"Direct attack!—Fiery Blade Draw: Ghostflame Blade Slash!!"
With Ren's only monster banished and her field left empty, Aisha didn't hesitate to follow up with a direct attack this turn.
A brawl between women—this time it was Ren's turn to be blown away, enveloped in the fierce blade wind of blue flames.
Her soft backside hit and scraped along the ground, making Ren narrow her mismatched, glowing eyes in pain.
"Oww…"
[Ren Austin, LP: 4000 → 2100]
After trading direct attacks, the result was nearly even—just a 500 Attack Point difference.
Climbing to her feet, Ren's cute little face was unharmed, but the stinging pain radiating from her butt was very real.
"Banished until my End Phase? Not bad, little Ai—so you were hiding an Xyz Summon as your trump card!"
Reigniting her fighting spirit, Ren's mismatched eyes shone even brighter despite losing a large chunk of Life Points.
"You've impressed me, little Ai. At least now I can look forward to this duel a bit more!"
"Of course I'm not useless. Getting stronger to protect someone important… that's what makes a Hero, isn't that what you used to tell me, Ren-chan?"
Lowering her hand, having used her Xyz monster to banish and then directly attack, Aisha ended her turn.
Miles, observing, said, "Why is it already turn four and neither side has set a single card? Is this what they call a straight-up slugfest between women? That's pretty terrifying in its own way."
Standing at the center of this love-duel battlefield, Miles didn't dare comment further.
In this situation, even one word showing favoritism could spark disaster.
"My turn, draw!"
Drawing for her turn, Ren had to face the fact that with [Evil HERO Lightning Golem] unable to return until her End Phase, she'd essentially lost that source of power.
So she needed a stronger Hero now—when it's a straight-up slugfest, each punch must hit harder than the last.
"When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon [Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy] from my hand in Attack Position!"
[Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy, Level 2│DARK│Fiend│300 ATK / 600 DEF]
A new Fiend-type Dark HERO appeared—but with only 300 Attack, it was surely just a stepping stone.
"Then I Tribute [Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy] to Tribute Summon!"
A towering surge of malice pierced the fog—not a fusion Hero this time, but a powerhouse in its own right.
"Blade from the depths of hell—become my sword of darkness! Tribute Summon: [Evil HERO Malicious Edge]!"
[Evil HERO Malicious Edge] Level 7│EARTH│Fiend│2600 ATK / 1800 DEF
One of the first Dark HEROes from Pandora's box, Malicious Edge swung its bladed claws, tearing through the fog.
Aisha was surprised, "A Level 7 monster with only one Tribute?"
"That's Malicious Edge's effect—if your opponent controls a monster, it can be Tribute Summoned with only 1 Tribute!"
Having easily summoned a higher-Attack HERO, Ren raised her arm and, with Spirit Eyes, declared the Battle Phase.
"See, Miles? My HEROes are stronger than ever. And my offer stands—if you want them, you can use these HEROes anytime!"
Aisha shouted, "Miles would never like such shady Dark HEROes!"
"Then you don't understand—HEROes can be cool even when they've fallen into darkness."
Miles blurted out, "Yeah, I get tha—Ow! Ow! Aisha, stop kicking me!"
The battle continued as Malicious Edge dashed forward, claws gleaming with killing intent.
"Clench your teeth, little Ai—this hit won't be gentle!"
"M-Miles, you actually like these dark HEROes?!"
"Needle Burst!!"
"Pwah!"
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 1600 → 900]
The double blow of battle damage and emotional sting left Aisha reeling. Unquestionably, she couldn't match the presence of Ren, who had been transformed—and awakened—by the fog.
"Even so, my resolve won't change!"
As [Onibimaru Soul Sweeper] shattered, its last blue flame floated to Aisha's fingertips.
"Since you destroyed my [Onibimaru Soul Sweeper], I'll take one of your banished monsters with me! Last Xyz effect!"
[②: If this card is destroyed by an opponent's card, target monsters in the Banished Zone up to the number of Xyz Materials it had; return them to the Deck.]
Aisha hurled the ghostly flame, igniting the card of [Evil HERO Lightning Golem] from Ren's banished zone.
"Since Onibimaru had 1 material left, I can return your [Evil HERO Lightning Golem] from the banished zone to your Extra Deck."
Lightning Golem, which was supposed to return at the End Phase, was sent back to the Extra Deck instead—losing its chance to return to the field.
Ren said, "Even if you destroy it, you'd trade one-for-one with my Lightning Golem? You're stubborn, little Ai. I set 1 card and end my turn!"
At the End Phase, the [Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy] tributed earlier reappeared.
"When Infernal Prodigy is tributed, I draw 1 card during the End Phase. Ta-da!"
The card in hand made Ren's eyes flicker as she muttered. "No matter how stubborn you are, the one who'll win in the end will be me, little Ai."
Aisha retorted, "I heard that, Ren-chan. I won't hand this to you, no matter what!"
"So what if you heard? In a duel you can't win, no amount of effort will change the result—just like all the other duels you've lost to me."
Meanwhile, Luca was brimming with joy, "Yes, yes—insult her more! That's the only way to make Aisha Carlos fall faster."
Luca, getting more excited, realized she'd finished all her rice balls.
Her mouth idle, her mind had room to think.
"Strange… Aisha Carlos has been in the fog for a long time now. Normally, she should've been corrupted already. Could it be the Millennium Puzzle? No… it can't be."
If the Millennium Puzzle could resist the dark fog, Miles wouldn't have been swayed by Ren.
"Then… does Aisha have no inner darkness at all? No way… that's impossible! She just hasn't been pushed far enough yet. If she's driven into a corner in a duel, the cracks in her soul will show. Work harder, dark HERO."
"My turn, draw!"
This time, Aisha looked far more confident—her Graveyard now held three Normal Monsters.
"Spell Card, [Tri-Wight], activate!"
[Target 3 Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters in your Graveyard; Special Summon them.]
"I revive [Happy Lover], [Crowned by the World Chalice], and [Mokey Mokey] from my Graveyard!"
Three low-Level monsters returned to the field, including the first unfortunate victim of Lightning Golem's blast.
Ren frowned, "Again? Don't tell me you're going to—"
Aisha shouted, "Overlay!"
"Shouldn't you remember you're a Fusion Academy student?!"
Her second Xyz Summon of the duel—Rank 2 light pierced the fog and galloped onto Aisha's field.
"I overlay my two Level 2 monsters! Pierce the darkness with your shining lance! Xyz Summon, Rank 2: [Sky Cavalry Centaurea]!"
[Sky Cavalry Centaurea] Rank 2│LIGHT│Beast-Warrior│2000 ATK
A shining Pegasus knight unfurled its wings, lance at the ready.
Ren, tilting her head, asked, "An Xyz with 2000 ATK? What flashy trick are you planning this time, little Ai?"
"Clench your teeth, Ren-chan—this strike won't be gentle either!"
Mirroring Ren's earlier words, Aisha entered the Battle Phase.
"Battle! Charge with your lance of light—Piercing Strike of the Sacred Knight!"
Ren, perplexed, muttered, "Impossible?"
Even with Xyz-boosted stats, the 2000 ATK [Sky Cavalry Centaurea] was still weaker than the 2600 ATK Malicious Edge.
"Counterattack, Malicious Edge!"
Light lance and dark claws clashed, sparks lighting up the fog.
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 900 → 300]
The weaker monster naturally took the backlash damage—yet it survived.
"Centaurea's effect—while it has Xyz Material, it can't be destroyed by battle."
Ren smirked, "So you took the damage on purpose just to show me its battle endurance?"
"Of course not!"
Aisha raised her arm high, guiding the Centaur's light.
"Bloom, Light of Annihilation! Centaurea's Xyz effect, activate!"
[At the end of the Damage Step when this card battles an opponent's monster: You can detach 1 material from this card; return that opponent's monster to the hand.]
"I detach 1 material to return your [Evil HERO Malicious Edge] to your hand!"
With a mighty thrust, the Centaur hurled its lance, sending Malicious Edge soaring skyward.
Ren's field was empty again—and Aisha still had an unused attacker.
[Mokey Mokey, ATK: 300]
"Ren, I told you to clench your teeth! Mokey Mokey—hit her!"
The furious command sent the little cube angel flapping its tiny wings and swinging its stubby arms at Ren's face.
"And this hit won't be gentle either."
Before damage was calculated, Aisha slammed down the Quick-Play Spell she had drawn.
"Quick-Play Spell, [Rush Recklessly]!"
[Target 1 face-up monster on the field; it gains 700 ATK until the end of this turn.]
[Mokey Mokey, ATK: 300 → 1000]
With boosted power, Mokey Mokey's little arms hit with surprising force.
"Pwah!!"
Ren's cute face twisted comically as she spun 360° and was sent flying.
[Ren Austin, LP: 2100 → 1100]
Miles murmured, "So this is what a slugfest between women looks like… brutal."
He was stunned. If Aisha had used [Rush Recklessly] on the Centaur, she could've destroyed Malicious Edge in battle.
But she didn't.
She'd rather take the backlash damage herself, just to power up Mokey Mokey and punch Ren in the face.
An angry woman was truly terrifying… Miles was reminded of this as a dull ache crept back into his leg.
...
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