The kaiser's quarry

Going back in time to just after the second match between Okisato and Red Reaper concluded... 

Red Reaper immediately found himself at the bottom of the ocean. He seethed with fury as he pulled out his WWCF card and saw his rating. Thanks to him losing to Okisato twice, his rating had dipped to 2773. While he always needed to get a new DESPER every time he "died", his WWCF card would never reset. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't lose rating points if he lost to opponents ranked lower than him like Okisato.

Red Reaper also had another ace up his sleeve; the ability to warp to any secret puzzle cafe and chess center he had been to. And thus, he was able to escape the depths of the ocean by warping to the secret puzzle cafe in Berlin.

The moment he appeared there, soggy and wet, the DSPCM in charge, a man in Prussian military uniform by the name of Hans-Ulrich Muller, saluted him, as did every Prussian soldier present, save one.

"Oi, gramps, why'd ya come back all soaked? Thought you could conquer the UK by yourself," A well-built young man with blonde hair and a scar and eyepatch on his left eye snickered.

"Diederich, this was a hunt for a deserter to the Fatherland."

"And the deserter won?"

"NEIN! The Oni-tiger did."

"Heh? He beat you? Guess that means I'm more fit to rule than you since he's never beaten me.

This man was Diederich von Richthofen, Red Reaper's biological grandson. He was quite arrogant, but also suffered from chuunibiyou syndrome.

"I'm returning to London to finish the job. Bring me a prisoner!" Red Reaper ordered.

The soldiers saluted and dispersed as Red Reaper himself stepped outside the cafe. He then pulled out an old pistol and shot himself in the head. His skull shattered to bits, before reforming seconds later. By the time he received his new DESPER, the soldiers had brought a prisoner.

The poor soul didn't even last 15 moves before being mated and executed via Red Reaper's pistol. Then just like that, Red Reaper was back in London just 10 minutes after his second bout with Okisato ended. Of course, he still had to get a new DESPER, making it 13 minutes total before he was back on the hunt.

Okisato at the time was still locked in the Chaturaji match with Bai, Fen, and Jia, meaning Red Reaper had plenty of time to go hunting. However, something unexpected occurred...

"You are terrible at hiding. What more do you want from me?" Red Reaper snarled as he marched towards an alley.

There he was met with the same pair of eyes that greeted him when he first came to London. "You have yet to eliminate the Desperado?"

"And why are you acting like you have authority over me? If I so choose, I could subject you-"

The figure flashed a purple WWCF card before Red Reaper. "No, for this is my true rating."

"2974. An executive."

"Yes, I am. That means I hold great influence within the WWCF. Now, use this to ensure that Desperado is dealt with," the figure ordered as they presented Red Reaper with a DESPER key.

"And this is?" Red Reaper asked as he snatched the key.

"When within 100 ft of a Desperado, say "Activate". That's all you need to know."

Red Reaper wasn't stupid though. "This... This is what Prof Skaberghast has been after. If I bring this to him, the league will gain greater power. What a fool, I bet she thinks I'll just obey her and continue my hunt, but with this..."

To the figure's horror, Red Reaper grinned and warped away. "NO! He was supposed to hunt the Desperado! Why!?"

Back in Berlin, everyone was shocked to see Red Reaper return so quickly.

"Herr Kaiser?"

"Ah, there was a change in plans. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to contact Prof Skaberghast."

...

"Someone handed him a DESPER key!? Tch, that means Iori-chan doesn't have them," Okisato scowled. 

Yuzuha began to tear up at the mention of Iori's name, yet couldn't muster any words. 

"Did something happen to Iori-chan?"

Ina nervously bit her lip. "Yeah. What happened with her kind of set off a chain reaction, especially given the one who gave the kaiser the key is the same one who dragged her into the prison area."

"Iori-chan lost?"

"Well, not exactly..."