NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: TST [53]
Only now did Morgan remember where she'd seen that face before.
Wasn't he the registration officer who signed her up for the tournament?
No wonder he had access to all her detailed information.
"Heh... It's all because of you! That's why I was targeted by the Shadow Duelists and fell into the darkness!"
Alban's eyes bulged with rage as he shouted. The shackles on his body sparked violently, subjecting him to constant electrocution.
"You sold other people's data for money. You brought this on yourself."
Morgan looked at him without any emotion. In fact, she felt a small bit of gratitude toward that woman just now—if not for her, she wouldn't have had the chance to Shadow Duel Alban.
"Heh, let's see what this so-called legendary duelist is really made of."
Alban ignored her words and pulled out a set of shackles, tossing them in front of her.
"Put them on. This is my Shadow Duel rule."
"These shackles are linked to your Life Points. The more LP you lose, the stronger the electrical current gets! And when your LP hits zero, the current reaches its peak—no one can survive it!"
He grinned sadistically. This was the pain he had learned in hell.
At first, he'd wanted to die, to escape the torment.
However, over time, that agony became the pillar that kept him alive, his drive to become stronger. The more he suffered, the more powerful he grew. One day, he would surpass Hannah, surpass them all.
The thought made him laugh. He eyed Morgan with amusement. A normal kid would be crying by now.
Then his expression changed.
Morgan was smiling.
She looked at the shackles and smiled brightly—radiantly, even.
Calmly, she picked them up and strapped them on, without a trace of fear. In fact, she looked slightly excited.
'What the hell? Is this brat a masochist?'
Alban felt a bad premonition, but it was quickly drowned by madness. He shoved the feeling aside.
Morgan returned her Eldlich Deck to her case and slotted a different Deck into her Duel Disk.
Taking damage would trigger the electric shocks? This was practically custom-made for Trickstars.
Both Duel Disks activated, and a thick black aura enveloped the alley.
The Life Points appeared.
"Duel!"
...
Outside the alley, Hannah swung her leg over her D-Wheel. Beside her stood the towering Zelo.
"Can't believe that guy survived. Even the boss didn't expect that."
Zelo's voice rumbled low.
"Yeah, I didn't expect it either. Must be that trash's sheer willpower."
Hannah said without enthusiasm. She was annoyed that she wasn't the one dueling Morgan.
"Why is the boss making us enter the team tournament anyway? Aren't we Shadow Duelists he shadows?"
She sounded genuinely perplexed, tugging aside her black robe to reveal the same outfit she'd worn esupposed to live in earlier that day as the black-clad female duelist.
Zelo chuckled.
"We still move in the shadows..."
"Just this time, it's under the shadow of the spotlight."
...
"First turn is mine! Draw!"
Alban shouted, aggressively seizing the initiative and drawing a card. He glanced at his hand and the freshly drawn card, then grinned wickedly.
"I activate the Spell Card from my hand: [Dark World Dealings]!"
"Both players draw 1 card, then discard 1 card."
'Dark World Deck?'
Morgan drew one card and discarded another, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
The monsters in that Deck all had effects that triggered when discarded. While [Dark World Dealings] was often used for draw power, in this case, Alban unquestionably meant to trigger effects.
As expected, he immediately activated the effect of the discarded card.
"I activate the effect of [Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World] in the Graveyard!"
"When this card is discarded by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon it!"
A grotesque demon holding a spear appeared on the field.
[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World] Level 4│DARK│Fiend│1600 ATK / 1300 DEF
"I'm not done yet!"
"I activate the effect of [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World] in the Graveyard!"
"Return 1 other "Dark World" monster you control to your hand; Special Summon this card from your Graveyard!"
[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World] turned into a streak of light and returned to his hand.
Then, a chilling, palpable darkness swept across the field.
From that abyss emerged the towering, hideous form of Grapha.
A thunderous roar followed.
[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World] Level 8│DARK│Fiend│2700 ATK / 1800 DEF
"Next, I activate the Field Spell: [The Gates of Dark World]!"
A massive fleshy gate rose behind Alban. As it creaked open, an eerie light spilled out—blinding, yet icy to the core.
"Thanks to [The Gates of Dark World], Grapha gains 300 Attack Points!"
"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
Alban looked proudly at his field, his bloodshot eyes gleaming.
A 3000 ATK monster. Even if Morgan was the famed mysterious duelist, she couldn't take it down in one turn.
Despite that, Morgan saw through his thoughts. She smiled faintly and placed her fingers on her Deck.
She had never intended to destroy his monster—or rather, she didn't need to.
"My turn! Draw!"
...
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