Chapter 5: Labrynth Control Deck

"Arianna's effect, add Big Welcome to my hand." Li Guanqi operated the game fluidly.

"Discard Big Welcome; a Normal Trap set this turn can be activated this turn."

"Chain the effect of Lady Labrynth in my hand, Special Summon this card."

"Effect of Stovie Torbie in my hand: send this card to the Graveyard, discard Chandraglier from my hand, and set Big Welcome from the deck."

"Chandraglier?" Twin Flower interrupted, looking confused.

She scanned the screen left and right, unable to find a card by that name.

Li Guanqi explained casually, "That's just Labrynth Chandraglier. I usually call her 'Silly White'."

"You call the Lady of the Labyrinth 'Silly White'?!" Twin Flower looked as if she had been struck by lightning, her eyes widening as she warned him, "You’d better never go to the Labyrinth; Ariane will kill you."

"I wish I could go," Li Guanqi muttered to himself. "But how?"

The Labyrinth was merely a fictional name, but that didn't stop him from liking it. She was so fair, so tall, and so beautiful!

"Effect of the Graveyard's Big Welcome, Special Summon this card," Li Guanqi continued, explaining as he played. "Link Summon using Arianna and Big Welcome."

"Link 2, Unchained Soul of Yama."

The moment the summon was successful, a vision suddenly flashed through his mind for no apparent reason: a demon youth with horns, wielding a staff, appearing amidst a sea of flames, laughing wildly.

Li Guanqi instinctively shook his head and rubbed his eyes, dismissing it as a hallucination brought on by exhaustion.

Twin Flower froze. "Huh?"

Her confused murmur slowly turned into a sharp, piercing shriek.

"Unchained?!" She scratched her head, her voice filled with disbelief. "You put Unchained into Labrynth? That’s... actually kind of interesting."

"But does the Lady agree to this?"

"Here you go again..." Li Guanqi sighed, knowing she was back to imagining conversations with her cards.

This time, however, he didn't correct her. Instead, acting on a whim, he played along and said seriously, "I asked Silly White, and she said she listens to everything I say. The whole Silver Castle is mine to do with as I please."

"I see," Twin Flower nodded gently. "You two are really close."

*...You actually believe that,* Li Guanqi thought to himself.

He sighed softly and clicked the screen to continue his play. "Activate Yama's effect, add Sharvara to my hand."

"Activate Sharvara's effect, destroy a set card, and Special Summon this card."

"Using Big Welcome's effect, chain the activation of the set card—Big Welcome."

"Chain Lady Labrynth's effect to set a Normal Trap from the deck."

"Whoa—" Twin Flower’s eyes lit up, impressed. "You can do that?"

"A true master..."

Destroying a Normal Trap card didn't affect the activation or the resolution of the effect; using C1 Sharvara and C2 Big Welcome saved him a card.

"Lady Labrynth's effect, set Transaction Rollback."

"Big Welcome's effect, Special Summon Ariane from the deck, and return Lady Labrynth to my hand."

"Effect of Stovie Torbie in the Graveyard, Special Summon it."

"Ariane's effect, draw a card, and Special Summon Lady Labrynth from my hand."

"Hmm..." Twin Flower nodded, though she only half-understood, letting out a vague hum. She was a bit bewildered, but it didn't matter.

"I'm not afraid!" She gripped her three invincible removal cards, two of which were starters. It was absolutely perfect!

"Go ahead, I don't have any hand traps," Twin Flower said calmly.

Inwardly, she smiled cunningly, thinking, *Just wait until I drop my hand, I'll destroy him!*

"What gives you that confidence?" Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, teasing her. "Harpy's Feather Duster? Lightning Storm? Or Evenly Matched?"

"None of those!" Twin Flower quickly defended herself. "I have nothing! I'm panicking!"

Li Guanqi chuckled and resumed his play. "Link Summon using Sharvara and Yama."

"Link 2, Unchained Soul of Sharvara."

The classic transition from the Red Dog to the Blue Dog was executed with practiced ease.

"Sharvara's Graveyard effect, set Abominable Chamber of the Unchained from the deck to the field."

"You even included the Chamber... it actually fits quite well..." Twin Flower murmured in thought.

"The universal plug-in for Fiend decks," Li Guanqi said offhandedly. "Activate Ariane's effect, send the set Transaction Rollback to the Graveyard, and Special Summon from the deck—"

He paused, scanning the list of available cards.

"Special Summon, Labrynth Chandraglier."

"Link Summon using Chandraglier and Stovie Torbie."

"Link 2, Fiendsmith Sequencer."

"Sequencer's effect, discard a card, and Special Summon Silly White from the Graveyard."

Just then, the eerie hallucination surfaced in his mind again. A woman in a pure white gown stood before him, showing only her back. The surroundings were silent, and he could hear nothing but two clear heartbeats.

Li Guanqi shook his head again to break the illusion. "Activate Labrynth's effect, set the Big Welcome from the Graveyard onto the field."

Perhaps because he hadn't fully recovered his senses, he didn't call her Silly White this time. He used her actual name: Labrynth.

"Set one card, turn end."

Li Guanqi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and rubbed his temples.

First turn over.

Front row: Unchained Soul of Sharvara, Fiendsmith Sequencer, Lady Labrynth, Labrynth, Ariane.

Back row: Abominable Chamber of the Unchained, Big Welcome, one face-down card.

Graveyard: Transaction Rollback.

Hand: None.

Life Points: 8000.

"Five in the front, three in the back." Twin Flower stared, bewildered, a head full of question marks. "You told me you were playing a Beat deck?"

"Don't worry, there isn't a single negate," Li Guanqi comforted her.

On the surface, there was no negation on the board; theoretically, her card effects should all go through.

"Really?" Twin Flower narrowed her eyes. "The only interaction is the Unchained cards?"

"Why do I feel like there's something weird going on?"

"Whatever, small fry~"

"Watch closely!" She curled her lips, regaining her confidence. "Next, it's my turn!"

"My turn."

"Draw—card!"

Twin Flower shouted deeply, instinctively swinging her arm.

*Whoosh.* Her phone flew out of her hand.

"My phone!" Li Guanqi’s eyes widened, staring fixedly at the phone as it traced a parabola through the air.

"You...!"

"I've tolerated you for long enough!" His face twisted into a comical expression of agony.

Realizing her mistake, Twin Flower clasped her hands together, putting on a cute and innocent look. "I'm sorry."

"It's a habit to swing it..." she muttered while dutifully picking up the phone. "I've drawn my card."

"Do you have a chain..."

Twin Flower blinked at Li Guanqi, bowing in apology. "Sorry..."

"It seems," Li Guanqi said coldly, "if I don't get serious, you won't understand what it means to be a duelist."

"Uh oh," Twin Flower trembled. "He's mad."