Unlimited Friendly Match — The Power of Forbidden Cards!
"I'll take the first move."
Why does everyone in this world just decide who goes first by staring each other down instead of flipping a coin? Sure, maybe you can read it in someone's eyes, but still — this is ridiculous.
I didn't bother calling her on it. While she checked his hand, I stepped off the field.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I ran myself ragged getting here."
Conveniently, we were in an abandoned factory, so I grabbed a couple of the plastic chairs the workers used to sit on. I sat Yumi down first, then took a seat myself. My burning breath settled into the cold night air, and the quiet felt almost pleasant.
"What an insolent little man. If you're a Beyond Battler, how about showing some basic battler etiquette?"
"Says the bastard who brainwashes kids and throws them at adults. How about you learn some basic human manners first? Or is that why you dress like that — because common sense is a foreign concept to you? Not embarrassed to walk around outside looking like that?"
"For your information, these garments were woven from a special fiber the Great Leader prepared for his officers. A mystical material that drastically reduces the real physical damage sustained during battle."
"And the design—?"
"The Great Leader's doing."
Why do evil organization bosses always have the same taste?
I smacked my forehead. Beside me, Yumi leaned in and whispered softly.
"In a real battle — not a practice match at a table — refusing to face your opponent is generally taken as a provocation."
"Is that so?"
I deliberately crossed my legs. Even through the mask, the hostility rolling off her was unmistakable as she thrust an arm toward me.
"Tch. Presenting Life."
For the first time, something resembling a proper display appeared.
"Neither of us has a special win condition with this kind of deck. In this case, you can win through direct attacks as well, Baek."
"So the reason neither of us showed Life last time was because we both had special decks?"
"That's right."
Intuitive and clean. This was the basic framework of the TCG games I knew — it even made me a little nostalgic.
Honestly, winning with Climax Counters and whatever else had been giving me a headache.
"Doesn't that mean I'm at an advantage, with two win conditions?"
"Judging by the way she's coaching you from the sidelines, you must be a complete Beginner who just started Beyond Battle. You have no idea why a deck that presents ordinary Life without relying on special victories is strong. In that case, let this battle teach you the depths of your own ignorance and shame."
Her deck began to glow.
◈ Activates from the deck or hand at the start of the game.
◈ Doubles starting Life and generates 1 Snow Mountain, placing it in the Magic Zone.
…From the deck?
Hold on a second, teacher.
What the hell kind of broken text is this?
In the blink of an eye, her Life had doubled.
That son of a—! Even the neighboring game only bumps Life from 10 to 5. What kind of bullshit is this?
"Don't you have any professional courtesy?"
"You picked the wrong opponent. I don't know what made you think you could take me on, but now that you've provoked me, don't expect to be forgiven easily."
A card was generated and moved into the Magic Zone.
I was still sitting on a 5/5 field, while he had 3/7.
"His Magic Zone is wide. She's probably going to use a lot of cards like that."
Just as Yumi advised, the newly generated card settled into the Magic Zone.
◈ Designate the opposing player. Reduce their Life by 2 each turn.
◈ Deal 2 damage to all cards on the opponent's field each turn.
The second I saw it, Blizzard's moniker clicked into place. This had to be her favorite card.
Just reading the effect was an open warning: From this moment on, I'm going to freeze you to death.
"Next, I summon General Winter."
◈ Upon successful summon, generate 1 Snow Mountain and place it in the Magic Zone.
"That's the second Snow Mountain!"
"I still have Cost remaining. From my hand, I activate Snow Woman's Snowball Rolling."
◈ Draw cards equal to the number of Snow Mountains on the field.
The moment I read the effect, I knew she planned to solidify her board until next turn.
Blizzard seemed pleased with her opening play, smiling smugly. I finished reading the card, crossed my legs the other way, and needled her.
"Conditional three-Cost draw seems a little heavy. Aren't there better generic cards out there if you look around?"
"………."
No answer came back.
Snowballs tumbled and rolled from the Snow Mountains standing in the Magic Zone, transforming into cards that slid into Blizzard's hand.
Oh, that was actually charming. So that's why it was called "Snowball Rolling." I almost complimented her for it — and she rattled her mask in irritation.
"Aha. For a villain, you're pretty dedicated to your deck's concept, huh?"
"Shut up. Stew in my bitter cold."
Lee Baek40 → 36
A blizzard howled as my Life was shaved down.
"Haaugh~!"
"Damn, that's cold!"
I'd worn a jacket and it was still this freezing. A few more hits and I'd start icing over.
I see — two Snow Mountains in a single turn. The Magic Zone has seven slots, so even if he only runs five to avoid locking himself out, that's ten damage per turn. Unlike the games I used to play, just having the field size change based on the deck opens up this much tactical variety.
While I was lost in that thought, she jabbed a finger at me.
"Your turn. You spent so much time kibitzing my cards — surely you'll show me something worth looking at?"
My turn.
I hadn't mulliganed, so I drew up to seven cards to start.
"Minimum deck size of thirty. Max three copies of any card. Generated cards don't count against that."
"What are you mumbling about?"
She asked why I'd bother stating something every Beyond Battler already knew.
"Twenty-three cards left in the deck. From here, I activate He Whose Name Must Not Be Left Behind."
◈ Draw 2 cards from the deck.
The illustration box was painted pure black, and a terrifying card with its name engraved in crimson activated.
The second she saw it, Yumi's face went white with shock — and Blizzard's reaction was even more violent.
"Y-you— that card! The one the God of Beyond personally issued a ban on, forbidding its use in the human world!! The one whose illustration — even its original name — has been erased!?"
"It's banned by the Association too! Using it means immediate disqualification as a Pro Battler!!"
"Ah, so that's why it's called that?"
"You didn't know!?"
"No. I knew."
Just looking at the effect, it was a meme of a card. There was no way I wouldn't recognize it.
"But this isn't an official match. By classification, this is just a friendly, right?"
"…Huh?"
"Last time I was at the shop, I saw kids using this card under unlimited rules. So as long as you don't play it in an official match, the card itself isn't a problem."
"Y-you—! If you genuinely believe that, you are trash who doesn't even deserve to call yourself a Beyond Battler! You shameless little—!!"
"Then stop brainwashing kids, you damn bitch. Do that, and I'll play by the rules and manners of Beyond Battle too."
Drawing two cards for a Cost of one? Completely broken. Some people were throwing three mana just to scrape two cards.
That left twenty-one cards in the deck, but I still didn't have what I needed.
"I follow up by activating He Whose Record Must Not Be Left Behind. Drawing additional cards."
"Don't screw with me!!"
◈ Draw 3 cards from the deck. Then choose 2 cards from your hand and discard them.
"Now that's a card!"
The effect was so unhinged I couldn't help but grin.
For the record, these weren't cards I'd borrowed from Yumi's deck.
I found them.
More precisely, I'd pulled them out of the store's trash can.
Kids ripped them from packs and immediately tossed them because they couldn't be used in official matches. Even Yumi had said they couldn't be sold and told me to dispose of them — which I quietly stashed away instead.
"Among every card that has a name in this world, there is not a single useless one. Kids, I promise I'll drag you into the light."
"Wipe the spit off your mouth before you talk!!"
Eighteen cards left.
This boost finally put the card I needed in my hand.
◈ Can be activated if a card named Saintess · Gracia or any card with the Holy Nation race is in the deck or hand.
◈ Randomly generate 1 card matching that condition onto the field.
"Is that why you went through my deck earlier?"
"It looked good for combos. Especially the generation effect."
"But you don't have any Holy Nation cards in your deck, Baek. And the one Gracia you do have has already become a succubus, from what I heard."
"It'll be fine. More importantly, Yumi — I'm about to use Gracia. You're not going to get mad, are you?"
"Is she going to end up looking as outrageous as last time?"
"Yes."
"Auu, auu…."
She flushed deep red at the memory, but clenched both fists tightly.
"It's all for the children, isn't it? Using forbidden cards, bringing out our Gracia — all of it. Then don't worry about me. Use her freely. If it's a request from you, Baek, I can happily accept her in any form."
Technically it's her partner Gracia taking the hit, but still.
Her words were so good I couldn't help but pull her against my side.
Moonlight spilled through a torn tarp overhead, and even the sky seemed to be blessing her resolve.
"Baek…"
"Yumi…"
"What the hell are you two making eyes at each other for right in front of me?! And you — the married woman over there! Don't be fooled! That man is a natural-born scumbag and a piece of trash! He's going to seduce and devour an ignorant woman like you, guaranteed!!"
"You're the one who kidnapped and mind-controlled someone else's children — what right do you have to talk?! Don't you dare insult another woman's man with that filthy mouth!!"
"Khh—!"
Hearing "another woman's man" made me a little embarrassed.
I immediately threw Emergency Summon and spun the Holy Nation gacha.
But there's only one Holy Nation card in my entire deck.
Naturally, Gracia was summoned.
"Ahh, Master!"
"Gracia~!"
Yumi's double appeared on the field — goat horns and a succubus's wings.
Becoming a succubus hadn't stripped her of her reason, though. She greeted her former master from the field with the same benevolent smile as always.
"Her outfit's changed a little, hasn't it?"
"Forgive me, Master. I restrained myself as best I could, but I found it impossible to avoid making a spectacle of myself with Master's face watching."
Her clothes had shifted from the previous "perverted breast-curtain nun habit." The fabric over her belly had vanished entirely, and the curtains covering her breasts had shortened enough that her areolae peeked out. The thin I-strip covering her crotch had also shrunk dramatically — her bare sex and hair were half-visible, dangerously close to full exposure.
"It's all right. Unlike last time, this fight is for the children. Please focus on defeating her under Baek's command."
"Yes, Master."
Even with a new owner, the bond between them hadn't broken.
Answering Gracia's fighting spirit, I immediately designated one card in my hand.
"Activate Gracia's new effect. Now — impregnate the Magic card Forced: Shiofuki!"
"My new Master. My womb, my eggs — I offer them all to you…!"
◈ Designate the opposing player and place 1 Climax Counter.
◈ Designate the opposing player and force Shiofuki climax a number of times equal to their Climax Counters.
◈ After activation, draw 1 card and return this card to the deck.
The very same card I'd used to torment Yumi before.
A sphere of light rose from the designated card and flew straight into Gracia's sex.
And then—
"Oooohh~♡ Uhoooh~♡"
True to her new epithet, the former saintess took that light deep into her womb and her belly swelled in an instant.
"…Hweh?"
"What the hell is that!?"
"Ah, ah, it's growing — my new child is right here~♪"
Gracia's pretty abs vanished. Moments later her navel popped outward, completing the beautiful pregnant belly unique to expectant mothers.
"Hngh! Aah, hwaaang~♡"
As a finishing touch, goosebumps rose over her inverted areolae and breast milk sprayed free.
In other words — Gracia's Impregnation had succeeded.
"How do you feel?"
"Yes, my beloved Master. By thoroughly overworking my eggs, I'll try to give Birth to three cards by next turn… no — I'll push myself and aim for five."
The Pregnant-Belly Saintess narrowed her eyes and chuckled softly. Her pupils had slit vertically, and her eyeballs had turned a gleaming yellow.
For a brief moment after meeting Yumi, she'd shown her old self. Now she followed me with a lewd smile worthy of a true succubus.