The five heads of Chimeratech Overdragon lunged forward, each charging a devastating sphere of light in the air.
Then they erupted, surging toward the Trickstar Crimson Heart on Morgan's field.
A deafening explosion shook the stage, the blast straightening the spectators' hair up, but they kept their eyes wide open, unwilling to miss this decisive moment. Isla, clutching her camera, watched anxiously—would Kairos's strike decide the match?
Jade's face was pale. If it were her facing a monster with over ten thousand Attack that could attack at least a dozen times, her legs would give out before she could even think of a countermeasure.
But she trusted Morgan. Even in this situation, she didn't believe Morgan would lose.
"Did the attack go through? Damn it, there's so much dust, I can't see a thing."
"Kairos targeted Crimson Heart, right? If it hit, the Duel should be over!"
"But why would he banish his other monsters too? Infinity's effect is strong!"
"Did you forget? Kairos used Evolution Burst earlier—Cyber Dragons can't attack this turn. He's going all in."
On the Duel Stage, Kairos watched Morgan through the dust with tense anticipation, his heart racing.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Kairos's eyes widened—Crimson Heart was still on the field, untouched, and beside it were two cylindrical objects.
Kairos's mind lit up. He'd seen this before in her matches—Magic Cylinder!
He now remembered that Morgan had set a card at the end of her previous turn. But his attention had been so fixed on Dark Room of Nightmare and the three Lycoris that he'd completely ignored it.
So that set card was Magic Cylinder?
Or was it?
In truth, Morgan's set had been a Trap Trick.
This card can banish 1 Normal Trap from your Deck except Trap Trick, then Set 1 card with the same name from your Deck. The card Set by this effect can be activated that turn.
Just moments ago, Morgan had banished a Magic Cylinder from her Deck, then Set another directly onto the field, activating it when Kairos attacked.
Focused entirely on clearing the field, Kairos hadn't noticed—and so his attack crashed right into Morgan's trap.
One cylinder absorbed the attack and transferred it to the other, which fired it back instantly, engulfing Kairos—
He finally tasted the sting of his own monster's strike!
When the blast ended, smoke curled from Kairos's body. Struggling to stay upright, he gave a wry smile.
"I lost… no wonder they call you the Witch."
The holograms vanished from the field, and the two walked to the center of the stage to shake hands. They weren't enemies—this had only been a Graduation Duel.
With the match over, the stands erupted in cheers. The Duel had been short, but every bit as tense as any official match. They had seen a monster with tens of thousands of Attack and Morgan's desperate counterattack—they were satisfied.
Isla, though thrilled, was far from pleased with Kairos shaking Morgan's hand. Who said he could touch her goddess?
The Graduation Duel over, the farewell ceremony for the third-years was nearly complete. Underclassmen bid tearful goodbyes to their seniors.
Many graduates took the chance to confess their feelings—and for most, their target was obviously Morgan.
Her charm was irresistible. In a world built on dueling, who wouldn't like a top-tier, cute, slightly headstrong girl duelist?
So after the Duel, Morgan spent all her energy evading confessions by any means necessary.
Too bad.
Lady Morgan didn't want your confessions!
…
Time passed quickly. A week after the Graduation Duel, Morgan finally returned to her usual routine.
With the third-years gone, the second-years were now facing their final assessment of the year. This test was extremely strict and determined whether they could join the upcoming training camp. Morgan wasn't worried—she had already mastered Xyz and Link Summons per the school's curriculum, so the exam would be no problem.
But Jade, who had been following her around and slacking off for some time, had suffered a serious drop in grades.
"Morgan, help me! If I fail the final exam, my dad will ground me for a month!"
"Tell your dad I said thanks."
"Waaah, Morgan, how could you…"
Jade looked at her with teary eyes. Her family was strict, but their expectations weren't unreasonable—they didn't demand she be among the very top, only that she stay in the upper ranks.
Her father's punishments were particularly tailored—no beatings or scolding, just grounding. For someone as playful as Jade, a month indoors was a nightmare.
"So, how do you want me to help? I can't convince your dad. All I can do is tutor you."
Morgan sighed.
Hearing her agree, Jade nodded eagerly. "As long as I pass, anything is fine!"
Morgan exhaled. The final exam was split between a written test and a practical match. The written part would have to be handled by Isla—Morgan had slept through most classes herself. The only part she could help Jade with was the practical.
"Let me see your Deck."
Jade obediently handed it over.
Morgan flipped through the cards, frowning deeper with each one.
Jade's Deck was a Harpie Ladies build—an old archetype, but still with some strong cards. Harpie's Feather Duster came from this archetype, after all. Its main strength was returning the opponent's monsters to the hand.
That said, Morgan was baffled to find Jade running many random Trap Cards that couldn't chain effectively, wasting the Deck's potential.
"Why are you running so many Traps?"
Jade scratched her head, embarrassed.
"I wanted to learn from you, so I added lots of Traps! I wanna be an Underworld player too!"
"Normal cards for normal play, Underworld cards for fun… that's what makes a balanced deck. Isn't that what you said?"
Morgan stared at her in disbelief. That Duel in the hospital must have had a huge psychological impact on her.
However, Morgan had only used an Underworld Deck because she had no choice—completely different from Jade's reasoning.
She could imagine some people's thoughts:
'Stay close to Morgan, and you turn shady!'
Morgan's face hardened—she needed to set Jade straight. Pulling a brand-new Deck from her pocket, she said:
"Watch closely! This is how you use an Underworld Deck!"
...
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