From the Wicked God's Tribute Summon came a surge of sorrow, resentment, and fear. Countless shivers of the soul—humanity's many negative emotions—gathered madly upon the field.
After devouring the souls of the three Tributes, the colossal god that erased all things writhed its long body in the dark forest and slowly raised a dreadful head from the abyss.
In that instant, the wailing souls converged into white soul-flames burning throughout the woods.
Beneath the starry sky—the Eraser's silhouette, the wavering white fire, and the eerie crucifix pinned with God Cards—together formed a boundless, eldritch tableau that could warp human perception with ease.
"No way… two copies of the same God Card? Even I've never heard of that!" Irena gasped.
"So that's why he wagered so decisively before the duel started," said Ren.
Miles arched a brow at the towering deity ahead. "Oh? Hiding this little trick, were you?"
God Cards—especially those marked with the DIVINE attribute—were so rare that Miles had subconsciously assumed such cards would be unique across the Spirit Continent.
However, that 'assumption' was too subjective.
No rule had ever decreed that a God Card must be one-of-a-kind; everyone had merely taken it for granted.
The Three Egyptian Gods of the Pharaoh were another matter; regardless, the fact remained: the Church of the Old Dominators' cardinal had produced multiple wicked deities—there were at least two copies of [The Wicked Eraser].
Astar's furious voice crackled in Miles's mind like firecrackers.
"Didn't I tell you, Miles! Beneath that polished shell, his soul is so filthy and ugly it makes you want to puke—an aggregate of abyssal evil! To use underhanded tricks before the duel even begins and cheat you out of using a God Card—infuriating!"
Astar truly was livid, detonating into a tirade like a bomb.
Yog-Tos declared, "[The Wicked Eraser]'s Attack equals 1000 times the number of cards on the opponent's field! You control 2 monsters and 3 Spell/Trap Cards (1 Continuous, 2 Set)—five cards will grant my god 5000 Attack!"
[The Wicked Eraser, ATK: 5000]
"Five thousand Attack… This is the dominator's god…"
Arnold, who adored God Cards, felt no admiration at all for this abyss-born deity—only an unspeakable fear spreading from deep within, and disgust at the cardinal's despicable means.
"Blast it! If Aisha-senpai could use a God Card too, we wouldn't fear a thing! You really can't trust a single word from those Old-Dominator cultists!"
At 5000 Attack, one blow from [The Wicked Eraser] would wipe out all of Miles's remaining Life Points, whether it struck [King's Knight] or [Jack's Knight].
"A true god spreads faith across the earth," Yog-Tos intoned. "Any loyal believer who offers their soul may wield the power of the abyssal god. This is love without self—this is the faith humanity truly needs."
"If the price of using a god is your soul, I don't call that 'love without self,'" Aisha countered.
If those Wicked God cards were as he claimed—usable by anyone, but only at the cost of one's soul—then even if Miles won [The Wicked Eraser] as a wager, it would be useless to him.
Unless he faced a duel worth more than his very soul, there'd be no 'deal' with a wicked god.
With a full hand, Yog-Tos continued: after his Normal Summon of the god, he made an additional Special Summon.
"I discard [Fiber Jar] to Special Summon [The Tricky] in Attack Position."
[The Tricky] Level 5│WIND│Spellcaster│2000 ATK / 1200 DEF
[This card can be Special Summoned (from your hand) by discarding 1 card.]
A question-marked figure with 2000 Attack, The Tricky drifted beside the colossal Eraser.
Miles drawled, dripping sarcasm: "The Tricky, huh? Suits you better than the Wicked God. Dress up your schemes as 'faith' all you want—you're still just a cultist. Or did you think without a God Card I'd have no way to deal with you?"
"Heh. Omoshiroi. Planning to match a god in a mortal vessel? Then first endure the baptism of [The Wicked Eraser], Aisha Carlos."
With a sweep of his hand, Yog-Tos drove the writhing deity forward. The moment Battle Phase began, the white soul-flames raging through the forest poured into the Eraser's maw, swelling its chest to bursting.
"With 5000 Attack, erase all souls—attack from the abyss!—Soul Annihilation!"
"Its Attack scales to my field, huh? Then I'll give you one more!"
Facing the incoming blaze head-on, Miles thrust a finger forward; the A‑rank Continuous Trap lit up once more.
"—Continuous Trap [Court of Cards]! Once per turn, revive one of my poker knights from the GY! Reforge the final blade on my field—Special Summon, Queen's Knight!"
[Queen's Knight, ATK: 1500]
Last turn she revived King; this turn, Queen—together with the ever-present Jack's Knight, the three blades converged once more.
"You'd summon a useless monster now? You're only boosting [The Wicked Eraser]'s Attack."
[The Wicked Eraser, ATK: 5000 → 6000]
With Miles's field increased, the Eraser's Attack climbed to 6000; the white soul-flames burned even hotter.
"Even without a Shadow Game, fling yourself before a god like this and your soul will shatter, Aisha Carlos," Yog-Tos warned. "Anyhow, worry not—I'll retrieve it after."
"I'll never hand Aisha's soul to scum like you! When the three knights gather, their strongest blade surpasses the wicked god!"
With the trio assembled, Miles flipped her Set Trap. Though a Trap Card, in this Deck it functioned as a spell—a bit of poker sleight of hand.
"Trap Card, [Joker's Wild], activate!"
[During the Main or Battle Phase: Send 1 Spell that lists "Queen's Knight," "King's Knight," and "Jack's Knight" from your Deck to the GY; this card's effect becomes that Spell's effect when that card is activated.]
Though Set as a Trap, it could send a Spell and become a poker-exclusive support effect.
"The Spell I send with [Joker's Wild] is—"
With a twirl of her fingers, Miles faced down the wicked god like a veteran cardsharp.
"—[Face Card Fusion]!"
[Fusion Summon 1 LIGHT Warrior Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as material. If you control "Queen's Knight," "King's Knight," or "Jack's Knight," you can also use 1 monster from your Deck as material.]
[Joker's Wild] morphed into the poker knights' exclusive Fusion Spell. Though it could also pull material from the Deck, with all three knights on the field, a normal Fusion was enough.
"I copy [Face Card Fusion] with [Joker's Wild]—then resolve [Face Card Fusion] itself! Fuse the three poker knights on my field!"
In the night sky, the three knights became streams of light and converged amid a flourish of courtly sigils. A light from the firmament crushed back the abyssal dark.
"The trio's ultimate Fusion—ascend to the highest seat and brandish the blade that illuminates the abyss!—Fusion Summon [Arcana Knight Joker]!"
[Arcana Knight Joker] Level 9│LIGHT│Warrior│3800 ATK / 2500 DEF
["Queen's Knight" + "Jack's Knight" + "King's Knight" ]
Clad in black armor—the strongest Joker of the deck—the Arcana Knight danced its swordlight in the forest and descended to Miles's field.
"Now I control only [Arcana Knight Joker], [Court of Cards], and one Set card; [The Wicked Eraser]'s Attack drops to 3000!"
[The Wicked Eraser, ATK: 6000 → 3000]
Feigning weakness to lure the prey—Miles had deliberately gathered the trio to inflate the Eraser, only to slash her own field via Fusion and gut its power.
At 3800, Arcana Knight Joker now surpassed the 3000‑Attack Eraser.
"Knew we'd rely on Fusion in the end! Arcana Knight Joker never lets you down!" Ren cheered, and everyone suddenly remembered: they were students of Fusion Academy.
"Hahaha—hahahahaha!"
Seeing his wicked god outstripped, Yog-Tos threw his head back in laughter—so far back his long torso bent at an absurd angle.
Aisha shouted, "There it is—the cultist specialty: the Backbend Cackle!"
In her mind, only rabid zealots laughed in such deranged poses.
"More entertaining than I imagined, Aisha Carlos."
The laughter ended; in a heartbeat, he returned to that composed, elegant, handsome facade.
"So you truly mean to oppose a god with a mortal body? Don't be naive. Gods are worshiped because 'mere Fusion' cannot surpass them!"
Given the changed monster count, Yog-Tos could have simply called off the Eraser's attack. Instead, he flipped his last Set card.
"Dreams warped by the Old One shall become nightmares—Trap Card [Nightmare Archfiends]!"
[Tribute 1 monster; Special Summon 3 "Nightmare Archfiend Tokens" (Fiend/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 2000) to your opponent's field in Attack Position. When a "Nightmare Archfiend Token" is destroyed, its controller takes 800 damage.]
"I Tribute [The Tricky] as an offering to the nightmare and Special Summon 3 [Nightmare Archfiend Tokens] to your field!"
[Nightmare Archfiend Token, ATK: 2000] ×3
Bursting from The Tricky's ruined body, three pitch-black nightmares drifted onto Miles's field. On any other day, she might have welcomed a sudden 6000 total Attack.
Albeit with [The Wicked Eraser] glaring from across the field, three more Tokens only meant its power would rise again.
[The Wicked Eraser, ATK: 3000 → 6000]
"Did you think controlling your field size would control the Eraser's power? Naive. A god's form is not for mortals to sway!"
With 6000 Attack restored, Yog-Tos switched targets—the blazing soul-flames locked onto a Token, aiming to end the duel with a single 4000‑damage blow.
"This is the end—burn away your wandering soul, [The Wicked Eraser]!"
The deity's swollen chest finally burst forth; its roar slammed toward Miles's field with world‑ending force.
"Kuriboh, save me—!"
Miles pitched a card into the maelstrom. The round little [Kuriboh] threw itself in the way and absorbed the lethal battle damage.
"By discarding [Kuriboh] from my hand, I can negate that battle damage!"
Even with the damage negated, the shattered nightmare exploded with residual backlash.
"Even if the battle damage is reduced to zero, when a [Nightmare Archfiend Token] is destroyed, you still take 800 damage!"
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 2800 → 2000]
The slender girl's body was ensnared by nightmares—one Token meant 800 damage; all three together would have been 2400, a brutal blow to her remaining Life Points.
"My turn—end."
Confident, Yog-Tos left only [The Wicked Eraser] on the field and ended his turn. Even with one Token destroyed, the Eraser still stood at 5000 Attack.
"My turn—draw!"
Miles drew for the crucial turn and glanced at the card.
"I've been waiting for you—the card that can deck the wicked god!"
"Such a card does not exist."
"Then watch closely. I Normal Summon [Mokey Mokey] in Attack Position!"
[Mokey Mokey] Level 1│LIGHT│Fairy│300 ATK / 100 DEF
Before the towering terror that loomed above the abyss under the stars—
￣ー￣?
A block of tofu not even big enough to wedge between your teeth flapped its little wings and drifted out, full of… confidence?
As Miles had said, Yog-Tos's eyes actually widened. "...That's it?"
...
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