Having been reprimanded by her superior, Taiga Fujimura shrank her neck and fell silent.
Tezcatlipoca glanced at Jiang You a few times before turning back to Fujimura. "Since the battle is still ongoing, I won't interfere with your tactics. I'll offer my assessment once we see the outcome. What are you waiting for? Keep fighting!"
"YES, SIR!" Taiga Fujimura snapped to attention, executing a crisp military salute. "Activate 'Tezcatlipoca's' effect! As a god who accepts the souls of warriors, for every Servant Card in the Banished Zone, this card's Attack Power increases by 200 points!"
Tezcatlipoca Attack Power: 4000 → 4600.
Jiang You quickly reviewed the detailed effects of Tezcatlipoca:
[This card cannot be targeted by effects. It cannot be destroyed by effects. It is unaffected by Servant effects.]
[This card cannot attack unless it was Summoned through a Master's Call.]
[For each banished servant card, this card's Attack Power increases by 200 points.]
[While this card is face-up, the Battle Phase cannot be skipped by any means. Enemy servants cannot be placed in Defense Position and must attack this card if they are able to attack.]
[When the opponent activates a Magic or Trap Card effect targeting a servant on the field, you can return one of your banished Servant Cards to your Deck to negate and destroy that card.]
[Once per turn, by banishing a servant card from your Graveyard, you can target a servant on the field and banish it. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the banished servant's Attack Power.]
Like most Grand Servants, this card can typically only be destroyed through battle. However, the extremely simple summoning method of the Avatar of the Black Sun comes at a cost: the Tezcatlipoca summoned this way cannot attack, lacking a crucial source of massive damage. This aligns with the South American myth that divine favor requires sacrifice.
"Now, during my Main Phase 2, I activate the effect of Arondight from my Graveyard, equipping it to Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)!"
Since this sword is just sitting around in the Graveyard anyway, might as well add some stats. Maybe it can help bypass certain effects triggered by Attack Power?
Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)
Attack Power: 3000 → 3600
"Is this Lancelot's Holy Sword?"
Because Fairy Tristan also has the "Knights of the Round Table" trait, she can equip any Holy Sword of the Round Table except for the Sword of Promised Victory. She swung the Arondight, which had suddenly appeared in her hand. "Hmm... can we really beat that weirdly dressed guy with this thing?"
"Don't worry, if you attack, he's as good as dead."
Jiang You currently had no way to break through Tezcatlipoca's smoke mirror. Even if he tripled the power of his "Nevernight" Spell Card, Tezcatlipoca's effect would nullify it. He needed to find a way to deplete the cards in the Banished Zone first.
"Fairy Tristan attacks Tezcatlipoca!"
If he could avoid it, Jiang You wouldn't have made this move. But Tezcatlipoca's forced effect left him no choice but to launch the attack.
Using the same move she'd employed in her previous battle against Taiga Fujimura, Fairy Tristan constructed a path of blood, skating across it like ice to confront Tezcatlipoca.
Then, with a monstrous "Wuuu—" she was sent flying, her head knocked off by Tezcatlipoca's mace-like scepter.
The backlash from the Grand-tier attack reverberated onto Jiang You, and in this Shadow Game, he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
Jiang You LP 4000 → LP 1900
"I end my turn."
Both Jiang You and Taiga Fujimura were now in a draw-one-play-one state. Fortunately, Tezcatlipoca's banishment effect required targeting; otherwise, Jiang You would have been defeated outright. Tezcatlipoca was immune to Servant effects, rendering Water Spirit Cui's disruption useless.
"My turn, draw!"
Taiga Fujimura glanced at her hand and immediately ended her turn in disappointment. It was a target-based Spell Card, completely ineffective against Fairy Tristan and likely to be countered by Tezcatlipoca. Moreover, with Tezcatlipoca still on the field, Jiang You was forced to attack.
"Then I'll set one card face-down and end my turn. Don't bother struggling—losing to our Boss is no disgrace!"
"My turn! Draw!"
Jiang You knew it was over, but not for him—for Taiga Fujimura.
"Yes, it's over! But it's you who's finished!"
"Have you forgotten Fairy Tristan's effect? I activate Fairy Tristan (Swimsuit)'s effect: discard one card from my hand to inflict 1000 Life Points of Effect Damage on you! I can't deal with Tezcatlipoca, but I can deal with you directly!"
Though Swimsuit Tristan wasn't strong enough to deliver a decisive blow, her versatile effects allowed her to adapt to any situation.
"!"
Taiga Fujimura slapped her forehead with her tiger-pawed hand. Tezcatlipoca's summoning conditions had perfectly pushed her Life Points into the Kill Zone, eliminating the need for Jiang You to even enter the Battle Phase.
"Boss, let me explain! I didn't do it on purpose!"
"As my Fragmented Spirit, aren't you being a bit too complacent? My domain has always welcomed the defeated."
Tezcatlipoca embraced all warriors, whether victorious or defeated, granting them a place within his domain. Only courage in the face of fear earned his respect.
"But I'm about to be betrayed! Quetzalcoatl will definitely kill me! I might not see tomorrow's sun."
Taiga Fujimura clung to Tezcatlipoca's leg, her eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful. "Boss, as her elder brother, you absolutely must plead for me!"
"Betrayal... you've even become her familiar?"
Tezcatlipoca began to think this Fragmented Spirit wasn't worth keeping. What kind of filth has it absorbed to become like this?
"I think you need some re-education. Next time we meet, I'll retrain you into a proper warrior. Look forward to it!"
"Eeeek!"
Tezcatlipoca's murderous glare sent Taiga Fujimura scrambling backward.
"Just get it over with. Consider it a favor I owe you."
Tezcatlipoca covered his face, unwilling to witness Taiga Fujimura's continued humiliation. What a wretched mess, he thought. I need to watch the warriors clash to cleanse my eyes.
Jiang You noticed the newly added quest, the reward listed as "?". He nodded. This Card came directly from Tezcatlipoca himself; perhaps it would finally grant him his third Grand title.
Fairy Tristan unleashed the final blow, ending the Duel.
Taiga Fujimura LP 1000 → LP 0!
"Waaaaaaahhhh!"
Taiga Fujimura was defeated, and the Shadow Game branded her with a mark of loyalty.
Jiang You's phone lit up with a notification: his reward from the Tezcatlipoca mission had arrived.
He opened it to find a Cocoa Bean.
Cocoa Bean (Spell Card):
1. Restore 1000 Life Points. 2. When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, draw one card.
"So the that guy didn't want to end up with me?"