"My name is Honami Yuujin. If that sounds familiar to you, then that is because I am the son of Honami Yuujiro, the man who fought for Kuuga City's freedom, as the leader of the Anti-Crime Syndicate. Though my father may have lost against the duelist of the Doujima, the spirit of rebellion he left kept burning within the members of the syndicate. Today, we gather together with an announcent. Kuuga City belongs to its people, not to the outsiders that use it for their greedy goals. As of today, we shall not endure their abuse without fighting back! We fight together as Bethel, the organization who will take the Doujima and the other crime families plaguing our city down! Allow me to extend my hand to you, in form of the truth. My father lost to the duelist known as Deadhand. Deadhand is not an urban myth. And Deadhand is not alone. Deadhand is supported by two people, called Nakiri Mitsue and Hijiri Nagi. And as for Deadhand... Deadhand's true name is Shinohara Raiden."

Two hours passed since the public reveal of Bethel, and the announcement made about Kuuga's greatest enemy. All radio stations available in Kuuga began playing the first broadcast and commenting on it on a loop.

Citizens tired of living in chains by the yakuza and clinging to a perosn to blame for their bad lives took it to the streets and schools to find Deadhand and its followers, and would have gone far enough to attack their families if not for the agents of Bethel to stop them. They only didn't reach Raiden's home because of Shohei giving her school a fake address.

An heavy rainfall fell upon the city, brought out by the strong winds and dark clouds from the day before. It helped in calming down the crowds, since now they had a bigger issue to deal with.

But where was Deadhand and its followers?

After Bethel's original broadcast, Raiden got into Nakiri's car, and they drove as far and away as they could, before chaos broke out into the city. Nakiri drove through a muddy path in the woods, one most people decided to avoid because of an accident that happened a few years ago.

The radio began playing the Bethel announcement once again. This time, Raiden turned the radio off before Yuujin even got to say his name.

"Tch, they're at it again... Don't they have anything else to talk about?!" Raiden grunted. She looked at her phone. Seems like she tried to call Shohei alot, but he hadn't gotten back to her yet. "How did he gather an a group big enough to use every screen in the city..."

"Man, where the hell did this come from..." Nakiri sighed. "Not even a full day passed and now there's some cult type thing going around?! Everything's going down the drain..."

"No kidding... Hey Nakiri-chan, speaking of going down the drain, where are we going?"

"Oh? What, want to go back to snuggling with Hijiri-sama?" Nakiri asked with a big smug. "Just go join her in the backseat, ehue. I doubt she'll notice it, she's sleeping like a War Rock."

"T-t-t-that's besides the point! A-and stop the bad puns!" Raiden exclaimed, hiding her blushing face with her hands.

"Ah, the power of love and youth." Nakiri giggled. "I heard from Hijiri-sama that you sucked face too!"

"WHE-WHERE ARE WE GOING?!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. We both want some answers about what's happening with Yuujin and Bethel, don't we? Well, we're visiting the man who might be able to give us some, and a person who might help us too. We're visiting my brother Naoya."

The abandoned muddy road ended up leading them to a much more stable stone road, which in turn ended up at the gates of a large estate. The gates opened before the car, and Nakiri drove inside. Nakiri kept driving until the trio reached the entrance to the mansion at the heart of the estate. Lucky for them, there was a sort of stone roof held up by two pillars in front of the door that allowed for them to park the car without catching rain.

After awaking Nagi up from her sleep, the three walked out of the car, with Nagi using Raiden's arm to support herself, as she had not yet recovered from Yuujin's blow.

"Man, when you said your brother found where the rich bitches lived, you weren't joking..." Raiden sweatdropped.

"This place looks oddly familiar." Nagi muttered.

"Ahah, yeah, Naoya really scored a good wife... Oh yeah, but he doesn't really go by that name anymore. He now goes by Neiru." Nakiri explained.

"Wait, Nei-"

The doors to the mansion where open from the inside. Behind them stood the man in question, with a displeased, but mostly flat, look on his face.

"Kawakami Neiru." Nakiri said.

Once known as Nakiri Naoya, he was now Kawakami Neiru, the man who represented Amaterasu in the sect meetings.

"If the circumstances were any different, I would have unleashed the dogs on all of you, but with this weather, I would have just not opened the gates." Neiru said in a cold tone. "Shinohara Raiden, Hijiri Nagi, and... Mitsue."

"Yo yo, onii-chan! Raiden-chan, you talk to him, I'll go get Hijiri-chan a place to rest!"

Now inside the mansion, in the living room to be specific, Raiden watched as Neiru threw small wooden logs into the fireplace. Nakiri had went to leave Nagi at a guest room, and ended up staying with her instead of having to face Neiru.

Having never talked to each other before despite all the sect meetings, an awkward silence fell upon Neiru and Raiden.

Maybe the theme of their first convo should be "Why are our names weird?".

But Neiru just ended up breaking the silence himself.

"I have heard about your latest achievement. I would congratulate you on becoming Tsukuyomi, but seeing as you are only it by name, I remain seeing you as another cog in this machine." Neiru said, using an old rag to clean his hands.

"Y-yeah... Yeah, t-that's right, I-i'm Tuskiyo-!"

"You may lower your voice now. I could not be the least bothered by you becoming Tsukuyomi, or by your futile search for freedom. You are merely using the cards that were dealt to you to your advantage. And in the end, a change in who is Tsukuyomi won't be reason for the sects to act. So was the decision of Amaterasu. But if you desire a personal note as some sort of validation, I congratulate you on defeating a man playing with his fish and frogs."

"Toads." Raiden raised her voice. "Shohei's card is a toad, not a frog."

"Hm." Neiru sighed. "Truly naive, worrying yourself with unneeded semantics. Or perhaps, a show of loyalty, to the man who saved your life. Either way, neither is a problem of mine. I assume needing a place to stay amidst the cold rain wasn't the only reason my sister brought you here."

"Yeah... I want some answers. None of what's happening is making any sense! What the hell is even Bethel?!" Raiden asked. 'And wait, is Nakiri-chan actually a girl?!'

Wait, Nakiri's a girl?! Aw man...

"A good starting question. Come with me."

With Raiden following him, Neiru walked into one of the long hallways of the mansion... I get he lives there, but someone get some maps on the walls of this place, this isn't a mansion, this a damn museum...

"What is Bethel, and how did it gather so quickly in such short time... That must be your prime question, is it not, Shinohara Raiden?" Neiru asked.

"Y-yeah... It doesn't make any sense... How did Honami-san gather enough people to make an announcement of that size?! It's not even an entire day since I told him about Deadhand!" Raiden exclaimed.

"Hm. You told him about Deadhand's identity? That puts some missing pieces in place. Let's move back a few years, to the year where you joined the Doujima. You must remember Honami Yuujiro, must you not? The man you dueled for a chance at repaying your debt."

"Yeah! What about him?"

"He was the leader of a group dubbed the Anti-Crime Syndicate. They fought to force all forms of organized crime out of Kuuga City, but honestly, all they did was fly around, screaming their beliefs like dying flies. Honami Yuujin may speak of them as heroes, but they were nothing more but blind people fighting unwinable battles... Until one night, where they conquered the docks of the city. Though it belonged to the city in its fullest, the Doujima managed to acquired a good percentage of the rights to it through the bribery of the right people. So when those rebels conquered the docks, drove out the members of the Doujima stationed there, and blocked the ways for them to get in, the head of the family finally took action and gave them the attention they so desired. Honami Yuujiro was given the thing he most wanted: a chance at ridding the city from its invaders. All he had to do was-"

"Beat a little girl in a duel... What does any of this have to do with Bethel?" Raiden asked.

"Honami Yuujiro lost, and the Anti-Crime Syndicate fell. With the last bastion of hope the city had gone, the flame of rebellion was silenced... Except that it wasn't. The members of the Anti-Crime Syndicate remained behind. Without a leader, they did the one thing they knew how to do... They started another rebellion, only that now, under the eyes of the public, and frankly, none would believe it to be rebellion. They created a PSC, a private security company, called Bethel. For many years they waited for a successor for their previous leader, until that one day, they found him. Honami Yuujin was their ideal leader, only that he was not interested in a rebellion. The revelation of who Deadhand was only served as the final straw that lead him to accept their invitation."

"Wait, are you saying that-"

"As far as the law is concerned, Bethel is a legal organization by the books. The mayor used to employ Bethel for official events occuring in the city, but now that their fight with the Doujima went public and the sky came crashing down, I have no doubts about the mayor giving them all the power Honami Yuujin desires. Afterall, if Bethel manages to take down the Doujima, the other families in Kuuga will be driven to abandon the city out of fear. It's our existence that is at stake."

"I can't believe Honami-san would go this far because of Deadhand..."

"How naive. You have heard him speak about his beliefs, have you not? If you truly believe he would put your silly excuse of a friendship above his desire for vengeance, then you were the foolish one in the relationship. You went along with his self righteous lines, believing they were those of humility and bravery, when in reality, it was never more than a passion for revenge."

"Ah...? Who the hell do you think you are to talk about that?! You don't know Honami-san like I-!"

"That is true. I know very little about Honami Yuujin. All I know comes from one instance, when I crossed paths with him by complete and utter chance. But tell me, Shinohara Raiden, do you believe you know Honami Yuujin more than anyone? It was your naivety who lit this entire wildfire. You believed you knew a man who's only drive in life is to avenge his father, and now, Kuuga City longs for your end."

"Tch..." Raiden grit her teeth and looked down. That's when she had idea. "Wait... His father... His father is the key to all of this! If we can find him, he loses a reason to lead Bethel and-!"

Neiru broke out into a loud laughter that echoed through the hall. He placed his hands on the two doors in front of him, and looked back at Raiden.

"Truly, the innocence and naivety of youth is a plague for the world. You both spent all these years truly believing Honami Yuujiro was missing? What do you believe we are? An empire banishing a failed ruler to a foreign land? Please, Honami Yuujiro died shortly after you beat him in a duel."

Raiden's eyes widenned.

"Y-you're... You're kidding, right...? Right?!"

"Ah, seems as that Tsukuyomi chose to protect you instead of telling you the truth. Oh well, that was his mistake. I oversaw his final moments myself. He was plunged into a vat of serpents, who made quick work of him. It was Amaterasu's chosen method. I did not understand her fascination with snakes at first, but I grew used to it after some time."

Neiru pushed the doors in front of him. They lead to a large room, filled with massive glass cages. Inside the cages were various simulated habitants, were different kinds of snakes, serpents and vipers, whatever the hell the different is, lived.

"He chased the foolish dream that his father may still be out there, and you revealed your identity believing yu could help him find him. I'm amazed at how naive the two of you managed to be to ignore such an obvious thing. It's true that I find Mitsue to be nothing more than a foolish ape inside a girl's body, but I believe even she figured it out at some point." Neiru sighed, stepping into the room.

"Did I... I thought I could help Honami-san... I... I...! I PUT NAGI, SHOHEI AND NAKIRI-CHAN IN SO MUCH DANGER BECAUSE OF MY OWN STUPIDITY! I THOUGHT I COULD HELP HONAMI-AN FIND HIS FATHER, BUT HE WAS DEAD ALL ALONG BECAUSE OF ME!" Raiden cried, slamming her fist into one of the doors. "I... I killed Honami-san's father... And now all of the city is in chaos... What have I done..."

"Hm? You believe you killed him? Are you quite done with that foolishness?" Neiru asked.

"Huh...? But... He died because I beat him, didn't he...?"

"Honami Yuujiro would have died one way or the other. In fact, I'm amazed the previous head chose to hold that silly duel instead of just deleting the cause of the problem when no one was looking. It was Honami Yuujiro's fault for accepting to duel an unknown opponent behind closed doors. If you had lost, then you would have simply joined him among the serpents. You did not know what you were dueling for. You were told to play this card and that card in a specific order. At its core, you just dueled to remain alive."

Neiru arrived at the cage at the center of the room. It contained an habitat composed of land and water, where a, guess what, water snake lived.

"Do you know the legend of the melusine? It's an european folktale. One day, a fairy named Pressyne married with a mortal king, under the condition that he could not see her give birth, or see her when she bathed their children. One day, go figure, he breaks the promise. Enraged, Pressyne takes her three daughters, Melusine, Melior and Palatyne, to the holy island of Avalon. On their fifteenth birthday, Melusine, being the eldest of the three, asked why they were confined to the island, and their mother revealed the truth. Melusine then sought out revenge, and along with her sisters, locked their father and his riches in a mountain. Enraged, Pressyne cursed Melusine to have her lower body be turned into that of a serpent every saturday. Ironic, is it not? A child seeking vengeance for their beloved parent ends up being cursed by them. In her own tales, she ends up falling to the same problem as her mother, being observed by her husbands while half her body is that of a serpent. In the end, neither you nor Honami Yuujin resemble melusine in the slightest. Honami Yuujin seeks a futile revenge fueled by desire, not love, while you became tangled in it."

"Then why are you talking about it...?"

"A confrontation between you and Honami Yuujin has always been inevitable. Afterall, what you believed was the wish for a son to see his father again was only a facade for a vengeful man's wish to kill Deadhand. And you were Deadhand, were you not? In the end, melusine still fought for what she believed, and became cursed for what she believed was right. If you go fight Honami Yuujin in that half-assed state of yours, then you should start writing your obituary. But, if you go fight with a flame burning inside you, then even if you die, you won't leave anything behind. So..."

Neiru looked back at Raiden.

"If you're going to die, then die for a cause you chose. Steel your resolve. Go fight for what you believe is right, not for what the world is telling you is right. Don't fight to protect the Doujima or free Kuuga from Bethel. Go fight for your own revenge on him. Be selfish. Be self-centered. Fight because it is your wish, not your duty. Look deep within yourself. Find a reason to fight him, a reason to hate him as much as he hates you! Break out of the shell that is Deadhand, and be reborn into the world as the Shinohara Raiden you desire to be!"

That's when Nakiri barged into the room, panting heavily after having to run around the mansion trying to find where the hell Raiden and... Her... Brother were... Is it too late to make Nakiri an actual trap?

"Raiden-chan, onii-chan, Raiden-chan, onii-! OGDOADICS!" Nakiri yelled at the sight of all the snakes.

Yeah. Me too.

"What do you want, Mitsue? We were in the middle of something." Neiru sighed.

"Is Nagi okay?!" Raiden asked.

"I respect the priorities." Nakiri gave Raiden a thumbs up. "But it's not that! It's Yuujin! He's on TV again, come on!"

Nakiri and Raiden ran back to the living room, with Neiru following them at a normal pace, like a normal person. Nagi was on the couch, turning the telivision's volume up.

This time, Yuujin was joined by another member of Bethel. A bald man with sunglasses, who stood to his right. Bald people with shades, that's always a good sign.

Last time a blonde dude and a bald guy teamed up, a cool character moment got ruined by an ad to a bad card battle game.

"I see you have left the main part of the city, Deadhand. You can run, but hiding is futile. Rain is truly an annoyance... Once this rainfall ends, I will be at the docks, waiting for you. Let's put an end to this where it all began. I will put an end to you and to the pandemic you helped spread across this magnificent city of ours. And to your yakuza friends who desire to come before you and end this, be my guest. You may believe you are fighting for a cause, but you will fall all the same. See you soon, Deadhand."

"Oh god, he lost it or something... He's going straight for the kill!" Nakiri exclaimed.

"Hm. Twice the pride, double the fall." Neiru sighed. "What will you do, Shinohara?"

"I..."

Raiden looked back at Nagi. Neiru's words resonated within her, making her remember the brawl at the park, and how Yuujin striked Nagi down and tried to finish the job then and there.

The look in her eyes became steeled with resolve, and she looked at Neiru.

"I'll fight. We'll need to use your house until it stops raining. After that, we'll be out of here."

"Suit yourselves. Just begone of my sight before dinner."

Sighing, Neiru left the three girls to do their thing, and returned to the snake room. He may be married to a sugar mommy, but mommy needs those snakes to be fed and well kept before she arrives home.

"Nakiri-chan, you're really good at Duel Monsters, aren't you?" Raiden asked.

"Raiden-chan, Raiden-chan, Raiden-chan! I invented the Gustav Max FTK, give me some credit!"

"I heard that is extremely bricky." Nagi pointed out.

"THAT'S BESIDES THE POINT, HIJIRI-SAMA!" Nakiri cried. "But yeah, what do you need?"

"Let's make a deck." Raiden said.

One deck making and testing montage later, and some extra hours for the rain to stop falling, the sun began shining over Kuuga once again.

Nakiri abruptly stopped the car on the docks, a few meters away from where Yuujin awaited Raiden. Joining him was the bald man from his challenge broadcast and the guy who tried to be Deadhand in the first- WAIT, THAT'S TWO BALD MEN ON ONE SIDE, THAT ISN'T BALANCED!

The three girls exited the car and walked up to the Bethel members, passing the knocked out Doujima duelists who came for Yuujin before them.

"Howdy dowdy." The bald man waved.

"Pretendin' to be the god hand Deadhand didn't pay... But now that I'm in Bethel? I'm fucking invincible!" White laughed.

"Honami-san. I came to duel, like you asked for." Raiden declared.

"You came to die. If memory serves me right, someone broke your duel disk yesterday, Deadhand. Thats means you cannot duel. And if you can't duel, then I win. Get them." Yuujin commanded.

"Yo, Bethel!"

Just as the two bald men prepared to move, someone called out to them from the top of a pile of cargo containers. It was Park, a duelist from Susanoo. He had a black duel disk tied to a rope, and was twirling it in his hands.

"Tsukuyomi sends his regardes!" Park yelled, throwing the duel disk down at Raiden.

Bad idea. Raiden sucked at sports, Nakiri sucked at sports, Nagi sucked at sports. That's just asking for the duel disk to hit the ground and break to pieces.

But somehow, Raiden caught it.

"Wow, that catch was sick, Raiden-chan!" Nakiri whispered.

"Thanks, I was crapping myself thinking I wouldn't catch it!" Raiden replied, with terror in her eyes. Resolved or not, she is still our favourite dweeb.

"Tch, annoying." Yuujin scoffed.

"Eeeh? Not too shabby." The bald guy with the shades whistled. His name was Shinozaki Masanori, because we aren't original here.

"Honami-san!" Raiden yelled, holding the duel disk up. "I used to say my duel disk was a tool of justice. Not used in anger. Not used for vengeance. But now... Now I'm not sure. And besides..." She put on the duel disk and entered her deck into it. "This isn't my duel disk!"

"You never said that." Nagi pointed out.

"I know, but I always wanted to say that! Also, whose duel disk is this?!" Raiden yelled, looking up at Park.

"Who do you think?" Park grinned.

"Who's that guy? And how can we hear them from down here and he hear us from up there?" Nakiri asked.

Don't think too much about it.

"That's my duel disk."

Walking out from behind the container tower was Shohei, the owner of that black duel disk. The fact Raiden couldn't guess it was his only goes to show the small amount of brain cells left in that brain of hers.

"Go beat his ass, Raiden." Shohei smirked.

"You got it! Let's duel, Honami-san!" Raiden exclaimed.

"Come... Deadhand!" Yuujin roared.

"Duel!"

[Honami Yuujin (8000) versus Shinohara Raiden (8000)]

"It's not been a long time since we last met, Deadhand. But I can assure you I've changed more than you can image since then. My turn. I normal summon Machina Gearframe!"

"Geaframe?! You don't run that in Dragoon turbo!" Nakiri exclaimed.

"He must have changed decks then. He holds the element of surprise." Nagi commented. 'But so do we.'

"Gearframe's effect. I add a Machina monster from deck to hand. I'll add Machina Unclaspare. Unclaspare's effect. When added to my hand by an effect, I special summon it."

"Its other effect, I send a Machina monster from my deck to my graveyard. I'll send this one, Machina Ruinforce."

"Gearframe, Unclaspare, overlay! Xyz Summon! Gear Gigant X!"

"Gear Gigant X's effect. I detach one of its overlay units to add a level 4 or lower Machine monster from my deck to my hand. I'll add this one, Ancient Gear Box! Ancient Gear Box's effect! When added to my hand by effects, I also add an Earth Machine monster with 500 attack or defense! I add Infinitrack Harvester!"

"Ancient Gear Box, and now Infinitracks too... This guy... He's playing Earth Machines with Ruinforce or something like that!" Nakiri exclaimed.

"From my hand, I activate Infinitrack Brutal Dozer's effect. I tribute Gear Gigant X to special summon it in defense mode! Since special summoned from the hand, Brutal Dozer can special summon an Infinitrack from my deck! Special Summon, Infinitrack Trencher! Brutal Dozer and Trencher, overlay! Xyz Summon! Infinitrack River Stormer!"

"River Stormer's effect. I detach one of its overlay units to add an Earth Machine from deck to hand. I'll add Super Express Bullet Train, and then special summon it using its own effect!"

"Guh, trains too?!"

"Using River Stormer as the material, Link Summon! Infinitrack Goliath!"

"River Stormer's effect. I tribute Goliath in order to special summon it in defense mode. Then, Goliath's effect! I attach it to River Stormer as material. Now that River Stormer as Goliath as an Xyz material, it cannot be destroyed by card effects. From my graveyard, I activate Trencher's effect! I banish it in order to bring back Brutal Dozer in defense mode! I set two cards and end my turn. Be fast with your last turn, Deadhand."

Yuujin
Hand: 3
LP: 8000
OXXXO
OXXOO

Raiden
Hand: 5
LP: 8000
OOOOO
OOOOO

"It doesn't look like much, but Yuujin made himself a decent field to let him survive for a turn... River Stormer may be in defense mode with a small 500 defense, but the Goliath under him means Raiden-chan has to get rid of it in battle. Then there's Brutal Dozer, with a whooping 2100 defense, but worst of all, Bullet Train with 3000 attack. Add in the two face downs he has on his backrow and things don't start looking alot better." Nakiri commented.

"My turn. Draw!" Raiden declared.

"In response to your standby phase, I activate my face down quick play spell, Crossout Designator! I banish a monster from my deck, and until the end of turn, neither of us can activate those monster's effects. The card I chose... Is Infernity Archfiend! Eat your heart out, Deadhand!"

"What?! He's going for Archfiend?!" Park asked.

"That isn't good... Without Archfiend fetching her all of her cards, there's not much she can do... Hell, hitting Tour Guide would have at least left her with some options..." Shohei muttered.

But even when faced with Archfiend becoming useless, Raiden didn't waver.

"Suit yourself. I discard Nyami to activate Reptilianne Ramifications!"

"R-reptiliannes?!" Shohei asked.

"I had to look at more Ogdoadic monsters than I was comfortable with to make that deck..." Nakiri cried.

"With its effect, I add Reptilianne Coatl and Reptilianne Recoil from my deck to my hand! Then, I'll discard Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant to mill Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark from my deck!"

"Tch. An useless deck change won't affect how things will end, Deadhand." Yuujin said.

"I activate the field spell Reptilianne Recoil! Since I control no monsters, I activate Nunu's effect from the graveyard! I special summon him in defense mode! Then, since I control a Dark Reptile monster, I special summon Reptilianne Coatl from my hand! I also normal summon Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant! His effect let's me add an Ogdoadic spell to my hand! Using the two Ogdoadics, I build the link circuit! Link Summon! Reptilianne Echidna!"

"Echidna's skill! I reduce Bullet Train's attack to zero!"

"Mhm. You believe that will change anything, Deadhand? (3000 > 0)"

"Then from my hand, I activate Reptilianne Lamia's effect! I reduce Brutal Dozer's attack to zero to special summon her! Then, I take damage equal to the attack lost! (8000>6100)"

"(1900 > 0)"

"Echidna's second effect! For each monster with zero attack that you control, I add a Reptile monster from my deck to my hand! I add a second Coalt and Nauya! Nauya's effect, I discard him to mill Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light! And then, from my graveyard, Reptilianne Nyami's effect! Since you control a monster with zero attack, Nyami specials summons herself from the graveyard! Coalt's other effect. If used for the synchro summon of a Reptile, I can treat her as a non-Tuner. Now... I tune Lamia with Coalt and Nyami! Spread your wings and fly across the remote twilight skies, cursed serpent! Go past the boundaries and become free! Synchro Summon! Reptilianne Melusine!"

"I set one card! Battle! Echidna attacks Bullet Train! (200)"

"At this moment, my face down card activates! Machina Overdrive! I target Bullet Train and special summon a Machina with a different name from my deck, then destroy Bullet Train! Special Summon! Machina Cidatel!"

"Tch, no target then... Melusine, attack Brutal Dozer! (2500)"

"Brutal Dozer is destroyed."

"Turn end!"

"Bullet Train's effect. Since it was sent to the graveyard this turn, I return Unclaspare to my hand. Then, Unclaspare's effect activates. I special summon it, and mill Machina Citadel with its effect."

Yuujin
Hand: 3
LP: 8000
OXXXO
OOOO

Raiden
Hand: 2
LP: 6100
EMZ: Reptilianne Echidna
OOXOO
OXOOO

"My turn. Draw! Let's end this circus, Deadhand! Today is the day you die!" Yuujin declared.

"Deadhand this, Deadhand that... Is that all you think of me?! Did our friendship get thrown out the window because of that?! Because of something beyond my control?!" Raiden asked.

"You should have done the sacrificed... The lives of the few should be honoured to be lost for the lives of the many!"

"Like you care about Kuuga!"

"That's right! I have a dream!" Yuujin pointed at the city. "That one day every person in this city will control their own destiny. A city of the truly free, dammit! A city of action, not words, ruled by strength, not committee! Where the law changes to suit its people, not the highest bidder! Where power and justice are back where they belong: in the hands of the people! Where every man is free to think - to act - for himself! Fuck all these limp-dick yakuza and chickenshit crime families! Fuck this 24-hour Internet spew of Wings trivia and Alba celebrity bullshit! Fuck Kuuga's pride! Fuck the media! FUCK ALL OF IT! Kuuga is diseased. Rotten to the core. There's no saving it - we need to pull it out by the roots. Wipe the slate clean. BURN IT DOWN! And from the ashes, a new Kuuga will be born. Evolved, but untamed! The weak will be purged and the strongest will thrive - free to live as they see fit, they'll make Kuuga great again! In my new Kuuga, people will die and kill for what they BELIEVE! Not for money, not for cards! Not for what they're told is right. Every man will be free to fight his own wars! You helped spread this pandemic, and your death will be the first step of its vaccine! I discard Ancient Gear Box to activate Machina Redeployment! I add Unclaspare and Air Raider to my hand! Unclaspare's effect, special summoning itself and milling Fortress! Using both Unclaspare, I link summon! Double Headed Anger Knuckle!"

"Machina Ruinforce's effect! I banish Bullet Train and Gearframe to special summon it from my graveyard! Citadel and Ruinforce, overlay! Xyz Summon! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!"

"Gustav Max's effect! I detach Ruinforce to deal you 2000 damage!"

"Guh! (6100>4100)"

"Then, Xyz Change! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe!"

"Once again, I banish Brutal Dozer and both Unclaspares to revive Ruinforce! The absolute weapon of destruction, the mechanical nightmare who will cure this dying natoon! Put this nation out of its misery, burn it down! SPECIAL SUMMON! MACHINA RUINFORCE!"

'All this time, you haven't been using Melusine's effect... What are you doing, Raiden?' Nagi thought.

"Juggernaut Liebe's effect! I detach one of its materials to gain 2000 attack and defense, at the exchange of only it being able to attack this-!"

"At this moment, Melusine's effect activates!" Raiden declared.

"What?!"

"Once per chain, when your monster's effect activates... I can reduce one of your monster's attack to zero! Innocent Hollow Drain!"

"Going by order of chains... Damn you, Deadhand! (4000 > 0 > 2000) You worthless piece of filth, Dead-!"

"You can keep seeing me as Deadhand, and blaming me for every bad thing in your life all you want! But remember this! My name is Shinohara Raiden, no matter what! I activate my face down card! Offering to the Snake Deity! I target Melusine, Liebe and Ruinforce! All three of them are destroyed! And since Melusine was summoned using only Reptile monsters, she can't be destroyed by card effects or by battle!"

"DIE, DEADHAND! RIVER STORMER IS CHANGED TO ATTACK MODE, THEN I BANISH ANCIENT GEAR BOX AND CITADEL TO REVIVE RUINFORCE! TURN END!"

Yuujin
Hand: 3
LP: 8000
EMZ: Double Headed Anger Knuckle
OXOXO
OOOOO

Raiden
Hand: 2
LP: 4100
EMZ: Reptilianne Echidna
OOXOO
OOOOO

"Hona- No... Yuujin! Deadhand will be my curse forever... No matter where I go, no matter who I meet... My actions as Deadhand will keep existing... I can't bring back the people who died or got hurt because of me... But! I WON'T GO DOWN ACCEPTING ANY OF IT! DEADHAND WAS MY PAST! SHINOHARA RAIDEN WILL BE MY FUTURE!"

(Media - Haruka Mirai)

"DRAW!" Raiden looked at the cards in her hand. "From my graveyard, I activate Keurse's effect! I tribute Echidna to revive him! Then you revive one of your monsters, but with its effects negated!"

"Juggernaut Liebe!"

"Keurse's other effect! I revive Nauya, who then let's me add an Ogdoadic spell to hand! By discarding a card, I activate Reptilianne Ramifications! I add Nyami to hand and reduce Ruinforce's attack to zero!"

"You...! (4100 > 0)"

"Then from my hand, I activate Nyami's effect! I discard her to reduce Anger Knuckle's attack to zero too!"

"(1500 > 0)"

"Reptilianne Recoil's effect! I tribute Nauya to revive Lamia! Then from my hand, I special summon Coatl! Lamia tunes with Coalt! Synchro Summon! Reptilianne Hydra!"

"Lamia's effect! Since she was used for a synchro summon, River Stormer and Liebe's attack becomes zero! Then, Hydra's effect! All monsters you control with zero attack are destroyed, and for each monster that got destroyed, I draw a card!"

"Depending on what she draws, Raiden-chan can make some even bigger combos!" Nakiri exclaimed.

"I know a way to make sure that happens." Nagi said.

"What do you-"

"If we win, I'll sit on your face!" The redhead exclaimed.

Raiden grabbed the top four cards of her deck and drew them in one go, making the duel disk unleash an assault rifle blast-like sound. Shohei needs to take that thing to the repair store.

"I discard a card to activate Snake Rain! I send Vaskii, Tsuchinoko, Zohah and Nunu to the graveyard! Then, I activate the spell Ogdoadic Water Lily! I send Ogdoabyss to my graveyard, and since there are at least five different Reptiles in there, I can special summon one of them! Come! Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!"

"Then, I tribute Hydra to revive Aleirtt! Now that I have Keurse and Aleirtt on the field... I... No... We build the overlay network!"

Nagi stepped forward and grabbed Raiden's right hand. With their joint hands, they pointed at Yuujin, as the number 38 shined on the left side of Nagi's neck and the right of Raiden's, in a bright red colour.

"A cluster of dreams and hopes implodes into an expanding galaxy! Be born from the hope illuminating these stars, titanic blue dragon! Xyz Summon!" The two chanted. "Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy!"

"Take care of it, Raiden." Nagi pecked Raiden on the face and stepped away from the duel.

"You got it, Tour Gui- N-nagi! Let's go... BATTLE!" Raiden declared. "Ogdoabyss, attack! Serpent Samsara! (3100)"

"No... (8000>4900)"

"Hope Harbinger, attack! Titanic Galaxy Crusher! (3000)"

"Stop...! (4900>1900)"

"Melusine, attack! (2500) Moonlight Thunderbolt - INNOCENT ERADICATION!"

Melusine spread her wings and flew into the skies. Her body ignited into a cluster of blue flames and red lightning, and took on the form of a serpent-like dragon. Then, she began her descent, opening her shark-like jaws, and ran through Yuujin's body in one go.

"DAMN YOU, DEADHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND! (1900>0)" Yuujin screamed, being blasted to the ground by the attack.

"That's why you should read the cards before your opponent uses them." Masanori whistled.

"I win! Put an end to this Bethel nonsense now, Yuujin!" Raiden demanded.

"Heheh... You think you've won the war because of this one measly duel...? You really are an idiot, Deadhand..." Yuujin cackled, getting back on his feet. "Don't you know, that in the end... The good guys always win?!"

Drawing an electric baton neatly hidden under his coat, Yuujin charged at Raiden, swinging his weapon down at her. One hit from it would shock her enough to be immobilized, and to the right place, she'd be down for the count.

"DIE, DEADHAND!"

But in the last second, someone stepped in between the two.

With his arms crossed in the air, Shohei protected Raiden. Yuujin kept striking away at Shohei's arms, being so blinded by his rage that he couldn't tell one enemy from another.

"S-shohei... SHOHEI!" Raiden yelled.

"Run... You three... GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Shohei yelled.

"NO! YOU'RE COMING WITH US!"

Raiden tried to reach Shohei and pull him away from Yuujin, but Park appeared from her blind spot and tossed her over his shoulder. At Shohei's orders, Park, Nakiri and Nagi began running for the car, with White and Masanori chasing them.

"SHOHEI!" Raiden called out.

"Let it go, lady! It was choice to give us a chance to run, don't let his sacrifice be in vain!" Park barked.

"S-shohei..."

Clenching her fist, Raiden looked at Shohei.

"I only met you by fate, but... I BECOME YOUR DAUGHTER OUT OF MY OWN VOLITION!" She cried.

"Glad to... Heard...!" Gritting his teeth, Shohei shoved Yuujin away. "I GOT MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM, YOU KNUCKLEHEADS!"

Two hours passed since the Kuuga docks incident. News outlets all around town reported on Bethel capturing one of the sect leaders for the Doujima family. Sugimura Shohei had been arrested.

Now at the command room of the Bethel headquarters, a tower taller than the rest in the middle of Kuuga City, titled Tartarus, a calmer Yuujin looked over the traffic camera footage of the city. There were no signs from Nakiri's car.

"Tch, they managed to escape. Pisses me off." Yuujin scoffed.

"So? What do we do know? Want to go rough up big daddy downstairs or what? The warden will look away if we ask nicely." Masanori suggested.

"Shut up, baldie. For more that I want to put a bullet between the eyes of the guy who gave Deadhand a chance at existing, he's way too valuable. He's the perfect bait, even. He knows things no one else knows, and he sure as hell won't be saying them anytime soon. That means the rest of the Doujima will want to come for him, and that the minor families will try to rescue him to gain a favour out of the Doujima. He'll bring them right to us, and we'll end those bastards before they even know it. But none of that matters. What matters is that Deadhand wants him back. Aslong as we have him, she'll come to us. And when she does, we'll put an end to her menace for good." Yuujin grinned.

"Not too shabby of a plan." Masanori whistled. "Oh yeah, I did that thing you asked. Stuff about that Dimes 4 Crimes guy setting shit on fire should be circulating right around now. Not too long until he leaves Alba to come to us. You sure got a nice way to get strong people on our side."

"Blackmail, threatening, whatever it needs to happen. I'll gather the strongest tools I can and burn down this infected city. And then... I'll kill Deadhand."

On the other hand, Nakiri, Nagi and Raiden rode through the muddy roads of the woods surrounding Kuuga. Since the duel at the docks, they parted ways with Park, who was only helping them because of Hajime's orders to support Raiden during the duel, and met with a man named Nishitani Senju, a close friend of Shohei, who would be handling all the work as Tsukuyomi during Shohei's absence.

Without a place to go, the three just drived aimlessly.

"Neiru won't help us, and that Park guy left us whenever a chance appeared... Man, the hell are we going to do now?" Nakiri asked.

"We cannot ask the other sects for help. It will show weakness, and give them a chance to overtake Tsukuyomi. Even with Nishitani Senju-san handling all the work, Raiden is still the true Tsukuyomi." Nagi said from the backseat. "So... What do we now, Raiden?"

"We don't have Shohei... The city turned its back on us... So did the Doujima... We don't have anyone..." Raiden muttered, staring at her hands. "But... I won't tell that bastard Yuujin get away with what he did..." She declared, clenching her fists. Raiden raised her head and looked at Nagi and Nakiri. "We'll the do the only thing we can. We'll gather allies, and then..."

Nagi and Nakiri glanced at each other, Nagi with a small smile and Nakiri with a huge shit-eating grin.

"We'll beat that asshole until he's begging for mercy!" Raiden declared.

"By the way, I wasn't lying just to get you pumped up. I'll sit on your face whenever you want." Nagi said.

"T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-!"

"Watch this, she's going to yell 'That's besides the point!'." Nakiri snickered.

"THAT'S BESIDES THE POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[End of Part 1: Raiden Reborn Arc]