Jiang You was still using his Tiamat Deck. Once you've experienced its power, it's like Tearlaments—you can never go back to using anything else.
"First, I activate the Spell Card Anti-Genesis."
A one-sided Skill draw.
"Then, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Primordial Regression. This can only be activated while Primordial Sea or Anti-Genesis is on the field. I Special Summon Tiamat (Self-Sealed) in Attack Position from my Deck!"
A single card summons an extremely difficult-to-deal-with high-level servant.
From the black sea, the Mother of All Things slowly emerged.
Tiamat (Self-Sealed)
Attack Power: 0
"...!"
Tiamat's mere presence suffocated Melusine. As a dragon, she prided herself on being the strongest creature. Yet this opponent completely overwhelmed her with sheer presence alone. Even if she fully unleashed herself, transforming into the Dragon of Calamity, she couldn't be certain she could match this opponent. Just who was this adversary of such terrifying power?
"Is this lovely child my opponent this time?"
Tiamat couldn't help but notice that Jiang You seemed to face an unusually high number of female opponents. If he became someone who only bullied girls, he'd never be able to establish himself in society.
"She is indeed quite adorable."
As previously mentioned, this was a dragon + woman + mech combo. Who in the world could possibly stop her? "But what she's doing right now has nothing to do with being adorable. Tiamat, would you like to hear her story?"
Jiang You's current goal was to stall for time until Aurora lost her patience. If things went smoothly, he could legitimately eliminate her right here. Ever since acquiring Tiamat's Deck, combat had become completely predictable. Among the remaining known enemies, only Goetia might pose a slight challenge.
"Since you've said so yourself, Mommy naturally wants to hear it."
Tiamat nodded, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with Melusine—perhaps it was the shared draconic heritage at play.
Jiang You then recounted Melusine's origins and the stories from the game's narrative. These tales centered almost entirely around Aurora, leaving Tiamat visibly puffed up with anger.
"Melusine, Mommy has a question."
Although the Fairy could not truly be considered Tiamat's child in a strict sense, Tiamat had chosen to embrace all beings, including beasts.
"What exactly are your feelings for that wicked Aurora? Do you see her as a lover? Or a mother?"
Even Tiamat found Aurora's actions excessive, though she attributed it to her recent life among humans, which had gradually shifted her way of thinking toward human norms.
"Lover? Mother?"
Melusine and Barghest shared a similar worldview, believing in the jungle law that the weak must submit to the strong. Therefore, facing Tiamat, who radiated overwhelming power, Melusine earnestly considered her question.
Jiang You had often suffered because of this.
She had never truly pondered this question before. If pressed, she would say both, but that was merely wishful thinking. Aurora, in truth, did not care for her. She had realized this that rainy night: "I... I don't know. For me, all that matters is that Aurora continues to shine."
"Shine too brightly!"
Jiang You couldn't resist retorting, "Do you even know what naturally luminescent things exist in nature?! Those things are radioactive! Anyone who gets close to her will be irradiated until they rot and stink! Come to think of it, her wings do glow... Now it all makes sense!"
"... ..."
Melusine, of course, didn't understand such scientific jargon, but she grasped Jiang You's meaning perfectly. In her eyes, Jiang You knew her intimately, so it was only natural that he would also understand Aurora so well. Anyone who truly knew Aurora's true nature could never like her, nor would they find her radiant. "But Aurora wishes to shine like that," Melusine reasoned. "As her Knight, I don't need to overthink it."
"This is so troublesome!"
Jiang You rubbed his temples. Melusine was undeniably alluring to him, but the current Melusine was incapable of rational communication. She would eventually kill Aurora because, after the Lostbelt's collapse, Aurora could no longer maintain her beautiful appearance. To spare Aurora that fate, Melusine took matters into her own hands.
The current situation was much the same. Once Aurora's true nature was exposed, she would lose all ability to maintain her fabricated persona, rendering even her beautiful appearance meaningless. Jiang You had naively assumed this would compel Melusine to make the same decision, but he had underestimated her resolve. Back then, there was no turning back. The Faerie Realm had reached its final impasse. Melusine couldn't prevent the world's collapse, so she resolved to act. She eliminated the last anchor maintaining Melusine's existence and transformed into the sorrowful Dragon of Calamity.
Since this problem couldn't be resolved through conventional means, Jiang You would resort to a simpler method: the Shadow Game.
"Melusine! You must be the only one who knows Aurora's true nature and yet remains wholeheartedly devoted to helping her, aren't you?"
Jiang You wanted Melusine to face reality: he, too, was an unstoppable tide.
Melusine spoke with a hint of pride, "Only I can accept all of Aurora. Yes, only I."
Then her face darkened, as she likely guessed Jiang You's meaning.
"Then, let's raise the stakes of this Duel!"
Jiang You activated the Shadow Game. Even if Melusine's Affection stagnated afterward, he was prepared to risk it.
"If you lose, you must personally eliminate Aurora."
"What...?!"
Melusine's heart clenched. Jiang You's Noble Phantasm had also granted her knowledge of Duels. Against such a rule-level Noble Phantasm, she stood no chance of resistance.
"Because if you lose, her true nature—her every deed—will be exposed. Stripped of her glittering facade, what would remain? Could she still shine? Impossible, right?"
Knowing the plot not only allowed Jiang You to target Affection with his methods, but also to exploit vulnerabilities with devastating accuracy. Laughing triumphantly, he continued, "Will you stand by and watch her be trampled into the dirt? Then let her remain frozen in this moment! You must do it yourself! This isn't betrayal—it's salvation!"
Melusine knew this was exactly what she would do if cornered. Her opponent truly understood her.
She gritted her teeth. "I have no choice, do I? Then what if I win?"
Jiang You replied nonchalantly, "You can name any condition you want. I've never really cared about such things."
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