Reading settings
Chapter 437: Immortal Body, Ageless and Immortal.
Tila Muku walked out of the Player Waiting Room, waiting for her opponent to arrive at the Duel Field. Tilla Muku brushed the strands of hair falling by her ears, feeling quite good.
Since participating in the KC Cup, Tilla hadn't encountered any powerful duelists. She had easily reached the second round without even needing to use the ace monster in her deck much.
For some duelists who enjoyed excitement and challenge, they might feel unlucky not encountering strong opponents, but Tilla considered it good fortune. Essentially, her interest in Duel Monsters was far less than her desire for prize money.
She was participating in this KC Cup because she had been commissioned. Her employer seemed to be planning something and needed assistance from a player who had qualified for KC Cup. If the employer's plan succeeded, Tilla felt she might even get paid twice.
As Tilla thought this, she heard footsteps ascending the Stairs.
"Yo, Waited Long?"
Looking over at the sound, Tilla smirked contemptuously and narrowed her eyes as she saw "Dan Kuroto" step onto the Duel Field.
Dan Kuroto, a duelist whose name wasn't well-known before the KC Cup and only started gaining fame during this event. His commonly used decks were the mysterious Cyber Dragon and Kaiju, which could tribute the opponent's monster for summon.
Recalling Dan Kuroto's information, Tilla didn't consider him her opponent at all, as she had absolute confidence in her own deck.
Unlike those incompetent duelists, Tilla had discovered long ago that she could actually hear the voices of the Duel Monsters coming from her deck. Not long ago, she had even successfully seen Duel Monsters moving without relying on the Virtual Projection System.
Without a doubt, she was the chosen one. No one else possessed this talent. Perhaps only legendary duelists like the Duel King and Mutou Yuugi might possess the power she had.
As for trash duelists without this power, they weren't even worthy of Tilla's notice.
Hayato walked onto the Duel Field, took out his deck, and looked somewhat strange at the woman before him who was staring at him with a contemptuous expression.
This woman seemed to be called Tila Muku. He had no impression of her and hadn't faced her during the qualifiers. However, if he remembered correctly, he seemed to have seen her duel a few days ago. She seemed to be using a Vampire Deck.
But, because the current era didn't have Xyz Summon, the Vampire Deck couldn't fully utilize its power. Hayato felt the Vampire Deck's strength was quite weak, basically only capable of tribute summoning.
"Tila Muku, using a Vampire Deck. Remember this name, because next, I will defeat you together with my Master."
Tilla Muku arrogantly lifted her chin, issued a challenge, and then placed her deck into her duel disk and activated it. Only then did Hayato notice that Tilla's duel disk seemed to have been modified; the originally blue parts were painted black.
"Master?" Another thing that made Hayato feel strange was the "Master" Tilla mentioned.
Seeing Tilla's strange gaze when she looked at his deck, Hayato suddenly had a guess—could this guy be treating her favorite monster from her deck as her Master?
Well, some people treat their monsters as wives, some as partners, some as cannon fodder, but this was the first time Hayato had seen someone treat their monster as their master. You sure know how to have fun.
"Heh heh, declaring your victory beforehand? Isn't that a bit too early? Besides, I don't think I'll lose to someone like you." Hayato stretched his neck, inserted his deck into his duel disk and activated it, revealing a healthy smile. "Dan Kuroto, since my opponent is a Vampire, I guess I'll play the 'Hero' for a change."
"This time, I am using a Pure HERO Deck."
"Duel!" X2
[Dan Kuroto: 4000 LP]
[Tilla: 4000 LP]
"Hero?" Tilla frowned, recalling the kid who had the bad luck of facing Mutou Yuugi in the previous duel. He seemed to be using an Elemental HERO—an E HERO Deck. "Heh, it's useless. The ultimate destiny of any monster will only be to be trampled underfoot by my Master."
"I'll take the First Turn. Draw a Card."
"Then, Activate the Field Spell Card, Vampire Kingdom!"
As Tilla placed a card from her hand into the Field Zone of her duel disk, surrounding the entire Duel Field, an ancient, even 'decaying,' medieval-style castle rose from underground. The originally sealed indoor ceiling transformed into a gloomy sky, covered in dark clouds.
"Vampire Kingdom is a world ruled by Vampires. Within this territory, Vampires are the supreme gods, they are invincible!"
Hayato curled his lip in disdain. "You dare claim to be invincible? What reckless nonsense you're spouting."
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll experience it soon enough." Tilla said arrogantly, a smirk playing on her lips, and drew another card. "Then, I Attack Position Summon Vampire Ghost."
On Tilla's Field, a humanoid monster wearing a black and red hooded robe floated out from a house beside Tilla, like a ghost.
Looking at its face alone, Vampire Ghost could be considered one of the few humanoid Duel Monsters with normal skin tone and handsome appearance. However, the ghastly expression on Vampire Ghost's face, its red-glowing eyes, and the fangs revealed by its curled lips made it impossible to appreciate its handsomeness.
[Vampire Ghost] [Level 3/Dark]
[Zombie/Effect]
[1500/0]
As soon as it appeared on the Field, Vampire Ghost's arm extended as if boneless, grabbing a phantom from the void. It looked like some kind of small animal. Holding the phantom in one hand, Vampire Ghost opened its mouth wide like a snake, swallowing the phantom, which was larger than its entire head, in one gulp.
Hayato watched Vampire Ghost's effect animation with some disgust. Although it looked cool, it was indeed not human; meanwhile, Tilla watched her monster's effect animation with a delighted expression, as if seeing something beautiful.
"Vampire Ghost's Effect is, when it is successfully Summoned, I can Send to Graveyard one Vampire Monster other than Vampire Ghost from my Hand or Field to Activate its Effect."
"I Send Vampire Familiar from my Hand to the Graveyard. Then, because of Vampire Ghost's Effect, I add one Level 4 or higher Vampire Monster from my Deck— Vampire Scarlet Scourge, Level 6—to my Hand, and then Send to Graveyard one Level 2 or lower Vampire Monster— Vampire Familiar, Level 1."
Tilla showed Vampire Familiar from her Hand—the true form of the small animal phantom that was just swallowed—before Sending it to the Graveyard. As she spoke, she smoothly caught the cards that popped out of her Deck for Search, Sending one of them, Vampire Familiar, to the Graveyard as well.
Hayato naturally noticed that her duel disk had indeed been modified with an automatic Search Function.
Adding the newly Searched Vampire Scarlet Scourge to her Hand, Tilla glanced at the undisguised disgusted expression on "Dan Kuroto"'s face and showed a rather fierce look. "Hey, hey, what kind of expression is that? It's your honor to witness the power of Vampires. Don't be so unappreciative, you small fry!"
"Tch, whatever. You're just a nobody anyway. I'll let you witness an even deeper despair." Tilla, sneering, revealed a card from her Hand. "I Activate the Effect of Vampire Familiar in my Graveyard! By Sending one Vampire Monster from my Hand or Field to the Graveyard, I Special Summon Vampire Familiar from the Graveyard to the Field!"
"I Send Vampire Baby from my Hand to the Graveyard! Revive, Vampire Familiar!"
"Even if they are just dirty, low-level animals themselves, after gaining the power of Vampires, they can become existences that surpass humans!"
Tilla Sent another card from her Hand to the Graveyard. In exchange, Vampire Ghost, which had just swallowed the phantom, opened its mouth and spat the phantom back out, returning it to the Field. What appeared before Hayato was a white fox with snowy white fur, looking harmless.
If Hayato had only seen half of Vampire Familiar's body.
It was as if half of its body was infected, or perhaps what he saw before was just a disguise and this part was its true form. The other half of the white fox's body was a deep, dark black, constantly swirling like smoke, making anyone who saw it think of existences like 'demons.'
[Vampire Familiar] [Level 2/Dark]
[Zombie/Effect]
[1200/0]
As soon as it appeared on the Field, Vampire Familiar didn't look towards Hayato. Instead, it turned around, and its dark half transformed into complete smoke, enveloping Tila Muku. It only returned to its original state when a trace of bright red appeared within the black mist.
"The Vampire's sight is everywhere. Both Familiars and Retainers are part of the Vampire's power." After the smoke dispersed, Tilla's voice sounded slightly weak to Hayato, but she herself had an excited expression. "When Vampire Familiar is successfully Special Summoned, I Pay 500 Life Points to add one Vampire Spell/Trap Card from my Deck to my Hand."
"The Card I will add to my Hand is Vampire Domain, and I will Activate it immediately!"
[Tilla: 4000 → 3500 LP]
Above the ancient castle, the dark clouds casting a shadow gradually dispersed. However, what was revealed was not bright moonlight, but a giant, scarlet Bloody Moon, looking almost like a blood-colored sun!
"Heh heh, under the illumination of the Bloody Moon constructed by Vampire Domain, Vampire Monsters will become even more active, and at the same time, I will also receive a feedback of power!" Tilla ran her finger across her scarlet lips, as if eager to taste something.
As Vampire Domain was activated, Hayato felt a dark power expanding. He couldn't help but look at Tilla warily. "This feeling... is it a Dark Game?!"
"Huh? Dark Game? Heh, that's a very fitting name." When Tilla heard 'Dark Game,' a hint of confusion appeared on her face, but she quickly accepted the term. "The side that loses this Game will have their soul swallowed by my Master and fall into darkness."
"Activate Vampire Domain's Effect. Once per Turn, I Pay 500 Life Points to allow myself to perform one Vampire Monster Summon in addition to my Normal Summon."
"I Tribute Vampire Familiar on my Field! Come forth, Vampire Scarlet Scourge!"
[Tilla: 3500 → 3000 LP]
Behind Tilla, bats suddenly appeared one after another, swarming onto Tilla's body. Ignoring the fact that Tilla was a Duelist, the bats frantically bit open Tilla's skin and sucked her blood.
The swarming bats pieced together and transformed into a shadow. Then, a terrifyingly pale hand flicked the shadow's cloak aside, revealing a man in the image of a medieval noble, who had just finished sucking blood and released Tilla's neck.
[Vampire Scarlet Scourge] [Level 6/Dark]
[Zombie/Effect]
[2200/2200]
Unlike the previous Vampire Familiar and Vampire Ghost still on the Field, what appeared on Tilla's Field this time wasn't a ghost, fox, or similar creature, but a genuine Vampire. Furthermore, from its appearance as a medieval noble, it was clear that Vampire Scarlet Scourge wasn't the mindless monster from ancient European legends, but the 'bloodline' image influenced by literature.
Living in dark nights, feeding on blood, and controlling supernatural abilities—this was the Vampire Deck Tilla used.
"Immortal Body, Ageless and Immortal, Power of Blood!" Tilla looked proudly at the Vampire Scarlet Scourge she had Summoned. "No one can surpass my perfect monster, because Vampires cannot die!"
"When Vampire Scarlet Scourge is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, I Pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon one Vampire Monster from my Graveyard, except for Vampire Scarlet Scourge!"
"Revive, Vampire Familiar!"
"Then, when Vampire Familiar is successfully Special Summoned, I Pay 500 Life Points to add one Vampire Monster Card to my Hand!"
[Tilla: 3000 → 2000 → 1500 LP]
Looking at the three monsters on her Field, and the Vampire Monster she had just added to her Hand, Tilla said proudly, "Do you dare defy me, who possesses Vampires, Dan Kuroto?"
"Set two Cards from my Hand. My Turn Ends!"
Hearing Tilla's End Turn Declaration, Hayato was unfazed. "My Turn, Draw a Card."
"'Undying monster'? Oh, how scary~" Looking at the card he had just drawn, Hayato showed a mischievous smile. "Then Revive from Graveyard and show me, Vampires."
"I will give you this powerful monster!"
Under Tilla's bewildered gaze, her invincible Vampire Scarlet Scourge and Vampire Ghost together turned into a massive ball of lava.
Tila Muku walked out of the Player Waiting Room, waiting for her opponent to arrive at the Duel Field. Tilla Muku brushed the strands of hair falling by her ears, feeling quite good.
Since participating in the KC Cup, Tilla hadn't encountered any powerful duelists. She had easily reached the second round without even needing to use the ace monster in her deck much.
For some duelists who enjoyed excitement and challenge, they might feel unlucky not encountering strong opponents, but Tilla considered it good fortune. Essentially, her interest in Duel Monsters was far less than her desire for prize money.
She was participating in this KC Cup because she had been commissioned. Her employer seemed to be planning something and needed assistance from a player who had qualified for KC Cup. If the employer's plan succeeded, Tilla felt she might even get paid twice.
As Tilla thought this, she heard footsteps ascending the Stairs.
"Yo, Waited Long?"
Looking over at the sound, Tilla smirked contemptuously and narrowed her eyes as she saw "Dan Kuroto" step onto the Duel Field.
Dan Kuroto, a duelist whose name wasn't well-known before the KC Cup and only started gaining fame during this event. His commonly used decks were the mysterious Cyber Dragon and Kaiju, which could tribute the opponent's monster for summon.
Recalling Dan Kuroto's information, Tilla didn't consider him her opponent at all, as she had absolute confidence in her own deck.
Unlike those incompetent duelists, Tilla had discovered long ago that she could actually hear the voices of the Duel Monsters coming from her deck. Not long ago, she had even successfully seen Duel Monsters moving without relying on the Virtual Projection System.
Without a doubt, she was the chosen one. No one else possessed this talent. Perhaps only legendary duelists like the Duel King and Mutou Yuugi might possess the power she had.
As for trash duelists without this power, they weren't even worthy of Tilla's notice.
Hayato walked onto the Duel Field, took out his deck, and looked somewhat strange at the woman before him who was staring at him with a contemptuous expression.
This woman seemed to be called Tila Muku. He had no impression of her and hadn't faced her during the qualifiers. However, if he remembered correctly, he seemed to have seen her duel a few days ago. She seemed to be using a Vampire Deck.
But, because the current era didn't have Xyz Summon, the Vampire Deck couldn't fully utilize its power. Hayato felt the Vampire Deck's strength was quite weak, basically only capable of tribute summoning.
"Tila Muku, using a Vampire Deck. Remember this name, because next, I will defeat you together with my Master."
Tilla Muku arrogantly lifted her chin, issued a challenge, and then placed her deck into her duel disk and activated it. Only then did Hayato notice that Tilla's duel disk seemed to have been modified; the originally blue parts were painted black.
"Master?" Another thing that made Hayato feel strange was the "Master" Tilla mentioned.
Seeing Tilla's strange gaze when she looked at his deck, Hayato suddenly had a guess—could this guy be treating her favorite monster from her deck as her Master?
Well, some people treat their monsters as wives, some as partners, some as cannon fodder, but this was the first time Hayato had seen someone treat their monster as their master. You sure know how to have fun.
"Heh heh, declaring your victory beforehand? Isn't that a bit too early? Besides, I don't think I'll lose to someone like you." Hayato stretched his neck, inserted his deck into his duel disk and activated it, revealing a healthy smile. "Dan Kuroto, since my opponent is a Vampire, I guess I'll play the 'Hero' for a change."
"This time, I am using a Pure HERO Deck."
"Duel!" X2
[Dan Kuroto: 4000 LP]
[Tilla: 4000 LP]
"Hero?" Tilla frowned, recalling the kid who had the bad luck of facing Mutou Yuugi in the previous duel. He seemed to be using an Elemental HERO—an E HERO Deck. "Heh, it's useless. The ultimate destiny of any monster will only be to be trampled underfoot by my Master."
"I'll take the First Turn. Draw a Card."
"Then, Activate the Field Spell Card, Vampire Kingdom!"
As Tilla placed a card from her hand into the Field Zone of her duel disk, surrounding the entire Duel Field, an ancient, even 'decaying,' medieval-style castle rose from underground. The originally sealed indoor ceiling transformed into a gloomy sky, covered in dark clouds.
"Vampire Kingdom is a world ruled by Vampires. Within this territory, Vampires are the supreme gods, they are invincible!"
Hayato curled his lip in disdain. "You dare claim to be invincible? What reckless nonsense you're spouting."
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll experience it soon enough." Tilla said arrogantly, a smirk playing on her lips, and drew another card. "Then, I Attack Position Summon Vampire Ghost."
On Tilla's Field, a humanoid monster wearing a black and red hooded robe floated out from a house beside Tilla, like a ghost.
Looking at its face alone, Vampire Ghost could be considered one of the few humanoid Duel Monsters with normal skin tone and handsome appearance. However, the ghastly expression on Vampire Ghost's face, its red-glowing eyes, and the fangs revealed by its curled lips made it impossible to appreciate its handsomeness.
[Vampire Ghost] [Level 3/Dark]
[Zombie/Effect]
[1500/0]
As soon as it appeared on the Field, Vampire Ghost's arm extended as if boneless, grabbing a phantom from the void. It looked like some kind of small animal. Holding the phantom in one hand, Vampire Ghost opened its mouth wide like a snake, swallowing the phantom, which was larger than its entire head, in one gulp.
Hayato watched Vampire Ghost's effect animation with some disgust. Although it looked cool, it was indeed not human; meanwhile, Tilla watched her monster's effect animation with a delighted expression, as if seeing something beautiful.
"Vampire Ghost's Effect is, when it is successfully Summoned, I can Send to Graveyard one Vampire Monster other than Vampire Ghost from my Hand or Field to Activate its Effect."
"I Send Vampire Familiar from my Hand to the Graveyard. Then, because of Vampire Ghost's Effect, I add one Level 4 or higher Vampire Monster from my Deck— Vampire Scarlet Scourge, Level 6—to my Hand, and then Send to Graveyard one Level 2 or lower Vampire Monster— Vampire Familiar, Level 1."
Tilla showed Vampire Familiar from her Hand—the true form of the small animal phantom that was just swallowed—before Sending it to the Graveyard. As she spoke, she smoothly caught the cards that popped out of her Deck for Search, Sending one of them, Vampire Familiar, to the Graveyard as well.
Hayato naturally noticed that her duel disk had indeed been modified with an automatic Search Function.
Adding the newly Searched Vampire Scarlet Scourge to her Hand, Tilla glanced at the undisguised disgusted expression on "Dan Kuroto"'s face and showed a rather fierce look. "Hey, hey, what kind of expression is that? It's your honor to witness the power of Vampires. Don't be so unappreciative, you small fry!"
"Tch, whatever. You're just a nobody anyway. I'll let you witness an even deeper despair." Tilla, sneering, revealed a card from her Hand. "I Activate the Effect of Vampire Familiar in my Graveyard! By Sending one Vampire Monster from my Hand or Field to the Graveyard, I Special Summon Vampire Familiar from the Graveyard to the Field!"
"I Send Vampire Baby from my Hand to the Graveyard! Revive, Vampire Familiar!"
"Even if they are just dirty, low-level animals themselves, after gaining the power of Vampires, they can become existences that surpass humans!"
Tilla Sent another card from her Hand to the Graveyard. In exchange, Vampire Ghost, which had just swallowed the phantom, opened its mouth and spat the phantom back out, returning it to the Field. What appeared before Hayato was a white fox with snowy white fur, looking harmless.
If Hayato had only seen half of Vampire Familiar's body.
It was as if half of its body was infected, or perhaps what he saw before was just a disguise and this part was its true form. The other half of the white fox's body was a deep, dark black, constantly swirling like smoke, making anyone who saw it think of existences like 'demons.'
[Vampire Familiar] [Level 2/Dark]
[Zombie/Effect]
[1200/0]
As soon as it appeared on the Field, Vampire Familiar didn't look towards Hayato. Instead, it turned around, and its dark half transformed into complete smoke, enveloping Tila Muku. It only returned to its original state when a trace of bright red appeared within the black mist.
"The Vampire's sight is everywhere. Both Familiars and Retainers are part of the Vampire's power." After the smoke dispersed, Tilla's voice sounded slightly weak to Hayato, but she herself had an excited expression. "When Vampire Familiar is successfully Special Summoned, I Pay 500 Life Points to add one Vampire Spell/Trap Card from my Deck to my Hand."
"The Card I will add to my Hand is Vampire Domain, and I will Activate it immediately!"
[Tilla: 4000 → 3500 LP]
Above the ancient castle, the dark clouds casting a shadow gradually dispersed. However, what was revealed was not bright moonlight, but a giant, scarlet Bloody Moon, looking almost like a blood-colored sun!
"Heh heh, under the illumination of the Bloody Moon constructed by Vampire Domain, Vampire Monsters will become even more active, and at the same time, I will also receive a feedback of power!" Tilla ran her finger across her scarlet lips, as if eager to taste something.
As Vampire Domain was activated, Hayato felt a dark power expanding. He couldn't help but look at Tilla warily. "This feeling... is it a Dark Game?!"
"Huh? Dark Game? Heh, that's a very fitting name." When Tilla heard 'Dark Game,' a hint of confusion appeared on her face, but she quickly accepted the term. "The side that loses this Game will have their soul swallowed by my Master and fall into darkness."
"Activate Vampire Domain's Effect. Once per Turn, I Pay 500 Life Points to allow myself to perform one Vampire Monster Summon in addition to my Normal Summon."
"I Tribute Vampire Familiar on my Field! Come forth, Vampire Scarlet Scourge!"
[Tilla: 3500 → 3000 LP]
Behind Tilla, bats suddenly appeared one after another, swarming onto Tilla's body. Ignoring the fact that Tilla was a Duelist, the bats frantically bit open Tilla's skin and sucked her blood.
The swarming bats pieced together and transformed into a shadow. Then, a terrifyingly pale hand flicked the shadow's cloak aside, revealing a man in the image of a medieval noble, who had just finished sucking blood and released Tilla's neck.
[Vampire Scarlet Scourge] [Level 6/Dark]
[Zombie/Effect]
[2200/2200]
Unlike the previous Vampire Familiar and Vampire Ghost still on the Field, what appeared on Tilla's Field this time wasn't a ghost, fox, or similar creature, but a genuine Vampire. Furthermore, from its appearance as a medieval noble, it was clear that Vampire Scarlet Scourge wasn't the mindless monster from ancient European legends, but the 'bloodline' image influenced by literature.
Living in dark nights, feeding on blood, and controlling supernatural abilities—this was the Vampire Deck Tilla used.
"Immortal Body, Ageless and Immortal, Power of Blood!" Tilla looked proudly at the Vampire Scarlet Scourge she had Summoned. "No one can surpass my perfect monster, because Vampires cannot die!"
"When Vampire Scarlet Scourge is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, I Pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon one Vampire Monster from my Graveyard, except for Vampire Scarlet Scourge!"
"Revive, Vampire Familiar!"
"Then, when Vampire Familiar is successfully Special Summoned, I Pay 500 Life Points to add one Vampire Monster Card to my Hand!"
[Tilla: 3000 → 2000 → 1500 LP]
Looking at the three monsters on her Field, and the Vampire Monster she had just added to her Hand, Tilla said proudly, "Do you dare defy me, who possesses Vampires, Dan Kuroto?"
"Set two Cards from my Hand. My Turn Ends!"
Hearing Tilla's End Turn Declaration, Hayato was unfazed. "My Turn, Draw a Card."
"'Undying monster'? Oh, how scary~" Looking at the card he had just drawn, Hayato showed a mischievous smile. "Then Revive from Graveyard and show me, Vampires."
"I will give you this powerful monster!"
Under Tilla's bewildered gaze, her invincible Vampire Scarlet Scourge and Vampire Ghost together turned into a massive ball of lava.