Chapter 70: A Flurry of Moves as Fierce as a Wolf!

“I’ll come pick you up at dinnertime, then.”
Same time, same place, same underground carriage—except this time, the one seated inside was Caius. Truthfully, he was quite tempted to go inside and take part in that so-called duel for entertainment, but out of respect for his elder brother’s authority, he decided to restrain himself for a day. He’d just sneak over tomorrow.

Caesar, eldest son of Caesar XIII, bore a name identical to the Roman dictator of Earth. Raised as the crown prince from childhood, his hair was a slightly deeper green than Tinasia’s, tied back in a simple braid. Though only twenty-four, the faint tear grooves beneath his eyes lent him an air of maturity beyond his years.

Having received an elite education, Caesar’s political acumen was outstanding, and he saw things differently from his younger siblings. Upon grasping the basics of this novel form of entertainment, he immediately resolved to seize it for the royal family.

Though the Holy Empire’s royal house held considerable prestige, its position was somewhat awkward. Within the nation resided the world’s wealthiest merchant guilds and the most widely-followed religious order, but the royal family itself possessed little to call its own. Presence was important; even if it was just an entertainment project, anything that made the monarchy more visible in the eyes of the common people was worthwhile.

…

Though he was the crown prince, Caesar was not immune to rejection. After inputting magic into the doorbell and still seeing no one come to greet him, he could only sigh and push the door open himself.

The courtyard was not as deserted as he had expected. Instead, it was split into two scenes: to the left, two girls faced off, their summoned monsters locked in a fierce battle under their commands; to the right, Caesar’s foolish little sister was locked in a struggle with a young boy, their four hands tightly interlocked. It was hardly a romantic scene—the ground beneath their feet had even caved in from the clash of their strength.

“A mere human dares to steal my wife from me!”

As Caesar approached, he heard the boy’s indignant shout; the two seemed to be fighting over something.

“Wife? Nana belongs to me…to everyone!”

The conflict between Tinasia and Mels was simple: she couldn’t stand Mels always declaring Mayuna as his possession, making all sorts of odd proclamations. Even when facing a dragon, she refused to back down.

“She belongs to no one!”

Mayuna, while dueling with Phyloxes, still split her attention to discipline the two fools. The ground beneath their feet froze over in an instant, the slippery surface causing them to lose their balance and slam their heads together, both tumbling to the ground.

“Ow, why is a human’s head so hard…” Mels sat on the ground, clutching his reddened forehead, tears welling in his eyes. Even if his strength was somewhat reduced in human form, his skull could still break through the palace walls. In that split second of collision, he’d worried he might kill Tinasia, only to end up grievously wounded himself.

“Heh, it’s not wise to underestimate humans.”

Tinasia’s own head throbbed with pain, but she still managed to preserve human dignity. She might well be the first human in history to make a dragon cry from a headbutt.

“Huh, big brother Caesar, what brings you here?”

Still grinning foolishly, Tinasia suddenly noticed the sunlight above her had been blocked. Squinting up, she discovered her brother standing there, and, caught like a child with a secret, asked sheepishly.

“I came to check on you.” Caesar ruffled her hair. Their father’s restraint in sowing offspring spared him from rivalry over inheritance, and the siblings enjoyed a close bond. As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the man tending the barbecue in the center of the courtyard.

“Hello.”
Ruby had noticed the stranger from the start. Now, seeing Caesar’s gaze, he nodded politely. He’d been doing his usual job—providing good food for those who came to play.

By now, the duel between Mayuna and Phyloxes was at a fever pitch. Both their life points hovered at a middling two thousand, as attacks and defenses traded back and forth. Mayuna had already summoned the Dark Magician Girl and set a face-down card, while Phyloxes had only a single set card left. It was now Phyloxes’s turn.

“Fusion activate! Time Wizard and Baby Dragon, combine—come forth, Thousand-Year Dragon! Attack Dark Magician Girl directly.”

Drawing the card she wanted, Phyloxes smiled with confidence, sent three cards to the graveyard, and summoned the seven-star Thousand-Year Dragon. The tide turned instantly; under its 2400 attack, Mayuna’s Dark Magician Girl, with only 2000 attack points, could not withstand the assault and was destroyed.

“Tch…”
Mayuna watched, disgruntled, as her beloved Dark Magician Girl was destroyed. Phyloxes ended her turn, waiting for Mayuna’s next move.

“My turn. I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed—draw two more cards. Next, I play Monster Reincarnation to return the Dark Magician Girl from the graveyard to my hand. And now, this card—Monster Reborn!”

With only one card remaining in hand, Mayuna played the newly drawn cards without hesitation. Upon seeing the two similar spell cards, she paused only briefly before executing her strategy.

“You’re going to revive Kuriboh?” Phyloxes asked, puzzled. She clearly remembered that only Kuriboh, used as a tribute for summoning Dark Magician Girl, was in Mayuna’s graveyard.

“No, I’m reviving your Baby Dragon from your graveyard. Next, I play Polymerization—summoning Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!”

At Mayuna’s declaration, Phyloxes’s Baby Dragon card was projected onto her field. Mayuna then revealed her Fusion card; both the Dark Magician Girl in her hand and the Baby Dragon vanished, replaced by the magical girl astride a mighty dragon. The staff in the girl’s hand transformed into a sword, and she wore a charming smile, as if to suggest that even the mighty dragon race existed to be her steed.

“You really went to great lengths just to counter me,” Phyloxes remarked, unnerved by the Dragon Knight’s 2600 attack points. Mayuna’s deck contained no dragons; this card had clearly been added specifically to deal with her.

“Hmph. I discard one card to activate the Dragon Knight’s special ability—destroy your Thousand-Year Dragon, and launch a direct attack.”

Mayuna sneered, tossing her last card into the graveyard. With her command, the dragon beneath the magical girl breathed fire, and Phyloxes’s Thousand-Year Dragon vanished from the field. Next up was a direct attack for 2600 points.

“I activate my Trap Card—Negate Attack.”

The Dragon Knight’s sword was already poised at Phyloxes’s throat when, unruffled, she flipped her set card, blocking the assault.

“Turn end.”

“It really is fun dueling you. I activate Monster Reborn, bringing Thousand-Year Dragon back from the graveyard—and then play Megamorph! Your Dragon Knight’s attack is halved and added to my dragon’s. Go, Dragon Blaze Attack!”

Even in dire straits, Phyloxes did not despair. With a stroke of luck, she drew Megamorph—the card that could turn the tide. Tinasia, watching from the sidelines, was in shock. She could scarcely believe that with just two spell cards, Phyloxes had regained the advantage. That 3700-point attack left Mayuna with no hope and an empty hand—unless she had that set card…

“So it’s come to this, after all. I activate my Trap Card—Final Fusion. Both fusion monsters’ attacks are nullified, and both players take damage equal to their combined attack points.”

Mayuna sighed. No matter how they played, it always ended in a draw. She flipped her final trap card, and in a blinding flash, both life point counters dropped to zero. The duel was over.

----------------------------------------------------
PS: A tribute to Yu-Gi-Oh!