Chapter 16: The Rate of Reason

Page (1/3)

“[Dragon Princess God] did not choose to draw a card,” Zi Cai said with concern. “It seems Mu Ningning’s deck lacks defensive hand traps.”

“A purely reactive OTK build...”

“If [Nashatemi] had been summoned, it could have blocked [Bone King]’s attack, but then it wouldn’t be able to bypass [Bone Princess] for the finishing blow.”

“Looks like she’s getting a bit desperate.”

Hong Mi shifted the topic, shouting excitedly, “It’s Bone King’s turn!”

“Three cards in hand—can she counterattack?”

“Summon another 8000 ATK [Bone King]!”

“Oh—!” The front-row audience waved their glow sticks and cheering signs, while those in the back rhythmically pounded their seats, creating a deafening roar.

“My turn, draw!” Bone King drew a card, a gleam flashing in his eyes as a slow smile curled on his lips.

“Not a bad card.”

He let out a cold laugh, then after a brief pause slammed the card down: “Activate Spell Card, [One-on-One]!”

“Send [Bone Prince] from hand to the graveyard, special summon—”

“[Bone Lord]!”

A flash of white light, and a skeletal warrior clad in a crimson cloak rose from the ground, his rusted ancient sword radiating an ominous chill.

Mu Ningning’s pupils dilated, a shiver running through her body, as if foreseeing what was about to happen.

“Activate [Bone Prince]’s effect,” Bone King sneered. “Send [Bone] and [Bone Lady] from the deck to the graveyard.”

“Next, [Bone Lord]’s effect!”

“To activate, I must send this card from the field to the graveyard, then send as many cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard as the number of [Bone] and [Bone King] cards in my graveyard.”

“I currently have seven [Bone] or [Bone King] cards in my graveyard.”

“Send seven cards to the graveyard!”

“Seven cards...” Mu Ningning’s face turned pale as death.

Tang Xin and Qin Dongzhu’s hearts clenched sharply.

Bone King waved his hand fiercely; seven phantom cards scattered into the air.

[Bone Prince]
[Bone]
[Black Hole]
[Bone King]
[Bone Roasting King]
[Whirlwind]
[Bone Lord]

“Hahaha!” Bone King laughed heartily at the pile, “Activate [Bone Prince]’s effect!”

“Send [Bone] and [Bone Lady] from the deck to the graveyard.”

“Chain activate [Bone Roasting King]’s effect, add [Bone King] and [Bone Princess] to hand, then discard one card.”

Page (2/3)

With several clattering sounds, the graveyard swelled again, dark mist rising ominously.

Mu Ningning stared blankly at this scene, her delicate frame trembling.

Above her head, the sanity tracking indicator fluctuated wildly, plunging from 75% down to 66%.

“Fell below 70%,” Mickey noted, pressing several buttons on the controller.

Several riot-control robots deployed, entering the duel arena on standby.

Li Guanqi sensed something was off, writing on White Paper’s hand: “What does 66% mean?”

Even in animated duels, such a number didn’t appear.

“That’s called the sanity rate,” White Paper explained. “It monitors the sanity fluctuations of Dual Shadows. The higher the sanity rate, the stronger the human’s dominance.”

“The lower the sanity rate, the stronger the shadow’s dominance.”

“If a Dual Shadow’s sanity rate drops below 50%, it’s very dangerous...”

“Dual Shadow?” Li Guanqi furrowed his brows, confused.

White Paper pursed her lips, struggling to find words: “A Dual Shadow is... a person symbiotically bound with a card spirit...”

She was about to continue.

Bone King’s frenzied shout pulled their attention: “Summon—[Bone King]!”

A chilling wind howled as a majestic figure slowly rose from the bone pile, black cannons orbiting him, exuding an intimidating aura.

“For each [Bone King] or [Bone] in my graveyard,”

“This card’s attack increases by 1000!”

Black mist swirled fiercely around Bone King. His bones creaked, as if absorbing endless resentment, his form growing taller and taller, reaching ten meters in the blink of an eye.

[Bone King] ATK: 0 → 12000

“Attack power... twelve thousand,” Mu Ningning looked up at the colossal being, a chill spreading from her feet through her entire body, her sanity fading.

[62%...]
[58%...]
[55%...]

As her sanity rate dropped, she began hearing chaotic whispers.

Those voices seemed like calls from the abyss, like demons whispering, lingering by her ear, tempting and pulling her.

“12,000 attack!” Hong Mi shouted excitedly, ignoring the drop in Mu Ningning’s sanity rate.

This was commonplace in the Duelists’ League.

The audience erupted in uproarious discussion.

“Twelve thousand attack? Is this going to obliterate everything?”

“Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!”

“Bone King is aiming to become a legend!”

“Level 8 pain, 12,000 attack...”

“Bian Yuetang’s down this round. First Jiang Yan fell, now Mu Ningning might not hold on either...”

Page (3/3)

“Battle phase!” Bone King shouted loudly, “[Bone King], attack [Dragon Princess God Safira]!”

Bone King roared skyward, spreading his withered arms. Countless vengeful spirits surged from all sides, swarming toward Safira and Mu Ningning like a nest of venomous snakes.

Mu Ningning’s face turned deathly pale, blood drained from her cheeks.

Bone King’s attack is 12,000; Dragon Princess God’s is 3,500—she will take 8,500 damage.

The pain shock has three power levels: 3,000 damage, 6,000 damage, and 10,000 damage. 8,500 damage triggers the second level, causing paralysis-level severe injury.

“Hold... hold on...” she trembled, retreating step by step, her gaze vacant.

Her sanity rate slowly dropped, finally settling at 52%.

In her subconscious, severe injury was preferable to the sanity rate falling below 50%.

“Hahaha—” Bone King suddenly burst into a morbid laugh, “I love how you cling to desperate hope.”

“Ah~ struggle~”

“Keep it up! You must hold onto your sanity!”

“Hahaha!”

“Activate the effect of [Bone Princess] in hand!” Bone King threw down his last card, “All monsters on the field lose attack and defense equal to their level × 300!”

A piercing wail echoed through the high air.

[Dragon Princess God Safira]’s light dimmed, attack dropping from 3500 to 1700.

[Bone King]’s form further swelled, attack rising from 12,000 to 13,000 then falling back to 12,700.

“Damage... 11,000...” Mu Ningning’s eyes went hollow.

Single damage exceeding 10,000 triggers the third level of pain shock.

Level 8 pain, third level.

It’s death.

Not pain, not injury, not madness—it’s death.

Death that one never wakes from.

Sanity rate: 52% → 48%

“No... no,” a second shadow suddenly appeared beneath Mu Ningning’s feet.

“Awaken, my friend!” Bone King laughed wildly, swinging his arm forward.

Bone King’s claw struck [Dragon Princess God Safira], a powerful aftershock and vengeful spirits crashing toward Mu Ningning.

A dark phantom of [Electronic Angel - Nashatemi] emerged from Mu Ningning, enveloping her completely.

“Boom—”

Mu Ningning was blasted several meters away, crashing violently against the barrier, but strangely, remained completely unharmed.