Chapter 527 - 527: DSMW [527]
Having borrowed from Aisha a totally unexpected "counter card," Miles slipped it into his Deck, specifically targeting the infamously obnoxious Disaster Leo after its Rank-Up.
"Once you're ready, we can begin."
"Miles. Etiquette, etiquette," Alice couldn't help but remind him.
Miles was fighting on enemy ground, and in terms of status, his opponent was the eldest son of a duke of the Holy Varian Empire; someone far above him.
Yet the very first thing Miles said was, "Once you're ready, we can begin."
It made it sound as if Ryan were the challenger fighting away from home.
Of course, Miles himself didn't care about such tedious formalities at all.
Regardless, in a setting this serious, where noble lords cared deeply about face, the anger on Ryan's face visibly intensified.
"Since you're the Third Princess's guard, you should have some ability to speak of. If all it takes to become her Royal Guard is a pretty face, and that gets out, it would be a disgrace to the royal family."
"You don't need to worry about that."
After confirming his Deck within the Soul Room of the Millennium Puzzle, Miles' Spirit Eyes lit up.
"Since His Highness Prince Homar chose me to guard the Third Princess, then I have the strength to ensure that not a single hair on Nova's head is harmed!"
"Miles!" Nova's voice trembled with excitement.
Such a solemn rebuttal, loyalty and momentum laid bare at once… even Homar couldn't help but nod in satisfaction, his gaze revealing an approving look befitting a future brother-in-law.
"Then I hope you're not just good with words."
Ryan swung his arm, the light of the Spirit Eyes on both sides interlocking as they faced each other, signaling the official start of the duel.
[Ryan Gate, LP: 4000]
[Miles, LP: 4000]
"Duel!"
Ryan's Spirit Eyes flared brighter, claiming the first turn.
"Hmph, then let's begin! I activate the effect of [Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll]!"
[You can discard 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster from your hand; Special Summon this card from your hand.]
"I discard [Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll] from my hand to Special Summon Bisque Doll!"
[Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll] Level 8│DARK│Machine│1000 ATK
The pale, immature-looking doll materialized on Ryan's field.
Despite its Level 8 status, its Attack and Defense were as pitiful as its broken, frail appearance—completely unworthy of such a high level.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card [Monster Reborn], reviving the [Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll] I just discarded, Special Summoning it from the Graveyard!"
[Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll] Level 8│DARK│Machine│0 ATK
The little girl doll lying atop a coffin appeared as well—also Level 8, yet possessing no combat stats whatsoever.
"Finally, I Normal Summon in Attack Position—[Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer]!"
[Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer] Level 1│EARTH│Machine│100 ATK
This time it wasn't a girl doll. The abstractly shaped gear puppet twisted its limbs—whether arms or legs was unclear—as it materialized on the field.
"The effect of [Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer]: once per turn, it can become the same Level as a "Gimmick Puppet" monster on the field."
The acceleration gears spun at high speed, and the stars representing its Level rapidly climbed.
"I change Gear Changer's Level to 8! Now I have three Level 8 monsters on my field!"
"It's already happening on the first turn!" Sylvia exclaimed as she looked at the three Level 8 monsters assembled on Ryan's field.
"The roar of the kingly lion heralds victory, destiny awakens upon the throne! Xyz Summon! Rank 8—[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo]!"
[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo] Rank 8│DARK│Machine│3200 ATK
[Level 8 monsters ×3]
Appearing together with a lion-shaped throne, the Lion of Destiny wielded its kingly blade, beginning the countdown to the end on the very first turn of the duel.
"I activate the effect of [Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo]! Once per turn, I detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. And when all materials attached to this card are removed by its effect, I win the duel!"
Miles had already witnessed this monster's special victory condition during a Turbo Duel at Synchron Academy.
Since it took three turns to remove all Xyz Materials, [Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo] was naturally best summoned as early as possible.
"I set two cards face-down. Turn end!"
Remaining Xyz Materials on the Lion of Destiny: 2.
Facing Ryan Gate's godlike opening, Maid Tali on the Diane family's side nervously shrank back.
"Miss, can that guard named Miles really win? He looks so young."
"Young is better! …Cough, n-no, that's not what I meant. I understand how you feel, Tali."
Sylvia almost let something slip.
The maid's anxiety wasn't unfounded. This duel had been triggered by Tali's own mistake, and Miles had stepped in to fight on behalf of the Diane family at Alice's suggestion.
Even though he was fighting in their place, Duke Gate's side had never agreed to simply let the matter end there.
If Miles, fighting on behalf of the Diane family, were to lose, Maid Tali might still face "punishment."
"My turn, draw!"
"Miles is absolutely not weak," Sylvia said softly as she watched him draw. "In his Deck, there's even a monster with 3000 Attack—"
Having dueled Miles before, Sylvia was just about to say that his Deck contained the 3000-ATK Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
But Miles' very next summon forcefully cut her words short.
"I Normal Summon in Attack Position—Mokey Mokey!"
[Mokey Mokey] Level 1│LIGHT│Angel│300 ATK
"Σ(?Д?;) Three hundred Attack?!"
Compared to the 3000 Attack she had imagined, this was a full ten times weaker.
Seriously... why would anyone put a monster with that (-_-?) kind of expression and absolutely no combat presence into their Deck?
"So this is what you meant by… 'absolutely not weak,' Miss?"
The maid Tali, the light having vanished from her eyes, already wore an expression of utter despair, as though life itself had lost all meaning.
So weak… far too weak. Compared to the Lion of Destiny on Ryan's field, it was as fragile as tofu. And come to think of it, that really was tofu.
[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo], which required three Rank 8 monsters to Xyz Summon, not only possessed a special victory condition, but also boasted a massive 3200 Attack.
It could still fight evenly with Blue-Eyes White Dragon; let alone slice through a block of tofu.
How could this possibly be winnable?
"Hahahaha!" Duke Bach couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I see now, Count Alice. This must be an entertainment program you deliberately arranged, yes? To ease the tense atmosphere of tonight's banquet, you've truly gone to great lengths."
"Sure. Let's say that's the case." Alice's words carried a hint of double meaning.
"Lord Miles' Deck does seem a bit different from before."
Having witnessed Miles switch Decks for the first time, even Homar Kaiser—who had assumed Miles was using a HERO Deck—couldn't help but feel curious.
If Homar remembered correctly, Mokey Mokey was the signature monster of Royal Duel Knight Aisha Carlos.
"After spouting such big words, you end up using trash without even an effect. Are you deliberately humiliating yourself?"
Angry? To be honest, seeing this scene, Ryan couldn't even be bothered to get angry.
A lion wouldn't seriously argue with a stray dog.
Miles slid a card from his fingertips, his gaze fixed squarely on the Lion of Destiny atop its throne.
"You're talking awfully big right now. Once I transform, you'll know how wrong you are!"
"Transform? Hah. What are you, some chuunibyou kid?"
Transforming with a block of tofu? What a hilarious joke.
"Wait… Mr. Miles' Spirit Eyes… something about the color seems off," Aisha suddenly noticed.
"O(?Д?)っ! It feels like it's flickering with two different colors of light!"
If Miles had fully switched to Aisha's Deck, then the Spirit Eyes bearing Mokey Mokey's mark should have shone white, just like Aisha's.
Meanwhile, the Spirit Eyes on Miles' arm were flashing with interwoven red and white light.
The reason for the two colors became obvious the moment one looked closely at the mark within Miles' Spirit Eyes.
The left half bore Mokey Mokey's sigil, while the right half burned with the red emblem of HERO "H."
Within the Soul Room of the Millennium Puzzle, both doors were opened at once—Deck fusion achieved, form switch complete: HERO Mokey Mokey Form!
"Honestly, Miles, aren't you afraid of bricking doing something like this?" Dark Aisha couldn't help but complain.
"They might be two different Decks, but I fine-tuned this build myself. How could it brick so easily?"
And according to the mysterious dueling metaphysics of the Spirit Continent, the stronger the bonds, the less likely you were to brick.
With this HERO–Mokey Mokey hybrid Deck, the bond between Miles and Aisha, between Miles and Ren, and between Ren and Aisha could all be called perfect.
If Deck fusion were based on bonds, Miles actually had quite a few Decks he could fuse right now.
The light of the HERO traced a dazzling golden arc as Miles hurled the card in his hand forward.
"—Quick-Play Spell [Mask Change II], activate!"
[Discard 1 card, then target 1 face-up monster you control that has a Level; send it to the Graveyard, also, after that, if it left the field by this effect, Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Masked HERO" monster with the same Attribute, but a higher Level than, the Attribute/Level the monster had when it was on the field (its original Attribute/Level, if face-down. This Special Summon is treated as a Special Summon with "Mask Change").]
Though both were Mask Change Quick-Play Spells, unlike the original Mask Change, the defining trait of [Mask Change II] was that the monster being transformed didn't have to be a HERO—any monster could transform.
Just HEROes can transform into HEROes?
How could HEROes be something so inconvenient!
"I discard [Elemental HERO Shadow Mist] from my hand, and let the LIGHT-Attribute Mokey Mokey undergo Mask Change!"
Mokey Mokey truly began to transform. A golden transformation belt appeared around its square, tofu-like body.
Golden armor and a mask symbolizing the LIGHT Attribute surged forth, rapidly converging and enveloping Mokey Mokey.
The transformation scene was so absurdly wild that everyone present was left dumbstruck.
What the hell is this? I want to see it a few more times.
"Let the shining light of HEROes become the fangs that tear fate apart—Mask Change! [Masked HERO Koga]!"
[Masked HERO Koga] Level 8│LIGHT│Warrior│2500 ATK
[This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Mask Change."]
The LIGHT-Attribute Masked HERO transformed onto the field. To be honest, there wasn't the slightest trace left of the tofu block it had been before.
If you could still see Mokey Mokey's shadow in it, that would be even stranger.
"No! You can see it!" Aisha pointed out precisely. "Koga has Mokey Mokey hanging from his belt!"
Alright then. A tiny tofu-block charm dangling at the waist at least proved that this Koga really had transformed from Mokey Mokey.
"Thanks to the effect of [Elemental HERO Shadow Mist] being sent to the Graveyard, I can add 1 HERO monster from my Deck to my hand. And [Masked HERO Koga]'s effect increases its Attack by 500 × the number of monsters my opponent controls!"
[Masked HERO Koga, ATK: 2500 → 3000]
With a 500 Attack increase from a single monster, Koga immediately matched Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"So you can even use trash monsters like this? What a shame. Its Attack is still lower than the Lion of Destiny's 3200!"
"Attack has never been a barrier to the HERO of light! Battle! Koga!"
Declaring entry into the Battle Phase, Masked HERO Koga leapt high into the air, taking a flying-kick stance aimed straight at the Lion of Destiny.
"This is [Masked HERO Koga]'s final effect!"
[Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can banish 1 "HERO" monster from your Graveyard, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; that target loses ATK equal to the ATK of the monster banished to activate this effect, until the end of this turn.]
"I banish [Elemental HERO Shadow Mist] from my Graveyard, reducing the Lion of Destiny's Attack by Shadow Mist's 1000! Hero Trial!"
[Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo, ATK: 3200 → 2200]
Bound by countless bands of light, the Lion of Destiny was immobilized, unable even to swing the kingly sword in its grasp.
"And now comes the blow that shatters destiny—Radiant Knight Kick!"
With a brilliant kick, Masked HERO Koga, like an angel (Mokey Mokey) incarnate, spread luminous wings from his back and smashed the Lion of Destiny atop its throne to pieces.
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