As Ganyu and Keqing stepped onto the Duel Stage, the atmosphere grew more heated.
"Wow!"
"I really want to see what a Synchro Summon looks like!"
"Miss Ganyu's Deck looks cute, though I'm not sure how strong it is."
"I'm betting on Lady Keqing's Deck—it's worth a hundred million Mora, after all!"
"Yeah, and it's a sword-based Deck—with Synchro Monsters too!"
"Let's see what happens!"
Hu Tao, Xingqiu, and Chongyun, who had arrived late, hadn't seen Ganyu's new Deck or learned about Synchro Summoning yet. However, after hearing the crowd's chatter, they quickly pieced together what had happened earlier. The idea of a new type of Summon thrilled them!
"A whole new Summoning method!?"
"Ah, I missed out—damn!"
"If I'd known, I'd have bid higher!" Xingqiu sighed regretfully.
He hadn't realized the Deck was so unique and now regretted not staying in the auction.
"Ugh! This Hall Master should've held out longer too…" Hu Tao muttered, equally annoyed. They'd both missed their chance—but there would surely be others.
Xingqiu went to the vending machine, bought three drinks, and handed two to Hu Tao and Chongyun. The trio sat down to watch the match in earnest.
On the Duel Stage, Ganyu and Keqing exchanged confident smiles.
"Duel!"
They pressed the RPS button simultaneously—Keqing chose scissors, Ganyu paper.
Keqing smirked. "Then I'll take the first turn!"
Both drew five cards to begin.
Keqing quickly scanned her hand, familiarizing herself with the Deck. Some of the cards looked vaguely familiar—she had owned a few [Swordsoul] cards before, yet never enough to build a full Deck.
Now, she finally held an entire [Swordsoul] Deck. Everything she'd once only half-understood now made perfect sense.
Although this was her first time handling a complete build, she instantly grasped its fundamentals.
The key, she realized, was Synchro Summoning powerful monsters!
Keqing was a woman of action. Without hesitation, she raised a card.
"I Normal Summon [Swordsoul of Mo Ye]!"
At her command, a purple-tailed dragon maiden appeared—her skin a deep bronze, clad in a white and violet short dress, holding a three-foot aquamarine sword wrapped in flowing, icy-blue water.
[Swordsoul of Mo Ye] WATER│Level 4│Wyrm│1700 ATK / 1800 DEF
The crowd gasped as soon as the dragon maiden appeared.
"Whoa!"
"She's a dragon girl?!"
"That outfit and sword—so gorgeous!"
"She looks amazing…!"
"I can't wait for Lady Keqing's Synchro Summon!"
With [Swordsoul of Mo Ye] successfully summoned, Keqing smiled confidently and swept a hand across her chest.
"I activate [Swordsoul of Mo Ye]'s effect!"
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can reveal 1 'Swordsoul' card or 1 Wyrm monster in your hand to your opponent."
"Then you can Special Summon 1 'Swordsoul Token' to your field!"
Keqing revealed the Trap Card [Swordsoul Assessment] to Ganyu, successfully activating Mo Ye's effect.
A ghostly, colorless version of Mo Ye appeared beside her—the [Swordsoul Token].
[Swordsoul Token] WATER│Level 4│Wyrm / Tuner│0 ATK / 0 DEF
As the [Swordsoul Token] materialized, the audience burst into excitement.
"Look!"
"That's a Tuner Monster!"
"That's the one the shopkeeper mentioned earlier!"
"So that means Lady Keqing can perform a Synchro Summon now, right?"
"[Swordsoul of Mo Ye] and the Token are both Level 4…"
"Then the Synchro Monster will be—"
"A Level 8 Synchro Monster!!"
"Whoa, that's terrifying—just one Normal Summon and she's already going for a Synchro!"
Keqing continued her turn decisively.
"I tune my Level 4 [Swordsoul of Mo Ye] with my Level 4 Tuner, [Swordsoul Token]!"
"I Synchro Summon—[Swordsoul Grandmaster – Chixiao]!!"
The two monsters transformed into twin beams of light that spiraled upward and converged above Keqing.
When they met, eight shining stars aligned, forming a crimson star ring.
From that ring descended a dragon warrior clad in golden-red armor, his tail blazing, wielding a sword of crimson flame—the [Swordsoul Grandmaster – Chixiao]!
[Swordsoul Grandmaster – Chixiao] LIGHT│Level 8│Wyrm│2800 ATK / 1000 DEF
Materials: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Wyrm monsters
"So that's a Synchro Summon!"
"It's so smooth!"
"Lady Keqing just used one Level 4 monster and a Token to bring out [Swordsoul Grandmaster – Chixiao]—that's crazy!"
"It even has 2800 Attack!"
"As expected from a sword-themed Deck… every monster has an incredible blade!"
...
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