"Using Gilgamesh's effect to wipe the field and then reviving Ozymandias at the end of the turn… I didn't expect their combination to be this unreasonable..."
Gilgamesh Alter pulling out Ea at the last moment to counter Illya had been completely outside Hoshino's expectations. What she thought was her opponent's weak point—this Gilgamesh Alter—had instead become the key to White Hoshino's comeback.
"Now that you've lost your strongest magical girl, do you still think you have a chance to win?" White Hoshino narrowed her eyes into slits, taunting with a playful grin. "Looks like the duel to decide who the real Hoshino Chiyuki is... will be mine~"
Anubis wagged his tail excitedly at the side. "Woof! Master, you're so cool!"
Hoshino, deep in thought, muttered, "If I lose... what happens?"
As the duel progressed, she was beginning to feel that something was off. She had agreed to this match as a way to settle their identities, but unlike a Shadow Game, there hadn't been any explicit consequence stated for the loser. If this was just a verbal agreement, what would stop someone from backing out at the last moment?
"Oh? Are you worried I'll go back on my word? Or have you already accepted defeat and are just looking for an excuse to run away?"
Seeing through her hesitation, White Hoshino looked completely confident.
"You don't need to worry about that. It might be hard to believe, but Duel Monsters is the absolute law in this world. An unstable soul will automatically vanish upon losing a duel. From the moment this duel began, only the final victor can remain."
"An absolute rule, huh…" Hoshino found it hard to accept, yet she had no reason to doubt it either. If this duel truly had the power to save or destroy the world, then determining a soul's fate through it didn't seem far-fetched.
"Enough pointless chatter—let's continue the duel~" White Hoshino waved dismissively, clearly uninterested in further discussion.
With the field wiped clean, Hoshino had no choice but to rely on her resources in the Graveyard.
"I activate the effect of [Phantasm Summoning (Install)] in my Graveyard!"
[Phantasm Summoning – Continuous Spell Effect:③ If this card is in your Graveyard, you can activate this effect. Banish the Fusion Materials listed on a "Heroic Spirit" Fusion Monster from your Graveyard, then Fusion Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. Afterward, Set this card on your field.]
"By using the effect of Phantasm Summoning (Install), I banish Magical Girl – Illya and Heroic Spirit – Okita from my Graveyard! When two aces merge in magical girl form, a new warrior is born! I Fusion Summon—[Magical Girl – Okita Soji Illya] in Attack Position!"
Even though Okita didn't have the infinite return potential Illya provided, she was now being used as Fusion Material for the third time in this duel. Truly, she was being pushed to her fullest potential.
[Magical Girl – Okita Soji Illya★★★★★★ (Level 8)][WIND][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2500 / DEF 2000]
[Fusion Materials: "Magical Girl – Illya" + "Heroic Spirit – Okita Soji"]
Illya reappeared, now wearing Okita's signature green haori, gripping a blade that gleamed with cold light.
"Ugh… I can't believe I lost to that alter version of Gil just now… how embarrassing…" Illya muttered, still bitter from her earlier defeat.
"Don't worry about it. Even if Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had taken your place, it wouldn't have won against Ea either."
Hoshino consoled her. And for once, she didn't immediately summon back Magical Girl – Illya, as though she'd suddenly felt a pang of guilt for how much she'd been overworking her.
"Next, I activate my final card in hand—[Magical Girl's Trust]! I return three 'Magical Girl' cards or cards with 'Magical Girl' in their description from my Graveyard or Banished Zone to my Deck, then shuffle and draw two cards!"
A gentle light shimmered as Hoshino returned Magical Girl – Illya from the Banished Zone, along with two others, shuffling them back into her Deck before drawing two new cards.
"!!! This card… how is this possible…?"
As she looked at her newly drawn cards, Hoshino froze. Among them was one she was certain had never been in her Deck—yet it had once saved her at a crucial moment.
"I see… I understand now! If that's the case, then there's no way I'm giving up!"
A relieved smile spread across her face as she placed one of the drawn cards into her Duel Disk.
"I activate the Continuous Spell—[Limited Deployment]!"
[Limited Deployment – Continuous Spell Effect: Banish the Fusion Materials listed on a 2-Material "Heroic Spirit" Fusion Monster from your Deck. Fusion Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. The summoned monster cannot declare an attack. If this card leaves the field, destroy that monster.]
"By banishing Magical Girl – Illya and Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon from my Deck, I Fusion Summon [Magical Girl – Artoria Illya]!"
[Magical Girl – Artoria Illya★★★★★★ (Level 8)][LIGHT][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2500 / DEF 1000]
[Fusion Materials: "Magical Girl – Illya" + "Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon"]
Illya reappeared again, now clad in a heavy armored cloak and thick layers of protection—a stark contrast to Okita's light and agile attire.
"Power of the Holy Sword, respond to the King's call!"
[If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can Set 1 Spell/Trap Card that mentions "Artoria" directly from your Deck.]
Hoshino carefully selected a card from her Deck and Set it face-down on the field. At the same time, she retrieved Illya from the Banished Zone.
"When Magical Girl – Illya is Special Summoned, I can add Phantasm Summoning back to my hand!"
Both Yugi and Kaiba were momentarily stunned. Before their eyes, Hoshino had gone from an empty field with only one card in hand, to Fusion Summoning two powerful monsters and recovering multiple key resources. If there was ever a moment of turning nothing into something, this was it.
"Well? I haven't lost yet! I Set one more card and end my turn!"
Placing the recovered Phantasm Summoning face-down, Hoshino steeled herself for the next turn—ready to face the might of White Hoshino's nearly invincible Ramesseum.
[Hoshino's Field: Hand: 1 card | Set Cards: 2]
"At the end of the turn, since Ramesseum is still on the field, Ozymandias revives!"
[Ozymandias ATK 3000]
"Hahahaha! For a Pharaoh, nothing is impossible! Not even watching Ea be used at point-blank range!!"
Bathed in the temple's golden radiance, Ozymandias's body was completely restored. He burst into laughter, unfazed by the fact he'd just been cut down by Ea moments ago.
However, the moment he returned to the field, the three Illyas on Hoshino's side suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on them—an invisible curse from the temple itself pressing heavily against them.
"The effect of the Ramesseum ensures that as long as Ozymandias is on the field, your monsters cannot activate their effects. A combination of offense, defense, and a restricting curse—this is the power of the ultimate Field Spell!"
Unlike the Orichalcos, which was a universally applicable Field Spell, the Ramesseum could only exert its full effect when Ozymandias was present. However, with the sheer strength it provided, it allowed the Pharaoh to act with impunity. In a way, the synergy between the two even exceeded the power of the Orichalcos.
"It's my turn! Draw! Then, I activate Ozymandias's effect—once per turn, I can destroy one of your monsters!"
Once again, a massive sphere of electricity began forming at the temple's peak. The bone-deep tingling sensation sent chills down the spines of the three Illyas on Hoshino's field, causing them to collectively take a step back.
"Target: Okita Soji Illya! Fire!!"
With her identified as the greatest threat, White Hoshino pointed at her, unleashing a crackling surge of electricity that mercilessly shot toward the Illya clad in Okita's green haori.
However, just as she shut her eyes in despair, a golden radiance flared to life, slicing through the incoming lightning and enveloping Okita Illya in its protective glow.
"—I activate my Set Continuous Trap Card: [Avalon of Radiant Path]! This card is treated as an Equip Card, and the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or effects!"
The Continuous Trap Card, which had been set the previous turn by the effect of Artoria Illya's Fusion Summon, was Hoshino's premeditated strategy against Ozymandias's attack.
"Phew, that was close! I thought my tongue was gonna go numb again~"
Breathing a sigh of relief, Okita Illya patted her chest—though given her physique, whether she had wrapped a sarashi or not made no difference.
"Oh? You actually managed to block it? Not bad~" White Hoshino grinned, unfazed by Hoshino's successful defense.
With a casual flick of her white fingertips, the effect of the Ramesseum continued to unfold, stirring a deep, guttural roar across the field.
[Once per turn, if you do not control a Token, you can activate this effect: Special Summon 1 'Sphinx Token' (Beast-Type, LIGHT, Level 8, ATK 2500/DEF 2500) to your field.]
Emerging from within the temple, the celestial Sphinx materialized, its body composed entirely of a shimmering starry sky. Though it lacked a visible mouth, it emitted a series of deep, resonant growls.
[Sphinx Token ATK: 2500]
Jonouchi exclaimed in shock, "A monster stronger than Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and it can just be summoned for free?! That's totally unfair!"
"When faced with absolute power, fairness means nothing!" White Hoshino replied smugly, sliding the card she had just drawn into her Duel Disk.
"—I activate the Spell Card [Dark Witch]!"
[Dark Witch – Spell Card Effect: Add 1 'Alter' monster from your Deck to your hand.]
"Using this effect, I add Heroic Spirit – Nero Claudius Alter from my Deck to my hand, then immediately Special Summon it!"
Rejecting any complicated summoning procedures, White Hoshino simply retrieved a Monster Card from her Deck and placed it on her Duel Disk in Attack Position.
"Additionally, due to [Dark Witch]'s effect, since 'Alter' monsters require banishing from the Graveyard to Special Summon, I can instead banish this Spell Card! The only downside is that the summoned monster cannot declare an attack."
As black roses scattered, accompanied by a voice as melodious as a nightingale's song, the inverted Nero, clad in an ominous black bridal gown, descended upon the battlefield amidst a flurry of flower petals.
[Heroic Spirit – Nero Claudius Alter ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2400/DEF 2400]
A blackened Nero appeared.
"La~♪ Bask in the glory of my divine melody!"
Hoshino, instinctively preparing to cover her ears, was caught off guard. Contrary to expectations, Nero Alter's singing was incredibly beautiful—so much so that it could be described as celestial.
She muttered in disbelief, "How cruel... The more terrible her singing was before, the more divine it becomes after she turns Alter…"
"I activate Nero Alter's Special Effect! Upon being Special Summoned, I can target one monster on the field. All monsters except for that target and herself lose 500 ATK!"
Nero Alter's enchanting voice filled the battlefield, but like the Sirens of Greek mythology, it carried a deadly allure, entrancing all who heard it.
"To the heavens, a vast sky. To the earth, desolation. To mankind, death! A fatal romance, more venomous than the deadliest poison. Marriage is the grave of love~"
[Okita Soji Illya – ATK 2500 → 2000]
[Artoria Illya – ATK 2500 → 2000]
[Magical Girl Illya – ATK 1000 → 500]
[Sphinx Token – ATK 2500 → 2000]
"Wahhh, marriage is so scary! I don't wanna marry Master anymore...!" Sniffling, Illya wiped away her tears, deeply moved by the inexplicable sorrow in Nero's song.
Hoshino sighed, rubbing his forehead. "For the love of—can you get a grip, Illya...?"
"Now for the finishing move! I activate Nero Alter's effect! By targeting one monster on the field whose current ATK equals its original ATK, all damage inflicted by that monster in battle this turn is doubled!"
Black rose petals swirled around Ozymandias as the effect took hold. "Oh? So this is the legendary Roman flower? It complements my noble aura quite well!"
With the black bridal buffs maxed out, Ozymandias flourished his scepter, preparing to launch the final assault.
(*****)
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