Let them print cards, not slay gods 105

Chapter 105: Was My Deck Building Too…Ruthless?

Watching the two girls disappear again, Lin Zhen showed a pained expression. He felt like he had lost them once more.

Seeing Lin Zhen’s expression, Shen Sui felt a pang of guilt.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Lin Zhen took a deep breath and said, “They’re just illusions.”

Feng Lintuo!

You freaking bastard!

Shen Sui cursed inwardly.

“Then I’ll continue,” Shen Sui drew Alice from his hand. With Alice’s appearance, he already had the means to win. But this duel wasn’t solely for victory, so he chose to summon his initial Alice.

“Her name is Alice, my Soul Card,” Shen Sui pointed at the lively girl on the field and said to Lin Zhen, “Similar to your relationship with Feng Lintuo.”

Lin Zhen’s initial form was also youthful. As his form upgraded, his heart grew increasingly heavy.

“I admit, many people resort to any means for victory, even torturing their Soul Cards,” Shen Sui said to Lin Zhen. “But there are many others who consider their Soul Cards as partners, even their closest friends.”

Actually, Shen Sui had even met someone who was in a relationship with their Soul Card—even more absurd than a long-distance relationship.

Shen Sui didn’t intend to verbally persuade Lin Zhen; anyway, Lin Zhen couldn’t beat him. He just wanted to tell Lin Zhen that true duelists existed—those who treated their cards as companions, as comrades facing difficulties together.

“I can’t truly understand your suffering, and I don’t expect your forgiveness, but the indiscriminate killing of innocents is wrong.”

“I never kill indiscriminately,” Lin Zhen said earnestly. “Qingzhou tried her best to save me, and I will never allow the souls she saved to be tainted. The people I killed here all deserved it. That man named Chai Dàshēng seemed to plan a sacrifice in this city, to welcome his so-called Suffering Bodhisattva. I don’t know what it is, but he incited others to torture their Soul Card companions—a fact. Although not from the same world, they are also considered murderers.”

Lin Zhen clenched his fists. He was filled with regret. If he had known Shen Sui was this strong, he wouldn’t have wiped out that Suffering Poetry Society. This organization, led by Chai Dàshēng, gathered a large number of people who strengthened their decks by torturing their Soul Cards.

The most hateful thing was that this torture was never actively inflicted on the Soul Cards. They only used words and some ability to manipulate time, causing the Soul Cards to repeatedly miss opportunities, making them resent the world and fall into endless suffering.

Shen Sui felt he had heard something incredible.

“Is that so? My apologies, I overlooked this. I will find them,” Shen Sui assured Lin Zhen. “Fate Card duels cannot bear the infamy because of these people.”

Some people do evil, and while the individual is at fault, it’s often attributed to a group.

It’s true with nerds.

It’s true with games.

When people consider this Soul Card torture immoral, they subconsciously think all Fate Card Masters are like that.

Then, Shen Sui raised his hand and transformed Alice. “Paying 5 Soul Points, transforming Alice! Descend, Crimson Lotus Alice!”

Surrounded by blazing flames, Alice completed her transformation.

Joy, the joy of saving a friend, radiated from Alice’s face. This genuine joy, even through a projection, reached Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen looked at Alice on the field with envy.

He could feel the girl’s joy, a feeling he yearned for. The feeling of saving a loved one—he had never experienced it.

“It’s wonderful,” Lin Zhen murmured unconsciously.

“I don’t have much time,” Shen Sui glanced at the clock.

The world seemed to be rejecting Claude’s power.

The feedback suggested Claude’s power was too strong. His prolonged presence was overwhelming the world, urging Shen Sui to withdraw.

Fine, let’s wrap this up quickly.

“I’m sorry you haven’t felt the charm of dueling.”

Lin Zhen withdrew his gaze from Alice and looked at Shen Sui helplessly.

He really hadn’t felt the charm of dueling.

This guy just fed his two summoned creatures to the fishes.

If this was the charm of dueling, Lin Zhen suddenly felt there might be a big problem with this world.

As he spoke, Shen Sui drew the [Mutated Fish King Andeluren], and in the same way, it reappeared on Lin Zhen’s field.

Lin Zhen only had two slimy Fish Kings left, and the once beautiful figures vanished again from his sight.

No.

Lin Zhen started to feel overwhelmed.

He felt the opponent was tormenting him.

Seeing Lin Zhen’s expression, Shen Sui felt a little embarrassed.

He felt guilty.

Was my deck building too ruthless?

He touched his nose.

His intention was to let the opponent feel the charm of dueling and then verbally persuade him, but it felt like he was torturing the victim in some kind of dark fanfiction.

And a heavy-handed one at that.

But I consciously avoided the cuckolding trope.

It seems I’m not really cut out to be a persuader.

“Then, paying 8 Soul Points, activating the Magic Card [Return] from my hand,” Shen Sui drew a card. “Paying half my life points, returning all summoned creatures to their owners’ fields.”

“Summoned creatures whose control changes due to this effect lose all their effects.”

“Then, both sides must send the same number of summoned creature cards from their deck to the graveyard.”

A forceful power instantly reversed control of the two Fish Kings.

In that instant, Lin Zhen’s field became completely empty.

Since only Shen Sui gained two summoned creature cards from Lin Zhen’s field, he needed to send two summoned creature cards from his deck to the graveyard.

This fulfilled the conditions for [Crimson Lotus Alice]’s effect.

Shen Sui’s life points were 3000, Lin Zhen’s were 6000.

Shen Sui activated Alice’s effect, removing the two summoned creature cards sent to the graveyard by [Return]. Alice’s attack points reached 2500, and she attacked three times.

2000 + 2000 + 2500 * 3.

No matter how Lin Zhen resisted, he was destined to lose.

Shen Sui launched a direct attack without hesitation.

He was considerate enough not to have the Fish Kings kill Lin Zhen, but rather have Alice deliver the final blow.

When the Dueling Instrument dispersed, Lin Zhen was still filled with helplessness and sadness.

Although he knew it was all an illusion, his former lover seemed to have truly disappeared before his eyes again.

Shen Sui coughed nervously. “Um…sorry, I forgot my deck building isn’t suitable for verbal persuasion.”

Lin Zhen shook his head, appearing relieved. “Seeing them appear so vividly before me, I’m already satisfied. Perhaps this is the purpose of Fate Cards—to preserve beautiful moments.”

“Seeing them again, I’m already happy,” Lin Zhen adjusted his hair. “I should go back. My world is still suffering, and many people are waiting for me to save them.”

Having said that, he raised his hands and pierced Feng Lintuo’s chest without hesitation.

A flash of pain crossed his face, but it was immediately replaced by the exhilaration of revenge.

Lin Zhen would leave, and Feng Lintuo’s soul would return.

However, he would face a body that would relentlessly march toward death.

In the following days, Feng Lintuo could only lie in bed, slowly feeling his lungs turn into rigid wood, unable to expand and contract, as if his chest was being squeezed, finally succumbing to extreme pain.

This was Lin Zhen’s final gift to Feng Lintuo.

I’ll see if I can write two more chapters tonight.

(End of Chapter)

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