The Wonderful Uses of Memory Battlefield (Part 1)

"Interesting. I can't find any records at all. Was it erased? No, even the strongest hacker couldn't leave absolutely no trace. Besides, who in this era could possibly hide from Void Archives in the digital realm? Heh, things are getting interesting."

The blonde man swirled his wine glass. "But that little sister posing as Kallen is quite cute. I like her way of speaking and her demeanor too. If I have the chance to meet her, I might try to invite her to join Schicksal. Ah, that's assuming she's willing to hand over her Herrscher friend to me."

As he spoke, Otto crushed the wine glass. "Five hundred years, and you've finally woken up? Excellent. Become my aid in resurrecting Kallen."

"Go for it, Bishop!"

— SEPARATOR —

Taixu Sword Qi is comprised of five essences: Heart, Form, Intent, Soul, and Spirit. The Heart Essence, which is both the introductory and the most profound and complex technique, requires training from a young age. The younger one starts cultivating the Sword Heart, the more effective it will be. Even after achieving mastery, it requires lifelong refinement; a single waver can shatter the Sword Heart.

The Heart Essence has four realms: Still Water, Dustless, Bright Mirror, and Taixu. Unfortunately, Xing hasn't even touched the threshold of Still Water yet; his mind is too chaotic. The Still Water realm demands a mind like a clear, transparent lake, where even a few stray thoughts drifting onto the surface wouldn't stir a single ripple. Calm waters, still depths.

However, the Sword Heart Art recorded in Feather Crossing Dust—a series of strange, nonsensical syllables—is the "Divine Sound Project" from the previous era. It's already imprinted on his subconscious, subtly guiding his body towards the most suitable development and slowly refining his mind.

But without the main body's awareness, cultivating the mind is extremely difficult.

Within the Stigmata Space, several red feathers emitted a faint crimson glow, and a faint phantom emerged within them.

Xing was very unhappy because the white fluffy ball had woken him up early again, claiming she'd received a high-paying A-rank mission and the whole team needed to depart immediately. In the end, she only called for him, and the two of them ran laps around St. Freya Academy.

When Mei and Bronya arrived one after another, they saw a exhausted Kiana and a refreshed Xing. Despite his small stature, with an endurance of 80, Stigmata bonuses, and core sustain, daring to compete with him in durability was simply asking for trouble.

"Why is it that even though I'm older than you, I can't last as long?" Bronya asked with a troubled expression.

"Let's talk about the mission first. Where is it?" Xing asked.

"The location is..." Kiana was about to answer when Bronya interrupted her.

"Bronya carefully reviewed the school rules yesterday and found some overlooked points. If students currently enrolled wish to accept external commissions, they must obtain the consent of a teacher. Otherwise, they cannot use the transport ships."

"Aren't you a hacker? Can't you just hack into it again?"

"If this were discovered, all four of us would be punished by cleaning toilets. The risk is too high."

Half an hour later, in Himeko's office—

"This is why you've come to me? You're quite something, only a month into enrollment and not even having taken the B-rank Valkyrie exam, yet you're already thinking about going out for internships?" Himeko scrutinized them with sharp eyes. "However, it's not impossible, as long as you can prove you have the strength."

"Do we have to fight? Bring it on!" Kiana was eager.

"We do have to fight, but not with me. Follow me." Himeko smiled mysteriously and led the four to the depths of St. Freya Academy, where a vast open area appeared before them.

"Where is this? Bronya couldn't find any information on the map."

"This is the recently debugged Combat Simulation Program, Memory Battlefield. It can read your deep memories and recreate enemies you've fought before. However, the simulation accuracy will vary based on your memory depth and the equipment's strength, so the simulated opponents might be stronger or weaker than their real counterparts."

Himeko took out four folded pieces of paper. "The newly debugged Memory Battlefield needs someone to test it. Draw lots, and one person will be chosen for the test. If you can clear all five difficulty levels—S, A, B, C, and D—I will grant you permission to leave school."

The four took the paper slips in turn and opened them to reveal four different symbols.

Himeko glanced at them. "Hmm, it seems Xing drew the lot."

"Uh, can Kiana switch?" What if the Queen appeared when he went up himself?

"Hey, where's your courage as a Kaslana warrior? Go on!" Kiana pushed him forward.

"Boys need to be brave to win girls' hearts. Besides, fighting enemies from your subconscious might awaken your lost memories," Himeko said as she activated the Memory Battlefield.

The equipment began to operate, and the surrounding scenery gradually changed. "Please don't be those things," Xing prayed silently.

"Go, Xing! Whether Fire Moth can be established depends on you!" The white fluffy ball cheered him on.

"That's strange," Bronya said suddenly from the side. "Teacher Himeko never told us which pattern was the drawn mark, and all four are different. Normally, shouldn't three be the same and one be special? It's as if she deliberately wanted Xing to go to the Memory Battlefield."

The metallic arena was replaced by a mountainous terrain. Xing frowned, feeling inexplicably familiar with this place. When a mosaic-like wall appeared opposite him, he finally remembered.

"Damn it! Isn't this the Toei Ancestral Back Mountain? Is the first fight going to be Kamen Rider Decade? This is hell from the start, damn it!" Xing almost surrendered immediately. Fortunately, what emerged from the dimensional wall wasn't that passing Kamen Rider.

"Magical Girl Teriri reporting for duty~" a pink-haired rabbit popped out.

"Great Aunt Theresa?" Kiana's eyeballs almost popped out. How could this little sister in a pink magical girl outfit look so much like the wise-looking head of the academy?

"Does Theresa have this kind of hobby? Xing really is her illegitimate child, isn't he?" Himeko started recording.

"H-hello," Xing greeted awkwardly.

"Darkness from another world, be purified by Teriri's magic! Henshin!" The pink-haired rabbit raised its wand, and its entire body was enveloped in light.

What's going on? Wasn't she already transformed? This was the unspoken thought of everyone present, but their question was answered the next second.

The pink-haired rabbit's muscles bulged, stretching the magical girl outfit until it ripped. In just a few seconds, it transformed from a petite and cute little loli into a tall and mighty strongman!

Kiana was scared into a black and white art style, Mei's mouth hung open in shock, Bronya felt her beautiful fantasy of magical girls shatter instantly, and as for Himeko, she felt she wouldn't be able to look directly at Theresa in the future.

Xing: "..." Isn't this Theresa from the videos he watched on Bilibili before his transmigration?

"Tremble before Teriri's power!" The strongman swung his fist and charged, his fist the size of a sand pot heading straight for Xing's face.

"BOOM!" With a loud explosion, the ground beneath Xing cracked. The strongman's eyes widened because a small hand was firmly gripping his fist.

"Don't you dare defame this outfit I bought for tens of thousands of star stones!" Blue light erupted from his eyes, and Xing threw the strongman away by his fist. "Let me show you what a real magical girl is!"

(Xing's red pupils turning blue is a sign of the Kaslana bloodline completely overpowering the Shenzhou bloodline, and also an indication of further unlocking the power of the Stigmata.)

"Magical Armor POWER ON!" (You're not really a magical girl, are you?)

The Holy Attire: Kouyou, which was set as magical armor but had a strong technological feel, was equipped. Although he had experienced the fully powered state in a virtual space last time, the armor in reality was still restricted, unable to use its weaponry.

The strong man who had fallen to the ground leaped up. Just as he was about to charge again, he was smashed in the face by the Prototype Pulse Greatsword. Xing, furious, kicked him in the groin, and then a full set of kicks landed solidly on his body.

The strong man fell to the ground and disappeared into data fragments. Xing, still seething with anger, stomped on him a few more times to vent.

The black and white dimensional wall rose again, and a young man in a white trench coat walked out. "Are you the duelist of this world? Hmph, take out your deck and let's have a duel!"

He produced a Duel Disk and tossed it to a bewildered Xing. The young man was about to refuse when he found a deck of cards in his hand, though he didn't know when it had appeared.

"Memory Battlefield can even simulate this?" Himeko's jaw dropped. Bronya was very interested.

"DUEL! ×2" (This duel will use the latest Master Rules, but both players' Life Points are 4000.)

"I'll go first!" Seto Kaiba sharply drew five cards from his Duel Disk. "I'll show you the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, and use its soul to bring me new servants. Come, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon! Next, I activate the Ritual Spell, Chaos Form, from my hand, sending the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand to the Graveyard, to bring you the whip of complete defeat in advance! Ritual Summon, descend, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"

Two powerful Dragon monsters appeared on the Memory Battlefield.

"I activate the Spell Card Pot of Extravagance from my hand, banish 6 cards from my Extra Deck face-down, and draw 2 cards. Then, I activate Pot of Desires from my hand, banish 10 cards from the top of my Deck face-up, and draw 2 cards. I set one card face-down and end my turn. Now, it's your turn, little sister."

Seto's hand: 2

Xing didn't correct his mistake, as he was currently wearing Kouyou's Holy Attire. He looked at his hand. "Here I go, everyone! My turn, draw!"

"If you have no monsters on your field, Kiana can Special Summon from your hand!" A familiar white-haired ball of energy appeared out of nowhere, fearlessly confronting the two Blue-Eyes.

"Is that me?" Kiana looked at the Memory Battlefield in confusion. "Bronya remembers Konami didn't print dedicated cards for idiots." Duck Duck said earnestly.

"Next, if you have a Valkyrie monster on your field, Xing can Special Summon from his hand. When this card is Summoned, you can add one card with 'Valkyrie' in its name from your Deck to your hand. I choose Valkyrie Fusion! I activate it directly, and I choose to fuse Xing and Kiana!"

"O, nameless flame of rebirth, temper the blade of courage and pave the way for me! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8, Judgment Knight!" The White Knight descended upon the Memory Battlefield.

Kiana looked at him with a complex expression.

"I activate the effect of Raiden Mei in my hand. When Kiana is sent from the field to the Graveyard, this card and Xing in the Graveyard are Special Summoned together! Next, I'll use the 4-star Mei for Synchro Summoning with the 4-star Xing!"

4★ + 4★ = 8★

"O thunder that tears through the sky, become my friend and cut down all impurities! Synchro Summon! Be born, Level 8, Blade of the Thunder Queen!"

The purple samurai stood shoulder to shoulder with the White Knight.

"Special Effect of Raiden Mei activates! When a Synchro Summon using this card as Synchro Material is successful, revive the non-Tuner monsters from the Synchro Materials! Then, activate the Special Effect of Blade of the Thunder Queen. When Synchro Summon is successful, destroy the highest-level monster on your opponent's field. I choose Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!"

Infinite lightning engulfed the figure of the Blue-Eyes, destroying it.

(The author hasn't played Blue-Eyes decks and their card game skill is only at an entertainment level. Last match, they were crushed by Runick Spright and Punk, only winning against Marincess and P.U.N.K.)

"I perform a Normal Summon of Bronya, and activate its effect to add the Equip Spell Card - Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C from my Deck to my hand. I use the 4-star Bronya and the 4-star Xing to construct an Xyz Network!"

"O burning heart, awaken the cold shell and plan the future with reason, Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4, Otherworld Hacker!"

"When an Xyz Monster using Bronya as Xyz Material is successfully Summoned, you can destroy one of your face-down cards. Hacker Invasion!"

"I chain the Quick-Play Spell Card, Ultimate Fusion! During either player's Main Phase, return Fusion Materials listed by a Fusion Monster from your hand, field, or Graveyard to the Deck, and use that as Fusion Material to perform Fusion Summon! I return the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon from my Graveyard and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Deck!"

"Let me show you the form of the strongest evolved dragon! Fusion Summon, appear now, The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes!"

The three Blue-Eyes fused together, and that familiar figure appeared before Xing.

The Knight, the Samurai, and the Hacker gathered on the field, facing two powerful Dragon monsters together.

"Fire Moth, reporting for duty!"

"Could it be that these are cards Xing engraved based on our templates?" Mei said in disbelief.

"It's truly incredible. No one has ever brought games or manga into Memory Battlefield before. This shows that his thoughts are very powerful, enough to materialize fantasies in this space. But those few monsters seem like a combination of you and Xing?" Himeko praised.

"Go, Xing! Don't lose to those two ugly dragons!" Kiana shouted loudly.

"Go for it." Duck Duck was also cheering him on, though it would be better if her expression was a little more varied.

"Here I go, Kaiba! I equip Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C to Otherworld Hacker. Enter the Battle Phase!"

"Hoh~ You dare challenge me with no monster that can rival my Blue-Eyes?" Seto Kaiba looked at him with interest. It seemed those few monsters had quite good effects.

"The bonds with my companions will overcome all obstacles! I activate the effect of Otherworld Hacker. During either player's Battle Phase, by removing one Xyz Material, its ATK is doubled!"

ATK: 2500 → 5000

"Yay, our ATK is higher now!" Kiana exclaimed excitedly.

"Otherworld Hacker, attack Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!" As Xing gave the order, the Hacker rode its motorcycle and directly crashed into Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, creating beautiful fireworks on the field.

Seto LP: 4000 → 3000

"Yay!" Kiana was full of confidence.

"But this way, I can summon the Ultimate Dragon. When a Blue-Eyes on the field is destroyed, the Deep-Eyes White Dragon in my hand can be Special Summoned!

O infinite time, hidden within the primordial white power, feathers that stretch and tremble in the echo of intertwined souls, emerge from the azure abyss! Deep-Eyes White Dragon!

Next, Deep-Eyes White Dragon will inherit the power of the Blue-Eyes in the Graveyard and inflict damage equal to the number of types of Dragon monsters in your Graveyard × 600. Suffer the wrath of the Blue-Eyes!"

ATK: 0 → 4000

Xing LP: 4000 → 3400

"Monsters equipped with Heavy-Duty Rabbit 19C can attack twice per turn!" Xing, having taken damage, endured the pain and attacked again.

Motorcycle double kill!

Seto Kaiba LP: 3000 → 2000

"Well done, but I still have my strongest servant on the field, The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes! What are you going to do?"

"I have my partner on my field too! My partner and I will never lose to you!"

"So what? The weak monsters on your field can't possibly contend with my The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes!"

"That's not necessarily true (Sore wa dou kana)! Judgment Knight, attack The True Dragon of Ultimate Blue-Eyes! Activate its effect: when Judgment Knight battles an enemy stronger than itself, its ATK doubles!"

ATK: 2500 → 5000

The Knight of White combined its twin guns, revealing the greatsword form of the Judgment Knight in all its glory. Fiery red energy gathered on the blade.

"Blazing Inferno Strike!" The Knight raised its greatsword and sliced the dragon in two.

Seto Kaiba LP: 2000 → 1500

Outside, Himeko suddenly felt something was off. Why did that move name sound so strange?

"Blade of the Thunder Queen, attack directly!"

A lightning punishment fell from the sky, delivering the final blow to Seto Kaiba.

Seto Kaiba LP: 1500 → 0

"You too, proud duelist." Seto Kaiba gradually faded away.

"We won! That was a truly enjoyable duel~" Xing smiled contentedly.