Many spectators had seen Hu Tao's deck before. Each time, it was almost always a pure Zombie deck. But this time, she suddenly brought out a Spellcaster: [Breaker the Magical Warrior]. That alone surprised everyone.
And with only 1600 ATK… plus, since it wasn't a Zombie, it didn't benefit from [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]'s ATK boost. Everyone was puzzled.
"Hehe~ I activate [Breaker the Magical Warrior]'s effect! When this card is successfully Summoned, place 1 Spell Counter on it. And… it gains 300 ATK per Spell Counter!"
After Hu Tao explained, [Breaker the Magical Warrior] raised his sword like a staff, condensing a bluish-white orb at its tip. The orb flowed into the blade, glowing faintly blue, turning it into a magic weapon. His ATK rose from 1600 to 1900!
"Wow! So it can boost its own ATK?!"
"No wonder Director Hu included it—1900 ATK is strong!"
"But… what's the Spell Counter for?!"
Before the crowd could question further, Hu Tao used [Breaker]'s other effect: "Remove 1 Spell Counter from [Breaker the Magical Warrior] to destroy 1 Spell/Trap on the field!"
As soon as she said this, Xiangling's calm demeanor cracked. "Huh? This… is bad!"
Xiangling's confidence came from her set card: [Mirror Force]. Its artwork showed a red shockwave colliding with a blue barrier, releasing overwhelming power. When the opponent declares an attack, destroy all Attack Position monsters they control!
[Mirror Force]—a simple yet devastating trap. If Hu Tao attacked, Xiangling could wipe her entire field with a single card.
However, now… that chance was gone.
"Let's see what you set~ Go, Breaker! Clear the way for me!! Magical Storm!!!"
[Breaker the Magical Warrior] obeyed Hu Tao, tossing aside his shield, gripping his sword with both hands. He channeled magic into the blade until it shone with golden light, then slashed forward. A golden wave shot out, shattering Xiangling's set card—it was indeed [Mirror Force]!
One of the strongest traps, capable of destroying a whole field… gone.
As [Mirror Force] shattered, Xiangling let out a wail. "Ah… it's over… I'm done for…"
With [Breaker]'s effect resolved, he lost his Spell Counter, dropping back down from 1900 ATK to 1600 ATK.
"Whoa! This monster can destroy Spells/Traps too?!"
"That's crazy… a Level 4 with 1900 ATK that can also remove backrow!"
"Too bad I didn't pull it…"
"I need to buy more packs—cards are definitely getting stronger lately!"
"Same here!"
Now Hu Tao held overwhelming advantage. Four monsters surrounded Xiangling's lone [Flamvell Guard], isolating it pitifully. Next came Hu Tao's Battle Phase.
"Battle Phase!" With Xiangling having no set cards, Hu Tao attacked confidently. Learning from past traps, she had wisely cleared it first.
"[Zombie Master], attack [Flamvell Guard]!"
With 2300 ATK against 1900, [Zombie Master] easily slew the hound. Lava-like blood spattered toward Xiangling.
"Ah! Hot—wait, not that hot…"
She took 400 damage, leaving her at 3600 LP.
Hu Tao still had three monsters to attack with:
[Goblin Zombie] ATK: 1600
[Lost Ghostling] ATK: 800
[Breaker the Magical Warrior] ATK: 1600
"Hahaha! Xiangling, your field is empty!"
With three monsters ready, the math was simple: 4000 damage total versus Xiangling's 3600 LP.
"Director Hu has lethal right here!"
"Yeah, Xiangling's done for…"
"Unless [Mirror Force] survived, but it's gone."
"GG, Director Hu wins this one."
Hu Tao laughed: "Let me send you off, Xiangling! Go, [Goblin Zombie]!"
Small but ruthless, [Goblin Zombie] lunged forward, slashing Xiangling and dealing 1600 damage. She dropped to 2000 LP.
Hu Tao followed up: "I activate [Goblin Zombie]'s effect! When it deals battle damage, send the top card of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard!"
[Goblin Zombie], once a raider killed in battle, had become a zombie with its plundering instinct intact. After striking Xiangling, it snatched the top card of her Deck and tossed it into the Graveyard—it was [Emergency Provisions]!
Seeing this, Xiangling's eyes lit up. "There's still hope!!!"
Hu Tao grinned: "[Breaker the Magical Warrior], direct attack!" Breaker charged, inflicting another 1600 damage. Xiangling fell to just 400 LP.
Hu Tao posed confidently: "Heh heh A flickering candle in the wind, huh? This duel is mine! Now for the final blow! [Lost Ghostling]—finish her!"
The little ghost drifted over and bit Xiangling. Her last 400 LP vanished.
Abruptly, then, before Hu Tao could celebrate, Xiangling burst out laughing.
"A candle in the wind? Don't count me out yet! I activate my Spell Card—[Emergency Provisions]!"
Its artwork showed a cloaked girl kneeling on a slice of cheese, crying, holding up bread slices falling from above. She clearly didn't want to be made into food…
From her Graveyard, Xiangling retrieved [Emergency Provisions]. Smiling, she declared: "Once per duel, if this card is in the Graveyard, you can activate it the turn you'd take lethal damage! Recover half the battle damage you took this turn!"
The cloaked girl transformed into a little burger and delivered herself to Xiangling. She grabbed it and swallowed it whole. "This turn I took 4000 damage! I recover 2000 LP!"
Her LP climbed from 0 back to 2000!
"Hahaha! Now it's my turn—the chef of Wanmin Restaurant will serve her dish!!"
The audience erupted with cheers: "Go Xiangling!! Show us the comeback!!"
"Xiangling, when will you return to Wanmin Restaurant to cook? Food isn't the same without you!"
"Wouldn't it be amazing if she cooked here at the shop—duels and meals together!"
"Yeah!!"
Hu Tao clapped with delight: "Not bad! That's more like my rival! I set 1 card and end my turn."
Though Xiangling had survived, the situation was still dire. Hu Tao had four monsters, plus her ace Field Spell [Wangsheng Funeral Parlor]. She had one set card and one card in hand—offense and defense secured.
In contrast, Xiangling had only three cards in hand, no field presence, and just 2000 LP. If she couldn't turn it around next turn, the duel would be over.
Xiangling reached for her Deck. Her pupils shrank, and she staggered back two steps, almost falling. "My Deck… why is it drifting away from me?! No… it's me who's afraid to draw!!"
Seeing her muttering nonsense, Hu Tao doubled over laughing. "Xiangling… don't tell me you're gonna say your Deck has one key card! And if you draw it this turn, you'll defeat me?! You're trusting in the bonds with Guoba, your father, and Wanmin Restaurant?!"
The spectators realized—this was just like the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga scene, where the protagonist had to draw Dark Magician!
"Xiangling only has three cards left…"
"She couldn't possibly have [Exodia the Forbidden One] in there, could she?!"
"If she drew [Swords of Revealing Light], she could stall three turns…"
Guoba tugged her hand toward the Deck. Xiangling came back to her senses: "I believe in my bonds—with Guoba, with my father, with Wanmin Restaurant! As long as I still have cards, I'll keep believing! There must be a way to defeat you!! My turn—draw!!!"
...
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