Syra discarded a card from her hand to the Graveyard, then drew a card. This effect was also meant for sending cards to the Graveyard. Not only could it replenish her hand, it also let her send cards that needed to be in the Graveyard to activate their effects. The card she sent was [Lunalight Yellow Marten]. When this card is sent to the Graveyard by an effect, you can add a [Lunalight] Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Lunalight Yellow Marten] sent to the Graveyard!"
"When this card is sent to the Graveyard by an effect, I can add a [Lunalight] Spell/Trap to my hand!"
"I add [Lunalight Fusion] to my hand!"
Syra quickly added the Lunalight archetype's signature Fusion Spell to her hand. For a pure Lunalight Deck, its importance was beyond question. Seeing this, everyone was naturally shocked. Morgan might recognize the Lunalight Deck, but the others were completely unfamiliar with it.
In this world, unpopular Decks were truly obscure—most had never even seen them, much less fought against one.
What shocked them even more was that the perpetual underachiever, Syra, was using this Deck.
If Morgan had used such a Deck, they would not be surprised at all—after all, Morgan was known to blow people away with obscure Decks no one had ever heard of.
But Syra, with poor grades and no connections, how could she have obtained such a Deck?
"Could Syra actually be the dark horse of this exam? That's too ridiculous!"
"Where did she get this Deck? I remember her old Deck was extremely weak, full of useless monsters."
"Did she come across some kind of opportunity? Tch, why couldn't that luck have fallen on me!"
"Don't worry, even if she did, I don't believe she could stand against Morgan."
While the crowd whispered, Isla's expression suddenly turned serious. She had once seen information on the Lunalight Deck in the archives; however, it had said that due to the chaos caused by Shadow Duelists, the original user of the Deck had been caught up in it, and the Deck disappeared.
With the Academy's recent Shadow Duelist incident, Isla couldn't help but connect the dots.
She wanted to warn Morgan, yet then realized—Morgan had even defeated ancient Shadow Duelists. Why fear a small fry?
Still, she shook her head. Reality was always dangerous; even the weakest opponent could cause disaster if underestimated.
That was what Morgan had taught her, and she had taken it to heart.
As long as you stood on the Duel Field, even if your opponent was a child, Morgan would never let her guard down.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Luna Light Perfume] in my Graveyard!"
"By discarding a card from my hand, I can add a [Lunalight] monster from my Deck to my hand!"
"I add [Lunalight Black Sheep] to my hand!"
Seeing the card added, Syra broke into a smile. She now had almost every starter piece of the Lunalight Deck. Next, she could build its strongest field, and with its overwhelming pressure, even Morgan might be forced to surrender.
Syra trembled with excitement. She was finally about to rise.
Since entering the Academy, she had been mocked for falling behind in her studies, even forced into several wager Duels, losing her Deck's main cards and weakening herself further—a cycle that had continued until now.
Regardless, now, she would prove herself through a Duel against Morgan. Nothing in the Academy carried more weight than defeating Morgan.
Thinking this, Syra was elated. She immediately declared:
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Black Sheep] in my hand!"
"By discarding this card, I can add a [Polymerization] Spell Card from my Deck to my hand!"
This time, Syra only added a regular [Polymerization]. After all, when aiming to Fusion Summon multiple monsters, one archetype-specific Fusion alone would not be enough.
At this point, the spectators' chatter faded away. They watched Syra in silence, as if sensing the storm gathering on the horizon.
Hannah nodded in satisfaction.
Since becoming a Shadow Duelist, Syra's learning ability had improved drastically. She had already mastered every chain combination Hannah had taught her.
Realizing this, Hannah froze for a moment—she was starting to feel more and more like a real teacher.
Now, Syra finally played the archetype's Fusion Spell and performed a Fusion Summon.
"I activate the Spell Card [Lunalight Fusion] from my hand!"
"I send [Lunalight Crimson Fox] from my hand and [Lunalight Emerald Bird] from the field to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials!"
"Fusion Summon! [Lunalight Cat Dancer]!"
When the vortex of Fusion energy faded, a voluptuous woman appeared on the field. She wore an emerald-green gown, her hair like fire, long legs curvy and strong. Her face was covered by a dual-colored cat mask, and she held a luxuriously adorned dagger.
[Lunalight Cat Dancer] Level 7│DARK│Beast-Warrior│2400 ATK / 1000 DEF
Morgan's eyes flickered as she studied the monster Syra had summoned. This card had a resistance to being destroyed in battle.
Even so, that wasn't the problem—the dangerous part was its second effect. By tributing a [Lunalight] monster, it could grant an opponent's monster one-time protection from being destroyed in battle, then attack all of the opponent's monsters twice each.
Extremely brutal—if unnoticed, it could wipe out an opponent in one turn.
But Morgan knew Syra would not be content with just one [Lunalight Cat Dancer]. She had already searched [Polymerization], clearly aiming to expand her field.
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Emerald Bird] in the Graveyard!"
"When this card is sent to the Graveyard by an effect, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower [Lunalight] monster from the Graveyard in Defense Position!"
"I Special Summon [Lunalight Black Sheep] in Defense Position!"
A monster in a black gown, with two goat horns on its back, appeared on the field. Its skin was pitch-black, and it also wore a golden horn-shaped mask.
[Lunalight Black Sheep] Level 2│DARK│Beast-Warrior│100 ATK / 600 DEF
Syra was carefully preparing Fusion Materials for her next summon. Many of the Lunalight lower-level monsters had Graveyard effects, so she had to choose wisely to maximize her resources.
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Serenade Dance] in the Graveyard!"
"By banishing this card from the Graveyard and discarding a card, I can Special Summon a [Lunalight] monster from my Deck!"
"I Special Summon [Lunalight Kaleido Chick]!"
A small girl draped in rainbow-colored feathers appeared on the field, her frame petite like a fledgling.
This card was Syra's key to summoning the Lunalight boss monster. It could send Fusion Materials directly from the Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and with [Lunalight Wolf] in her hand, she could Fusion Summon from the Graveyard.
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Kaleido Chick]!"
"I send [Lunalight Panther Dancer] from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard!"
"Next, I activate [Polymerization] from my hand, fusing [Lunalight Kaleido Chick] and [Lunalight Black Sheep] on my field! Fusion Summon another [Lunalight Cat Dancer]!"
Two [Lunalight Cat Dancer] stood on the field.
The spectators were stunned. Syra's combos flowed smoother than they could imagine. Many of them couldn't even understand her purpose anymore, but they had to re-evaluate her. Syra, once a loser, was conquering them with something far more complex.
Morgan simply watched calmly. She wasn't impatient, just letting Syra build her field.
Albeit, in Morgan's past life, there was a saying: when your opponent lets you play out your full combo without trying to win quickly, you should start worrying about whether they're holding back something devastating.
Morgan let Syra continue only because of the two cards in her own hand, which gave her confidence.
"Next, I activate the effects of [Lunalight Black Sheep] and [Lunalight Kaleido Chick] in the Graveyard!"
"I return [Polymerization] from the Graveyard to my hand."
"And I add [Lunalight Purple Butterfly] from my Graveyard to my hand!"
[Lunalight Purple Butterfly] was the monster Syra had discarded earlier with a Trap effect.
"Now, I place [Lunalight Wolf] and [Lunalight Tiger] in my Pendulum Zones!"
Two monsters appeared in Syra's Spell & Trap Zone, glowing with effects different from normal cards. Between them swayed a shining Pendulum crystal—that was Pendulum Summoning, another rule of Duel Monsters.
Syra was now ready to summon her strongest monster. Just as she had foreshadowed earlier with [Lunalight Kaleido Chick], she could now activate [Lunalight Wolf]'s effect.
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Wolf] in the Pendulum Zone!"
"By banishing Fusion Materials listed on a [Lunalight] Fusion Monster from my field or Graveyard, I Fusion Summon that monster from my Extra Deck!"
"I banish [Lunalight Panther Dancer] and two other [Lunalight] monsters from my Graveyard!"
"Fusion Summon! [Lunalight Leo Dancer]!"
A fierce woman wielding a single blade appeared. Her legs were powerful and explosive, her long mane-like hair flowing behind a valiant face.
[Lunalight Leo Dancer] Level 10│DARK│Beast-Warrior│3500 ATK / 3000 DEF
Summoning her final monster, Syra exhaled in relief. She had given it her all this turn. Still, uncertain whether Morgan could break her field, she held onto some resources just in case.
"My turn ends."
The spectators stared blankly. Before they realized it, Syra had completed her chain of plays, and their opinion of her had completely changed.
Morgan glanced at [Lunalight Leo Dancer]. It was indeed a troublesome monster—untargetable, indestructible by effects, and boasting high Attack.
Taking it down would be very difficult.
But…
Morgan smiled, placed her hand on her Deck, and declared loudly:
"My turn—draw!"
...
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