NOVEL WEB Chapter 41: DSMW [41]
A black hole—a celestial body with spacetime curvature so intense that not even light can escape its event horizon.
And now, this concept, far removed from daily life, materialized vividly on the battlefield of the Shadow Game.
[Destroy all monsters on the field.]
A brutally simple effect... with destruction to match.
Irene's two Elemental HERO monsters were instantly swallowed into a gravitational spiral so dense that even light couldn't escape.
"My... my HEROES... all destroyed..."
"You think your HEROES are the only things being destroyed? Oh no, my little cutie—this is the Shadow Game~"
In the Shadow Game, any damage manifests physically—and that included the annihilating power of a black hole.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
A searing pain tore through her body. Irene felt like she was standing at the very heart of the void, ready to be crushed and devoured.
"Scream... suffer... I just love watching you little cuties—your souls, your minds, your bodies—fall apart bit by bit."
Megan, her strange XP system fully activated, squeezed her legs together, cheeks flushing with ecstasy at the sight of Irene's suffering.
As the overwhelming gravitational magic dissipated, Irene's crimson eyes dulled, pupils unfocused and lifeless.
Megan chuckled seductively. "Awww... broken already? But compared to past toys, you're quite durable. You deserve praise. Now then... let's end this duel."
With Irene's field cleared by [Dark Hole], Megan's direct attack this turn would be unopposed.
"Let me show you my strongest monster. Spell Card activate—Polymerization!"
She flipped the card with a snap. The signature summoning method of Fusion Academy... now wielded by a Barrier Mage walking the path of darkness.
"I fuse [Summoned Skull] and the DARK monster [Curse of Dragon]."
A swirling vortex engulfed the two monsters on Megan's field, absorbing them into its spiral.
Two beasts merged into one. A new Fusion Monster descended onto the field.
"Bring death and fear into the void! Fusion Summon—Archfiend's Manifestation!!"
[Archfiend's Manifestation] Level 6│DARK│Fiend│Fusion│2500 ATK
Clutching claws crackling with dark lightning, the Fusion-formed [Archfiend's Manifestation] materialized on Megan's field.
"A monster... with 2500 Attack..."
Irene struggled to stay conscious. The duel wasn't over yet—but if she passed out now, it would be.
[Irene, LP: 2600]
Yes—the duel wasn't over.
A direct attack with 2500 Attack wouldn't quite wipe out her 2600 LP.
She still had a sliver of hope... or maybe just denial.
"Little cutie... do you know? The deepest despair only arrives after your fragile hope is shattered. Fusion Monster [Archfiend's Manifestation]'s effect—while it's on the field, All 'Summoned Skull' Monsters I control gain 500 ATK including itself!"
[Archfiend's Manifestation, ATK: 2500 → 3000]
Wrapped in amplified lightning, the demon's attack now rivaled [Blue-Eyes White Dragon].
"Three... thousand Attack... Damn it..."
Too exhausted to even clench her fists, Irene was utterly powerless.
'Is this... where I lose?'
'Again... because of my recklessness, I dragged Aisha into the Shadow Game.'
'But this time... no one is here to help carry me through.
("Leave it to me, Ren.")
She had sworn to become the HERO who would replace Edigo.
"...I'm useless... I couldn't protect anyone... not even now..."
Her belief faltered. Irene's slender body swayed, ready to collapse within the Shadow Game.
"Ren! Hang in there, Ren!!"
From a distance—chasing the light of the Millennium Puzzle—Miles came running, already far too used to sprinting in a girl's body.
"That voice... Aisha? No... It's Miles."
Aisha always called her 'Ren-chan.' Only Miles, when controlling Aisha's body, casually called her 'Ren.'
"That annoying guy... always protecting Aisha... I really envy him..."
Was it envy that Miles could protect Aisha... or envy that Aisha had someone who protected her? Irene, in her fading consciousness, couldn't tell.
But—at least knowing Aisha was safe brought her a sliver of peace.
"Impossible..."
Seeing Aisha Carlos, Megan even froze in disbelief, forgetting to launch her attack—granting Irene a precious moment of reprieve.
'She escaped the barrier? No way... unless... Dekul lost his Shadow Game? Even with [Archfiend's Awakening]... he lost to an academy student?!'
She didn't know how Aisha escaped, but her free movement undoubtedly meant only one thing—Megan's partner had lost.
'So she underestimated them because they were students... Idiot. Truly, stupidity has no cure.'
In Megan's mind, Dekul must've gotten cocky. He probably didn't even manage to summon [Archfiend's Awakening] before losing.
'Fortunately, I'm no fool. Even a lion hunts a rabbit with full force. No mercy.'
With [Archfiend's Manifestation] ready to kill and Irene mentally shattered, Megan's ruthless approach was clear.
"Once I'm done with this little red-haired cutie... it'll be your turn, little white-haired cutie."
"Hang in there, Ren!"
Arriving beside the Shadow Game, Miles immediately noticed Irene's condition—absolutely terrible.
This must've been what that other Dark Duelist meant... A normal student's mental strength couldn't endure more than two turns of a Shadow Game.
But because of the Shadow Game barrier, outsiders couldn't interfere once it was active.
Even with Aisha's body, he was stuck outside the dark mist.
"Only one shot at this... Alright, Aisha, I'm counting on you!"
—Soul Exchange.
In a critical gamble, Miles handed control back to Aisha.
"Huh?! What do I do now, Miles?!"
Thrown into the crisis without warning, Aisha panicked, completely lost.
"Throw the Millennium Puzzle to Ren! If I'm right... It should be able to pass through the Shadow Game Barrier!"
...
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