Seeing Morgan activate a Continuous Spell, Shia's heart tightened.
Promptly, she flipped her Set card—Altergeist Protocol. She had fetched it last turn precisely to ensure her plays wouldn't be interrupted. And since it was a Trap activation, it triggered Altergeist Multifaker in her hand.
"At this moment, I flip my Set card, Altergeist Protocol!"
"Then I activate Altergeist Multifaker from my hand!"
"When a Trap Card is activated, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
The spiderlike AI reappeared on the field, and its effect immediately triggered. Just like before, Multifaker would summon Silquitous from the Deck to bounce away one of Morgan's cards.
The target Shia aimed to return was none other than Morgan's Continuous Spell, Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole.
"I activate Altergeist Multifaker's effect!"
"I Special Summon Altergeist Silquitous from my Deck!"
Morgan, however, had already seen through Shia's plan. Instead of worrying, she simply played a monster from her hand—Effect Veiler. To use Multirole's effect, she needed another card on her field as its target.
"I Normal Summon Effect Veiler in Attack Position!"
A spirit clad in white, clad in black stockings, appeared on the field.
Shia blinked in surprise. She'd never seen anyone Normal Summon Veiler before—it was usually only useful as a hand trap. On the field, it was just a 0 ATK monster.
Still, she pushed forward, deciding to deal with Multirole first.
"I activate Altergeist Silquitous's effect!"
"By returning one other Altergeist I control to my hand, I can target one opponent's card and return it to their hand!"
"I return Altergeist Multifaker and send Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole back!"
Both Multifaker and Multirole returned to their owners' hands. Shia smiled—until she saw Morgan place Multirole straight back onto her Duel Disk.
"Once again, I activate the Continuous Spell, Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole!"
'What?!'
Shia realized she had overlooked something critical. She hadn't checked whether Multirole was a once-per-turn by card name. It wasn't—the card itself could be played again, only its effect was once per turn. She had wasted her chance to interrupt.
Her brows furrowed. A professional duelist, making such a rookie mistake? Morgan's pressure was getting to her. It had been a long time since she'd faced such a high-intensity duel.
"I activate Multirole's effect!"
"I target one card I control other than this card. This turn, my opponent cannot respond to my Spell activations with card effects. Then, I send the targeted card to the Graveyard."
"I target Effect Veiler. Now you can't respond to my Spells, and I send Veiler to the Graveyard!"
The stocking-clad angel vanished, leaving Multirole buffed and unstoppable. Shia's remaining Traps were useless.
Morgan smirked and slapped a Spell from her hand onto the Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card from my hand, Harpie's Feather Duster!"
"Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls!"
A single feather swept across Shia's back row, a storm of wind following. One by one, all four of her Set Traps shattered. In an instant, her field was empty.
Shia froze. She finally realized Morgan's true goal: her back row. Without her Continuous Traps, Altergeists lost much of their strength. Even Multifaker's follow-up was crippled.
She cursed herself silently—her misplay had doomed her entire defense.
Zack whistled, grinning as he watched Shia get punished. Losing to Morgan had stung, but seeing her suffer worse lightened his mood.
The onlookers erupted in chatter. Most were openly gleeful—many had lost to Shia earlier and took pleasure in her downfall.
"So this is Morgan's strategy? Even Shia fell for it. No wonder she shook the whole city back then."
"Why does seeing Shia stumble make me so happy? I can't stop laughing."
"Perfectly normal. I hope Morgan crushes her. Winning was fine; still, mocking us afterward? That was too much."
"I won't mind if she keeps winning. Though the day she loses… heh."
With Shia's back row wiped, Morgan resumed her plays. Though her field was strong, her hand was empty—she had to tread carefully.
"Next, I use Sky Striker Ace - Kaina to set a Link Circuit!"
"Link Summon! Sky Striker Ace - Hayate!"
Hayate, wielding a sniper rifle, descended onto the field. On a direct attack, she could send a Sky Striker card from the Deck to the Graveyard—a precision mill, crucial to Morgan.
She hadn't entered her Battle Phase yet, so she struck immediately.
"Battle! Sky Striker Ace - Hayate attacks directly!"
Shia's eyes widened. She still had two monsters—how could Morgan attack directly?
Morgan smiled.
"Hayate's effect—this card can attack directly."
'Direct attack?!'
Hayate's 1500 damage, combined with the 1500 she had already taken, was 3000 total. A serious hit.
Shia's expression soured. Worse, she had no way to block the direct attack. Last turn she had no monsters and was struck directly. Now, even with monsters, Morgan still hit her.
Hayate's rifle shot straight past Shia's monsters, piercing her and cutting her Life Points by 1500.
Up until now, she hadn't gained any advantage against Morgan—a first in all her duels. It left her unsettled. She steadied her breathing and refocused.
"I activate Hayate's effect!"
"After damage calculation, I can send one Sky Striker card from my Deck to the Graveyard."
"I send Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage to the Graveyard!"
With Engage in the Graveyard, Morgan's plan was nearly complete. It meant she could recycle resources again and again. Next step: summon Kagari to retrieve it.
"I use Hayate to set a Link Circuit!"
"Link Summon! Sky Striker Ace - Kagari!"
Hayate's form transformed, armor turning fiery red, blades fanning out like wings.
"I activate Kagari's effect!"
"When Special Summoned, I target one Sky Striker Spell in my Graveyard and add it to my hand."
"I return Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage to my hand!"
The clean sequence impressed the crowd. Morgan had not only dealt damage but also secured her resources. To many, she looked like a veteran pro duelist—not a new student of Duel Academy.
The only downside: only one Spell currently in her Graveyard. With more, Engage's effect would shine even brighter.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!"
"I can activate this if I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones."
"I add one Sky Striker card other than Engage from my Deck to my hand!"
...
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