When Morgan saw that familiar little vehicle, she felt a pang. Union Carrier had been a staple in her past life. Once Summoned, it could equip a monster straight from the Deck. Usually, that equipped monster had a powerful effect. For Drytron, the obvious choice was Eva.
Just as she thought, Yula eagerly declared:
"I activate Union Carrier's effect!"
"I equip Eva from my Deck to this card as an Equip Spell!"
As Morgan expected, Yula chose Eva. When sent to the Graveyard, Eva could banish Fairy monsters to search the same number from the Deck—perfect ammo for Herald of Perfection.
With Eva equipped, Union Carrier's Attack rose by 1000, matching Shizuku's Attack.
Yula's plan was clear: crash Union Carrier into Shizuku, sending Eva to the Graveyard.
She wasted no time.
"Battle! Union Carrier attacks Sky Striker Ace - Shizuku!"
Jade frowned, confused. "Why attack with equal ATK? Wouldn't both be destroyed?"
Isla shook her head. "That's exactly what Yula wants. By destroying Union Carrier, Eva goes to the Graveyard."
"Remember Eva's effect? When sent to the Graveyard, it can banish two Fairies to add two more from the Deck. Herald of Perfection needs Fairies as ammo. Yula's stocking bullets."
"To do all this in one turn… no wonder she's one of the second-years' top Duelists."
Jade nodded, impressed and tense.
The monsters clashed. Both were destroyed, and Eva went to the Graveyard—exactly what Yula had planned.
"I activate Eva's effect!"
"I banish Diviner of the Herald and Cyber Angel Benten from my Graveyard!"
As Yula activated the effect, Morgan chained Raye's effect to revive herself, and Roze's effect also triggered since Union Carrier had been destroyed. Yula only had one Fairy in hand, so she could negate only one effect. Surprisingly, she didn't use Herald's negate, letting the chain resolve. She didn't want to waste precious ammo.
Raye and Roze returned to the field. Yula, meanwhile, added two Fairies:
"I add Herald of Orange Light and Diviner of the Herald to my hand!"
One was a hand trap to stop monster effects, the other a crucial starter. With them, Yula regained momentum.
The crowd murmured in awe. Yula's skill was undeniable. Even against Morgan, she had flipped the duel. Now, with Herald of Perfection on the field and ammo in hand, Morgan faced real trouble.
"Amazing! Yula's plays are flawless!"
"Three bullets for Herald—how can Morgan fight that?"
"And she still has more attacks! Morgan will be left with only one monster."
"Any effect will just get negated. Brutal!"
Even so, Morgan didn't despair. Three negates weren't infinite, and Zeke would return next turn. She still had options.
Yula pressed on.
"Battle continues! Herald of Perfection attacks Sky Striker Ace - Roze!"
Not knowing Roze's effect, she decided to eliminate it just in case. Herald struck, destroying Roze in Defense Position. No LP damage.
Entering Main Phase 2, Yula still felt unsafe. After some thought, she spent another resource to extend her board.
"I activate Drytron Zeta Aldhibah in my Graveyard!"
"I tribute Cyber Angel Idaten from my hand; Special Summon Zeta Aldhibah!"
Idaten's effect wasn't once per turn—tributing it boosted all Ritual Monsters' ATK by 1000 again. Zeta's presence also enabled Linkuriboh to come back from the Graveyard, giving her another layer of defense.
Herald of Perfection now had 2800 ATK, enough to overpower most of Morgan's monsters.
To the spectators, Yula's board looked unbreakable. To Morgan, it was full of holes. Yula had wasted a negate, and with only two Fairies left in hand, Herald wasn't untouchable.
Before Yula ended, Morgan acted.
"I use Sky Striker Ace - Raye to set the Link Circuit!"
"Link Summon! Sky Striker Ace - Shizuku!"
As always, Shizuku was the best way to fetch resources.
"At the End Phase, I activate Shizuku's effect!"
"I add Sky Striker Maneuver - Jamming Waves! from my Deck to my hand!"
This card could destroy a set card, or with three Spells in the Graveyard, also destroy a monster.
As Yula ended her turn, Zeke also returned. The duel reset to parity.
"My turn ends."
Yula had done her best with what she had. Without that clutch draw, she wouldn't have even managed this field. However, she couldn't push further.
The spectators sighed in tension. They had hoped for a conclusion, but the duel dragged on. With Morgan's resources regenerating, the flow was turning. For Yula, victory was slipping away.
Despite that, inside the duel, neither girl wavered.
"My turn—draw!"
Morgan drew Goblin of Greed alongside Jamming Waves. Her plan was clear: force Yula to burn all her negates.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole!"
If Yula didn't negate and destroy it, Morgan's Spells would be immune to response. She had no choice.
"I activate Herald of Perfection's effect!"
"I discard a Fairy to negate and destroy Multirole!"
Herald shone with divine light, blasting Multirole.
Though Yula had interrupted Morgan, her expression was tight with worry. Morgan looked calm.
"I use Sky Striker Ace - Zeke and Sky Striker Ace - Shizuku to set the Link Circuit!"
"Link Summon another Sky Striker Ace - Zeke!"
Morgan needed to trigger Zeke's effect again.
"I activate Zeke's effect!"
"On Link Summon, banish 1 face-up monster until your opponent's next End Phase."
"I target your Herald of Perfection!"
Herald was Yula's last shield. She couldn't allow it. She clenched her teeth and revealed her final card.
"I activate Herald of Perfection's effect again!"
"Negate and destroy Zeke!"
Herald's light flared, destroying Zeke. Albeit now Yula's hand was empty. Herald was out of ammo.
Morgan smiled.
"I activate the effect of Sky Striker Ace - Raye in my Graveyard!"
"Since Zeke was destroyed, I Special Summon her!"
...
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