"Gem-Knight Lapis is the healer within our Gem-Knight Order."
Seeing Lapis slowly raise its hand, controlling the puppet strings to draw the card, Crystal began to explain.
"Generally, after we fight with the spirits of other forces, they will perform healing… Damn, it must have followed me through the dimension after I got infected, prepared to heal me, and got caught by these bastards!"
Tenjo Hikari could feel the frustration and anger of Crystal attached to him.
Previously, knowing that his infection made the Shaddoll a tool for others, Crystal was already quite annoyed. Now, seeing his fellow healer spirit in such a miserable state to save him, he felt deeply guilty.
Luckily, Tenjo Hikari didn't arrive too late.
If Lapis really turned into El Shaddoll Construct, maybe it could be directly controlled by Tierra, but Crystal would be remorseful for a lifetime.
After all, spirits are spirits, and transformed spirits seem impossible to reverse evolve.
As for its current state, it somewhat resembles "Gem-Knight Construct."
Lapis slowly controlled the puppet strings on its body, starting its turn.
The first card.
A giant card fell from the sky, crashing to the ground, large enough to be human height. It flipped over, revealing itself.
"Brilliant Fusion?" Tierra chuckled seeing this card, "Tenjo Hikari, it seems this time you'll be hit by your own card."
Tenjo Hikari didn't respond to her. Knowing he faced an not-yet-fully transformed Lapis, he was prepared.
He revealed two cards, emitting a hissing sound.
"Fusion materials are Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Sapphire?" Tenjo Hikari watched its moves attentively.
After a bizarre distortion, a fusion monster hung by strings appeared on its field.
Gem-Knight Aquamarine, LV 6, Earth Attribute, Aqua-Type, DEF 2600.
"Ah————"
Brilliant Fusion glowed brightly.
Although Brilliant Fusion can use cards from the deck as fusion material for a Fusion Summon, the summoned monster's ATK and DEF will become 0.
Gem-Knight Aquamarine, DEF: 0
"Opening with Aquamarine." Tierra nodded slightly, "As defense, it can bounce back a card, quite useful."
Afterward, Gem-Knight Lapis set two cards, ending its turn.
Tenjo Hikari drew a card, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow.
Hey——
A bit of a hellish hand, this.
He looked at Tierra. Upon being looked at, Tierra flipped her hair, turning her back to him, responding, "What are you looking at? Do you think I would tamper with your hand cards? Me?"
True.
Tenjo Hikari nodded.
"Sorry, it was instinctive to look at you." He apologized.
So it's a regular start.
Since that's the case…
"I activate the Spell Card—Shaddoll Fusion from my hand!"
"This card is a Fusion Spell Card specifically for Shaddoll monsters. It sends fusion materials from hand or field to the graveyard for a Shaddoll monster Fusion Summon. But—if the opponent has a monster from the Extra Deck Special Summoned on the field."
"Then, monsters from your deck can also be used as fusion materials for a Fusion Summon."
"I send Shaddoll Falco and Elemental Hero Avian from the deck to the graveyard! For fusion!"
"Fusion conditions: a Shaddoll monster and a Wind Attribute monster!"
"Fusion!
Representing wind, the God Shaddoll—El Shaddoll Wendigo!"
Crack crack…
With a series of cracking sounds, a giant mechanical dolphin rose from the dark ground, with puppet strings controlling it everywhere, and in front of it, a pale, bloodless mechanical girl holding a dark magic staff stood upright rigidly.
El Shaddoll Wendigo, LV 6, Wind Attribute, Psychic-Type, ATK 200.
"Shaddoll Falco's monster effect, this card's effect activates when sent to the graveyard. Special Summon it in facedown Defense on the field!"
Accompanied by a screech, a mechanical falcon under puppet string control rose from the grave, set on the field, turning into a black stone emitting dark gas.
"Battle, directly attack with Wendigo!"
"Wow, two hundred attack still attacking, huh." Tierra laughed beside.
The opponent's defense is a mere 0! Not attacking now would be a waste.
Wendigo swayed as it lifted the magic staff, and the dolphin behind it immediately flew up, crashing into Aquamarine's shield.
Lapis was visibly confused by the current situation but instinctively didn't control the card, letting Aquamarine be destroyed.
After Aquamarine was destroyed, its sword and shield spiraled and thrust into Tenjo Hikari's set card. Then, the black stone flashed momentarily and returned to Tenjo Hikari's hand.
Gem-Knight Aquamarine's effect: When sent from the field to the graveyard, it targets 1 opponent's card; that card returns to the opponent's hand.
Tenjo Hikari didn't react to this effect; he didn't mind which card returned.
As he mainly used this to offset Aquamarine's effect.
"End the Battle Phase, entering Main Phase 2, set a monster on the field." Tenjo Hikari summoned a black gas-emitting set monster on the field, then casually set a Spell Trap Card.
"Then, I set two more cards, ending the turn."
"Ah————" Lapis opened its mouth, emitting sound like a struggle, yet resembling a curious ancient tune.
As its sound echoed, the entire Broken Dimension began to shake violently, the spirits entwined by its puppet strings roared angrily, and simultaneously, the mechanized, puppeted humans screamed in pain, seemingly having their life absorbed.
"Lapis! This—Lord Tenjo!"
Seeing it absorb human life, despite displeasure towards them, out of knightly spirit, Crystal still didn't want Lapis to do such a thing, absolutely not wanting a healer of the knight order to act like this; its greatest concern was Lapis's painful appearance.
"Quiet down—terrible. Can't stand it." Tierra was somewhat annoyed seeing its anxiousness, "Honestly, you're far behind, not just Tenjo Hikari, you're entirely different from the real Crystal…"
She looked very unhappy.
Even though Tenjo Hikari was going to defeat Lapis soon, allowing her to gain substantial Shaddoll power, she was still displeased.
"Do you doubt Tenjo Hikari will lose?"
"No, I don't mean that!" Crystal hurriedly said, "I trust Lord Tenjo! He will surely rescue Lapis!"
"Then just watch closely, or—" Tierra glanced at Tenjo Hikari, her emerald eyes momentarily flashing a terrifying red light, penetrating his body, directly seeing Crystal's soul, scaring it into silence, "Make up your mind!"