Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 300 -

"It's unbelievable! He really defeated Yugi? Is Rafael really that strong?"

A reversal kill with over 10,000 attack points—despite all the flags being raised—it felt like Yugi would print a Mirror Force from his Duel Disk at the last moment.

However, reality was undeniable. Without that Mirror Force, Yugi, now lost to Doma, had indeed lost this duel.

With the duel concluded, the green glow of the Orichalcos field shrank, and the massive Orichalcos symbol carved into the ground began to compress, encasing the stunned Yugi in its light.

Seeing the bizarre scene before her, Hoshino gradually emerged from the shock of the duel's result, realizing something even more dire—Yugi, having lost within the Orichalcos field, would have his soul sealed and sacrificed to the Orichalcos God.

And this Orichalcos God wasn't just some false deity—it was the genuine guardian god of Atlantis.

"Pharaoh, accept the punishment of your defeat and offer your lost soul to Orichalcos!" Rafael closed his Duel Disk and drew out the Field Spell The Seal of Orichalcos from its hidden compartment.

"Partner, don't give up now. We still have a chance!" As the green light surrounded them, Yugi, in his soul form, shoved the paralyzed Pharaoh aside at the last second, taking his place in the center of the Orichalcos field.

The change happened in an instant, and it seemed no one noticed—except the Pharaoh himself.

"Partner! You..."

In Rafael's hand, the Seal of Orichalcos card now displayed the iconic spiky-haired boy. Much like how Pegasus sealed souls using the Millennium Eye, the soul trapped by the Orichalcos field appeared on the card.

Mission accomplished, Rafael looked at the card in his hand with a satisfied smile.

"Yugi! Are you okay?" On the opposite side of the gorge, Jonouchi and the others finally arrived, shouting anxiously.

Across the chasm, they saw Yugi kneeling motionlessly on the ground, triggering a wave of dread in Anzu.

"Yugi? No way..."

Rafael shouted toward Jonouchi and the others on the other side, "Yugi has been defeated! Even if you take him back, all that remains is an empty shell without a soul."

Jonouchi's eyes widened in disbelief. "There's no way Yugi would!"

Beside him, Valon glared with hostility. "Jonouchi, you're next! I swear on my pride as a man—I'll defeat you!"

"Let's go, Valon, Hoshino. It's time to leave." Paying no attention to Jonouchi and the others, Rafael held up the soul-sealing card and turned decisively to head for the helicopter.

Hearing Rafael's words, Jonouchi and the others turned their gaze sharply, finally noticing the familiar figure of a girl standing beside Valon.

"What? That's Hoshino! Why is she with Doma?"

Why, indeed? It was purely an incredibly tragic coincidence.

Hoshino hesitated. With both Yugi and Jonouchi present, this would have been the perfect opportunity to reveal her undercover identity and leave Doma.

But just moments ago, when Rafael waved the card sealing Yugi's soul, Hoshino's eyes had caught something. The person imprinted on the Seal of Orichalcos card wasn't the Pharaoh—it was the harmless, kind Yugi she usually knew.

"So that's it. Yugi, you sacrificed your soul to save the Pharaoh?"

Understanding the truth, Hoshino's expression turned melancholic.

"That really is something the gentle Yugi would do."

Though it was just daily life, that ordinary Yugi—helping out at Kame Game Shop, walking to and from school together, sharing dinner prepared by Grandpa Sugoroku—was a truly kind and strong duelist.

Suppressing her sorrow, Hoshino glanced at her distant friends but followed Rafael and Valon onto the helicopter.

"Sorry, Jonouchi, Anzu, Honda. It seems my 'undercover' mission isn't over yet."

As the loud sound of helicopter rotors filled the air, the aircraft carrying Hoshino, Rafael, and Valon rose slowly, leaving behind the motionless Pharaoh still kneeling on the wide rocky platform.

"Other Yugi..." Watching from the helicopter's window, Hoshino made a silent promise in her heart.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to get your soul back."

"I didn't expect it to be this easy to win, Rafael!" Leaving the Valley of the Kings, Valon patted Rafael's broad shoulder in praise.

Rafael calmly glanced at his watch. "It was indeed faster than planned. Judging by the time, Alister must've just begun dueling Kaiba. But you two disappeared for a while—where did you go?"

"Uh..." Put on the spot, both Valon and Hoshino awkwardly scratched their cheeks in sync.

As part of Doma, their job wasn't just to cheer from the sidelines. If Rafael had lost to Yugi, either Valon or Hoshino would've been required to step in immediately.

"Well, well, since you've already won, it doesn't really matter where we went!" Valon, too lazy to make up an excuse, gave Rafael another hearty slap on the shoulder.

"So, are we heading back to the island or going to find Alister?"

Rafael thought for a few seconds before answering, "To be safe, I suggest delivering the Pharaoh's soul to the ritual platform first. Also, Lord Dartz, who exhausted himself in the last ceremony, should have awakened by now."

"Spit—!" Hoshino, who had just taken a sip of soda from the helicopter's fridge, sprayed it out completely.

If Dartz had really woken up after being run over, her entire cover might soon be blown.

Covered in a spray of soda, Valon shot Hoshino a disgusted look. "Gross, Hoshino! Stop spitting everywhere! My clothes are all sticky now."

Wiping the corners of her mouth where soda still dripped, Hoshino's eyes darted quickly in thought.

"I think we should go find Alister first to make sure he can defeat Kaiba. That way, that loser Jounouchi won't pose any threat."

Sorry, Jounouchi. I don't mean to look down on you... but if I meet Dartz now, I might trigger the boss fight too early.

"Hmph. I still don't understand why Mai is so hung up on someone as pathetic as Jounouchi. She must've been tricked by him," Valon added, seizing the chance to badmouth his rival now that Hoshino had started.

Rafael, deep in thought, muttered, "Hoshino's suggestion isn't without merit. Although Alister is strong, his previous duel against Kaiba ended in a draw. Fully mastering the power of the Legendary Dragon... who knows how strong Kaiba could become?"

Valon scoffed. "Are you saying Alister might lose? But didn't Hoshino just say earlier that Kaiba is no match for Alister?"

Hoshino scratched her head awkwardly. "Huh? Did I really say something so irresponsible before?"

[Flashback to an irresponsible statement: "I think with Alister's strength, he shouldn't lose to Kaiba. So, to be safe, I'll go with you two to deal with Yugi and Jounouchi."]

That was then!

Back then, I had to choose between snarky Kaiba and my friends. Now, it's between Dartz and snarky Kaiba. No matter how irritating Kaiba is, he's still a better choice than Dartz under a car wheel... right?

"Anyway, let's check in on Alister first. Otherwise, if we head back now, we'll look too indifferent. After all, a family should stick together, right?"

Rafael froze for a moment before a rare smile formed on his lips. "Heh, you're quite interesting, Hoshino. But you're right. In a sense, our organization, Doma, is like a family. And we are no exception."

Seeing Rafael's improved mood, Valon chimed in cheerfully, "Alright then! I'll locate the flight Kaiba took to America right now!"

Hoshino raised a brow. "A flight? Didn't you say Alister already dueled Kaiba? Why is he still on a plane?"

While fiddling with his equipment to pinpoint Kaiba's location, Valon replied, "Since Doma orchestrated a takeover of KaibaCorp, all of Kaiba's signature eccentric vehicles are out of commission."

Hoshino's mouth twitched. "Those vehicles... you mean things like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet and his helicopter, right?"

"Exactly. So, the only way Kaiba can reach HQ in the U.S. is by taking a regular commercial flight. Of course, what Kaiba doesn't know is that Doma has already chartered every available flight."

"Wait... you've chartered every commercial plane? No, hold on. You took over KaibaCorp just to force him onto a passenger plane? That's way too extravagant just for a duel!"

At that moment, Hoshino once again realized just how obscenely wealthy Doma was—and how recklessly Dartz squandered his resources.

Rafael explained, "We must ensure that Kaiba has no way to escape. Being prepared for every eventuality is how Doma operates."

"Kaiba's such a duel addict. Even if you told him to run, he wouldn't. What you're doing is basically playing chess against yourself," Hoshino muttered, but she kept her thoughts to herself. It wasn't her money, after all.

(***)

Above California—

"W(゜Д゜)w?" Hoshino's current expression said it all.

As they reached the coordinates Valon had tracked, the trio peered out of the helicopter's windows to observe the Doma-controlled flight. On top of the plane, Kaiba and Alister were locked in a heated duel.

"Let me ask one thing... those two..." Hoshino's mouth hung open as she pointed at Kaiba and Alister. "How are they dueling on top of the plane?!"

Not inside the cabin—on the very top of the plane, duel disks activated, Kaiba and Alister faced off within the Seal of Orichalcos.

Normal people can't pull this off, right? This is a moving airplane! Even if Doma slowed it down a little, dueling on the roof is insane! And how did they even get up there?!

Valon waved dismissively, wearing a "this is standard stuff" expression. "Once the Orichalcos is activated, if the surrounding space doesn't meet the requirements, it automatically relocates the duelists to a suitable arena."

So, the Orichalcos decided that the best space for a duel... was the plane's roof? What kind of idiotic card is this?!

Rafael interrupted with a serious tone. "Alister's about to win! Kaiba has no way to fight back."

On Alister's field, two revived monsters burned the battlefield: Fire King High Avatar Garunix, which destroys all monsters upon revival, and Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, which wipes out all Spells and Traps. Only the Orichalcos, immune to destruction effects, remained on the field.

[Fire King High Avatar Garunix ATK 2700 → 3200]

[Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ATK 2400 → 2900]

[Alister LP: 4000] [Seto Kaiba LP: 4000]

At the start of his turn, Alister prepared to attack. "Kaiba, the moment of my revenge has finally arrived. You've accepted the sins of Kaiba Gozaburo—now taste the flames of my hatred! Phoenix, direct attack!"

Surrounded by flames and suspended between sky and plane, Alister's vengeful fire surged toward Kaiba. The explosive force knocked Kaiba into the Seal's wall, hitting him hard.

[Seto Kaiba LP 4000 → 1100]

Hoshino held her breath. "No way... is even Kaiba going to lose?"

If Kaiba followed Yugi in defeat, it would mean no one could beat Doma. And unlike Yugi, Kaiba didn't have an alternate soul willing to sacrifice itself for him.

"This ends here! At last, I can avenge my brother, who was killed by war and KaibaCorp! Finish him, Garunix!"

As if sensing Alister's seething rage, Garunix's flames burned hotter than ever.

"You're so childish." For the first time since being slammed into the wall, Kaiba spoke, his tone ice-cold. "This is why someone like you has no business competing with me."

"The person you should really blame is the one who failed to protect your brother—yourself! If it were me, I would have sacrificed my life to protect Mokuba!"

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"Someone like me... couldn't have done anything in a war that brutal! I was just an ordinary civilian!"

"That's why I climbed to the top—so that no one could ever harm Mokuba again! That's the difference between us. And it's also why you will never defeat me!"

Raising his arm with great difficulty, Kaiba activated the searing-hot duel disk on his arm.

"—I activate the effect of [Necro Gardna] from my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can nullify one attack this turn!"

(*****)

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