"Isn't this thing way more useful than a Sacred Beast?"
Aisha immediately said, "Miles, no time for jokes—the attack is coming!"
In the Shadow Game, Gustav Max's barrage of firepower was about to turn into real damage, crashing down upon them.
Even if he had foreseen it, what could the little princess's petite body possibly do against such a strike?
Answer: nothing at all.
All she could do was hit the ground and hope to minimize the impact.
[Nova Kaiser, LP: 2600 → 600]
No good. Even falling prone made no difference.
Her body was simply too light. Under the cannon's strike, she was like a feather in a storm.
"Master! Are you okay?"
Lan-maid worriedly called out to the girl and Miles, who had both been blown away.
"Hiss!"
Not unscathed—rubbing his head as he staggered back up, Miles felt the world spin, unable to tell north from south.
His remaining Life Points flickered like a dying flame.
…Seriously, in a 4000 LP system, wasn't Gustav Max a little too much? Half your LP gone in one shot, two shots to finish someone off.
Miles really couldn't understand—if they had this thing, why even bother chasing the power of the Sacred Beasts? If every noble family had a Gustav Max, the Varian Empire was already overpowered enough.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
After firing off such a massive effect-damage strike, Luca's breathing had grown ragged.
Clearly, she wasn't yet used to wielding the Empire's strongest firepower.
This was like Irena forcing out Quintet Magician with all her mana—an attack that hurt the user as much as the opponent.
Even with her family crest glowing, Luca Slint couldn't possibly push Gustav Max into any evolved form. Her willpower and loyalty to the Empire weren't enough.
But the card pinched between her fingers promised her maximum firepower nonetheless.
"Don't think it ends here, Miles!—Equip Spell activate, Train Connection!"
[Equip only to an EARTH Machine monster by banishing 2 Level 10 or higher Machine monsters from your Graveyard.]
Its cost was brutal—you had to banish two Level 10+ Machines from your Graveyard!
The only revealed one in her Graveyard was Night Express Knight, sent as Xyz Material.
So if she could play this, she had already met the conditions. Most likely, when she revived the Supremacy Sun earlier, she'd discarded another Level 10 Machine as a cost.
A hidden blade waiting in her Graveyard.
"I banish Night Express Knight and Super Express Bullet Train to equip Train Connection to Gustav Max!"
Banish—but under Train Connection's power, the two Machines emerged on the field as mechanical parts, attaching to Gustav Max's sides, transforming it into an even grander cannon.
"The monster equipped with Train Connection doubles its original Attack, and when attacking a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing battle damage! Don't think you're the only one who can transform!"
[Gustav Max, ATK: 3000 → 6000]
Transformation by linkage—the effect justified its steep cost. Doubling Attack and gaining piercing, it was a one-hit-kill cannon.
"Is that still even a cannon?!"
Aisha, stunned outside the Shadow Game.
With three Machines linked, the cannon had become a colossal mech gripping a supercannon in its hand.
"Hahahahaha!"
With her mecha complete, Luca burst into crazed laughter.
"Pursuing ultimate firepower for victory—this is ecstasy! This blast will send you to hell! Battle—!"
As the massive barrel rose and locked onto Laundry Dragonmaid, Miles suddenly shouted, "Before your Battle Phase starts, I activate my Set card!—Continuous Trap, Oasis of Dragon Souls!"
[Target 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it in Defense Position. While this card remains on the field, that monster's Type becomes Wyrm.]
A spring of light appeared, and from it emerged a Dragonmaid.
"By Trap effect, I revive Kitchen Dragonmaid from the Graveyard!"
[Kitchen Dragonmaid, DEF: 1700]
Sent earlier by Painful Choice, the red one now returned to the field before the battle began.
And as Luca declared the attack, the maids—Kitchen and Laundry—were enveloped in radiant light.
"Since battle has started, we transform too!"
"Yes, Master!"
Both Dragonmaids spoke in unison.
At the start of the battle, their human forms returned to Miles's hand, replaced by their dragon forms flying onto the field.
[Dragonmaid Nudyarl, ATK: 2600]
[Dragonmaid Tinkhec, ATK: 2700]
Since piercing damage was unavoidable, Miles had them Special Summoned in Attack Position to meet the threat head-on.
"Even with more monsters, you can't resist my strongest firepower! Fire!"
At her roar, the empowered mech cannon unleashed devastation, the ground itself splitting as it roared toward Nudyarl.
"So strong—too strong!"
Miles flung up the princess's tiny hand, flipping his second Set card.
"Trap Card activate—Magic Cylinder!"
[When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target that monster; negate the attack, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to its Attack.]
With the purest, cutest hands, he flipped the deadliest trap. Drawn at the start of the last turn alongside Painful Choice, Magic Cylinder had become the trump to rebound Gustav Max.
The prince's curated Deck truly was rich—nothing but rare, powerful Spells and Traps.
The twin cylinders absorbed the cannon's shot and redirected it back at Luca.
"Hmph! Fire!"
Now in battle-loli mode, Nova cried out the same words. Out of her mouth, they carried an entirely different charm.
"You bitch! Using such a cheap card?!"
Her fury couldn't be healed, not even by a cute princess.
Funny, though—Luca had used Magic Cylinder herself in her very first duel against Aisha. Only, back then, it got negated by Arcana Knight Joker.
"—Quick-Play Spell, Ring of Defense!"
Chaining to Miles's Trap, Luca threw down her Spell.
[The effect damage from a Trap Card becomes 0.]
She'd meant to combo it with Ring of Destruction. But instead, it now saved her life—blocking the 6000 damage reflected from Magic Cylinder.
"Tch. Too bad!"
Miles clicked his tongue. Rarely had he gotten to play such a troll Deck—too bad it hadn't outright killed her.
Nova said, "So this is a real Duel? It feels different from what I imagined."
No, this was the thrill of troll Deck duels—victory or defeat in an instant.
Miles only hoped it wouldn't warp the princess's growth as a Duelist.
Even blocked, the blast lingered in their field for a long time before fading. Magic Cylinder had still protected Dragonmaid Nudyarl.
And that had already been Luca's ultimate strike. She couldn't go on.
"At your Battle Phase end, Dragonmaid Nudyarl and Dragonmaid Tinkhec activate their effects!"
As Luca gave up, Miles immediately triggered the transformations.
During battle, they were dragons, outside it maids. Returning the dragons to hand, Miles Special Summoned their maid forms.
[Laundry Dragonmaid, DEF: 1600]
[Kitchen Dragonmaid, DEF: 1700]
"In our first battle together, I can't let Lan-maid hog all the spotlight."
Kitchen Dragonmaid pushed back her sleeve, her face alight with excitement at finally joining in.
"Let's go, Master!"
Luca sneered, "So these are your so-called fighting monsters? Pathetic."
With her 6000 ATK Gustav Max, she naturally looked down on Dragonmaids, even their dragon forms.
And next turn, Gustav could fire again—2000 damage without even attacking.
"Just wait to die. My turn ends!"
Nova timidly asked, "Wait to die… Miles, can we still win?"
Facing the massive mech cannon, she couldn't hide her unease.
"Let me ask you—Nova, do you believe in your monsters?"
"Believe in my monsters? What does that mean?"
"Do you think the Dragonmaids you summoned will lose to that thing?"
"My Dragonmaids…"
At her age and with little Duel experience, she had only judged power by numbers.
Now, in LP and ATK, they were hopelessly outmatched.
Yet for the first time, actually standing in a Duel, a new feeling arose within her.
"They won't lose." Nova's soft voice carried the Kaiser bloodline's thirst for victory.
"My Dragonmaids won't lose to that. Miles, I don't want to lose!"
Transcending numbers, Nova—who had once declared she hated dueling—now shouted her true wish.
"I've received your will and hope!"
Miles swept his fingers across the princess's arm, drawing from the Deck with Spirit Eyes.
Since Luca had brought out the Empire's proudest firepower, then as Livorden's princess, her counter was already written in history.
"This card is the perfect one to deal with you, Luca Slint!"
His draw was Fusion—the symbol of Livorden and Fusion Academy.
"This turn, we'll unite all the Dragonmaids' power and win, Nova!"
"Please, Miles—win the Shadow Game, and bring victory's miracle to Livorden's land!"
Livorden (L·wonder), the land of wonder.
"I activate the Spell Card—Polymerization!"
He flung the card skyward. A card of infinite possibilities, the one that guided miracles.
"I fuse Kitchen Dragonmaid on the field with Nudyarl in my hand!"
Red and blue beams crossed, merging into the most radiant light of the Dragonmaids.
"The meeting of azure and crimson, guiding the path to shining victory! —Fusion Summon, Dragonmaid Sheou!"
...
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