Barian Invasion

Barian Invasion is the fourth arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime succeeding World Duel Carnival Finals and the first arc under the ''Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL II'' name.

Story Setting
The curtain falls on the World Duel Carnival, peace has finally returned to Heartland City. But now, emissaries from the Barian World, hostile to the Astral World, are aiming at taking the "Numbers" and Astral for themselves. In order to protect him, Yuma, Kite and Shark join together to combat the Barian menace.

Gilag's machinations
With both Vetrix and Dr. Faker defeated, Durbe sent Gilag to earth to acquire "Numbers" since he is the bravest warrior of Barian World. Gilag appeared from a portal in front of a gang of thugs led by Fuma after Fuma mentioned wanting more power. After a scuffle, Gilag then uses "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force" to hypnotize Fuma and his thugs, making them chant "Barian!" With Fuma under his control, he instructed him to go after Yuma Tsukumo. Yuma then got a call from Bronk's Duel Gazer, but was shocked to find a Barian-brainwashed Fuma, who told him to meet him at Heartland Academy to duel with the "Numbers" at stake. Yuma gave the Emperor's Key to Tori for safekeeping and ran off to school to duel Fuma. When the Duel began, Yuma was able to gain an early lead by lowering Fuma's Life Points to 2500, but Fuma used "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force" card and Summoned his CXyz Monster, "CXyz Mechquipped Djinn Angeneral", pushing him into a corner. As Yuma struggled against Fuma and "Engeneral", Yuma was about to give up since he could not think of a way to win the duel. However, after Tori showed up and returned the Emperor's Key to Yuma, he and Astral were able to make a comeback using a combination of "Number C39: Utopia Ray" and "Numbers Impact". Afterwards, Yuma discussed the upcoming battle against the Barian World with Kite and Shark, with Yuma believing that the three of them can overcome the Barians.

After Fuma's loss, Gilag brainwashed a pro Duelist named Daisuke Katagiri who was visiting Heartland Academy. Katagiri defeated Rei Shingetsu when the latter got in his way. After Rei told Yuma about how he was brutally defeated by Katagiri, Yuma challenged Katagiri to a Duel. At first, Yuma played defensively to withstand Katagari's aggressive strategy. Even by Summoning "Number 34: Terror-Byte", Yuma was pushed into a corner, but Yuma was able to summon "Number C39: Utopia Ray" and defeated Katagiri. Afterwards, Yuma was exhausted and accepted Rei's offer to carry him on his back. Yuma officially befriends Rei and was then carried off by a running Rei while hanging off his back and screaming.

Gilag's next plan involved brainwashing the Student Council President, Mamoru Jinguji. Mamoru then challenged Yuma to a Duel, with Caswell supervising the Duel. Mamoru pushed Yuma into a corner by Summoning "CXyz Simon the Great Moral Leader", but Yuma managed to bring out Utopia and win the duel, ruining Gilag's plan. Later, Gilag stumbled upon the school's Manga Research Club, where he brainwashed Chitaro Ariga. Chitaro kidnapped Rio Kastle in order to obtain Shark's "Number" card. The two faced off in a Duel, with Chitaro cornering Shark with his "CXyz" monster. However, with a little help from Yuma, Shark was able to save Rio and make a comeback with "Shark Drake Veiss". Gilag later convinced Yuma and Rei to host a Sports Duel Tournament in order to settle an argument with the Numbers Club in an attempt to take Yuma's "Numbers". Just before the final round, Gilag brainwashed Tori and Cathy with "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force", but this plan was disrupted when Shark left the tournament early. Gilag was substituted in as Yuma's partner instead. This worried him, as a Barian losing to a "CXyz" would have the same result as Astral losing to a "Number". Both Gilag and Yuma managed to work together to defeat Tori and Cathy, returning them to normal.

The Showdowns inside the Sphere Cube
After the constant failures of Gilag and Alit, Durbe decided to send Mizael to Earth in order to Duel Yuma. He gave Mizael three Barian's Sphere Cubes, two of which he was to give to Gilag and Alit. He then disappeared into a portal and appeared in an unknown realm. There, he approached an "Over-Hudred Number" called giant dragon, which he absorbed into a blank card. He then went to Earth, making the weather turn stormy. Seeing this, Gilag and Alit went to investigate and recognized Mizael straight away as he emerged from the crater he created upon impact. Mizael gaves the two their Barian's Sphere Cubes, then disappeared before Gilag and Alit could respond. Mizael spied on Yuma and Tori near the Duel Sanctuary and fired a sphere of energy at Tori, knocking her over. He then activated his Barian's Sphere Cube, forcing Yuma into a Duel with his "Numbers" on the line. Yuma managed to get a head start by Xyz Summoning his "Number 39: Utopia" but Mizael countered with "Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon", which resembled the dragon from Yuma's nightmares, surprising both Yuma and Astral. Using "Tachyon Dragon's" abilities, Mizael destroyed Utopia, knocking Yuma back into the Sphere Field which dealt real damage to him. As Yuma appeared too weak to continue the duel, Kite arrived on the scene and took his place in the duel. Kite quickly summoned "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", but struggled against "Tachyon Dragon's" abilities. However, he managed to survive Mizael's attack and summoned "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon", which managed to destroy "Tachyon Dragon". Mizael countered by reviving "Tachyon Dragon". He revealed his true form, using Barian's Force to evolve it into "Number C107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon". This, however, turned out to be too powerful for the Sphere Field to contain, and Mizael was forced to cancel the duel. As the Sphere Field disintegrates, Shark attempted to catch Yuma but ended up falling into a crater along with him. While waking to school, Yuma and Rei were pursued by a group of Barian-influenced students and were forced to run. They become cornered, but were later assisted by Tori, Shark and Rio, who helped Yuma fight off the students in a Battle Royal. At that point, Gilag revealed himself to be a Barian. Alit also appeared and helped Yuma defeat the students, while revealing his true identity. Later, Yuma and Alit began a Duel which started off in a similar way to their first Duel. Alit Summoned his own Over-Hundred Number, "Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus, but was countered by Yuma and Astral with the power of ZEXAL and Number C39: Utopia Ray, both reaching a stalemate. Alit then revealed his true form and summoned "Number C105: Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus". Yuma used ZW - Eagle Claw to equip to "Utopia Ray" and win the duel. After the Duel, Alit allowed Astral to take his soul and his "Number". Astral tried, but much to his surprise, he could not. Yuma wanted to have another Duel with Alit in the future, but Alit said it wasn't possible, and bid farewell to Yuma and Astral, leaving through a portal. Later on, Gilag found a severely beaten Alit, who claimed that Rei attacked him before passing out. Gilag called Mizael and had him take Alit back to the the Barian World for recovery. Afterward, Gilag challenged Yuma to a Duel and told Yuma to bring Rei with him. Both Yuma and Rei duled against Gilag, who summoned his own "Over-Hundred Number" "Number 106: Giant Hand" and shortly after summoned "Number C106: Giant Hand Red". With Yuma and Rei pushed into a corner, Rei revealed his true Dueling Skills along with his position as a Barian's Guardian and through "Shining Reborn", gave Yuma "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force", which Yuma used to summon "Number C39: Utopia Ray V" in order to defeat Gilag. At the end of the Duel, Gilag was so badly wounded that he retreated to the Barian World to recover.

The Battle of Sargasso
Rei faced off against a Barian emmissary named Vector inside a Sphere Cube, who fled when Yuma arrived on the scene. Rei warned Yuma about Vector and handed Yuma some "V" cards. The next day, Vector appeared before Yuma and Astral and forced them to duel him, revealing himself to be the the one who possessed Dr. Faker. Vector summoned "Number 66: Master Key Beetle" and sealed away Yuma's "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force". Yuma countered by summoning "Number 39: Utopia" and managed to destroy "Master Key Beetle" and recover his card, but Vector managed to revive it, recover his Life Points and summon Tokens to destroy "Utopia". Just as Rei arrived to support Yuma, Yuma used one of the cards he received from Rei, "V Salamander", to revive "Utopia" and evolve it into "Number C39: Utopia Ray V", using the effect of "V Salamander" to defeat Vector. After the Duel, Vector tried to abduct Yuma, but Rei stepped in and was taken by Vector instead. Just before Vector left for the Barian World with Rei, he threw the "Master Key Beetle" card to Astral, which was said to be the key to their final battle.



With "Master Key Beetle", Astral was able to activate the Different Dimension Airship inside the Emperor's Key. Yuma was determined to use it to go to the Barian World to save Rei. They headed out, accompanied by Shark, Rio, Kite, Orbital 7 and the Super Secret Number Cards Investigation Club. They were pulled out of the portal at a place called the "D.D. Ancient Battlefield - Sargasso", where Vector, Durbe and Mizael awaited them. Yuma took on Vector, Kite took on Mizael, and Shark took on Durbe. Yuma, Shark, Kite, and Mizael all stated off their turns with an Xyz Summon, taking damage from "D.D. Ancient Battlefield - Sargasso". Durbe and Vector summoned their own Over-humdred Numbers, "Number 102: Holy Lightning - Glorious Halo" and "Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Shining", respectively; both of them used "Sargasso's Lighthouse" to protect themselves from the damaging effect of "Sargasso". Yuma drew "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force" to summon "Number C39: Utopia Ray V" and used it to destroy " Shining". Vector disappeared and Yuma thought that he was killed. Just then, Rei woke up and underwent Bariarphose to reveal he was Vector in human form this entire time, and that up until now, the Vector that Yuma had dueled against was a mere illusion. During their respective Duels, Kite summoned "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" and Shark used Chaos Xyz Evolution to summon "Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss". Mizael used "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force" to summon "Number C107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon", and Vector used "Glorious Numbers" to revive "Shining". Yuma and Astral attempted to use ZEXAL Morph, but Vector told Astral that Yuma was hiding his true identity - who knows what he's hiding from Astral? and also questioned if Astral was honestly ready to be one with Yuma. He also informed him that he would be enveloped by the sliver of darkness on his body and ZEXAL Morph failed as a result. Then, Vector reminded Astral that "Utopia Ray V" has Barian origins, which was enought for Astral to be consumed by his own darkness. Astral then forced Yuma to use ZEXAL Morph with him, which resulted in them using Dark ZEXAL instead.

Yuma and Astral remain Overlaid by Dark ZEXAL, with Astral in control. Under its influence, Astral Duels aggressively; uncaring of the damage he takes. Meanwhile, Yuma enters Astral's mind, intending to save him. Yuma finds Astral's subconscious still in a state of corruption, believing that Yuma is no longer his friend. Yuma apologizes profusely, saying that he was at fault and is sorry for what he had done. He then runs towards Astral and embraces him, pushing both of them out of Astral's mind in the process. In the physical world, "Number C39: Utopia Ray V" attacks "Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Shining" one last time with "Utopia" at 83200 ATK. At the same time, Dark ZEXAL is reversed, with Yuma and Astral splitting apart as the others watch.

Seeing that Yuma had regained consciousness, Shark and Kite tell Yuma to halt "Utopia's" attack, saying that he would lose otherwise. Yuma quickly does so and ends his turn, taking damage from "Sargasso". Vector suggests that Yuma surrender since he has only 100 Life Points left, but Yuma refuses, saying that he will always fight to protect his friends.



Vector begins his turn and activates "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force", Ranking-Up "Shining" and Xyz Summoning "Number C104: Masquerade Magician - Umbralis" and attaching "Utopia Ray V's" Xyz Materials to itself and reducing "Utopia Ray V's" ATK by 300 for each Material removed. The effect of "Umbralis" effect activates, allowing Vector to destroy a card in Yuma's Spell/Trap Zone. He destroys "DZW - Chimera Cloth", reducing "V's" ATK to 2300. "Umbralis" then attacks "Utopia Ray V" but Yuma activates his face-down "Xyz Revenge Shuffle", returning "Utopia Ray V" to the Extra Deck, and Special Summoning "Number 39: Utopia" from his Graveyard in Attack Position, reducing the battle damage to 0 and letting "Umbralis" attack again. Yuma then activates the effect of "Preventomato" in his Graveyard, banishing it to negate the damage he would have taken from "Sargasso". Yuma also activates the effect of the "Magic Recycler" in his Graveyard, sending "Xyz Agent" from the top of his Deck to the Graveyard, and adding "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force" to the bottom of his Deck. Yuma then activates the effect of the "Xyz Agent" in his Graveyard, attaching it as an Overlay Unit to "Utopia". Yuma activates the effect of "Utopia", detaching an Overlay Unit to negate the attack. Vector activates the effect of "Umbralis", detaching two Overlay Units to halve Yuma's Life Points for each Unit detached and discarding two random cards from Yuma's hand "Chachaka Archer" and "Giant Hunter". Vector Sets "Barian Bomb".

Durbe and Mizael along with Kite and Shark, neglect their own Duels to watch Yuma's, the latter two believing that Yuma can still win. Yuma begins his turn, drawing the last card in his Deck, "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force", but he then collapses. Astral says that his trust in Yuma is not what it was, but adds that he still wants to believe in hope and fight together. The two then perform a new ZEXAL Morph, called ZEXAL II, signifying a new bond between Yuma and Astral. .The two newly bonded duo activate "Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force" and perform a Re-Contract Universe, transforming their "Limited Barian's Force" into "Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force". They activate the new card, Ranking-Up "Utopia" and Summoning Number C39: Utopia Ray Victory and negating the effects of all cards on the field other than "Victory". They attack "Umbralis" with "Victory", activating "Victory's" effect to add the ATK of "Umbralis" to its own, winning them the Duel. The attack badly injures Vector, damaging his wing. Due to the power released during the Duel however, "Sargasso" begins to collapse, ending Shark's and Kite's Duels with no result.

After the Duel, Yuma and Astral reconcile their bond and declare that their battles are only beginning and that Yuma is determined to improve. He jumps into the air yelling "Kattobingu"!