A pair of crimson blades pierced through the plush body of a toy, followed by two more pairs, then three. Blades gleamed red in the darkness, and with a tiger's roar, a violet glow crashed down from the void.
From within the rising smoke, two purple, demonic eyes flared open—the savage toy tiger demon had arrived.
"Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, Fusion Summon!"
[Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, ATK: 2400 | DEF: 2000]
"I activate Sabre-Tooth's effect! When this card is Fusion Summoned, I can target 1 Frightfur monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! I target Frightfur Kraken! Return, Sea Devil—Roar of the Tiger King!!"
ROAR!!
The demonic tiger's roar reverberated through the shadows as eight purple tentacles shot up from the ground—the deep-sea demon doll reemerged.
[Frightfur Kraken, ATK: 2200]
"Sabre-Tooth, Kraken, and Leo—all on the field at once!" Alicia swallowed hard, astonished. "To set up that lineup in a single turn… so this is the power of a third-year Academy student!"
"No," Yuui shook his head. "She's stronger than most of them. The difference between a Shadow Duelist and an ordinary Duelist isn't something small."
"Heh… are you scared now?" Elina sneered across the field. "Good. That's how it should be. But my Frightfurs' power doesn't end here!
"Sabre-Tooth's effect—while it's on the field, all Frightfur monsters I control gain 400 Attack! Domain of the Beast King!"
ROAR!!
Sabre-Tooth bellowed again. A wave of darkness spread outward from its body, enveloping the other toys. Within it, both Kraken and Leo's aura swelled, as did Sabre-Tooth's own.
[Frightfur Sabre-Tooth, ATK: 2400 → 2800]
[Frightfur Kraken, ATK: 2200 → 2600]
[Frightfur Leo, ATK: 2400 → 2800]
"An Attack boost too!?" Alicia gasped.
Elina smirked. "And more—when Sabre-Tooth is Fusion Summoned using three or more monsters, it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects. Even if your face-downs destroy monsters, they can't touch my Sabre-Tooth! Now, let's see if your 100 Life Points can withstand my assault!"
She swept her arm. "Battle Phase! First, Frightfur Sabre-Tooth—attack directly!!"
ROAR!!
The beast howled, lunging toward Alicia with fangs and blades gleaming crimson.
Alicia's eyes darted to Yuui, who nodded firmly. She raised her hand. "I activate my face-down—Trap Card, Pinpoint Guard!
"When your opponent declares an attack: I target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in my Graveyard; Special Summon it in Defense Position, and it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn! I target Elemental HERO Clayman—come forth and protect me again!"
The ground trembled. From the cracked earth, a hum rose as the brown giant reappeared, standing tall as an unbreakable wall.
[Elemental HERO Clayman, DEF: 2000]
"Tch!" Elina gritted her teeth. She hadn't expected Alicia's final card to be something like that.
If only she'd drawn her Trap Strike Slash last turn instead of this one… then even Pinpoint Guard wouldn't have saved Alicia.
Regardless, that was only a what-if.
Still, though she couldn't deal damage, that didn't mean she couldn't remove Clayman. It would simply cost her the Battle Phase.
Grinding her teeth, Elina snapped, "Battle Phase rewind! End Battle Phase, and move to Main Phase 2! I activate Frightfur Kraken's effect! Once per turn, I can target 1 monster you control and send it to the Graveyard! I target your Clayman—Abyss Burial!!"
Rrraah!!
The massive squid's tentacles slammed into the ground. The earth bulged and cracked, and Clayman crossed his arms, bracing himself.
Abruptly, in the next instant, eight tentacles shot up beneath him, coiling tight and dragging him underground.
"Clayman!!"
Alicia bit her lip hard, powerless to stop it.
"I Set two cards and end my turn!" Elina declared, sliding both cards into her Duel Disk. "Let's see how long you can last like this. That Stigmata of yours will be mine! Turn end!"
Haaah...
As Elina ended her turn, Alicia exhaled shakily. That had been far too close… if Elina had summoned a monster with piercing, it would've been over.
"Alicia," Yuui said softly, "Are you afraid?"
She stared dazedly, then shook her head. "With you by my side, Yuui-san, I'm not afraid of anything."
Yuui's gaze softened as a smile formed. "Good. Then let's turn this Duel around."
...
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