"Duel!"
In the confrontation within the dense fog, though the white haze was so thick one couldn't see their own hand, the soul energy released by the Spirit Eyes during a duel could just barely illuminate the surroundings.
"Red-haired cutie, it seems you haven't realized the gravity of conducting a Shadow Game in this endless white void!"
"Trying to intimidate me before you've even played a card? You think I'll be scared of you, Megan?"
Ren shot back dismissively. Since her Spirit Eyes hadn't lit up at the start, it meant she wasn't going first.
Still, despite trying to maintain her composure, breathing in the cold moisture of the fog brought a heavy, oppressive feeling unlike any ordinary duel.
And this was a Shadow Game.
Without the Millennium Puzzle, she'd have to finish this fast, or her mental strength wouldn't hold out.
'...If only the Millennium Puzzle were always with me.'
The thought came out of nowhere, strange yet incredibly real.
'What's going on… Why would I think something like that?'
"Hehe~"
Megan smiled seductively. The eyepatch covering her hollow eye did nothing to diminish her beauty.
"My turn, draw!"
Finally drawing to start her turn, Megan set a card horizontally to summon.
"Within this endless white mist, human desires are laid bare without concealment. You'll come to understand, red-haired cutie. I Normal Summon in Defense Position—Silent Paladin!"
[Silent Paladin] Level 4│LIGHT│Fairy│500 ATK/1500 DEF
A ponytailed female swordsman with bangs covering her right eye appeared. The glow from the Spirit Eyes briefly pushed back the fog before it closed in again.
"A LIGHT-Attribute Fairy... are you really a Shadow Duelist?" Ren couldn't help but say.
"Curious? I told you—within this white light, no one can hide their true self. Not even this silent light! Silent Paladin's effect activates!"
[When this card is Summoned: Add 1 "Silent Magician LV4" or "Silent Swordsman LV3" from your Deck to your hand.]
"I add Silent Swordsman LV3 from my Deck to my hand. Then I Set 1 card and end my turn!"
Having summoned a monster whose demeanor matched hers only in sharing the trait of one covered eye, Megan ended her first turn.
"'True self'? Don't take me for a fool! My turn, draw!"
Distracted by that strange voice in her head and the unease of the fog, Ren's thoughts were starting to scatter.
"It's already the second turn of this Shadow Game. No—I can't start thinking of relying on Miles at the first sign of danger. That's Aisha's—"
'No one said Miles belongs to Aisha. Why should he?'
"I have to end this quickly!"
She forced herself to ignore the bizarre hallucinations—surely just a side effect of the fog and the Shadow Game.
"Full speed ahead! This turn I'll show you my strongest HERO!"
Wasting no time, Ren revealed her trump card—a special Fusion Spell.
"Spell Card, Double Fusion!"
[Pay 500 LP; you can conduct 2 Fusion Summons this turn as if using Polymerization.]
[Ren Austin, LP: 4000 → 3500]
"First, from my hand, I fuse Elemental HERO Avian and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix to Fusion Summon—Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, 2100 ATK]
"Flame Wingman!"
Even with one eye hidden by her eyepatch, Megan's scowl was unmistakable.
This was the HERO Fusion Monster she could never forget—the one that had cost her the Shadow Game before, and her eye.
But since Ren had activated Double Fusion, she wasn't done yet.
"Watch closely, Megan—now comes my evolved HERO! I fuse Elemental HERO Sparkman from my hand with Flame Wingman on the field!"
The evolved fusion's brilliance infused Flame Wingman, cloaking him in the light of justice.
"Let the flames evolve into light, and may these shining wings illuminate the skies! Fusion Summon—Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman!"
[Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman] Level 8│LIGHT│Warrior│2500 ATK / 2100 DEF
['Elemental HERO Flame Wingman' + 'Elemental HERO Sparkman']
"Shining Flare Wingman's effect—he gains 300 ATK for each Elemental HERO in my Graveyard! Inherit your comrades' will, hero of light!"
[Shining Flare Wingman, ATK: 2500 → 3700]
The silhouettes of Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, and Flame Wingman rose behind him, pushing his power to 3700.
A beacon of justice's light in the fog, his twin wings shone like a signal across the distance.
Aisha shouted, "Mr. Miles, that light—!"
"That's right, Shining Flare Wingman! Looks like Ren's already dueling."
With her current strength, if this Shadow Duelist was just like the one on the back mountain months ago, Miles had no reason to worry.
Still, this uneasy feeling... maybe it was the unnatural fog, but it made him anxious.
"Let's pick up the pace, Aisha! In a Shadow Game, anything can happen."
"H-Huff! I'm running as fast as I can, Mr. Miles!"
Even so, she couldn't keep up with the retired veteran's pace—Professor Field was deliberately matching her speed.
Trouble piled on trouble. The rescue squad's progress was already slowed by the fog when—
"No passage here!"
A blade flashed from the mist—Professor Field narrowly dodged an axe strike that left a deep gouge in the ground.
"Missed in one blow... so, you are a Duelist."
A black-robed Shadow Duelist emerged, blocking their way.
"So they won't let us reach her so easily."
Calmly assessing the situation, the battle-hardened professor didn't panic.
"Aisha Carlos, I'll handle this one. You go get Ren—bring your best friend back."
His Spirit Eyes flared, and he tossed her the Beaconbug with Ren's coordinates.
Splitting up was the point of moving together in the first place—better one engaged than both stalled.
"But Professor, it's a Shadow Game—"
"I know, Aisha. Don't underestimate me—I survived plenty of Shadow Games in my youth. Believe me, a Duelist with light in their heart will never lose to darkness!"
"Professor!"
"Go!"
"Mm!"
She nodded hard. Their initial worry had been leaving him alone in a Shadow Game, but now that Ren was already fighting, she took priority.
Before Shining Flare Wingman's light faded—
"Shining Shoot!"
Slicing through the fog, the shining wings cut down Silent Paladin in Defense Position.
"Shining Flare Wingman's effect—when he destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to that monster's ATK! Shining Flare Wing!"
[Megan, LP: 4000 → 3500]
The beam of light pierced the fog, cutting into Megan's Life Points.
"In just half a year, you've completely changed, red-haired cutie."
"If you're scared, you can surrender now. As a hero, I could skip beating you down and just hand you over to the guards."
"Hahahaha! Only someone truly adorable would say something that adorable!"
Laughing, Megan flipped her Set card.
"Let's see how long the hero of light can suppress the darkness in her heart—Continuous Trap, Ultimate Offering!"
[Pay 500 LP to Normal Summon a monster. Activate during your Main Phase or opponent's Battle Phase.]
[Megan, LP: 3500 → 3000]
Paying 500 LP, Megan gained the right to Normal Summon during Ren's turn.
"I Normal Summon Silent Swordsman LV3 in Defense Position!"
[Silent Swordsman LV3] Level 3│LIGHT│Warrior│1000 ATK/1000 DEF
A chibi warrior with a massive sword stepped onto the fog-shrouded field.
"Trading LP for a Normal Summon, huh? But a mere Level 3 can't match my Shining Flare Wingman."
"I Set 1 card, end my turn."
"You still don't get it, girl. My turn, draw!"
At her Standby Phase, Silent Swordsman LV3 began to transform.
"LV monsters can evolve when conditions are met—Silent Swordsman LV3's effect!"
[During your Standby Phase: Send this face-up card to the GY; Special Summon 1 'Silent Swordsman LV5' from your hand or Deck.]
"From LV3 to LV5! Wield the blade that rends magic—Special Summon, Silent Swordsman LV5!"
[Silent Swordsman LV5] Level 5│LIGHT│Warrior│2300 ATK/1000 DEF│Unaffected by opponent's Spell effects
The diminutive form evolved into a full-sized warrior hefting a giant sword.
"Battle, Silent Swordsman! Cut down that vaunted brilliance!"
"A 2300 ATK monster against my 3700 ATK Shining Flare Wingman?"
"That's why I pair it with—Quick-Play Spell, Silent Sword!"
[Target 1 'Silent Swordsman' you control; it gains 1500 ATK and is unaffected by opponent's effects until the end of this turn. Cannot be negated.]
The Silent Sword Slash blazed brighter than the hero's wings.
[Silent Swordsman LV5, ATK: 2300 → 3800]
"Silent Magic Rend!"
Just 100 ATK higher, he cut down Shining Flare Wingman.
[Ren Austin, LP: 3500 → 3400]
Though the damage was small, the Shadow Game's real pain stirred memories of that night.
"Damn it... my Shining Flare Wingman..."
(If Miles were here... if he could always be with me... I could win this duel easily.)
...
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