Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

"Pfft, isn't this the weakling that broke the summoning record? How amusing."

Luka's laughter was unrestrained, her tone far more aggressive and arrogant than her previously kind and friendly demeanor.

"A weakling with 300 attack points? How do you expect to compete with my 2400 attack Archfiend's Call? I suggest you just surrender. It's embarrassing. I'll end my turn now."

Declaring the end of her turn, Luka wasn't worried even though her lethal attack had been blocked by Negate Attack. She didn't believe a measly Kuriboh could shake her victory.

"Compete with Archfiend's Call? What, is 2400 attack points supposed to be impressive?" You Ling retorted.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know the strongest monster in Fusion Academy's first year is Kevin's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, with 2400 attack points."

"Then your information is undoubtedly outdated."

Pressing his fingers against Aisha's Spirit Eye deck, feeling the tingling sensation coursing through his body, You Ling knew the card he needed was coming.

After all, in a 20-card duel, the probability of drawing key cards increased significantly as the duel dragged on.

"My turn, draw!"

The card Aisha's slender fingers pulled from the deck crackled with electricity as it sliced through the air.

The roar of demonic power seemed to summon thunder around Aisha's body the moment the card was drawn.

"Come forth! I tribute the Kuriboh on my field to perform an advanced summon!"

The Kuriboh, disappearing in a flash of light, ascended into the sky, guiding the soul of a higher-level monster.

"Little Ai… she's using an advanced summon?"

Aside from the duel where she had stolen Kevin's Red-Eyes Black Dragon using Card Exchange, Ilin had never seen Aisha use an advanced summon before.

After all, with a deck full of weak monsters, there was no need for tributes.

Kevin frowned. "But with only one tribute, can a level 6 monster really match the attack power of a level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

"Advanced Summon! Thunder Demon!—[Summoned Skull]!"

[Summoned Skull ★★★★★★ (6 stars) Dark]

[Fiend-Type ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200]

A towering thunder demon clad in pale bones descended onto Aisha's field.

Beyond its terrifying and oppressive appearance, the Summoned Skull's attack power left everyone in shock.

"A level 6 monster with 2500 attack points, surpassing the Red-Eyes Black Dragon?!"

"Aisha Carlos has such a powerful monster in her deck?"

"Is this really the same bottom-feeder from before?"

The strength Aisha displayed in this practical test was nothing short of astonishing.

The girl who once struggled with weak monsters had somehow tamed a Summoned Skull—a monster of this caliber.

"Aisha Carlos, her growth is truly remarkable," Kaiba commented.

Ilena teased, "What's wrong, Kaiba? Feeling nervous? If Aisha keeps growing like this, there might come a day when even you can't beat her."

"Hmph, impossible!"

"When Kuriboh is tributed, I can draw an additional card. Now, battle! Summoned Skull! Let the angel be obliterated under the thunderous flash of the demon!—『Demon's Lightning』!"

Guiding the lightning from the sky, the explosive strike tore across the battlefield, destroying the Archfiend's Call with a mere 100-point advantage in attack power.

[Archfiend's Call] destroyed.

Luka LP: 800 → 700

"Is this really a duel that can happen in a practical test?"

The surrounding students were left speechless.

The clash between Aisha Carlos and the transfer student Luka Slint was beyond what most first-year students could comprehend.

First, Luka summoned two angels with 2400 attack points, and then Aisha countered with a Summoned Skull boasting 2500 attack points.

Despite being a test duel with only 2000 life points and 20 cards, the two duelists had turned it into a storm of thunder and lightning, a battle of epic proportions.

"Summoned Skull… So, it really was Aisha Carlos who defeated Dorkur."

Luka muttered under her breath, holding the destroyed Archfiend's Call card in her hand.

"When Archfiend's Call is destroyed, it's removed from play instead of being sent to the graveyard."

"I'll set one card and end my turn."

The trap card You Ling set, Precise Defense, was drawn this turn thanks to Kuriboh's effect.

If the strategy went smoothly, next turn would see the Poker Knights assembled on the field, and with Summoned Skull's attack power, the duel would be over.

"My turn, draw!"

Under the pressure of Summoned Skull, Luka drew a trap card—Magic Cylinder.

A vicious trap, especially in a 2000-life-point test duel. Reflecting the opponent's monster's attack power back as damage could easily lead to an instant loss if the opponent wasn't careful.

"Winning is almost too easy."

Even if Aisha had defeated Dorkur, it didn't matter. In Luka's eyes, Dorkur was just a disposable pawn.

Right now, Luka only needed to set this trap and wait for Summoned Skull to attack next turn to secure victory.

Of course, given You Ling's cautious nature, Luka didn't rule out the possibility of him testing the trap with a weaker monster.

"Better to play it safe and crush them with sheer power."

Instead of setting Magic Cylinder immediately, Luka pulled out another card from her hand.

"Quick-Play Spell Card, Burial from a Different Dimension! This allows me to return Archfiend's Call from the banished zone to the graveyard."

The spell card retrieved Archfiend's Call from the banished zone, transferring it back to the graveyard.

Aisha guessed, "Bringing Archfiend's Call back to the graveyard… Are you planning to use Monster Reborn?"

You Ling countered, "Even if Archfiend's Call is revived, Summoned Skull still has higher attack power. I doubt it's that simple."

"Thinking a Summoned Skull can stop me is just wishful thinking."

Holding the monster card in her hand, Luka's lips curled into a confident smile.

"Our levels as duelists are just too different. Summoned Skull might be your strongest card, but to me, it's nothing!"

Black and white magic swirled around the card in Luka's fingers.

"Let this card show you the gap between us, Aisha Carlos."

"Light and dark, black and white, the angelic form born from the fusion of frost and magic! By banishing the Frost Angel in my hand and the Archfiend's Call in my graveyard, I Special Summon!—Descend, [Grand Frost Archfiend Call]!"