"My turn. Draw!"
Blair straightened up.
A duel with the idol of her dreams—she had to be at her best no matter what.
Stand tall like a girl in love!
"I activate the Equip Spell 'Cupid's Kiss'!"
A pink-heart-themed card; a chibi, blond love-god wielded a cupid arrow tipped with a heart.
"Cupid's Kiss equips to 'Maiden in Love,'" Blair said. "Then Maiden in Love attacks 'Alchemist of Black Spells'!"
The long-dressed beauty rushed forward through a rosy, dreamy backdrop, clutching a huge bouquet. "Mister Mage~"
The Alchemist froze, and the beauty tripped right in front of him, taking a spill.
[Alchemist of Black Spells, DEF 1800]
[Maiden in Love, ATK 400]
[Blair, LP 3200 → 1800]
The long-dressed girl stood up with tear tracks on her cheeks. "So cruel… Are you rejecting my feelings?"
The Alchemist was moved, hurriedly helping her up. She beamed instantly and, arm in arm, walked off to the other side's field.
The crowd: "…"
Seriously?
Blair smiled. "When a monster equipped with 'Cupid's Kiss' battles an opponent's monster with a Maiden Counter and I take damage, I gain control of that monster."
"Not bad," Kira said. "But Alchemist of Black Spells is in Defense Position and can't change positions during the Battle Phase. Even if you took control of him, he can't attack me."
Blair pouted.
True.
She'd sacrificed over half her LP to steal control but couldn't attack—because the Alchemist had that rare once-per-turn self-switch to Defense.
Otherwise, her usual combo would let her steal control and swing in for heavy damage…
A thought flitted through her mind.
Did Kira-sa,a actually calculate all of this?
"Then, that's the end of my Battle Phase," she said. "I set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw."
Kira drew, glanced at the card, slipped it into hand, then played another.
"I Normal Summon 'Magical Exemplar.'"
A green-robed priestess manifested, holy text inscribed on her robes; her face was pure and solemn.
[Magical Exemplar, ATK 1700]
It might seem odd that even female monsters get charmed by the Maiden in Love, but this isn't the Age of Rule-of-Cool—by duel rules, it happens.
You could say the Maiden in Love is gender-blind and even cross-species—dragons and fiends alike would fall.
One wonders how that tiny body can handle it…
"I activate 'Graceful Charity,'" Kira said. "Draw three, then discard two."
He sent two cards from hand to the Graveyard.
"At this moment, Magical Exemplar's effect activates.
While she's on the field, each time a Spell Card is activated, she gains two Spell Counters."
[Magical Exemplar, Counters: 2]
"Then I activate 'Spell Power Grasp' again. Place another Spell Counter on the Continuous Spell 'Arcane Barrier,' then add my last 'Spell Power Grasp' from the Deck."
"Next, Ritual Spell 'Advanced Ritual Art'!" Kira said. "Send Normal Monsters from the Deck to the GY as the Tribute, until their total Levels equal the Ritual Monster in my hand, then Ritual Summon that monster!"
The deck auto-searched; Kira pulled a card.
"I'll send the Level 1 Normal Monster 'Skull Servant' from the Deck to the GY as the material to Ritual Summon!
Let the sacrificial fiend of fantasy descend—
—Relinquished!"
A vast darkness swelled, coalescing into a huge, horrifying creature. A single eye snapped open, and even the surrounding darkness seemed to ripple outward with its surge of aura.
[Relinquished, ATK 0]
The appearance drew a stir across the arena.
"Relinquished!"
"Mr. Pegasus's ace—one that even Yugi Muto struggled against!"
Yes, as an opponent's monster, its aura of evil was enough to make one's sanity slip.
Especially when the opponent was a mentally immature loli…
Blair shrank back, frightened. "R-Relinquished…"
"Don't be nervous. Even if it looks a bit scary…"
Kira smiled gently.
Blair blinked and probed carefully, "…Actually?"
Kira smiled. "Actually, it is really scary."
Blair: "…"
Kira didn't hesitate. "Relinquished's effect activates.
Once per turn, it can absorb one opponent's monster and equip it to itself."
He crooked a finger without mercy.
"Absorb 'Maiden in Love.'"
Blair: "!"
What followed was a scene almost worthy of an adults-only rating.
Relinquished opened its body and loosed that vast darkness. The blackness, like tentacles, seized the beautiful girl. She struggled helplessly, crying out in a voice on the verge of tears, but the tendrils bound her and dragged her into the dark, merging her body into Relinquished.
Until the struggles ceased, and her pretty face, streaked with tears, accepted her tragic fate…
The crowd: "…"
Syrus sweated. "As expected of the Lord of Yellow—to do something so brutal…"
"Well, it's a duel," Misawa coughed. "You have to give it your all. If you hold back because the opponent's a pretty girl, you're not a proper duelist."
Even so, Misawa couldn't help glancing at the field again.
Saying that was one thing, but to do something this savage without batting an eye… only the Lord of Yellow could.
Also, Mr. Pegasus, why did you design your monster's animation to be so not safe for kids…
That said, Misawa realized, to his own shock, that he was a little excited watching it…
He shook his head to clear that pervy thought and focused on the duel.
For Blair, a not-yet-mature girl, the scene was a critical hit—she looked like she'd just been punched and was about to cry.
"K-Kira-sama…"
"Easy, we're not done yet."
Kira smiled reassuringly.
"I activate the Spell 'Metamorphosis.' Tribute a monster on the field to Special Summon a Fusion Monster of the same Level.
I tribute the Level 1 'Relinquished' and let the fiend of fantasy evolve—
—Thousand-Eyes Restrict, summon!!!"