared at its side, a young blonde female magician, and an older male magician with long blue hair, elegant white robes, and a long flowing red cape.

Gagaga Caesar: Level 3/EARTH/Spellcaster/1800 ATK/600 DEF

Gagaga Girl: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/400 DEF

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

"Ah, that was clever," Kaze acknowledged. "Now that your Dododo Warrior is revived, it gains its attack points back, making it stronger than my ninja. Lucky for me, you've provided my Ninja with two easy targets to destroy, and I still have one more attack left. Blade Armor Ninja, attack his Gagaga Girl!"

The Ninja leaped into the air, vanishing from view once again, this time appearing behind the young female magician, who barely had enough time to scream as her body shattered the moment the ninja's katana sliced across her body.

"I shall set three face-down cards of my own and end my turn."

Yuma grimaced at the sight of the cards appearing behind Blade Armor Ninja.

"Oh great, more traps," he groaned.

Astral, playing the role of advisor as usual, studied the field carefully before his eyes drifted down to Yuma's hand.

"Interesting. I anticipated Kaze would use a different strategy this time around, or at the very least attempt to summon his Number Monster right away, but he is once again falling back on his original monster, Blade Armor Ninja."

"Yeah, that is strange." Yuma nodded in agreement. "But why would he do that?"

"I do not know, but I have a few theories. Either he is attempting to lure us into a false sense of security by using familiar cards before he reveals his secret weapon, or he believes that since he defeated us last time, he can defeat us the same way a second time. The only way to find out is to continue the duel and keep pushing forward, only this time we have a trap of our own. Activate it now, Yuma!"

"Right! I activate the trap, Gagaga Blizzard! This will destroy one of those spell or trap cards in your back row, and then I can Special Summon another Gagaga Monster from my deck. I summon Gagaga Mancer!"

A third Gagaga Monster appeared on Yuma's field, taking the form of an adult woman dressed in purple with a flowing red cape of her own. A golden masquerade mask covered her eyes, while her platinum blonde hair curved forward and obscured the rest of her porcelain like face. In her hands lay a glowing violet sword that seemed to radiate with dark foreboding power.

Gagaga Mancer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/100 ATK/100 DEF

"I activate the spell card, Dododo Draw! I send Dododo Warrior to the Graveyard to draw two cards!"

"What? You revived a monster stronger than mine just so you could toss it aside? Why? Are you planning on using your Gagaga Tag spell to power up those weak monsters just like our last encounter? If not, then I fail to see how you can defeat my ninja with monsters as weak as those."

"Sometimes the strong protect the weak, and sometimes the strong help the weaklings grow stronger! That's the whole reason why Master Roku started teaching in the first place, isn't it?"

"Enough!" snapped Kaze. "Are you going to make your move, or continue to annoy me by parroting the lies of a senile old fool?"

"Looks like you still don't get it," Yuma replied, his smirk growing. "Well, how about I show you instead of telling you. My Gagaga Mancer lets me Special Summon one Gagaga Monster from my graveyard, so Gagaga Girl is coming back!"

Gagaga Mancer planted her sword in the ground, its dark energy spreading across the ground and conjuring a purple portal which brought the young girl back to the field.

"Next, I'll tribute my Gagaga Mancer to tribute summon Dododo Buster, and when he's summoned to the field, I can bring back another monster. Dododo Warrior is coming back too!"

The gothic woman vanished, and in her place rose a towering, armored warrior dressed in golden viking armor, complete with a silver-plated face and menacing curved horns. The metal berserker slammed its weapon into the ground, an enormous Morningstar mace, which cracked the earth, calling forth its comrade in arms. Dododo Warrior burst from the crack in the ground, joining its fellow warrior on the field.

Dododo Buster: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/1900 ATK/800 DEF

Dododo Warrior: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/900 DEF

"So, you've assembled quite the army," Kaze noted. "But I wonder, do you really think you have what it takes to defeat me this time? You amassed an army of monsters before, and in the end it didn't matter. What makes you think your little group of so-called friends won't fail you a second time?"

"Only one way to find out." Yuma rebuffed. "But first, I'd like you to meet somebody new! I overlay Dododo Warrior and Dododo Buster! With these 2 Level 6 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER 24! DRAGULAS THE VAMPIRIC DRAGON!"

The two warriors vanished into the golden portal, summoning forth the sealed coffin of Dragulas, which opened and unleashed the creature inside it. The black and white dragon beat its cloak-like wings, letting out a sinister screech to show off its incredible power and intimidate the Ninja.

Number 24 - Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: Rank 6/DARK/Wyrm/Xyz/2400 ATK/2800 DEF

Kaze's eyes narrowed, a dark hunger manifesting inside him as he locked eyes with the Number Monster.

"And there it is, the first of many prizes for me to claim. I hope you enjoy wielding that power, boy, for when this duel is over, that monster, along with every Number you possess will be mine!"

"Not happening!" snapped Yuma. "Besides, I have even more Number Monsters I can use to knock some sense into you! This time, I'll summon somebody you've already met! I activate Gagaga Caesar's effect! I banish the level four Gagaga Mancer from my graveyard, and when I do, Caesar can change the levels of both Gagaga Girl and himself to four. That means I can now overlay them both and bring out another Number Monster! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! RISE UP, NUMBER 39! KING OF WISHES, HOPE!"

Now it was the two spellcasters' turns to give themselves to the overlay network and call forth a Number Monster. Now for the second time, Kaze witnessed the summoning of Yuma's most reliable Number Monster, who appeared eager to face Kaze again.

Number 39 - King of Wishes, Hope: Rank 4/LIGHT/Warrior/Xyz/2500 ATK/2000 DEF

"Gagaga Girl's effect activates! Since I used her to Xyz Summon this turn, I can reduce the attack points of Blade Armor Ninja to zero! Cell Spell!"

"WHAT?!" Kaze shouted in protest, but he could only watch as a green circle of energy surrounded the ninja and sapped it of all its power.

Blade Armor Ninja: 2200 - 2200 = 0 ATK

"Blade Armor Ninja, once again you have failed me!" Kaze growled, much to Yuma's annoyance.

"There you go again! You can't just blame your monster every time something goes wrong. Even worse, you seem to do it even when you're still in the game. What is it about that monster that gets under your skin so much? Master Roku told me that card used to be your favorite, that you loved that card more than anything in the world."

"That was before I learned that this sanctuary is a fantasy land for people too weak to survive in the real world!" Kaze snapped. "And while I was out in the real world, I learned a lesson far harsher than anything the old man bothered to teach me. When you rely on others, you lose the ability to rely on yourself, and if you cannot rely on yourself, especially when your so-called friends inevitably turn on you, you're going to be scared and weak, wishing you hadn't placed your trust in the wrong people."

"Spoken like somebody who doesn't have any friends," Yuma spat back in disgust.

Kaze scoffed at Yuma dismissively. "Why would I need friends when I am strong enough to stand on my own? Power is the only thing that can save you in this world. Power is the only thing that can give you the strength to stand on your own."

"Kaze… please!" Roku wheezed from the sidelines as he propped himself up against a pillar. "You're not alone…. You were never alone, my boy. I have been in your corner since the day we met… I have only ever wanted what was best for you."

"SILENCE!" Kaze thundered at his former master. "That's rather rich coming from you after you made it clear I was no longer welcome here, but don't worry. Once I defeat this little insect you call a student and take what is rightfully mine, you'll never see me again. You won't have to think about your greatest failure any longer."

Roku refused to back down. "You are not a failure, my boy. You're just afraid of getting hurt again!"

"ENOUGH!" the Ninja bellowed. "I'm done talking. I have a duel to win, after all. I activate my continuous trap, Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves! Since my Blade Armor Ninja serves no purpose to me in its weakened state, I will simply trade it for a Ninja who can actually help me. I send Blade Armor Ninja to the Graveyard to special summon Sun Armor Ninja from my deck in defense mode!"

A twister of autumn leaves surrounded the weakened ninja and in the blink of an eye, Blade Armor Ninja vanished from the field, and in its place stood a new cybernetic ninja adorned in a golden helmet and matching gold robes.

Sun Armor Ninja: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

Upon seeing the new monster, Astral narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Now he has a monster with enough attack points to survive our attacks, but there has to be more to his strategy than simply protecting his life points."

His eyes focused on the single mysterious card behind the Ninja. Kaze still possessed one unknown trap left, so attacking would still be a gamble. However, with two Number Monsters on the field, Yuma was more than willing to take that risk.

"Battle! Hope, attack his Sun Armor Ninja with RISING SUN SLASH!"

Hope took flight and charged at the ninja, blades in hand ready to strike, but just as Astral feared, Kaze was well prepared.

"I'll activate my other face-down card, the continuous trap, Ninjitsu Art of Freezing! When I activate this card, your attack is negated and the battle phase automatically ends."

A wall of ice suddenly erupted out of the ground, creating a barricade in between Number and Ninja. Hope's blade slammed into the wall, failing to make even a crack in the ice. With no choice but to retreat for now, Hope floated back to Yuma's side of the field to await further instructions.

"Fine, I'll end my turn," Yuma replied with a disappointed grimace.

"Then it's my turn again!" Kaze announced.

"I draw, and first, I'll tribute Sun Armor Ninja in order to tribute summon Moon Armor Ninja!"

The gold ninja vanished and a nearly identical ninja took its place, its helmet and robes a dark shade of purple instead of gold. However, much to Yuma's surprise, the golden ninja reappeared at the dark ninja's side, as if it never left.

Moon Armor Ninja: Level 5/DARK/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

"Hey, what gives? Why is the sun guy back?"

"Moon Armor Ninja has an effect that's actually quite similar to that Dododo Buster of yours," Kaze explained. "When I tribute summon it, I can bring Sun Armor Ninja back from my Graveyard to join it in battle."

"And now he has two level five monsters," Astral noted ominously. "Be ready, Yuma."

"Now that I have two Ninjas on the field once again, I can overlay Sun and Moon together!"

"With these 2 Level 5 Monsters, I build the overlay network! XYZ SUMMON! APPEAR, DART ARMOR NINJA!"

The portal appeared once again, and the Ninjas gave themselves up to conjure forth someone new. Metallic and cybernetic just like Kaze's Blade Armor Ninja, this new ninja backflipped out of the overlay network and touched down in a dramatic entrance. Its armor was a brilliantly painted blend of blue and purple, like a river flowing through the armor itself, complete with a crown-like kabuto helmet with three pronged spikes on top. Its arms were completely mechanical, coated in silver metal in place of flesh, with deadly needle-like blades serving as the ninja's fingers.

Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 5/WATER/Warrior/Xyz/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

"He summoned a normal xyz monster once again." Astral remarked, growing more confused than ever.

"Yeah, I don't get it." Yuma agreed, sharing his partner's surprise. "He should have summoned his Number Monster by now, especially since now we have two of our own….."

"Unless…."

Yuma and Astral looked at each other, their eyes wide with fear as a new darker theory encroached into their minds. The Number Monsters were no longer the only cards out there capable of corrupting a duelist's mind. If Kaze was under the control of Barian World instead of being possessed by a Number, then the stakes of this duel were even greater than they anticipated.

"Yuma, whatever Kaze is planning, we need to stop it at once." Astral insisted.

"Right!" Yuma nodded. "I activate the effect of Dragulas! By using one overlay unit, I can flip your Dart Armor Ninja face-down. Go! Crimson Curse!"

"I counter with the effect of Dart Armor Ninja!" Kaze announced. "I use one of its own overlay units to negate your Number Monster's effect, and then I can weaken it by five hundred attack points."

The reptilian eyes of dragulas flashed a sinister shade of red, but the armored ninja took it as its opportunity to strike. The Ninja leaped into the air, flinging a barrage of carefully concealed needles from its palms, which struck Dragulas in the chest. The dragon shrieked in pain, clinging its arms tight around its torso as the grievous injury drained it of its strength.

Dragulas: 2400 - 500 = 1900 ATK

"Oh, that's not good!" Yuma exclaimed with dread. "Without its effects, Dragulas loses its protection as well. Now that ninja can destroy Dragulas by battle even though it's not a Number Monster."

Yuma's comment prompted a dark chuckle from Kaze, which only increased the foreboding dread building up in the young duelist's mind.

"You think I plan to win this duel with Dart Armor Ninja alone? Why would I rely on a monster that has yet to reach its full potential? First, I shall activate the card that will provide my ninja with the power it needs to stand on its own and do my bidding properly, a card you might be familiar with, Yuma."

Both duelist and spirit gasped in horror as Kaze revealed the card they were dreading to see, their worst fear coming to pass, the very spell card that signaled the looming threat Astral was destined to face. Sure enough, the moment the spell card made its presence known, the sinister symbol of the Barian World appeared on Kaze's forehead.

"I activate Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! With the power of this spell card, I can transform my Xyz Monster into a Chaos Xyz Monster and destroy your wretched Number Monsters once and for all!"

A new portal appeared above the armored ninja, dissolving its body into a sphere of water, which rose into the air and bathed itself in the suffocating light of chaos and encasing it in a dark green shell, beginning its transformation.

"Barian power born of chaos, unleash your judgment on this world of filth! CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION! APPEAR, CHAOS XYZ, POISON DART ARMOR NINJA!"

The shell shattered, revealing the ninja in its full metamorphosis. The blue streaks coating its armor were now glowing red with the chaos flowing through its veins and adorned with dozens of glowing red spikes. Two curved metal tubes were now mounted on the ninja's shoulders, like the exhaust pipes of a vehicle, emitting toxic fumes of crimson smoke. Most threatening of all were its new weapons of choice. Twin long barrel cannons were now equipped to the ninja's metallic gauntlets, the barrel chambers overflowing with the same chaos.

Cxyz - Poison Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 6/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2800 ATK/1800 DEF

Roku stared at the new monster in a mixture of surprise, disgust, and recognition.

"So that was the card that allowed the darkness in your heart to consume you! I knew the moment you returned that you were not yourself."

"On the contrary, old fool," interrupted Kaze. "I have never felt more like myself in years, and now I have a new master to serve, the Emperors of Barian World. They understand the truth about this world. In a duel, there are no friends to help you out. There is only the power you wield at your fingertips, and thanks to this new power, I hardly even need the cards in your pathetic vault, but I'll be sure to take them anyway as a nice trophy, along with Yuma's Number cards. Now, let us see how your precious monsters fare when my new power strips them of any ability to come to your aid! With the power of Barian's Force, I can steal all the overlay units of one of your Xyz Monsters, and then your monster loses three hundred attack points for each overlay unit it lost. I will chose to take all of Hope's overlay units, but I'm afraid your monsters are not done suffering. The poison that my chaos xyz monster emits from its body also lowers the attack power of all of your monsters by an additional one thousand points. Go, Chaos Drain!"

The chaotic ninja pointed its twin arm cannons at the Number monsters and expelled a cloud of toxic red fumes, which covered the entire field in an ugly thick layer of pollutant fog. Both Hope and Dragulas, got down on their knees, coughing and choking from the sickening malicious miasma. As Hope was rendered helpless in the smoke, the ninja took Hope's overlay units for itself, forcing the floating orbs to come towards Kaze's field and transform into chaotic red diamonds.

Dragulas: 1900 - 1000 = 900 ATK

Hope: 2500 - 600 - 1000 = 900 ATK

"How does it feel, boy?" Kaze gloated. "To have your precious Number Monsters fail you when you need them the most? Have you learned sense yet? No? Still clinging to the foolish notion of trusting your monsters? Fine! Let pain be your teacher!"

"Battle! Poison Dart Armor Ninja, attack Hope now! Poison Needle Storm!"

The spikes on the ninja's armor launched themselves into the air like missiles, before exploding mid air and splitting apart into hundreds of smaller needles, plummeting down on Hope like the sting of a heavy rain storm. The needles pierced Hope's armor and shattered its body and the resulting shockwave forced Yuma to the ground, but Yuma was not the only recipient of the deadly wave of chaos. As Hope was destroyed, Astral was hit with an excruciating wave of pain as red lightning crackled around his body, forcing the spirit to fall to his knees.

Yuma: 3600 - 1700 = 1900

"Astral!" cried Yuma. "Are you alright?"

"I…. will endure this…. For as long as I can…." Astral grunted as he staggered to his feet to float above Yuma's shoulder once again.

"Kaze…. He is convinced that there is no point to trusting others, that your friends will abandon you in your hour of need…. But I… will not…" he had to pause to catch his breath, the pain still rattling his incorporeal form. "I will not abandon you!"

"Are you sure?" Yuma questioned. "That was a bad hit. You can retreat to the key if you want to."

"No…. Not yet…." Astral insisted. "If I am destined to face the forces of the Barian World and save my home, then I must train myself to endure their chaos."

Yuma finally relented and acquiesced to Astral's wishes, and while he was grateful for his partner's support, proving beyond any doubt that Kaze was wrong, they still had to deal with the Ninja in question, as it was clear Kaze wasn't done with them just yet.

"Poison Dart Armor Ninja's effect activates! Since it destroyed your monster by battle, I can destroy another monster on the field, so your second Number monster shall be destroyed as well! Go, rain your needles on Dragulas as well!"

A second barrage of needles fell from the sky and pierced through the cloak like wings of the dragon, and with one final screech of pain, Dragulas shared Hope's fate, its body shattering like glass.

"Bad move, Kaze!" Yuma replied, smirking from the opportunity his opponent unknowingly provided for him. "When Dragulas is destroyed by a card effect, he resurrects itself face-down on my field."

Kaze glared at the sight of the sideways card appearing on the field, knowing it concealed the dragon underneath.

"You can hide behind that Number Monster all you want. Even with its defense points, my chaos xyz monster is far superior, and don't get any bright ideas about trying to destroy it through other means. My chaos xyz monster has inherited the abilities of its predecessor. Even now, the original Dart Armor Ninja orbits my monster's body as an overlay unit, providing it with the ability to negate any monster effect you activate. Before I end my turn, I will activate the second effect of my dancing leaves trap card. This allows me to return the Ninjitsu Art of Freezing back to my hand, allowing me to set it face-down once again. Your move, little insect."

"The… original?" Astral took notice of Kaze's particular choice of words, and his eyes doubled in size, an epiphany entering his inquisitive mind.

Yuma, that's it! I believe I have deduced the weakness of these Chaos Xyz monsters!"

"You have?!" Yuma exclaimed with excitement.

"Yes. We need to draw the right cards to make it happen, but if we succeed, we can win this duel."

"Alright, Astral. Whatever you're planning, I hope it works. Draw!"

Yuma drew his card and Astral immediately pointed at it.

"There! That is exactly what we need! Play Xyz Revenge and make sure you declare that you are targeting the original Dart Armor Ninja!"

"Why?" Yuma asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What difference does that make?"

"I believe we will see a tremendous difference if my theory is correct," Astral replied.

And so, trusting his partner with his life, Yuma did as he was asked.

"I activate the spell card, Xyz Revenge! Since you control an Xyz Monster, I can bring back an Xyz Monster of my own from the Graveyard! Return to the field, Hope!"

The Barian Symbol seemed to pulse more rapidly on Kaze's forehead as the ninja watched the Number Monster return, as if the chaos itself was reacting to the return of its enemy.

"That was pointless," Kaze scoffed dismissively. "Your monster is without its overlay units, and furthermore, it is doomed to be weakened by the poison coating the entire field."

Hope: 2500 - 1000 = 1500 ATK

"Hey, you're right!" Yuma replied sarcastically, the smirk on his face causing Kaze to grow nervous.

"Hope doesn't have any overlay units since I brought it back from the graveyard. That's a pretty big problem. So, I think I'll take a page out of your book and steal one. When a monster is special summoned by the effect of Xyz Revenge, I can steal an overlay unit from one of your monsters, and I have my eye on a very specific overlay unit. I think I'll take Dart Armor Ninja, which as you just explained to me, gives your Chaos Xyz monster a lot of its power!"

"OH NO!" Kaze shouted in horror, but he could do nothing as one of the red diamonds surrounding his chaos xyz monster shattered, transforming into a glowing blue orb and drifting to Yuma's side of the field.

"Oh yeah! That means I can do this! I flip summon Dragulas and put him in attack mode, and this triggers his effect. He can send your Poison Dart Armor Ninja straight to the graveyard, and that means both my Number monsters will get their strength back! GO, DRAGULAS! CRIMSON CURSE!"

The dragon's eyes flashed red, lighting up the whole dojo in a blood red aura. Glaring at the ninja, the dragon's very gaze sucked the life out of the chaos xyz monster, its glowing body dimming into a pale shade of grey before dissolving into ash.

"NO!" cried Kaze. "My Ninja!"

"At last!" Astral breathed a heavy sigh of relief, the pain from the chaos immediately leaving his body the moment the ninja vanished.

"Battle!" shouted Yuma, jumping at the opportunity to strike back.

"Dragulas, attack his lifepoints directly! SANGUINE STORM!"

"I will not leave my field empty. I banish Ninjitsu Art of Stealth from my Graveyard to Special Summon a Ninja Monster from my deck, Flame Armor Ninja!"

As Dragulas reared its serpentine head backwards to attack, a sudden burst of flame heralded the arrival of a new ninja, one of the many foot soldiers in Kaze's deck, identical in appearance to the other weaker ninjas, but with a red helmet and matching red robes.

Flame Armor Ninja: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1700 ATK/1000 DEF

"Ninjitsu Art of Stealth?!" Yuma repeated. "Where did that card come from? You never used it!"

"But you did destroy it using your Gagaga Blizzard, remember?" Kaze explained. "This particular trap has an effect that activates when it's in the Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard when I control no monsters, I can special summon a new Ninja from my deck."

Astral glared at the new ninja, realizing they still had a long way to go before they could win the duel.

"This is most unfortunate. Had we attacked him directly, we could have won the duel, but now that he controls a new ninja monster, he can activate his Freezing trap which we know is face-down on his field, ending our Battle Phase before it even begins."

Yuma shared his partner's annoyance, but in the end he had no choice. He needed to force Kaze to use his trap now so he couldn't use it again in the future. With that in mind, Yuma ordered Dragulas to continue its attack, which Kaze easily anticipated.

"Fool! Did you forget I had this card? I activate Ninjitsu Art of Freezing which stops your Number Monster's attack dead in its tracks. After which the Battle Phase automatically ends."

"Yeah, I didn't forget," Yuma muttered. "It's just that there's not much I can do about it at the moment. I end my turn."

"There is not much you can do at all, boy!" Kaze gloated. "The sooner you realize it, the less painful this duel will be. I draw!"

"I activate the spell card, Ninjitsu Art of Reincarnation! For every Continuous Trap I send to the graveyard this turn, I can add an equal number of cards from my graveyard to my hand. I shall send Ninjitsu Art of Freezing and Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves to the Graveyard. Blade Armor Ninja returns to my extra deck, and Rank Up Magic Barian's Force returns to my hand."

"Oh no!" Astral exclaimed.

"That can only mean he is planning on summoning a second chaos xyz monster!"

"Next, I will summon Aqua Armor Ninja!" Kaze announced, as a blue metallic ninja appeared next to the red one.

Aqua Armor Ninja: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/800 ATK/1600 DEF

"Now I shall overlay Flame Armor Ninja and Aqua Armor Ninja together! With these 2 Level 4 Monsters, I build the overlay network!"

"XYZ SUMMON! RETURN TO ME, BLADE ARMOR NINJA!"

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

As the two ninjas disappeared, heralding the return of Kaze's signature monster, Yuma and Astral immediately felt a sense of panic whirling around inside them like a gathering storm. In all of their past duels, they only had to deal with one chaos xyz monster, but now they would soon have to deal with a second one, something Astral feared he wasn't prepared for.

"Yuma, listen to me." Astral whispered nervously. "I may have to return to the key. I do not anticipate my body tolerating another dose of chaos. Can you manage alone?"

"I… I think so…." Yuma answered. By this point, he had defeated multiple Barian Soldiers without Astral's help, but even after several victories, losing Astral always made him nervous, forcing him to confront the fear of failure all over again.

"Remember. Our plan worked on one chaos xyz monster, so in theory, it can work on the second one." Astral continued. "You may have already used Xyz Revenge, but that is not the only card in your deck capable of forcefully removing an Xyz Monster's overlay units."

As Yuma processed what Astral could mean by that, Roku watched from the sidelines, growing horrified when he realized what Kaze was about to do to his favorite monster.

"Kaze, stop! That monster used to mean the world to you! You would honestly corrupt it like that?!"

"I am not corrupting it!" Kaze argued defiantly. "I am finally allowing it to reach its full potential. Maybe now it will finally live up to what you promised it would do for me, and actually give me the success I desire! I activate Rank Up Magic Barian's Force! Now I can transform my weak and inferior Blade Armor Ninja into a powerful chaos xyz monster! GO CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

"Kaze, No!"

But Roku's pleas went unanswered as the portal of chaos above his formerly favorite ninja forcefully compressed it into a ball of green wind and encasing it in the dark green shell to begin its transformation.

"Barian Power born of chaos, unleash your judgement on this world of filth!"

"SHOW YOURSELF! CHAOS XYZ - CRIMSON BLADE ARMOR NINJA!"

The shell shattered, revealing the new xyz monster in its fully transformed state. Its purple armor was now stained a deep scarlet with golden highlights, its black kabuto helmet now transformed into a golden faceplate, completely obscuring his face and revealing a ponytail of rose red hair. Chaos pumped through its body, gathering in the vents around its elbows and knees, but the majority of it clung to the ninja's twin katanas, dripping from the blades as if they were coated with blood.

Cxyz - Crimson Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 5/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2600 ATK/2000 DEF

Hope: 2500 - 300 = 2200 ATK

"The only overlay unit I can steal with Barian's Force is the Dart Armor Ninja you stole from me, so I'll relieve Hope of its only overlay unit and have Crimson Blade Armor Ninja take it for himself, which will weaken Hope by three hundred attack points. Now Battle! Crimson Blade Armor Ninja, attack Hope with BLOOD MOON DANCE!"

Instead of hiding in the shadows, the ninja charged directly at Hope, dashing rapidly with its swords stretched outward. Hope went for his own sword to defend himself, but the ninja was on him before he could even move his hand, the blade slicing across Hope's torso with the Ninja landing gracefully behind it. The attack cut the Number Monster in half and shattered its body into pieces, but the one who got the worst of it was Astral. As the shockwave of chaos forced Yuma to the ground, the chaos crawled up Astral's body and delivered a brutal electric shock, making him scream in agony.

Yuma: 1900 - 400 = 1500

"Now to deal with your second Number Monster. I activate Crimson Blade Armor Ninja's effect. By using one overlay unit, I can cut your monster's attack points in half and grant my Ninja the ability to attack again! Destroy Dragulas with BLOOD MOON DANCE!"

Before Astral could even recover from the first electrocution, he was hit by the chaos again as the Ninja leaped backwards towards the dragon and sliced across the vampiric monster's throat, shattering it as well. The second electrocution was even worse than the last, making Astral convulse and shiver as the chaos took everything he had left.

Dragulas: 2400/2 = 1200 ATK

Yuma: 1500 - 1400 = 100

"Yu… ma…." the spirit was barely able to speak after such excruciating pain.

"Yeah, you don't need to even say it Astral. You go take a rest!" Yuma insisted, not wanting to push Astral further or take any risks of him enduring another chaotic shock. While Yuma knew Astral would be fine after recovering inside the key, what truly worried him now was making sure he could follow the advice Astral gave him before the attack occurred. Thanks to Astral, Yuma had a plan, but now it was up to him and him alone to ensure the plan would succeed. It had to succeed. Astral's life depended on it. His entire planet depended on it. Without their protector, without the Numbers, Yuma doubted Astral World would survive for much longer.

"Your precious Number Monsters have failed you, Yuma," Kaze sneered, his stoic countenance gone as his face twisted in hatred and sadistic delight. "Your entire deck has failed you. Admit defeat, boy! It will help the truth finally sink in. Those who claim to be close to you will do nothing but let you down, and the teachings of this foolish old man were nothing more than comforting lies meant to coddle the weak. I end my turn! Make your final move!"

Yuma gulped, grimacing as he felt his anxiety try to take over. Astral may have given him a plan, but right now, none of the cards in his hand were capable of making it happen. He was running on limited resources, unable to summon a new Number Monster, and even if he could, none of them were capable of overpowering the chaos xyz monster. Astral's plan was Yuma's only chance, and for the plan to work, he needed the right card. Kaze was right. This was the final move.

Deep breaths stay calm, trust your monsters, and draw.

Yuma took in a massive gulp of air and closed his eyes as he drew his card, before breathing a massive sigh of relief. While it wasn't exactly what he wanted, this would give him another chance.

"I activate Gagaga Draw! There are three Gagaga Monsters in my Graveyard, Caesar, Mancer, and Girl. This spell card lets me banish all three of them to draw two cards."

"Draw as many cards as you like. My chaos xyz monster is ready for whatever monster you choose to summon, and I can assure you, whatever monster you plan to summon will fail you in the end and become just another victim of the crimson blade!"

Yuma hesitated, the anxiety returning two-fold. This was his last chance.

Yuma drew his cards, but his brow furrowed when he saw what his deck gave him.

"Kurivolt?" Yuma quietly mentioned the name of his monster with an annoyed sense of skepticism.

"No, that's way too weak! This is Joe the Pixie all over again, how can I….."

"Yuma!" Roku's voice snapped the young duelist out of his skeptic stupor.

"Remember what I've taught you. Trust your deck, and it will return that trust in kind. Think beyond the surface level of the card you drew, and most importantly, don't give up! You can do this, my boy!"

Roku's words of encouragement brought a new sense of perspective to Yuma. He suddenly realized he was only looking at one of the two cards he drew, completely ignoring the other one, and when he saw the second card, the puzzle pieces began to fit together.

The plan had a chance of working after all.

"Make your move, already!" Kaze snapped impatiently. "Or do you need the old man to hold your hand a little bit longer so he can comfort you before you lose?"

"The only one losing here is you, Kaze!" Yuma snapped back. "I summon Kurivolt!"

Yuma's new monster appeared in a sudden flash of lightning, taking the rather bizarre form of a small black marble with large expressive eyes, stubby red feet, and a red lightning bolt shaped crest on its forehead. The creature jumped up and down excitedly, its voice a cybernetic series of chirps and clicks.

Kurivolt: Level 1/LIGHT/Thunder/300 ATK/200 DEF

Kaze gazed at the monster's unassuming form and couldn't resist the urge to smirk and laugh.

"Ha! You must be joking! How could you possibly hope to win with a monster as weak as that. There's no way it can defeat my Ninja!"

"Well, you're right." Yuma admitted. "Kurivolt can't defeat your monster, but what it can do is take away its overlay units! Kurivolt forces your monster to lose one of its overlay units, sending it straight to the Graveyard, and then I can special summon a second Kurivolt from my deck to the field, and you know what? I think I'll do it again! My second Kurivolt will take away another overlay unit from your monster and summon a third one."

"WHAT?!"

Leaping into the air, the miniature monster fired two bolts of lightning from the crest on its forehead, zapping the two overlay units orbiting its body. The two floating orbs drifted around Kurivolt, transforming into two additional Kurivolts, which jumped around and chirped joyfully like a trio of baby birds.

"KURI KURI KURI!" they sang in chorus.

"So you managed to summon three level one monsters," Kaze noted. "And furthermore, you stripped my ninja of its power. That was well played."

"Very well, boy. Show me the Rank One Number Monster you intend to summon. Let us see if it can match my chaos xyz monster in battle."

"Oh, I'm not going to summon another Number Monster." Yuma interjected. "I'm going to defeat you with one of your own monsters. You were way too quick to dismiss your Blade Armor Ninja as not strong enough to win, so maybe I should show you what your Blade Armor Ninja can really do!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Thanks to Kurivolt, your Blade Armor Ninja is back in the Graveyard, and that means I can activate this, the spell card, Overlay Voltage! Since I control Kurivolt, I can special summon an Xyz Monster from either player's graveyard, and the monster I'm choosing to bring back is an old friend of yours to knock some sense into you! Return to the field, Blade Armor Ninja!"

The three Kurivolts began to glow, their bodies consumed with blinding white energy as they transformed into golden overlay units. As they spiralled around aimlessly in the air, awaiting an Xyz Monster to attach themselves to, a dark portal opened in the ground and Blade Armor Ninja rose from the dead to join the battle once more, the sight of the ninja taking Kaze by surprise as it seemed to glare at its former master with resentment and disappointment.

Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 4/WIND/Warrior/Xyz/2200 ATK/1000 DEF

"Blade…. Armor Ninja…. But…." Kaze stuttered before clutching his forehead in pain as the Barian Symbol on his forehead pulsed with power, tightening its grip on Kaze's mind.

"Come on, Kaze!" Roku goaded from the sidelines. "Snap out of it, my boy! I told you that monster would one day save you when you needed him the most, and that day is today!"

Unfortunately for Roku, the symbol seemed to dig itself deeper into Kaze's head, crimson veins starting to grow from where it had been placed, and he returned Roku's words of encouragement with a venomous glare, his eyes glowing a burning red as his face twisted into a grotesque, near-demonic caricature of itself.

"Don't you understand? The entire point of using Barian's Force is to make a weak monster stronger, to bring it to its full potential. That means my chaos xyz monster is inherently superior to its normal counterpart! You cannot possibly hope to defeat a monster using the weakling it used to be!"

"Then maybe Blade Armor Ninja needs a little help from his new friends!" replied Yuma. "Overlay Voltage has another effect. It attaches all three Kurivolts to Blade Armor Ninja as overlay units, and then Blade Armor Ninja gains three hundred attack points for each one."

Blade Armor Ninja: 2200 300 300 300 = 3100 ATK

"Impossible!" shouted Kaze, completely taken aback as the tables turned against him.

"Battle! Blade Armor Ninja, attack and destroy Crimson Blade Armor Ninja! CRESCENT MOON DANCE!"

The metallic ninja unsheathed the katanas on its back and charged at its chaotic doppelganger. Mirroring its opponent's movements, the crimson ninja did the same. Faster than the eye could track, the two warriors swung their blades, slicing across their opponent's abdomens as they rushed past each other and gracefully landed on opposite sides of the dojo. Time seemed to stop as both ninjas stood frozen in place, the attack seemingly having no effect, but then the grievous wound on the chaos xyz monster revealed itself. With a wail of pain, the crimson ninja's body fell apart from the multiple pristine cuts inflicted on its body before exploding, leaving only bits of scrap metal and small traces of chaos energy behind.

Kaze: 4000 - 500 = 3500

"Since this used to be your favorite monster, I don't think I need to bother explaining what it does, but in case that Barian mark on your forehead caused some brain damage, let me remind you. I'll detach one overlay unit so Blade Armor Ninja can attack again! Go! Attack him directly!"

"Not so fast!" Kaze bellowed, his face twisted with rage at the sight of his chaos xyz monster's demise. "If you were to attack me directly, I can banish Aqua Armor Ninja from my graveyard to negate your attack. It seems you'll have to wait a little longer if you want a chance to defeat me."

"Alright, Kaze," Yuma replied, his triumphant smirk blossoming with sweet satisfaction, which made the ninja duelist flinch as he realized that Yuma's true trump card had yet to come.

"I think I'll wait about…. Five seconds! I activate the spell card, Double or Nothing! Since you used a card effect to negate my attack, this card doubles the attack of Blade Armor Ninja and lets him attack a third time!"

"A THIRD TIME?!" Kaze shouted incredulously. "NO!"

Blade Armor Ninja: 3100 x 2 = 6200 ATK

"Blade Armor Ninja, attack Kaze directly and end this duel! CRESCENT MOON DANCE!"

On Yuma's command, the cybernetic shinobi flared to life once again, dashing across the dojo, blades in hand. The ninja seemed to hesitate for a brief second, locking eyes with its former master as it drew closer before finally delivering the strike to set Kaze free, aiming its blade right for Kaze's head and shattering the Barian symbol into pieces. With a final scream of anguish, Kaze flew through the air and landed on the dojo floor, his body inches away from the remains of the statue he cut in half the day before.

Kaze: 3500 - 6200 = 0 (LOSE)

"Oh my God…." Yuma collapsed on his back, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "That was too close."

His sense of relief was soon interrupted by the sound of proud laughter as Roku approached him and helped him to his feet.

"Well done, Yuma!" Roku exclaimed. "I must say, what you accomplished during that duel was more impressive than anything I've seen from you so far! You've truly come a long way in such a short period of time, and I can only imagine how far you will go after this!"

"Well, I mean…. I had a good teacher," Yuma replied knowingly, but Roku shrugged off the compliment.

"Bah, I just showed you the path to the watering hole. It was up to you to take the necessary steps to get there and drink, so you could quench your thirst for wisdom."

A groaning noise alerted the two duelists to the fate of the third party in the room. Kaze had come to his senses, looking dazed and confused.

"What? What am I doing back here?" Kaze asked himself.

"You really don't remember anything?" Roku asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"No, all I remember is…. There was….. There was this man! He offered me power, said he wanted to help me. I said no at first, but then…." Kaze clutched his head in pain. "I cannot remember anything after that. I cannot even remember the man's face."

He looked down and realized his duel disk was still activated. "Was…. was I in a duel just now?"

"You certainly were, my boy," Roku replied. "Yuma gave you quite the thrashing, with your own Blade Armor Ninja, no less."

"With…. My Blade Armor Ninja?" Kaze repeated quietly, giving Yuma a quick look and realizing his master was telling the truth. He stood up, but did not turn around to face his former master, seemingly unable to look Roku in the eye. His attention was focused on the destroyed statue of Blade Armor Ninja. Kaze picked up the top half, staring at it with contemplation.

"Kaze, are you okay?" Yuma inquired, cautiously inching closer to the Ninja.

"No…." the ninja said quietly. "I lashed out in anger. I lost control, and in doing so….. I betrayed the only person I have left in my life…."

He quietly put the statue down, and Yuma finally reached him, where he noticed the guilt in the Ninja's eyes. It seemed to Yuma that wherever Kaze had left to calm down, he at least realized the mistake of losing his temper before the Barians got their hands on him and weaponized his anger.

"Hey, Kaze. It's okay," Yuma tried to calm the ninja down. "You just had a bad day, that's all. Here."

Yuma held out the card of Blade Armor Ninja, his hands open in a gesture of peace.

"I think this belongs to you. He certainly hasn't left you yet, and I don't think he plans to."

Kaze stared at the card in surprise, his eyes darting back to the statue, then back to the card. Finally, he closed Yuma's palms and walked away, much to Yuma's surprise.

"But I left him. After I left the Sanctuary, I found some place quiet to meditate and calm down. After thinking it over, looking back on what I have done, I realize that Master Roku was right. I have been taking my frustrations out on others instead of accepting their help when I needed it, but…."

Kaze looked away from Yuma, unable to bottle up his emotions any longer.

"I can't do it! I can't trust anyone anymore, not after what happened to me. I thought I could put the past behind me on my own, but the wound is still fresh, and every time I even think about opening up to somebody, the fear returns, the fear of getting hurt once again. That fear would turn to anger, and then I would lash out, lash out at the very people who I couldn't see were trying to help me, even my favorite monster!"

He finally mustered the courage to look Roku in the eye.

"Master, I know I am no longer welcome here for disgracing this sanctuary with my actions, but from the bottom of my heart, I apologize."

With that, Kaze tried to walk away once again, but this time, Yuma wasn't about to let him.

"Hey, Kaze! Where are you going? This is your card!"

"No, Yuma," Kaze rebuffed. "Blade Armor Ninja deserves an owner who will treat it with respect."

"Young and inexperienced you may be, but you are an honorable duelist, and I…. well…. I am no longer worthy of having that monster in my deck. I destroyed my bond with that monster long before I destroyed that statue, and truth be told, I am not even sure I can form bonds with anyone anymore..."

Kaze tried to leave again, only for a soft, elderly hand to grab his wrist.

"You can still learn how, my boy. It's never too late to crawl out of that dark place you put yourself in and start again, and if you will only allow me, I would be more than happy to help you once again."

"Wha…. Master?" Kaze gasped in shock. "What are you saying? You would actually take me back as your student, even after I dishonored your sanctuary and destroyed your statue?"

"Bah! It's just a statue!" Roku waved his hand dismissively. "Statues can be replaced, but I could never replace any of my students, especially you, my boy."

For the first time in years, the sharpness in Kaze's eyes softened, the wall in his heart coming down, and Master Roku saw the young boy he trained all those years ago once again.

"Master…" Kaze sobbed, and Roku extended his arms for a hug, which Kaze gratefully accepted. Even Yuma found himself tearing up at the sight of the broken bond between teacher and student being mended right before him.

At that moment, the Emperor's Key began to glow, and Astral emerged from his resting place, having recovered from the electrical torture he endured during the duel.

"Well, it seems once again you handled things quite well once again. Well done."

He looked down and took notice of Yuma's new card. "Pardon me, but why do you still possess Kaze's Xyz Monster?"

"Kaze… he gave it to me…" Yuma whispered, still processing the situation in front of him. After all this time, he finally had his very own Xyz Monster, one that wasn't one of Astral's Numbers, but even as he reveled in acquiring the type of card that he always wanted, he still didn't feel like celebrating. The joy of acquiring his very own Xyz Monster was somewhat tainted with how he acquired it, and not just because of Kaze.

"Yuma, is something wrong?"

"Barian World…" Yuma growled, catching Astral's attention.

"They were watching us the whole time. They had to have been hiding somewhere, watching me lose to Kaze yesterday. That's why they picked him to be their next minion. They took advantage of him in a vulnerable state and twisted his anger to suit their plans. It makes me sick just thinking about it!"

"We will stop them, Yuma," Astral reassured them. "Wherever the mastermind of these schemes is hiding, we will find them eventually and defeat them just as we defeated every minion they have sent us so far."

"I hope so…" Yuma muttered. "I just hope we're ready when that time comes."

Astral looked on, observing the tender scene between teacher and student, and felt a strange surge of optimism flow through him. Something about witnessing such closeness filled the spirit with a strange sense of warmth, lifting his mood ever so slightly, but he wasn't sure why.

"Yuma, I believe we shall be ready."

"Huh?" Yuma turned towards him, surprised at Astral's sudden sense of confidence.

"What makes you so sure?"

Astral allowed a rare tiny smile to appear on his face.

"Observation Number Sixteen: Against the hardships of this world, the helping hand of a friend is often stronger than any source of great power."

"You did not just gain a powerful new monster today, Yuma. You made a new friend in Kaze."

Author Made Cards

Cxyz - Crimson Blade Armor Ninja: Rank 5/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2600 ATK/2000 DEF

3 Level 5 Monsters

Effect: This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If this card attacks a defense position monster, inflict piercing damage to the opponent. If this card has Blade Armor Ninja attached to it as an Xyz Material, it gains the following effects.

Once per turn (Quick Effect) you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; halve its ATK until the End Phase.

Cxyz - Poison Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 6/DARK/Warrior/Xyz/2800 ATK/1400 DEF

3 Level 6 Monsters

Effect: While you control this card, all monsters on the field lose 1000 ATK, except "Ninja" Monsters. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy it. If this card has "Dart Armor Ninja" attached to it as Xyz Material, it gains the following effects.

Once per turn, if a monster effect activates, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original attack points.

Dart Armor Ninja: Rank 5/WATER/Warrior/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

2 Level 5 "Ninja" Monsters

Effect: Once per turn (Quick Effect) you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; negate its effects. Also that monster loses 500 ATK. These changes last until the End Phase.

Sun Armor Ninja: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

Effect: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in defense position by discarding 1 "Ninja" Monster or 1 "Ninjitsu Art" card. During the Main Phase (Quick Effect) you can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 "Armor Ninja" Monster from your Deck, except "Sun Armor Ninja". You can only use each effect of "Sun Armor Ninja" once per turn.

Moon Armor Ninja: Level 5/DARK/Warrior/2000 ATK/1700 DEF

Effect: If you control no monsters, you can Normal Summon this card without tributing. If this card is tribute summoned, you can target 1 "Ninja" Monster in your GY; Special Summon it in face-up or face-down defense position.

Ninjitsu Art of Reincarnation: Quick-Play Spell Card

Effect: Send up to 2 "Ninjitsu Art" cards you control to the GY; add an equal Number of cards from your GY to your hand with different names than the cards sent there to activate this effect. You can only activate 1 "Ninjitsu Art of Reincarnation" once per turn.

Ninjitsu Art of Betrayal: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: During your opponent's Battle Phase, when you activate this card, give control of any Number of "Ninja" Monsters you control to your opponent. Then, if you control no face-up monsters, end the Battle Phase. Once per turn, you can target 1 face-down monster or 1 "Ninja" Monster you control; give control of it to the opponent. "Ninja" Monsters your opponent controls cannot attack or activate their effects. If a "Ninja" Monster your opponent controls is destroyed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK.

Ninjitsu Art of Stealth: Continuous Trap Card

Effect: Once per turn, if you control a "Ninja" Monster, you can target 1 face-up monster on the field; change it to face-down defense position. During the Main Phase, if you control no monsters, you can banish this card from your field or GY; Special Summon 1 "Ninja" Monster from your deck in face-up or face-down defense position.

Overlay Voltage: Normal Spell Card

Effect: If you control "Kurivolt", target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it, and if you do, that monster gains 300 ATK for each Kurivolt you control. If the monster Special Summoned by this effect was an Xyz Monster, you can attach every "Kurivolt" you control to that monster as Xyz Material.