It's Common Sense That Cards Get Stronger for Their Masters

"What the hell am I even looking at?"

Blizzard twisted her face behind the mask as she stared at my field—not at all the expression you'd expect from a proper villain. By every rule of the script, we were supposed to be the heroes standing against the bad guys. And yet here I was, running cards like these, and it had clearly short-circuited her brain.

"What? None of you use cards like this?"

"Plenty of similar cards exist. But most of them are pure display pieces—like those Beyond Cards working the shop counter over there. So what the hell are you?"

"No idea. But here's one thing I do know: if you surrender right here, we can all walk away clean. While you're at it, you can apologize for what you said to Ga-eun and Manbok."

"Don't make me laugh."

She flipped me the middle finger. Pretty gentle rejection, as far as villains go—I laughed. Yumi, on the other hand, only shook her head.

"If only she'd taken the easy way out… Why would she choose this…?"

Having been on the receiving end herself, she was clearly fretting over the other woman's fate.

"Speaking of which, Gracia—your cost dropped quite a bit. Attack's down too; all that's left is her HP. And those effects… even I, as a shop owner, have never seen them before."

"I believe the original effects vanished, and she was weakened by the same amount."

Right—her original kit had been dumping 10 damage across the entire enemy field on turn one, then ticking for 5 every turn after that.

"I don't call this a nerf. If anything, she's stronger now than when she was dragging around that bloated cost."

"Is that so?"

Maximum mana per turn: 10. I'd already spent 2 on a draw card and 3 on the summon.

"With the cost I have left, I summon Swollen-Belly Saintess · Gracia once more."

"What!?"

This one wasn't a generated copy—it was the original card. Which meant I effectively had three Yumis standing at my side right now.

"Master. Shall I do the same?"

Naturally, a Gracia called by that name had a will of her own—and she was perfectly polite about it.

"You too. Impregnate Forced: Shiofuki."

"Yes! For the sake of my children, I gladly offer up my womb!"

Her hand glowed. Just like before, her belly rippled and swelled until she was thoroughly, unmistakably pregnant. A saintess whose outfit was already indecently revealing now sporting a round, bulging stomach—the sheer wrongness of the image hit like a slap.

"Funny, though. Yumi, you're not even surprised?"

"I've run similar combos in actual matches more times than I can count. I've even flooded the field with three Gracias and pressed for fifteen damage a turn."

Fair enough. Given that Holy Nation Decree: Emergency Muster was one of Yumi's cards to begin with, maybe it really wasn't shocking.

"Grow up pretty, my little ones."

"Hehehe…"

Both Gracias sank to their knees together, cradling their bellies and stroking them with tender care. At a glance they looked like benevolent Madonnas—except for the horns, the wings, and the faces absolutely drowning in sexual bliss. I'd worried it might badly affect Yumi; sure enough, her former master was lightly pressing a hand to her own stomach as well.

Even after the card was taken from her, a thread of the link still remains—thin as it is.

No reason to drag this out, then. I ended my turn on the spot.

"I don't know what 'Impregnation' is, but my defense has no openings. Whatever scheme you're cooking, my ice neither cracks nor melts."

"That's a delusion! One good pussy-burst and it won't just melt—you'll get glacial meltwater on the scale of global warming!!"

"Shut up! Dropping 'pussy' out of nowhere—have you no shame as a grown woman!?"

"That's not what I meant! All of this is for your sake, so please just surrender here!!"

"—Hmph. Draw."

Blizzard's playbook never changed.

"Come forth. Second Winter General!"

"Hrmph! Hrmph!"

Another thick-muscled monster in a fur coat and full beard stomped onto the field, flexing like a bodybuilder showing off. Same effect as before. A third Snowy Mountain rose into existence, ready to choke me out.

This field's got zero babes on it…

■■■…….

I muttered under my breath that there wasn't a single woman on the field and that Setauros would be disappointed—and sure enough, the card in my hand started vibrating. Just like last time, it couldn't hide how badly it wanted a pretty girl-card to hold, trembling with pure frustration.

"What's with you?"

"Wondering if maybe you don't have any pretty-girl cards."

"Ha! You hear that, you old hag over there!? What part of this man are you even putting your faith in!?"

"You're the one who needs to stop talking nonsense and just surrender! Lee Baek's deck has done something—something truly irreversible is about to happen!"

"…What are you even saying. Don't be ridiculous."

Yumi shook her head, but that only seemed to prod Blizzard's contrarian streak. She kept kneading her hand, eyeing the one empty follower slot left—knowing full well it wasn't the right moment—and finally flung the card down anyway.

"Come forth! My ace card—Valkyrie of the Bitter Cold!"

A long-haired beauty appeared, silver with a faint wash of blue. Stripped of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pretense, it was Blizzard herself. Her eyes, though, were hidden behind a lace blindfold—a matching veil to keep her identity from being fully exposed, just like her master.

Between that arctic-fox mask and how much of her face is already showing, I'm not sure the blindfold even does anything…

Manga logic, probably. And for someone called a Valkyrie, she had nothing to do with Norse myth—she wore a pure-white modern military uniform and struck a pose with a rapier pressed to her right breast.

"——Freeze."

The silver beauty brought the rapier down. Fresh blizzards roared out from the installed Snowy Mountains and swallowed my field whole.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Ah. So "trigger" means designating another card and forcibly activating its effect at will.

Three Snowy Mountains on the board. That meant 6 damage sweeping the field—but a pregnant Gracia was unaffected by other cards' effects.

"Our field is~."

"A priority seating zone for expectant mothers~♪"

The blizzard tore past the field and slammed into me directly.

"As expected of an ace. Low cost, snipes a kill angle on demand, clears the field, and left alone it just keeps getting stronger! You're telling me that's the same cost as that draw card earlier?"

"Shut it. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have to spend my cost this tight. Like you said—this card hits hardest when you drop it as a surprise finisher."

In other words, getting teabagged by a banned card had pissed her off so much she'd revealed her hand just to put me down fast.

I poked the bear, and now she's sitting on a [5/6], [7/6], [5/6] powerhouse board.

My side? A pathetic [3/7] and [3/7]. The Life gap was brutal. Under ordinary circumstances, I'd be dead in seconds.

"………."

"She's deliberating."

Even staring at her own field, Blizzard didn't move right away.

"She doesn't know what the 'Impregnation' effect on Gracia does, so she's hesitating. Our Taeyang would have charged in without a second thought."

—Followers summoned this turn cannot attack.

—Even if the Winter General from her first turn swings at Gracia, she won't break, leaving 2 HP.

—But if she chips one now, she can clear both next turn in a single sweep.

That was clearly the calculus—until she pointed a finger straight at me.

"No. I don't waver. I've seen plenty of cards that look flashy on paper and deliver nothing. I've won by sticking to this strategy alone. This time is no different."

"Hrmphuuuut—!!!"

At Blizzard's gesture the Winter General's massive fist shot forward, frost-laden wind ripping across the field. The blizzards pouring from the Snowy Mountains rode right behind it.

"Next turn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I swing with everything and carve your Life as deep as I can. Once the blizzards from the Snowy Mountains swallow you whole, it's over. Ha—your cards are vulgar, and you've got zero skill to back them up."

"—Ah."

Of course she'd plant a defeat flag at exactly this timing.

Right on cue, a grand orchestra swelled through my ears and Yumi's.

"Ah, I can hear it—this grand music that has no business being here! There's even Latin mixed in! I can't translate it, but Latin in a soundtrack is always a danger signal, isn't it~!?"

The kind of BGM you hear right before an execution—or a boss fight. Sadly, Blizzard couldn't hear a note of it; she just stood there with her arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"What are you even babbling about, you sexual-harassment auntie. Kids turn out like that and your brain just checks out, huh?"

"That's not—"

"Hey. I'm already in a bad mood. You keep talking shit to Yumi and Uncle here is not going to sit still."

"Hilarious. Just draw already. Or are you scared this might be your last turn?"

"Tsk."

I uncrossed my legs and drew.

——That was the signal.

"Giving birth! Augh, uooooh~♡ Hwaaat~♡"

"Womb's opening… I'm cumming from a pussy-birth—hiiik~♡"

As if on cue, both Gracias spread their legs wide and thrust out their vulgar, gaping cunts. Wailing with pure ecstasy on Yumi's face, they looked utterly overjoyed. Naturally, their former master was drowning in shame—and clutching her own crotch with both hands for dear life.

"Hngh… it's coming! Something's coming out of my pussy—so much of something! Ahhngh~♡"

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!!!

"Uohooooo~~♡♡"

Amniotic fluid burst free, pooling at their feet as milk sprayed from their breasts. Between those spread-open cunts, coated cards began pouring out in a wet, continuous stream. That's right—they hadn't been carrying babies. They'd been pregnant with cards. And they were giving birth to them this very turn.

"What the hell is this!? You two—what are you doing in the middle of a sacred battle!? What are you doing on the field!!"

Blizzard reeled as the situation she'd never imagined exploded in front of her. And the vulgarity was only getting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠started.

"Uo, uo, uooh~♡"

"Huiiik~♡ Aaaah~♡"

One, two, three, four——each Gracia expelled five cards that way. They were popping cards out of their wombs like popcorn, with a breeding rate to rival rabbits or rats. Between the two of them: ten cards in total.

"Don't tell me those are all—"

"You taught me about triggers, so I'll return the favor. Impregnation is a text that has the host card 'give birth' to the designated card on the following turn."

How many it produced, I couldn't say for sure—but I'd vaguely expected a low-cost card to come out in bulk. I'd simply followed where the deck led, and it had worked out beautifully. Relief settled in my chest as I thrust my palm toward the Gracias and roared.

"And the cards born this way—activate immediately, at zero cost!"

"Smooth delivery~♪"

The children—the swarm of cards—scattered across the ground began to glow. They looked ready to fire on command, and Blizzard's momentum shattered.

"Don't tell me—your opening play was a setup to stack a mountain of counters!?"

Decks shift to match a battler's nature, and cards evolve—that's common sense in a card-manga world. So Gracia, remade as a succubus, had evolved specifically to solve the tedious process of stacking Climax Counters in a single stroke.

In other words, my deck now has two dedicated ace cards. And one of them shortcuts the early-game buildup that used to be such a pain. Leave it to a card that used to belong to Yumi—she really only ever does the cutest things.

This was Blizzard's misread. She shouldn't have been summoning Winter Generals and Valkyries. She should have been finding any way she could to remove Gracia.