The impact of the colossal tofu block sent a fierce wind through the forest.
Ren's red ponytail streamed back in the gale. She raised her arms to shield herself and squinted toward the battlefield.
"Did it work?"
At the instant the tofu slammed down, there was no doubt… the long, towering body of [The Wicked Eraser] had been shattered, and Yog-Tos's Life Points had dropped accordingly. All Miles needed now was to follow up with Arcana Knight Joker's direct attack, and have the two 2000‑Attack Nightmare Tokens swing as well, to clinch victory in this Contract Duel.
"Ha… hahaha! Kehahaha! Keh‑keh‑keh‑keh!"
The fanatic's laughter rang out again—each peal more grotesque than the last. No one could see his face beneath the tofu, but surely that handsome mask had twisted into pure theatrics.
"Where is Yog-Tos?" Arnold asked, hearing the voice but not seeing the man.
"Under the tofu," Irena said, pointing at the gigantic Mokey Mokey.
"Ah… lying there laughing, huh?" Ren pictured it.
From beneath the massive square, Yog-Tos's voice rose.
"You actually did it… using such a small‑fry monster to destroy [The Wicked Eraser].
"But… I told you, those who touch the abyss can never escape it. Come—be buried with my god!"
"Buried… with the wicked god?" A chill skittered up Arnold's spine.
Though the Eraser had been crushed and sent to the GY, the ominous pressure in the dark forest only thickened, spreading under the vast starlit sky—as if a great door to the abyss had swung open and inexpressible terror was flooding the field.
"Your full‑power strike merely hastens your descent! Aisha Carlos—accept the wicked god's baptism!"
[When destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all cards on the field.]
The Eraser's last words—table‑flipping ruin that would take the whole field with it.
"Bad—its death effect is a board wipe!" Arnold blurted. "Aisha‑senpai's entire power is on the field right now!"
Before Mokey Mokey attacked, Miles had already gone all‑in, emptying her hand. If this wipe resolved, with no resources left, she'd be dead in the water.
"With the wicked god's flesh, I open the gate to the abyss—your cards will all be erased. This is the victory of the exalted Old Faith, Aisha Carlos!"
A pillar of darkness erupted toward the stars, devouring the field. Within that shroud, at last everyone saw Yog-Tos's expression—no longer handsome, beyond mere theatrics—a madman fallen into the abyss.
"The wager isn't over yet, Yog-Tos!" Miles raised Aisha's pale hand high and roared. "I still have one last card in this wager of gods!"
"Your last card?"
Within the sky‑piercing dark column, three blades became rays that sliced the abyss and shot into Miles's upraised fingers.
"Continuous Trap [Court of Cards]—its final effect!"
[Banish up to 1 each of "Queen's Knight," "Jack's Knight," and "King's Knight" from your hand and/or GY; draw the same number of cards.]
"I chain it before [The Wicked Eraser] wipes the field—banishing all three knights from my GY to draw 3!"
Using this effect meant [Court of Cards] could no longer revive a knight once per turn—but with the board about to be erased, there was no point holding back.
"With these cards, we'll settle this divine wager, Yog-Tos!"
"You'd still struggle before a great god?" Yog-Tos's teeth ground audibly. "Aisha Carlos, your soul is lost—you must be granted salvation! Salvation—!"
As if answering his wicked faith, the black pillar burst—and two tangles of nightmare lunged for Aisha's slender body.
"Don't forget—you still have 2 [Nightmare Archfiend Tokens] on your field! When they're destroyed, you take 800 damage each—1600 total!"
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 2000 → 400]
Agony raked her body, but Miles clenched her teeth and refused to yield.
"Is that all you've got? So much for your fanatical faith, Yog-Tos!"
"These two are completely gone in the head," Ren muttered.
"I Set 2 cards. Turn end!"
"My turn, draw!"
They practically shouted over each other as turns changed. Like Miles, Yog-Tos now held three cards—the first time the cardinal of the Old Dominators had been driven this far.
"This ends now. The Old Faith answers me—gaze upon the sacred cross of belief!"
He snapped the drawn card onto his Disk. Behind them, the crucifix with the pinned God Cards seemed to answer, stained with darkness from within.
"—Spell Card [Monster Reborn]! Return to my field—[The Wicked Eraser]!"
Bathed in the twisted black 'holy light' of the cross, abyssal power gathered again. From the GY, [The Wicked Eraser] re‑formed its vast, baleful body and lit the white soul‑flames anew. Terror from the abyss spread over the town once more.
[The Wicked Eraser, ATK: ? → 2000]
Arnold frowned. "He top‑decked [Monster Reborn] now? Is this truly the Old Dominators' 'faith'?"
A revived wicked god in this endgame—there were few draws worse. Regardless of its current Attack, if the Eraser were destroyed again, its death curse would wipe the board.
"Direct attack, [The Wicked Eraser]!—Soul Annihilation!"
Feeding on Miles's two Set cards, the 2000‑Attack Eraser roared forward.
Miles had anticipated the revival. If she'd left her field empty, the Eraser's Attack would have been 0 and harmless—but that would also have been surrender. For victory, she had to wager everything.
"—Trap Card, [Defense Draw], activate!"
[During damage calculation on your opponent's turn: The battle damage you would take becomes 0, then draw 1 card.]
This wasn't a card that affected the god; it shielded the player. Light wrapped around Miles as she stood firm amid the burning soul‑flames. She reached into her Deck through the Spirit Eyes.
"Draw!!"
Starlight seemed to coil around her fingertips as she drew—a brilliance set against the abyssal dread.
Astar gasped, "This! So your Deck does have that card!"
Her lively voice rang in Miles's mind. "You can do it, Miles—there is a way to break through [The Wicked Eraser]!"
"A way… to break the Eraser?"
"Call to me, Miles!"
"Don't tell me—you're…"
Battle ended; though the direct attack had been negated, Yog-Tos, with two cards still in hand, felt victory within his grasp.
"No matter how you struggle, the abyssal end won't change, Aisha Carlos! I Normal Summon in Defense Position—[Flamvell Guard]!"
[Flamvell Guard] Level 1│FIRE│Dragon/Tuner│100 ATK / 2000 DEF
A Level 1 Tuner whose only merit was its stout Defense. He hadn't brought it out to Synchro with the Eraser—Yog-Tos's last Set was his second [Nightmare Archfiends], which required a Tribute.
"I Set a card. Turn end."
The moment he Set [Nightmare Archfiends], he had all but declared victory.
"My turn, draw!"
"Checkmate, Aisha Carlos! I activate my Set Trap!"
Unable to wait, Yog-Tos flipped the card that symbolized his win.
"I Tribute [Flamvell Guard] and Special Summon 3 [Nightmare Archfiend Tokens] to your field!"
[Nightmare Archfiend Token, ATK: 2000] ×3
Three nightmares burst from the guard dragon's body and drifted once more onto Miles's field.
"This is… really bad!" Even Irena, usually unflappable, looked grim.
Each Token's destruction would deal 800 damage. And if [The Wicked Eraser] were destroyed, everything on the field would go with it. Miles had 400 Life Points left. Any one Token destroyed would be fatal.
"Attack and you lose if the Eraser dies. Defend, and next turn, the Tokens kill you. Miles…" Ren whispered.
Arnold pounded a fist. "So this is how a cardinal of the Old Dominators fights! Damn it—if only Aisha‑senpai could use a God Card!"
If she could, the three Tokens would make perfect Tributes. But as if foreseeing this, Yog-Tos had the Winged Dragon of Ra pinned as the wager on the cross.
Yog-Tos threw back his head, laughing through his fingers. "Abyss before and behind—ke‑hahaha! This is the soul‑sacrifice rite I prepared for you!"
Aisha panicked, "Miles! What do we do?!"
Dark Aisha muttered, "This is checkmate."
"No—hope still remains! The last hope rests with you, Astar!"
Aisha raised a brow, "Astar?"
Dark Aisha said, confused, "Astar?"
In this final sprint, launching a counter‑summon from the brink, Miles didn't even bother to keep thoughts on the private channel—she shouted it in the open.
Astar shouted, "Go, Miles! Show him the summoning that embodies prayer and hope!"
"Equip Spell, [Different Dimension Reincarnation], activate!"
[Discard 1 card; target 1 of your banished monsters; Special Summon it in Attack Position, and equip this card to it. When this card leaves the field, destroy that monster.]
"I discard 1 card to Special Summon my banished [Jack's Knight]!"
[Jack's Knight, ATK: 1900]
Banished by [Court of Cards], Jack's Knight returned from another dimension, silver light flashing from the last Jack blade—the poker knights' unbending will.
Yog-Tos sneered grotesquely. "No monster you Summon matters now, Aisha Carlos! Least of all those powerless poker knights!"
Miles's hand shone with starlight. "There's a summoning that lets ordinary monsters gather strength beyond their ranks. You know it well, Yog-Tos!"
"What?"
"I Normal Summon in Attack Position—[Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit]!"
[Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit] Level 3│LIGHT│Psychic│Tuner│0 ATK / 1800 DEF
The twin‑tailed girl with a blue talisman was usually a hand trap—but now she bore a rare and irreplaceable trait in Miles's Deck.
"A Tuner!" Yog-Tos's eyes widened. "Aisha Carlos—don't tell me you intend—"
"Watch closely. This is how you use the summoning that embodies hope! I tune my Level 3 Tuner [Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit] with my Level 5 [Jack's Knight]!"
★★★ + ★★★★★ = ★★★★★★★★
"Gathering wishes forge a newborn star—become the shining road of light! Synchro Summon!"
...
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