"Amazing, amazing."
Kira clapped in praise.
Even though she'd summoned her ace, Alice had already used up her Battle Phase during the prep to call out the Doll Chimera. She couldn't attack this turn and could only end it.
"Then it's my turn. Draw."
He lazily flipped his set monster face-up.
"Since you didn't attack it, I'll flip it myself.
Flip Summon 'Magical Merchant.'
When this card is flipped, reveal cards from the top of your Deck until you reveal a Spell/Trap. Add that first revealed Spell/Trap to your hand, and send the remaining revealed cards to the GY."
"Randomly grabbing a Spell or Trap?" Alice said.
"Then I'll start." Kira turned over the first card, showing it. "First card, Monster, to the GY."
"Second card, Monster, to the GY."
"…"
Moments later, Alice's eyes widened more and more as she watched him dump practically half his Deck.
"Tenth card, Monster, to the GY."
"…"
"Twentieth card, Monster, to the GY."
"…"
"Twenty-seventh card, Monster, to the GY."
Alice's little mouth formed an O.
"Y-you, how—"
Kira smiled and gestured at his thick stack of a Deck.
"My Deck has a total of sixty cards," he said with a grin. "Guess how many Spells/Traps there are in it?"
Alice: "…"
"…"
"Thirty-second—hah, finally." Kira revealed a Trap in his hand. "The only Trap in my Deck. So this card goes to my hand, and the prior thirty-one cards all go to the GY."
Alice numbly watched him spill half his Deck into the GY, little head full of big question marks.
So what was the point of that?
"Among those thirty-one monsters I just sent, one of them was 'Makyura the Destructor,'" Kira said. "The turn this card is sent to the GY, I can activate Trap Cards from my hand.
So I activate the Trap I just picked up.
Trap Card: 'Skull Lair'!"
"Skull Lair lets me banish any number of monsters from my GY, then destroy 1 face-up monster on the field whose Level is equal to the number of monsters banished by this effect."
Alice was a bit lost. "Equal to the number of banished monsters' Level…?"
"In other words, your 'Doll Chimera' is a Level 5. So if I banish five monsters from my GY, I can destroy your Chimera."
Alice brightened. "Oh, I see!"
"So I banish five monsters from my GY to destroy Doll Chimera!"
The energy of five monsters surged into the Trap Card, loosing like arrows at the cursed doll!
"Not so fast!" Alice said. "I send two 'Doll Part Gold' from my Deck to the GY to negate Chimera's destruction!"
She dumped two Parts to the GY.
"And Chimera becomes even stronger because of it!"
[Doll Chimera, ATK 2400 → ATK 3200]
"Then I banish another five monsters from my GY and activate 'Skull Lair,'" Kira said. "Destroy Doll Chimera."
Alice started. This Trap doesn't have a once-per-turn?
"T-then I send two 'Doll Part Pink' from my Deck to the GY to negate Chimera's destruction!"
Alice sent two more parts.
"Chimera's ATK increases again!"
[Doll Chimera, ATK 3200 → ATK 4000]
"I banish five monsters from the GY," Kira said evenly. "Destroy Doll Chimera."
Alice's little face was turning pale.
She fully understood his intention now, but she was powerless—she could only keep going with a miserable expression.
"I-I send two 'Doll Part Red' from my Deck to the GY to negate Chimera's destruction…"
[Doll Chimera, ATK 4000 → ATK 4800]
"I banish five more monsters from the GY. Destroy Doll Chimera," Kira said coolly.
Alice was on the verge of tears. "I—I…"
"Right. You have four types of Doll Parts, up to three copies each—twelve in total—and they're all in the GY now."
Kira's tone was calm.
"You have no more parts to send.
Even if you can revive endlessly by sending parts, the Doll Parts in your Deck are finite.
There is no curse that can't be broken, and no night that never ends.
Doll Chimera—destroyed."
Skull Lair fired again. The cursed doll had its chest pierced through and finally exploded, no more reviving, as if even its grudges were blasted to dust.
"Skull Lair's effect again," Kira said. "I banish three more monsters from the GY to destroy your 'Alice the Wandering Doll.'"
Skull Lair fired once more; the last monster on Alice's field—Alice herself—was shattered.
Alice's face turned even whiter, lips trembling.
Stop blowing things up, please, I'm begging you.
This isn't even a duel!
"Then my Field Spell 'Chaos Zone' gains a Chaos Counter each time a monster is banished."
Kira spoke evenly.
"So count it up. How many cards did I banish this turn?"
"Huh?"
Alice froze for a second.
Then the doll lowered her head and started counting on her fingers.
"Mm, each time Chimera got blasted it took five, and blasting Alice took three…"
She looked up, cautiously.
"That's t-twenty… twenty-three?"
"Congratulations, that's correct. So smart." Kira smiled.
Alice, a little bashful, scratched her head with a shy grin.
Halfway through the smile, she stiffened again.
Wait, why am I happy when I'm about to get wrecked?
"Another effect of Chaos Zone: once per turn, you can remove four or more Chaos Counters from it; Special Summon 1 of your banished monsters whose Level equals the number of counters removed.
So from the twenty-three banished monsters, I'll Special Summon this one."
Kira revealed a monster.
"Professor Lyman, lend me your strength—
—Golden Homunculus, summon!"
A giant of rock forged of gold, towering and imposing—the alchemical titan that synergizes well with Macro Cosmos, once used by Professor Lyman.
[Golden Homunculus, ATK 1500]
"Golden Homunculus gains ATK/DEF equal to 300 times the number of your banished cards."
Alice trembled harder.
"The number of banished cards, which means…"
"Correct. Excluding the Homunculus itself, I have twenty-two banished monsters," Kira said cheerfully. "Thus, its ATK becomes…"
[Golden Homunculus, ATK 1500 → ATK 8100]
"ATK eight thousand one hundred!?"
Alice's knees buckled and she collapsed.
If that hits, I'm absolutely gonna break…
She actually started crying.
I knew it—I should've trusted my instincts.
I never should've come to this man's room tonight.
This is hell!
"Golden Homunculus," Kira said, "attack Alice directly."
The golden giant raised a fist larger than Alice herself.
Alice crouched, clutching her head.
"Ahhhhh—"
[Alice, LP 1450 → LP 0]