Flood of the Swamp

"My turn!"

Diego's turn next. He gritted his teeth, drew his card, and peered cautiously at his hand.

"...Tch! I'll summon Twin-Headed Viper - Gorgon Twin Head!"

He selected one card from his hand and placed it on the field. Above his side, a massive serpent with two heads coiled into a striking position. Its vertically slit pupils and ceaselessly flicking tongue stirred a deep unease.

"Gorgon Twin Head, attack his Atomic Core! Twin Venom Bite!!"

At Diego's command, the elongated body of the [Twin-Headed Viper] shot forward. Fair enough. He couldn't do anything about the Factory Gauge already built up, but he aimed to prevent it from stacking further.

I couldn't just let that happen. Though I hadn't said it aloud, my [Atomic Core] had a serious drawback.

"I'll activate the magic circle I set up last turn!"

"Damn it, again?!"

"Scrap Scarecrow!"

The [Twin-Headed Viper] slithered right into the [Lost World] without hesitation. Just as its gaping maw loomed, a crude scarecrow pieced together from scrap metal popped its head up.

Krunch!

Even as the two heads bit down with all their might, the scrap scarecrow didn't shatter. Instead, the [Twin-Headed Viper]'s faces twisted in agony.

"By consuming one Factory Gauge, I can block the opponent's attack."

"Damn...!"

Diego ground his teeth in irritation, his darting eyes glaring at the [Gorgon Pytho].

"Then go! Gorgon Pytho, attack the Atomic Core again!"

[Gorgon Pytho] and [Atomic Core] both had 1,500 stats. He was going for a mutual destruction play.

If this continued, both creatures would vanish, and we'd take damage to our Soul Points equal to their stats. On top of that, I'd have to suffer the [Atomic Core]'s drawback.

Of course, I had no reason to take that risk.

"Once more, activate Scrap Scarecrow's effect!"

"Wha...? You can activate it multiple times in one turn?!"

"Precisely twice. And only if you have Factory Gauge—and it vanishes at the end of this turn."

The scarecrow popped up again, fulfilling its role as a shield for the [Atomic Core] perfectly.

"Urk... Fine then! I'll deploy a Zone!"

Oh? So the card he drew this turn was a Zone. Why wait until now instead of playing it right at the start?

"Unfold! Gorgon Swamp!"

With a sharp thwack, viscous marshland bubbled up from the card. The murky purple haze made even breathing feel hesitant. Eerily slender trees rose ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the muck, wrapped by two snake creatures like fish in water. The [Gorgon Pytho] shed its human disguise, its lower body transforming into a serpentine trunk covered in scales.

"With Gorgon Swamp's effect, Snake family creatures on my field get a 30% stat boost!"

Hm, same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠effect as Maritime Kingdom - Belluraca.

"And at the end of my turn, for each Snake family creature on my field, I stack one Venom Gauge!"

Oh ho, a gauge-stacking effect like my Rusty Factory? Though much slower than mine.

'Venom Gauge, huh... That's nagging at me.'

He hadn't used this strategy in his duel against Erhun last round. So no info on what the Venom Gauge did or how it was used.

"I'll set one magic circle and end my turn! Gorgon Swamp stacks two Venom Gauges!"

【Diego Borromeo】

"My Rusty Factory does the same."

Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!

Gloomy bell tolls echoed as four [Drones] entered the factory district. The [Atomic Core] also emitted a bright glow, supplying energy.

The gauge, which had dropped to 14 from activating Scrap Scarecrow, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spun wildly once more to point at 28.

"My turn."

The card I drew... oh ho, this one. I slammed it onto the field immediately.

"First, I'll set one magic circle."

"This is getting old..."

Yeah, I bet. But what can you do? This is the tactic you were so eager to challenge.

"Plus, by consuming nine Factory Gauges, I'll summon three Lost Soldiers."

Mechanical soldiers shuffled out with grating noises, soon rummaging through the ruins with practiced efficiency.

The coin toss succeeded, letting me grab the card I wanted.

"I'll tribute the three Lost Soldiers to summon Machinery Deep-Sea Dragon - Nautilus!"

Nautilus it was.

The scouting soldiers crumbled together, and from beneath the scrap heap emerged a mechanical dragon blending whale and lizard silhouettes.

—Kyaaaaaaaaooooo—!! Whiiiine...

"Gasp!"

"Whoa, it's here!"

"Impressive presence, as always..."

"Uwaaah, my ears are ringing~."

A bit early for its debut, but perfect for probing Diego. He'd have nightmares tonight for sure.

The Venom Gauges he kept stacking. The magic circle from last turn. And those eyes hiding some scheme.

"Urk..."

See? He grimaced and grunted, but beneath those razor-sharp eyes lurked the glint of a viper's gaze.

Let's see what you've prepared.

"Consume one Factory Gauge to attack with Nautilus. Atomic Bite!"

I clenched my fist and shouted. Unlike the duel with Alexander, the [Nautilus] gaping its maw blatantly on land was enough to draw cold sweat. An endless abyss of darkness. Flames ignited at the torpedo-like head protruding from beyond. Come on, what now? I hadn't even declared its special ability.

"Heh heh..."

But Diego was laughing.

"You've fallen for it, Ricardo Bardi!"

"..."

"Now, I activate the magic circle I set—Flood of the Swamp!!"

The maniacal laughter rang out as he flipped the card from last turn face-up.

At that instant, the [Gorgon Swamp] boiled furiously. The marsh, like sulfur flowing from hell's depths, erupted in explosion.

Boooom—!! —Kyaaaaaaaak!!

As if the entire swamp were one living beast, it surged up and engulfed the [Nautilus].

The mechanical dragon, bound in purple liquid, thrashed and roared in fury.

"Hahaha! Flood of the Swamp seals the opponent's creature attack once when Gorgon Swamp is on my field!!"

But his grin deepened, as if that wasn't all.

"Plus, for each Venom Gauge stacked on my field! It reduces the opponent's creature stats by 500 each!"

Ah, so that's what the Venom Gauge was for. Makes sense.

"Hahaha! With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this, your Nautilus is... huh?!"

—Kyaaaaaaaaooooo!!!

But contrary to his words, the damage to [Nautilus] was minimal. Its camera eyes glared at Diego fiercely, as if ready to swallow him whole.

"Wh-why?!"

Because Magic & Creature isn't pure TCG—it's closer to a TRPG.

Just as Maritime Kingdom - Belluraca creates an ocean where non-Water types can't survive without another Zone, Venom—a biological toxin affecting nerves and muscles—has no meaningful effect on my [Nautilus].

My [Nautilus] is a machine first, dragon second. Or more precisely, a machine shaped like a dragon.

Poison meant for living things won't work on machines unless it has a corrosion effect.

The 300 stats shaved off were probably incidental damage from the swamp's poison trying to seep into its body.

"The attack itself was blocked, huh... I'll end my turn here. At this moment, Factory Gauge stacks in Rusty Factory."

Eight from the four [Terraforming Drones]. Six from the [Atomic Core].

Regrettably, [Nautilus]'s massive size kept it from entering the [Rusty Factory], so no gauge from it.

Thus, my Factory Gauge sat at 32.

【Ricardo Bardi】

Well, now what're you gonna do, you stubborn bastard.