Chapter 24: Finesse "Transforms"
5:18 AM in dead of night. Eden Tower's false sky wouldn't gradually brighten with passing time.
Before the artificial sun rose, the entire city remained completely shrouded in deep night darkness.
Accurately tracking someone in such darkness wasn't easy.
But Amano had a surveillance drone.
—A priestess-Eva-model drone.
The spirit-form Star Chalice priestess's petite body floated above the city, locking onto the red-haired girl traversing streets through darkness.
"This way, this way! Hurry up, Amano!"
"I can't fly. This young miss's legs are surprisingly fast!"
Amano wasn't familiar with District 11's environment. Following Finesse through dark alleys winding left and right, without a spirit guide he'd have completely lost direction.
Fortunately, Finesse's footsteps finally stopped at the endless District 11 alley's terminus.
Inside the alley, beside a brown-green metal dumpster, leaned an unconscious massive figure.
"Lutz?" Leaning against the wall hiding his form, peeking out with just half his head, Amano instantly recognized that highly distinctive muscular build even without lighting.
"Just as I thought." Amano's premonition was gradually becoming reality.
Tonight's underground duel likely wasn't really about the Wein family's 26-million-Eva-Point artificial lake contract.
The true purpose...
Seemingly detecting human presence, Lutz—unconscious just a second ago—suddenly tensed his entire body.
Discovering Lutz about to wake, Finesse suddenly gripped her wrist's Eva Terminal, striking a strange pose.
Strange pose?
Like some kind of stance.
Amano felt like he'd just seen this somewhere recently.
Afterward, Finesse's fair wrist's Eva Terminal flashed with peculiar light.
Finesse: "Transform!"
Amano: "Transform?"
Understood, but didn't fully understand.
Why shout "transform" at this moment?
However, the next scene's visual impact clearly revealed the answer to Amano.
Light flashing from the Eva Terminal covered Finesse's entire body, completely changing the girl's clothing.
Post-transformation Finesse was wrapped in black bodysuit perfectly displaying the girl's sensual body lines. Over the bodysuit, red reflective outer armor covered her form. The silver cape on her back swayed up and down with the transformation's air currents.
A cool helmet concealing half her face only exposed the girl's rosy lips and exquisitely jade-carved fair chin.
In this moment, Amano completely understood.
"Holy crap—superhero transformation?!"
Finesse's outfit bore eighty percent similarity to the superhero cosplay outfit Amano had just seen online that Finesse wore for children, including the transformation action.
Wait, young miss, you have chuunibyou syndrome?
Completely awakened by the 'transformation' sound effect, Lutz slowly stood up gripping the neighboring dumpster. In darkness, his eyes' expression was completely invisible, only transmitting a low voice.
"Who?"
Finesse left hand on hip, right hand pointing forward: "The righteous hero here to judge you!"
"Pfft..." No good, Amano couldn't take it. Too embarrassing.
So embarrassing that Amano peeking from behind the wall could practically dig out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes under District 11's street floor.
Maybe go back? Just pretend he saw nothing tonight.
Just as retreat thoughts emerged in Amano's mind, he suddenly caught a glimpse of red light from Lutz's darkness-covered eyes.
"Where'd this lunatic come from? Looking for death!"
Roaring angrily, Lutz forcefully hammered his arm toward the neighboring dumpster. The hard metal was directly pounded into complete deformation by monstrous strength.
No good—this one's dangerous too.
Though Finesse's dark-night hero performance was confusing, Lutz bore even more mysteries. Now wasn't the time to return.
Bounty hunter Lutz, who should have suffered severe injuries, refused the medical team's examination, instead running alone to the alley depths to pass out.
Revealing strangeness from head to toe.
Finesse: "Answer my question! Are you bounty hunter Lutz?"
Lutz: "Of course, I am!"
Finesse: "I'm asking about your personality! Who's controlling this body?"
Hearing these words, Lutz's violent expression abruptly restrained. His entire atmosphere instantly changed. In this moment, Amano seemed to observe the massive limbs in darkness contorting into bizarre angles.
"How much do you know, little girl?"
Facing Lutz's counter-question, Finesse only said one phrase.
"Puppeteer - Shaddoll."
"Hahahahaha!" From violent to serious to face-covering mad laughter—Lutz's personality changes seemed like multiple personalities compressed into this giant body.
"Then I absolutely can't let you leave alive!"
Words barely finished, Lutz's wrist Eva Terminal exploded with black light. The Duel Disk's deployment accompanied field barrier expansion, pulling Finesse within.
Both Eva Terminals seemed virus-infected, broadcasting in unprecedented bizarre synthesized voices.
[Forced Duel Activated]
[Duel Mode - Dark Game]
"Dark Game!" Amano was shocked.
In Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, Dark Games weren't anything positive.
Those were genuine life-or-death battles.
How could this world even recreate something as dangerous as Dark Games?
Unfortunately, Amano was currently just an ordinary duelist—he had absolutely no method to stop this. He could only helplessly watch Finesse get pulled into a Dark Game duel.
However, Finesse suddenly pulled into the Dark Game showed no panic beneath her hero mask.
Speaking of which, Amano completely didn't understand this young miss's actual strength.
Lutz: "Don't think you'll survive this duel, little girl. My turn, draw!"
First-turn Lutz Normal Summoned a monster to the field.
"I Normal Summon Cyber Tech Wolf in Attack Position, then activate Spell Card Puppet Ritual! I Tribute Cyber Tech Wolf to Special Summon a Level 7 monster from my hand!"
A combination Lutz had used during tonight's duel with Amano.
Accompanying tributes sacrificed to demon gods, wild winds howled through the night alley.
Lutz's large hand spread open forward: "Special Summon—come forth! Kazejin!"
[Kazejin] [Level 7 WIND]
[Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK: 2400] [DEF: 2200]
The green demon god surrounded by wild winds descended into deep night's darkness.
"My turn end."
Turn switching—Finesse began her turn within the Dark Game.
"My turn, draw!"
Had to admit, Finesse dueling in this hero outfit looked pretty cool.
Mainly because young miss had too good a figure, completely pulling off this aura.
Besides, with cosplay, as long as your conviction was strong enough and you weren't embarrassed, everyone else would be.
"I activate Spell Card—Reinforcement of the Army! I can add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from my Deck to my hand."
Right from the start, precise searching. Finesse seemed well-prepared for this duel. The mouth exposed beneath her hero mask displayed an elegant, confident arc.
"I add Destiny HERO - Dreadguy to my hand!"
Amano: "As expected!"
Finesse would use Hero monsters, exactly matching Amano's prediction.
From that H-prefixed Spell Card to young miss's hero cosplay outfit, the answer had been subtly revealed all along.
Except unexpectedly—
Amano: "It's actually Destiny HEROes?"
Destiny HERO imagery definitely fit Finesse's current portrayal—a hero walking through darkness.
Finesse threw the searched monster onto her Duel Disk.
"Normal Summon in Attack Position—erase evil! Destiny HERO - Dreadguy!"
[Destiny HERO - Dreadguy] [Level 3 DARK]
[Warrior/Effect] [ATK: 600] [DEF: 800]
Lutz couldn't help laughing madly: "Hahahaha, 600 ATK monster. Tonight really made me encounter a whole bunch of trash!"
"Oh? Then who lost to trash tonight?" Finesse's mockery struck the vital point.
Lutz's smile vanished again. "So you were there after all?"
"Not only was I there, I understand your fighting style! Destiny HERO - Dreadguy's effect activates!"
Dreadguy opened sharp claws, charging toward the green demon god ahead, completely ignoring the massive ATK gap.
"Once per turn, Dreadguy can banish 1 of opponent's monsters—returning after two turns!"
Afterward, Kazejin touched by Dreadguy's claws simply vanished into silent darkness without leaving any trace.
[Kazejin] banished
Finesse: "Thunder, wind, water demon gods—as long as one gets banished, you can't summon your ace monster Gate Guardian. Am I right?"
Drawing combat experience from Amano's duel tonight, Finesse's first turn directly sealed bounty hunter Lutz's ace monster.
Amano couldn't help commenting: "This young miss has something after all."
Eva also commented: "And very long legs."
Thanks for your pertinent assessment.
Finesse's long legs wrapped in black leather pants definitely looked far superior to this flat loli's tiny short legs.
***
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