'Is this what you call top-decking a miracle?'
Seeing Alban draw another Red-Eyes Fusion, Morgan couldn't help but ask that in her heart.
Sure, in her past life, she'd seen countless duels where someone pulled a comeback off a lucky top-deck, but this one left her speechless.
Most people top-decked into Predaplant Verte Anaconda to fish Red-Eyes Fusion—Alban just drew it. Who could accept that?
Turns out, in dueling, luck was a form of power, too.
Morgan sighed deeply. Now it all came down to what Fusion Monster he summoned. If it was another Meteor Black Dragon plus Inferno Fire Blast, she'd be in real trouble.
Meanwhile, the audience roared as Alban drew a card that flipped his fate. The entire arena erupted in cheers, fueling Alban's spirit.
Their cheers felt like confirmation of his worth. Victory felt within reach.
"I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull from my Deck to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon—Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"
A hulking, demonic dragon with bared sinew and scarlet wings erupted onto the field, roaring with heat and fury.
[Archfiend Black Skull Dragon] Level 9│DARK│Dragon│3200 ATK
'Who even summons this thing anymore?'
Morgan blinked in disbelief. She'd faced plenty of Red-Eyes Decks before but had never seen this one used.
Most people didn't waste space on it—not when Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was around. Plus, you had to run Summoned Skull in your Main Deck to summon it—What a bricky cost.
Albeit, then she thought about it. There was no Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon in this world. Archfiend Black Skull wasn't half bad here.
Still…
What did this thing do again?
With how many Yu-Gi-Oh! cards existed, Morgan couldn't possibly remember every one. The niche ones like this? Not a clue.
Then Alban attacked.
"Battle! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attacks Eldlich the Golden Lord!"
Morgan frowned. She was about to activate Conquistador of the Golden Land to destroy the dragon—only to find her Trap Card locked.
What?
Before she could react, Alban burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Don't bother! I added this card just for beating you!"
"When Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attacks, your Spell, Trap, and Monster effects can't be activated until the end of the Damage Step!"
"So just take the hit!"
The dragon soared, spewing searing fire that melted Eldlich.
Morgan took 700 LP damage. With the 2400 she lost from Red-Eyes Burn earlier, she'd now lost 3100 LP in total.
Yet, Alban wasn't done.
"Now I activate Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's second effect!"
"At the end of the Battle Phase: target 1 Red-Eyes Normal Monster in the Graveyard, return it to the Deck, and deal damage equal to its original ATK!"
Alban had two Red-Eyes Black Dragons in his Graveyard, which meant he could deal damage again next turn, too.
"I return Red-Eyes Black Dragon to the Deck and deal you 2400 damage!"
Alban was hyped. If this landed, Morgan's LP would plummet again.
He slid a card out of his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot.
Suddenly then—
"Archfiend Black Skull Dragon prevents effects during the Battle Phase only," Morgan said coolly. "That phase is over."
"Your lockout effect is gone. You can't stop my response now."
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Called by the Grave!"
"Targeting your Red-Eyes Black Dragon in the Graveyard—banish it!"
A decaying green hand rose from her field, pointed at the dragon in Alban's Graveyard, and flicked it out of existence.
"W-What?!"
Alban was dumbstruck. With the target gone, his effect fizzled. He'd missed a chance to land serious damage.
The audience, who had expected another burst of damage, fell silent like a misfired old rifle. No one spoke.
Alban felt the collapse of hope. His perfect combo, the crowd's momentum—all gone. He slumped.
Despite that, he hadn't given up. One Red-Eyes Black Dragon still remained in his Graveyard.
"I Set two cards and end my turn!"
One of them was Red-Eyes Fang with Chain, which could equip itself to a monster, and if sent to the Graveyard, it could steal an opponent's effect monster.
The other was Red-Eyes Spirit, to revive Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
These were his last chances. His hand was nearly empty.
The commentator exhaled heavily.
"Incredible... It was Alban's turn to attack, and yet the momentum has completely backfired."
"It's just like yesterday's match with Dorian… cut off at the most critical moment."
"Could Morgan really have some kind of magic about her? Is that why she's called the Witch?"
Thanks to his words, every eye in the arena turned back to Morgan. Was there truly some magic inside this petite girl?
Alban knew better. Magic had nothing to do with it. It was skill.
He had simply been outclassed.
Under the weight of a thousand stares, Morgan began her turn.
"My turn. Draw!"
She wasn't concerned about Eldlich being destroyed. As long as it hadn't been banished, she could bring it back.
What mattered was her LP. If another Inferno Fire Blast came out now, she might be toast.
She had to finish this turn.
"I Tribute one face-down card to return Eldlich from my Graveyard to my hand, then Special Summon it to the field!"
The Set card was Eldlixir of Black Awakening. She still had two more face-downs: Scarlet Sanguine and Conquistador.
With its ATK and DEF boosted by 1000, Eldlich returned to the field.
She immediately activated Conquistador of the Golden Land.
She needed to remove Alban's highest-ATK monster before it could become fuel for another burn.
"I activate Conquistador of the Golden Land!"
"It Special Summons as a Normal Monster, and if Eldlich is on the field, I can destroy one face-up card."
"I destroy Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"
With that threat gone, Red-Eyes Black Dragon in the Graveyard was useless.
Alban quickly activated his Set card.
"I activate Red-Eyes Spirit!"
"Revive Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the Graveyard in Defense Position!"
Morgan wasn't done.
Her next step: disable the one Set card Alban had left, the only possible comeback.
"I activate the Trap: Eldlixir of Scarlet Sanguine!"
"Special Summon another Eldlich from the Deck in Attack Position!"
Now with three Zombies on the field, she continued.
"I activate the Continuous Spell: Seven Cities of the Golden Land!"
"I send Eldlich and Conquistador to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon from my Extra Deck—"
"Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord!"
A monster twice the size of Eldlich appeared in shining gold armor.
[Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord] Level 10│LIGHT│Fusion / Zombie│3800 ATK
Everyone gasped. None had seen this card before.
So imposing. So regal.
Was this Morgan's true ace?
Even as they marveled, Morgan pressed on.
"Seven Cities of the Golden Land has a second effect."
"If a Zombie monster is Special Summoned by its effect: I can target one Set Spell/Trap on your field—that card can't be activated this turn."
She pointed to Alban's remaining Set card.
"What?!"
Alban paled, lips trembling. His last hope was sealed away. Still, he had 4500 LP left. Morgan couldn't finish him this turn.
Anyhow, Morgan didn't care. She raised her hand, "Battle! Eldlich attacks Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Boom—his wall was gone. Now he was wide open.
"Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord, direct attack!"
3800 LP gone.
Alban had only 700 left.
Just a flickering candle.
At least he survived—
"Thinking that, aren't you?"
Morgan smiled brightly.
Alban looked up. Her grin chilled him.
"Right now, I have two Level 10 monsters on my field."
A bad feeling swelled in his gut.
Everyone leaned forward. What would the Witch summon next?
"I overlay my two monsters to build the Overlay Network!"
Golden data swirled in the sky. Eldlich and Mad Lord transformed into light and entered the vortex.
"I Xyz Summon: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!"
A cannon longer than the sky descended. The turret was so massive that the base felt invisible.
"What is this?! That's not a Zombie!"
"She runs Machines, too?"
"Why now? Battle Phase is over!"
Confused chatter spread across the stands. It didn't match Morgan's usual theme.
Even the commentator was baffled.
"Incredible! But why replace her 3800-ATK monster with a Machine?"
"She can't attack anymore... right?"
Before they could answer, Morgan moved.
"I activate Gustav Max's effect!"
"Once per turn: detach 1 Xyz Material to inflict 2000 damage to your opponent!"
'2000?'
Alban froze. The cannon's barrel swiveled toward him.
"No... way..."
The shot blasted through him. His LP hit zero.
The duel ended as the holograms vanished—Alban collapsed to his knees, while the cannon's roar still rang in his ears.
A beat of silence—then the stadium exploded in cheers.
The commentator, breathless, gasped:
"Unbelievable! What an ending!"
"Let's thank both duelists for this incredible match!"
"Especially Morgan—wait, she's already gone?!"
"And so is Viviana?!"
He gawked, mic in hand. The stars of the duel had vanished the moment it ended.
Still, he was a pro.
"Let's now turn our attention to our next duelists..."
Back in the Middle Division classroom, Jade and Isla frowned.
"Where's my Morgan? I bet that Spirit Duelist took her!"
Jade huffed. "This is unexpected. When did they get close? We need to step up our defenses."
Isla nodded.
While everyone searched for Morgan, Viviana had already brought her to the underground parking lot.
"You wouldn't get out alone. Let me take you."
Viviana smiled. Morgan was strong, but still just a kid.
Morgan thought for a moment, then agreed. Viviana easily drove them out. After aimlessly cruising the streets, she suddenly said:
"Want to come over tonight? To celebrate your win. Just me and my sister at home."
Morgan looked at her. There wasn't much to celebrate, but she accepted.
"Sure, but I need to go home afterward."
After all, Belle didn't allow her to stay out overnight. Even Jade usually stayed at her place.
Viviana, pleased with her answer, hummed a tune as she drove.
She had a hunch her sister would like Morgan.
Viviana's house was in a prestigious Solmere City villa district. As a Spirit Duelist, she was wealthy.
After parking, she led Morgan to the door.
The moment it opened, a tiny figure rushed forward—not into her arms, but Morgan's.
"Morgan! I saw your duel! I'm so glad you came!"
Viviana's sister, Mena, beamed. She'd seen Morgan through the window.
She looked just like a mini Viviana.
Seeing how fond her sister was of Morgan, Viviana relaxed. She pressed her hands together and smiled apologetically.
"Looks like she really likes you. I'll leave her in your care, Mama Morgan."
'You're the mama! Your whole family is!'
Morgan sighed, holding the small girl in her arms.
...
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