7. Yu-Gi-Oh ARC-V A New Story of Pendulum (Xyz Arc)

Chapter 36 Machine Battles

After returning to the Xyz Dimension, Yusho and Sarah rushed forward as soon as they saw the figure stepping off the transport ship.

"Wilson!" Sarah exclaimed, relief flooding her voice. "You're still alive!"

Wilson managed a faint smile, though his eyes carried the weight of everything he'd endured. "It's... a long story," he said quietly. "A man approached me and said he knew where Victoria was—but it was all a trap."

Vivian blinked. "A trap? What do you mean by that?"

"I was killed," Wilson admitted, his tone solemn. "But my body was remade into a machine... just like what Z-ONE did to Apollia. My soul was divided into three parts."

As he spoke, his body began to glow. The light split into three distinct figures—each resembling Wilson, but of different ages.

Rua's jaw dropped. "Whoa... this is really crazy."

The oldest of the three stepped forward, placing a hand on his chest. "Yeah," he said. "I'm Will. These two are called Terry and Aero. We witnessed Zarc's destruction back in the Original World, but we were forced to act as puppets of that man... Chronos."

Ruka's eyes widened. "Chronos? Then he must be the third person from that dream, right?"

Will nodded gravely. "Yeah. But I was freed thanks to Ray. After that, I ended up in the Synchro Dimension, where I met Sherry LeBlanc. She took me in, and together we learned how to survive like this."

Yusho smiled warmly. "I see... thank you, Sherry. Thank you for helping our friend."

"No problem," Sherry replied, her voice calm but resolute. "After all, I needed help too—especially if I wanted my revenge against Academia."

Rua tilted his head curiously. "Now I'm wondering... how do you guys duel in this state?" His grin returned a moment later. "I know! Why don't we test it out?"

Yuya chuckled lightly. "You mean, you want to duel one of them? Sure, I guess. What do you say, Wilson?"

Aero stepped forward, enthusiasm flickering in his mechanical eyes. "I can duel if you want."

Will nodded. "As for us, we'd like to look around a bit."

"Then we'll show you around," Yuto said, volunteering alongside Vivian and Ruri. The three led Will and Terry out toward the courtyard while the others remained behind.

Outside the ship, Rua and Aero faced each other across the open dueling platform. Both activated their Duel Disks in unison.

"Field Magic: Crossover!" they shouted, as energy surged across the battlefield, transforming it into a shimmering digital arena. "Duel!" they both cried. (Rua:4000)(Aero:4000)

"I'll go first," Aero said, activating his Duel Disk as the holographic field lit up. "I summon Sky Core in Defense Position." (ATK:0/DEF:0/Level 1)

A spherical, mechanical core with rotating wings materialized on the field, emitting a faint blue pulse.

"I set three cards and end my turn," Aero added, his tone calm and analytical as the set cards shimmered into place behind his monster.

Rua drew his first card, confidence flashing in his eyes. "My turn!" he said, scanning Aero's field. "DEF:0... it might be a trap. But I can overcome it! I summon Deformer Chakkan! (ATK:1200/DEF:600/Level 3)."