The floating ice blades around Mirrorjade shot forth, instantly shattering Mo Ye. Morgan's field was cleared, leaving only the face-down card on the far right. However, that card was Called by the Grave, which had no power to stop an attack, so Morgan had no choice but to take a direct attack of 3000 damage.
After the attack, Chelsea had no further plays, at most setting one card she searched from the Deck. After all, she had just sent Albion the Shrouded Dragon to the Graveyard.
Seeing this, Isla's face grew troubled. She hadn't expected the opponent to be this strong. The badges had already hinted that the woman was no ordinary duelist, yet to be able to interrupt Morgan's move and summon such a powerful monster was beyond expectation.
To Isla, this direct attack was unavoidable for Morgan. The only option left was to cut down the opponent's Life Points as much as possible next turn. In a duel at this level, once the gap widened, it would be difficult to close.
Yet Morgan looked calm, clearly prepared for what came next.
Milo, meanwhile, frowned. He had seen Branded decks before, but this powerful Mirrorjade was new to him. It only deepened his suspicion of Chelsea's identity as a Shadow Duelist.
What puzzled him, though, was that the duel didn't seem to be a Shadow Game. It was just a regular duel. After all, Shadow Duelists sought to recruit members… if no Shadow Game was being held, what was the point of this duel?
While Milo pondered, Chelsea spoke up at once:
"I activate the effect of Albion the Shrouded Dragon in my Graveyard!"
"During the End Phase of the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard, I can add one Branded Spell/Trap from my Deck to my hand, or Set it directly to the field."
"I Set Branded in Red."
Morgan gave a small nod. She had expected Chelsea to use that card.
Branded in Red was one of the Branded deck's core cards. Not only could it recycle a monster from the Graveyard, it could also serve as a Fusion Spell. Most importantly, it was a Quick-Play Spell, able to be used during the opponent's turn.
"I Set another card and end my turn!"
Chelsea ended swiftly. Abruptly, the placement of her Set card caught Morgan's attention. Out of all the zones, Chelsea had chosen the same column as Morgan's Set card. That strongly suggested it was Infinite Impermanence. She had already played one earlier; the chance she had another wasn't small.
Even so, Morgan wasn't worried about her combo. She still had Taia in hand, and resources in the Graveyard to enable it.
The only real concern was what to do if that Set really was Infinite Impermanence.
"My turn, draw!"
Morgan drew a card. She looked at it and added it to her hand—it was a Tenyi Spirit.
This monster could Special Summon itself when no Effect Monsters were on the field. It might be useful to bait out Chelsea's Set card.
"I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda from my hand!"
"When I control no Effect Monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand."
A dark red dragon appeared on the field. Chelsea grew wary at once. A monster that could Special Summon itself from the hand—she didn't know the rest of the Tenyi Spirits' effects. To be safe, she immediately chose to use Branded in Red to shut Morgan down further.
"At this moment, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Branded in Red!"
"Target one Despia monster or Fallen of Albaz in my Graveyard; add it to my hand."
"I return Despian Tragedy from my Graveyard to my hand!"
This was the perfect moment for Morgan to test the facedown. If it really was Infinite Impermanence, Chelsea would be forced to reveal it now.
"I flip my Set card, Called by the Grave!"
"Banish Despian Tragedy from your Graveyard!"
A pair of rotting hands appeared on the field, pointing at Chelsea's Graveyard. Despian Tragedy was about to be banished.
Nonetheless, Chelsea showed no sign of panic. She had prepared for this long ago. Whatever Morgan had set, it would never resolve.
"I flip my Set card, Infinite Impermanence!"
As expected—Infinite Impermanence!
Seeing her guess confirmed, Morgan smiled. With Infinite Impermanence already used, she was free to unleash her plays.
Chain open!
"By the effect of Infinite Impermanence!"
"Negate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda, and also negate the effects of any Spell/Trap cards in the same column!"
Bubbles surged across the field, nullifying Morgan's two cards. Meanwhile, Branded in Red resolved its chain.
Despian Tragedy returned to Chelsea's hand. Then she fused Mirrorjade on the field with two monsters in her hand.
"I fuse Mirrorjade and two monsters with different names from my hand!"
"Fusion Summon! Guardian Chimera!"
Chelsea's Fusion stunned Isla. Using three monsters, including the mighty Mirrorjade, for a Fusion Summon—how strong would this monster be? However, unlike Isla, Morgan stayed calm. This was just standard Branded play.
Mirrorjade was powerful, but its effect was once per turn, and its presence on the field wasn't that vital. Many Branded players would send it to the Graveyard after using it, then bring it back later. A single turn could change everything.
A massive three-headed beast appeared, towering even larger than Mirrorjade.
[Guardian Chimera] Level 9│DARK│Beast Fusion│3300 ATK / 3300 DEF
Chelsea laughed. Now came the Branded deck's resource-gaining step. Among the monsters she'd used as Fusion Materials was Ad Libitum of Despia. When sent to the Graveyard as Fusion Material, it could Special Summon an 8-star or higher Fusion Monster from the Graveyard. The only valid target in her Graveyard was Mirrorjade.
Smiling, Chelsea continued her chain.
"I activate the effect of Ad Libitum of Despia!"
"When this card is used as Fusion Material and sent to the Graveyard, target one Level 8 or higher Fusion Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it!"
"I Special Summon Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon!"
Seeing Mirrorjade return to the field, even Milo grew tense. This was still Morgan's turn, and Chelsea had already summoned two huge monsters. How would Morgan answer this? Even he would struggle against two titans like these.
The spectators buzzed with astonishment. To send Mirrorjade to the Graveyard, only to bring it back with a monster's effect—that was eye-opening. In their minds, they would have kept Mirrorjade on the field instead of risking sending it away.
"Who is this woman? Her plays are incredible!"
"I don't know. I checked just now—there are no records of her in the Duelist Alliance."
"Another one without records? Could this be another mysterious duelist like Morgan?"
"Very likely. Her skill doesn't seem any weaker than Morgan's."
As the crowd whispered, Chelsea continued her chain.
"I activate Despian Tragedy's other effect!"
"When this card is sent to the Graveyard or banished by a card effect, I can add one Despia monster other than Despian Tragedy from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Aluber the Jester of Despia!"
Morgan recognized the card instantly. That meant her opponent would fetch Branded Fusion next turn. As one of the top Fusion decks, Branded excelled at consecutive Fusions to flood the field.
That said, this was still Morgan's turn, and Chelsea couldn't stop her from setting up.
"Finally, I activate Guardian Chimera's effect!"
"When this card is Fusion Summoned using Spell cards, draw cards equal to the number of monsters used from the hand, then destroy cards on the field equal to the number of monsters used from the field."
Chelsea drew two cards, then destroyed Morgan's Vishuda.
Satisfied, Chelsea smiled. With the resources she'd gained, she had pushed her combos to the limit.
Nevertheless, to Morgan, this was her chance to build her own field.
She still had another Tenyi Spirit in hand. She could Special Summon it, bait Mirrorjade's effect, then use Taia to start her combo.
"I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Shthana from my hand!"
"When I control no Effect Monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand."
Another dragon appeared on the field. Chelsea sneered. If she guessed correctly, this was Morgan's last move.
She wasted no time in activating Mirrorjade's effect again.
"I activate Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon's effect once more!"
...
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