"The effect of Rainbow Life—after receiving damage, my Life Points are still at 4100."
Kira spoke calmly, then revealed the card he'd just discarded to the graveyard.
"Also, the card I just discarded from my hand was the Spell Card 'Card of Compensation'."
"If this card is discarded from your hand, you can draw two cards from your deck."
Akiza bit her lip, her body trembling ever so slightly—whether out of rage or frustration, it was unclear.
"What's wrong? Is this the extent of the witch's fury?"
Kira tilted his head.
"Looks like your will for revenge isn't very firm. Sayer would be very angry with you."
"Shut up! Shut up!"
Akiza lashed out in anger, her messy long hair whipped about by a surge of air, billowing in the wind.
Yet, despite the outburst, Kira could sense that her pressure and energy level hadn't notably increased compared to before.
"Is this your limit?"
Kira observed her for a moment and said slowly,
"I see now. You loathe yourself, deny your own strength. If you keep up such a self-hating mindset, then maybe—just maybe—this is as far as you'll ever get."
He paused, glancing again at the glowing dragon mark on Akiza's arm.
"But your potential is so much more than this. I expect Sayer told you: the Crimson Dragon is a symbol of evil, a tool for the Sector Security to control the world. He probably said only the Arcadia Movement could save the world from the Crimson Dragon, right?"
It was recorded even in Sayer's secret files.
Akiza still stared coldly at him, silent.
"You deny your own strength and even fight against it, so you end up this weak. You want revenge, want to defeat me, but you'll never manage it at this level. Deep inside, you crave acceptance—but Sayer buried that longing, teaching you to answer the world's hate with violence and hate in return. Yet the result is you're pushed even further away, until you hate even yourself."
"But if even you can't accept yourself, how could anyone else ever try to?"
"Shut up! Shut up! What do you know?" Akiza snapped, "It's so easy to judge from up high with that tone of yours. If I could just accept myself that easily, why would I be in so much pain!?"
"Of course you can." Kira replied evenly. "Because Sayer was lying to you from the start. The power of the Crimson Dragon has been passed down since ancient times—a power for guardianship, always treated as a guardian deity throughout history. The Signers chosen by the Crimson Dragon have always been beloved heroes."
"Sayer doesn't lie." Akiza gritted her teeth. "But you in the Sector Security are cheats and schemers—isn't that your specialty?"
Kira shrugged—he couldn't argue with that, since that was exactly Goodwin's M.O.
"Well, I know you won't listen to me now, and I never expected you to believe me right away. Just keep it in mind—you'll understand eventually."
"But right now…"
Kira smiled.
"You want to defeat me? Seek revenge? Then strive to become stronger. Show me your limits."
"My turn—draw!"
Akiza stopped talking, focusing all her attention.
She was starting to realize this person was truly a formidable opponent. Still, she had Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis on her field—whether by battle or by effect, as long as Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis was destroyed, it would deal 800 damage.
Come, destroy my Amaryllis—keep taking the pain.
"I tribute the 'Rose Token' and 'Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis' on your field," Kira said with a grin. "And hand you this powerful monster as a gift."
Akiza: "? "
He tributed my... Amaryllis?
Next, she saw molten lava surge beneath both the Rose Token and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis. The Amaryllis's lament was drowned by a volcanic roar as its body disintegrated, golden particles plunging into boiling magma.
"From the magma of the abyss, awaken the power of destruction and rebirth—
Level Eight, Lava Golem!"
In the surging lava, a giant forged of flame slowly rose. Its fists, bound by chains, swung as a jet-black cage emerged from the molten depths, trapping the helpless girl inside.
[Lava Golem – ATK 3000]
Akiza: "? "
No battle, no effect destruction, just ate her Amaryllis?
Akiza was stunned for a few seconds, but continued, "Even so, 'Black Garden's' effect still activates. When a new monster is special summoned to my field, Black Garden will special summon a new 'Rose Token' to your field!"
Another tough little rose tenaciously bloomed on Kira's side.
[Rose Token – ATK 800]
"Continuous Trap: 'Rose Flame' effect!" shouted Akiza. "When a new Plant-type monster is summoned to your field, you take 500 damage!"
[Kira, LP 4100 → 3600]
For someone whose LP just recovered a lot, this damage seemed unimpressive.
"Tytannial, Princess of Camellias—attack the last Rose Token in Defense Position on her field."
Tytannial unfurled a storm of petals, forming a blood-red vortex that swept away the final Rose Token on Akiza's field, grinding it into fragments in the crimson maelstrom.
Naturally, since it was in Defense Position, no battle damage was dealt.
"Battle phase over. Although my trump card's now on your side, letting my ace monster get used against me would be a problem..."
Kira continued.
"Now I activate the Spell Card—'Swords of Revealing Light!'"
Several swords made of holy light rained down, piercing around Akiza's field like another layer of prison around Lava Golem's cage, trapping her ever more tightly.
"With Swords of Revealing Light, counting from your turn, your monsters can't attack for the next three turns. My turn's over."
Akiza frowned.
So it's an attack lockdown—what's he plotting now?
"My turn, draw!"
"At this moment," Kira declared, "Lava Golem's monster effect. As long as this card remains, the controller takes 1000 damage during their Standby Phase."
Molten lava poured down from above her head, the heat wave seemingly dampening even her aura of rage.
"Urgh..."
[Akiza, LP 3750 → 2750]
Now she understood.
This bastard... is his plan to lock out my attacks and burn me to death with this monster!?
…
…
PS: Please support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode