"My turn, draw!"
Morgan swiftly drew a card. What she needed most now was an answer to Zack's [Ancient Warriors Oath – Double Dragon Lords]. That monster could bounce a card back to the hand during the opponent's turn, making it a major obstacle—anyhow, she had a way to deal with it.
And since she had no other cards on the field, she could even activate this one from her hand.
"I activate the Trap Card, Infinite Impermanence, from my hand!"
A surge of bubbles erupted, instantly surrounding [Ancient Warriors Oath – Double Dragon Lords].
"If you control no cards, you can activate this card from your hand."
"Target one face-up monster your opponent controls; its effects are negated until the end of this turn."
Zack's eyes widened. His main disruption for this turn was Double Dragon Lords, but Morgan had shut it down immediately. Still, he had half expected this—such an obvious choke point was bound to draw a countermeasure. He had even studied Morgan's duels before, which was one reason for his rapid growth as a Duelist.
He had seen her use overlooked but effective single cards, like [Maxx "C"], which he had even tested himself. Many Duelists hesitated between extending their field quickly or giving their opponent draws—however, Zack found the second option created pressure that gave him momentum. So he had jammed three copies of Maxx "C" and other hand traps into his deck.
Hand traps were simply too good.
Now he couldn't live without them.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda] from my hand!"
"If you control no Effect Monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand."
A crimson, stormlike dragon formed from swirling qi appeared, its body coiling like a cyclone.
[Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda] Level 7│Wyrm│1500 ATK / 2500 DEF
The crowd gasped. This was the first time they had seen Morgan summon a Wyrm. In truth, she was piloting a Tenyi-Swordsoul deck—both archetypes shared the Wyrm type, with no conflicts.
Zack was surprised as well, though he quickly reacted. Since it was a Special Summon, he eagerly threw down his hand trap.
"I activate [Maxx "C"] from my hand!"
"Send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; this turn, each time your opponent Special Summons a monster, draw one card."
Morgan froze. She hadn't expected to get hit with Maxx "C" in this world. Seeing her startled face, Zack scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sorry—I copied that from your deck. It was too good not to."
Morgan chuckled. She didn't mind. In her past life, she had been hit with Maxx "C" countless times—one more made no difference. Abruptly, she had a feeling now: if even pros were running hand traps, this world's dueling would soon devolve into a 'throw Maxx "C" on sight' meta.
The onlookers, hearing Zack admit to copying Morgan's builds, looked at her with even more admiration.
"As expected of Morgan—her builds are so good even pros copy them!"
"There are so few true deck builders. Her talent is unique."
"And not just her building—her skill is already on par with top pros."
"More than that—I heard she's even forming a team for the Duel King selection tournament!"
Milo smirked at their chatter. It was true the administration had tried to recruit and train Morgan, yet she had flatly refused. Her participation in the Duel King selection was purely her own choice.
Rumors were already flying, it seemed.
Morgan's expression darkened. Maxx "C" was a serious obstacle to her plays—still, she had a way through.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell [Called by the Grave] from my hand!"
"Target one monster in your opponent's Graveyard; banish it. Until the end of the next turn, its effects, and the effects of monsters with the same original name, are negated."
"I banish your [Maxx "C"] from the Graveyard!"
A massive purple hand erupted from the earth, pointing into Zack's Graveyard. Maxx "C" was wrenched out and banished, its effect nullified.
"So that works too, huh…"
Zack scratched his head, then laughed. "Not bad. I learned something new. Worth coming here already."
He looked less like a pro Duelist and more like a student eager to learn. Milo respected him all the more. Too few pros kept learning after making it big. Most got arrogant, stagnated, and never improved. Only those like Zack, still studying after nearly ten years, remained in their prime.
"Next, I use [Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda] to form the Link circuit!"
"Link Summon! [Monk of the Tenyi]!"
A young martial artist appeared, red sash tied at his waist, muscles taut, faint qi swirling around him.
[Monk of the Tenyi] Link-1│Wyrm│1000 ATK
This was a key Tenyi Link, enabling their banish effects. As a non-Effect Monster, it perfectly satisfied Tenyi conditions.
"I activate the effect of [Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda] in the Graveyard!"
"If you control a non-Effect Monster: banish this card from your hand or Graveyard, then target one card your opponent controls; return it to the hand."
But instead of bouncing a monster, Morgan pointed to Zack's Set card.
"I return your face-down card to your hand!"
Zack blinked, then grinned. "Cautious about backrow, huh? Just as the rumors say."
Since it was going back anyway, Zack revealed it and activated it at once.
"I flip my Trap Card—[Tri-Brigade Revolt]!"
"Special Summon any number of Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast monsters from your Graveyard and/or banished zone, then immediately Link Summon using them."
Morgan wasn't surprised. Revolt was the Tri-Brigade's signature Trap. With enough material, it could even summon their Link-4 boss.
Isla's face paled. Zack had five monsters between his Graveyard and banished zone. With four open Main Monster Zones, he could easily make a Link-4. And those high-Link monsters had devastating effects.
Four Tri-Brigade monsters appeared, then turned into crimson light that fed the Link arrows.
"Link Summon! [Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen]!"
A black-winged mechanical beast descended, armed with a grenade launcher.
[Tri-Brigade Shuraig the Ominous Omen] Link-4│Winged Beast│3000 ATK
"Next, I activate the effects of [Tri-Brigade Kitt] and [Tri-Brigade Nervall] sent to the Graveyard!"
"I add another Kitt to my hand, then send [Tri-Brigade Mercourier] to the Graveyard."
In just moments, Zack had summoned a boss, plus gained hand advantage and further setup. The crowd was stunned.
Even so, Morgan only smiled.
Because Zack's flurry of Special Summons had triggered the condition for one of her monsters.
"I activate the effect of a monster in my hand!"
...
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