"A wrestler naturally needs an opponent," Fairy Tristan declared. "I activate Wrestler of the Faerie Realm's effect! I Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Faerie Realm' Servant from my Deck to my side of the field. The Servant summoned by this effect is destroyed at the end of the turn! I choose Host of the Faerie Realm (Pseudo)!"
"A Host?"
A bad feeling suddenly washed over Jiang You. He vaguely remembered that the Host was also played by Hundred Faces. You could find Hundred Faces active in every role imaginable—except, perhaps, actual combat.
Sure enough, a dark-skinned woman wearing a skull mask as a headpiece appeared.
Host Assassin / 2-Star / ATK 800
"Does King Hassan know you're moonlighting in someone else's Deck?" Jiang You couldn't help but ask Hundred Faces directly.
What kind of bizarre cards had been stuffed into this "Faerie Realm (Pseudo)" Deck? He had created it, hadn't he? How could he not know about this?
"Master, please spare me," Hundred Faces immediately pleaded. She'd already had her head lopped off once in the Seventh Singularity; she had no desire to repeat the experience here.
"I activate the Host's effect!" Fairy Tristan announced. "When Special Summoned, I can declare a card type, then reveal the top card of my Deck. If it's the declared type, I add it to my hand; otherwise, it's sent to the Graveyard. I declare Spell Card!"
The effect was identical to the original version, just with the "Faerie Realm" tag added.
Fairy Tristan flipped over the top card of her Deck—Spirit Origin Fusion. She successfully added it to her hand.
"Still not going to interrupt?" Fairy Tristan glanced at Aurora's backrow. This time, she wasn't bluffing. "If you don't act now, you'll lose your chance."
Aurora waved her hand dismissively. These are just a bunch of worthless scrubs. Do they really expect me to intervene?
"In that case, I'll use 2 or more 'Faerie Realm' Servants as materials! I overlay the Level 2 Dragon Shooter, Wrestler, and Host! Xyz Summon! Mysterious Wrestler of the Faerie Realm (Pseudo)!"
"Huh?"
Jiang You's reaction was the most extreme of all. What the hell is going on? None of this makes any sense!
A muscular, blonde-haired female wrestler wearing a mask descended from the sky, crashing to the ground amidst thunderous cheers that roared like mountains and crashed like seas. Radiant as the sun itself, she struck a grappling pose.
[ Mysterious Wrestler ] (Rider) - Attack Power: 3500
"What's so mysterious about you? Quetzalcoatl, what are you doing here too?"
At this rate, was Goldie also lurking somewhere in Fairy Tristan's Deck? He'd just been messing around, throwing everyone together, but somehow he'd created something truly bizarre.
"Isn't this great? Big Sister here loves this outfit too! But to maintain the mystery, please don't call me by my real name, okay~? Call me by my codename: Flying Serpent!"
Quetzalcoatl was never one to sit still. After dominating the entire North American wrestling scene, she had embarked on a quest to conquer the world. Thanks to the Fuyuki incident dragging many hidden things from the shadows into the light, her journey had been smoother than it otherwise would have been.
"That doesn't hide anything at all, does it?"
Who wouldn't know who you are after hearing that codename?!
Morgan shifted her focus to Quetzalcoatl. This woman was extremely dangerous, possessing an exceptionally high level of Divinity. However, seeing her become an ally to Baobhan Sith brought Morgan a profound sense of relief. She finally no longer had to worry about Baobhan Sith's future. Jiang You was indeed better suited to raising a child than she was.
"Mysterious Wrestler's effect! By detaching one Xyz Material, I can either return one Servant from my Graveyard to my hand or Special Summon it to the field! You only said I couldn't Special Summon from the Graveyard—you never said I couldn't return cards to my hand, right?"
Fairy Tristan had found the solution. This was her new power.
"I'll return Fairy Knight Tristan to my hand!"
"Next, I activate the Spell Card Spirit Origin Fusion! Using Fairy Knight Tristan from my hand and Cernunnos as Fusion Materials! From my Extra Deck, I Special Summon Fairy Knight Tristan (Swimsuit)!"
As the card was slammed onto the field, Fairy Tristan's ultimate monster made its grand entrance once more. Seeing such a basic card, Jiang You blinked in surprise. A simple Fusion from the hand? Still, the card's appearance wasn't entirely unexpected. It wasn't the first time Heroic Spirits had fused their Spirit Origins.
Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)
Attack Power: 3000
"Don't even think about it! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Night of Annihilation! By targeting one card on the field, I destroy it, and the targeted card cannot activate its effect in response to this card's activation!"
This card depicted the historical event where Aurora commanded Fairy Tristan to annihilate the Mirror Clan, a relatively recent event. The card art showed the Mirror Clan Leader's final vision before death: his clansmen lying slain before him, while Fairy Lancelot brandished her blade toward him, the bloody night dyeing the moon crimson.
"So it was Lancelot who wiped out the Mirror Clan?"
The fairies were overwhelmed by the day's revelations. "She'd actually do something like that... truly worthy of being a Calamity. Her appearance is so deceiving."
"Did you forget who raised her? Aurora is like this; how could she possibly be any better?"
Aurora's reputation, already tarnished, plummeted further. Though she had resolved to embrace her true nature, these comments still darkened her expression. She memorized the gossiping fairies, vowing to turn them into insects and crush them one by one if the opportunity arose.
"Its effect can't be activated... There's nothing I can do."
If she could have activated her effect, Fairy Tristan could have dealt with the Spell Card herself. But she was countered and sent directly to the Graveyard.
"You're not so tough after all," Aurora sneered. "This card has another effect: if it successfully sends a Servant to the Graveyard, the opponent must also send all cards with the same name to the Graveyard... Looks like you only had one. What a shame."
Aurora possessed the ruthlessness of a Chinese protagonist: when you weed, you pull out the roots. If she said she'd kill your whole family, she'd kill your whole family.
"Let's see if you can still sound so smug after this! I activate the Spell Card Blessed Heir! This card allows me to Special Summon one Fairy Knight from my Graveyard! The Servant summoned by this card's effect gains 500 Attack Power!"
Since this wasn't a restrictive Deck Fusion, Fairy Tristan could immediately bring back her ultimate monster in the same turn.
Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit) Attack Power: 3000 → 4000
Boosted by the Field Spell and the new Spell Card, her Attack Power soared to 4000, rivaling that of a Grand Servant!
"You think that's all? I overlay my Level 4 Mysterious Wrestler to perform an Xyz Summon!"
Fairy Tristan glanced at her Extra Deck. That guy is so annoying, she thought, but this Duel is no time for petty grudges. Even if I don't care about my own pride, I can't cause trouble for Mother!
"Sister, I haven't even started warming up yet," Quetzalcoatl said, already sensing what Fairy Tristan was about to do. She was remarkably understanding. "Next time, let me show them what I can do!"
Fairy Tristan nodded to Quetzalcoatl. "The summoning condition is 3 or more Faerie Realm Servants! Alternatively, it can be Xyz Summoned by overlaying it directly onto a Rank 8 Faerie Realm Xyz Monster! I Special Summon Finance Minister of the Faerie Realm (Pseudo)!"
"Holy crap," Jiang You muttered, at a loss for where to even begin with his commentary.