My Stubborn Soul Card Follower

"I choose to special summon from within, [Magical Girl Sakurada Renko]!"

"Activate the effect of [Magical Girl Sakurada Renko]." Alice had already planned the kill strategy in the last turn.

The three magical girl followers sent to the graveyard through [Magical Girl Grand Stage] last turn corresponded to different possibilities.

The best possibility was, of course, Xu Tianzhi passing his turn, allowing Alice to directly kill him.

The worst possibility, naturally, was Xu Tianzhi completing his setup and entering the attack phase.

However, the current situation wasn’t bad either.

Alice announced Sakurada Renko’s effect: "Choose a card on the opponent’s field to destroy."

The card destroyed by Sakurada Renko’s effect cannot activate its effect.

Alice planned to use this to finish him off.

"You fell for it." At this moment, Xu Tianzhi, who had been looking quite downcast, suddenly raised his head, excitement glinting in his eyes.

Seeing Xu Tianzhi’s expression, Alice’s pupils slightly contracted.

"Today, I’m going to teach you the first lesson of Life Card Duel! Miss Alice." Xu Tianzhi raised his hand, illuminating the Celestial Spirit Beast Mechanical Tyrant on his field, "Never trust the actions or words of a Life Card Master on the field easily! Because it might be a trap to lead you into assuming!"

"Impossible!" Alice said in disbelief upon seeing the Celestial Spirit Beast card light up, "Sakurada Renko’s destruction should have made your card effects ineffective first!"

"Yet, my follower’s effect wasn’t activated at this timing!" Xu Tianzhi explained, "The Celestial Spirit Beast’s effect can be activated once it becomes the target of a card effect, destroying all cards on my field!"

"I won’t let you succeed!" Alice said as she attempted to activate her Soul Card Shinno Keiko’s effect.

However, soon, Alice’s voice rose in surprise again: "Why can’t I choose it?"

"Because the Celestial Spirit Beast’s effect cannot be chained by other effects!"

Xu Tianzhi spoke as he activated the subsequent effect of the Celestial Spirit Beast.

He could special summon from the deck an intelligent or mechanical follower equal to the number of cards destroyed this time, below seven stars.

Of course, followers special summoned this way would be sent to the graveyard at the end of the turn.

Yet, Xu Tianzhi at least survived this turn.

And it wasn’t just survival. He still held five spell cards in his hand.

The total number of cards destroyed this time was ten, so Xu Tianzhi could special summon five intelligent or mechanical followers from the deck.

Xu Tianzhi unfolded his deck, beginning to select for this move’s setup.

First, naturally, was choosing those that could stand their ground, preventing Alice from knocking him off this turn.

Next naturally came finding ways to deceive Alice into exhausting her graveyard resources.

Under the effect of [Hell-returned Magical Girl Shinno Keiko], the more magical followers Alice had in her graveyard, the harder it would be for Xu Tianzhi to act.

Finally was considering the quality of cards sent to the graveyard with this move.

Xu Tianzhi was exceptionally familiar with his deck, so the selection process didn’t take too long.

Needless to say, the appearance of followers from the Intelligent Mechanism Card Set, regardless of star rating or strength, always packed a punch.

It was a shame the exam venue lacked adequate live broadcast equipment; if it were well-equipped, Xu Tianzhi’s move would appear to viewers like a special effects feast akin to a scene from Transformers.

Alice watched as Xu Tianzhi suddenly revealed five Mechanical Tyrants, blinking in surprise, then silently set two spell cards.

Immediately, she activated the effect of [Magical Girl Grand Stage], once per turn special summoning a [Magical Girl] follower from her deck.

Xu Tianzhi reacted quickly as well, directly activating the effect of [Mechanical Tyrant Gulasius], trying to negate this special summon.

Bring it on! Hurry and activate the effect of [Hell-returned Magical Girl Shinno Keiko]!

Xu Tianzhi was trying to drain Alice’s graveyard resources with this wave.

Only by depleting the opponent’s graveyard resources could he guarantee an unfoldable environment for his next turn.

However, Xu Tianzhi never expected Alice to let this effect pass.

She didn’t activate the effect of Shinno Keiko.

Not negating it! Xu Tianzhi found it awkward now.

What was Xu Tianzhi up to? Alice was no fool; she could see through it.

The opponent’s five followers on the field were to be sent to the graveyard at the end of the turn.

Followers now self-destructing should not have effects wasted on them by Alice.

What Alice needed to do was gather enough resources to pin Xu Tianzhi next turn!

As long as she could stop Xu Tianzhi’s first explosive setup, the victory of this duel would be essentially secured.

So, what she needed to do this turn was very simple.

Send cards to the graveyard!

She poured everything into sending cards to the graveyard!

She needed to stock up enough ammunition for [Hell-returned Magical Girl Shinno Keiko]’s effect to take out all of Xu Tianzhi’s key cards.

Throughout this, no matter what trick Xu Tianzhi employed to try inducing Alice to activate Shinno Keiko’s effect, she remained unmoved.

Steady.

Xu Tianzhi found a peculiar firmness in Alice.

Stable to a frightening degree.

"My turn ends." Alice said, ending her turn.

Xu Tianzhi couldn’t resist glancing at Alice’s graveyard.

Including the three [Magical Girl] followers sent to the graveyard through [Magical Girl Grand Stage], Alice’s graveyard now contained a total of fifteen follower cards.

Along with the few [Magical Girl] followers summoned on the field this turn, she’d essentially summoned all the [Magical Girls] in her deck.

The fifteen follower cards in the graveyard, under the effect of [Hell-returned Magical Girl Shinno Keiko], hung overhead Xu Tianzhi like a sword.

1/2/3/4/5...

Exactly enough for Shinno Keiko to activate her effect five times.

This means if no strategies were devised, five effects attempted this turn would activate in vain.

This upcoming turn would be a psychological duel between him and Alice.

Xu Tianzhi glanced at his hand and silently calculated.

Which effect was negligible, which effect was a must to negate?

Ways must be found to lure Alice into using her negate effects, or it would be tough to proceed.

And when facing him, Alice too needed to negate key cards, or Intelligent Mechanism could still unfold.

But soon, Xu Tianzhi abandoned such calculations.

He began his turn, then drew a card.

Upon seeing the drawn Life Card instantly, Xu Tianzhi knew there was no need for worries this turn.

His deck finally responded to him at this moment!

"True unfolding." Xu Tianzhi looked up at Alice, his lips curling into a smile, "Even if you have five negates, they can’t stop me!"

With this declaration, he officially began his turn.

He then activated the spell card [Void Soldering Disconnection] from his hand.

This card could be activated by banishing an Intelligent Mechanism follower from the graveyard without needing to pay soul points.

It could banish one follower on the opponent’s field.

This effect naturally targeted Shinno Keiko.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Starting directly by targeting your key follower, will you negate or not?!

Precisely speaking, this effect must be negated by Alice.

After Alice activated Shinno Keiko’s effect to negate [Void Soldering Disconnection], Xu Tianzhi immediately activated the effect of the follower just banished by [Void Soldering Disconnection], special summoning it from the banished zone.

This special summoning, will you negate or not!

Alice barely recognized this follower.

When special summoned from the banished zone, its effect could destroy one card on the opponent’s field.

There was no doubt Xu Tianzhi would choose to destroy Shinno Keiko. If it had to be used sooner or later, better to use it immediately.

"I knew you’d do that! Activate the effect of [Mechanical Tyrant Troy] in the graveyard. When my special summon is negated by card effects, I can activate it, special summoning it from the graveyard."

Once again, the same question confronted Alice.

To negate, or not to negate?