Minutes before Izuru, Ibuki and Tate arrived at the Ban family's apartment for the Christmas Eve party, Airi rushed across a nearby riverbank. While she could have headed directly for the apartment building to arrive at the party on time, she decided to walk alongside the river.

"Waaa, I spent so much time looking at the water that I lost track of time!! Airi, you idiot!" Airi cried to herself. "And of course I lose track of time while in heels! The crushing weight of my life choices is destroying me!"

Huh, maybe she and Izuru were really made for each other. Both had problems related to middle school students, both like to kick Endo in the ass, both make poor life decisions in the heat of the moment. What a beautiful romance this could have been.

But as she rushed along the safety rails at the riverbank, she suddenly stopped. She caught sight of somene sitted on a bench near a stairway that'd take her off the riverbank. Someone she hadn't seen in years.

"The rivers during winter have a special glow to them... Eh, for an adult, you still stop to stare at snow in a river like a little kid, don't you?"

"No... Nobu..." Airi muttered.

"No. I thought your friends would have given you the memo by now. Name's Junpei. Kotomine Junpei." Junpei spoke, lifting himself off the bench. "Let's talk business, daughter of the Nijimura." He said, looking at his sister.

"B-brother-!"

"I hate you."

"...eh...?" Airi muttered, her eyes widened.

"You know, I got screwed by that pathetic Nijimura family, but I don't hate even the man who tried to raise me. At best, I feel pity for him. He's going to die like the pathetic fool he always was, all alone, as it should be. But you're a different matter. You chose to stay as a Nijimura. For what? To avenge a broken family? Man, you're pathetic. But even then, I don't hate you for staying with them." Junpei explained.

"I don't understand... Your spent years without saying anything... Y-you texted me the day Endo and Izuru fought... A-and now you show yourself?! Why?!"

"Because you made mom cry! She spent years blaming herself for you staying in the Nijimura! No matter how much I told her otherwise, she wouldn't change her mind! You broke her heart for choosing to stay with that piece of shit creature then to go away with your mother! Your own damn mother! You chose riches over a family! The fame and fortune of a useless family over the woman who raised you all by herself when no one else would help her!"

"Junpei... I... I didn't know what to do... I-i wanted to..."

"Avenge your family by destroying the one who made it fall apart. Yeah, I know. And then you ruined your own life. It took Endo's daughter to snap you back to reality. Maybe now you can see who truly ended our family." Junpei scoffed.

"Mom... Let me talk to her! Please!" Airi cried out.

"I'll never let you come close to her. You're better off being dead than making her feel bad again. But... I'll cut you a deal. If you can do me a favour, I'll arrange a meeting between you two."

"W-what?! I-i'll do anything you want!"

"Call your friend Izuru here." Junpei said.

"Eh? I-izuru? What do you want with-"

"Do you want a chance at apologizing to mom after all these years or not?"

"Y-yes!" Airi cried, taking out her phone.

As if fate had decided it, her phone began ringing with a call from Izuru himself. Airi quickly picked it up.

"Yo. Where are you? Got jammed in traffic or something? Everyone's here already."

"I... I'm at the riverbank near the building, and... Junpei is here too... Please, come meet us. Tell the others I got lost and you're going to find me... Please..." Airi muttered.

"...you got it. See you soon."

"Good girl." Junpei chuckled, sitting back down.

"Will you arrange a meeting between me and mom now...?" Airi asked.

"Of course. I'm a different person from the shitty brat you once called brother. Believe it or don't, your choice."

"Hai..." She nodded.

Airi sat down on another bench, and the two waited in silence. She knew that trying to make any question would either end in silence or in Junpei telling her to be quiet.

And after minutes of silence, they heard someone walk down the stairway between the two. Airi got up and looked up with a small smile. Junpei just looked at who was coming their way from the corner of his eye, and then got up.

"It's been a while, Sawada Izuru." Junpei said.

"I can say the same..." Izuru said, reaching the same level as Junpei and Airi. "Kotomine Junpei."

Airi braced herself for what was about to come. She expected Izuru to just outright attack Junpei, something he was very well known for doing, and for Junpei to start belittling Izuru like how he did to her, but what they did shocked her.

They bowed at each other.

"I apologize for my actions during middle school. That entire ordeal... I was a fool, blinded by an even more foolish family. But..." Junpei lifted himself. "I couldn't care less about whether or not you forgive me. I just wanted to apologize to feel better about myself. You probably heard it from Serebryakov already."

"Yeah... I'd also like to apologize for what I did. And thank you for being a good friend to Ibuki and Nakano-senpai." Izuru lifted himself aswell. "But if you wanted to apologize, you would have done it sooner. You aren't here just for that."

"That's true, isn't it?" Junpei chuckled, briefly looking at the river. "Today just happened to be Christmas Eve. I didn't had any particular reason to wait for today. But you're correct on that final part. I'm not here to just apologize."

Junpei took out his personal Vanguardriver, a belt with a golden blaster with purple details covering it. Ryuzaki really gave someone who wasn't the main character the gun driver.

"I'm here to purge a berserker's shadow out of my life, once and for all. Ever since that day... I've seen the shadow of that thing whenever I got into a fight. I freeze, and I can't fight back... Because of that, Jack-senpai, Nakano-senpai and Yasuke had to fight my fights. I've been a burden on them because of that... But I'll end that today. I'll defeat you, and become free of the Berserker of Hirabayashi, so that I can stop becoming a burden to my friends."

"You really love them, don't you?" Izuru asked, pulling out his Revengeriser from his jacket.

"I would fight the entire world for my friends if I had to, including that stupid Kiyo^4, that weirdo Masao, and even that buddhist baldie. That's the type of person I became after becoming free from the Nijimura."

"I respect you for that. I'd also fight the entire world for my friends, including Endo if I had to."

The two shared a glance, as if acknowledging each other, and created some space between them. Then, they activated their drivers, and pulled out their FiCas.

"Demons Revengeriser."

"Golden Armriser."

"Stand up." Junpei said, clicking the button on the side of his golden FiCa with purple lines, before entering it into the blaster from behind.

"Poison."

"Stand up!" Izuru exclaimed, forcing his FiCa open like a monkey again, and ramming it into his driver. I miss old deckboxes and tables already.

"Thousand!"

Izuru shifted the sword handle from one side to the other, and then drew it, making the blade extend as lightning flickered around it. He held the sword up.

On the other side, Junpei dettached his blaster from the belt and aimed it at Izuru. Golden and purple lightning flickered through the blaster aswell.

At the same time, Izuru swung the sword down, and Junpei fired, unleashing a barrage of black, red, golden and purple lightning that clashed against each other, in the form of a dragon and a beetle.

Both fighters returned their fake weapons to their belts, and the fight properly began.

"Stand up, vanguard!" They called out.

"Young Mutant, Worectus! (6000)"

"Crisis Revenger, Fritz! (6000)"

"Draw. Ride! Pupa Mutant, Giraffa! (8000) Giraffa's skill! I discard Mantis to add Elite Mutant, Giraffa from my deck to my hand, then draw one card off Worectus' skill. Turn end!"

Junpei
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Izuru
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Draw. Ride! Dark Armour Revenger, Rinnal! (8000) Frtiz's skill, draw one and add discard fodder to hand, then call a second Rinnal! (8000) Boosted by Rinnal, Rinnal attacks! (8000>>16000)" 'Elite Mutant, Giraffa needs a counterblast to be used. Are you going to let me get two searches for a single draw effect?' Izuru thought.

'You're forcing me to either guard this and not having counterblast for Giraffa's skill, or to have counterblast and give you two searches. Clever. But that won't work against me.' Junpei thought. "No guard!"

"Drive check! (Dark Cloak Revenger, Mana)"

"Damage check. (Machining Mantis) No trigger."

"Rinnal's skill, scry three, add Dorint to hand, then repeat it and add Claudas. Turn end!"

Junpei
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Izuru
Hand: 9
Damage: 0
OXO
OXO

"Draw. Ride! Elite Mutant, Giraffa! (9000) Call Megalaralancer and High Class Moth! (9000) (8000) Giraffa attacks! His skill, counterblast, add 5k for each of your rested rear-guards, and if you have one or less standing rears, I draw a card! (9000>>14000)"

"No guard!"

"(Paralyze Madonna - Draw) Draw trigger. All effects on Megalaralancer! (9000>>19000)"

"(Nullity Revenger, Masquerade) No trigger."

"Boosted by Moth, Megalaralancer attacks! His skill, add 2k for each of your rested rear-guards! (19000>>27000>>29000)"

"No guard! (Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom) No trigger!"

"Turn end!"

Junpei
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
XXO
XOO

Izuru
Hand: 9
Damage: 2
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw! Dark Change, Blaster Dark! (10000) No skill. Call Tartu, and soulblast one to call Rinnal from the deck! (10000) (8000) Boosted by Rinnal, Tartu! (10000>>18000)"

"Heal Guardian! Dazzling Wings Mutant, Quinn Agria! (34000)"

"Tch, boosted by Rinnal, Blaster Dark attacks! (10000>>18000)"

"No guard."

"Drive check! (Revenger, Raging Form Dragon) Tch, no trigger. Turn end! Rinnal retires."

Junpei
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
XXO
XOO

Izuru
Hand: 9
Damage: 2
OXX
OXO

"Stand and draw! When the five horns cross, the golden soldier who ended the queen's reign is born! Revolt with a thundering slash! Ride! Evil Armour General, Giraffa! (12000)"

Junpei grabbed the card that raised out of Giraffa and dropped it on the ground, where it sunk into.

But nothing happened.

"Huh? Where's your Domain?" Izuru asked.

"My Domain is useless until the next turn, so let's leave it at all. Imaginary Gift, Protect I. Moth's skill, I rest it and return Mantis to the deck to countercharge one! I call a second Megalaralancer. (9000) Giraffa's skill! For each different Giraffa in the soul, add 5k! Jacking Stampede! (12000>>22000) Battle. Giraffa attacks! His skill activates! Counterblast, I move Moth to the soul, you choose two cards from your hand and call them as rest! Their autos don't activate from this call, and they don't stand during the next stand phase! (22000) Severing of Yggdrasil!"

"What?! It has a skill like that?! Tch... I call Claudas and Masquerade to the back. No guard!"

"Twin drive! (Pupa Mutant, Giraffa) (Death Warden Ant Lion) No trigger."

"Damage check! (Death Feather Eagle - Critical) All on the vanguard! (20000)"

"Even with their power buffs, neither Megalaralancer can hit the vanguard, and their effects won't activate unless they attack it... Turn end."

Junpei
Hand: 8
Damage: 1
XXX
OOO

Izuru
Hand: 7
Damage: 3
OXX
XXX

"Stand and draw. Rage across the sixth heaven, and make black flashes of rebirth rain down! Fight all silence, spirals and generations alike! Fight even the world itself, mad dog of myriad heavens! Ride! Revenger, Raging Form Dragon! (13000)"

Izuru grabbed his Domain card and threw it into the air, where it turned into a storm of flames of lightning, before creating Izuru's hellish domain around the fighters.

"The theatre where I rage war, my hell on earth, where I defy death! Stand up, my Domain! Hell Realm, Final Honnoji! Then Imaginary Gift, Force I! On the vanguard! (13000>>23000) At the start of my main phase, Final Honnoji's effect activates! I reveal two cards from the top of my deck and call any grade 1 Revengers among them! (Grim Revenger) (Barrier Troop Revenger, Dorint) Tch, nothing here. Call Dorint! (10000) Counterblast, soulblast, add 10k, and with Claudas on the field, I draw a card! (10000>>20000) Battle! Tartu attacks Megalaralancer! (10000)"

"Retired."

"Raging Form attacks! (23000) Black Flash Downpour!"

"No guard!"

"Twin drive! (Astral Chain Dragon - Heal) Heal trigger! I heal one and give the power to Dorint! (20000>>30000) (Transient Revenger, Masquerade)"

"Damage check! (Spear-attack Mutant, Megalaralancer)"

"Raging Form's skill! I sack Claudas, Masquerade and Tartu to superior ride! Papiyas Rebirth! Revenger, Raging Form Dragon! Force I! (23000>>33000) Boosted by Rinnal, Revenger Form attacks! (33000>>41000) Black Flash Downpour!"

"Perfect guard!"

"Twin drive. (Nullity Revenger, Masquerade) (Grim Revenger - Critical) All on Dorint! (30000>>40000/2) Dorint attacks! (40000/2)"

"No guard. (Evil Armour General, Giraffa) (Dazzling Wings Mutant, Quinn Agria - Heal) Heal trigger. Power to my vanguard and heal one. (22000)"

"Turn end."

Junpei
Hand: 6
Damage: 3
OXX
OOO

Izuru
Hand: 10
Damage: 2
XXO
OXO

"Stand and- Stand up, my Domain!" Junpei declared.

"What?!"

Izuru's eyes widened as five enomous tree roots blasted out from the ground behind Junpei. They extended towards the skies, intertwining with each other as they went past the limits of the world and reached the stars. In the hellish landscape that was his blazing Domain, life greater than his destructive power grew past the borders of the world.

"Absolute Life, Qliphoth! And this is the power that comes with it."

Instead of drawing a card, Junpei picked four cards from the top of his deck, added one to hand, and shuffled the rest back.

"Instead of drawing, I scry up to the number of your rested units, and add one to card to my hand."

"So your Domain makes its own rules and goes beyond the game..." Izuru muttered. "Absolute Life... Fitting name. Ryuzaki really was on crack when designing these."

"I'm not done yet. Persona ride! Evil Armour General, Giraffa! (12000) Protect I. A new Giraffa is in the soul, and since there's at least two in soul and you're finally at grade 3, a critical is added! Jacking Stampede! (12000>>27000/2) I also call Pupa Giraffa and Elite Giraffa. (8000) (9000) Pupa Giraffa's skill. For soulblast two, I draw a card, with the cost reduced by one for each of your rested rears in its column. Thanks to Dorint, I soulblast one to draw one. Call Moth (8000) and use his skill. Even with no damage to countercharge, he can still stun Dorint from intercepting. Battle! Giraffa attacks! His skill activates! (27000/2) Severing of Yggdrasil!"

"Tch, I call Masquerade and Mordred! (10000) (13000) Guard with Astral Chain and Grim Revenger! (43000)"

"Twin drive! (Pupa Mutant, Giraffa) (Sharp Nail Scorpion - Critical) Critical trigger! I give the power to Megalaralancer, and the critical to Elite Giraffa! (9000>>19000) (9000>>9000/2) Elite Giraffa attacks! Counterblast, add 25k, then draw a card! (9000>>34000/2)"

"Dammit...! No guard! (Barrier Troop Revenger, Dorint) (Grim Revenger - Critical) To the vanguard! (23000)"

"Boosted by Pupa Giraffa, Megalaralancer attacks! His skill activates, add 8k! (19000>>27000>>35000)"

"No guard! (Astral Chain Dragon - Heal) Heal trigger! I heal one! (33000)"

'This fight... Unlike the one from four years ago, this one is different... They're different. Throwing barrages of attacks at each other without holding anything back, pushing each other to the edge with every turn... They have almost nothing to lose or to gain from it, and yet... They're fighting like their lives depend on it!' Airi thought.

"Honestly, I was hoping this woul have been over by now..." Junpei chuckled while panting. "Turn end!"

Junpei
Hand: 8
Damage: 3
XXX
OOX

Izuru
Hand: 6
Damage: 4
XXO
XXX

"Sucks to admit it, but you're right on that... But... I'll end it here then!" Izuru roared.

"Come!" Junpei roared back.

"Stand and draw! Final Honnoji's skill! (Frontline Revenger, Claudas) (Dark Armour Revenger, Rinnal) I call both of them over my rested rears! (8000) (8000) Then call, Masquerade! (10000) Boosted by Claudas, Dorint attacks! (10000>>18000)"

"Megalaralancer, Giraffa, intercept! (22000)"

"Boosted by Rinnal, Raging Form attacks! (33000>>41000) Black Flash Downpour!"

"No guard!"

"Twin drive! (Revenger, Raging Form Dragon) (Barrier Troop Revenger, Dorint)"

"(Evil Armour General, Giraffa) No trigger!"

"Rinnal's skill, scry, no targets. Raging Form's skill! I sack Claudas, Dorint and Rinnal to superior ride! Papiyas Rebirth! Revenger, Raging Form Dragon! (33000) Force I to the empty circle on the front! Raging Form's skill, superior call Tartu! (10000>>20000) Tartu attacks! (20000)"

"Butterfly Officer, guard! (22000)"

"Boosted by Rinnal, Masquerade attacks! His skill, add 3k! (10000>>18000>>21000)"

"No guard! (Paralyze Madonna - Draw) Draw trigger, all on Giraffa! (22000)"

"Rinnal's skill, no targets. Raging Form attacks! (33000) Black Flash Downpour!"

"Protect I, perfect guard!"

"(Dark Shield, Mac Lir - Draw) (Illusionary Revenger, Mordred Phantom) On the vanguard. (33000>>43000) Raging Form's skill! Sacking Tartu, Rinnal and Masquerade, and superior ride! (33000) Papiyas Rebirth! Rage across the sixth heaven, and make black flashes rain down! Fight all silence, spirals and generations alike! Fight even the world itself, mad dog of myriad heavens! Ride! Revenger, Raging Form Dragon! (33000) Force I on the vanguard! (33000>>43000) Attack! (43000) Black Flash Downpour! End it here, Raging Form Dragon!"

"Don't count on it!" Junpei yelled. "Perfect guard!"

"Another one?!" Izuru grit his teeth. "Dammit... Twin drive. (Barrier Troop Revenge, Dorint) (Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu) No trigger. Turn end!"

Junpei
Hand: 4
Damage: 5
OXO
XOO

Izuru
Hand: 9
Damage: 4
OXO
OOO

(Media - Surviror)

"I survived..." Junpei muttered while panting. "And I'll keep doing so...! I have people I need to return to! Stand and draw! Qliphoth's effect changes my draw, but without a second rested unit, I just add the top card of my deck to my hand. Then call! Death Warden Ant Lion! Two of them! (12000) (12000)"

"Ant Lion?!"

"This is my final turn, for better or worse! Call, Pupa Giraffa! (8000) I soulblast two to draw! Then I call Quinn Agripa! (10000) Battle! Giraffa attacks! Counterblast, shove Agripa into the soul, call two! (27000/2) Severing of Yggdrasil!"

"Tch, I call Tartu and Dorint! (10000) (10000) Then perfect guard with Mac Lir!"

"The shadow that kept haunting me for years... I'll put an end to it now! Twin drive! (Sharp Nail Scorpion - Critical) All on the left Ant Lion! (12000>>22000/2) (Pupa Mutant, Giraffa) Boosted by Pupa Giraffa, Ant Lion attacks! Soulblast Moth, discard two, add 10k, a crit, and block sentinels from guarding! (12000>>20000>>30000/2)"

"Guard with Astral Chain and Dorint! (30000)"

"Boosted by Pupa Giraffa, my second Ant Lion attacks! Once again, soulblast Moth, discard two, add 10k, a crit, and block sentinels from guarding! (22000>>30000/2>>40000/3) MY SIDE OF THE CURSE BORN ON THAT DAY ENDS NOW!"

Junpei drew the blaster from his belt, and as he aimed it at Izuru, the units on his side of the field turned into lightning flashing golden and purple, that crawled into his firearm.

"SEVERING OF YGGDRASIL!"

The grey haired began blasting a rampage of golden and purple lightning, in the direction of his opponent. Those thunderbolts soon intertwined with each other, turning into lightning beetles.

In contrast, Izuru drew his blade, surrounded in a whirl of black and red lightning, and deflected the beetles with his blade.

"NOT YET! I WON'T LOSE JUST YET!"

Gritting his teeth, Izuru hacked away at the incoming attacks, and gathered enough strength to deliver a colossal slash of his own, but it didn't matter much.

One final bullet was loaded into Junpei's gun, one that, when fired, blitzed through anything in front of it.

It blasted through Izuru's attacks, but he kept his guard up, and as a last line of defense, striking the bullet flickering with golden and purple lightning with his bare blade.

For a few moments, it seemed enough to stop it, but then, it shattered the blade, only stopping after piercing cleanly through Izuru's chest.

As Izuru fell back onto the stone cold floor, the fight ended.

"I did it..."

Junpei fell to his knees. His arms trembled like crazy, but he still raised them. He laughed, and despite his victory, he also cried.

"I'M FREE FROM THAT DAY!"

"Are you okay?!" Airi asked, helping Izuru get up.

"Who the hell thought giving dumb teenagers tech with special effects like that was a good idea... That bitch slap of a bullet nearly gave me a Suzui." Izuru answered, panting harshly. "But still... Ah, Protect decks suck! I was this close too! Aaaaah, why did they give bugs a good boss for once?!"

"Nakano-senpai and Yasuke said you lost to something called a coaster, whatever that means." Junpei said.

"Oi, that doesn't help my case!" Izuru grunted. "Why did you have to go and cuck my already dwindling reputation like that, Nakano-senpai..."

"I knew it... You and Nakano-senpai are more alike that I'd like to admit." Junpei chuckled, with a slight smile.

"Don't think this is over yet. There's still one person you need to apologize to. You and I might have moved on from that day and grew to just look back at it as something stupid we did, but there's someone who hasn't."

"I know. I... I'll talk with Serebryakov one day. I promise that much. Merry Christmas, Sawada Izuru."

"Merry Christmas, Kotomine Junpei." Izuru nodded.

Junpei turned his back to Izuru and Airi, and began walking away while having at the two. But suddenly, he stopped and checked his wristwatch.

"Oh, it's still just ten... It won't be for another two hours but minor." Junpei sighed. He grabbed a small steel case from inside his jacket and dropped it at the ground.

Looking back at Airi, Junpei said three final words before giving them a final wave and leaving for good.

"Happy birthday, Nee-chan."

Airi's eyes widened and she rushed to the case. After picking it up and taking out a small note, she began reading it to herself.

"Man, I probably said some really lame things to get you to bring Sawada here... My bad, not that that makes the awful crap I said feel less bad. What I said about mom was true. I could never forgive you for how much you hurt her... But I'm ready to start doing it. So let's talk again soon."

"Junpei..." Airi muttered, hugging the note.

"So... I'm guessing that says something good?" Izuru said. Truly, the absolute peak of human intelligence.

Suddenly, Airi charged at Izuru and began hugging him tightly.

"Yeah... It says something good..."

"Glad to hear..." He replied, hugging her aswell.

And then Ibuki reached the top of the stairway.