SWNOVELXO Chapter 64: DSMW [64]
"Gotcha, Luca! Trap Card activate—Nitwit Outwit!"
Aisha's signature D-rank spell. Considered trash by most students, this humble little D-rank card had helped Miles pull off countless comeback wins.
In fact, Miles's frequent use of [Nitwit Outwit] during practicals had made plenty of first-years start considering crafting one themselves—it only cost 10 Magic Points after all.
"I discard one monster from my hand! [Queen Angel of Roses] loses ATK equal to the discarded monster's ATK!"
The gap between [Queen Angel of Roses]'s 2400 ATK and [Crowned by the World Chalice]'s 2100 DEF was just 300. Miles only needed to discard something with 300 or more ATK to stop the attack.
Easy. Even in Aisha's janky deck.
But Miles wasn't stopping at just blocking. He was aiming to cripple Luca's boss monster outright.
"I discard [Queen's Knight] to lower [Queen Angel of Roses]'s ATK by 1500!"
The Pharaoh's royal trio—finally, Aisha's Deck wasn't just wall-to-wall vanilla chaff.
As the trap triggered, [Queen's Knight] flashed onto the field, clad in red armor. Her silver sword cleaved through the air, slicing one of the angel's crimson wings clean off.
[Queen Angel of Roses, ATK: 2400 → 900]
Compared to tossing any old vanilla monster, using [Queen's Knight] to fuel [Nitwit Outwit] was far more effective.
A 1500-point ATK drop turned a boss-level monster into straight-up cannon fodder.
"[Crowned by the World Chalice] has 2100 DEF. Counterattack!"
Water rippled. The blue-haired maiden's magic surged. The weakened rose angel couldn't withstand the backlash—blasted backward, tumbling... right into Luca herself.
[Luca, LP: 2000 → 800]
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Eyes squeezed shut, Luca clutched her backside. "That hurt! And... my LP hurts more!"
"1200 points... all from defense recoil..."
The audience was floored. A defense combo this savage?
Luca's attacker was no joke—2400 ATK. Yet she still lost more than half her LP.
If that had been a normal monster—say, pre-upgrade [Mystic Tomato]—she'd have been wiped out entirely.
Aisha cheered. "It worked! Miles-san's anti-attack OTK combo succeeded!"
A gimmick only possible in 2000-LP practical duels: leverage [Crowned by the World Chalice]'s high DEF and [Nitwit Outwit]'s massive ATK debuff to instant-reverse the duel.
Miles had designed it as a "foolproof" strategy for Aisha.
If she didn't know how to win with jank? Just run this. Either the opponent dies—or they come close enough to taste it.
Miles stayed cautious. "We're only halfway there. She's still standing."
No KO yet. But with [Queen Angel of Roses] crippled at 900 ATK... she wasn't much of a threat anymore.
'I thought this Deck was all vanillas. Where'd [Queen's Knight] come from?! Never seen that before!'
Luca pouted, rubbing her sore backside as she climbed to her feet.
Aisha Carlos had never summoned [Queen's Knight] in any class before.
Then again, no one—including Miss Erin—ever asked where other Duelists got their cards.
Maybe it was summoned through the Elves' Eyes after hitting a growth milestone. Maybe it was a tradable card gifted from someone.
Or... maybe it was bought with a noble family's resources from the black market.
Either way, asking about card origins? Yeah. Unspoken taboo.
"Ugh... I actually fell for that. What a misplay..." Luca groaned. "I set one card face-down. Turn end."
Anyone would complain.
Summon a Level 7 boss... only to get nuked down to 900 ATK? Brutal.
"My turn! Draw! I summon in Attack Position—King's Knight!"
[King's Knight] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior / Effect│ATK 1600
The Poker Knights' king, clad in golden armor, stepped onto the field.
"Another knight? Did Aisha Carlos change decks?" Kaima's cold eyes flickered with surprise.
"Aisha never mentioned switching decks..." Irena muttered.
Anyone with eyes could see this duel was nothing like Aisha's past matches.
The Poker Knights might be average for Level 4 stats... but compared to the piles of vanillas Aisha used to run, they were like heaven and earth.
"That's... the cards from the Pharaoh," Irene murmured. She knew the truth.
"Hah... So you're finally awakening. My destined rival... walking the path to true strength," Kevin grinned. Or maybe... he was unintentionally right. After the battle on the rear mountain, Aisha's Deck really had leveled up.
"Battle! King's Knight! Destroy Queen Angel of Roses! —Blade of the King!"
The king's sword slashed toward the angel. Even weakened, the damage was fatal.
"Ehehe. This time, it's you who fell for it, Aisha Carlos!"
Dropping her feigned frustration, Luca grinned as she flipped her Set card.
"Behold this holy power! Trap Card activate—Mirror Force!"
[When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.]
No explanation needed. Classic nuke trap. Game-changer.
"Reflect [King's Knight]'s attack back at you!"
Sword met shining barrier. The explosive backlash shredded [King's Knight] into pixels, sending Miles—piloting Aisha's body—flying backward.
"There. That makes us even, Aisha!"
...
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