The newly Special Summoned Familiar-Possessed in blazing foxfire—the flame girl named Hiita—simultaneously triggered the effect of Lishia's Continuous Spell in the back row.
"When a Spellcaster with 1850 original Attack is Normal or Special Summoned to my field, the Continuous Spell 'Awakening of the Possessed' activates—I draw 1 card from my Deck!"
Continuing to replenish her hand: one Continuous Spell, one Continuous Trap, and two unknown face-downs.
Using Possessed girls to fight, Lishia couldn't burst as explosively in a single turn as Arnold with Gaia the Dragon Champion, but for war of attrition, these Continuous "sticker" cards were clearly stronger.
"Heeheehee."
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly beneath the round lenses, as if she had peeked at the evaluation taking shape in Miles' heart. Controlling the FIRE monster [Familiar-Possessed - Hiita], Lishia flipped a set card in her back row.
"The raging flame of the Charmer will unleash unparalleled destruction. Erupt now—Trap Card, activate: Spiritual Fire Art - Kurenai!"
[Tribute 1 FIRE monster you control; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Tributed monster's original ATK.]
"I Tribute the FIRE [Familiar-Possessed - Hiita] on my field and deal damage equal to its original ATK—you take it, Nova-chan—Foxfire Immolation!"
During the chant of Kurenai, the fox-spirit mana cloaking the Possessed girl burned to the limit; layers of crimson heat waves surged at Miles.
[Familiar-Possessed - Hiita, ATK: 1850 ]
"Wah!"
[Nova Kaiser, LP: 2000 → 150]
With no defense, the instantaneous 1850 effect damage blasted the light little loli body head over heels onto the floor.
"Oww, oww… I've been meaning to say—in a test Duel with only 2000 Life Points, isn't direct effect damage a bit much?"
Had that Hiita's original ATK been any higher, Miles might have been flat-out finished.
Nova said, "Whoa, only 150 Life Points left… lower than Lishia's. We'll be okay, right, Miles?"
"Of course we'll be okay!" Rubbing Nova's bumped head as he stood back up. "Remember this, Nova: as long as Life Points don't hit zero, they're just a number. Don't panic just because you're at 1 HP."
Up in the stands, the (provisional) loser duo of Aisha and Ren wore complicated expressions.
"Rules aside, I didn't expect first-years to put Miles behind on LP."
"Lishia's strong… easily on par with Arnold."
Despite their words, the hunger in their eyes was obvious as they gulped secretly.
"Hey, Little Ai, isn't loli Miles kinda cute? (slurp)"
"I felt that already… she's literally the cutest in the world! (slurp)"
If not for the Duel Arena between them—and all the prying eyes—they would've long since rushed in to cuddle and grope the adorable loli Miles' cheeks to their hearts' content.
"I'll end this Battle Phase."
Normally, at the end of battle, thanks to Dragonmaid traits, Miles could return the transformed Nudyarl to the hand and Special Summon Little Blue again from hand.
However, he chose not to trigger the Dragonmaid "de-transform" effect.
He hadn't used his Normal Summon yet this turn, so if he wanted Little Blue back, he could just Normal Summon her directly.
More importantly, he needed Nudyarl on the field to activate another card.
Entering Main Phase 2, Miles slammed a Spell into his back row.
"—Spell Card, activate: Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!"
[Wingbeat of Giant Dragon — Spell: Target 1 Level 5 or higher Dragon-Type monster you control; return that target to the hand, then destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.]
A Spell usable only when a high-Level Dragon was present—meant to wipe every Spell/Trap on the field.
One Continuous Spell, one Continuous Trap, plus a set unknown—Lishia's back row deserved this Wingbeat.
"Destroy every back-row card—Nudyarl, Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!"
"Rooaar—!"
"…Huh?"
Mid-roar, Big Lan-Maid realized she had no wings for a dramatic flap. Resigned, she swept her tail instead—her tail lash shattered all cards in Lishia's Spell/Trap Zone.
[Awakening of the Possessed]—destroyed
[Unpossessed]—destroyed
[Spiritual Light Art - Hijiri]—destroyed
So the unknown set had been a Trap that synergizes with Tributing LIGHT monsters.
Albeit up to now, Lishia hadn't Summoned a LIGHT Charmer.
"This turn, I Normal Summon [Laundry Dragonmaid] in Defense Position."
[Laundry Dragonmaid, DEF: 1500]
"Then I activate the effect of the [Dragonmaid Nudyarl] I added back to hand."
[Discard this card; target 1 monster in either GY; shuffle it into the Deck.]
"I'll shuffle your WATER [Familiar-Possessed - Eria] from your GY back into the Deck!"
In a translucent phantom glide, Nudyarl dove into Lishia's Graveyard and snatched the card back out.
Next turn, whether Nudyarl is in hand or in the GY, Little Blue can transform up either way—so ditching her now to thin Lishia's GY is fine.
The GY is a resource, after all.
"I Set 3 cards. Turn end!"
Having finished all operations this turn, Miles answered Lishia's three-Set with three of his own, covering the rest of his hand.
With Nova at only 150 Life Points, this wasn't the time to play gentlemanly.
Of course, Lishia herself was down to 475—both sides were fragile enough that one clean hit would end it.
"Setting that many traps—how troublesome. My turn, draw!"
Glancing at her draw, a flicker of delight passed behind Lishia's thick lenses.
"Watch me blow them all away—Quick-Play Spell, activate: 'Twin Twisters'!"
[Discard 1 card; target up to 2 Spell/Trap Cards on the field; destroy them.]
An upgraded Mystical Space Typhoon—twin whirlwinds rose left and right around Lishia, merging into a double tornado that tore toward Miles's back row.
"I discard [Possessed Partnerships] from my hand—destroy two of your Set cards!"
"But I have three Sets back there. Two out of three—choose wisely, Lishia."
"When there are three long and one short, pick the short; when there are three short and one long, pick the long."
Murmuring a strange "incantation," Lishia guided the twisters.
"Destroy your left and right Sets, Nova-chan!"
[Wall of Disruption]—destroyed
[Gift of the Martyr]—destroyed
"Too bad, Lishia… you picked the wrong one."
He had Set a dead Normal Spell on purpose—a clear lure for a pop.
Still, the fact that she could whip out [Twin Twisters] was beyond Miles's expectations; For a first-year Deck build, that was downright luxurious.
And judging by the unusual shimmer on the card's face, it was obviously a tradable card.
Where had a country girl from the western development district gotten such a high-rarity tradable card?
Together with the intermittent sense of mysterious possession during the Duel… this seemingly shy, dialect-blurting country lass definitely had secrets.
'I smell a lie!'
"Next, I'll activate the GY effect of the [Possessed Partnerships] I just discarded."
A Trap that can function from the GY—also remarkable for a freshman Deck.
[You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 'Possessed' Continuous Spell/Trap in your GY; place it face-up on your field.]
"I banish [Possessed Partnerships] from my GY and place the Continuous Spell [Awakening of the Possessed] from my GY back onto my field."
With the revived Continuous Spell shining again, Lishia flung down another card.
"—Spell Card: Shuffle Reborn!"
[If you control no monsters: Target 1 monster in your GY; Special Summon it. Its effects are negated, and it is banished during the End Phase.]
"I revive [Familiar-Possessed - Hiita] from my GY with its effects negated!"
[Familiar-Possessed - Hiita, ATK: 1850]
"And when a Spellcaster with 1850 ATK is Special Summoned, per 'Awakening of the Possessed'—I draw 1 card!"
Before drawing, Lishia narrowed her golden eyes and prayed silently.
The Hiita summoned by Shuffle Reborn would be banished at the End Phase. If she wanted to settle it now, she needed the strongest 'Possessed' burst.
"Draw!"
The instant the card touched her fingers, the foxfire flared up around Lishia's slender hands.
"Yoshi—Monster in hand, 'Inari Fire,' effect!"
[If you control a Spellcaster monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.]
[Inari Fire] Level 4│FIRE│Pyro│1500 ATK 200 DEF
A red fox spirit with a tail burning bright flames leapt into being on Lishia's field.
Nova: "There it is—that's the monster Lishia summoned in Summoning Class yesterday!"
Miles understood: "So that's the fluffy, completely-not-cute fox you mentioned."
Mystery solved—fluffy, yes; cute, absolutely not… more sly and grim, like a yokai from Japanese myth.
Raising her arm, Lishia struck a Possession stance; the two FIRE monsters on the field surged in tandem.
"I send [Familiar-Possessed - Hiita] and [Inari Fire] to the GY—Special Summon a 'Awakening of the Possessed' monster from the Deck!"
"An 'Awakening' monster? Sounds higher-grade than 'Familiar-Possessed.'"
On the field, the flaming-tailed fox combined its power with the Possessed girl Hiita, erupting into an awakened, roaring form.
"In the blaze—Hiita's crimson purgatory! — Special Summon: 'Awakening of the Possessed - Greater Inari Fire'!!"
[Awakening of the Possessed - Greater Inari Fire] Level 5│FIRE│Pyro│2000 ATK 200 DEF
[①: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or Deck) by sending 1 face-up Spellcaster monster and 1 FIRE monster you control to the GY.]
Hiita poured mana through her staff and hurled the awakened, mightiest fox-spirit forward.
The roaring Greater Inari Fire, wreathed in scorching heat, lunged at Little Blue on the field.
"When 'Awakening of the Possessed - Greater Inari Fire' is Special Summoned by 'Awakening'—effect, activate!"
[If this card is Special Summoned by its ① effect: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK.]
The only monster on Miles's field—Little Blue—had 500 Attack, which would be the damage dealt by Greater Inari Fire's blaze.
"A finishing 500 effect damage— that's my win, Nova-chan!"
All burn, no battle damage at all.
Is it cheap? Not really—Lishia was simply leveraging the test Duel's 2000-LP rules.
Just like Miles leveraged the 20-card rule to boost the odds of drawing Dragonmaids.
"If it's only effect damage, the Duel won't be satisfying, Lishia."
Staring down the foxflame rushing at him, Miles flipped a set card right as the blaze was about to graze the princess's cheek.
"—Trap Card, activate: Breakthrough Skill!"
[Target 1 face-up Effect Monster your opponent controls; negate that target's effects until the end of this turn.]
"With 'Breakthrough Skill' negating Greater Inari Fire, there's no effect damage to deal."
Unmoving as a mountain, Miles didn't even blink, the flames only millimeters from the princess's eyes—
And as Breakthrough Skill resolved, the foxfire went out, and with it, Miles used up his last Set Trap.
...
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