A woman in a purple robe appeared on the field. Her figure was graceful, her bearing elegant, but the sharp eyes beneath her helm and the gleaming longsword in her hand radiated an endless killing intent, as if she and the sword were one.
[Swordsoul of Mo Ye] Level 4│WATER│Wyrm│1700 ATK / 1800 DEF
This was the core card of Morgan's Swordsoul Deck. When successfully Summoned, it could Special Summon a Token, and together with the Token, perform a Synchro Summon—a true one-card starter. Its drawback was its reliance on Tokens; if the opponent used something like [Token Collector], it could be troublesome.
However, such cases were rare—after all, no one would tech in a card that did nothing outside that matchup.
In Morgan's past life, the Swordsoul Deck had been incredibly popular upon release, spawning memes like the green tracksuit Tokens. Albeit what mattered to Morgan wasn't the memes—it was that the Deck was strong and stylish.
After all, wasn't Yu-Gi-Oh! all about being stylish?
Every Swordsoul card depicted a famous sword from history. Many people collected them just to admire the artwork, a testament to the archetype's popularity.
That said, here, Morgan needed more than style—power mattered too. With her adjustments and some tech cards, the Deck could absolutely hold its own.
Seeing the ethereal monster Morgan summoned, Syra looked a little lost. She wasn't used to Morgan suddenly pulling out strange Decks. Swordsoul? Did such a Deck exist? Still, the card was undeniably cool.
Syra was intrigued; nonetheless, she kept her guard up—it was still a duel, after all.
"I activate the effect of [Swordsoul of Mo Ye]!"
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, reveal a [Swordsoul] card or Wyrm monster in your hand to Special Summon a [Swordsoul Token] (Wyrm/Tuner/WATER/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 0)."
Morgan revealed the Field Spell [Swordsoul Sacred Summit], then activated the effect.
Beside Mo Ye, a longsword appeared. With that, Morgan had a Level 8 setup on the field. As a Synchro Deck, her next move was obvious.
"I tune [Swordsoul of Mo Ye] with [Swordsoul Token]!"
The Token transformed into four glowing rings, surrounding Mo Ye. She became four shining stars, merging into a towering pillar of light. A new monster emerged.
"Synchro Summon! [Swordsoul Grandmaster - Chixiao]!"
A warrior clad in crimson armor appeared. Unlike Mo Ye's slender blade, he wielded a massive greatsword, its blade glowing like magma, radiating searing heat.
[Swordsoul Grandmaster - Chixiao] Level 8│FIRE│Wyrm│2800 ATK / 1000 DEF
Isla's pupils contracted. Unlike those who only admired the visuals, she had noticed the defining feature of Morgan's Deck. Normally, Synchro Summons required a Tuner, but Morgan's monsters generated Tuner Tokens themselves.
That was astonishing—it eliminated the need to search and Summon a Tuner, enabling true one-card Synchro Summons. It saved resources and reduced the chance of being interrupted.
Isla stroked her chin. Morgan's Deck kept surprising her. And this was only the beginning; surely it had more secrets yet to reveal.
Still, she suspected [Dark Ruler No More] must have a drawback—perhaps no attacking or no damage that turn. Otherwise, it would be absurd.
From the stands, gasps echoed. Most of the audience were boys, and at that age, swords were the epitome of cool. Even adults thought so. Morgan's monsters instantly won their admiration and cheers.
"What a gorgeous card! It's called Swordsoul? My dream card!"
"Morgan is my goddess! She knows exactly what I like!"
"A Deck that can start with one card—power and style combined!"
"And that's just two monsters. There must be more Swordsoul cards!"
As the audience buzzed, Morgan continued her combo. Both Chixiao and Mo Ye had effects that activated when used for Synchro Summoning, forming the core chain of the Swordsoul Deck.
"I activate the effect of [Swordsoul of Mo Ye] in the Graveyard!"
"If this card is sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material, draw 1 card."
Morgan drew, then chained Chixiao's effect.
"I activate the effect of [Swordsoul Grandmaster - Chixiao]!"
"If this card is Synchro Summoned, add 1 [Swordsoul] card from your Deck to your hand, or banish it."
"I add [Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan] to my hand."
Morgan added another Swordsoul monster. Clearing Syra's field with just Chixiao wasn't her style. And the Swordsoul Deck's Synchros came quickly, so its plays moved faster than most. Its endboards could feature either a Swordsoul ace or a generic Synchro ace.
Another Swordsoul? What was Morgan planning?
Syra's nerves tightened. What would she face next? Morgan's negates, interruptions—or a direct attack?
She didn't know, and her anxiety mounted. Without knowing the opponent's cards, there was no way to respond properly. It felt just like when Morgan had once faced obscure Decks—without knowing their effects, you didn't know when to use Ash Blossom or Called by the Grave. Syra was in that position now.
Hannah's expression darkened. In most duels, both sides tried to Summon their strongest monsters. Since Morgan's Deck was Synchro-based, she was surely aiming to Summon its ace. What that ace was, Hannah didn't know.
And she didn't think Morgan had a guaranteed win. Syra had held back some resources instead of going all in, which had saved her. Although with her three Fusion Monsters banished face-down, victory would be difficult.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan]!"
"I discard [Swordsoul Sacred Summit] from my hand to Special Summon this card!"
Morgan discarded the Field Spell, and another Swordsoul appeared. His attire was more formal than Chixiao's—black robes over golden armor, a longsword crackling with yellow lightning in hand. His presence was commanding.
[Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan] Level 6│FIRE│Wyrm│1200 ATK / 2300 DEF
Like Mo Ye, Longyuan could also Special Summon a Token, enabling another one-card Synchro.
"I activate the effect of [Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan]!"
"Special Summon 1 [Swordsoul Token] (Wyrm/Tuner/WATER/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 0)."
Another sword manifested beside Longyuan. Morgan was ready to call forth her ultimate boss monster—the hallmark of Synchro Decks. A monster that could destroy a card once per turn, while providing a reliable negate as long as it remained.
Its weapon was also a sword.
Yes, it was…
"I tune [Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan] with [Swordsoul Token]!"
"Synchro Summon! [Baronne de Fleur]!"
The Synchro light faded to reveal a magnificent warhorse clad in ornate barding. Petals rained down as a petite figure appeared astride it. With floral adornments in her hair, shield in hand, and armor covering her body save for a glimpse of her navel, she exuded both strength and sensuality.
[Baronne de Fleur] Level 10│WIND│Warrior│3000 ATK / 2400 DEF
The audience fell silent. Was this also a Swordsoul? Its style felt completely different from Chixiao's.
They compared the two—Baronne's elegance versus Chixiao's fiery power. Both were striking, yet the contrast was stark.
Morgan didn't care. With [Baronne de Fleur] on the field, her turn was nearly done.
"I activate the effect of [Baronne de Fleur], destroying your [Lunalight Wolf]!"
"I set two cards and end my turn."
Two face-down cards appeared on Morgan's field. Syra's [Lunalight Wolf] in the Pendulum Zone was destroyed.
As Morgan's turn ended, Syra exhaled, clearing her mind. Her eyes regained their light.
The first turn had ended without Life Point damage; albeit, the momentum had shifted entirely.
Now it was her turn to crack Morgan's field.
Whether she could match Morgan's effortless dominance, she didn't know. But as Hannah had said, she would give it her all.
Syra looked down at her Duel Disk and declared:
"My turn—draw!"
...
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