Dimensional Fissure caused Yubel's emotions—only just barely calmed when the duel began—to surge violently again.
This card basically amounted to sealing off the existence of both players' Graveyards, delivering a massive shock to Yubel's entire tactical plan. From here on, she had no choice but to reconsider her deployment.
"Next, I Normal Summon D.D. Survivor."
Kira summoned another monster. This time it was a warrior whose body was mostly wrapped in a cloak—someone who had traveled through dimensional cracks for years and had ample experience with interdimensional travel.
[D.D. Survivor, ATK 1800]
"D.D. Survivor, attack Samsara Lotus."
The D.D. warrior snapped his cloak, pushed off with his foot, and dashed out as a blur. His fist carried a gale of air as it smashed into the lotus bloom that had opened on the ground.
A lotus with no combat power, of course, couldn't withstand such a heavy blow. Flower and leaves alike were driven almost into the earth, and then it exploded with a boom.
"I activate a face-down card," Yubel said. "Trap Card Sinister Seeds.
Activate when a face-up Attack Position monster you control is destroyed by battle. For each 1000 points of damage you would have taken from that battle, negate that 1000 points of damage, and Special Summon 1 Sinister Seed Token to your field." (anime effect)
This card exists in real life too, but the real card can't negate battle damage; it only Special Summons Tokens based on the damage you took. Also, in the anime it converts one Token per 1000 damage, whereas the real card only needs 500 damage to Summon one.
"The battle damage from D.D. Survivor's attack is a total of 1800," Yubel said.
"Therefore, Sinister Seeds negates 1000 points of battle damage, and Special Summons 1 Sinister Seed Token to my field."
[Yubel, LP 4000 → 3200]
The impact energy blocked by the Trap was absorbed, then transformed into a seed that scattered onto the ground. A transparent ripple spread across the surface, and the seed sank as if into water, disappearing underground.
Moments later, roots and a stem rapidly sprouted where it had gone in. The twisting stalks quickly formed into a crooked plant that landed on Yubel's field.
[Sinister Seed Token, DEF 0]
"A Trap that converts damage into a monster," Kira said.
"Exactly," Yubel replied. "If I learned anything in the last ten years, it's that you grow from pain."
As she said this, her heterochromatic eyes grew hazy, and she spoke with an almost obsessive fixation:
"At first I couldn't understand. All that pain—every torment—I asked myself again and again: why?
Why would Jaden, the Jaden I loved—and who loved me—make me go through all of that?
But then, I finally understood."
A cold, dangerous light flashed in her eyes.
"Pain is an expression of love. Because of pain, I can become stronger.
The essence of love is sharing—sharing happiness, and sharing pain. Sharing the pain I've come to understand with Jaden is the truest expression of love!"
Kira: "…"
He wasn't sure whether years of torment in space had finally driven her insane, or whether the Light of Destruction had twisted her mind. But judging by the results, it looked like she'd gone off the deep end.
"And you… you obstruct my sharing. You obstruct the love between Jaden and me."
Yubel's gaze became even more dangerous.
"You're an obstacle that must be removed!
My turn—draw!"
Yubel revealed another Spell.
"I activate Spell Card Fiend's Sanctuary! Special Summon 1 Metal Fiend Token to my field!"
A puppet formed from countless silver metallic spheres appeared on Yubel's field, floating above a transparent magical barrier.
[Metal Fiend Token, ATK 0]
"Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Precious Cards from Beyond."
"Then I Tribute the Metal Fiend Token and the Sinister Seed Token—two Tokens—to Tribute Summon!
The seeds of the Demon World bloom into demonic flowers… bloom—
—Regenerating Rose!"
The two Tokens vanished, and a massive plant rapidly grew across the field. Green vines bristled with thorns; its vivid petals looked as though they'd been soaked in blood. When it bloomed, it resembled a gaping, blood-red maw ready to devour prey.
[Regenerating Rose, ATK 0]
"By Precious Cards from Beyond's effect: if I Tribute Summon using two or more Tributes, I draw two cards."
Yubel drew two cards.
Seven stars, needing two Tributes, and yet only 0 ATK—at a glance, clearly the type with a special trick.
"Regenerating Rose's monster effect," Yubel said flatly. "When this face-up Attack Position card battles an opponent's monster, it can copy that monster's ATK, becoming the same value." (anime effect)
"I see," Kira said. "So no matter how strong the opponent is, it can drag them down with it—an 'equalize' type effect?"
Though if that was all, it almost seemed inferior to Copycat.
Copycat was only a Level 1 monster, but it could also copy an opponent's monster's ATK. The difference was that it only copied upon being Summoned and wouldn't change afterward—whereas this Rose copied every time a battle occurred.
"Not only that," Yubel continued. "When Regenerating Rose is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, it leaves behind two Regenerating Rose Token on my field."
She paused, then glanced with disgust at the pitch-black rift on Kira's field and snorted.
"But with Dimensional Fissure on the field, even if it's destroyed by battle it can't go to the Graveyard at all, so that effect can't activate."
At that, the dimensional rift looked even more obnoxious.
"Then I definitely can't let it be destroyed easily," Yubel said coldly. "I activate the Continuous Spell Kishido Spirit.
As long as this Spell remains on the field, if my monster battles a monster with the same ATK, it won't be destroyed by battle."
The Spell activated, and a transparent energy barrier enveloped the Regenerating Rose, like semi-transparent battle aura.
Kishido Spirit usually looked like a pointless Spell, but paired with this Rose, its power spiked. The Rose could always copy the opponent's ATK, and with equal values it couldn't be destroyed by battle—so aside from not being able to inflict battle damage, it was almost like having infinite ATK!
"Battle!" Yubel said. "Regenerating Rose, attack D.D. Survivor!"
…