At this moment, the person standing before Lucas was a tall woman. Though her height had increased significantly, her figure remained perfectly proportioned—slim where she should be slim, and full where she should be full. The only difference was that her once one-meter-long legs had now stretched to one and a half meters, and her modest grapefruit-sized assets had ballooned into watermelons—larger than Lucas's head. Standing in front of her, Lucas looked like a primary school student. In a sense, this was truly "driving a big car."
"What... what on earth is going on?" Shenhe, bewildered by the sudden transformation of her body, exclaimed in shock. "Why have I suddenly become so big?"
Despite her enlarged form, she remained trapped within the sticky, gelatinous hydro slime.
Lucas stood before her, a sly smile on his face. "Now, your mouth should be big enough."
Indeed, as her body had grown, so too had all her organs. And while Lucas's body was much smaller than Shenhe's now, one particular part of him had grown to match her new proportions perfectly.
Shenhe finally realized what was happening—this was the effect of the card. As for Lucas's intentions... they were all too obvious.
"Just for something like this..." Shenhe rolled her eyes at him. "Was all this really necessary?"
"Don't you think it's fascinating?" Lucas replied nonchalantly. "These cards have opened up so many new possibilities—things you could never do in real life."
Indeed, in reality, a scenario like "Mastering the Eight-Foot Tall Lady" would be impossible. After all, there were no women of such colossal stature in the real world—unless one could somehow find the legendary "Eight-Foot Tall Lady" of Inazuma.
"Hmph..." Shenhe snorted coldly, then reluctantly opened her mouth. Though it was still a bit of a stretch, she managed to accommodate him, albeit with some difficulty.
If a third party were to witness this scene, they might describe it as nothing short of a "miracle"—albeit a bizarre and surreal one.
Half an hour later, the first round concluded.
The once aqua-blue slime had, for some reason, taken on a milky white hue. Within its translucent body, tiny tadpole-like shapes swam about. Fortunately, slimes, by their very nature, lacked the ability to reproduce—otherwise, this could have led to some truly strange consequences.
Of course, this wasn't something Lucas needed to worry about.
Since their inception, slimes had been repurposed for various uses beyond being mere monsters. Pyro slimes could be used as cooking fuel, Anemo slimes as a source of propulsion, and some daring individuals even used slimes as living, self-lubricating tools. However, only hydro slimes were suitable for such purposes. There had been unfortunate souls who tried using cryo slimes, only to suffer frostbite and irreversible damage.
"Ugh, disgusting!" Shenhe spat a few times, then demanded, "That's enough! Let me out!"
"Not so fast," Lucas said with a grin. "It's not every day you get to be this big. We should make the most of it."
With that, Lucas moved behind Shenhe. The hydro slime, responding to his will, reshaped itself to hold Shenhe's waist, abdomen, and legs in place, forcing her into a kneeling position. Such a pose would have been impossible outside the slime's buoyant embrace—or in zero gravity.
Realizing what Lucas intended, Shenhe tried to turn around, but her immense strength was useless against the slime's viscous hold. She could only watch helplessly as Lucas prepared to have his way.
To be honest, under these circumstances, only Lucas could pull off such a feat. Any other man would have been left powerless, staring at an insurmountable challenge. The feeling of helplessness was indescribable.
"Let's begin."
Whether intentional or not, Lucas positioned Shenhe so that she faced Chongyun, who was outside eating a popsicle. However, like everyone else, Chongyun could only see a reflective glass wall.
[-100]
[-100]
[-100]
But soon, Lucas encountered a serious problem.
Since he and Shenhe were still technically "opponents," every collision between them caused Shenhe's health to drop by 100 points. At this rate, after a few dozen impacts, Shenhe's health would reach zero, and their little game would end in defeat for one of them.
However, a few dozen times... wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Lucas.
"Looks like even you have your limits," Shenhe sneered, noticing her declining health. "You should just give up now."
"My dear sister-in-law, do you really think I'd admit defeat so easily?" Lucas smirked and drew a card. "I activate the effect card [Pain Compensation]!"
The effect of [Pain Compensation] was simple: every time the user took HP damage, they would recover 100 HP. In most card battles, this effect was negligible, as damage typically exceeded 1,000 points per hit. But in this situation, it was perfect.
"You... how do you have so many of these cards?!" Shenhe exclaimed in disbelief. "Did you plan this all along?"
"Let's just say I anticipated every possibility," Lucas replied triumphantly. "The real show is just getting started."
Of course, he was bluffing. Lucas hadn't originally included this card in his deck. He had simply used the God of Gambling's Technique to conjure it up on the spot.
And so, above Shenhe's head, numbers began to flicker rapidly:
[-100]
[The effect of "Pain Compensation" activates, restoring 100 HP.]
[-100]
[The effect of "Pain Compensation" activates, restoring 100 HP.]
[-100]
[The effect of "Pain Compensation" activates, restoring 100 HP.]
Each time Shenhe's HP dropped due to Lucas's actions, it was immediately restored by the card's effect. Her HP bar flickered rapidly, struggling to keep up with the pace of Lucas's relentless assault.
It was worth mentioning that while the audience outside couldn't see what was happening inside the dueling arena, they could see the fluctuating health values of both duelists displayed externally.
As a result, the spectators outside were now witnessing an extremely bizarre scene.
One side's health was rapidly changing at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye—sometimes decreasing, sometimes increasing—but always stabilizing at the same number.
"Xingqiu, are you seeing this?" Chongyun was so shocked that he forgot about his popsicle, muttering, "What's going on with that weird health fluctuation?"
Naturally, Xingqiu was much sharper than Chongyun. Moreover, he had just bid farewell to Lucas and Shenhe not long ago, so he had a rough idea of what might be happening. Smiling faintly, he replied, "Perhaps it's just an intense battle."
Indeed, the fight between Lucas and Shenhe had reached unprecedented levels of intensity. Their enlarged bodies had given them experiences they had never had before.
"I-It should be about time, right?" Shenhe's voice was somewhat muffled as she struggled to speak. "I'm already… close to my limit."
"You know," Lucas said, continuing his movements while patting Shenhe's back with a chuckle, "from my perspective, there's still an unused area. It feels… like such a waste."
"W-What area?" Shenhe tried her best to stay conscious.
"The backdoor," Lucas whispered. "I don't think… I've ever taken this passage before."
In reality, while Lucas often "bullied" Shenhe, he still knew his limits. There were some areas that he hadn't dared to explore—for obvious reasons.
After all, if anything went wrong and Cloud Retainer or Ganyu found out, things could get very troublesome.
However, this was a virtual space. Even if he did explore new territory, it shouldn't have any lasting effects on the real Shenhe… right?
"T-That place?" Shenhe shook her head hastily. "No, that's supposed to be… for…"
Even though she was usually direct and straightforward, she was still a woman, and there were some words she simply couldn't bring herself to say.
"If even the mouth can be used, why not that place?" Lucas coaxed patiently. "The human body is a wonderful thing. Many organs serve more than just one function."
"Hmph…" Shenhe let out a soft snort before muttering, "It's not like… I can resist you in this state anyway."
Lucas's heart surged with excitement. Based on his understanding of Shenhe, this was practically a yes.
"Then, I'll begin," he warned.
"W-Wait…" Shenhe frowned in confusion. "Aren't you… still inside?"
That was right—Lucas was still in the front entrance. How was he planning to enter the back one?
"I have no choice. These two doors…" Lucas smirked mischievously. "I want to go through both at the same time."
"At the same time?" Shenhe was puzzled. "But you only have… that one… right?"
Damn it. This guy had been leading her into saying all these indecent words!
"In reality, this would be impossible. But in the dueling arena, nothing is impossible." With that, Lucas suddenly drew a card. "I activate the effect card [Double Trouble]!"
The effect of [Double Trouble] was to duplicate any target on the field.
It was a very peculiar effect, as the duplication wasn't limited to summoned creatures—it could copy unused cards, equipment, and even certain derivatives.
And the target Lucas chose to duplicate was none other than… that thing.
Shenhe turned her head, only to see an indescribable "mutation" happening to Lucas's body. It was as if a sturdy tree trunk had suddenly sprouted an identical branch.
Before Shenhe could even react, Lucas was already gripping his dual weapons.
"Twin Strikes!"
"Mmngh!"
Faced with such an overwhelming onslaught, Shenhe immediately felt an immense impact surging through her body. With no other choice, she had to focus all her energy on dealing with it.
And because the frequency of the collisions had effectively doubled, the rate at which health values fluctuated also became twice as fast.
If Genius Invokation TCG had an achievement system, Shenhe would probably be the first player to unlock the title [Recover 1,000,000 HP in a Single Match].
One Hour Later.
"Ahh…"
Utterly exhausted, Lucas collapsed backward. As he fell, he still had the presence of mind to summon a Anemo Slime to serve as his cushion.
At this moment, he looked somewhat comical—like a warrior in an RPG who had chosen a human-class character but was dual-wielding Titan Greatswords—a setup that just didn't quite match.
However, before Lucas could enjoy even a moment of post-battle satisfaction, a huge shadow loomed over him.
Opening his eyes, he saw a mountain-like Shenhe standing in front of him. Her body was still covered in the gooey residue left behind by the Hydro Slime. In fact, the Hydro Slime, which had been binding her all this time, had completely ruptured due to being overloaded with… "foreign fluids."
"Shenhe, you worked hard," Lucas stretched lazily, his voice a little weak. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
"Rest?" To his surprise, Shenhe's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "I'm actually feeling quite energetic right now."
"Oh…?" Lucas murmured thoughtfully. "I see. Because your body got bigger, your stamina also improved, huh? Even after all that, you still aren't satisfied—eh? W-What are you doing?"
While Lucas was still lost in thought, Shenhe suddenly used "Mountain Collapse", sitting directly on top of him.
BOOM!
The tremendous impact instantly shaved off 500 HP from Lucas.
"What am I doing?" Now in control, Shenhe pulled out another card—[Pain Compensation]—and sneered, "Did you think only you should have fun? Not a chance!"
[-100]
[Effect of "Pain Compensation" activated. +100 HP recovered.]
[-100]
[Effect of "Pain Compensation" activated. +100 HP recovered.]
...
The familiar health fluctuation notifications appeared again, but this time, it wasn't Shenhe's health that was changing—it was Lucas's.
As it turned out, driving a truck was a high-risk endeavor. Because if the truck wasn't completely out of gas, the driver might just end up getting run over instead.
At this moment, the one getting run over was undoubtedly Lucas.
Meanwhile, outside the battlefield, the unaware spectators had begun expressing their amazement.
"Look! That health bar finally stopped moving!"
"Wait a minute, why is the other side's health bar suddenly changing again? And why is it fluctuating so fast?!"
"I bet this is an incredibly intense duel!"
"Damn it, I really wish I could watch this!"
Even Chongyun, who was usually indifferent, couldn't help but become curious. He murmured, "Just what kind of battle could cause health values to change at such an insane rate? This must mean they've abandoned card effects and are just fighting with pure brute force…"
"Who cares?" Xingqiu stretched his limbs and smiled. "This duel might go on for who knows how long. There's nothing to see, so just imagining it in our heads is way too boring. Let's go find someone to duel—time waits for no one."
Many others shared the same sentiment. The only reason the audience had gathered here in the first place was out of curiosity. But now, this bizarre "duel" had dragged on for nearly two hours, and aside from the rapidly fluctuating health values, there was no other movement at all. Growing impatient, several spectators had already begun to leave.
Perhaps due to the sheer intensity of his "exercise," the spiritual essence of Bi Yan, which had been trapped inside Lucas's "Void Within," had unknowingly been digested down to mere remnants before being expelled from his body.
Guided by an unknown force, the disembodied essence drifted back toward its original owner.
Bi Manor
Inside Bi Yan's room, the red-haired girl's eyelids twitched slightly before she slowly opened her eyes. However, the usual arrogance and haughtiness in her gaze were nowhere to be seen. Instead, her expression was filled with an indescribable emptiness.
"You're finally awake," Bai Ye, who had been sitting by the bedside, said expressionlessly. "How do you feel?"
"I think… I had a really strange dream…" Bi Yan sat up, frowning slightly. "In that dream… I was tormented for a long time."
"Can you tell me exactly what happened during your duel with Lucas?" Bai Ye narrowed her eyes.
The moment Bi Yan heard the name "Lucas," her body shuddered violently, as if she had just been electrocuted. The usually fearless girl actually showed a rare expression of panic. She muttered under her breath, "I… I don't remember…"
Bai Ye immediately saw through her. With a calm yet piercing tone, she asked, "Are you… afraid of him?"
"Ridiculous!" Bi Yan clenched her fists and retorted, "If it were a real fight, my divine fire would have—huh? What's going on?!"
She raised her hand, and in her palm, a dim, flickering flame appeared.
It looked nothing like the blazing red flames she used to wield with her Bifang bloodline.
"This… This is just ordinary fire…" Bi Yan's voice trembled. "My flames! My power! They're gone?!"
"Don't panic," Bai Ye reassured her. "Perhaps you were simply too severely wounded, and it hasn't fully recovered yet. But… I must admit, that man actually has some skill."
"No… It won't recover," Bi Yan shook her head in silence. "I know my own body better than anyone."
"You…" Bai Ye seemed as if she wanted to say something more, but her cold personality made it difficult to offer words of comfort.
"You don't need to console me," Bi Yan said, unexpectedly calm. She let out a long sigh and lay back down. "In a way… this isn't so bad. If I've become a cripple, at least no one will force me to do this or that anymore."
"If you choose to give up, I have no objections. However, I need to know one thing," Bai Ye said seriously. "Lucas… is there any connection between him and the legendary, long-extinct Gluttony Beast?"
The moment Bai Ye mentioned that, Bi Yan's face turned pale. She didn't answer—but her silence was as good as confirmation.
"If Lucas were just an ordinary human, then his relationship with Ganyu would merely be a waste of her pure Adeptus bloodline at most," Bai Ye said coldly. "But if he truly has ties to the Gluttony, then their union… would be an abomination."
"A union between an Adeptus and a Fiend will only bring catastrophe. This… must never be allowed to happen!"
Meanwhile, Back at the Tournament Grounds…
At this moment, Lucas had absolutely no idea just how much trouble he had stirred up.
After getting run over by Shenhe three or four times, he now felt like he was floating when he walked. After all, driving the truck and getting run over by it were two completely different experiences.
Even though Shenhe had become an "Eight-foot Tall Woman", she was still quite slender. However, two to three hundred jin (100-150 kg) of force slamming up and down thousands—no, tens of thousands of times…
Forget a human—even a bull wouldn't survive that.
Luckily, Lucas's physique was far beyond ordinary. If he were just a regular human, he would have long been flattened into mush.
Finally, the duel was forcefully ended due to reaching the time limit. The moment the battle concluded, all card effects were instantly deactivated. As a result, Shenhe immediately returned to her normal size, and the clothing that had disappeared due to "Unequip Equipment" was restored as well.
"Finally over…" For the first time, Lucas had lost in this type of contest. Looking absolutely exhausted, he muttered weakly, "Hey… you weren't… getting back at me, were you?"
"Do you have a problem with that?" Shenhe crossed her arms and smirked. "But I have to say, this dueling system is quite interesting. I wonder if I can ask the organizers for a few extra discs after the competition ends?"
Something like that would be a simple request for Ningguang. Since Shenhe was Ganyu's junior, if she really made such a request, Ningguang might actually agree.
However, if that happened… Lucas's days would be numbered.
"It's already this late?" Lucas quickly changed the topic. "By the way, you still only have two Mora Tokens, right? Are you ready for the next duel?"
"You don't need to worry about me," Shenhe waved a hand dismissively. "I'll handle the rest. Goodbye."
"Huh?" Lucas was puzzled. "You're not… coming with me?"
"I can't." Shenhe shook her head. "If I stay by your side, I might unconsciously start relying on you. And that… is bad for my cultivation."
It made sense. Ever since her father betrayed her, Shenhe had built a wall around her heart.
She had long sworn never to blindly trust anyone ever again.
Even toward her respected master, Cloud Retainer, Shenhe had never displayed any attachment.
Since even her own father could betray her, then others were not exempt from that possibility either.
To avoid suffering from betrayal ever again, she simply chose never to trust anyone in the first place.
By severing karma, she would naturally never suffer from its consequences.
This was the lesson her master had taught her.
However, just then, Lucas suddenly raised his fist and threw a punch into the air—right in Shenhe's direction.
Though his fist didn't hit anything, the force of the punch stirred the strands of hair beside Shenhe's ear.
"What are you… doing?" Shenhe asked, puzzled.
"Nothing much," Lucas shook out his wrist and chuckled. "I just felt like… there was a wall between us. So, I decided to break it."
"You…" Shenhe was momentarily stunned. Then, for the first time in a long while, a smile appeared on her face.
"The word '人' (person) is written with two strokes leaning on each other, because people are meant to support one another," Lucas said, patting her shoulder with a grin. "So, it's okay to trust others sometimes."
"Besides… we're family, aren't we?"
"It's too early to say that now." Shenhe brushed his hand aside and replied coolly, "If you want to marry Senior Sister Ganyu, then you'd better win the Tianshu Election first. If you dare to lose… next time, it won't just be eight feet tall."
Watching Shenhe's retreating figure, Lucas suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.
Hold on a second… did she just imply that next time, she'd grow even bigger than that?
That wouldn't just be driving a truck.
That would be driving a whole damn train!
Just as Lucas took a few steps forward, a tall figure casually strolled out from the side. With a faint smile, she greeted him, "What a coincidence, Mr. Lucas."
The woman had short blue hair and a strikingly elegant yet cold beauty.
It was none other than Yelan.
"If it's you, it's hard to believe that this is just a coincidence," Lucas replied with a helpless smile. "Alright, just tell me—what do you want?"
After all, with Yelan's personality, any "coincidence" was likely premeditated.
---