The "Apostles" (
The Apostles come from a dimension known as "Relics", and is said to be Planet Cray's version of Hell. Should a fighter deemed a vessel for Gyze lose a cardfight against an Apostle, they may be sent to Relics.
Background
The War of Deities and the Cataclysm
"Messiah", the Dragon Deity who governs creation; "Gyze", the Dragon Deity who governs destruction. In ancient times, the two deities fought to claim the futures of two planets. The fight between the symbols of hope and despair exerted influence on the planets they fought for, and eventually involved the inhabitant lifeforms. Messiah was assisted by numerous warriors of the light, including the first "Blademaster Fides". Gyze's forces were composed of its own apostles like "Gastille", as well as the mighty beings "Zeroth Dragons" fabricated by Gyze itself. Gyze turned Cray into an abyss of despair, and grew more powerful by feeding on negative thoughts. Messiah took countermeasures by encountering righteous warriors from another planet and earned their support. At last, the war ended in Messiah's victory. Apostle "Valeos", the first Grand Admiral, was defeated by Fides. Apostle "Gredora" was forced to retreat. The two losses enfeebled Gyze's forces, a crucial factor of Gyze's eventual defeat. The fight was known as "Giant Disaster" or "The Cataclysm", but the stories were only handed down in verbal traditions by a few. Incidentally, the new religion movement "Cult of Gyze" emerged post-war. None at that time figured out, that the cult was but a smokescreen of Gastille's grandiose scheme of Gyze's resurrection.
The Achievements and Aftermath of "Valeos" and "Gredora" in the Cataclysm
The "Cataclysm" was an ancient superwar waged between the Creation Deity "Messiah" and the Destruction Deity "Gyze". In that war, Gyze was supported by its direct subordinates, the "Apostles". Among the Apostles, three of them were particularly mighty, earning the title "Gyze's minions". They are---
- The admiral "Valeos", the dominator of all seas of Cray, and a zealot fascinated by Gyze's overwhelming power;
- The evil queen "Gredora", the schemer plotting to annihilate the existing world and create a new world for her children;
- The demon lord "Gastille", the evil god's prophet whose sweet words steer the destruction seekers.
They played essential roles in Gyze's dominion over Cray before Messiah could react. Valeos dominated the seas, Gredora overrode the sky and the land, and Gastille beguiled the minds... With the Destruction Deity's blessings, the apostles accomplished such dreadful atrocities with their powers comparable to guardian dragons. However, the scales were tilted after Messiah gained power from the other planet. The first blademaster with the divine sword "Fides" defeated Valeos; and the sealing of Valeos lit hope in the warriors of light once again. The warriors were heartened by Fides's valor, and easily crushed the navy bewildered by the loss of their admiral. The navy, which once dominated all seas of Cray, was decimated at breakneck speed, some of them were killed in action, while the others were sealed. The defeat of "Aqua Force" ended the naval blockade, and warriors scattered around the continents were able to assemble and resist the massive forces of "Megacolony". Gredora sensed the disadvantage, and to minimize casualties, she sent out orders of retreat. Her mutant battalions pretended to "fight till death", while stealthily retreating to their subterranean secret bases. For millenia, she and her forces hid underground. (Rumors were spread about Gredora's death, but she showed up during the Scramble for the Sacred Tree)
(Monthly Bushiroad February 2018)
Current War Progress of Cray's Nations
Though the nation was attacked by "Blue Wave" of which control had been seized by "Valeos", the first Admiral of the Fleet, the United Sanctuary forces managed to push back the frontline to the shores, with the help of regular troops of "Aqua Force". With this reinforcement, the United Sanctuary kept resisting the invasion from "Blue Wave" and "Star-vaders".
Being the largest nation, Dragon Empire suffered from the greatest amount of invading Star-vaders. All forces, including the two aerial forces "Kagero" and "Narukami" and the land assault force "Tachikaze", were rallied to eliminate the invaders.
The battle between the coalition army of "Neo Nectar" and "Great Nature" and the massive army of "Megacolony" remains unconcluded. Though the coalition army is now at an advantage, the interference of "Star-vaders" could lead to unexpectable changes.
All clans join forces to fight the descending "Star-vaders" head-on. Though "Messiah", the Deity of Creation, is staying in Star Gate, as the planet is tilted to the negative side, Messiah cannot unleash its full strength.
To retake the control of "Blue Wave" from the Admiral of the Fleet, Admiral "Maelstrom" and Vice-Admiral "Thavas" seek alliance with the Sanctuary. They have also signed a temporary truce with the Grandcaptain of "Granblue" to deal with "Star-vaders" descended to the sea.
"Gear Chronicle" and "Pale Moon" have formed their respective interception troops to fight against "Star-vaders". These forces are not only deployed to protect their nation, but also sent to help other nations. The demon lords and psychics think Star-vaders are coming to ruin their territories, so they deal with these invaders one by one.
List of Apostles
Diffridden
Diffridden Apostles serves as the antagonists for the earth lore, each of them are armed with a Zeroth Dragon. If any of the apostles are armed with the Zeroth Dragon, they will be able to summon them onto earth if they win a cardfight to destroy everything that is nearby, using the phrase "The world will be silent, (the name of the Zeroth Dragon they summoned)." In a cardfight, the apostles begin the game with the phrase "Stand Up, Z Vanguard" (スタンドアップ・Ｚ・ヴァンガード Sutandoappu Zetto Vangaado), referring to how they will bring an end. Aside from Dumjid, all of the apostles had illegally Diffriden their host fighters through a method developed by Gastille to hide their presence from Harmonics Messiah. This method may have also removed their unluckiness factor that other Diffriders possess while on Earth, but still retain their increased luck during Cardfights, with the exception of Shiranui, which may have to do with how he was the only member who Diffrided straight from Planet Cray using Gyze's power instead of having another Diffrider on Earth do it for them.
All of the apostles have been defeated and thus ceased being Diffridden.
Members
| Name | Diffrode Human | Zeroth Dragon |
|---|---|---|
| Gastille | Arte Hibino | Dust |
| Chaos Breaker | Noa Hoshizaki | Stark |
| Darkface | Sousuke Wakamizu | Zoa |
| Dumjid | Saori Fuchidaka | Drachma |
| Gredora | Gaily Kurt | Zoa (Given to Darkface) |
| Valeos | Ruga Kaizu | Megiddo |
| Gyze | Kazuma Shouji | Ultima |
Others
| Name | Diffrided Human | Zeroth Dragon |
|---|---|---|
| Shiranui | Kazumi Onimaru | None (Originally meant to use Drachma) |
Attempted Diffride
| Name | Diffrided Human | Zeroth Dragon |
|---|---|---|
| Claret Sword Dragon | Yuichirou Kanzaki | None (Originally meant to use Ultima) |
| Gyze | Chrono Shindou | None |