EBE Chapter 37. The Mirror's Mage! His power is that of a minotaur?!
Chapter 37. The Mirror's Mage! His power is that of a minotaur?!
"The elven aura here... is so strong, and..." A soft whisper filled with doubt and nostalgia sounded beside Youfeng.
A faint light flashed, and the figure of the Great Sun Goddess quietly appeared.
She hovered in mid-air, her golden eyes carefully examining the depths of the cave, feeling the unique rhythm flowing in the air, a rare trace of reminiscence in her expression.
"Does this feel familiar?" You Feng's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her.
The Great Sun Witch nodded, her tone a mixture of uncertainty and anticipation: "Hmm... this aura, warm and resilient, like the water of a tranquil deep pool, calm on the surface yet able to clearly reflect all things, is very likely her."
"The Mirror's Mage... Ne-ne?"
Youfeng seemed to have guessed who it was, and just whispered the name as if in response to his call—
"Ding-dong..."
From the shadows ahead, a clear, melodious sound, like the dripping of jade, echoed softly through the empty cave.
Immediately afterwards, a soft, aquamarine light, like ripples on a lake broken by a pebble, spread outwards from the depths of darkness. Wherever the light touched, the damp stone walls seemed to come alive, instantly transforming into smooth, clear mirrors that reflected mesmerizing, swaying light and shadow, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, making one feel as if transported to a dreamlike water town.
In the center of this suddenly illusory and mesmerizing scene of light and water, a slender figure, barefoot and like a fairy walking on water, gracefully walked to the place where the radiance was most intense.
She wore a classic shrine maiden outfit in blue and white with water-like patterns. The wide sleeves and hem of her skirt moved without wind, as if water rippled on them.
Her short, elegant blue hair flowed gracefully, adorned only on one side with a delicately crafted mirror-like ornament that resembled a condensed water droplet. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, untouched by any worldly concerns. Her eyes were ethereal and crystal clear, like two pristine ice lakes, reflecting the wearer's features perfectly and even revealing glimpses of the subtle ripples in their heart.
It is the guardian of this place, [Mirror Goddess Ninn].
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze piercing through the void to land on You Feng. A subtle, inquisitive ripple flickered in her clear, ethereal eyes. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice, like a cool mountain stream flowing over smooth pebbles, was clear and melodious:
"Who are you? Why do you carry an aura that feels so familiar to me?"
You Feng composed himself and faced the guardian shaman who protected the Pact of Flowing Water directly. He got straight to the point and said in a calm voice, "I have come for the trial."
"familiar?"
Before Er'er could fully appreciate the aura emanating from Youfeng, the Great Sun Priestess beside him chuckled softly. The radiant light emanating from her body brightened slightly, like a warm dawn dispelling the gloom.
She floated forward half a step, standing shoulder to shoulder with Youfeng, and looked at the water priestess opposite her with a smile, her tone carrying a faint joy of reunion and a hint of teasing:
"My dear, time flies so fast, I never thought we'd meet again. How come you can't even sense my presence anymore?"
The gaze of the Mirror Mage Nurarihyon instantly shifted from Yuuka and fixed entirely on the figure of the Great Sun Mage, who radiated a warm glow.
In her ethereal eyes, surprise, realization, deep longing, heartfelt joy... all sorts of complex yet pure emotions, like pebbles thrown into a still lake, stirred up clearly visible ripples, flowing in her eyes that seemed to reflect all things.
"It's the Great Sun Maiden?!"
The ethereal voice carried a subtle tremor, a stirring of emotion born from a reunion after the passage of time.
"What a... memorable encounter." A slight smile played on her lips, and the shimmering light around her seemed to brighten. "So, this is the Master you've chosen?"
Her gaze returned to You Feng, now with a more scrutinizing and understanding look.
The Great Sun Goddess nodded slightly, which could be considered as acknowledgment.
Mirror Mage Er'er took a soft breath, the turmoil in her eyes gradually subsiding, returning to its clear and serene state. She looked at You Feng, her tone still gentle, but now carrying a hint of formality and aloofness befitting a trial guardian:
"It is certainly a joy to meet an old friend. However, this trial concerns the contract and one's own heart, and there is no room for sentimentality. The rules will not change for anyone."
Upon hearing this, You Feng shrugged easily, a frank smile on his face: "That suits me perfectly. I never intended to use any back channels when I came here."
He raised his hand, and an invisible current swept by. A deck of cards appeared before him under the guidance of his mental power, glowing slightly, ready to be unleashed.
"Let's begin."
Looking into Youfeng's clear and determined eyes, and at his composure in facing challenges head-on without relying on external forces, Jingzhi Yuwu Er'er's smile deepened slightly.
This guy... seems to have a good character.
"Before that," she spoke softly, her voice echoing through the cave, "first, you need to understand. A duel with an elf, especially a conceptual trial with a spirit like me who guards a contract, is different from an ordinary duel in reality."
You Feng's expression turned serious, and he adopted a listening posture.
"Every powerful spirit possesses a unique innate ability," Er'er said slowly, her body shimmering with water that reflected her serene face. "This ability is divided into two parts. One part can reflect and influence reality; the other part directly affects the rules of the duel."
She turned her gaze to the Great Sun Goddess, using her as an example: "Let's take the Great Sun Goddess as an example."
"Her practical ability is damage reflection, which allows her to return a portion of the impact she receives. The core of her dueling ability is also damage reflection—she can choose to reflect a single instance of damage, no more than her current health value, back to the source of the damage during a battle or effect damage assessment."
With a light tap of her fingertip, a ray of water transformed into a simple diagram: "For example, you are dueling with the Great Sun Maiden. You have two monsters on the field, with attack power of 1000 and 3000 respectively. At this moment, you have 2000 life points remaining."
"If you attack with a monster with 3000 ATK, the battle damage caused by this attack exceeds your current 2000 HP, which is above the limit of her reflection ability, so her reflection ability cannot be activated."
"However, if you attack with a monster with 1000 ATK and the resulting battle damage of 1000 does not exceed your current 2000 HP, her ability can be activated to reflect this damage back to you."
The explanation is clear and intuitive.
"As for my ability..." Mirror Mage Er'er's gaze returned to Yufeng, her ethereal eyes seemingly able to penetrate the deck and see the core of his tactics, "It is called Mirror Temptation."
"Under certain conditions, I can choose... one monster from your field." She paused, her voice carrying a subtle, enigmatic depth, like the shifting nature of water. "To lure it into my control temporarily. In other words, during the duel, I can gain control of the monsters on your field in a specific way."
After hearing these words, You Feng's eyes cleared instantly, and his mind became enlightened.
To put it bluntly, this is the ability to forcibly transfer control... or, in more colloquial terms, the Minotaur.