Morgan, of course, didn't mind the title, though she had no real intention of passing the throne to Fairy Tristan. Fairy Tristan had hidden nothing from Morgan about the Seventh Singularity, so Morgan now knew of Jiang You's ability to isolate a segment of a historical node and transform it into a separate pocket dimension.
This power had reached the level of True Magic, perhaps even surpassing it. Morgan was now devising a way to keep Jiang You by her side. Once the current conflict was resolved, she planned to have a serious discussion with him about the terms of their arrangement.
"I activate the effect of Dragon Shooter! Once per turn, I can Tribute this card to destroy one of your opponent's Set cards in their Backrow!"
Perhaps as a nod to how he was wiped out by Goldie's Divine Authority Seal upon his debut, this card's effect involved sending itself to the Graveyard to trade one-for-one with a Spell or Trap. After all, it had at least forced the opponent to expend a Noble Phantasm, right? "I choose the middle card in your Backrow!"
"That one? It would be troublesome if you destroyed it. So, I activate the Continuous Trap Card Malicious Guidance! Once per turn, when my opponent activates an effect that targets a card for destruction, I can activate this card to choose the target of that effect myself! Since your card is already being destroyed, I'll choose Malicious Guidance as the target!"
A spectral image of Woodworth appeared beside the card, destroying it with its sharp claws.
Woodworth, who had already finished his battle, watched this scene and let out a threatening growl characteristic of a canine. This was, quite simply, the shame of his life.
"Good doggy, good doggy. So easy to trick."
Seeing Woodworth's reaction, Aurora's smile grew even brighter.
"Now for the effect of Malicious Guidance! When this card is destroyed by a card effect, my opponent must discard two cards from their hand. Go on, discard your hand."
"That's actually a huge help!" Fairy Tristan laughed.
Because her boss monsters often required her to discard cards, she had obtained plenty of suitable cards to use as costs from her coach. Not to mention, Jiang You had even taken her to find Kiritsugu, where they'd "acquired" everything she needed.
"I'll discard Cocoa Bean and Kiritsugu Emiya! The effect of Cocoa Bean lets me draw one card, and the effect of Kiritsugu Emiya adds one Origin Bullet to my hand!"
Watching helplessly as Fairy Tristan drew two more cards, Aurora clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"You think that's all? Dragon Shooter's 'Call for Friends'... no, wait, it's the effect! Once per turn, if this card leaves the field, I can Special Summon one card with the same name from my Deck!"
The cannon fodder that had just left the field reappeared, though the rider on its back was different. The dragon had changed too, but to a human eye, one fairy looks much like another.
Dragon Shooter Attack Power: 800
"Do you have any effects to respond with?"
Fairy Tristan noted that her opponent still had plenty of cards in their backrow, and she didn't know Melusine's effects. Based on her experience, a powerhouse like Melusine likely had mostly destruction effects, but she still had to be cautious. Her opponent definitely wouldn't make things this simple.
"If not, I'm continuing my turn."
"Why would I bother dealing with a single grunt?"
Aurora scoffed. Fairy Tristan's attempt to bait her into using a trap was too obvious; she wouldn't fall for it.
Seeing her verbal taunts fail, Fairy Tristan stared at Melusine, trying to deduce its general effects based on her experience.
Jiang You saw through Fairy Tristan's plan and decided to mess with Aurora's composure even more.
"Melusine, tell her your effects!"
Melusine's body trembled again. For the second time in less than ten minutes, she was forced to betray Aurora. Aurora's trust in her had already plummeted into the negatives, even though she had once sworn to fight for Aurora, even if it meant violating her own conscience. Tears of humiliation streamed down her face.
"I understand... In this state, besides searching for one Horizon of Light, I also have an effect that can be activated once per turn when the opponent activates an effect. By discarding one card from the hand, I can negate that activation and destroy all cards on the opponent's field."
"As for my Calamity State, I cannot be destroyed by battle. You can activate this effect by tributing me: Destroy all cards on the opponent's field. The opponent cannot activate card effects in response to this effect's activation. Additionally, if this card is sent to the Graveyard by this effect, you can activate this effect during the End Phase: Special Summon this card from the Graveyard. At the start of each turn, my Attack Power increases by 1000! When I destroy an opponent's servant by battle, banish it instead."
Melusine's Calamity Form effects had barely been triggered against Tiamat, but now she finally revealed their full potential.
"You really are obedient to him, aren't you?"
Aurora, having already braced herself, showed little reaction this time. "You've barely been away from my side. Was that short time enough for you to betray me? You truly have no shame!"
"I... I didn't..."
Melusine's loyalty had never wavered, but Jiang You had forbidden her from explaining. All she could do was weep silently.
Jiang You scratched his cheek. Did I push things too far? he wondered. Is Melusine going to try and take me down with her later?
"Well, thanks for that!"
Fairy Tristan could guess why Melusine was so obedient to Jiang You, but it still infuriated her. First that giant dog, and now this loli(?) dragon... Jiang You was utterly shameless! How many more would he gather before he was satisfied? He's supposed to be mine! A surge of rage flared within her as she glared at Melusine's face. "In that case, I activate Origin Bullet! I'll negate this dragon's effect and destroy it!"
"This rotten flesh may no longer obey me, but it still has its uses. I can't let you destroy it just like that! I activate the effect of Fairy Knight Lancelot! By discarding one card from my hand, I negate your card's activation!"
Origin Bullet was sent to the Graveyard before it could resolve, but it had at least baited out Melusine's interruption.
(Incidentally, the card Aurora discarded was Coral.)
"Hmph, that was exactly what I wanted. I activate the Field Spell Card Faerie Realm of Ur! Now, I'll ask again: do you wish to activate any effects from your backrow?"
Aurora glanced at her backrow. Fairy Tristan still had too many cards in her hand, so she chose not to activate anything.
The walls of Camelot rose once more behind Fairy Tristan.
Fairy Knight Lancelot: Attack Power 2800 → 2300.
Flame Calamity Melusine: Attack Power 3800 → 3300.
Dragon Shooter: Attack Power 800 → 1300.
"I activate the effect of Faerie Realm of Ur! I search my Deck for one Servant Card with 'Faerie Realm' in its name! I'm adding Wrestler of the Faerie Realm to my hand! And now, I'll Normal Summon it."
A female wrestler in a tight-fitting athletic uniform appeared on the field.
Wrestler of the Faerie Realm Berserker / 2-Star / ATK 1000