"Don't hit too hard? Hahaha, what are you saying? Did you forget how badly you lost last year? Back then, you couldn't even compete with us, and now with An'er here, you don't stand a chance! She's already beaten all of Forest Academy's top ten!"
The old man chuckled, clearly convinced the student chosen by the principal couldn't defeat An'er.
But the principal didn't argue, only smiling. So what if she'd beaten Forest Academy's top ten? Morgan wasn't just the Duelist League champion—she had even outclassed the Director of General Affairs, not to mention her deck-building skills and her three-on-one miracle.
He doubted that this red-haired girl, An'er, could defeat Morgan. Still, there was no need to say it out loud—he couldn't wait to see the old man's shocked face.
Morgan stepped out, Duel Disk in hand.
She had heard of the rivalry between her principal and the old man. The so-called exchange matches were nothing more than the two schools' principals competing for pride. Though since the principal had asked, she couldn't refuse, and so she agreed to the duel.
An'er looked at Morgan expectantly as she approached.
"So you're the strongest here? I thought it would be a third-year student!"
"Well, whatever! Grandpa Principal said if I beat you, I get a new D-Wheel. So you'd better surrender nicely."
Morgan just smiled.
"Sorry, but that new D-Wheel will only appear in your dreams."
Friendship first, competition second? What a joke. She was going to make this red-haired girl cry.
The two of them took their places on the Duel Stage in the grand hall, Duel Disks flaring to life. Before the eyes of all, the duel began.
Each drew five cards, then shouted in unison:
"Duel!"
A coin engraved with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon flipped high into the air and came down—Morgan had won the first turn.
Not that it mattered much to her. She preferred going second, breaking through setups.
That was the advantage of hand traps.
Morgan drew her opening card.
She looked at it, thought for a moment, and locked in her play. This was a Deck she had recently redeemed from the system—cheap enough to afford, but since it was a deck of girl cards, she would've taken it even at a higher price. And it was strong, too.
Glancing at her hand, Morgan declared loudly:
"I activate the effect of Exosister Martha from my hand!"
"If I control no monsters, or only Xyz Monsters, I can Special Summon this card and then Special Summon one Exosister Elis from my Deck."
A girl in a red coat with a pink ponytail appeared on the field, her attire old-fashioned yet dignified, like a noble from antiquity.
[Exosister Martha] Level 4│LIGHT│Spellcaster│1600 ATK / 800 DEF
This was Morgan's new Deck: the Exosisters. An Xyz-focused archetype where every monster, low or high-level, looked like a priestess from an ancient order. She had always liked this Deck in her past life—after all, who didn't like a team full of girl cards?
And when she saw the redemption price, she bought it without hesitation.
Her Duel Points had grown considerably lately—enough to afford a good Deck.
Seeing Morgan's monster, the old man rubbed his chin curiously.
"What kind of Deck is that? Do people here play such niche archetypes? Looks aren't everything for a Duelist's Deck."
The principal, also unfamiliar with it, only smiled mysteriously, giving no explanation.
The old man frowned… something was off. Normally, the principal would've jumped up to argue, but today he stayed quiet?
An'er, meanwhile, was caught off guard. She hadn't expected the beautiful older girl to play a Deck full of equally beautiful girls.
She didn't know Morgan was already planning how to make her cry.
"By Martha's effect, I Special Summon Exosister Elis!"
A blonde girl with a gentle smile appeared beside her. This was the Deck's core. If these girls had anything in common, it was their short skirts paired with thigh-high black stockings, the glimpse of smooth thighs between coat and boots enough to fire the imagination.
Elis was also Level 4. With two Level 4 monsters on the field, Morgan's intent was obvious.
"I overlay Exosister Martha and Exosister Elis to build the Overlay Network!"
The two girls vanished into a golden vortex, and from it emerged a silver lance held by a white-robed maiden.
"Xyz Summon! Exosister Kaspitell!"
[Exosister Kaspitell] Rank 4│LIGHT│Warrior│2300 ATK / 800 DEF
When Xyz Summoned using Exosister monsters, Kaspitell prevented both players from Special Summoning from the Graveyard for the turn. Morgan didn't know what Deck An'er was playing, but she was already setting up a lock.
"Next, I activate Kaspitell's effect!"
"By detaching one material, I can add an Exosister monster from my Deck to my hand!"
A golden orb entered Kaspitell's chest as Morgan searched her Deck and added a card.
"I add Exosister Stella to my hand!"
Seeing Morgan's smooth combo, An'er nodded seriously. Her instincts told her… this opponent was strong.
"Then I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Exosister Pax!"
"By paying 800 Life Points, I can add one Exosister card from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Exosister Sophia to my hand!"
...
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