Chapter 59: Blinding discomfort

It was Gem-Knight Seraphinite’s turn. It drew a card, then activated a Continuous Spell card once more.

"Absorb Fusion!"

It was another Fusion Spell card commonly used by Tenjou Hikari, one that could only be activated when the opponent controlled a monster. Seeing the effect of this card activate, Tenjou Hikari narrowed his eyes and took the opportunity to flip his face-down card: "At this moment, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Contact with the God-Body!"

"This card can only be activated once per turn. I perform a Fusion Summon of a Shaddoll Fusion Monster using cards from my field and hand!"

"I fuse Shaddoll Falcon on my field with Predaplant Sundew Kingii from my hand!"

"The Fusion conditions are a Shaddoll monster and a DARK monster!"

"Descend here, Messenger of the Gods!"

"El Shaddoll Midrash!"

Tierra gently raised her hand, and a multitude of purple puppet strings descended from the sky, controlling a massive dragon that emerged. A phantom image identical to her stood before the dragon at that moment.

El Shaddoll Midrash, Level 5, DARK, Spellcaster-type, ATK 2200.

At the same time, the effect of Absorb Fusion began to resolve.

A second Gem-Knight Seraphinite and Gem-Knight Garnet were successfully sent from Seraphinite’s deck to the Graveyard.

Like Brilliant Fusion, Absorb Fusion was also a deck-fusion, but the difference was that Brilliant Fusion had no restrictions, whereas Absorb Fusion not only required the opponent to control a monster, but after activating it, one could only Special Summon Gem-Knight Extra Deck monsters, and this card could not fuse "Rock-type" Gem-Knights.

As the two monsters fused, a crimson figure swung a massive scythe, threw back its cape, and landed on the ground.

Gem-Knight Ruby, Level 6, EARTH, Pyro-type, ATK 2500.

"Beautiful. With this, Seraphinite has no way to Special Summon monsters anymore, unless it can destroy Lord Midrash right now!" Bai Jing grew excited. "However, Lord Tenjou has Wendigo on his field. As long as this card is on the field, it can grant a monster the ability to not be destroyed by battle with a Special Summoned monster!"

Perhaps it couldn't hear Bai Jing, or perhaps it was completely unaware, but Seraphinite tentatively tried to activate a Spell card, only to find it completely unable to activate. Afterward, as if waking from a dream, it chose to attack.

Ruby swung its massive weapon toward Midrash.

"I activate Wendigo's effect! Once per turn, I can grant one monster on my field the special ability to not be destroyed by battle with a Special Summoned monster!"

But Seraphinite didn't care in the slightest; Ruby, wrapped in puppet strings, attacked as usual.

Along with its attack, Tenjou Hikari would also lose 300 Life Points—

But this loss was not from Ruby's attack; instead, several puppet strings suddenly shot out from the sky, piercing toward Tenjou Hikari!

Tenjou Hikari raised his hand to block in front of him, the arm of a Gem-Knight appearing on his body. Those puppet strings emitted a sizzling sound, causing Tenjou Hikari to feel a sharp pain.

Tenjou Hikari LP: 4000 → 3700.

"Wah..." Tenjou Hikari felt a burning pain in his right hand.

In the past, he only needed the assistance of the White Crystal Knight, and duels between himself and spirits wouldn't cause too much pain. But this time was different; the power accumulated in Seraphinite was too great, and in terms of total volume, it felt no less than those weakened Phantasm Lords!

Although there was a gap in quality and it was very impure, Tierra didn't help him this time.

He squeezed his right hand slightly.

It was a bit numb.

Seraphinite didn't continue its operations and ended its turn just like that.

"Did you see it?" Tierra spoke up at this moment. "That spirit has no self-awareness at all now. What drives it to act is its resentment and hatred—hatred for life, hatred for the suffering it has encountered."

She tilted her head slightly: "That's why I said, it's better to wait two months. By then, it should have turned into a complete mechanical existence, without even hatred. Of course, what you said isn't wrong either. If you had come earlier, it might still have had its own sanity, and dealing with it would actually have been simpler. It wouldn't have been as painful as it is now.

Because as it is now, it only wants to crazily torture everything around it, letting other existences bear the suffering it has endured."

She tilted her head and glanced at Tenjou Hikari again, or more precisely, at the White Crystal on his body: "So... in the end, it's just a copied fake."

"..." Bai Jing did not reply.

After drawing a card, Tenjou Hikari said: "Tierra, don't just talk about them. When you first came to this world, weren't you full of interest?

You discovered that this wasn't the world you expected, that there wasn't a single thing you were familiar with, so you felt sad, didn't you?"

Tierra closed her eyes and nodded silently.

She had no need to lie to Tenjou Hikari.

Even for her, who has "lived" for who knows how many years, after waking from a great dream and finding everything so strange, she would feel some loneliness and emptiness. She knew clearly that she wanted to see things from the past; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so excited when she obtained "Satan."

All along, she had found Tenjou Hikari's "White Crystal" an eyesore.

On one hand, she knew that although White Crystal was under Tenjou Hikari, it always insisted that "if I find my own world, I will definitely go to aid my own kind." On the other hand, it wasn't enough like the "White Crystal" at all.

Similar, yet not similar enough—this made it even more conspicuous and terrible in Tierra's eyes.

The aura, the character, the loyalty—they were only similar, yet not identical. To her, it was truly blindingly uncomfortable.

There was never a time when White Crystal felt lost or bewildered because of disaster; it would only stand up again and again, like an undead monster that couldn't be killed, fighting to the end until it completely vanished.

Back then, she tried to find a way to resurrect, wanting to reset the entire planet's ecosystem and create life forms that suited her preferences. The indigenous people rose up to resist. At that time, White Crystal received the blessing of the entire planet and, with the help of countless lives and the planet itself, became the "Stellarknight Constellar Diamond," gaining power equal to her own. In the end, with the assistance of countless companions, it defeated her and made her die once again—

But if the one who finally defeated her was this kind of "White Crystal" before her eyes, she truly wouldn't be able to rest in peace even in death.

By comparison, Tenjou Hikari's purity made her, who currently couldn't live, feel less bored and irritable.

"I change Wendigo on my field to Defense Position."

Tenjou Hikari manipulated the monster on his field.

El Shaddoll Wendigo, ATK → DEF: 2800.

"I activate the effect of Thunder Dragon in my hand, discarding it to add up to two Thunder Dragons from my deck to my hand.

I add the two Thunder Dragons from my deck to my hand, then Tribute Shaddoll Falcon on my field to Tribute Summon—Thunder Dragon—"

Sizzle, sizzle.

The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon appeared on Tenjou Hikari's field for the first time, roaring at the sky and emitting electric light.

Thunder Dragon, Level 5, LIGHT, Thunder-type, ATK 1600.

"Next, I send it to the Graveyard to Special Summon Colossus—Thunder Dragon from the Extra Deck—"

The green Thunder Dragon dissipated, replaced by a pitch-black, berserk Thunder Dragon.

Because the spirit of Colossus was currently sleeping in the workshop, the Colossus in the image was quite huge and looked fierce.

Thunder Dragon Colossus, Level 8, DARK, Thunder-type, ATK 2600.

Now the lockdown field of Colossus and Midrash was complete. Although it might not be of much use in this world, it was complete after all. At least it still looked quite cool.

"Battle! Colossus attacks Ruby—"

"Hum—"

Just as Tenjou Hikari commanded Colossus to attack, the puppet strings wrapped around Ruby tightened instantly. A massive Trap card on Seraphinite's field slowly flipped open. On the card art, the gems on Ruby's body erupted with light, making itself even brighter.

"Gem-Knight Optimization!" Bai Jing recognized this card in a second.

Seraphinite's giant fist slowly clenched. Ruby on the field was entangled by strings, then with a crisp "snap," it was dragged into rubble. At the same time, countless puppet strings reached deep into the grave, dragging the black-robed, blue-armored knight from the Graveyard and throwing it onto the field with a clatter, like trash.

Tenjou Hikari raised an eyebrow.

This Seraphinite had such great resentment.

Gem-Knight Optimization, a Trap card that Tributes a "Gem-Knight" on your field to Special Summon a "Gem-Knight" from the Graveyard!

Gem-Knight Sapphire, Level 6, EARTH, Aqua-type, DEF 2600.

"Stop the attack." Tenjou Hikari ended the Battle Phase.

He glanced at his hand.

The problem wasn't big; everything was currently within expectations.

"End turn."

Chapter 3, there's an extra update, should be able to finish writing it.

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