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Chapter 438: Will You Remember How Many Loaves of Bread You Have Eaten?
[Tilla: 1500 LP, Hand 1]
[Vampire Ghost] [ATK 1500]
[Vampire Familiar] [DEF 0]
[Vampire Scarlet Scourge] [ATK 2200]
[Vampire's Domain] [Set Card] X2
Field: [Vampire Kingdom]
Such a perfect situation, such a smooth setup. To be honest, this was the first time Tilla herself had experienced such a smooth Duel.
In a single Turn, she had Summoned three Monsters to her Field, including [Vampire Scarlet Scourge]. Although one was the filler [Vampire Familiar] and she had Paid Life Points as a cost, leaving her with only 1500, Tilla didn't feel it was a loss at all.
With such a powerful lineup, let alone the guy named Dan Kuroto in front of her, even a strong Duelist like Mutou Yuugi would probably have a hard time dealing with it quickly, right?
Tilla's confidence wasn't just from her trust in her Monsters, but also from her confidence in her Set Cards.
[Bottomless Trap Hole] could Flip a powerful Monster her opponent had painstakingly Summoned Face-Down.
[Mystik Wok], on the other hand, could use a Monster on her Field to Recover her Life Points.
Whether Dan Kuroto tried to Summon Monsters for a strong Attack or attempted a Burn Strategy, she had the perfect Countermeasures.
Coupled with [Vampire Kingdom], which could boost the ATK of [Vampire] Monsters by 500 Points during the Battle Phase, and [Vampire's Domain], which could Recover Life Points after inflicting Battle Damage, how could she possibly lose?
Then, the confident Tilla received a gift from Dan Kuroto.
"By Tributing your [Vampire Scarlet Scourge] and [Vampire Ghost] on your Field, I shall give you this powerful Monster!"
Hayato wore a healthy smile, enjoying the gloomy expression on Tilla's face.
The card he gave her was the invincible Lava Golem. While absorbing two bothersome Vampires from Tilla's Field, it also had the effect to inflict 1000 points of damage to her during each of Tilla's Standby Phases. With Tilla's remaining 1500 Life Points, she could only withstand Lava Golem's effect once. In this situation, using this card was absolutely perfect.
"How dare you take my Vampires—" Tilla's expression management completely failed. Before, when she didn't speak and kept a straight face, she gave off the impression of a cold beauty, but witnessing her beloved Vampires turn into ugly lava conglomerates, she cursed like a shrew, "You fat pig!"
"Hey, hey, this is a gift from a divine-beast, don't be ungrateful," Hayato said shamelessly. "If I didn't see that your Monsters were so weak, and after all your moves you couldn't even get a Monster with Blue-Eyes White Dragon-level ATK, I wouldn't have bestowed Lava Golem upon you."
"To give you this card, I couldn't even perform a Normal Summon this Turn."
"However, miracles and magic aren't free. As the cost for Lava Golem's existence, you will take 1000 points of damage every turn."
Hearing this, Tilla looked towards the Lava Golem on her Field. The Lava Golem Hayato used didn't have the extreme twisted sense of humor of the one Dark Marik used, which trapped the controller in a cage. However, the massive Lava Golem rampaged through the mist-shrouded Vampire Kingdom, destroying many buildings, still earning Tilla's disgust.
"My Life Points aren't meant for that kind of trash," Tilla said, pressing the button on her Duel Disk to activate her Set Card. "I activate the effect of Vampire Ghost, which you sent to the Graveyard! By banishing Vampire Ghost from the Graveyard and paying 500 life points, I can Summon a Vampire Monster to the Field!"
Tilla flipped the card in her Hand, a blush appearing on her face as she showed a Face Art Smile: "My Master, please accept this humble offering from me, revive from your slumber, and end this Duel that disturbs your rest!"
"I Tribute Vampire Familiar and the disgusting Lava Golem! I Tribute Summon Vampire Fascinator from my Hand!"
[Tilla: 1500 → 1000 LP]
Compared to the commotion when she Summoned Vampire Scarlet Scourge earlier, Vampire Fascinator's appearance was much calmer this time. Even though Lava Golem and Vampire Familiar were Sent to Tilla's and Hayato's respective Graveyards, Vampire Fascinator's True Form was nowhere to be seen.
Following Tilla's upward gaze, Hayato finally found Vampire Fascinator, who had appeared without him noticing.
Standing atop the highest Castle on the Duel Field, the white-haired Vampire sat on the edge of the tower with her legs crossed. Her crimson eyes overlooked the scenery below. When she noticed Hayato, she revealed a charming smile, beckoned with a finger, opened her cherry-like mouth, and licked her lips with her pink tongue, revealing her small fangs.
[Vampire Fascinator] [Level 7 / Dark Attribute]
[Zombie / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 2000 DEF]
If he ignored the demonic bat wings behind her, just looking at Vampire Fascinator's human-like expression and actions, Hayato might have actually mistaken her for a real person.
However, the strong metallic scent emanating from her, along with the expanding Dark Power, made Hayato take her seriously, which was rare for him.
Earlier, when Hayato asked Tilla about the "Dark Game," although Tilla herself called it a Dark Game, Hayato hadn't felt any Dark Power encompassing him.
The main reason he asked Tilla was that Hayato noticed that as her Life Points decreased, although Tilla didn't seem to change outwardly, something extremely mysterious and indescribable about her was constantly diminishing in his perception. In Hayato's prediction, it might be sanity, soul, or life force—in any case, it was something dangerous to lose.
However, after Vampire Fascinator appeared, the Mystical Power that had only enveloped Tilla herself began to expand, quickly surrounding Hayato as well.
With Vampire Fascinator's debut as the signal, this Duel transformed into a true Dark Game!
And the initiator of the Dark Game wasn't Hayato, but Tila Muku, who had no Supernatural Aura before the Duel?
Under Hayato's watchful eye, the wings on Vampire Fascinator's back helped her glide down to the ground. After casually waving her hand to receive the Life Points Tilla had contributed, she narrowed her ruby-like, sparkling eyes and pointed a finger at Hayato.
"You seem to have a strong power about you." To Hayato's surprised eyes, Vampire Fascinator actually spoke. However, Tilla, standing behind her, seemed not to have heard anything, merely gazing at Vampire Fascinator with infatuated eyes. "At least you smell much sweeter than this waste."
"Eating you might feel quite good?"
A Duel Monster that had Awakened its Card Spirit?!
Hayato was surprised that Vampire Fascinator could speak. After all, although he himself was accompanied by many Card Spirits, it was rare to see a Duelist other than himself whose Card Spirit had Awakened.
However, what surprised Hayato even more was what Vampire Fascinator said.
After a brief thought, Hayato's gaze towards Tilla changed from contempt to pity. Meeting Vampire Fascinator's playful eyes, he spoke, "This girl, she's become your puppet now, hasn't she?"
"Not really. After all, my power isn't complete yet; there's still a lot of room for growth," Vampire Fascinator glanced back at Tilla, who was looking at her with infatuated eyes, a look of disgust on her face. "I just slightly twisted her thoughts, amplified her dependence on me, and made her stop caring about anything other than me."
"Isn't she your master?"
Vampire Fascinator chuckled lightly: "Don't be ridiculous, I don't have such an ugly master. Although if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have reached this level of awakening, it's her honor to offer everything to me."
"You, young man, are my next goal."
Hayato frowned, having somewhat guessed the truth.
If he wasn't mistaken, Tila Muku's personality might not have been like this before. Due to prolonged Dueling, the Card Spirit of her Deck's Ace Card, Vampire Fascinator, had Awakened. However, after Awakening, Vampire Fascinator had instead targeted Tilla in order to grow faster.
Moreover, judging by her words, it might not just be Tilla. After all, the Dark Power Hayato was currently sensing, while not as strong as the Millennium Items, was definitely not something ordinary Duel Monsters could emit.
"Just how many people have you 'hunted' so far?"
"Will you remember how many loaves of bread you have eaten?"
"Thirteen slices. I'm a Japanese food enthusiast."
Seeing the expression on Hayato's face, Vampire Fascinator smiled slightly, brushed aside her silver hair near her ear, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers. A red light flashed in her eyes.
Synchronously, Tilla's face stiffened. Her originally emerald-green eyes were quickly stained red as if a drop of blood had been dripped into them. A smile completely synchronized with Vampire Fascinator appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Then, please begin your performance. Your final performance before you are eaten by me."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Hayato gave a cold smile: "You said it yourself. If you get taken down right here, don't resent me."
"My hero shall vanquish something as foul as a turd in the toilet!"
Saying this, Hayato played a card, holding his hand over his head, feeling the wind brush against his fingertips.
"I activate the Magic Card Unexpected Dai! I Special Summon Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh from my Deck!"
The storm began to gather, under the blood moon, the figure of the angelic Winged Kuriboh appeared in the sky, but behind Winged Kuriboh there were two black spots.
"Then, the Quick-Play Magic Card Infernal Reckless Summon!" Stretching out his fingers to catch two cards that popped out of the Deck, Hayato played them on the Duel Disk: "It can only be activated when there is a face-up monster on the opponent's field and only one special summoned monster with an attack power of 1500 or less on my field."
"Special Summon as many monsters with the same name as the Special Summoned Monster from my Deck, Hand, and Graveyard as possible!"
"Come on out, Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh No. 1, No. 2, V3!"
The third Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh who landed on Hayato's field from the air almost twisted his ankle when he landed, so there is no No. 3?!
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] [ATK 1000]
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] [ATK 1000]
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] [ATK 1000]
"Ho? Monsters with only 1000 attack power. Heh heh, do you expect to use such monsters to uphold justice?" Because there is only one Vampire Fascinator in the deck on the field, "Tilla" who cannot use the Infernal Reckless Summon effect to summon monsters, smiles disdainfully at the appearance of Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh, "And it's still in attack position, how interesting."
"Although I don't know what you are relying on, I will use this card to cut off your hope."
"Open my set card, Trap Card Bottomless Trap Hole!"
Tilla's back row was opened, and a bottomless pit appeared under the feet of the three Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh on Hayato's field.
Tilla, or rather Vampire Fascinator, smiled triumphantly: "If I remember correctly, this card can be used on multiple monsters at once, right?"
"Although the first one can escape from here, the two Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh that appeared later will all be turned into face-down defense position!"
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] → [Face-Down Defense Monster]
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] → [Face-Down Defense Monster]
Vampire Fascinator looked at Hayato triumphantly, thinking about whether disappointment or other emotions would appear on his face, but found that Hayato didn't care at all that the Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh he summoned was set.
"I see, they were set, what a pity." Hayato looked at the three cards remaining in his hand and pulled out one of them, "In that case, I still have to use this card, the card full of the bond between me and my companions."
"Magic Card Change of Heart, until the end of the turn, I can gain control of one monster on the opponent's field." Hayato pointed his hand at Vampire Fascinator, "I'll directly take you!"
"Damn it, I don't want that!" Vampire Fascinator widened her eyes, watching the pink heart with a strange aura being fired at herself as "Dan Kuroto" activated the card.
If you get hit by that kind of thing, you have a hunch that it will develop in a subtle direction!
"Quick-Play Magic Card Mystical Wok, release Vampire Fascinator and recover 2000 Life Points!"
Before being hit by Change of Heart, Tilla's back row was opened, sending Vampire Fascinator directly to the Graveyard by "frying and eating" it, allowing her to escape.
But after Vampire Fascinator left the field, the red light in Tilla's eyes did not show any signs of dissipating, but became more and more intense. It was as if it was about to completely seep into her eyes.
[Tilla: 1000 → 3000 LP]
[Tilla: 1500 LP, Hand 1]
[Vampire Ghost] [ATK 1500]
[Vampire Familiar] [DEF 0]
[Vampire Scarlet Scourge] [ATK 2200]
[Vampire's Domain] [Set Card] X2
Field: [Vampire Kingdom]
Such a perfect situation, such a smooth setup. To be honest, this was the first time Tilla herself had experienced such a smooth Duel.
In a single Turn, she had Summoned three Monsters to her Field, including [Vampire Scarlet Scourge]. Although one was the filler [Vampire Familiar] and she had Paid Life Points as a cost, leaving her with only 1500, Tilla didn't feel it was a loss at all.
With such a powerful lineup, let alone the guy named Dan Kuroto in front of her, even a strong Duelist like Mutou Yuugi would probably have a hard time dealing with it quickly, right?
Tilla's confidence wasn't just from her trust in her Monsters, but also from her confidence in her Set Cards.
[Bottomless Trap Hole] could Flip a powerful Monster her opponent had painstakingly Summoned Face-Down.
[Mystik Wok], on the other hand, could use a Monster on her Field to Recover her Life Points.
Whether Dan Kuroto tried to Summon Monsters for a strong Attack or attempted a Burn Strategy, she had the perfect Countermeasures.
Coupled with [Vampire Kingdom], which could boost the ATK of [Vampire] Monsters by 500 Points during the Battle Phase, and [Vampire's Domain], which could Recover Life Points after inflicting Battle Damage, how could she possibly lose?
Then, the confident Tilla received a gift from Dan Kuroto.
"By Tributing your [Vampire Scarlet Scourge] and [Vampire Ghost] on your Field, I shall give you this powerful Monster!"
Hayato wore a healthy smile, enjoying the gloomy expression on Tilla's face.
The card he gave her was the invincible Lava Golem. While absorbing two bothersome Vampires from Tilla's Field, it also had the effect to inflict 1000 points of damage to her during each of Tilla's Standby Phases. With Tilla's remaining 1500 Life Points, she could only withstand Lava Golem's effect once. In this situation, using this card was absolutely perfect.
"How dare you take my Vampires—" Tilla's expression management completely failed. Before, when she didn't speak and kept a straight face, she gave off the impression of a cold beauty, but witnessing her beloved Vampires turn into ugly lava conglomerates, she cursed like a shrew, "You fat pig!"
"Hey, hey, this is a gift from a divine-beast, don't be ungrateful," Hayato said shamelessly. "If I didn't see that your Monsters were so weak, and after all your moves you couldn't even get a Monster with Blue-Eyes White Dragon-level ATK, I wouldn't have bestowed Lava Golem upon you."
"To give you this card, I couldn't even perform a Normal Summon this Turn."
"However, miracles and magic aren't free. As the cost for Lava Golem's existence, you will take 1000 points of damage every turn."
Hearing this, Tilla looked towards the Lava Golem on her Field. The Lava Golem Hayato used didn't have the extreme twisted sense of humor of the one Dark Marik used, which trapped the controller in a cage. However, the massive Lava Golem rampaged through the mist-shrouded Vampire Kingdom, destroying many buildings, still earning Tilla's disgust.
"My Life Points aren't meant for that kind of trash," Tilla said, pressing the button on her Duel Disk to activate her Set Card. "I activate the effect of Vampire Ghost, which you sent to the Graveyard! By banishing Vampire Ghost from the Graveyard and paying 500 life points, I can Summon a Vampire Monster to the Field!"
Tilla flipped the card in her Hand, a blush appearing on her face as she showed a Face Art Smile: "My Master, please accept this humble offering from me, revive from your slumber, and end this Duel that disturbs your rest!"
"I Tribute Vampire Familiar and the disgusting Lava Golem! I Tribute Summon Vampire Fascinator from my Hand!"
[Tilla: 1500 → 1000 LP]
Compared to the commotion when she Summoned Vampire Scarlet Scourge earlier, Vampire Fascinator's appearance was much calmer this time. Even though Lava Golem and Vampire Familiar were Sent to Tilla's and Hayato's respective Graveyards, Vampire Fascinator's True Form was nowhere to be seen.
Following Tilla's upward gaze, Hayato finally found Vampire Fascinator, who had appeared without him noticing.
Standing atop the highest Castle on the Duel Field, the white-haired Vampire sat on the edge of the tower with her legs crossed. Her crimson eyes overlooked the scenery below. When she noticed Hayato, she revealed a charming smile, beckoned with a finger, opened her cherry-like mouth, and licked her lips with her pink tongue, revealing her small fangs.
[Vampire Fascinator] [Level 7 / Dark Attribute]
[Zombie / Effect]
[2000 ATK / 2000 DEF]
If he ignored the demonic bat wings behind her, just looking at Vampire Fascinator's human-like expression and actions, Hayato might have actually mistaken her for a real person.
However, the strong metallic scent emanating from her, along with the expanding Dark Power, made Hayato take her seriously, which was rare for him.
Earlier, when Hayato asked Tilla about the "Dark Game," although Tilla herself called it a Dark Game, Hayato hadn't felt any Dark Power encompassing him.
The main reason he asked Tilla was that Hayato noticed that as her Life Points decreased, although Tilla didn't seem to change outwardly, something extremely mysterious and indescribable about her was constantly diminishing in his perception. In Hayato's prediction, it might be sanity, soul, or life force—in any case, it was something dangerous to lose.
However, after Vampire Fascinator appeared, the Mystical Power that had only enveloped Tilla herself began to expand, quickly surrounding Hayato as well.
With Vampire Fascinator's debut as the signal, this Duel transformed into a true Dark Game!
And the initiator of the Dark Game wasn't Hayato, but Tila Muku, who had no Supernatural Aura before the Duel?
Under Hayato's watchful eye, the wings on Vampire Fascinator's back helped her glide down to the ground. After casually waving her hand to receive the Life Points Tilla had contributed, she narrowed her ruby-like, sparkling eyes and pointed a finger at Hayato.
"You seem to have a strong power about you." To Hayato's surprised eyes, Vampire Fascinator actually spoke. However, Tilla, standing behind her, seemed not to have heard anything, merely gazing at Vampire Fascinator with infatuated eyes. "At least you smell much sweeter than this waste."
"Eating you might feel quite good?"
A Duel Monster that had Awakened its Card Spirit?!
Hayato was surprised that Vampire Fascinator could speak. After all, although he himself was accompanied by many Card Spirits, it was rare to see a Duelist other than himself whose Card Spirit had Awakened.
However, what surprised Hayato even more was what Vampire Fascinator said.
After a brief thought, Hayato's gaze towards Tilla changed from contempt to pity. Meeting Vampire Fascinator's playful eyes, he spoke, "This girl, she's become your puppet now, hasn't she?"
"Not really. After all, my power isn't complete yet; there's still a lot of room for growth," Vampire Fascinator glanced back at Tilla, who was looking at her with infatuated eyes, a look of disgust on her face. "I just slightly twisted her thoughts, amplified her dependence on me, and made her stop caring about anything other than me."
"Isn't she your master?"
Vampire Fascinator chuckled lightly: "Don't be ridiculous, I don't have such an ugly master. Although if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have reached this level of awakening, it's her honor to offer everything to me."
"You, young man, are my next goal."
Hayato frowned, having somewhat guessed the truth.
If he wasn't mistaken, Tila Muku's personality might not have been like this before. Due to prolonged Dueling, the Card Spirit of her Deck's Ace Card, Vampire Fascinator, had Awakened. However, after Awakening, Vampire Fascinator had instead targeted Tilla in order to grow faster.
Moreover, judging by her words, it might not just be Tilla. After all, the Dark Power Hayato was currently sensing, while not as strong as the Millennium Items, was definitely not something ordinary Duel Monsters could emit.
"Just how many people have you 'hunted' so far?"
"Will you remember how many loaves of bread you have eaten?"
"Thirteen slices. I'm a Japanese food enthusiast."
Seeing the expression on Hayato's face, Vampire Fascinator smiled slightly, brushed aside her silver hair near her ear, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers. A red light flashed in her eyes.
Synchronously, Tilla's face stiffened. Her originally emerald-green eyes were quickly stained red as if a drop of blood had been dripped into them. A smile completely synchronized with Vampire Fascinator appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Then, please begin your performance. Your final performance before you are eaten by me."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Hayato gave a cold smile: "You said it yourself. If you get taken down right here, don't resent me."
"My hero shall vanquish something as foul as a turd in the toilet!"
Saying this, Hayato played a card, holding his hand over his head, feeling the wind brush against his fingertips.
"I activate the Magic Card Unexpected Dai! I Special Summon Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh from my Deck!"
The storm began to gather, under the blood moon, the figure of the angelic Winged Kuriboh appeared in the sky, but behind Winged Kuriboh there were two black spots.
"Then, the Quick-Play Magic Card Infernal Reckless Summon!" Stretching out his fingers to catch two cards that popped out of the Deck, Hayato played them on the Duel Disk: "It can only be activated when there is a face-up monster on the opponent's field and only one special summoned monster with an attack power of 1500 or less on my field."
"Special Summon as many monsters with the same name as the Special Summoned Monster from my Deck, Hand, and Graveyard as possible!"
"Come on out, Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh No. 1, No. 2, V3!"
The third Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh who landed on Hayato's field from the air almost twisted his ankle when he landed, so there is no No. 3?!
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] [ATK 1000]
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] [ATK 1000]
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] [ATK 1000]
"Ho? Monsters with only 1000 attack power. Heh heh, do you expect to use such monsters to uphold justice?" Because there is only one Vampire Fascinator in the deck on the field, "Tilla" who cannot use the Infernal Reckless Summon effect to summon monsters, smiles disdainfully at the appearance of Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh, "And it's still in attack position, how interesting."
"Although I don't know what you are relying on, I will use this card to cut off your hope."
"Open my set card, Trap Card Bottomless Trap Hole!"
Tilla's back row was opened, and a bottomless pit appeared under the feet of the three Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh on Hayato's field.
Tilla, or rather Vampire Fascinator, smiled triumphantly: "If I remember correctly, this card can be used on multiple monsters at once, right?"
"Although the first one can escape from here, the two Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh that appeared later will all be turned into face-down defense position!"
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] → [Face-Down Defense Monster]
[Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh] → [Face-Down Defense Monster]
Vampire Fascinator looked at Hayato triumphantly, thinking about whether disappointment or other emotions would appear on his face, but found that Hayato didn't care at all that the Elemental HERO Winged Kuriboh he summoned was set.
"I see, they were set, what a pity." Hayato looked at the three cards remaining in his hand and pulled out one of them, "In that case, I still have to use this card, the card full of the bond between me and my companions."
"Magic Card Change of Heart, until the end of the turn, I can gain control of one monster on the opponent's field." Hayato pointed his hand at Vampire Fascinator, "I'll directly take you!"
"Damn it, I don't want that!" Vampire Fascinator widened her eyes, watching the pink heart with a strange aura being fired at herself as "Dan Kuroto" activated the card.
If you get hit by that kind of thing, you have a hunch that it will develop in a subtle direction!
"Quick-Play Magic Card Mystical Wok, release Vampire Fascinator and recover 2000 Life Points!"
Before being hit by Change of Heart, Tilla's back row was opened, sending Vampire Fascinator directly to the Graveyard by "frying and eating" it, allowing her to escape.
But after Vampire Fascinator left the field, the red light in Tilla's eyes did not show any signs of dissipating, but became more and more intense. It was as if it was about to completely seep into her eyes.
[Tilla: 1000 → 3000 LP]
