"My turn ends."
After finishing his Xyz Summon, Miles ended the turn immediately. His cautious first-turn play was steady and defensive.
With 2100 Defense, [Slacker Magician] not only couldn't be destroyed by battle once per turn, but could also detach an Xyz Material to negate any effect that targeted it.
"Ohhh, is there a duel going on here?"
"I have to watch!"
"Free energy, here I come!"
Because Mokey Mokey and Relinkuriboh's summon effects were so plain, it wasn't until [Slacker Magician] materialized that the surrounding crowd realized a duel was happening.
"Students from Synchron Academy again—blessing the city. Such adorable kids."
Though her white coat obscured most of her uniform, and "delinquent" hardly equaled "adorable," the locals of Axet immediately recognized a Synchron Academy student.
"That one's an Xyz Monster. So, an Xyz Academy student? This match looks promising."
Because dueling was revered nationwide, even ordinary Axet citizens, though not duelists themselves, had keen eyes. Their duel-watching skills far surpassed those of common folk in other countries.
At the very least, they knew that until this year, Xyz Academy had always been ranked number one.
However, soon enough, someone in the crowd noticed a flaw.
"Wait… that uniform, isn't it Fusion Academy?"
"Eh? The weakest academy, the one focused on Fusion? Then there's nothing to see here."
"But wasn't that obviously an Xyz Summon just now?"
Not only was Lost, but the crowd was also left baffled by Miles's Xyz Summon.
"Slacker Magician." Aoyao smiled as she sensed a similar aura from the monster. "I like that one."
"Don't go liking the opponent's monsters, Aoyao!"
Lost's Spirit Eyes lit up as she drew her card, golden hair flaring with force.
"My turn, draw! Xyz or Fusion, I'll show you the terror of Synchro Summons! I activate the effect of [Vice Dragon] in my hand!"
A Level 5 Dragon appeared as she revealed the card.
[If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, Special Summon this card from your hand. Its original ATK/DEF are halved.]
[Vice Dragon] Level 5│DARK│Dragon│2000 ATK → 1000 / 2400 DEF → 1200
The monster was grotesque, but its power was cut in half by its own effect, making it less threatening.
"How could that thing break through Aisha-senpai?" Lishia wondered aloud.
Hearing that, Lost smirked. "Hmph! Synchro Summon is the miracle summon! Watch closely!"
She threw down another monster—this time, a Tuner.
"Awaken, slumbering Synchro star! Normal Summon—[Force Resonator]!"
[Force Resonator] Level 2│LIGHT│Fiend│Tuner│500 ATK / 500 DEF
A tiny devil wielding a tuning fork floated above the ground.
"I see. That's how Synchro expands." Ren grasped the strategy. "Lost doesn't need Vice Dragon's power. Even halved, it still provides Level 5!"
Lost raised her arm high as Synchro light flooded the field.
"I tune the Level 2 [Force Resonator] with the Level 5 [Vice Dragon]!"
2★ + 5★ = 7★!
The gathered stars circled the dragon, resonating toward higher form.
"The roar of the exploding dragon! The hammer of victory shatters the land! Synchro Summon—take flight, Exploder Dragonwing!"
[Exploder Dragonwing] Level 7│DARK│Dragon│Synchro│2400 ATK / 1600 DEF
[Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Dragon monsters]
The dark Synchro Dragon burst from a shining card, wings spread as it roared.
"How about that? A Synchro with 2400 Attack! Not something your trash Xyz can block!"
Hands on her hips, Lost declared the Battle Phase.
"Crush that monster! Exploder Dragonwing, attack with Explosive Dark Claw!"
The dragon swooped down, its claws colliding with Slacker Magician.
Miles countered: "Even with higher Attack, my Xyz Monster [Slacker Magician] can't be destroyed by battle once per turn!"
"Ha! Useless!" Lost roared. Exploder Dragonwing's claws pierced through.
Aisha was dumbfounded: "...What? But it shouldn't be destroyed by battle!"
Miles frowned: "It was destroyed by the effect… that Synchro Monster's ability."
Lost explained: "When Exploder Dragonwing battles a monster with lower Attack, it can destroy that monster by effect instead of damage calculation! Then you take damage equal to that monster's Attack!"
With 2400 Attack, far above Slacker Magician's, the effect triggered with ease.
"Additional damage, Exploder Dragonwing!"
The dragon's wings slashed past Aisha, sending Miles staggering.
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 4000 → 3800]
Luckily, Slacker Magician's Attack wasn't high, so the damage wasn't severe.
"I set two cards. Turn end!" Lost declared proudly.
The crowd murmured:
"Fusion Academy students really are weak, huh?"
"They've always been bottom-ranked."
"This duel won't even charge my little car."
Their disappointment stung. The more intense the duel, the more energy generated. But a one-sided beatdown barely recharged even a single magitek car nearby.
"Are we being underestimated?" Ren scowled. The mockery toward Fusion Academy was hard to bear, even if expected.
Time and again, Fusion ranked dead last in the Inter-Academy wars. To most commoners, only two academies were truly in competition.
"Come on, Aisha-senpai! Show them what Fusion can do!" Lishia cheered.
"Yeah, hit her with Mokey Punch!" Irena teased. "First win abroad—you've got to make it flashy, darling!"
"Wait, what do you mean darling?!" Ren cut in, panicked.
"Eh? Aren't Aisha and I dating now?"
"That was just a rumor!"
And besides, it was Miles dueling, not Aisha… clearly, Irena was just taking advantage.
"My turn, draw!"
Miles drew and eyed a Spell.
"Time to test this card."
He slammed it down.
"I activate the Spell Card [Enchanting Fitting Room]!"
[Pay 800 LP. Reveal the top 4 cards of your Deck. Special Summon all Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters among them. Shuffle the rest back into the Deck.]
A strong support Spell for low-Level strategies, though luck-based.
[Aisha Carlos, LP: 3800 → 3000]
"By paying 800 Life Points, I reveal the top 4 cards of my Deck!"
The four cards flipped:
[Crowned by the World Chalice]
[Happy Lover]
[The Winged Dragon of Ra]
[Mokey Mokey]
"Wait… did I just see something insane?!"
Lost rubbed her eyes. The golden card [The Winged Dragon of Ra] vanished quickly, shuffled back since it wasn't a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster.
Even so, she had seen it distinctly.
"A golden card… what was that?!"
She didn't recognize the Egyptian God Cards.
In Axet, the legends spoke not of the Egyptian Gods, but of the Synchro Divine Beasts.
"You'd better not ask. It's dangerous." Miles grinned.
From [Enchanting Fitting Room]'s effect, three monsters appeared.
[Mokey Mokey] Level 1│LIGHT│Fairy│300 ATK
[Crowned by the World Chalice] Level 2│LIGHT│Spellcaster│2100 DEF
[Happy Lover] Level 2│LIGHT│Fairy│800 ATK
Only Mokey Mokey was Level 1; the others were Level 2.
"Now—let's go, Aisha! A brand new Rank 2 power!"
Dark Aisha: "Alright!"
...
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