The long awaited fight was finally here.

On one side, the one who lost while standing up for her friend.

On the other, the one who walked away victorious with no intention of ever remembering that clash.

Now it was the time for their rematch.

In fifteen minutes. They had to do things in their team rooms first, obviously. There's a pattern to these things afterall.

Harui was lightly hopping from one foot to the other to shake away the nerves. Not only was her honour riding on this, but so was Izanagi's future in Ragnarøk.

"Harui... Maybe stop now? You're not supposed to be doing alot of physical activity yet..." Yukie sweatdropped, concerned.

"It's fine, it's fine! Sumireko gave me the green for some light stuff to keep my body from rusting! Besides, it won't be long until she officially ends my recovery period! I'm gonna be climbing up trees in no time!"

"Even so..."

The room's doors opened. Blacksync was visiting.

"Satoru-kun!" Kikka called out from the couch.

"Yo, Akachan." He greeted with a teasing smile.

"Please don't..." The redhead sweatdropped.

"What took you guys so long?! You weren't answering any of my texts!" Harui exclaimed, stopping her jumping to go over to her sister.

"The line was big as hell... They have two of these machines on the venue, everyone just cluttered the same one! Anyway, here! For good luck!"

Kiru unveiled the gift she had hidden behind her back. It was a beautiful green bowl of instant soba noodles that made Harui's eyes gleam.

"Sweet! You rock Rita, I love the green tanuki stuff!"

"Of course, I picked it thinking of- Oi, don't ruin this moment by calling me that!"

"Green tanuki?" Kikka questioned.

"It's a type of instant soba noodles. Midori no Tanuki, a bit overrated if you ask me." Akafuyu explained.

"Wait... Knowing how you scarf down soba for a living... Is that where the tanuki thing comes from?!"

"No, that's just one of life's happy coincedences." Harui answered, already opening her gift. "I saw an electric kettle somewhere around here... Hey old man, where's the kettle?"

"Next to the mini-fridge." Nozomi replied. He was chilling on the couch with Midorin by his side.

"Banger."

"Hey, Harui. Before you go, spare me a minute. I got something to tell you." Kiru requested.

"Oh? Do you wanna wish your cute little sis good luck by getting all touchy? Oh Rita, no need to be so bashful, everyone knows you're a sweetheart behind all the Sapporos."

"T-that's not it! And I don't drink Sapporo!" The greem haired exclaimed, blushing.

"That's way out of budget for us. Honestly, we'd be doing better in life if she stuck to Kinmugi as she promised last year." Akafuyu said.

"I'm not drinking junk that costs less than 200 yen a can! I am a person with feelings and rights!"

Speaking of visitors, Blacksync weren't the only ones who stopped by to give that white haired tanuki demon a good luck gift.

This time it was Galaxy Soul Boys' own mistake- I mean Izuru, who instead of being with Tate and Ban, was with Bachi and his girlfriend, Ibuki.

"Borf."

"Bachi!" Harui exclaimed, her heart shattered in the next second as her own dog ignored her to go cuddle with Yukie. "Ah..."

"I leave the house with dog treats for this very reason." Yukie chuckled, rubbing her canine son's head. "Good boy."

"She completly ignored us for the dog..." Ibuki sweatdropped, staring at the floor with an empty glance.

"At least you get ignored. Getting ignored means you don't get ugly names like-"

"Neetama and the bum she's dating!"

"That!" Izuru exclaimed, popping right at the smug-looking Harui. "Why are you treating me like that now?! You didn't call me that when you were smaller!"

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." The older Ibuki whispered.

"I'm not to blame for her poty mouth!"

"You both are." Harui snickered, going over to their side to put an arm around each's shoulders. "Thank you for coming, Neetama. You could have left this thing home though."

"I know, right? He's like, so lame. And stinky too." Ibuki joked, winking at Izuru.

"Oi, that makes you stinky by proxy, you know? We share a bed, you know?!" Izuru asked.

"Sorry, but I'm so pure my sweat could be used to purify the murkiest of rivers."

"Oh brother, it runs in all of them, huh..." Kikka sweatdropped. Little by little, she lost track of what made Harui who she was today.

"Anyway, I brought you something." Ibuki said, showing her little sister the gift she picked. "I got you those instant soba noodles you like."

Kiru froze in place, mouth wide open from shock. She had gone and done it, picking the same thing as Ibuki. Obviously it was no big deal to anyone else, but Kiru had an oversized inferiority complex when it came to this sister thing, so the next words she decided to throw out were what made sense to her.

"E-e-eat those!" She exclaimed. "W-we'll do something with the ones we brought, no worries!"

"You're so bashful for an uni student." Harui teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

"A-am not!"

"You doofus. Imagine someone gives you a beer, then someone else gives you another. You're not just gonna drink one, are you?"

"Hey now, don't give her any ideas." Akafuyu said, moving to the couch.

"I'm just gonna eat both! Soba is life, and I need alot of life energy in me if I'm gonna break stupid Nozomi's stupid brother's stupid kneecaps out there!"

"Word it differently." Nozomi deadpanned.

"Isn't two bowls too much even for you?" Satoru asked.

"I'll have you know I'm not the same Harui I was months ago. My recovery is right about to end, so I can eat more now. Hell, I could eat a third one if offered!"

And offered she was, but not by someone she liked.

Harui unleashed an unholy screech and ran to hide behind Ibuki and Izuru at the mere sight of Izanagi's final visitors. It was the Hanabi trio, and of all the people to carry her instant soba, it was Kaido.

"Hm. I see we all had the same idea." He said as he looked between Ibuki and Kiru.

"Came for a rematch?" Satoru teased, pushing up his shades.

"If the rematch is between Masato's sorry behind, the groundfloor and Gin, sure. If not, no."

"Hey!" Masato called out, pouting.

"Hiss... I'm not taking your food, you perverted old geezer..." Harui muttered, slightly pushing Izuru forward. "Go, Asakusan One. Go roundhouse the rich person like god intended."

"No god intends me to get sued by him, so no!" Izuru deadpanned.

"No god could save you of my legal team in the first place." Kaido scoffed, passing the instant soba to Gin. "There, he's the one giving it now. Is that better?"

"Your terms are... Acceptable." The younger Ibuki nodded.

And the race was one.

Once the clock ticked on the final soba bowl, everyone gathered around one single couch to watch the astounding performace Harui was about to put on. Even Bachi, the one more used to seeing her down instant soba out of everyone in the room, still watched in a state of pure awe.

In less than two minutes, one bowl was down.

Before the four minute mark, the second fell.

And as Nozomi's timer reach the five minute mark, Harui put down the third and final bowl and let out a healthy burp.

"And that's game..." Harui sighed in satisfaction, leaning back on the couch with a hand in her belly.

"Amazing..." Kikka muttered.

"Way too amazing..." Gin nodded.

"You don't get to be impressed at someone's eating speed, you noodle sandwich monster." Masato said, hitting his friend with a judgemental side eye.

"It's called yakisoba pan, you tasteless swine."

But Harui wasn't the only one enjoying a tasty snack before the big fight.

In fact, just across the stadium, in the room of the team she and her friends were going up agaisnt, just as she set down her third bowl, Naomitsu set down the third bowl of the red fox udon noodles Akimitsu brought him.

"Five minutes... Maybe your future is on the competitive eating field." Michinaga teased.

"You're too unfunny for a circus monkey and too uninteresting for a zoo monkey. I doubt even the jungle would take you back." Naomitsu replied as he cleaned the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief.

"Then I guess I'm one of those monkeys better left to his own devices. Those never caused anyone any problems."

"You're not smart enough for that either." The Eternal Ruler mused, standing up from the couch with his hands in the pockets of his black coat. "We could be having a better meal if someone hadn't made a fool of himself earlier."

"I do apologize for my terrible lack of skill, Naomitsu-sama. But was the instant udon not to your liking? I believe red fox udon is your favourite." Akimitsu said.

"Both things can be true at once, no? I like this type of instant udon, you lost to that monkey like a bigger monkey."

"You raise a fair point." The raven-haired chuckled. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes. I want to get this done sooner rather than later. These needless fights have stalled us for enough time."

"I couldn't agree more. Go get 'em, tiger." Michinaga cackled, waving his leader goodbye from the couch.

And just as Naomitsu left Tartarus' room, Harui stepped out of Izanagi's.

Kaido and his boys had already left to go back to Hanabi's room, and Izuru and Ibuki were on their way to join Tate and Ban. Not long after Harui left, Kiru hopped out to join her on the halway.

"So, what did you wanna talk about, Rita?"

"It's about... Well, it's about Naomitsu."

"Oh? Are you gonna give me the juicy deets of how to tick him off to make him misplay? Are you, are you?" Harui asked, nudging her sister's arm with her elbow. "It's only unethical if someone finds out, wink wink."

"No, you doofus." Kiru sweatdropped, flicking Harui's nose, which just made her chuckle with a cheeky smile.

"Then? What about Naomitsu?"

"During his last turn, I realized something about him. It won't change how you feel about him, but I still think you should go into this fight with all the information."

"Huh? What the hell is this about, Rita?"

"Harui, listen well." Kiru looked at her sister with a seriousness she rarely saw. "Naomitsu is like us."

Harui's eyes widened.

Kiru's claim and her following words stuck with her as she walked along the path until the arena.

Even after dwelling on those words, as she reached the table and met her opponent once again, her thoughts didn't change.

"Even with the full picture... You're still someone I have to defeat." Harui declared.

"Oh? Are you finally becoming too dellusional for your own good, one-eyed monkey?" Naomitsu asked.

The lights on the stadium all turned off.

One by one, spotlights popped up around the two fighters, finishing with the bigger one turning one above them.

Day began turning to night.

Ryuzaki only had a few words to say fron the shadows.

"The final battle begins here. Let's, Stand Up."

The E - The Eternal Ruler, Hyoudo Naomitsu of Tartarus.

The E - The Excommunicated, Ibuki Harui of Izanagi.

The two fighters locked eyes.

The final battle began.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Stealth Dragon, Madoi!"

"Dragprince, Rute."

"I start! Draw! Ride! Stealth Dragon, Seizui! With his skill, I draw and set Shiranui's crest! Turn end!"

Harui
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Naomitsu
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Oh? You're giving me the first stride? It'd be easier to admit you lost because you're weaker than to blame it on not striding first." Naomitsu said.

"Like I was gonna say last time before you interrupted me last time, I don't need your stupid handicaps. And besides, this way when you lose, you can't say it was because you didn't go second." Harui countered.

"I'll be dead and burried and my rotting corpse will still be too much for you. That's simply the difference between where we stand. Draw. Ride! Dragwizard, Knies! Rute's skill, I draw. Knies' skill, I draw and set Luard's crest. Energy charge. (0>3) Knies attacks. (8000)"

"No guard!"

"Drive check. (Painkiller Angel) No trigger."

"Damage check! (Elementaria Sanctitude) Crap!"

"How laughable. Not even the world's siding with you on this one. Turn end."

Harui
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Naomitsu
Hand: 8
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"You can take our difference in rankings and the world and shove! I'll topple even a billion tier! Draw! Energy charge! (0>3) Ride! Stealth Dragon, Genkai! Falhart's skill, I draw! (3>0) I call Shenryi behind Genkai and attack! (10000>>18000) Shenryi's skill, she gets 5k! (18000>>23000)"

"Ironic. The last one spat out the same drivel. No guard."

"Drive check! (Stealth Dragon, Madowazu - Critical) Hell yeah! All to Genkai! (23000>>33000/2)"

"Damage check. (Perservation Angel) (Abyssal Owl)"

"After boosting, Shenryi goes to soul and I draw! Turn end!"

Harui
Hand: 8
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Naomitsu
Hand: 8
Damage: 2
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw. Energy charge. (3>6) Ride! Dragwizard, Liafall! Call, Painkiller Angel and Dragwizard, Morfessa. Boosted by Painkiller, Liafall attacks. (10000>>18000)"

"No guard!"

"Drive check. (Volition Rigor Dragon - Critical) Get, critical trigger. Power to Morfessa, critical to Liafall. (10000>>20000) (18000>>18000/2)"

"Damage check! (Stealth Dragon, Shiranui) (Stealth Dragon, Sekiei)"

"Painkiller's skill, soulblast and retire herself to draw. Morfessa attacks. Ritual, add 5k. (25000)"

"Madowazu and Tenrei! (30000)"

"Turn end."

Harui
Hand: 6
Damage: 3
OXO
OOO

Naomitsu
Hand: 8
Damage: 2
XXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! Energy charge! (0>3) Cursed spirits shackled to dwindling life, light up the night past this glacial squall! All truths will be revealed under the lunar flare! Ride! Demon Stealth Dragon, Shiranui "Oboro"!"

"Genkai's skill! I call him to the side and soulcharge! I call Forwd & Revertis to the other side, and with their skill, they get 5k and I soulcharge! (10000>>15000) And then, I counterblast one to call Shenryi from soul behind them! I also call Tenryi behind the vanguard! Because I have Shiranui's crest, I counterblast to draw! Battle! Genkai attacks Morfessa! (10000)"

"Meaningless." Naomitsu said, tossing away his rear-guard.

"Boosted by Tenryi, Shiranui attacks! (13000>>21000) War to Lies! Boogie Blues Beatdown!"

"No guard."

"Twin drive! (Dragritter, Falhart) (Stealth Dragon, Shikintan - Heal) Heal trigger! I give it all to Forwd & Revertis and heal down to two! (15000>>25000)"

"Damage check. (Dragheart, Luard)"

"Boosted by Shenryi, Forwd & Revertis attacks! Shenryi's skill! (25000>>33000>>38000)"

"No guard. (Knight of Clarion Strings, Rikula - Heal) Vanguard. I also heal. (20000)"

"Shenryi goes to soul and I draw! Turn end!"

Harui
Hand: 8
Damage: 2
XXX
OXO

Naomitsu
Hand: 8
Damage: 3
OXO
OOO

"As expected from you, one-eyed monkey. This fight has been aggressively worthless, just like the one with the monkey closely resembling you." Naomitsu said, slightly shaking his head in disapproval.

"Go call your own sibling a monkey, mine's off limits!" Harui demanded.

"Are you as deaf in one ear as you are blind in one eye? I never had any siblings to begin with."

"Even with Nozomi watching and wanting to bury the hatchet?"

"There is no hatchet to bury with that person. The other monkey in your team is no one. Stand and draw. Eneegy charge. (6>9)"

A cold chill filled the arena.

"All races bow. All people look up. All kingdoms fall. One sole ruler remains eternal. Ride... Dragheart, Luard!"

"Liafall's skill, soulblast to draw. From my drop, Maple's skill. I revive her. Now, liberating the Generation Zone. Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am eternal. Generation Stride! Dragdriver, Luard!"

"Luard's stride skill. Counterblast and retire Maple to call Luminosity Wizard and Dragwizard, Semias. Semias' skill, I scry two and call Solemn Clouts Dragon to the front. The discarded Solemm Clouts' skill lets me draw a card. Luminosity's Ritual, add 10k. (8000>>18000) Semias' Ritual, add 2k. (8000>>10000) Energy Generator's skill, I draw. (9>2) Now, I counterblast one to play Wisdom of Beginning That Cleared the World. I draw two cards and call two Painkiller Angels from hand. That's enough. Battle. Boosted by Painkiller, Luminosity attacks. (18000>>26000)"

"Shikintan! (28000)"

"Painkiller's skill, soulblast and retire herself to draw. Boosted by Painkiller, Luard attacks. (28000>>36000) Ritual! Counterblast, G blast, I call Morfessa over Luminosity. Solemn Clouts' Ritual, followed by my crest's effect. (13000>>23000>>28000) (36000>>41000) (10000>>15000) Furthermore, Luminosity's skill. Soulcharge and give Luard another 5k. (41000>>46000) Tempest Dragburst!"

"Perfect guard! Utsuroi!"

"Oh? Triple drive. (Dragheart, Luard) (Dragsaver, Esras) (Abyssal Owl) No trigger. Painkiller's skill once again. Morfessa attacks. Ritual. (15000>>20000)"

"I'll guard with Falhart and intercept with Forwd & Revertis! Falhart's skill! (23000) (3>0)"

"Boosted by Semias, Solemn Clouts attacks. (28000>>38000)"

"No guard! (Soaring Sun Presence, Forwd & Revertis)"

"Turn end. Because he was called by Semias' skill, Solemn Clouts retires."

Harui
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
OXX
OXO

Naomitsu
Hand: 14
Damage: 3
OXX
XOO

"This game's night and day compared to their last one..." Kikka commented. "Back then, Naomitsu had full control despite Harui looking like she had the lead, but this one feels more..."

"Balanced." Yukie said, eyes locked on Harui. "Harui's fighting with a clear mind this time and not losing sight of the game due to Naomitsu's words."

"Naomitsu's also playing more seriously, probably out of wanting to get her out of his sight as soon as possible." Nozomi added.

"Serious, huh..." Kiru muttered to herself, rubbing her chin. "In our fight, he only went into Dragstrider because he let his emotions get over him... Will he do the same here? Or will he take this fight serious enough to use it?"

"Stand and draw! Energy charge! (0>3) Shiranui's skill! Revive that Solemn Clouts!"

"Sure. I call him over Semias."

"Good enough. Before I go on, let me ask something."

"No. I don't want to waste more time than I have to with a monkey like you." Naomitsu bluntly answered.

"Too bad, I'm asking anyway."

"You won't receive an answer."

"Don't underestimate how persistent this monkey can be." Harui scoffed. "Your deck. Why'd you pick it?"

"What? That's irrelevant to this, monkey."

"Don't care, answer the question. Or is it too advanced for you to answer it?"

"Don't mistake me for you. But fine, I'll entertain this time waster. I chose this deck because it was strong."

"So you didn't choose Luard because he was the one for you?"

"You're refering to that idiotic idea of someone only needing one glance to choose their true avatar?" Naomitsu was the one to scoff now. "That's a stupid urban myth."

"Ah dang it..." Harui clicked her tongue, sounding annoyed. "You really had to be like me on that aspect too..."

Naomitsu chuckled as he shook his head.

"Don't be foolish, one-eyed monkey. We're nothing alike. Implying the opposite is an insult towards one of us. If you mean it with the idea that I'm on your level, it's an insult towards me. If you meant it with the idea that you're on my level, it's a desperate attempt to masking your own inferiority. I'll assume the latter is the one in effect."

"Arrrrrgh, you're impossible!" The white haired groaned, angrily scratching the side of her head. "You know that doesn't work here, right? Us being the same on this one isn't a subjective opinion! You chose a deck because it was strong, like me! You haven't found the unit that best suits you, just like me!"

"Are you going to make a point or what? I want to finish this fight sooner rather than later."

"My point? You want a point to this question? There wasn't one, but because you couldn't keep it down and answer like a normal person, I'll give you one! We haven't found our real decks, so you beat someone who wasn't her full potential!"

Naomitsu laughed.

"Another excuse? Take the loss like an adult and spare me the complaints, mon-"

"Are you a narrow-minded monkey?" Harui cut him with a small smirk. "What my words imply is a different truth depending om who they're aimed at. I haven't found my true deck, so you won against someone who hadn't reached her full potential. You haven't found yours either, so you're not at full potential either."

"Meaning you couldn't even beat someome who wasn't at their best."

"And meaning you're easier to beat than ever."

Naomitsu narrowed his eyes at Harui.

"What?"

"You heard it. So don't go parroting about your greatness when you have that of all things going up against you. We're on the same boat here, except only one of us is truly trying to mask something."

"...how annoying." The Eternal Ruler sighed, bringing one hand up to his face. "All you monkeys can do is ramble about meaningless things you don't know anything about... Shut up and get on with your damn turn!"

"If that's how it's going to be... Have it your way then! Liberating the Generation Zone! Throughout heaven and earth, I alone will be the victorious one! Generation Stride! Enma Stealth Dragon, Maguntenbu!"

"Stride skill! I dominate Solemn Clouts and he gets 9k! Attack Morfessa! (13000>>21000)"

"Blade Feather. (24000)"

"Shiranui's skill, I draw one! Maguntenbu's skill! Counterblast, G blast, I dominate Solemn Clouts again and attack Morfessa again! Genkai's skill! Counterblast, he gets Boost and Solemn Clouts gets 10k! (21000>>31000)"

"Rikula and Prorobi. (34000)"

"That'll cost you, you know? Solemn Clouts gets retired! I move Genkai back and call two Fuurai! Fuurai's skill plus my crest! (10000>>25000) (28000>>33000) (10000>>25000) Battle! Fuurai attacks! (25000)"

"I doubt it. Guard, Semias and Preservation. Preservation's Ritual, add 5k shield. (28000)"

"The other Fuurai attacks! (25000)"

"Volition Rigor. (28000)"

"Boosted by Tenryi, Maguntenbu attacks! (33000>>41000) Fuurai's skill! Soulblast one to restand! Same with the other one! War To Lies! Clouds Gone Goodbye!"

"Esras, perfect guard."

"Triple drive! (Flare Veil Dragon - Draw) Draw trigger! I give it to the left Fuurai! (25000>>35000) (Stealth Dragon, Tenryi) (Dragritter, Falhart) No trigger! Fuurai attacks! (35000)"

"No guard. (Luminosity Wizard)"

"Boosted by Genkai, Fuurai attacks! (25000>>35000)"

"No guard. (Solemn Clouts Dragon)"

"Turn end!"

Harui
Hand: 8
Damage: 3
XXX
OXX

Naomitsu
Hand: 6
Damage: 5
OXX
OOO

"It's my turn. Stand and draw. Energy charge. (2>5) Luard's Ritual. I return two Semias to the bottom of the deck as the cost for stride. This ridiculous joke ends now."

Naomitsu reached for his G-Zone, but Harui spoke first.

"Kiru told me about you. I should have figured it out after hearing the old man's life story."

The Eternal Ruler took a deep breath. He already got exaulted about this matter before, no need to repeat it.

"My life is none of your business. Monkeys like you and your sister need to learn how to stay in their lane once and for all. This is annoying."

"Your life crossed paths with my teammates, something has never been my business more than this." Harui replied, eyes locked on her opponent.

Naomitsu grit his teeth. Her eyes were focused. Too focused. This wasn't the same "monkey" he could toss aside with his words he fought before.

"Let it go..." The blonde muttered, taking another deep breath. "Worry about your own life and I'll worry about mine."

"You suck at deflecting. And the old man wants me to believe you two are siblings?"

"We're not!" He exclaimed. "That monkey is nothing to me...!"

"Because he's a monkey? Or because he-"

Naomitsu's lips twitched as he tried to hold down his anger. The facade began cracking.

"It's irrelevant!"

"Bull."

The cards in the Eternal Ruler's hand began trembling as it shook. The facade cracked even more.

"If you don't want my truth, then stay out and mind your own business! Concern yourself about losing this game and becoming a disappointment to your team!"

Three words.

Three words broke the Eternal Ruler's facade.

"You are me."

Naomitsu's eyes widened, but not out of shock or surprise. They were wide open, filled with seething fury, staring at an opponent who was uncharacteristically passive.

He saw a quiet sadness in her eyes that made his blood boil.

He saw a wry smile on her lips that made him see red.

He remained quiet, holding back his growing rage as best as he could.

"No... You are the me who no one reached out for. Born as a necessity for people who never wanted a child, growing up in a giant house as a ghost no one looked at unless it benefited them... No one except for one person."

"Stop it..."

"That's where our paths split up. My Neetama reached out her hand to me and saved me from that life, saved me from being a bargaining chip in our mother's hand. She and Izuru gave me a life the younger me could only dream about. Their friends became part of my weird makeshift family, and later on I even got to reconnect with Kiru. But you..."

"Shut up... Leave me life out of your mouth...!"

"You had Nozomi, but he left. There was no one to reach their hand out to you, so you continued to live that ugly life. Alone in a giant home, with no one to call a friend, only remembered by those who could benefit from you. Kiru first became the Card Killer to mask her own pain, so why did you become the Eternal Ruler? To mask your woes?"

"Stop..."

"To give yourself something to believe in?"

"Shut up...!"

"Or was it because... If Naomitsu was someone no one wanted, then the Eternal Ruler could be someone they wanted around?"

It was like a fuse popped inside Naomitsu's head.

Letting go of the reigns he had over his rage, he slammed his fist on the table, the shock making the two decks on top of it shake.

The Eternal Ruler, his eyes bloodshot in anger, glared down at his opponent.

"You're like me...? You're nothint like me! You talk without knowing, thinking you got all the answers and know what's best... You don't know me! You're just a monkey! A monkey like the rest! So I'll dispose of you like any other monkey! I'll make you never raise your head to look at me with that- WITH THAT USELESS VIRTUE OF YOURS!"

"...virtue?"

Naomitsu's eyes widened.

In trying to mask his anger, he missed a key change in Harui's attitude.

The pain in her eyes stopped the moment she stopped talking about the paths their lives had taken.

Ever since asking why the Eternal Ruler was created, his eyes only showed a cold, almost terrifying, resolution.

"Wait... Are you..."

"I tried to connect with you during this fight because we're similar, but I couldn't. You won't take Nozomi's hand, so you don't take mine either if I reached out to you. The Eternal Ruler isn't just a mask, it's your own kingdom you built around you to protect you."

Naomitsu grit his teeth harder than he ever did in his life.

"...pitying me?!"

Harui looked at Naomitsu with a cold glare, the iris of her prosthetic eye turning cerulean, and thus declared.

"I'm going to beat you, Eternal Ruler."

The rest of her eye turned cerulean, then bloomed in the form of a lily.

"And I'm going to rip you out of that kingdom by force, Naomitsu!"

The Eternal Ruler staggered back at the declaration, his eyes reflecting a mix of shock and rage. He lowered his head enough for his hair to hide his eyes and began aggressively scratching his scalp.

"Shut up... Shut up, shut up, shut up! Leave me alone! Who are you to pity me... Who are you to try to change anything?! An one-eyed monkey like you shoud just notice the obvious already!"

The Eternal Ruler spoke in a raspy tone, one born from his fury and his failing attempts at containing it. The more he talked, the more his control seeped away, and the more it seeped away, the more violent his voice turned.

He raised his head, and his eyes shook Harui to her core, making her be the one to stagger back this time.

The next words were spoken in a different one. 

One with only rage to it.

"There is no Naomitsu... I am... THE ETERNAL RULER!"

The Eternal Ruler grabbed the final card of his G Zone.

"Throughout heaven and earth... The black star... Swallower of all life... Consumes all into the void! Generation... STRIDE! Dragstrider... LUARD!"

"Maple's skill, revive! Luard's stride skill! Retire Maple and call Semias! Ritual! (8000>>10000) (8000>>10000) Semias' skill, call Abyssal Owl! The other calls Luminosity! Ritual! (8000>>18000) Abyssal Owl's skill from hand! I add Luard to my hand! Crest! (10000>>20000) (28000>>38000) (10000>>20000) This ends here... You end here, you damn monkey! Get lost from my life! BATTLE!"

Harui grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes.

"Come at me!"

"Boosted by Semias, Semias attacks! (20000>>30000)"

"No guard! (Stealth Dragon, Shiranui) No trigger!"

"Boosted by Luminosity, Dragstrider, Luard... ATTACKS! (38000>>56000) Ritual 7! Luard gets 10k and a critical! (56000>>66000/2) Then... I retire the two Semias... And discard Luard from my hand... To give Luard a drive and block all grade 1 or greater guardians! Black Star... HADEAN!"

"Not this time! Over Guard! Spritial King of Aquatice, Idosfaro! (63000) Then, I guard with Flare Veil and intercept with Fuurai! (78000) Then, I energy blast three to play! (3>0)"

Harui slammed a card into her order zone.

"Union the Sky! I draw and remove it from game, then my vanguard gets 15k for this battle! But, by binding a Shiranui "Oboro" from drop, that 15k becomes 25k! (103000) That's a no pass!"

"You...! Get lost already! Quadruple drive! (Protrection Magic, Prorobi - Draw) Morfessa! (20000>>30000) (Blade Feather Dragon - Critical) Morfessa! (30000>>40000/2) (Volition Rigor Dragon - Critical) Morfessa! (50000/2>>60000/3) (Knight of Clarion Strings, Rikula - Heal) MORFESSA! (60000>>70000) Boosted by Abyssal Owl, Morfessa attacks! (70000>>78000/2) Ritual! Add 5k, then counterblast to call Luminosity from deck! Ritual! (78000>>83000/2) (8000>>18000>>28000)"

"Utsuroi! Perfect guard!"

The Eternal Ruler grit his teeth.

"Luminosity! (28000)"

"No guard! (Stealth Beast, Kataragitsune)"

"Damn you...!" He growled. "Turn end! Crest's skill! I return Volition Rigor to the bottom of the deck! The back row Luminosity and Abyssal Owl retire!"

Harui
Hand: 4
Damage: 5
OXX
OXX

Eternal Ruler
Hand: 11
Damage: 4
XXX
OOO

In the two team resting rooms, two old friends had different reactions.

Nozomi placed his hand on the window and looked at his brother with a pained and concerned look.

"Naomitsu..."

Akimitsu pushed his sunglasses up and snapped his fingers.

"Let's go, Michinaga. We're done with this one."

"About time." Michinaga cheerfully laughed.

The First Winter entered its last turn.

Panting, Harui looked at the opponent standing behind her on the other side of the table.

She saw the Eternal Ruler, someone who glared down at her with seething rage, who stood on a pile of corpses made from those he beat.

She saw Naomitsu, a sobbing child curled into a ball, who was protected from the outside world by a crystaline blue cube around him.

She saw her younger self with her back to the crying Naomitsu, with only one of the cube's walls separating them.

But while one's tears continued until his eyes became dry, the other grabbed Izuru and Ibuki's hands and walked away laughing with them.

Harui closed her eyes.

"I'm not self-righteous enough to say I'm going to save you. Only you can save yourself. Whether or not you return to that shell after I rip you out of it is up to you. But first I'll vent a bit."

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"When you beat me, I was fustrated. I failed the myself who aimed for the top, I failed the Yukie and Kikka who believe in my strength, and I failed the Nozomi I stood up for. Losing to you made me mad like nothing else, so I came here for some revenge! But when Kiru told me about you... I don't know if I changed my mind or not. I can symphatize with you, but I also loathe losing to you. I can see myself in you, but I still get mad thinking about how you treated Nozomi, Kiru, Kikka and Yukie. I wanna beat you, but I also wanna help you. I'm... A laughable contradiction. Not even a real monkey contradicts itself this hard. Hyoudo Naomitsu, the Eternal Ruler of Team Tartarus... I don't know how I feel about you. A part of me wants to reach out to you despite saying I wouldn't do it, but the other wants to pummel you senseless! So to hell with picking one! I'm gonna do what a contradictory monkey does best!"

Harui placed her hand on her vanguard.

"I'm gonna contradict myself and help you by kicking you off your throne!"

(Media - THE FUTURE DAYBREAK)

"Stand and draw! Energy charge! (0>3) Shiranui's skill, revive that Solemn Clouts! Let's kick it into overdrive! Let's rock!"

Harui tossed a copy of her vanguard into her drop.

"Limiters removed! At the cost of my own vanguard, I'll even surpass the limits of stride! Liberating the Generation Zone!"

The Excommunicated grabbed the final card of her G Zone.

"Be it kings, gods, or even planets, until I'm the one sitting on the chair of victory, I'll never stop carving my legend throughout Heaven and Earth! All-revealing cerulean moon, pull back the veil of illusions cast upon this domain! Blade cast in the lunar flare, cut down all the lies! The final act, on stage! Evil-Eye Hades Emperor, Shiranui "Mukuro"!"

"Stride skill! Solemn Clouts gets dominated and gains 9k! (13000>>22000) Attack the vanguard! Genkai's skill! I counterblast to give him Boost and Solemn Clouts 10k! (22000>>32000)"

The Eternal Ruler grit his teeth.

"Shut up and disappear! Guard! Volition Rigor and Morfessa! (33000)"

"I'm not done yet! Leave no stone unturned, no word unspoken, no lie unrevealed! Shiranui's skill! Cerulean Underveiling! Solemn Clouts is getting dominated and attacking the vanguard again! And again, Genkai's skill! (22000>>32000)"

"Rikula and Painkiller! (33000)"

"Not yet! After Solemn Clouts attacks, it's the vanguard's turn! Stand for me, Luard! Because he's mine now, your crest stops affecting him, but mine doesn't! (13000>>11000>>16000) Attack Solemn Clouts! Dragfall Storm!"

"No guard!"

"Twin drive! (Stealth Dragon, Fuurai) (Stealth Fiend, Shenryi) I'll work with these! I call Fuurai and Shenryi! My crest's skikk with Fuurai's skills! (10000>>20000>>35000) (28000>>38000) (10000>>20000>>35000) From me, to you, the full power of my contradicting emotions! Battle! Fuurai attacks! (35000)"

"No guard! (Dragsaver, Esras) Dammit!"

"Wicked sick! The other Fuurai follows up! (35000)"

"Guard! Blade Feather and Prorobi! (38000)"

"Booster by Tenryi, Shiranui attacks! (38000>>46000) Soulblast two to restand both Fuurais! Let this cerulean blade... Be that which severs you from your lie! War To Lies! Cerulean Bujin... Goodnight!"

"Stay on your damn lane!" The Eternal Ruler screamed, slamming a card down between the two fields. "OVER GUARD! SPIRITUAL KING OF AQUATICS, IDOSFARO! (63000)"

"Even now you're still trying to stay unreachable... Well too bad! If you keep relentlessly defending yourself, I'll keep relentlessly attacking you! Triple drive!"

Harui flipped the first card. Flare Veil Dragon.

"Draw trigger! All on Shiranui and draw! (46000>>56000)" She looked at the card she drew and clicked her tongue. It was a trigger. "Come on!"

Harui flipped the second card. Stealth Fiend, Shenryi.

"Dammit! Aaaaaah, to hell with it! Too late to regret going all in! I'll just sack the second on this last one! Third check!"

Harui flipped the last card.

To the Eternal Ruler, the cheers from the audience became silent. His eyes widened.

He saw the wall he raised to protect himself, and the white haired tanuki standing in front of it, armed with a cerulean blade.

"Get... Critical trigger!"

Harui swung Shiranui's blade.

"No... Stay away... STAY AWAY!"

The wall pushed Harui's sword away, instantly fixing all the cracks its swing caused.

"Heal trigger...!"

"Not yet..." Harui muttered, gritting her teeth. "I'M NOT DONE YET!"

Using the momentum given to her by the wall's reflection, Harui spun around, her cerulean blade splitting into a black one and a white one, and swung again.

The Eternal Ruler's eyes widened.

He saw an image overlap with Harui's, but it wasn't her vanguard's.

He saw sharp talons dig into the ground for support.

He saw two black wings extending.

He saw black and white feathers along the the black and white scaled body flow with the motion.

He saw a yellow eye, peeking at him from behind the slit a straw hat.

As the two swords impacted the Eternal Ruler's defensive cube and began digging into it, the wind dragon lifted his head just enough to let him see one thing.

The right eye, the one hidden behind the straw hat, was hidden behind an eyepatch just like Harui's.

A cerulean lily.

The Eternal Ruler's cube shattered.

Naomitsu fell on his back.

But a hand reached out to him.

Harui smirked her usual smirk.

"I win, Naomitsu."