Gem-Knight Lapis's turn began. It drew a card and immediately activated a Continuous Spell Card.
"Fragment Fusion!"
A Fusion Spell Card commonly used by Hikaru Amagi himself. It can only be activated if the opponent controls a monster. The moment Lapis activated it, Hikaru narrowed his eyes and flipped his face-down card:
"Quick-Play Spell: El Shaddoll Fusion!"
"This card can only be activated once per turn. It allows me to perform a Fusion Summon of a Shaddoll Fusion Monster using monsters from my field or hand as Fusion Materials!"
"I fuse the Shaddoll Falco on my field with Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra from my hand!"
"Fusion materials: 1 'Shaddoll' monster and 1 DARK monster!"
"Descend now—Oracle of the Shadow! El Shaddoll Winda!!"
Tierra raised her hand gently, and violet puppet strings fell from the sky, summoning a towering winged beast. A projection identical to Tierra herself stood before it.
El Shaddoll Winda — Level 5 / DARK / Spellcaster / ATK 2200
Simultaneously, Fragment Fusion resolved.
Two more cards—Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Garnet—were sent from Lapis's deck to the Graveyard. Like Gem-Knight Fusion, Fragment Fusion allows for a Fusion Summon using monsters from the deck, but with heavier restrictions: it only works if the opponent controls an Extra Deck monster, and the Fusion Monster must be a non-Rock-type Gem-Knight from the Extra Deck.
A crimson figure with a massive scythe descended and swept its cloak as it landed on the field.
Gem-Knight Ruby — Level 6 / FIRE / Pyro / ATK 2500
"Nice," White Quartz murmured with growing hope. "Now Lapis can't Special Summon any more monsters—unless it finds a way to get rid of Lady Winda!"
"And with Winda on the field, I can prevent one of my monsters from being destroyed by battle with a Special Summoned monster," Hikaru added, activating Winda's effect.
Perhaps unaware—or incapable of understanding—Lapis tried to activate a Spell, but failed. Then, as if waking from a trance, it issued a command to attack.
Ruby raised its giant scythe and slashed at Winda.
"Winda's effect! Once per turn, she can prevent a monster on my field from being destroyed by battle with a Special Summoned monster!"
Still, Lapis seemed unconcerned. As Ruby continued its assault, Hikaru winced—he wasn't taking damage from the attack itself, but from several puppet strings that suddenly lashed out from the sky, aiming straight at him.
Hikaru threw up his arm. White Quartz's aura shimmered, shielding him—but the violet strings still hissed and burned on contact.
Hikaru Amagi LP: 4000 → 3700
"Ugh…" Hikaru muttered, his arm stinging with heat. Normally, White Quartz's assistance made dueling with spirits relatively painless, but this time was different. Lapis's accumulated power was nearly on par with the weakened Sacred Beasts. Even though the energy was scattered and impure, it was overwhelming. And unlike before, Tierra wasn't helping.
He flexed his arm—tingling. Numb.
Lapis did nothing else and ended its turn.
"Notice anything?" Tierra asked casually. "That spirit has lost all rational thought. What's driving its actions is pure hatred—hatred for life itself, for the pain it's endured."
She tilted her head. "That's why I said you should've waited two more months. By then, it would've become a complete puppet, a machine with no mind, no pain. Of course, you had a point too—had you come earlier, it might've retained enough will to resist, and you wouldn't have to watch it suffer like this."
She looked over at White Quartz. "In the end… just a failed imitation."
White Quartz said nothing.
Drawing his next card, Hikaru responded, "You too, Tierra. When you arrived in this world, weren't you filled with curiosity? Disappointed that nothing here resembles what you once knew?"
Tierra closed her eyes and nodded quietly.
There was no point lying to Hikaru.
Even after living for untold years, waking to a world completely changed had left her empty. She missed the past. That was why she had been so excited when she encountered "Satan"—a relic of the world she once knew.
She had never liked Hikaru's version of White Quartz.
Not because it was disobedient. Quite the opposite.
It always insisted, "If I find my world again, I must help my brethren."
But more importantly—it wasn't quite like the original. Just enough alike to be aggravatingly wrong.
Its courage, nobility, loyalty… all approximations.
What she remembered was a warrior who never collapsed from sorrow or doubt. The original fought through anything, revived time and again, dying only when the world itself died.
Long ago, she tried to reset the planet's biosphere by creating life in her image. The natives resisted. That's when White Quartz, blessed by the planet itself, became the Celestial Arch-Dragon—equal to her power. With its comrades, it defeated and killed her.
If the one to beat her now was this imitation… she would never rest in peace.
Hikaru's pure determination was the only thing making her existence in this dull world bearable.
"I switch Winda to Defense Position."
El Shaddoll Winda — ATK 2200 → DEF 2800
"I discard Thunder Dragon from my hand to add two more from my Deck."
Two cards slid into his hand.
"Then I tribute Shaddoll Falco to Tribute Summon—Thunder Dragon!"
Thunder Dragon — Level 5 / LIGHT / Thunder / ATK 1600
"I send it to the Graveyard to Special Summon from my Extra Deck—Thunder Dragon Titan!"
A massive thunderclap. The green Thunder Dragon vanished, replaced by a pitch-black monstrosity of electric rage.
Thunder Dragon Titan — Level 8 / DARK / Thunder / ATK 2600
With Titan and Winda locking down Special Summons, Hikaru had formed a powerful lock. Maybe not as effective in this world—but still impressive.
"Battle. Titan, attack Ruby!"
Suddenly, puppet strings snapped taut. A massive trap card flipped up.
The art showed a brilliant gemstone radiating light from Ruby's chest.
"Gem Optimization!" White Quartz gasped.
Ruby was ripped apart like shattered stone. In its place, blue cords dragged a knight clad in sapphire and black armor from the grave, tossing it onto the field like trash.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
So much hatred.
Gem Optimization — Tribute a "Gem-Knight" you control; Special Summon one "Gem-Knight" from your Graveyard.
Gem-Knight Lapis Lazuli — Level 6 / WATER / Aqua / DEF 2600
"Cancel the battle phase." Hikaru ended the attack.
He looked at his hand.
Everything was still going according to plan.
"End of turn."