Turn Seven: Reach Out

                                    

                                          
"Athena-senpai...?! Why?! How do you know the end of the Fated Clash?!" Renji asked the now unmasked woman.
"I know because I come from the future.And what brought me was the Fated One of Time." The older woman says and shows off her own Fated One.
"Hang on, Gab, isn't there suppose to be six Fated Ones?" Tohru asked. "So why is there suddenly a seventh?"
"That's a good question, and I don't know the answer to it yet either." Gabwelius says, glaring at Athena. "I tried to figure out why she was trying to get in the way of the Fated Clash, but she provided no answers at that time."
"Fine, if you want to know what happens, I'll tell you. In two days from now, everyone taking part in the Fated Clash will disappear." Athena says, and looks to the fight table. "In my timeline, Renji and Amu fight their way to the finals, just like this time. However, the result is quite obvious as to who won. After removing Rezael's Divine Skill, Amu deals the final strike and wins."
Flash forward
"The winner! Amu Kanzaki and the Fated One of  Zero!!" Gabwelius announces. Everyone watching stood in silence, as Renji just grit her teeth in frustration. "Now then, Amu, you have granted this opportunity to make a wish! Say it aloud and the Fated One of Zero will grant it!"
Amu stood quietly, and picks up her cards. "I don't have a wish..." She repeats from her fight with Masanori.
"Enough of that! Just speak what you want from the depths of your heart!" He says with some frustration in his voice.
"Like I said, I don't have a wish..." Amu repeats. "I want nothing...!"
With those words, Blangdmire's card begins to shine in her hands. Without warning, a black void starts to open and swallow everything around it whole with Amu as its center.
End of flash forward
"When she said she wanted nothing, Blangdmire must have interpreted that as her wish, as a void opened up with Amu at the center of it all. It swallowed everything within a one mile radius. The fight stage, the animals, the trees, even the mountains. Everything just disappeared from existence." Athena explained.
"Wait, so...we all die...?!" Carmen asked, sweating.
"Not everyone... Jared survived." She adds.
"Let me guess... Because I decided to opt out of the Clash in your time, right? That's what I was going to do before you came to convince me." Jared says.
"We were allowed to opt out?" Masanori asked.
"Of course." Gabwelius says. "If you had, you would have lost by default." He adds.
"Hold on, ignoring that for a second, you knew about this, Mr. Kanzaki?" Tohru asked.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I kind of signed a verbal NDA with her." He says with a chuckle.
"Then Athena-senpai, why not just go to Amu and ask her to drop out?" Renji asked.
"Don't you think I tried that? She was the first one I went to." She says. "However...for some reason, she was insistent on participating. Something about...wanting to feel something before she goes..."
"Amu..." Renji mutters.
"That's why my next option was to get you out of the Clash, Renji." Athena says, staring straight at her. "I tried to convince you to drop out. When that didn't work, I had to rely on dad to do it for me. But that backfired too... My only other hope was Masanori Iseki, but he refused to listen to reason and ignored my advice to counter Amu's Fated One. My last resort was to get Tohru to beat Renji, but we all know how that went."
"Okay...but then why not just tell me, straight up? Without the mask?" Renji asked.
"If I did, you would learn that the Fated Clash isn't just some sham of a tournament. You would know that your wish could actually come true. Do you really think that you would drop out of you saw that your wish could be granted?" Athena countered back.
"I... No, I wouldn't have..." Renji admits.
"My point exactly." She sighs. "But now, since the Clash has come down to this, I guess I have to step in personally. Renji. I want you to fight me." She demands, holding up her card. 
"Huh...?! But why?!" Renji asked.
"If I beat you, I'm taking your place in the Fated Clash. I'll defeat Amu myself, and stop this fate of death from ever happening! Maybe then...I can atone for my mistake...!" Athena says, determined to make her wish come true.
Renji looks at Athena, confused as to what she meant by a "mistake." As she was trying to gather her words, Jared speaks up. "Go for it, Renji." He says.
"Mr. Kanzaki...?"
"Aren't you the one who was always talking about making miracles happen? Show her what you can do. I trust that you can pull it off." He adds.
"You beat me." Tohru says. "If you can do that, then you can beat anyone!"
Masanori, meanwhile, stood in the background, chuckling to himself. "Now this just got even more entertaining... Maybe I will stick around..." He says.
With the encouragement of the others around her, Renji would nod. "Before we start, let me adjust my deck. I don't want to fight you with my current build." She requests.
Athena narrows her eyes, but nods and walks up to the fight table. "I wouldn't want to beat you with that kind of deck." She adds and stands at the table.
Once Renji fixed her deck one last time, she makes her way up to the table as everyone else goes to the upper deck once again. "Are you ready?" Athena asked.
"Yeah, I am." Renji nods, setting up her field.
Athena does the same, gripping her card. "Then let's get started..."
"Stand up! Vanguard!!"