"My turn. Draw a card."
"Not so fast! I activate the Continuous Trap Card, Royal Slaughter Theater! When this card is activated, it deals 500 Life Points damage to your opponent, and then 500 Life Points damage at the start of each subsequent turn!"
Fairy Tristan flipped her first Set Card. "Due to my own effect, I recover half the damage as my Life Points!"
The bloody theater rose into view, its rotating gears slicing across Beryl's body.
Beryl LP: 4000 → 3500
Fairy Tristan LP: 4000 → 4250
"I never imagined this place, which you and I built together, would become a weapon you'd use against me," Beryl said, clutching the gash where the sharp gears had cut him. The damage from this Shadow Game was far more intense than that of an ordinary Duel.
"You said no one would answer my call? Look at this! I Normal Summon Beryl!"
[ Beryl ] Attack Power: 1800
"And thanks to my own effect, I add Morgan to my Hand Card."
It all started when Beryl summoned Morgan, so even against her will, he could still retrieve her.
"Hmm... No Knights of the Round Table, huh? A shame, but it can't be helped. I'll activate the Spell Card 'Forbidden Research' to send a Servant from my hand to the Graveyard and Special Summon a 'Mors Experiment' Token with the same Attack Power, Defense Power, and Level as the sent Servant."
The black shadow formed from Morgan's humanoid figure twisted and morphed into the standard Mors Experiment form.
[ Mors Experiment Token ] Attack Power: 3000
"How dare you!?"
Fairy Tristan flew into a rage. How dare Beryl treat her Mother this way?!
"Since we're enemies anyway, I'm free to use my own cards however I see fit, right?" Beryl shrugged nonchalantly.
"Morgan's Spirit Origin is really useful, huh? I'll use this thing to send you to your grave!"
"I won't allow it!"
Even as a mere card, Fairy Tristan refused to let this happen. She would never allow anyone to use her Mother's card like this.
"I activate my Set Card, 'Rule Breaker'! I seize control of the 'Mors Experiment' Token!"
A lightning-shaped dagger pierced the Mors Experiment's body, causing the creature to writhe as it slithered onto Fairy Tristan's field.
"What's that? You have something like that?" Beryl asked, his shock evident.
Beryl knew Fairy Tristan's capabilities all too well—he had even taught her many of them. This intricately crafted Magical Artifact couldn't possibly be her creation.
"Hmph↑ hmph↓" Fairy Tristan smirked, pleased by Beryl's stunned expression. "Don't think you've got me cornered. Even without you, this young lady remains a fiendish enchantress whose mere name sends shivers down spines."
"That's such a third-rate villain title," Jiang You scoffed, finding it far less impressive than "Fairy Knight."
"Shut up!" Fairy Tristan snapped.
Despite her obvious satisfaction with the title, her inability to speak seemed to be a disadvantage. She clearly regretted that Jiang You couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Enough of this. I'm entering the Battle Phase!" Beryl declared, eyeing the two Servants on Fairy Tristan's field. He decided to eliminate Fairy Tristan first, as she was the one causing trouble.
"I originally planned to finish you off in one go, but now I'll have to settle for getting you out of the way first. I attack [Fairy Tristan]!"
"Are you insane? Your Attack Power is far too low!" Fairy Tristan exclaimed, failing to grasp Beryl's suicidal gambit.
"You dare speak such words, relying on the name Morgan bestowed upon you?"
Beryl slammed a card into the Magic Trap Zone. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Life is the Price. You know, my mother excelled at spells that demanded life as payment, while I specialize in making others pay the price. This card allows me to target a servant on the field, halving its Attack Power, and I designate Beryl to gain that halved value!"
[ Mors Experiment ] Attack Power: 3000 → 1500
[ Beryl ] Attack Power: 1800 → 3300
"Did I grant you permission to attack?" Fairy Tristan retorted, flipping open her third face-down card. "I activate the Trap Card Support Fire! Destroy Beryl!"
"What?!"
Beryl watched helplessly as a bullet pierced his brain, leaving not a single card on his field.
Looking at the three cards in his hand—Royal Slaughter Theater, Corrupting Sorcery, and Incomprehensible Love—Beryl realized that if Fairy Tristan still valued him, his hand would have contained at least one Fairy Tristan card, preventing this desperate situation. Moreover, his cruel methods had made him an outcast even in the underworld, ensuring no other Servant Cards could possibly exist in his Deck.
His only hope now lay in the card Incomprehensible Love. This card could be activated when targeted by a direct attack, negating the attack and Special Summoning a servant with Attack Power lower than the attacker's from the Graveyard, while nullifying the summoned servant's effects.
He had a premonition that he would draw himself again next turn. If Fairy Tristan attacked, he could combine this card with Corrupting Sorcery to eliminate her while transferring her effects to himself. Since Fairy Tristan could destroy all servants on the field with Attack Power lower than her own, he wouldn't even have to pay the 0-Attack Power cost. It was perfect. As long as Fairy Tristan attacked, everything would fall into place.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw."
Fairy Tristan glanced at the card she drew and nodded.
"Don't forget, I also contributed to this place. I activate Royal Slaughter Theater!"
Beryl began burning his Life Points as well.
Beryl's LP: 3500 → 3000
Fairy Tristan's LP: 4250 → 3750 → 4000
"Very well, I'll switch both myself and the Mors Experiment to Defense Position, set this card face-down, and end my turn."
Fairy Tristan immediately ended her turn.
[ Fairy Tristan ]: Attack Power 2500 → Defense Power 2300.
[ Mors Experiment ]: Attack Power 1500 → Defense Power 2500.
[ Beryl ]: Life Points 3000 → 2500.
[ Fairy Tristan ]: Life Points 4000 → 3500 → 3250.
"What?"
Beryl hadn't expected this outcome. With Fairy Tristan taking no action, he suddenly found himself on the defensive. "You could have won with a direct attack! Why didn't you?"
"You're in such a hurry—it's clearly a trap card set to activate upon attack declaration."
Fairy Tristan's grin stretched to her ears. Having once been intimately close, their Decks shared many overlaps, allowing her to slowly wear him down with confidence. "Wouldn't watching you inch closer to death, bit by bit, be even more satisfying?"
Beryl drew his card for the turn, and as expected, it was another "Beryl." But this did nothing to change his situation. As long as Fairy Tristan didn't attack, the mere presence of a "Beryl" on the field would trigger her effect, immediately destroying it. He couldn't keep any servants on the field.
In other words, Beryl had to break through Fairy Tristan's defenses and defeat her directly within his next two draws. Otherwise, he would inevitably lose this Shadow Game.
But Beryl knew his Deck contained no such cards. What's worse, Fairy Tristan still had a facedown card on the field.
This is bad. A look of despair spread across Beryl's face.
"Can we call a truce?"
"At this moment? Are you joking?"
Fairy Tristan's smile bloomed like a flower.