Chapter 1281: Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in a certain kingdom, there lived a black magician and the wisest old woman in the land.

The wicked black magician transformed into an evil dragon, harming villagers and committing all kinds of atrocities. Enraged, the king ordered the old woman to punish the magician.

The old woman accepted the task but made a request: she wanted to bring along a broken scarecrow.

"I will punish the black magician; I shall bear his curse," the broken scarecrow said.

Thus, the two set off toward the black magician's location and found his house.

"Wicked magician, if you continue your evil deeds, I will eat you up," the old woman shouted into the house.

The black magician panicked and rushed out. There, he saw the shadow of a gigantic monster. Terrified by the enormous shadow, he was captured and tied up by the old woman.

Only after being bound did he realize that the true source of the giant shadow was the broken scarecrow standing on the roof, its silhouette cast by the sunlight.

The black magician begged, promising never to do evil again. He said that if he were bathed in the light of the sunrise, the curse he had cast would be lifted. Under the sunlight, the broken scarecrow prayed to the sun.

Bathed in the light, the broken scarecrow transformed into a handsome prince. The prince embraced the old woman, and she turned into a beautiful young girl. It turned out she too had been cursed into the form of an old woman; only by embracing a prince could the curse be broken.

And so, the prince and the girl saved the kingdom and lived happily ever after under the king's blessing.

"…"

Luna closed the storybook with a satisfied smile.

This book was a birthday gift from Leo one year—it was her most precious possession. Whenever she faced an enemy, she would always reread it before battle. Though she had read it dozens of times, she never grew tired of it.

"Alright, that's enough."

Luna looked up with a gloomy gaze.

"Now… defeat the wicked black magician and save the kingdom, Scarecrow!"

Leo grumbled discontentedly, "I've told you so many times, I'm not a scarecrow…"

Luna said darkly, "Do you have any objections?"

"Ah… n-no!"

The fake Leo hurriedly turned to Kira and declared loudly, "You heard her! Come on! Your arrogant days end here!"

Kira glanced at the two of them. "Oh? Are you both dueling me together?"

"Heh, of course! We've always been one heart and one body! No matter the opponent, we fight side by side!" The fake Leo put his hands on his hips and looked at his sister. "Right, Luna?"

The fake Luna still wore a sour expression. "A scarecrow shouldn't get so cocky, Leo."

The fake Leo deflated. "Fine… Anyway, we'll both be your opponents!"

Though they said they would fight together, Kira noticed they only had one Duel Disk—held by Leo. Luna stood beside him as if fighting alongside, but she merely continued stroking her Kuriboh plushie, apparently intending only to watch.

Kira understood.

They called it fighting side by side, but it was still one field and one hand. The two children simply brainstormed and operated together—perhaps with additive effects on the level of fate power. From the rules' perspective, Kira's opponent was still only one entity. The twin pair could be treated as a single person.

"Duel!" ×2

[Kira, LP 4000]

[Leo & Luna, LP 4000]

"I'll go first and take the initiative!"

Though the fake Leo looked gloomy and blackened overall, the moment the duel began he grew so excited he forgot himself—just like the original.

"First, I'll use this move…"

The fake Leo reached out as if to play a card, but Luna's gloomy voice came from behind: "Activate Field Spell."

The fake Leo's hand froze. He gave an awkward laugh and seemed to change his original plan, following his sister's instruction.

"Alright then… Activate Field Spell Fairy Tale Prologue – Journey's Dawn!" (Manga card)

Before them appeared an ancient, exquisite street. The buildings on both sides were built from colorful bricks, each one seemingly leaping out of a fairy tale book. Moss and wildflowers covered the roofs; wisps of smoke rose gently from the chimneys, adding a touch of life to the peaceful morning.

The most striking feature was the vast, boundless sky. A giant sun was slowly rising there. Unlike the harsh, blazing sun of the real world, this one emitted a soft, warm golden glow. It seemed to wear a gentle smile, like a kind sun god bathing the miraculous land in endless light. Sunbeams filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the stone pavement.

"Fairy Tale…" Kira frowned.

He recalled that this seemed to be the deck used by the blackened twins in the manga. If he remembered correctly, this Field Spell had even been made into a real card.

Of course, the real card's effect would differ from the original.

"Next, Special Summon the Tuner monster Bat, the Forest Ninja!"

The fake Leo continued his summons. A small bat appeared, with cunning eyes, frantically flapping its tiny wings—it looked rather cute.

[Bat, the Forest Ninja, ATK 800]

"When this card is on the field while a Field Spell exists, it can be Special Summoned directly from the hand!" the fake Leo said. "Then I Normal Summon Wonko, Noble Knight of the Forest!"

From the name, one could tell the next summoned monster was a chibi dog. But this was no ordinary dog—it was a holy knight dog. It wore armor, had bright eyes and white teeth, and held a knight's lance.

[Wonko, Noble Knight of the Forest, ATK 1100]

"Level 3 Tuner Bat, the Forest Ninja + Level 4 Wonko, Noble Knight of the Forest, Tuning!"

[3 + 4 = 7]

"Anyone who dares touch the Steel Reverse Scale had better pray for mercy!" The fake Leo revealed a cold, triumphant smile. "Synchro Summon——Power Tool Mecha Dragon!!!"

As the Synchro Summon's light rings bloomed in the air, the roar of mechanical gears suddenly filled the battlefield. Blinding welding sparks scattered like a meteor shower. The steel dragon body burst forth from the summoning array. Its right arm's hydraulic drill device assembled first, the spinning metal airflow carving spiral grooves into the ground. The left arm's power claw engine activated; the claw blades unfolded with a sword-unsheathing ring. When the entire dragon emerged from the smoke, pale blue liquid nitrogen mist drifted from the still-hot gear gaps, veiling the killing machine in a hazy steam shroud.

[Power Tool Mecha Dragon, ATK 2300]

"Ta-da! Power Tool makes a dazzling entrance!"

The fake Leo declared.

"The real show is only just beginning!"

…