Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

"Without a Ritual Monster, you can't destroy it in battle? So that's its effect."

After learning about Demon's Descent's immunity, You Ling's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't show much panic.

On the other hand, Aisha couldn't hold back and blurted out the key point.

"What do we do, Mr. You Ling? Our deck doesn't have any Ritual Monsters! Doesn't that mean we can't break through at all?"

"Shh, even if we don't have Ritual Monsters, we can't just reveal that outright. Remember, always stay calm during a duel and try not to let the opponent know our true situation."

Of course, what Aisha said was undeniably true.

In the current deck full of weak monsters, there were no Ritual Monsters, which meant there was no way to defeat Demon's Descent.

"However, not being able to defeat Demon's Descent doesn't mean we don't have a way to win."

In You Ling's (Aisha's) emerald-green eyes, a subtle glance was cast toward the card he had set face-down last turn.

—The path to salvation lies within.

"Hehe, are you feeling the despair of the darkness yet, little girl?"

"Nope."

Stubborn.jpg

Ending the Battle Phase, although You Ling had a way to win the duel, the key components weren't yet in place.

He could only hope that Yado Karu, equipped with Accessory of the Underdog, could buy him some more time.

"I'll set one card and end my turn."

Flinging the second face-down card onto the field, You Ling ended what had been a rather frustrating turn.

"Such a stubborn little girl. I hope you can keep that rebellious attitude when you lose the duel."

Taking his turn, the black-robed man drew a card, and a glint of barely concealed joy flashed in his eyes.

The card he drew this turn was crucial.

"—Quick-Play Spell Card, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

[Mystical Space Typhoon Quick-Play Spell Card Effect: Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.]

A B-grade rare card with the classic effect of destroying a Spell or Trap card on the opponent's field.

A swirling gust of wind gathered from the ground, targeting Accessory of the Underdog on Aisha's field, before shredding the card into pieces.

[Accessory of the Underdog] destroyed.

Do you activate the retrieval effect?

"No, send it to the Graveyard."

This time, You Ling chose not to retrieve the Equip Spell Card.

The reason was simple: You Ling no longer had any weak monsters in his hand to equip it to.

Moreover, with the Ritual Monster Demon's Descent on the field, Accessory of the Underdog couldn't help You Ling secure a victory. Instead, it would cost him a chance at a miraculous draw.

"Hahaha, you could've chosen to take back your Equip Spell Card, but it wouldn't have made a difference. You're dead this turn anyway!"

Continuing to play cards from his hand, the black-robed man revealed another B-grade rare Spell Card, one that felt all too familiar.

"Losing to a card from a fellow Fusion Academy student is a kind of fate, isn't it? —Spell Card, Monster Reborn!"

Aisha: "That guy's actually using Mizuki Mu's card right in front of us?"

The B-grade rare Spell Card the black-robed man had stolen from Mizuki Mu's deck had a simple yet brutal effect.

[Monster Reborn Spell Card Effect: Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.]

"Return to my field, Summoned Skull!"

[Summoned Skull ATK: 2500]

The light of resurrection intertwined with the crackling lightning as Summoned Skull, the monster You Ling had destroyed earlier, returned from the Graveyard to the field.

"Now I have two monsters with 2500 ATK on my field, while you've lost the boost from your Equip Spell Card and are left with just one weak monster in attack position. The duel is over, little girl!"

On either side, two terrifying demons clad in bone sandwiched a helpless Yado Karu, its expression still a clueless -_-.

"The first Thunder Crash will destroy your monster!"

Lightning streaked across the dark night, illuminating the darkness for a brief moment and reducing the tofu block to ashes.

[Yado Karu] destroyed.

Aisha LP: 4000 → 1800

Thanks to preparing in advance for the real damage of the Dark Game, even though the lightning strike directly pierced Aisha's body this time, You Ling managed to grit his teeth and endure it without letting out a scream as pitiful as Mizuki Mu's.

"Quite the endurance, little girl. But how about this? The second Thunder Crash, a direct attack! I win!"

Summoned Skull unleashed another bolt of lightning, aiming straight for You Ling.

Naturally, You Ling couldn't withstand this fatal direct attack, so he flipped the face-down card he had set last turn.

"—Trap Card, Precise Defense!"

[Precise Defense Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your Graveyard in Defense Position. That monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn.]

"Using Precise Defense, I'll Special Summon Yado Karu to block this attack. Do your best!"

[Yado Karu DEF: 100]

Even though its defense was only 100, thanks to the immunity to battle destruction granted by the C-grade card Precise Defense, the resilient tofu block managed to absorb all the incoming lightning.

Then it turned into a crispy, fried black tofu, its aroma filling the air.

"Tch, you managed to survive, huh?"

The black-robed man clicked his tongue in annoyance, unaware that he had already fallen into You Ling's next plan.

Though it was a plan, it still required one final piece.

"You're out of cards in your hand, right?" You Ling questioned.

"So what?"

"All your monsters have already attacked, right?"

"So what!"

"I'm forcing your turn to end!"

"Huh?"

While there was no rule in dueling that allowed one to forcibly end the opponent's turn, in situations like this, where the opponent had no cards left in their hand and all their monsters had already attacked, there was nothing left for them to do.

In moments like these, You Ling remembered that the protagonists in the anime could activate a skill—forcibly ending the opponent's turn.

And this skill often came with a double buff of reversal and a miraculous draw.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Not at all, and I'm very clear-headed. The moment your turn ends, I'll activate my Trap Card—Union of the Same Name!"

The path to salvation, the way for You Ling to overcome the indestructible Demon's Descent and win the Dark Game, lay in this Trap Card he had set face-down on the first turn.

Only by relying on this card's strategy could Aisha's deck of weak monsters achieve its ultimate form.