"Blame yourself for not being strong enough. Besides, this thing's specialty is right up your alley. The chains of heaven are unaffected by effects from servants below 8 Stars. Your effect doesn't work."
It was just Taiga Fujimura barely made the cut. Her own effect was also sealed by the chains of heaven.
Taiga Fujimura Attack Power: 4000 → 3000
"Damn it! Did that golden bastard from Uruk send you?"
She knew the chains of heaven's value to Gilgamesh—how could they possibly be in someone else's hands?
"Shouldn't you be suspecting Enkidu sent me instead?"
The chains of heaven were Enkidu's true form. Since Enkidu's body had been twisted into becoming Kingu, the still-living, late-stage Golden Flash couldn't possibly use the chains of heaven.
"You're right!"
Taiga Fujimura exclaimed, her face lighting up with sudden realization. "So Enkidu sent you here?"
Jiang You felt it was a waste of time to continue arguing with this woman.
"I'm a third-party force, so are you continuing your turn?"
"1700 Attack Power against 3000? I'm not stupid. End the Battle Phase!"
Taiga Fujimura then set two cards in her back row and ended her turn.
Jiang You had been wary of the Jaguar Man reviving Tezcatlipoca from the Graveyard, so he hadn't used Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)'s negation effect yet. He never expected the Jaguar Man to end her turn so abruptly.
"Then, my turn. Draw!"
Jiang You added a card to his hand.
"Now I activate the Set Card, Blessed Heir! This card allows me to Special Summon a Fairy Knight from the Graveyard and increase its Attack and Defense by 500 each. I choose Fairy Tristan!"
The original Fairy Tristan strode onto the battlefield, treading through blood.
[ Fairy Tristan ]: Attack Power 2000 → 2500.
"Too weak, too weak! If you don't find a way to boost your Attack Power, you won't be able to defeat me, you know?"
Taiga Fujimura watched Jiang You's predicament with schadenfreude, knowing the effect of her defense break came from other cards and couldn't be sealed by the chains of heaven.
"Don't get too excited, or it'll be over before you know it. First, Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)'s effect: discard a card from your hand to reduce the Attack Power of all face-up servants on your field by 1000!"
Great Cernunnos opened its eyes, and the overwhelming pressure from the Celtic Great God left Taiga Fujimura gasping for breath.
Taiga Fujimura: Attack Power 3000 → 2000
Jaguar Man: Attack Power 1200 → 700
With a total field attack power of 5500, Jiang You couldn't secure a direct victory, as Taiga Fujimura would still have 200 Life Points remaining. So, he activated his second Set Card.
"I activate Origin Bullet! Target: Jaguar Man. Destroy it!"
Though somewhat wasteful, Taiga Fujimura's Graveyard contained Tezcatlipoca, and the longer the duel dragged on, the greater the risk of encountering him.
"Heh heh~ This is the moment I've been waiting for!"
"Even though this isn't my card, since I'm occupying his slot, I might as well make good use of it. I activate the Normal Trap Card Warrior's Authority!"
Taiga Fujimura activated the card representing Tezcatlipoca's Authority: "Forcing Contractors to fight fearlessly to the death. Those who make a pact with Tezcatlipoca cannot die a natural death; their lives must end in battle—and only in battle!"
"Therefore, those who violate the contract must be punished! [Warrior's Authority]: This card can only be activated when an opponent's effect destroys one of my servants. The opponent must then send twice that number of servants from their field to the Graveyard. If they lack sufficient servants, they take 1000 Life Points damage for each missing servant."
The destroyed servant reappeared on the field as a soul, waiting to drag the enemy down to the Graveyard with it.
"You have two servants on your field. Choose quickly!"
As expected of a Trap Card formed from the Authority of a Great God... it's terrifying. If all five of my servants were destroyed, even with a full field, I'd take a staggering 5000 Life Points damage. Without a negate, it's basically certain death.
"But... I refuse!"
Jiang You would never allow this card's effect to activate, especially since he had no cards left in his hand.
The Jaguar Man's soul flickered briefly before returning to the Graveyard.
"Alright, let's enter the Battle Phase!"
Having successfully negated the effects of the Trap Card, Jiang You launched his attack.
"First, Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)'s attack!"
Fairy Tristan soared through the air and delivered a sharp kick with her stiletto heels to Taiga Fujimura's abdomen. The petty-minded servant was clearly retaliating for Fujimura's earlier kick. The blow tore a hole in Fujimura's mascot costume, and with the full release of blood-red magical power, the wound violently expanded, sending Fujimura to the Graveyard.
Taiga Fujimura Life Points: 3000 → 2000
No attack declaration Trap, it seems, Jiang You thought, relieved. He confidently directed Fairy Tristan to deliver the final blow.
"Now, let's end this! Fairy Tristan, secure our victory!"
"It's not over yet! It might not be fair to you, but that's just how things are!"
Fujimura confidently flipped over her final Set Card. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, 'Avatar of the Black Sun'! Your opponent cannot respond to this card's activation or activate its effects. By paying half my Life Points and banishing three renowned Servants from my Graveyard, I Special Summon Tezcatlipoca from either my Deck or Graveyard!"
The black sun hung high in the sky, illuminating all below.
The Aztec's First Sun, master of battle and magic, beauty and discord, night and dominion—in short, the Great God who wielded immense authority—roared his war cry against the backdrop of the sun: "Wuuu-shao!"
[Tezcatlipoca] 12-Star Assassin, Attack Power 4000.
Tezcatlipoca descended onto the battlefield, thoughtfully surveying his surroundings.
"Woo-hoo! Look, this is our South American mythology's Great God, the ridiculously powerful Tezcatlipoca! Hey, hey Boss, which color are you now?"
Taiga Fujimura still maintained a basic respect for her "true form" and superior. Facing Tezcatlipoca, she wriggled her hips like a loyal dog, her tail wagging furiously behind her.
It remained a mystery how the plushie tail could stand upright. Moreover, shouldn't tail wagging be a canine expression of happiness? Jaguars were felines, weren't they?
Tezcatlipoca turned to glance at Taiga Fujimura, his exasperation clear. "In Central and South America, the jaguar is revered as the most powerful, wise, and sacred of all beasts. That's why I'm considered its avatar... Do you understand what I mean? Try to act a bit wiser, okay?"