"She actually blocked it?"
Fairy Tristan glanced at her hand. It was impossible to end the Duel this turn. But it didn't change the outcome. With Tiamat on the field, Aurora was powerless to turn the tide.
Tiamat currently has only one Xyz Material remaining, and there are no suitable servants in her Graveyard to Special Summon this turn. Therefore, Fairy Tristan retains the Xyz Material for battle destruction resistance.
"I set two cards face-down in my Backrow and end my turn. Come, complete your final struggle!"
"..."
After a series of attacks, Aurora realized Tiamat possessed a resistance similar to "cannot be destroyed by card effects," leaving her no choice but to break through with combat. Her only remaining card was Horizon of Light, obtained from Melusine, meaning she still had one chance to overcome Tiamat through battle.
"My turn! Draw!"
The card she drew was Coral. If successfully Special Summoned, it allowed her to Special Summon a Fairy Knight from her Graveyard, meaning she could use this card to Synchro Summon Melusine in her Liberated State in one move. Melusine's 4000 Attack Power, combined with Horizon of Light's 1000 Attack Power boost, would exactly match Tiamat's base stats.
"Coral is somewhat useful, but she's just too noisy! I usually Normal Summon Coral."
Coral: Attack Power 500
"Oh, I'm familiar with this situation."
Jiang You had encountered this exact scenario during his Duel against Melusine, though Fairy Tristan's interruption was more comprehensive. Aurora was already finished.
"Lady Aurora?"
Coral realized she had once again been Summoned to another place in this manner. Unlike before, she was now surrounded by Lords and nobles from all over Britain, with Queen Morgan herself present. These high-ranking Fairies had gathered as if to witness a grand performance.
"What's going on here?"
"You talk too much. Shut up."
Aurora didn't consider Coral worthy of a proper explanation. Now that she no longer needed to maintain her persona, she declared, "Coral's effect! Special Summon Melusine from the Graveyard!"
"Did I say you were allowed to do that?"
Just as Jiang You had anticipated, Fairy Tristan, even without knowing the full effects of Melusine's Synchro Form, wouldn't allow Coral to activate her effect so easily. Especially now that Aurora's face-up card was the Horizon of Light.
"My own effect activates once per turn. When a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect is activated, negate its activation and destroy it. Down you go!"
Before Coral could even comprehend the situation, she was sent to the Graveyard. Now, Aurora had no means to continue the Duel.
"This is impossible!"
It wasn't that Aurora doubted Fairy Tristan possessed such an ability; after all, some of Melusine's effects were similar. Rather, she couldn't accept the fact that Fairy Tristan had defeated her so easily. Everyone had witnessed Fairy Tristan's overwhelming power—how could she be this strong?
"This power isn't truly yours! If it weren't for him! And her! And those ridiculous Faerie Realm Cards, you wouldn't stand a chance against me! I refuse to accept this victory!"
Aurora pointed at Jiang You and Tiamat. She had a gut feeling that everything happening here was caused by that human; the title "Regent" alone explained a lot. As for Tiamat, her mere presence was so overwhelming that no one could even think of resisting. How could a lowly, base fairy like Fairy Tristan possibly possess such power?
"You're plotting something, aren't you? You're not the Savior at all!"
"Does that matter? Let's talk about the price of this Shadow Game."
Even at the end, Aurora tried to drag Fairy Tristan down with her. But at this point, whether Fairy Tristan was the true Savior no longer mattered. She had demonstrated the power to handle the curse, so even if she wasn't, she could be the Child of Prophecy. Whether the fairies accepted it or not, they would all call her the Child of Prophecy.
"You wanted me to turn against Mother, didn't you?"
As Fairy Tristan spoke, Tiamat reacted, but only Jiang You noticed.
"So, what should the price for your loss be? After all, you don't even have a mother."
Among humans, such a statement would be a grave insult. Among fairies, it meant nothing at all.
"But Mother is the person I revere most. So the price for your loss is to destroy what you cherish most, right?"
Although Fairy Tristan had admitted to having feelings for Jiang You, he still came second to Morgan in her heart.
"What I cherish most is...?"
As a fairy, Aurora's sole purpose was to outshine everyone else. This brilliance encompassed not only her fame but also her physical beauty. Now that she had lost her fame, she had reluctantly settled for becoming the most evil fairy to continue "shining." With that, her physical form—her "skin"—became the thing she valued most. She had already prepared to take poison and commit suicide after her defeat, ensuring that the Faerie Realm would remember the legend of a wicked yet beautiful fairy, making her a star of vibrant, poisonous purple in its history.
"No! Not that!"
"You seem quite fond of your skin, don't you? After all, you have no fame left."
Aurora was easy to read. Her entire existence, much like a human's, revolved around two things: her "face" (appearance) and her "skin" (reputation). Fairy Tristan was about to rip both away completely.
"Didn't you always call your knights 'rotting flesh from the swamp'? As the Lord of Rotting Flesh, you should stay right here in this rotting swamp. That way, no one will have to smell your putrid stench. And don't worry—I won't let you die so easily."
"From now on, your feet will never leave this swamp. You'll wear only mud for clothes and eat only rotting plants and animals for food. Soon, when the Faerie Realm speaks of you, they won't remember the evil woman who poisoned Uther. They'll only know of a filthy, mad fairy living in a swamp!"
Fairy Tristan certainly had a knack for playing the villain.
"Is that look in your eyes meant to threaten revenge in your next life? Don't worry, I won't give you the chance! The moment your life ends, you will use that cursed item in your hand—the one tainted with Mors' Curse—to slit your own throat! You know full well what Mors' Curse does, don't you?"
"Now, do us all a favor and destroy what you cherish most for our entertainment. Since you can no longer act, your turn is over!"
Since Aurora remained motionless, Fairy Tristan ended her turn for her. "Draw card, then enter the Battle Phase."
"This can't be happening! Please, just kill me!"
Aurora couldn't accept this fate. She had endured the filth of the swamp only to maintain her persona, but to be bound to it for the rest of her life was utterly unbearable. Worse, this would destroy even the wicked reputation she had compromised herself to build. Everyone who spoke of her would remember her final state, calling her names like "insect" or worse.
"That would be letting you off too easily. Tiamat, please win this Duel for me!"
Fairy Tristan flatly refused. Morgan had raised her to be ruthless, and though she had softened somewhat, her core nature hadn't changed enough to show mercy now. She had even considered the "Human Jar" from the history of a great nation Jiang You had told her about, but that would kill Aurora too quickly, which would be no fun at all.
Aurora's LP: 1800 → 0!