After drawing its card, Construct acted in a way completely opposite from Tierra.
It played fast.
"Flip Summon: Shaddoll Falco."
Controlled by puppet strings, the falcon flipped face-up with a sharp screech.
[Shaddoll Falco] Level 2│DARK│Spellcaster│600 ATK
A monster Flip Summoned must be in Attack Position.
'Shaddoll Falco, huh?'
Tierra nodded.
Hikaru had used it many times, so she knew Falco's effect.
"When Falco is Flip Summoned, I can target one Shaddoll monster in the Graveyard other than Falco and Special Summon it in face-down Defense Position."
Construct raised its hand, slowly connecting its puppet strings to the Graveyard: "Revive Shaddoll Squamata from the Graveyard."
Tierra nodded again.
Of course, she knew this effect.
"Huh?"
Tierra turned to Hikaru, who instinctively facepalmed.
'What?'
She immediately realized she must have messed up something in her previous turn. Even so, what was it?
Tierra looked left and right.
"Ah…" She suddenly realized.
She'd skipped an "important trigger point."
Although she caught on now, her opponent wouldn't pause for her mistake.
So, as Tierra flustered, Shaddoll Squamata had already been pulled up, transformed into a purple gem, and placed face-down on the field.
"Activate Spell Card: Polymerization." Construct played its next card. "I'll fuse the on-field Shaddoll Squamata with Hourglass of Life from my hand, to Fusion Summon myself again!"
Without hesitation, it stepped forward into the Duel Monster Zone.
[El Shaddoll Construct] Level 8│LIGHT│Fairy│2800 ATK
"Once again, activating my effect and Shaddoll Squamata's effect."
Repeating effects, impressive indeed.
Tierra mentally took note.
"I'll send my second Shaddoll Core and Shaddoll Beast from Deck to Graveyard."
Construct continued its efficient plays.
"Next, both Shaddoll Core's and Beast's effects activate. First, Beast: When sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I draw one card. Then, Shaddoll Core retrieves a Shaddoll Spell/Trap from the Graveyard.
"I'll add Nephe Shaddoll Fusion back to hand."
This way, it regained hand resources and drew a card.
However, Tierra had snapped back to attention: "Wait, activating monster effect!"
Construct paused.
"Pirmais's effect. Once per opponent's turn, I can Tribute one of my own monsters to target a card in your Graveyard and banish it. I'll Tribute Pirmais to banish your Nephe Shaddoll Fusion."
Pirmais's eyes glowed red, its blue flames instantly crystallizing into blue ice, freezing the Construct's targeted card in the Graveyard.
The card Construct intended to retrieve disappeared. Though it still drew a card, Construct felt a strange wave of nervousness and dread.
'This feeling…'
An innate sense of oppression.
Nevertheless;
It still drew its card, looking at its hand.
Should it use Shaddoll Fusion?
Normally, the best way was to wait until the opponent had an Extra Deck monster on the field.
Yet now…
No choice but to use it.
"Activate Spell Card: Shaddoll Fusion."
After some thought, Construct finalized its play, "Using Shaddoll Falco on the field and Shaddoll Hedgehog from my hand, Fusion Summon our leader: El Shaddoll Winda!"
'Real Winda!'
'Truly Winda!'
'The real Winda appeared!'
Hikaru watched the monster emerge, mentally muttering to himself.
Although—
"Real" was… also not that real.
[El Shaddoll Winda] Level 5│DARK│Spellcaster│2200 ATK
Tierra raised an eyebrow.
She actually liked this form quite a bit.
Her aesthetic sense was top-tier. If she hadn't genuinely liked it, she wouldn't have chosen this appearance herself.
Still, she didn't mind seeing it used against her.
"Hedgehog's effect: When sent to the Graveyard, I add one Shaddoll monster from the Deck to hand other than itself. I choose my second Shaddoll Falco."
Construct revealed the card to Tierra, then set it face-down in the Monster Zone.
"Next: Battle"
"Winda attacks Infernoid Antra!"
Antra had 2000 Defense.
No way it could hold against 2200 Attack.
Once it fell, Construct would get a clear shot at Tierra!
Tierra's brow lifted.
With her raw power, if Construct dared defy her, she could shatter it with a wave of her hand. Even so, this was a Duel.
Construct could now directly face her!
"I'll attack you directly."
Construct declared, swinging a punch at Tierra.
Tierra tilted her head back slightly.
"Hahahahaha."
Hikaru couldn't help laughing.
Tierra pouted, slowly straightening up.
[Tierra, LP: 4000 → 1200]
…Good thing Sophia wasn't here.
Otherwise, this would be mortifying.
Hit on the head by her own creation!
She shook her head and gently touched the spot where she'd been hit, not that she was a masochist.
She did it because, shockingly, she felt… "alive."
No matter how lively her movements seemed now, she was, undeniably, a dead god.
"Life" didn't exist within her.
Yet Duelling against a Spirit had made her feel pain.
"Such a novel and astonishing way to fight," Tierra reflected.
So that's it.
This was new-age combat, A "Duel Ceremony," truly. Without an official Duel, she would never have experienced it.
She glanced at Hikaru.
Was this the sensation Hikaru had always pursued? The kind of "Fusion" he believed in?
Hikaru smiled and said, "So? Now you get it, right?"
Feeling the pulse of "life," Tierra nodded gently while she kept staring at him.
Did he have any advice?
"Just Duel however you want to."
Tierra nodded.
She fully understood now.
So this was it, just do what she'd always wanted to do. Even if her body was long dead, only surviving through a card, it didn't matter!
"Ending your turn?" Construct asked, puzzled.
It couldn't quite grasp the situation.
At first, it had treated her as an evil Spirit stealing their leader's appearance for deception. However, as the Duel went on, it became clear, she seemed like a total beginner in combat, utterly unfamiliar.
And now, even with a commanding lead, it felt unsatisfied… even uncomfortable.
Almost like its Deck was being hard-countered.
Her power wasn't overwhelming, but its proud "resource recycling" was being locked down tightly.
Strange
Really strange.
Even so, with no better choice, it ended its turn.
"Then, Void Breach, activate." Tierra raised her right hand.
The Trap she'd set flipped face-up, showing artwork of world-consuming ice.
"Continuous Trap: Void Breach."
Blue flames around her crystallized into ice of the same color.
"Construct, I see your doubt."
"Why can this entity use Winda's form? Why does her power feel suffocating? Why is your Deck's strongest recycling power getting blocked?"
As Tierra spoke, crimson flame wings unfurled behind her, drifting on unseen winds. Though her Winda body was DARK-Attribute, the radiance she emitted cleaved through the clouds.
She was a god, undeniably.
Construct's mechanical heart thudded wildly.
Was she… serious?
It couldn't shake the feeling.
Like a saint, Tierra slowly opened her arms, "Worship me, I am your revered God."
"Goddess of Creation and Destruction."
Then, drawing back her hands, "My turn, draw. During my Standby Phase, Void Breach activates. I return one banished Infernoid to the Graveyard.
"Back to standby, Patrulea."
...
Bonus @200
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