Kengo Dojun

Kengo Dojun (, Dōjun Kengo) is a character appearing in the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS anime. In LINK VRAINS, he is known as the bounty hunter Blood Shepherd (ブラッドシェパード, Buraddo Shepādo).

Appearance
Kengo is a man with pink hair and purple accents, white shirt with purple accents, brown belt, white pants and brown with green gloves. His right arm is a silver prosthetic. The right half of his face is also partially scarred following the car accident. When in public, Kengo covers his face with sunglasses and a maroon scarf.

While in LINK VRAINS as Blood Sheperd, he wears purple with green hat, red and blue mask with pink eyes, purple cape, black coat, blue shirt with green accents, black pants and boots with red sole and yellow star behind the boots. He wears a black glove on his left hand, and his prosthetic arm has attributes of a six-shooter gun.

Personality
Kengo was once a driven but benvolent and positive man who prioritized his mother's happiness above all else until the night an AI malfunctioned and derailed his entire life. Even before this incident, Kengo had a shred of darkness in his heart due to his resentment of his father abandoning him and his mother.

Since then, he has become a coldhearted man. One of few words, he prefers to handle things as quickly as possible. His previous drive is still as apparent as ever, but now made him a very dangerous and persistent man which earned him quite an infamy, as he has been known to never let any of his prey evade him, and pursues them with relentless tenacity, and ruthless fervency. He is fairly materialistic and doesn't concern himself with anything that doesn't yield him any personal reward. He openly believes that personal feelings are irrelevant when compared to one's mission, as he chastised Emma for not going after Playmaker, believing that view made him a true professional.

He is extremely amoral in his methods, noted to use any and all means available to successfully complete his mission. He shows no loyalty to others as he is willing to use any "teammate" he is working with as bait or as a tool to get himself any advantage if possible, even if means endanger them greatly. He is, however, not above saving them if it proves too dangerous, after they served their purpose. He is very dishonest and manipulative, constantly using lies and traps to deceive his enemies.

One of his most noticeable traits is his loathing for over-dependence on AIs, stemming largely from the accident that ruined his life. Ultimately, he only sees them as a tool for humans to exploit and otherwise disposable. Kengo projects his intense hatred towards AIs into the Ignis, which he became obsessed with destroying.

Despite his ruthlessness, Kengo displays a soft side for his younger half-sister, Emma, as seen when he saved her during the bounty hunter mission, when he decided not to erase her LINK VRAINS account after defeating her, and when he advises her not to get involved in the Ignis war for her own safety. He also showed a bit of sympathy towards his late father by bringing flowers for his grave.

As noted by Varis, Kengo displays a strong pride in being a bounty hunter and acting on his own, sometimes to the point of stubborness. Varis described Kengo as "A lone wolf" because of this.

Abilities
Kengo is a professional hacker well known in the military for interrogating Artificial Intelligence using his prosthetic right arm. This is seen when he modified his support AI to lie and when he lured Playmaker and Soulburner into a trap by creating a gate that sucked in the later. Kengo is also skilled enough to decode an Ignis program, contrary to Varis's claim that only he, his father, and the Ignis themselves can do so.

In LINK VRAINS, Blood Shepherd has the ability to shoot energy blasts from his prosthetic right arm. These energy blasts have the power to delete AI, and even erase an account.

History
Years ago, Kengo grew up without his father in his life, to whom had separated from his mother and build a successful and wealthy career.

As an adult, Kengo moved next door and saw his father again, with a new family included his new half-sister Emma, which only made him more resentful of his father.

Celebrating his mother's birthday, Kengo took her out to dinner. She asked if he would reconsider graduating from college, but Kengo claimed with his father absent, he was glad she permitted him a high school graduation. In fact, Kengo wanted to work to make his mother happy. They went into a car, controlled by an AI. The two were amazed by this technology, and Kengo thought of attending his mother's birthday in another restaurant. Suddenly, the two saw an accident on a road. As Kengo pleaded to stop, the AI malfunctioned and the car crashed. Kengo and his mother were wounded, but her injuries were so severe, and both were taken to a hospital. Kengo's right arm was broken, but he became distraught to learn his mother suffered extreme damage to her spinal cord, rendering her permanently paralyzed. Months after recuperating, Kengo had his right arm replaced with a prosthetic and ended up working in the military, becoming well-known in interrogating Artificial Intellgence.

Three years ago, Emma was in a team with Blood Shepherd and Akira Zaizen. Together, they rode in a cyberspace to track down a hacker, who promised to hurt them with a program. Akira and Ghost Gal pondered what to do, but Blood Shepherd gave the hacker three turns before surrendering. The hacker thought he was bluffing, but Blood Shepherd snapped his fingers. On the third turn, Ghost Gal and Akira charged, only to see Blood Shepherd continued hiding, for he intended them to be decoys. The hacker emitted a net to capture Ghost Gal and Akira, and just as he went to attack, Blood Shepherd started shooting at him. The hacker was defeated, but the program to hurt them started falling to Ghost Gal. Blood Shepherd pushed Emma out of the way and shot the program, which exploded. Akira and Ghost Gal were fine, but were angry at Blood Shepherd for being used a decoys. Blood Shepherd simply stated his mission was over, and logged out. While Akira was furious, Ghost Gal realized Blood Shepherd knew her real name, Emma.

Lost Memories
Blood Shepherd was in LINK VRAINS. Two avatars were trying to get rid of the people at a cafe, and attacked Blood Shepherd. In return, the latter grasped one of the avatars, causing it to vanish. Ghost Gal met up with Blood Shepherd, and the former noted he took the call of SOL Technologies for a bounty hunter, which she declined, believing she owed Playmaker her life. Blood Shepherd called her weak for turning down the offer. She replied she didn't base her choices solely on money, to which Blood Shepherd believed it is what made him a pro. Regardless, he proclaimed that she stayed away from him, else she would be his enemy, too. Eventually, she noticed Playmaker came to LINK VRAINS, but wondered why would he log in. When Playmaker logged in LINK VRAINS, he was confronted by Blood Shepherd, for he had a bounty on his head. Playmaker replied he didn't have Ignis by his side, but was pointed by his Duel Disk, for Ai returned to him with "Linkuriboh". To get rid of Blood Shepherd, Ai summoned a Data Storm, causing Blood Shepherd to log out, due to the danger present.

Gore was surprised to see the guy wrapped-up, as Blood Shepherd didn't want to show his face to those that did reveal in LINK VRAINS. Gore ignored that, claiming he would be the one to defeat Playmaker, since the latter was always one step ahead of him. Blood Shepherd ignored Gore, but reminded not to be ordered around, since he did his things at his own pace. Akira showed a footage of Bohman, the orange figure, since Blood Shepherd believed it would help them track Playmaker down. Gore was alarmed at the figure, while Blood Shepherd noticed the figure did not log out yet. Regardless, Akira exclaimed the figure went beyond the restricted area of LINK VRAINS. Ai and Playmaker descended down to find the gate to the restricted area. However, they started to feel spooky, fearing something was to happen soon. The two were attacked by Blood Shepherd, who came to collect his bounty.

Blood Shepherd started shooting, so Ai tried to lose him by releasing a Data Storm. However, Blood Shepherd resisted it and continued shooting. Playmaker reminded he was just threatening them, and could only win Ai through a Duel. Blood Shepherd made them choose to either battle or surrender. Playmaker and Ai pondered thoughts, but Blood Shepherd shot at the second turn. Playmaker realized he wanted them to think they had three turns to lower their guard, and would do anything to win. Since neither side would give up, they started a Duel. Blood Shepherd summoned "Drone Pawn" and set a card. Ai commented he must be up to something when facing Playmaker, who shushed Ai. Ai thought Blood Shepherd was bluffing and was just bad at Dueling, but Playmaker asked of it not to interfere. Blood Shepherd was reminded of Playmaker's latest monster he had obtained, and claimed he shouldn't have played his monster. Ai boasted Blood Shepherd would lose soon, but even Blood Shepherd silenced it. Playmaker took a turn into a corridor, and summoned "Clock Wyvern", who summoned a "Clock Token", and brought out "Backup Secretary".

He Link Summoned "Elphase", but remained silent for a moment, for Blood Shepherd's AI told him he could not activate his set card. Ai claimed they should finish off the bounty hunter in no time, so Playmaker used "Elphase" and "Clock Token" to bring out "Shootingcode Talker", and using "Elphase", Playmaker revived "Clock Wyvern". Blood Shepherd's AI explained his owner would lose in the next attack, and Ai confirmed this. Blood Shepherd, however, claimed he succeeded in fooling them; by playing "Capture Drone", Playmaker's "Shootingcode Talker" was unable to attack. Ai confronted Blood Shepherd that his AI stated he could not activate the set card. He simply replied nobody stated AI gave out correct information, which made Ai realize Blood Shepherd modified his AI to lie. Instead, the latter replied one should never trust an AI, which riled up Ai. Playmaker noted Blood Shepherd has analyzed his Deck, so he set a card. Blood Shepherd, however, Link Summoned "Battledrone Sergeant", but Ai pointed out he could not win with an 800 ATK monster. Blood Shepherd called him dumb for pointing out such obvious info, and used "Capture Drone" to summon three "Drone Tokens". After silencing his AI, Blood Shepherd used his tokens to Link Summon "Battledrone General".

Blood Shepherd proceeded with his tactics, equipping "Battledrone General" with "Drone Launcher Unit". Ai thought the enemy was a fan of weaponry; Blood Shepherd simply stated a soldier receives power from the equipment they have been given from their superiors. Blood Shepherd went to inflict 700 LP damage through his drone's effect, one for each Link Marker on the field. Ai tried to fool Blood Shepherd into six Link Markers, but failed. With the ATK of "Battledrone Pawn" lowered by 1000, it attacked Playmaker directly, and tributed it through the effect of "Battledrone General" to inflict 600 more LP damage. He made the same move with "Battledrone Sergeant", lowering Playmaker's LP to 500. To reverse the damage, Playmaker played "Cure Conversion", tributing "Clock Wyvern" to stop Blood Shepherd's attack and heal himself by the ATK of the monster he drew: "Cyberse Wizard", who had 1800 ATK. Ai taunted Blood Shepherd for missing the target, but the latter replied so did they, for they were unable to activate the Skill. Blood Shepherd, however, counted two turns before Playmaker met his doom.

Playmaker played "Cyberse Bridge" to clear his Extra Monster Zone by moving "Shootingcode Talker" away. Using his revived "Clock Wyvern" and "Clock Token", Playmaker played his Ritual-style tactics by summoning "Cyberse Witch", and using it to take "Cyberse Magician" and "Cynet Ritual", with the latter Ritual Summoning the former. Though "Capture Drone" prevented Link Monsters from attacking, "Cyberse Magician" was unaffected, and Playmaker banished "Trash Hacker" to double that damage. In return, Blood Shepherd tributed "Battledrone General" to use "Demolition Drone" and halve the damage. Ai nevertheless questioned if it was worth to reduce the damage by tributing that general. As the two went deeper into the system, Blood Shepherd promised to end them. Using "Capture Drone", Blood Shepherd summoned "Drone Tokens", using them to summon another "Battledrone Sergeant" and a "Medicdrone Dock". Using "Assemble Drone", Blood Shepherd Special Summoned "Battledrone General" back, and had it revive his "Drone Pawn". Playmaker commented that despite the general unable to attack, it could permit other monsters to attack directly.

Applying his tactics, Blood Shepherd attacked with "Drone Pawn" and "Battledrone Sergeant" to inflict damage to Playmaker, whose "Cyberse Magician" halved any damage. Blood Shepherd intended to finish Playmaker, by using his Skill: Drone Craft Force, which reduced the ATK of "Cyberse Magician" by 1000 and "Battledrone General" gained that ATK. With "Drone Pawn" gone, the general attacked "Cyberse Magician", leaving Playmaker with 200 LP left. "Medicdrone Dock" attacked "Cyberse Witch", but Playmaker used "Excess Lesser Linker" to even their ATK, causing both sides to be destroyed. Blood Shepherd commended Playmaker, since he evaded the loss, even after he made the count. To prevent Playmaker's Skill Access, the destruction of "Medicdrone Dock" increased both sides' LP by 1000. Ai claimed there was no need for that "gift". Blood Shepherd nevertheless urged Playmaker to hand over Ignis, but Ai claimed Playmaker and he had strong bonds. This made Blood Shepherd surprised, and made him think of his past. Blood Shepherd shouted at Playmaker that humans should control AI, which surprised Ai.

To turn the situation around, Playmaker paid 600 LP to banish "Shootingcode Talker", thus destroying "Capture Drone". To protect his drones, Blood Shepherd played "Drone Cordon", disabling Playmaker from attacking with Link Monsters. Regardless, Ai called upon a Data Storm, pemitting Playmaker to use Skill Access. Banishing his Ritual cards, Playmaker summoned two "Cynet Tokens", using them to Link Summon the monster he just obtained, "Clock Spartoi". Removing "Dimension Link", Playmaker Special Summoned "Shootingcode Talker" from banishment, and increasing its ATK to 2900. Blood Shepherd reminded Link Monsters could not attack, but Playmaker went on by reviving "Clock Wyvern". Thus, using three monsters as Fusion Materials, Playmaker activated "Cynet Fusion" to Fusion Summon the Fusion Monster "Cyberse Clock Dragon". Blood Shepherd groaned, as Playmaker sent five monsters, equal to the sum of Link Markers of the Fusion Materials ("Clock Spartoi" having 2 and "Shootingcode Talker" having 3), and increasing the dragon's ATK equal to that number times 1000. Firing a 7500 ATK blast, "Cyberse Clock Dragon" destroyed "Battledrone General" and defeated Blood Shepherd. Blood Shepherd questioned himself to losing against an opponent with an AI ally, while Playmaker lamented his count turn was wasted.

Ignis Warfare
Reading news about Kyoko Taki's prison escape, Yusaku realized Varis and the Knights of Hanoi were regrouping, and were to join his list of enemies, besides Blood Shepherd.

Akira informed Gore and Blood Shepherd of the gate in the restricted area, through which Playmaker and Soulburner had gone to. Gore questioned why Akira didn't inform them of this earlier, but was reminded they were only hired to capture Playmaker and his Ignis. Akira noted unless the gate was reopened, Playmaker had no reason to return to LINK VRAINS, while his team were investigating the chances of reopening the gate. Blood Shepherd asked about Soulburner, whom Akira had no information of, save for having an Ignis and being a Lost Incident victim. Akira simply asked of them to be ready to capture Playmaker. Blood Shepherd turned around, deciding to take the matter into his own hands, regardless of Akira's demands. Blood Shepherd jumped and logged out, making Gore question if it was wise to trust him. In the real world, Kengo started analyzing data, and set a trap in LINK VRAINS, in form of a gate. His efforts managed to trap Soulburner and Flame. Despite not the target he wished to capture, Blood Shepherd was nevertheless pleased, since Soulburner had an Ignis, too. Bubbles appeared to show some of Soulburner's memories. Flame appeared to Soulburner, seeing that Blood Shepherd was destroying the bubbles containing Soulburner's memories. Flame tried to wake Soulburner up, while Blood Shepherd had found Soulburner's weakness: "Despair from the Dark". Flame managed to wake Soulburner up, and told him that Blood Shepherd had trapped him and spied on his memories.

A cave filled with lava was formed before Blood Shepherd confronted Soulburner. Soulburner was not pleased that Blood Shepherd peeked inside his memories, who shot Emma Bessho's surveillance, in form of a data ladybug, down. The two then commenced a Master Duel. Blood Shepherd summoned a "Duplicate Drone"; Soulburner was displeased that Blood Shepherd had his AI explain the card effects, but Flame reminded him to concentrate on his turn. Soulburner proceeded to use "Salamangreat Meer" and "Salamangreat Wolvie" to Link Summon the Link-2 "Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf", then used the latter with "Salamangreat Mole" to summon his ace monster, "Salamangreat Heatleo". Its effect returned Blood Shepherd's "Mirror Coat Unit" to his hand, but its effect let him add a "Duplicate Drone" to his hand. Soulburner was in shock, since the AI didn't mention that effect, but Blood Shepherd simply claimed he didn't let the AI speak. Flame alerted Soulburner of this, for Blood Shepherd did something like that during his Duel with Playmaker. Due to this, Blood Shepherd called Soulburner a fool to trust an AI, for it was a tool that should only serve humans, and showed his right arm as reference.

Since his field was wide open, Blood Shepherd activated "Drone Barricade" to protect himself from direct attacks. Soulburner, using "Salamangreat Sanctuary", summoned a new "Salamangreat Heatleo" to remove the barricade. Much to his dismay, Blood Shepherd countered that by setting a new "Drone Barricade" from his Deck and activate it. Flame noticed that Blood Shepherd did study Soulburner's Deck. Soulburner ended his turn, while Blood Shepherd started his own. The latter declared Soulburner would lose in this turn, to himself. Soulburner questioned the meaning of those words, as Blood Shepherd uses the effect of "3D Bio Scanner" to Special Summon "Despair from the Dark" from his deck. Soulburner suddenly became paralyzed with fear, remembering his trauma from the Hanoi Project. Taking advantage of the situation, Blood Shepherd uses the effect of three of his copies of "Duplicate Drone", to move "Despair from the Dark" to the Spell & Trap Zone. The drones camouflaged themselves as "Despair from the Dark", which overwhelmed Soulburner with fear. Flame called out Blood Shepherd for using that fear to his advantage, but Blood Shepherd simply replied that he'd use everything to win, especially against someone who had an AI as a partner. He proclaimed he'd bury Soulburner in dark despair.

The first "fake" "Despair from the Dark" destroyed Soulburner's "Salamangreat Heatleo". The second one attacked Soulburner directly, who recalled his painful memories during the Lost Incident. To protect himself from the attack of the third monster, Soulburner Special Summoned "Salamangreat Parro", and had its ATK become that of "Salamangreat Heatleo", 2300. Soulburner barely survived the attacks, but Blood Shepherd knew of his weaknesses, proclaiming he won't last the next turn. In fact, due to the incident having happened when Soulburner was a child, Blood Shepherd knew that he still struggled against the trauma. Snapping his fingers, he demanded the Ignis from him, and set a card. Flame, however, asked of Soulburner to calm down. Blood Shepherd still offered a chance to Soulburner to surrender and give Ignis up. Soulburner refused, and played "Rising Fire" to revive "Salamangreat Heatleo". He performed a third Reincarnation Link Summon of "Salamangreat Heatleo". Blood Shepherd doubted in Soulburner's actions, claiming they were pointless. Soulburner countered his point, for "Rising Fire" banished all of Blood Shepherd's monsters, and he took 2800 LP damage.

Blood Shepherd was surprised at these actions, since Soulburner should've been terrorized with fear. Flame and Soulburner played dumb, as Blood Shepherd realized he was fooled. Flame reminded Blood Shepherd that he did say one should not trust an AI. Flame also added that Soulburner also controlled himself to reveal a part of his memories. Soulburner thanked Flame for helping him with that, and belittled Blood Shepherd for failing to see his weakness. "Salamangreat Heatleo" returned "Drone Barricade", but this allowed Blood Shepherd to set a new barricade from his Deck. With "Salamangreat Foxer", Takeru returned a "Salamangreat Heatleo" and destroyed Blood Shepherd's barricade. Despite Blood Shepherd's set card, Soulburner declared he would make a new step with Flame by his side, which disgusted Blood Shepherd. Blood Shepherd went to play his set card, but Kolter's executed program disrupted the Duel, shattering the place. He watched as Playmaker and Soulburner logged out of LINK VRAINS. When Ghost Gal logged in, Blood Shepherd confronted her. He was angry at her interference, despite her claim that he would've lost. Blood Shepherd branded her an enemy, and charged his hand to launch a blast at her.

Per Akira's order, Blood Shepherd, Yoroizaka and Kenomchi were sent to Windy's temple, to find the Ignis. The trio went after Lightning, who summoned dozens of Bit and Boot programs to fight them. To fight the AI, Blood Shepherd rapidly shot all of them. Blood Shepherd continued deleting the AI.

Kengo visited his mother in the hospital, and thought of the incident that scarred her and him for life. He swore to protect humanity from being conquered by AI. Later, Blood Shepherd attacked Aqua, who was mourning Earth. Aqua told him if he wanted to capture her, he would have to defeat her in a Duel. However, Blood Shepherd intended on destroying her. Aqua teleported into LINK VRAINS, but Blood Shepard analyzed the Ignis algorithm to track her down, and fired more shots to hit her. Just as he fired, Blue Girl showed up and rescued her. Blood Shepherd attacked Blue Girl and chased her, but ended up facing Ghost Gal, who noted how much time had passed since they had seen each other. Ghost Gal refused to have Blood Shepherd obtain the WATER Ignis, and used a program to teleport Blood Shepherd in a place where he could not track the Ignis down. Furious, Blood Shepherd shot the doors of the place. As he tried to search for his target, Ghost Gal went to confront him. Blood Shepherd was annoyed that she continued foiling his plans, and wondered why would she side with an Ignis. Ghost Gal simply replied that it was an exception of her to be in the women's company. Blood Shepherd went as far to challenge Ghost Gal in a special Duel - the ante was to have the opponent's avatar deleted, thus making them unable to log into LINK VRAINS forever. Ghost Gal accepted, and wished Blue Girl to keep Aqua safe, while she confronted her brother, Blood Shepherd, in the Speed Duel.

By summoning a "Drone Corporal" and setting a card, Blood Shepherd ended his first turn. Ghost Gal added that she found out about Blood Shepherd's identity, as Kengo Dojun - her half-brother. She also knew about the car incident, but commented it was no reason to hate the Ignis. Blood Shepherd silenced her, envious that she had a good childhood. He exclaimed his father abandoned him and his mother, and later found out to have started a new family, with his new daughter, Emma Bessho. Ghost Gal tried to reason with Blood Shepherd, who fired a shot and wanted the Duel to continue. Ghost Gal used "Infinite Impermanence" to negate the effects of "Drone Corporal", whose effect triggered to negate Ghost Gal's card. Though this backfired, Ghost Gal summoned "Altergeist Multifaker" by its effect. Preparing her field with "Meluseek" and "Marionetter", and the latter set "Altergeist Haunted Rock" to Ghost Gal's field, who activated that card by sending an "Altergeist" card from her hand to the GY. Using "Meluseek" and "Multifaker", Ghost Gal Link Summoned "Altergeist Hexstia". Next, Ghost Gal sent "Altergeist Haunted Rock" to her GY to have "Hexstia" Special Summon the monster she recently sent, the Tuner monster "Altergeist Fifinellag".

Using the latter and "Marionetter" as materials, Ghost Gal Synchro Summoned "Altergeist Dragvirion". Blood Shepherd attempted to counter her tactics by using "Capture Drone" to prevent "Altergeist Hexstia" from attacking, who tributed "Dragvirion" to negate Blood Shepherd's Trap. Blood Shepherd commented tributing her Synchro Monster was a big price to pay just to negate his card. Ghost Gal reminded her turn was not yet over, and revived "Dragvirion" by its effect, and "Hexstia" gained 2200 ATK. Belittling Blood Shepherd for wasting his Trap, Emma had "Altergeist Dragvirion" destroy "Drone Corporal", and inflicted 600 LP damage to Blood Shepherd. Confident in her victory, Ghost Gal had "Hexstia" attack Blood Shepherd, who sent "Drone Asteroid" from his hand to the GY to negate that attack, and gained two "Drone Tokens". Ghost Gal felt that Blood Shepherd could've easily countered her attack, and ended her turn. Blood Shepherd exclaimed he would win the next turn, and snapped his fingers. Blood Shepherd summoned "Drone Carrier", and used it and his tokens to Link Summon "Battledrone General".

Its effect revived "Drone Carrier", who Special Summoned "Drone Corporal" from his GY. He had his general target "Drone Carrier", who could attack directly, and even attempt to inflict damage by its ATK, if tributed afterwards. He had "Drone Corporal" attack Ghost Gal directly by its effect, and "Battledrone General" could also tribute it to inflict damage to Ghost Gal. She played "Altergeist Kunquery" to stop the attack, and negate the effects of "Battledrone General". Blood Shepherd exclaimed he didn't actually want to attack Ghost Gal directly; using "Drone Force Tuning", he used two of his monsters for Synchro Summon. Ghost Gal used "Hexstia" to tribute "Dragvirion" to negate that effect, but Blood Shepherd stated his Spell's effects could not be negated. Despite this, Ghost Gal revived "Dragvirion" and boosted the ATK of "Hexstia" back to 3700. Blood Shepherd proceeded with the Synchro Summon of "Commandrone Double Sniper". "Battledrone General" attacked "Altergeist Dragvirion", but Ghost Gal had it return "Altergeist Kunquery" to negate that attack. Blood Shepherd thanked Ghost Gal for this move, as his Synchro Monster received a Drone Counter. Using "Drone Craft Force" Skill, Blood Shepherd reduced the ATK of "Dragvirion" by 1000 and boosted the ATK of "General" by that difference.

Ghost Gal used "Altergeist Kunquery" to negate the attack of "Commandrone Double Sniper", who gained another counter. This let Blood Shepherd negate the effects of "Kunquery", destroy it and inflict 1000 LP damage to Ghost Gal. "Commandrone Double Sniper" attacked, inflicting 1000 damage to Ghost Gal. With the final move, Blood Shepherd tributed his Synchro Monster and dealt 2000 damage to Ghost Gal, thus making her lose the Duel. Ghost Gal fell to the floor, unable to protect Aqua and Skye and crying that she'd lose her avatar. Just as Blood Shepherd proceeded to erase Ghost Gal's account, she stated that their father died last year, and he wanted of Emma to help her half-brother in need. In response, Blood Shepherd turned around and logged out. Kengo watched a video of Gore Dueling the EARTH Ignis, and wondered why did he chase the Ignis. Since Gore stated that he had an AI chip installed into his brain, Kengo called him foolish. However, he wondered why SOL Technologies was after the Ignis. To learn more, he accessed the databank of the company, and was in shock to learn their intentions.

Kengo went in a car to SOL Technologies, being observed by Specter and Ryoken, and went to Akira, despite Hayami's protests that he didn't have an appointment. Akira dismissed her, and faced Kengo Dojun, who asked him about their intention involving the Ignis. Kengo gave Akira a device, showing data about SOL Technologies goal: using the Ignis to build a greater AI. Akira heard about this, but didn't believe it to be possible. Kengo stated he was misled, for he didn't apply for the job to have a new Ignis created. On the question whether he should follow this goal, Akira replied that he didn't have enough power in the company to affect this decision. Kengo called him lame and walked away, stating he needed time to think. Akira decided to stay in the company, but understood if Kengo wanted to quit his job. Kengo went home, and swore to destroy the other Ignis. He logged into LINK VRAINS, and thought of Ghost Gal's words that his father wanted her to take care of his son.

He stopped, as he noted the presence of a Knight of Hanoi: Varis. Varis knew that Blood Shepherd was disheartened after losing his father. Blood Shepherd was alerted that he knew his identity, but Varis sensed revenge within Blood Shepherd, even after his father's death. Blood Shepherd cut the talk, since he still hunted after AI for hurting his mother. Varis noted that, and believed that to be important, hence why they want him into their ranks. Kengo was surprised after Varis told him that some of the Ignis declared war on humanity; he believed this to be a good opportunity to destroy them. Blood Shepherd saw that Varis invited him to join the Knights of Hanoi, but he hesitated a bit. Varis told if Blood Shepherd became disobedient, he'd personally ensure that Blood Shepherd followed his tasks. Blood Shepherd became amused by his confidence, but reminded he could also erase him. Blood Shepherd made his countdown, but Varis appeared behind him, admitting he chose Blood Shepherd for his ruthlessness.

Blood Shepherd grew more intrigued to test Varis' power: the two started a Duel. However, when Varis ended his turn with a set card, Blood Shepherd thought he was mocking him. Thus, Blood Shepherd proceeded on with offense by Link Summoning "Battledrone General", which revived its Link Material, "Battledrone Warrant". Varis suffered the latter's attack, and "Battledrone General" inflicted additional 1200 LP damage by tributing the attacking monster. Blood Shepherd claimed Varis would regret underestimating him, as "Battledrone General" proceeded to attack, though Varis made him doubt if he'd allow such an attack to defeat him. Varis Special Summoned "Checksum Dragon" to protect himself, leaving his LP at 800. Blood Shepherd played "Blitz Drone", and used it to tribute the revived "Battledrone Warrant" to inflict 1200 LP damage. Varis reminded he would not be so easy to defeat, as his "Imperial Order" negated his Spell's effect. Instead, Varis warned Blood Shepherd about Link Spells that the Ignis use. Blood Shepherd became alarmed at this, but Varis reminded like a Spell Card, it could easily be prevented.

Blood Shepherd asked why was Varis warning him about this. He was told, since he disliked AI, he would be an attack target for the Ignis. Thus, Varis asked Blood Shepherd to join him, to prevent that demise. Blood Shepherd refused, since he didn't want anyone to order him around. Varis became disappointed with his pride, and took his turn. Due to "Imperial Order", he paid 700 LP to keep it. Varis summoned "Gateway Dragon" and "DMZ Dragon", and used them, as well as "Cheksum Dragon", to Link Summon "Topologic Trisbaena". Blood Shepherd's "Capture Drone" tried to limit Varis by negating his Link Monster's effects, and make it unable to attack. Varis smirked, as he played "Vulnerability Dragon" to destroy the Link Monster he just summoned. Blood Shepherd was shocked, but Varis made this move to allow his Link Monsters to attack, since "Capture Drone" was destroyed by its own effect. Next, Varis summoned "Rokket Synchron", which revived "Checksum Dragon". Summing his dragons to Level 8, Varis Synchro Summoned "Borreload Savage Dragon". The latter, with its own effect, equipped "Topologic Trisbena", its ATK raised to 4250. Varis' Synchro dragon attacked "Battledrone General", inflicting 1950 LP damage to Blood Shepherd. By banishing "DMZ Dragon", Varis made his Synchro dragon attack once more, this time defeating Blood Shepherd.

Blood Shepherd, kneeling, noted this was the power of Hanoi. Varis reminded he could not stop Link Spells. Blood Shepherd replied that he didn't need any advice, and swore to pay Varis back someday, who noted he was not the type of guy that would leave his debts behind. Blood Shepherd logged out, but Varis remarked his individualism. He visited his father's grave, and left some flowers, despite having hated his father for abandoning him. Emma visited her father's grave, too, and noted her brother's presence. She thought that Kengo came to forgive his father, but he denied. Emma took note of that, and, due to the rising danger in LINK VRAINS, asked of him to join their cause. Kengo was aware the danger was about the start of the Ignis' war, and refused to join, since he worked alone. However, he advised his sister to stay out of this, as the opponent he would face was too dangerous. He went into LINK VRAINS, shooting a beam to scan the network, as he claimed Ignis' hiding was a pointless move. Lightning saw what he was doing, and opened a portal, daring Blood Shepherd to venture inside and challenge him. Blood Shepherd complied, and went through. He encountered Lightning reading a data book, who asked him what he saw beyond despair.

Lightning introduced himself, whom Blood Shepherd thought to be the one that declared war on humanity. Lightning confirmed, whom Blood Shepherd called a fool, since they could not conquer humans, since they were not perfect beings. Lightning doubted that, thinking humans were the ones behind the programs, for they had a limited life-span. Blood Shepherd cut the talk, and Lightning noted that Blood Shepherd was stuck in his ways, and talking to him was pointless. He did only state that it was malicious to think that humans were atop the world of animal species. Blood Shepherd demanded a fight, which Lightning promised to give him, but he'd have to bet his life, too; the loser would have to surrender the winner's data, and be turned into a form like Jin Kusanagi. Declaring his pride as a bounty hunter, Blood Shepherd accepted the terms, which amused Lightning. Suddenly, Playmaker and his group came through the portal, and wondered why the two sides started a Duel.

Lightning admitted he would've invited the group, too, just as he did Blood Shepherd, since they could watch this Duel. Ai was furious at Lightning, who admitted he wanted to defeat his enemies, to reduce the number of anyone that wanted to destroy him. He boldly stated he wanted to start off with the weakest enemies, which enraged Blood Shepherd. The latter proceeded to summon "Drone XL", which he used to consecutively summon "Battledrone Sergeant", "Warrant" and "General". Lightning smirked, as Blood Shepherd already summoned his ace. Lightning used "Armatos Colosseum", turning his castle into an arena. He summoned "Armatos Legio Seeker", using it as Link Material for "Armatos Legio Centurion". Its effect allowed Lightning to send "Armatos Legio Gradius" to revive the former's Link Material. Sending another monster to his GY, Lightning summoned "Armatos Legio Speculata". Using "Gradius" and "Speculata", Lightning summoned "Armatos Legio Centurion". Lightning repeated his combo: sending "Scutum", he revived his materials, and used one of them to summon another "Armatos Legio Decurion". Continuing on, Lightning used "Judgement Arrows", a card that Blood Shepherd was warned by Varis. Lightning continued on with summoning another centurion.

Lightning went to attack, but Blood Shepherd's Trap, "Snatch Drone", negated and destroyed "Judgement Arrows". While the latter's destruction would destroy Lightning's centurions, he sent his decurion to protect two of his monsters. Blood Shepherd, however, suffered from the attack of "Armatos Legio Centurion", which destroyed his "Battledrone General". Regardless, Blood Shepherd stated it was time for Lightning to abandon his hope.

Deck
Blood Shepherd uses a "Drone" Deck, which uses anti-Link Monster lockdown strategies and a combination of burn damage, direct attacks, and powering up his ace monster "Battledrone General" to defeat opponents quickly. He will study his opponents to incorporate cards specifically to counter them, either in their primary strategies or cards that specifically induce trauma to the user, such as "Despair from the Dark".

Sometime after his duel with Soulburner, he incorporated Synchro Summoning to reinforce his strategies further.

His Speed Duel Skill is "Drone Craft Force".