Fairy Tristan was astonished that Jiang You, a man she had never met before, could speak to Morgan in such a way. She realized she likely couldn't harm him without incurring her mother's wrath. Yet even so, she desperately wanted to help Beryl.
"Next is Blessed Heir! This card allows me to Special Summon a Fairy Knight from the Graveyard! The servant summoned by this card gains 500 Attack Power!"
This card likely corresponded to the story of Morgan finding Fairy Tristan's current reincarnation, bestowing upon her the name and status of a princess.
A radiant pink-haired young girl entered the battlefield, her high heels clicking against the ground as she strode through the churning blood pool.
Fairy Knight Tristan
Archer, 6-Star, Attack Power: 2000 → 2500
Fairy Tristan's effects are somewhat similar to those of Tristan from Pan-Human History, but with a key difference: she can activate her ability once per turn, sacrificing her attack for that turn to proactively destroy all servants on the field with Attack Power lower than hers. Her attacks also have built-in defense-piercing properties, and the damage dealt is considered Effect Damage. Furthermore, while she's on the field, she heals for half the Effect Damage she inflicts on them.
Another effect triggers when this card is sent to the Graveyard by one of the player's own card effects: the card is banished, and a 12-Star Berserker is Special Summoned from the Graveyard.
Fairy Tristan couldn't quite grasp the final effect. If it were a 6-Star card, she would immediately recognize it as her mother, Morgan. But who could this 12-Star Berserker be? There wasn't one in her Deck. However, this wasn't her immediate concern. She continued her moves.
"Hmph, now I've collected them all."
Fairy Tristan's mood plummeted like a roller coaster after cresting its peak, plunging her into silence.
The card art depicted a young girl lying in bed, her body ravaged by decay. Her fingernails and even parts of her arms had rotted away. She stared despairingly at a figure walking away, his back turned as he pushed open the door without a backward glance, utterly indifferent to her suffering.
Fairy Tristan knew these two figures all too well: they were her and Beryl. Moreover, the card's effect was spelled out plainly.
"Beryl, can you tell me exactly what that Sorcery you taught me does?"
Fairy Tristan lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes, making it impossible to read her expression.
"It's a Sorcery designed to ravage souls—a particularly vile spell. Just the kind you adore."
Beryl swore to the heavens that he was telling the truth.
"And the cost?"
Had it not been for the card's effect, Fairy Tristan's questioning would have stopped there. But she pressed on, her voice rising: "What's the cost?! Tell me who the Corrupting Sorcery targets?! I trusted you so completely—why?!"
Jiang You loved watching scenes like this. If he didn't need to maintain his image in front of Morgan, he would have pulled out a cola and popcorn from his inventory. "A free extra tip: what's rotting isn't just the physical body you see. It's rotting from the inside out, starting with the soul."
"Is that so?" Beryl maintained his professional smile, determined not to show his growing panic. He was used to pretense; after all, Beryl was a master of self-deception, capable of performing even his most hated tasks with apparent sincerity.
"You know, I never truly mastered this power myself. I'm as surprised as you are. It was my oversight—powerful magic often comes with a terrible price."
"No, you knew!" Fairy Tristan's voice broke into a sob. The Cards spoke volumes: Morgan and the earlier Blessed Heir Card had already proven the truth, and the Corrupting Sorcery Card was no different.
"You knew all along! I'll show you right now—I'm setting two Cards face-down in my back row and ending my turn."
"Are you sure you want to use that Card?"
Jiang You felt that seeing the cards should have been enough proof, but what hope was this child still clinging to? "This thing is a microcosm of the past and future, but it's more like a reenactment. For example, Effect Damage is akin to experiencing death, and attack boosts truly make you feel an overwhelming surge of power. This thing will genuinely let you relive those sensations."
"Mind your own business!"
Fairy Tristan's mind was in utter turmoil. Morgan merely watched with cold eyes, while Beryl continued to bombard her with cruel lies. "Didn't you say you'd prove it through a Duel?! Just summon, and leave the rest to me!"
Though Jiang You had initially come to help Fairy Tristan, he had inadvertently stepped on her landmine early on, resulting in a low initial Affection level. Even Beryl's exposure as a "wolf" hadn't been enough to change that.
"Sorry, but this is my concern."
Jiang You would be spending a long time with Fairy Tristan from now on. If he showed weakness, she might cause trouble. "Whether you like it or not, from now on, I'm essentially your guardian. My turn. Draw!"
Jiang You was eager to test out his newly acquired Round Table Knight Card Deck. He had obtained numerous Round Table Knight cards during the 1.6 Script, making this the perfect opportunity to use them. "First, I activate the effect of Lancelot [Saber]. By sending one Round Table Knight card from my Hand Card and one Holy Sword card from my Deck to the Graveyard, I Special Summon him to the field in Attack Position!"
The Knight of the Lake materialized, striding across the water.
Lancelot: Attack Power 2400
"Lancelot... But this Lancelot isn't... It's the Lancelot from the outside world?!"
Fairy Tristan initially felt a surge of excitement, having always yearned for the tales of the Round Table Knights from Pan-Human History. But this joy quickly turned to sorrow as she remembered that Beryl had been the one to tell her those stories.
"This Noble Phantasm... Lord Jiang You, we meet again."
Lancelot greeted Jiang You with gentlemanly courtesy before turning his gaze to the battlefield. When he saw Morgan, his pupils constricted.
"Is this still Camelot? No, the atmosphere is completely different. Has something else befallen our homeland?"
Lancelot wasn't wrong; this place was indeed rife with calamities and dangers.
Unfortunately, Jiang You didn't have time to respond before Fairy Tristan activated her Set Card in the backfield.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card 'Corrupting Sorcery,' targeting myself. Then, I equip 'Lancelot' as an Equip Card to 'Beryl.' 'Beryl' gains the Attack Power and Defense Power of the Equip Card, is treated as a card with the same name, and gains the same effects."
"As a cost, 'Fairy Knight Tristan's' Attack Power drops to 0, her effects are negated, and she is forced into Attack Position, unable to attack."