Morgan immediately searched her Deck for the appropriate card. By this point, An'er's expression had grown serious. Her dueling style was to read her opponent's plays during their setup and counter accordingly. But so far, she hadn't figured out what Morgan's end board would look like… or even what she was aiming for.
An'er's smile gradually faded. Her grandfather, the principal, had said there weren't any noteworthy students in Solitary Island Academy. Last year, without her, they'd won in overwhelming fashion. He assumed this year would be the same. But Morgan was giving her a very bad feeling.
…Compared to Morgan, even Forest Academy's strongest students seemed lacking.
Grandpa must have misjudged this time.
No wonder the other principal's expression had been so odd when assigning her opponent. He'd been hiding a true ace.
Morgan, was it? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it right away.
The old man's face also darkened. With decades of experience as a principal, his sharp eye could already tell from her chaining that Morgan was no ordinary Duelist. But whether she was stronger than An'er remained to be seen.
He shot a glance at the smiling principal. "Not bad. Learned how to keep secrets, have you?"
"Tell me, where did this girl come from? How did you rope her in?"
The principal shook his head regretfully. "No use trying to trick me. You'll find out her background soon enough. As for roping her in… I couldn't rope her even if I tried. She joined my Academy of her own accord."
The old man snorted in irritation and turned his eyes back to the field.
"I Normal Summon Exosister Stella in Attack Position!"
A petite girl carrying a pile of luggage appeared on the field, her fluffy hair draped over a lace dress beneath an oversized coat.
[Exosister Stella] Level 4│LIGHT│Spellcaster│300 ATK / 800 DEF
Since her first two monsters had been Special Summoned, Morgan hadn't used her Normal Summon yet. Stella was here to provide more Xyz material. After all, Stella could Special Summon another Exosister from the hand—and Morgan had just the right resource for it.
"I activate Exosister Stella's effect!"
"During my Main Phase, I can Special Summon one Exosister monster from my hand."
"I Special Summon Exosister Sophia from my hand!"
One after another, the girls filled the field. Each carried exorcism tools, but rather than magical girls, they resembled demon hunters.
As Morgan's opening chain roared to life, the exchange students from Forest Academy grew uneasy. At the same time, the crowd erupted with excitement—especially the second-years, who remembered last year's crushing defeat all too well.
They had wanted payback, but lacked the strength. Now, with Morgan here, they finally had their chance for revenge.
"Who do you think's going to win this one? The other side wouldn't show up again so soon without preparation."
"Preparation or not, can their freshmen compare to Morgan?"
"Exactly. Look at the Forest Academy principal's face—it's gone pale. Morgan's plays have rattled him."
"Still, it's not their turn yet. Let's see how they respond."
Amid the chatter, Hannah frowned. Zelo had just sent her a strange message: she was to convert An'er into a Shadow Duelist before she left Solitary Island Academy.
Curious, she had asked why.
The reply shocked her—this An'er was no less than the Duel King's top disciple.
With that, Hannah understood the plan. The boss hadn't just planted freshmen in Solitary Island Academy; the other two Academies likely had infiltrators as well. The Shadow Duelists in Forest Academy had clearly learned of this and passed word to the boss.
But then, why not convert her back in Forest Academy?
She asked, and received a single line in response: all the Shadow Duelists in Forest Academy had been exposed… and defeated by An'er herself.
Now Hannah understood why the Forest Academy principal brimmed with confidence.
And why she had been tasked with converting An'er. Simple… everyone else had been wiped out. Only she remained.
Hannah sighed softly. She'd thought being a teacher here would be easy. Now the pressure was immense.
Back on the field, with her materials ready, Morgan launched another Xyz Summon.
"I overlay Exosister Stella and Exosister Sophia to build the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon! Exosister Mikailis!"
Before the summon, Morgan also used Sophia's effect to draw a card. The Exosisters had smooth resource flow, and most of their effects targeted the Graveyard. Mikailis, for example, could not be destroyed in battle by monsters Special Summoned from the Graveyard.
Against a Graveyard-reliant Deck, Exosisters could be brutal.
"Next, I activate Exosister Mikailis's effect!"
"By detaching one material, I can add one Exosister Spell or Trap from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Exosister Carpedivem to my hand!"
This card further strengthened her lock on Graveyard summons. With it, Exosisters couldn't be targeted by the effects of monsters Special Summoned from the Graveyard. And when declaring an attack, they could also destroy a Spell/Trap on the field.
"I activate Exosister Elis's effect from my hand!"
"If I control an Exosister monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
"I Special Summon Exosister Elis in Defense Position!"
This Elis had been in Morgan's hand, while the one she had sent to the Graveyard earlier came out via Martha's effect. Morgan was holding this copy as insurance—since Elis's effect could upgrade an Exosister into an Xyz Monster whenever a Graveyard effect moved a card, it was her key countermeasure.
Morgan's chain neared its end. An'er watched carefully, as if trying to discern something.
This visit to Solitary Island Academy wasn't just for bragging rights, though that was part of it. The real goal was to uncover hidden Shadow Duelists. Her grandfather had already reported it to the Duelist Alliance, who promised to send club elites. But impatient, he had led his students here himself. An'er's task was to identify any Shadow Duelists during the exchange duels.
Shadow Duelists were usually powerful, with campus reputations—sometimes even teachers. And since the other principal wanted to win, he would naturally send his strongest student.
So… was this highly regarded Morgan a Shadow Duelist?
An'er didn't know yet. Though it didn't matter. If she defeated her, she could find out—that was the method passed down to her by her teacher, the previous Duel King.
By the time she refocused, Morgan was already executing her final Xyz Summon.
"I overlay Exosister Mikailis and Exosister Kaspitell to build the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon! Exosisters Magnifica!"
Two Exosisters who had once fought separately now stood side by side.
[Exosisters Magnifica] Rank 8│LIGHT│Warrior│2800 ATK / 2800 DEF
"Then I activate the Continuous Spell, Exosister Carpedivem, from my hand!"
"I Set three cards and end my turn!"
One of the face-downs was the archetype's powerful Trap, Exosister Vadis. It could summon two Exosisters straight from the Deck. Though it carried restrictions, in a pure Exosister build like Morgan's, it was no problem.
With Morgan's turn over, An'er snuck a glance at the old man. Seeing no reaction from him, she refocused on Morgan.
Unaware of the deeper schemes at play, the old man simply chuckled over his tea. He was eager to watch the other side embarrass themselves—Morgan, after all, never held back.
An'er drew in a deep breath, placing her hand on her Deck. She had defeated many strong foes, but this was the first time she felt such pressure.
Could Morgan actually be one of the Shadow Duelist elites?
The thought flickered in her mind. Then she declared loudly:
"My turn—draw!"
...
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