Blair: "!?"
The next one?
The next what?
But Thousand-Eyes was destroyed…
"Magical Exemplar's effect," Kira said lazily. "Once per turn, remove Spell Counters from itself to Special Summon a Spellcaster from hand or GY whose Level equals the number removed."
He pointed at the first Exemplar.
"Exemplar No. 1 has four counters thanks to your 'Pot of Greed' and 'Cupid's Kiss' last turn.
"I remove one to revive a Level 1 Spellcaster from my GY.
"Arise—
—Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"
The green-robed sorceress closed her eyes and chanted. Ancient characters floated, weaving a ring of mystic light.
Darkness welled up at its center, polluting the holy array into a marshlike abyss.
From that abyss, innumerable eyes opened! A colossal mass steeped in darkness rose, a thousand pupils swiveling, its horrific aura dominating the arena.
Thousand-Eyes Restrict, revived!
[Thousand-Eyes Restrict, ATK 0]
Blair: "???"
Beyond the terror of the grotesque performance, her head filled with question marks.
Huh?
This thing is a Spellcaster?
"Thousand-Eyes Restrict's effect," Kira snapped his fingers, smiling. "Once per turn, absorb an opponent's monster as an Equip."
This is the power of no "once per turn per card name."
It looks like Thousand-Eyes can only activate once per turn—but if you summon another copy, or send and revive it, the usage resets.
In other words, if you can make it repeatedly in a single turn, you can ignore its usage limit. Absorb as many monsters as you can revive it.
That's why modern Yu-Gi-Oh! slaps "You can only use this card name's effect once per turn" on monsters. If it's per card name, reviving doesn't reset it.
The Maiden in Love struggled, but the dark tentacles swallowed her with a sob, corrupting her into part of the darkness.
Blair bit her lip.
Even so, it only absorbs one. She still had two Maidens. As long as one remains, she's invincible.
"Magical Exemplar No. 2's effect," Kira continued. "Remove one counter to revive a Level 1 Spellcaster from the GY.
"I remove one to revive this Level 1 Spellcaster. Return to the field—
—Relinquished!"
The dark mire erupted again, a cyclopean eye opening in the abyss. That unspeakable horror rose, its swiveling eyeball cursing the world.
Blair was almost in tears.
No way… This thing is a Spellcaster too?
What about it looks like a Spellcaster?
She now deeply distrusted the Duel Monsters creator who printed these two abyssal creatures…
"Relinquished's effect: once per turn, absorb an opponent's monster as an Equip," Kira said, smiling.
"Absorb a second Maiden in Love."
The cyclopean eye bulged wide, darkness burst again into tendrils that wrapped the girl. Another beautiful maiden wept and thrashed, then was devoured and absorbed.
Blair turned her head, unable to watch, pressing a hand to her chest to steady her breath.
Calm down. Don't be afraid.
Now both Relinquished and Thousand-Eyes have absorbed. She still had her last Maiden, the lone survivor.
As long as one remains, the absolute defense holds. Maiden can't be destroyed by battle, and Spirit Barrier negates damage—
"I activate the Equip Spell 'Wonder Wand,'" Kira said calmly. "Equip to a Spellcaster; it gains 500 ATK.
"I equip Wonder Wand to 'Relinquished,' increasing it by 500."
Blair's pupils shrank; many in the crowd sucked in air.
Everyone knew the key part of Wonder Wand isn't the +500.
They all realized the Lord in Yellow's next cruel move…
"Wonder Wand's other effect: send this card and the equipped monster to the GY; draw two cards."
Kira gestured casually at Relinquished.
"I send this and Relinquished to the GY. Draw two."
Blair: "!"
She immediately understood.
Kira had three Magical Exemplars. They remove Spell Counters to revive a Spellcaster of the same Level from the GY.
Relinquished is Level 1, so a single counter revives it.
And the counters on those Exemplars are practically inexhaustible…
Meaning Relinquished has three extra lives each turn!
And since Relinquished is "once per turn," but going to GY and returning resets the state, it can absorb again.
In other words, Wonder Wand sends Relinquished to the GY; Exemplar No. 3 revives it; then it can eat the last Maiden—
No, I mustn't let that happen!
"I activate my set Trap—Dust Tornado! Destroy one Spell/Trap on the field!"
Blair shouted.
"Before Wonder Wand resolves, I destroy the Equip!"
The Wand was caught in a whirlwind and shredded midair.
"Nice response," Misawa nodded. "Even if Relinquished can revive endlessly, if it can't be sent to the GY, its state won't reset, so it can't take the last Maiden."
He paused, then sighed.
"Well… that's as far as it goes."
The newbie did her best.
But the opponent isn't playing fair.
"Impressive," Kira applauded Blair's line.
Then he smiled. "But did you forget I still have this?"
He pointed to a face-up Spell.
"The Continuous Spell 'Arcane Barrier.' It already had three counters, and it gains one each time a Spellcaster is destroyed.
"When 'Thousand-Eyes Restrict' was destroyed this turn, it went to four—the maximum."
Blair blinked.
"Then I activate Arcane Barrier: send this card and one Spellcaster on my field to the GY to draw cards equal to the counters—four."
Blair turned to stone.
Send a Spellcaster to the GY…
Huh?
"I send 'Relinquished' and Arcane Barrier to the GY to draw four."
Kira drew four, then said evenly:
"Then Magical Exemplar No. 3: remove one counter to revive a Level 1 Spellcaster from the GY. Return once more—
—Relinquished!"
In the spot Relinquished had just left, darkness surged; the cyclopean eye snapped open, the pupil spinning.
As if saying, heh—miss me? I left, and now I'm back.
[Relinquished, ATK 0]
Blair: "…"
She was out of plays.
And out of words.
"As I said, I won't hold back or go easy. So… sorry, Blair-chan."
Kira smiled.
"Relinquished's effect: once per turn, absorb an opponent's monster. I absorb the last 'Maiden in Love.'"
"Once per turn"—now those words sounded like mockery.
The cyclopean eye opened, and darkness unfurled into tendrils, binding the helpless girl and yanking her into the abyss.
The arena fell silent, save for the maiden's helpless cries echoing.
Even Chancellor Sheppard's mouth twitched.
I must report this to President Pegasus later.
Have him tweak Relinquished's holo animation—this is way too grim…
"Battle," Kira said. "The two 'Magical Exemplars' attack directly."
[Blair, LP 1800 → LP 0]