Syra sharply drew a card and added it to her hand. Her expression remained grim. The card she drew wasn't enough to turn the duel around—but that didn't mean she had no chance of defeating Morgan. Her eyes sharpened as she glanced at her hand and declared:
"From my hand—"
Abruptly, before she could finish, Morgan casually discarded a card to the Graveyard.
Syra froze, confused, until Morgan spoke:
"I activate the effect of [Maxx "C"] from my hand!"
"By sending this card from my hand to the Graveyard, this turn, every time you Special Summon a monster, I draw 1 card."
"..."
"What?!"
It took Syra a moment to process Morgan's words. She hadn't expected Morgan to have such a card. With her Deck relying almost entirely on Special Summons, Morgan would be replenishing her hand every time Syra played. If she gave up her plays to avoid triggering it, she would be OTK'd next turn for sure.
If she didn't Special Summon, she would lose. If she did, she might still lose—albeit at least there was a chance.
She resolved to push through Maxx "C".
A true Duelist feared nothing.
"I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Prosperity] from my hand!"
"I banish 3 or 6 cards from my Extra Deck face-down, then excavate the same number of cards from the top of my Deck. I add 1 of them to my hand, and return the rest to the bottom of my Deck in any order."
It was a heavy cost; regardless, Syra had to gamble resources for a chance to continue. She banished six cards face-down from her Extra Deck—when suddenly, Morgan spoke again. Syra looked up, startled.
Morgan showed no mercy.
"I activate the effect of [Baronne de Fleur] on my field!"
"Once while this card is face-up on the field, when a Spell, Trap, or monster effect is activated, I can negate it and destroy that card."
Petals fell once again as Syra's [Pot of Prosperity] shattered. Its effect was negated and destroyed. Six cards from her Extra Deck were banished face-down for nothing—an enormous loss that nearly made her collapse.
Morgan had timed Baronne's negate perfectly. Syra had no counter.
The damage was massive.
The crowd gasped. Not only had Morgan locked Syra down with [Maxx "C"], she had cut off one of Syra's only remaining plays, and six cards were lost from the Extra Deck—banished face-down, unrecoverable.
Anyone else would have tilted, but Syra persevered. That alone earned her some respect.
"Now that's a true lockdown. Syra can't play at all, and she lost six cards for nothing."
"Her Deck's a Fusion Deck, right? If her key Fusion Monsters are banished, it's over."
"Still, she hasn't given up. That's worth some respect."
"Yeah—after that first-turn field, she could easily rank near the top of the year. She was never a real underachiever."
Because of her resolve, more people began to support her, though none truly believed she could win. Morgan's power was undeniable. Even if Syra pushed to her limits, her chances were slim.
Isla thought the same. Still, a duel wasn't over until it was over. Just as Morgan had cleared Syra's field in an incredible display earlier, perhaps Syra could do the same.
Though realistically, Isla knew not everyone had Morgan's deckbuilding skill.
Hannah shook her head, disappointed. She had expected too much of Syra. Even ancient Shadow Duelists couldn't topple Morgan—how could a newly awakened student hope to? With her knowledge of the Lunalight Deck, Hannah knew Syra's chances were next to none. Unless her Extra Deck still had Fusion Monsters left, she couldn't win. And if her archetype Fusions were gone…
Continuing would just be wasting time.
Hannah sighed. She wished Syra would just surrender now, to avoid humiliation. That said, knowing her, she would never give up before the end.
And indeed, Syra thought the same. To back down now would mean losing not only the duel but also her spirit. She might never recover—and might even fail the exam.
Grinding her teeth, she steadied herself:
"I Normal Summon [Lunalight White Rabbit] in Attack Position!"
A graceful young girl appeared, wearing a white rabbit hood and wielding a giant mochi mallet.
[Lunalight White Rabbit] Level 2│DARK│Beast-Warrior│800 ATK / 800 DEF
"I activate [Lunalight White Rabbit]'s effect!"
"When this card is Normal Summoned, I can target 1 [Lunalight] monster in my Graveyard other than [Lunalight White Rabbit], and Special Summon it in Defense Position."
"I Special Summon [Lunalight Emerald Bird] in Defense Position!"
The emerald-feathered bird girl reappeared on the field. Syra quickly activated her effect, rushing before Morgan could interrupt.
"I activate [Lunalight Emerald Bird]'s effect!"
"I send [Lunalight Yellow Marten] from my hand to the Graveyard to draw 1 card."
She drew and exhaled in relief—it was another [Lunalight Tiger]. And she confirmed her Extra Deck still had Lunalight Fusions left. It wasn't over yet.
Syra's fighting spirit blazed again.
However, each Special Summon fed Morgan more cards. That was the cost of pushing through Maxx "C". Next turn, Morgan's hand would be overwhelming.
Still, Syra had no choice.
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Yellow Marten]!"
"If this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add 1 [Lunalight] Spell/Trap from my Deck to my hand!"
"I add [Lunalight Fusion] to my hand!"
Now she held two Fusion Spells. Surely Morgan couldn't have another [Dark Ruler No More] to wipe her again.
She also had [Lunalight Purple Butterfly]. By sending it to the Graveyard, she could boost a Lunalight monster's Attack by 1000. Her next summon would be her last [Lunalight Cat Dancer]. With 2400 Attack boosted to 3400, it could surpass all of Morgan's monsters.
Seeing Syra's determination, the spectators leaned forward, curious to see how far she could go against Morgan.
Even Hannah was surprised. She hadn't expected this kid to claw her way back from near collapse. Now it was up to her to break through.
Syra took a deep breath and declared:
"I activate [Polymerization] from my hand!"
"I fuse [Lunalight Emerald Bird] and [Lunalight White Rabbit] on my field!"
"Fusion Summon! [Lunalight Cat Dancer]!"
The alluring cat dancer returned. Its effect would let it attack all of Morgan's monsters twice each—that was Syra's hope.
Suddenly, then Morgan's voice rang out:
"I activate the effect of [Swordsoul Grandmaster - Chixiao]!"
"By banishing [Swordsoul Sacred Summit] from my Graveyard, I negate the effect of [Lunalight Cat Dancer]!"
Chixiao's blade flared, and Cat Dancer screamed—its effects negated until the end of the turn.
Without its multi-attack, it could only destroy one monster. Syra chose the biggest threat: [Baronne de Fleur].
"I activate the effect of [Lunalight Purple Butterfly] from my hand!"
"By sending this card from my hand or field to the Graveyard, I target 1 [Lunalight] monster I control; it gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!"
Right then, as she discarded it, one of Morgan's face-downs flipped open.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell [Called by the Grave]!"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]