Ten minutes remained until the end of the second hour.

"Oh my, down to your last Fall? Nice! I end my turn, so give your all and make this death match even more exquisite! I don't trust anyone else to make even a cardfight feel like a true to god battle to the death! Come on, Izuru-chan!"

Shin
Hand: 8
Damage: 3
xOXOx
OXO

Izuru
Hand: 6
Damage: 5
OXO
OOO

"Violence this... Violence that..." Izuru muttered, panting from he exhaustion caused from the fight.

"Hm? What is it, Izuru-cha-"

"HOW ABOUT YOU VIOLENTLY SHUT YOURSELF UP FOR ONCE AND THINK?!" He shouted, gritting his teeth. "Life's not as black and white as that bullshit you call a speech! So what if some people prefer violence? That's their problem! They don't make the entire world!"

"You really want to deny that violence isn't everyone's true nature? Then let me ask you this: After hearing about Ibuki-chan's sad motivation to stand in this battlefield, what did you feel about old man Gakuganji? Did you have a desire of discussing the terms and conditions of Ibuki-chan's cause over some tea and biscuits? Or did you fell like sending him to retirement some decades earlier? Come on, Izuru-chan... What you're trying to oppose here isn't me or the old man. You're trying to go against one of the iron-clad rules of the world, the one that dictates violence is the source of everything, good and bad. Others tried and failed, so why bother? Accept the world as it is, and you can be free like me. That's not a bad-"

"I'll fight it." Izuru cut-in.

"Huh...?"

"No, that's not right. What I meant to say is that I will..."

Izuru stood his vanguard, and drew his final card.

"Destroy that iron rule and change the world!"

(Media - Find a New Life)

"Call! Rukea, Rinnal, Grim Revenger and Rakia! Rakia's skill, call Rukea! Rukeas' skills! (10000>>15000) (10000>>15000) Battle! Boosted by Rakia, Rukea attacks! (15000>>23000)"

"Oi, Izuru-chan... Stop being such a hard-headed prick and grow up! Intercept with Sharaf! Sharaf's skill! (27000)"

"Boosted by Grim Revenger, Raging Form attacks! (43000>>48000) Black Heaven Downpour!"

"Guld, perfect guard! Why are you trying to deny it?! You yourself proved how right I am!"

"And now I'm proving how stupid you are for even think that entire speech! Twin drive! (Death Feather Eagle - Critical) All on Rukea! (15000>>25000/2) (Revenger, Raging Form Dragon) Raging Form's skill! Rukea, Rakia, and Grim Revenger! Berserker Reborn! Revenger, Raging Form Dragon! Force I on the side, then counterblast one to call Tartu there! (10000>>20000) Tartu attacks! (20000)"

"Ren Ren intercepts! (22000)"

"Boosted by Rinnal, Rukea attacks! (25000>>33000/2)"

"Blitz Knuckle and Nusku! (42000)"

"Raging Form attacks! (43000) Black Heaven Downpour!"

"Guld! Stop it! This is the end of your ignorance's road, Izuru-chan!"

"Twin drive! (Overcoming Revenger, Rukea) (Transient Revenger, Masquerade) Raging Form's skill! Tartu, Rukea, Rinnal! Berserker Reborn! The rivers bleeding claret, the phantoms breathing their last breath, the mages burning in black blazes, the end of a rotten dream! Devour the twilight! Ride! Revenger, Raging Fall Dragon "Reverse"!"

"You had it all along?!"

"Force I! (43000>>53000) Raging Fall attacks! (53000) Vortigern Count Zero!"

"Guld again! Your deck's thin as all hell now, isn't it?! Then go ahead! Trip on your own ignorance and wake up to reality as you fall! Get a heal!"

"Twin drive! (Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu) (Death Feather Eagle - Critical) All effects on Raging Fall! (53000>>63000/2) Raging Fall's skill! Counterblast three, discard three! Since I'm at five damage, he restands! Midsummer Dream's Requiem! Now attack again, Raging Fall Dragon! (63000/2) Vortigern Count Zero!"

"Izuru-chan...! NO GUARD!"

"Twin drive! (Astral Chain Dragon - Heal) All on Raging Fall and heal! (63000>>73000/2) (Grim Revenger - Critical) Critical trigger! All effects on Raging Fall again! (73000>>83000/3)"

"Izuru-chan... IZURU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAN! (Jaggy Shot Dragoon) (Dragon Knight, Sharaf) (Sealed Demon Dragon, Dungaree)"

An alarm that filled the ones he had defeated with hope was rung.

"NITTA SHINSEI WAS ELIMINATED."

"Izuru-chan... Oi, Izuru-!"

"MOVE IT!" Izuru shouted, shoving Shin out of his way as he ran past him.

The sudden movement was so surprising that Shin lost his balance and fell on the ground. But he didn't bother to get up. He remained there, lying on the stone ground while staring at the blue sky, thinking.

Izuru ran all the way to the exit of the temple town in Shinjuku's side, ignoring the exhaustion brought about by three back to back fights.

But instead of leaving the temple town to go find Ibuki, he noticed a small black piercing on the ground, and some meters ahead of it, one of the abandoned buildings that had its door open, unlike all the others that had it closed.

Izuru ran into the building, and found who he was looking for.

"Ibuki!"

Ibuki sat in a shadow-covered corner of the building, hugging her knees.

"Izuru...? Why...? How did you-"

"Please believe in me, Ibuki!" He exclaimed, taking a knee in front of her. "I know things are dire now... And I know that it feels like there's no hope left... But believe in me!"

"Huh...?"

"I'm going to find a way to protect our family! Gakuganji is strong, but who cares?! I'll continue fighting him, no matter how much time it takes! I don't care if he's rich or a force of nature, I won't let him mess with what we made! So believe in me, Ibuki!"

"Izuru... After everything I did..."

"Who cares? Life's still long, so what are a few little mistakes gonna do in the long run?" Izuru asked, smiling.

"Izuru... I'm so sorry!" Ibuki cried, accidently tackling Izuru to the ground in attempt to hug him. "Please... Don't let him take Harui from us..."

"Yeah... You can count on me for that." Izuru nodded, hugging Ibuki back.

After taking a few moments to stop the crying and recompose herself, Ibuki and Izuru left the building. Afterall, she had to return to Shinjuku's garden, and with Junpei back in the game, Izuru's fighting wasn't finished.

But then, an expected alarm rung, following the end of the second hour.

"ENDO MISTUAKI WAS ELIMINATED."

"What?!" Izuru asked, looking at the sky.

"Endo...? But... But he isn't even in the fight." Ibuki muttered.

Then, Gakuganji's voice began being broadcasted.

"Good work in getting this far, both Heiwa Academy and Shinjuku Tech. As we reach the end of the second hour, a two on one game of cat and mouse just isn't fun for neither sides. Sawada Izuru, Serebryakov Tametomo, and Kotomine Junpei. Gather at the temple atop the hill in the heart of the temple town. Your final fight will await you there."

"That old man-!"

"Go." Ibuki said.

"Right!" Izuru nodded. "See you soon."

"You two. Go give that old man what he's asking for!"

The couple went their different ways, and as Izuru ran towards the stairway leading to the place Gakuganji mentioned, he stopped at the place where he fought Shin. The bald man was still laying there, but sat up as he heard Izuru arrive.

"Fight and destroy the iron rules of the world, huh... Only a dumbass like you could say something like and take it seriously." Shin laughed.

"You shoulnd't have expected nothing else from me." Izuru declared. "If you want to keep being short-sighted and preach about violence being everyone's true nature, then go ahead. But if you want to drop all of that crap and move on... I wouldn't mind being your friend again."

"Eeeeeh? A love confession? What about Ibuki-chan?" Shin teased as he got up and reached for the inside of his blazer.

"Piss off. You were the only guy who became friends with a guy like me after the Hirabayashi incident, so of course I valued our friendship."

"Hai, hai, I'll think about it. Now eat, you need energy for your final fight." The bald man said, tossing Izuru a small packet.

"Huh? Wait, this is-"

"Kibi dango. I didn't forget how they're your favourite." Shin chuckled, walking past Izuru. "Now go and kick some ass. Send Gakuganji into retirement early, but respectfully."

"Yeah... You got it, bald ass." Izuru scoffed.

After his conversation was Shin ended, Izuru made his way to the bottom of the stairway. Tate and Junpei were already there, waiting for him.

"Honestly... I was almost at the garden and had to run all the way here..." Junpei grumbled.

"It's called karma for yeeting me down a hill!" Tate exclaimed, sticking his tongue.

"What's up with you and throwing Tate down hills?" Izuru deadpanned. "So, shall we- Holy shit, this stairway's way bigger than I thought!"

"Miyuki, for real? Hey wait, are those-"

"Kibi dango?" Junpei asked. "Like the ones from-"

But before Junpei could finish, Izuru was struck by a bright idea, and reverted back to the special asshole mode Harui taught him. He opened the packet, threw some kibi dango at Tate, flicked one at Junpei and accidently hit him in the eye, and then clapped his hands with a loud and obnoxious laugh.

"HA HA HA! TAKE THIS KIBI DANGO AS A BRIBE AND PLEDGE YOUR LOYALTY TO ME, THE NUMBER ONE OF EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE, THE GREAT MOMOZIRU! MY COMPANIONS, BECOME MY LEGS THAT SHALL TAKE ME UP THIS DEMONIC STAIRWAY!"

"GET ON MY BACK, GREAT MOMOIZURU! THE TALKING CRANE TIJI WILL TAKE YOU TO PLACES UNKNOWN!" Tate shouted as Izuru climbed onto his back.

"Oi, don't shout!"

"FLY, TALKING CRANE TIJI!"

"You idiots..." Junpei grunted, watching Tate run up the stairway while Izuru on his back. But still, he ended up following them. "At least wait for me!"

Together, the three made their way to the final clash of the Battle Fight.

The Judgement Hour began.