Hearing the commentator's words, Rowe finally calmed down a little.
Indeed, even if this attack failed, she still had the advantage.
With over 10,000 Life Points, she could simply stand there without summoning a single monster, and Morgan would still need several turns to whittle her LP to zero.
Not to mention, with [Ruddy Rose Dragon] still on the field, Morgan would basically be forced to watch as Rowe's LP continued to climb to absurd levels.
"I end my turn!"
Rowe huffed. Even though it had been her turn, Morgan had taken more time to play her moves than she did.
Seeing Rowe's turn end, Jade let out a sigh of relief. Morgan was down to just 250 LP. Every time Rowe started chaining effects, Jade's heart would race, afraid that a single effect damage would finish Morgan off.
Thankfully, Morgan had held out.
However, as the commentator had said, the problem now was—how could Morgan win against over 10,000 LP?
Isla was pondering the same thing. If it were her, she would have disrupted Rowe's chains from the very start, stopping her LP-gain combos before they snowballed. That was likely the route most duelists would take.
Once Rowe had stacked her LP high enough, options to deal with her became limited.
Just like Morgan's current situation.
If it were Isla in Morgan's place, she would try to destroy [Ruddy Rose Dragon] and then chip away at Rowe's LP. But the odds of that working were slim, unless she could follow up with several high-ATK monsters for direct attacks.
Could Morgan pull that off?
Isla wasn't sure. After all, Morgan was full of surprises.
Meanwhile, in the stands, everyone was focused on Morgan. Several had set up cameras from multiple angles, eager to capture shots that best showcased her "613" aura and the intensity of the duel.
To the professional journalists and photographers, this match wasn't just tomorrow's front-page news—it was today's. The real question was, who would upload their shots first and reap the clicks?
Of course, there were far more spectators than reporters, and most were taking photos of Morgan simply because they liked her.
Some boys even decided they would confess to her after the match. The Witch wasn't just stealing the headlines—she was stealing hearts.
Morgan, of course, knew nothing of this. If she did, she'd probably never leave her house again.
She already struggled with the attention from classmates… multiply that by a stadium full of fans, and it would be overwhelming.
Seeing Morgan once again as the center of attention, Rowe was barely holding herself together.
Her captain, and all these people… why did they like this uncute, utterly wicked girl so much?
In front of everyone, she'd even said Rowe wasn't as cute as her—that was a knife to the heart.
Rowe was only trying to help her! Joining Team Predator was nothing but good for her. Judging by their captain's obsession, Morgan would be treated like royalty if she joined.
How did Rowe know? Because she had been treated that way herself… though not for long.
And the reason was… Morgan.
'Fine. In this duel, I'll stack my LP to 30,000 and see who lasts longer!'
Rowe clenched her teeth.
Morgan glanced at the field. Rowe only had [Ruddy Rose Dragon], with 3200 ATK—but with Dinomorphia Rexterm's ability to reduce ATK and block effects each turn, it posed no threat.
The only unknown was Rowe's single remaining face-down.
Anyhow, since [Dried Winds] had already been used, that card was likely [Humid Winds], which posed no real threat.
Even so, Morgan stayed cautious. In her previous life's duels, opponents would sometimes throw out [Forbidden Droplet] or [Infinite Impermanence] without warning, taking out Rexterm in an instant.
After a brief pause, Morgan began her turn.
"My turn, draw!"
She looked at the card and smiled.
It was [Trap Trick], which would let her Set a Trap directly from her Deck and use it that same turn. Her current resources were thin, and this would help her conserve hand and field presence—though she might not even need it.
For now, her goal was to start cutting down Rowe's LP.
"I activate my face-down [Dinomorphia Domain]!"
"During either Main Phase: Pay half my LP; send Fusion Materials listed on a 'Dinomorphia' Fusion Monster from my hand, Deck, or field to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summon that monster from my Extra Deck."
"I Fusion Summon a second [Dinomorphia Kentregina]!"
Another Kentregina appeared, her ATK over 3000 and presence as imposing as ever.
"Next, I activate Kentregina's effect!"
"Banish [Dinomorphia Domain] from my Graveyard; Kentregina's effect becomes Domain's, and I Fusion Summon again!"
Moments later, three Kentreginas stood on the field—an awe-inspiring sight.
Camera shutters went wild, flashes lighting up the stands.
With Morgan's LP plummeting further, Kentregina's ATK now surpassed [Ruddy Rose Dragon]'s. Even in a straight brawl, Rowe was outmatched.
Rowe's face turned pale as she stared at the ferocious monsters. Even with over 10,000 LP, she felt her knees go weak.
For the first time, she realized that having so much LP didn't necessarily mean safety.
And for the first time, she saw someone willingly lock their own LP down to mere double digits.
She looked at Morgan with shock and confusion.
Even the seasoned commentator admitted he'd never seen anything like it.
"My God! This duel has already given me so many twists and thrills, but this… this gets my blood pumping all over again!"
"You want to know what extreme LP lock is? It's when I willingly lock my LP to double digits, and my opponent can't do a thing about it!"
"Truly powerless… in the most literal sense of the word. Morgan's LP dropped entirely by her own hand… Rowe hasn't touched them at all! It's incredible!"
The audience, prompted by the commentator, suddenly realized—yes, Rowe had never dealt Morgan any damage this whole match.
They didn't understand exactly how, but their admiration for Morgan deepened.
Morgan declared her attack. With her LP compressed to double digits, Kentregina could now destroy [Ruddy Rose Dragon].
"Battle! Dinomorphia Kentregina attacks [Ruddy Rose Dragon]!"
One Kentregina shot forward like an arrow, ion blade cleaving down. Crimson petals scattered as Ruddy Rose Dragon shattered.
The shockwave kicked up dust, forcing Rowe to shield her face.
When it cleared, another Kentregina stood before her, ready for a direct attack.
After taking the combined hits from Kentregina and Rexterm, Rowe barely remained standing, eyes locked on Morgan.
Now, another direct attack would finish her. Everything she'd done so far would be for nothing.
Even so, she hadn't given up. Her backrow was still intact—there was hope of a comeback.
And that hope lay in her next draw.
She trusted her Deck.
"I Set one card and end my turn."
Morgan slid a card into her Duel Disk, her tone light.
With Morgan's turn ended, Rowe took a deep breath and looked down at the top card of her Deck.
Tension filled the air—at last, Rowe was the center of attention again.
"My turn, draw!"
Her eyes lit up.
She'd drawn one of the few cards in her Deck that could directly damage her opponent. The damage was small—only a few hundred—but that was more than Morgan could take right now.
"I Normal Summon [Evil Thorn] from my hand!"
A small tree sapling appeared, clutching a spiked club.
Morgan blinked—this was one of those generic Plant starters, wasn't it? And didn't it deal… effect damage?
"I activate [Evil Thorn]'s effect!"
"Tribute this card; inflict 300 damage to your opponent."
"Then, you can Special Summon up to 2 [Evil Thorn] from your Deck in face-up Attack Position."
The sapling vanished in golden particles, but its spiked club remained—hurtling toward Morgan.
If this went through, the duel would flip completely.
The commentator and audience held their breath. Sure, it was lucky for Rowe to draw it now, but luck was part of skill.
Was the Witch about to face her first defeat?
Rowe's face lit up. She was the one favored by the goddess of victory. She wanted to savor Morgan's defeated expression.
But when she looked at Morgan, her smile froze.
Morgan was calm, smiling warmly—almost tenderly. Abruptly, her words sent Rowe into an ice-cold panic.
"I banish [Dinomorphia Domain] from my Graveyard."
"This turn, any effect damage from your cards becomes 0."
...
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