Magic Cylinder? How could it be that card?
Orion's momentum halted immediately. He stared blankly at the face-down on Morgan's field, unsure how to proceed. Morgan had never used Magic Cylinder before—in fact, she rarely played cards that blocked attacks—so he hadn't seen this coming at all.
Another question flooded Orion's mind.
With Magic Cylinder on the field, should he attack or not?
If he attacked, he would take damage equal to his own monster's Attack Points. The weakest monster he had on the field had 2500 ATK, and most were at 3000.
Not only would attacking inflict massive LP damage on himself, it would also ruin his OTK strategy. The cost would be certain defeat on his next turn after drawing.
But if he didn't attack, it would only be a slow death.
Still, with only one Trickstar Lycoris left on Morgan's field, Orion decided to take a chance and wait until next turn to attack with Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, which couldn't be targeted by effects.
"I Set one card and end my turn!"
After thinking it over, Orion finally ended his turn.
It wasn't until his turn ended that the crowd seemed to breathe again. This match was suffocating—one slip could decide the winner instantly. The tension was so thick, nobody dared to even breathe.
Even the commentator secretly exhaled, his palms covered in sweat.
"That was close! Morgan actually pulled a Magic Cylinder straight from her Deck at such a critical moment!"
"Honestly, I've never seen Morgan use that card before. Playing it now was totally unexpected."
"As for why she didn't use it at the start of the attack, it's because Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon can't be targeted by effects—if she'd activated Magic Cylinder earlier, she couldn't have chosen it as the target."
"This surprise Magic Cylinder kept the match going, and the suspense is still alive. Let's see what happens next!"
Milo nodded unconsciously. Evidently, Morgan had already noted that Trickstar monsters generally had low ATK and had modified her Deck accordingly—this surprise Magic Cylinder was the result.
Without it, Morgan might have been finished by raw damage.
But now, with only one Lycoris on the field, what would Morgan do?
As Milo pondered, he suddenly felt a large figure block his view.
He looked up to see Nerissa, tanned and stunning, standing in front of him with a mysterious smile.
"You're here too? Team Predator's rookie match should be over by now."
Milo tilted his head up to look at her and sighed.
"Hmph, Haisen's rookie didn't even make it past the qualifiers, but you still came, didn't you?"
Nerissa sat down beside him with a huff, glancing curiously at the empty space around him. She ignored the stares aimed at her chest—she was used to them.
"Why's no one sitting near you? They look scared of you."
Her words made Milo realize the reason, and he gave a bitter smile.
"Nothing… just had a flare-up earlier."
"A flare-up? Hahaha, you're still the same, saying strange things."
Nerissa laughed, giving Milo a heavy slap on the back that nearly knocked the wind out of him.
They had known each other a long time—both were trainees at Haisen Club and had dueled countless times. In the end, Milo stayed with Haisen, while she left for Team Predator.
Back then, Nerissa had even pursued Milo, finding him interesting despite his lack of bulk. Yet, he always turned her down, saying he had a girlfriend.
She knew exactly who that girlfriend was.
Then came the Shadow Duelist turmoil—Milo was attacked, and his girlfriend disappeared.
When Nerissa learned of it, she'd wanted to comfort him, but her own club suffered greatly from the incident. The former club leader fell into darkness, and Nerissa had to take charge of everything.
By the time she was free to comfort him, Milo had already recovered—more mature and even more attractive to her.
But she hadn't pursued him again, knowing she wasn't the reason he'd gotten back on his feet.
Still, she hadn't given up. That was why she approached him again after the Shadow Duelists reappeared.
"I heard you saw her with the Shadow Duelists?"
Milo's body stiffened. He turned to her in surprise.
"How do you know that?"
He had only told people inside the club.
"Don't worry about how I know—just tell me how you felt when you saw her."
Nerissa had no intention of revealing that Caleb was the mole.
Milo was silent for a while, then his eyes lit up.
"After so long apart, even though she didn't recognize me, she still found me familiar. That's the hope that she can recover her memory and escape the Shadow Duelists!"
Nerissa stared at him, sadness welling up… she knew she had no chance.
"Well said. Looks like you've finally become a man."
Milo glared at her. "I've always been a real man!"
Nerissa chuckled, then teasingly pulled at her collar and said with a sultry smile:
"Then why don't you prove it?"
Milo blushed and froze, unable to respond. The surrounding spectators nearly jumped in to prove it for him.
Seeing he wouldn't budge, Nerissa sighed and looked toward the stage.
"Who would've thought that the info my club spent a hundred million on and failed to get is now right in front of me. All the clubs are itching for her. You're here to sign Morgan too, right? I'll tell you now—Team Predator will get her!"
Milo gave a wry smile.
"I'm not planning to invite Morgan. She wouldn't accept anyway… You should give up."
"Why?" Nerissa frowned. "Joining a club means resources and opportunities. Isn't that how we got where we are? I guarantee if she joins, she'll be Team Predator's next captain."
"You think she cares about being captain? She doesn't need a club's resources to grow."
Nerissa's expression turned serious.
"What do you know? Tell me!"
Milo glanced at Morgan and said softly:
"All I know is she hates clubs."
At that moment, Morgan began her turn. Since Orion had failed to end the duel last turn, the outcome was now all but certain.
Sometimes, no matter how tense and grand the start, the ending is simple.
Morgan placed her fingers on the top of her Deck and said calmly:
"My turn, draw!"
She looked at the card she drew—it was Hand Destruction, one of her go-to cards for thinning her hand.
She also had Trickstar Magical Laurel in her hand, which could Special Summon a Trickstar from the Graveyard.
With these two cards and Lycoris on the field, the coming combo was obvious.
"I activate the Equip Spell, Trickstar Magical Laurel, from my hand!"
"Target 1 Trickstar monster in my Graveyard—Special Summon it!"
"I Special Summon Trickstar Lycoris from my Graveyard!"
Now with two Lycoris on the field, before the crowd could react, Morgan continued:
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Hand Destruction!"
"Both players send 2 cards from their hands to the Graveyard, then draw 2 cards!"
Orion's face turned pale. This simple combo destroyed all his chances, just like the opponents he'd seen lose to Morgan in Virtual Duels. He never thought he'd be one of them.
He trembled as he sent two cards from his hand to the Graveyard, then slowly drew two cards. The instant he did, his LP hit zero.
Fireworks of victory went off as Orion slumped in defeat. The only one left standing on the Duel Stage—the winner—was Morgan.
The stands erupted in cheers, everyone shouting one name: Morgan.
This short yet drawn-out final had ended, destined to be unforgettable for many.
The commentator, swept up in the emotion, shouted:
"The Junior Division of the Duelist League has finally come to a close! I thought I knew how it would end, but I never expected this!"
"I know the audience has so much to say, but can't put it into words—because I feel the same!"
"So let's turn our words into cheers—for today's champion, Morgan!"
Amid the even louder cheers, a woman host led Morgan to the podium, where a gorgeous trophy awaited.
Morgan stepped forward and placed her hand on it, drawing another wave of applause.
The major clubs were ready—after the awards, there would be interview time, and they were determined to win her over.
The woman host began the interview smoothly. After the usual questions, she asked what everyone wanted to know:
"Morgan, from the preliminaries to the finals, the audience has watched your journey. They're wondering—why are you still an independent duelist and not in a club? Or is your goal in this tournament to choose the best club?"
Everyone focused on her, curious. Club representatives leaned forward, eager for her answer.
Jade and Isla also watched nervously.
Morgan smiled, took the mic, looked around, and said softly:
"My reason for entering the tournament is indeed because of clubs."
Managers beamed. Nerissa glanced at Milo smugly.
But then Morgan's tone turned cold:
"The reason I'm standing here… is to tell you—"
"I, Morgan, will never join any club!"
...
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