High in the Barian Throne Room, atop the spire that towered over the grand metropolis of their world, the Barian Lords stood in a tight semicircle watching their experiment come to an end.

At least it was quick. Seconds after Miden and Apeiros – watched anxiously by the other ninety-eight Numbers – lashed out at each other, an almighty explosion ripped through the planet. The cataclysmic blast of energy consumed continent after continent, spreading across the globe like wildfire. Cracks lanced across the planet's surface as if it were no more than an egg-shell, bright orange lava poured out through the new fault lines, and the sudden evaporation of the oceans half-obscured the land below in a thick layer of haze.

Before even a minute had elapsed, the planet had completely fallen apart, giant fragments of rock and lava drifting away as though falling through water, propelled in all directions by the ruinous explosion that had shattered it in the first place. Some pieces would remain in orbit, caught in the sun's gravity. The rest would just drift off into deep space, carrying with them the remnants of a now-extinct species.

Curiously, a rather sombre mood hung in the air around the Barian Lords as they watched a planet they hated blow up. Durbe, in particular, watched the initial moments of the explosion with a measure of frustration.

"That Professor..." he said, his brow furrowed. "What a waste."

"No kidding," Alit groaned.

"It's way more than a waste," Gilag growled, clenching his massive fists. "All the effort we spent breaking that Astral kid to create those Numbers, all the time we cultured the Numbers to make them strong, all the people we recruited to hunt them down, all the energy we pumped into their world just so we could maintain our true forms... and for what?" He slammed his fist into a wall in fury. Cracks ran across the crystalline surface. "Nothing! The Professor ruins all that work with the push of a button!"

Durbe sighed, before turning away from the viewing glass. "Gilag, calm down-"

"You calm down!" Gilag snapped childishly. "All the time Vector was messing around on Earth, we were making real progress here! Those humans moulded their Numbers into the perfect weapons, we had them all neatly collected in the artificial Sphere Field, and then Usur scatters the lot! Now they're all gone! Everything we worked for... everything, gone in an instant!"

"Gilag, come on now," Alit said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're all upset about this, but-"

"You're sounding like a petulant child," Mizael finished.

Gilag shrugged Alit off and turned away, his fists still trembling with rage. "It's disgusting... it's a travesty. And the worst part? Thanks to Skyler's temper, I can't even wring the neck of the one responsible!"

"Enough, Gilag," Durbe said sternly.

"But-"

"I said enough!" The hulking Barian Lord fell silence at Durbe's tone. "Now listen. No amount of wailing and tantrums will undo today's events. We suffered a setback, but that's all it is – a setback. We have plenty of other plans in motion, including Vector's. Indeed, the data from Professor Usur's beta testing will prove useful should Doctor Faker decide to use the Sphere Field in the upcoming final match."

"Hmph," Gilag grunted. "Say what you like, I'm still angry. The only good from this is that I got to see that filthy world burn to a crisp, along with all the worms that inhabited it."

"Plus the first worms we've encountered besides Yuma that posed us a genuine threat," Mizael added, glancing back at the viewing crystal. "Those kids... I won't forget them."

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

"Oh yeah, that tournament you mentioned," Alit said, turning back to Durbe. "The World Duel Carnival or whatever they're calling it... do you think Tron can defeat Astral? I mean, we now know what humans are capable of when you put Barian powers in their hands – don't we, Mizael?" The dragon tamer shot Alit a scathing look, which he ignored. "But we're talking about the original Number here. I get that you augmented Tron, but he's only human."

Durbe bowed his head, considering Alit's words. "Maybe..." he said finally. "But maybe is the best I can do. With the augmentations I gave him during his 'correction', plus his own collection of Astral's own Numbers, he stands a fair chance. And if he fails, there's always Vector and Faker as a second offensive."

Alit frowned. "But if Tron succeeds, he'll go after Faker next. And with all of Astral's Numbers on his side-"

"You forget, Vector is sided with Faker. Should the worst happen, even Tron won't be able to stand up to Vector's power. And besides, Faker has now perfected his Sphere Field – the chances of him allowing either Tron or Astral anywhere near him with their Numbers is slim to none."

"There's still the matter of Tron beating Astral in the first place," Gilag cut in. "I doubt he can in his state. Tron would've stood a better chance if we'd been able to outfit him with some of those cultured Numbers."

"I guess..." Alit said. Then, he added, "I can't believe this! That damn Usur... he makes my blood boil!"

"Enough with these temper tantrums," Durbe repeated. "We've been through this. Yes it's annoying, but we have to look at the positives. Think, you two! What have we gained from this?"

The two lifelong friends paused for a moment and thought back through the past year's events, searching for a diamond in the rough. Mizael watched the pair of them sceptically. For a moment, all was silent but for the distant waves of the Barian Sea.

"We learnt that humans can somehow Chaos Xyz Change their Numbers without the use of a Rank-Up-Magic card," Gilag supplied.

Durbe nodded. "Yes. And the mechanics of that still confuse me now..." He fell silent for a moment. "Questions for another day. What else have we gained?"

"Well..." Alit said slowly. "We tested out our Over-Hundred Chaos Numbers in real combat and signed our covenants with them. That's something."

"That is indeed," Durbe agreed. Gilag looked away, sheepishly. "Any more?"

"Er... the remnants of their planet would make a good battlefield, maybe?"

"Possibly."

"We learnt that Numbers keep the energy from the explosion that created them, and that can endanger a lot of things."

"Quite so."

"Um..." Now Alit was really racking his brains. Gilag had long since ceased coming up with ideas.

Durbe turned away. "What about you, Mizael?"

"Well..." Mizael muttered, scrutinising the screen before them that still showed the planet's devastation. "The Barian energy we wove throughout the Arcane Caves seems to have kept them intact, despite the cataclysm. If we keep a portal link open, those caves would be an excellent resting place for Tachyon Dragon."

"A good idea," Durbe nodded. "Once things have settled down somewhat, you should make those arrangements with all possible haste. We all know how Tachyon Dragon gets when its kept in card form but not allowed to fight-"

"Yes, yes, I get it Durbe," Mizael snapped at their leader. "Don't speak to me like I don't understand my own dragon."

"Sorry. But don't you see?" Durbe said, turning to Alit and Gilag. "If you actually think about it, there's a great deal we gained from our experiment. And all of this information we can use to further our goals and prevent future mistakes."

Gilag grunted. "Whatever..."

"Speaking of mistakes," Alit piped up, "Vector must be getting ready to make his move."

"Don't mock your allies, Alit," Durbe said. "But yes, Tron will soon be engaging Yuma and Astral in the final match, after which Faker and Vector will likely take on the victor. One way or another, we'll soon know whether our other plans were a success."

Mizael finally turned away from the viewing crystal. "We should watch this match."

"We should..." Durbe paused, staring at the almost barren spot in space where the planet had just been. "Has everyone seen enough of this?"

The three other Barian Lords nodded the affirmative, once more gathering around the viewing crystal hovering in front of them. Durbe raised a hand and passed it over the surface of the crystal, as though wafting away a cobweb. The desolate image lingered only a moment longer, then faded away. Seconds later, a much more vibrant picture took its place.

A stadium, jam-packed with people who had travelled from far and wide to watch this spectacle. Thousands of them, maybe millions, none of whom had any idea how close they'd come to annihilation. The golden tower stretching up the centre of the arena, where Shark and Kaito had previously fallen before the finalists, glistened in the early day's sunlight. And standing below, sizing each other up as the clownish Mr. Heartland introduced them, were the duelists – prodigy humans, who each carried powers far beyond what their species was capable of. Tron, upon whom the Barian Lords had staked everything. And Yuma, host to Astral, the Barians' ultimate enemy.

The Barian Lords clustered in, the woes of their failed experiment soon forgotten, as their attention turned to far more important things. A much bigger finale.

The WDC finals were about to begin.

Fun Fact #170: And this cycles things neatly around to the end of the WDC. We'll leave you to go re-watch that now.

Fun Fact #171: The theory is that none of Delta actually goes directly against the canon, but instead builds around it. You have the first time the Barians used their Chaos Numbers, you have the beta testing for the Sphere Field, you have the creation of Tachyon Dragon's cave, you have the backstory behind Sargasso (as in how it came to be and why there's so much erratic energy there) and so on and so forth. They're all little things that (we hope) Delta could add to ZEXAL.

Fun Fact #172: If Dan had just cooked a nice dinner for Miden and Apeiros, perhaps this whole tragedy could've been avoided. Oh well.

On behalf of all of the writers, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who put up with us for this long. The vast majority of you have been very patient and absolutely lovely. An equally big thank you to all those who've helped create Delta, including those who supplied us with Numbers and/or characters. We're superbly happy with what Delta has grown into following its shaky initial premise, and we sincerely hope that you enjoyed it too.

Stay tuned for Delta II.

Well, maybe. If ever there is one.

No promises.