From within the golden vortex of data emerged a woman with the figure of an adult, but her bird-like traits were far more pronounced than those of the petite girls before, as though she had advanced further into bestial form. Her feathers shone with a richer array of colors, a soft pink hue, and her feet had completely transformed into talons.
[Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale] Level 1│WIND│Winged Beast│0 ATK / 0 DEF
This card was the core of An'er's upcoming tactic, for its effect allowed it to attack the opponent directly—and it could do so as many times as it had Overlay Units.
In other words, as long as it had enough materials stacked and sufficient Attack boosts, it could wipe out the opponent in a single turn through multiple direct attacks—an exceptionally difficult tactic to guard against. But from the very first moment Morgan saw An'er summon this monster, she had already guessed her plan, and she was prepared.
Now, with the direct-attacking monster on the field, An'er's next step, "six-nine-seven," was to raise [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale]'s Attack and replenish its Overlay Units.
And she still had two monsters available for an Xyz Summon.
"I overlay [Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow] and [Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow] to construct the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon! [Lyrilusc - Recital Starling]!"
A bird resembling a dreamlike magician appeared on the field, stars shimmering across her feathers like the night sky.
An'er summoned this card because [Lyrilusc - Recital Starling]'s effect could grant Attack to other Lyriluscs on the field, scaling by the number of its own Overlay Units—the more units, the greater the boost.
At this moment, the card held two Overlay Units, granting a 600-point increase.
An'er had achieved countless victories with this strategy: [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale] not only could attack directly, but also detach one material to grant all Lyriluscs on the field protection from being destroyed by battle or effects this turn. With resilience added, no one could stop the direct assault of [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale].
Exhaling deeply, An'er immediately declared:
"Activate [Lyrilusc - Recital Starling]'s effect!"
"When this card is Xyz Summoned, you can target 1 face-up monster on the field."
"That monster's Attack and Defense increase by this card's Overlay Units × 300."
In the next instant, [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale]'s Attack rose from zero straight to 600, and with its inherent boost, it reached 1000.
Regardless, 1000 Attack was far too little. Even with two attacks, that would only total 2000 damage.
So An'er was far from satisfied. She intended to end the Duel this very turn.
"Activate [Lyrilusc - Recital Starling]'s other effect!"
"Once per turn, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card."
"Add 1 Level 1 Winged Beast monster from your Deck to your hand!"
A golden sphere of light orbiting Recital Starling vanished, and An'er retrieved a card from her Deck.
In truth, Recital Starling had three Overlay Units, for when [Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow] was used in an Xyz Summon, it could attach another Lyrilusc from the Graveyard to the new Xyz Monster as material. Thus, Recital Starling still retained two.
"I add [Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary] to my hand!"
This card could Special Summon itself from the hand along with a Lyrilusc from the Graveyard, instantly providing more materials for an Xyz Summon.
"Activate [Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary]'s effect!"
"If this card is in your hand: target 1 Lyrilusc monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon both this card and that monster!"
"I Special Summon [Lyrilusc - Beryl Canary] and [Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail]!"
Seeing this, Isla fell into thought. An'er had assembled two more monsters—was she planning another Xyz Summon of the same monster?
Watching An'er boost [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale]'s power, Isla's heart swelled with unease. Could it be that An'er intended to stack attack power endlessly until it surpassed Morgan's monsters?
That was highly possible, yet if that were all, An'er could never be the top of Forest Academy.
She must have another purpose!
At that moment, Jade chuckled mockingly.
"Boosting a monster with zero Attack… Don't tell me you're planning to attack directly?"
Hearing this, Isla froze, then seized Jade's shoulders, shouting:
"What did you just say?"
Jade jumped in fright, stammering:
"B-boosting its Attack…"
"The next part!"
"…To attack directly…"
"Yes, that's it!"
Isla's eyes lit up—she had guessed An'er's tactic.
Plenty of low-Attack monsters could attack directly, like Submarineroid, which then switched to Defense Position after striking. An'er's monster likely had the same ability. By raising its Attack so high, she was aiming for a one-turn kill…
Even so, Isla quickly calmed down. Even if she understood, what use was that? She wasn't the one dueling right now.
All she could do was pray for Morgan to realize it.
Meanwhile, An'er had already Xyz Summoned a second [Lyrilusc - Recital Starling], boosting [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale] even further.
By now, most spectators had pieced together An'er's plan. Though astonished by her technique, they still found it somewhat simplistic.
After all, stacking Attack just to attack the opponent—it was a rather straightforward tactic.
Next, An'er immediately bolstered [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale]'s defenses.
"Activate [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale]'s second effect."
"Detach 1 material; for this turn, all Lyriluscs you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects!"
The crowd now sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late.
An'er unleashed the lynchpin of her combo—the key Spell Card. It allowed one Lyrilusc Xyz Monster to be stacked beneath another as material, transferring its Overlays as well.
That meant at least three more direct attacks for [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale]!
"I activate the Continuous Spell [Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary] from my hand!"
"Target 2 Winged Beast Xyz Monsters I control; stack one beneath the other as material!"
One [Lyrilusc - Recital Starling] dissolved into three Overlay Units beneath [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale].
Now, smiling, An'er declared the crucial effect.
"[Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale] can attack the opponent directly."
"And it can attack once for each Overlay Unit it holds."
"In other words, this card can now attack at least four times."
The audience erupted. None of them had expected this to be An'er's true win condition. The old man grinned—An'er's combo had never failed her. Meanwhile, the headmaster's face turned ashen; if Morgan lost, his reputation would be ruined.
Standing in her advantageous position, An'er wasted no time declaring her attack.
"Battle! [Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale], direct attack!"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]