"Kevin actually took the first hit in this Duel?" the crowd gasped in unison.
The backlash from the magic wave, triggered by surpassing 1000 Defense, bounced straight back toward Kevin Seth and made his face darken.
If he took that damage, it would be humiliating.
Even if he ended up winning the Duel, the fact that the top-ranked student lost half his LP to the lowest-ranked would be unbearable for Kevin's pride.
"I activate the Trap Card I set last turn—Impenetrable Attack!
"During this Battle Phase, all battle damage I take becomes 0."
"That's a B-rank Spell Trap!"
The Trap Card Impenetrable Attack was often confused with Negate Attack.
Both were B-rank, but in certain situations, Impenetrable Attack was even more flexible—and now, with its effect nullifying the incoming battle damage, it saved Kevin from disgrace.
A barrier of invincibility appeared before Kevin, dispersing the backlash.
Miles said, "A B-rank rare card, huh? As expected of the top of the year, what a lavish move."
For an average first-year student, crafting B-rank Spells or Traps that cost 100 Magic Points was almost unheard of. But for Kevin, the top student with a 100% win rate in practical Duels, that limit simply didn't apply.
Conservative estimates said he probably had at least 2 or 3 B-rank spells in his Deck.
Miles could only pray Kevin wouldn't keep drawing his rare cards.
"Well done, Aisha Yuna Carlos."
Having used a Trap to negate the damage, Kevin's expression grew serious.
"You think that was the end of it? Here's the real counterattack, Kevin."
In response to Kevin's move, Miles swiftly flipped over the Trap Card he'd set on Turn 1.
"Trap Card—Activate: Destruction Punch!"
"When my Defense Position monster is attacked, if its DEF is higher than the attacking monster's ATK, destroy the attacking monster!"
Unlike Kevin's rare B-rank card, Miles had set a D-rank Trap Card.
However, paired with Crowned by the World Chalice and her massive DEF, it became unexpectedly effective.
Normally, attacking a Defense Position monster doesn't destroy the attacker unless you have a card like Destruction Punch to retaliate.
"One punch—take out Lizard Soldier!"
"Heeyah!"
The blue-haired priestess let out a sharp cry. Her seemingly dainty little fist sent the armored Lizard Soldier flying.
Watching his own materialized monster get knocked out by a girl's delicate punch left Kevin a bit humiliated.
Worse still, his flashy opening speech at the start of the turn was now utterly invalid.
"Dunames Dark Witch equipped with Elf's Light, continue the attack!"
With her wings spread wide, the angelic Valkyrie responded to Kevin's second attack declaration, raising her radiant sword and slashing down on the slender form of the blue-haired priestess.
2100 Defense was impressive, but with the Equip Spell boost, Dunames Dark Witch now had 2200 ATK.
The priestess cried out as the blade cleaved through her barrier—light shattered, and Crowned by the World Chalice vanished in a burst of divine fragments.
"So she could only hold out that long, huh? Well, I guess there's no helping that," Irena shook her head with a sigh.
Even with her strong DEF, relying on a single monster to stop Kevin—the year's top Duelist—was undoubtedly unrealistic.
"So you managed to scrape through this turn, Aisha Carlos. But next turn, you won't be so lucky!"
Setting his card down, Kevin ended the turn in frustration.
"Oh? You call that luck?"
Miles tilted Aisha's head with a smirk, even her fluffy ahoge seeming combative.
"To me, that was inevitable. Your obsession with victory became the very shackle that doomed your turn."
"Aisha, you..."
Even Miss Erin was startled by Miles's comment through Aisha.
Such composure and sharp judgment—it was hard to believe this was the same bottom-ranked girl.
"So this is the potential humans can unlock under pressure..."
In the end, Miss Erin rationalized Aisha's abnormal change as an awakening of her latent talent.
Aisha said, "Ugh, Mr. Miles! Because of you, everyone's getting such a weird impression of me now!"
"My turn. Draw."
Ignoring Aisha's voice in his mind, Miles began his turn and drew a card.
"I summon a monster in face-down Defense Position, then set a Spell or Trap. Turn end."
Same as the past two turns—Miles continued the defensive strategy, which was all Aisha's Deck could manage.
However, this time, the fact that she'd set another Spell/Trap Card sparked a new wave of surprise.
"Where did Aisha get the Magic Points to craft a second card?" Irene exclaimed.
"Ah, I see—it's Magic Debt," Miss Erin quickly understood.
As her homeroom teacher, no one knew better than Erin how precious and scarce Aisha's semester-long 10 Magic Points were.
Crafting one D-rank Trap like [Destruction Punch] was barely plausible. A second one? Definitely abnormal.
"She actually had the courage to go into Magic Debt... In just one day, she's completely overturned her timid image," Miss Erin murmured in amazement.
After Miles speed-ran through his third turn, Kevin was gradually adjusting to this new 'Aisha' style of Duel.
"This time, I won't let you escape. My turn, draw!"
Seeing his draw, Kevin didn't hesitate—he tossed the card out and activated its effect.
"Witness the fundamental gap between you and me. A-rank Spell Card—[Pot of Greed], activate!"
Pot of Greed—a Spell so powerful it required 400 Magic Points to craft—A forbidden-level card!
Its effect was simple and brutal: draw 2 cards. Pure advantage with no cost.
Kevin placed his fingers over the Elves' Eyes deck and drew two cards.
The instant Kevin drew, a wave of overwhelming dragon pressure exploded out from the card, not yet even summoned.
There was no need to guess—everyone could tell.
Kevin Seth had finally drawn the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon!
***
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