Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 306 -

Hoshino's lips formed a large "O."

"An attack boost of 500 for every monster in both graveyards! Kaiba's entire deck is now in the graveyard, which means..."

"Prepare yourself, Kaiba! The resentment of every monster you've abandoned is now channeled into this scythe!"

[Guardian Dreadscythe ATK 2500 → 18000]

"Hiss—!" Hoshino couldn't help but gasp.

"18,000... That's the highest I've seen, aside from infinite attack power! Wait, this isn't the time to be impressed—Kaiba, you..."

In the mere seconds Hoshino marveled at the situation, the terrifying scythe, imbued with the icy resentment of 31 monsters, had already swung down toward Kaiba's dragon.

But even as the horrifying attack loomed, Kaiba had no set cards remaining. If this attack landed, it would be a crushing defeat, like owing the opponent several lives' worth of damage.

"Hmph, the resentment of monsters I've discarded? Laughable!"

Clang! A sharp metallic sound rang out as Kaiba, completely still, blocked the attack at the last possible second.

"The idea that monsters in the graveyard are abandoned or resentful—it's all in your head. If my monsters truly hated me, why would they defend me?"

Rafael furrowed his brow.

A heavily armored knight, manifesting from Kaiba's graveyard in physical form, dragged its battered body in front of Guardian Dreadscythe, blocking the attack.

"Since my entire deck is now in the graveyard, this card—[Necro Gardna]—is naturally there as well. And you've already seen its effect: by banishing it, I can nullify one of your monster's attacks this turn!"

Seeing the attack deflected at the last second, Hoshino breathed a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously.

"I think Kaiba has a point! Sometimes, discarding important monsters to the graveyard is unavoidable if it improves the situation!"

Yeah, and those monsters just had to show up in my hand every time, didn't they?

[Guardian Dreadscythe ATK 18000 → 17500]

With the banishment of Kaiba's Necro Gardna, the attack boost granted to Dreadscythe decreased by 500 points.

"Even so, your monsters in the graveyard chose to protect you? This is when you should be repenting the most!"

Rafael scolded Kaiba sternly while lowering his Duel Disk to end his turn.

"But don't think nullifying this one attack lets you off the hook. The current situation is truly desperate for you!"

This wasn't just empty talk. Hoshino now faced a monster with nearly 20,000 attack points while holding only one card in hand. Worse yet, there was no room for retreat.

To win this duel, Hoshino had to defeat Rafael this turn. Failing to do so would mean Kaiba's loss due to the mandatory draw rule next turn, as his deck was empty.

"Kaiba, you really left me the worst endgame scenario!"

While drawing her card, Hoshino shot Kaiba a sidelong glare and muttered under her breath. But upon seeing the Equip Spell she drew, a glimmer of hope returned to her eyes.

"Even though this is the worst endgame, you still left me a way out. Now's the time to prove which of our convictions is stronger!"

"You're still thinking of a way to escape this situation? What a terrifying woman."

Seeing Hoshino's upturned lips, Kaiba squinted slightly, a faint smile forming as he made up his mind.

"Even if the odds are slim, I'll put everything on you for this duel's outcome—everything, including KaibaCorp. Perform a miracle like you always do, Hoshino!"

"Rafael, while I respect your dedication to your monsters and the bond you share with your companions, as I said at the start, I will never lose when it comes to bonds with cards. Not to you, not to anyone!"

Declaring her unshakable resolve, Hoshino pulled one card from her hand and inserted it into her Duel Disk.

"Even if I discard my most important monster to the graveyard, it doesn't diminish the bond we share! That's just how we fight! Quick-Play Spell—[Phantasmal Summoning]—activate!"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're fusing monsters from the graveyard? But your graveyard..."

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The only monsters Kaiba had seen Hoshino summon thus far were Siegfried and Edmond.

Hoshino smirked confidently, extending her slender fingers into her graveyard to pull out two cards buried at the very bottom.

"You didn't expect this, did you? These are my aces, hidden since the very beginning. On my first turn, before I even made a move, these two cards were sent to the graveyard by Morphing Jar—Okita and Nobunaga!"

Okita: "Oh, Nobu! I didn't think we'd get a chance to appear this Chapter!"

Nobu: "Finally! After all the effort it took to claim a spot in her hand, we're finally getting our moment, Okita!"

Retrieving three cards from her graveyard, Hoshino placed them into her Duel Disk's banish zone. Kaiba now noticed that her Duel Disk wasn't the custom model he had made for the Duel City tournament (which lacked a banish zone) but an entirely new design he had never seen before.

"By banishing Okita, Nobunaga, and Siegfried from my graveyard, I'll perform a Fusion Summon to decide the duel!—[Heroic Spirit – Majin-Okita Sōji Alter]—descend!"

Black spirals swirled across the battlefield, merging with radiant beams of infinite light, severing the chains of inevitability.

"With the power to cut through the void, this duel shall end here! Take the stage, Master!"

[Heroic Spirit – Majin-Okita Sōji Alter ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]

"This monster!" Kaiba couldn't forget the battle at the top floor of KaibaCorp, where this very monster had clashed against Wicked Avatar. The intense showdown had pushed the Duel City satellite systems to their limits.

"Indeed! But now, this Heroic Spirit shall surpass any previous version and become the strongest!"

Throwing down the Equip Spell she had just drawn, Hoshino's card revealed a gleaming silver blade. It flew directly into Okitan's grasp, radiating a menacing aura.

『"At the edge of distant time, the gods, demons, and human prayers all intertwined to create this fragment of light. It stands here, in the land of eternity."』

"Equip Spell activate—[The Extremity of Endlessness]!"

The massive blade landed perfectly in Okitan's hands, its razor-sharp edge slicing through the air, stirring her cascading white hair.

"Let's finish this, Rafael! This is the final act of our duel! Let our resolve as duelists decide the outcome!"

Though trembling slightly, Hoshino clenched her fists and resolved to face the final clash head-on, with no cards left in hand.

"Okitan's effect activates! Her ATK increases by 1000 for every Heroic Spirit monster in the banished zone!"

[Okitan ATK 3000 → 6000]

"And because monsters were banished from the graveyard, Dradscythe's ATK decreases!"

[Guardian Dreadscythe ATK 17500 → 16000]

Kaiba furrowed his brow. "Hoshino's banished monsters are too few. Even with Okita Alter's boost, her ATK can't surpass Dreadscythe!"

Hoshino's hands trembled faintly as she clenched them tighter, muttering, "That's why we're betting on this... putting all hope on the monster you left behind, Kaiba!"

"The monster I left behind?"

Stretching out her trembling fist toward the battlefield, Hoshino's voice carried a trace of desperation.

"The outcome will be decided with this strike! Legendary Dragon—Avenger Dragon, attack Dreadscythe!"

Kaiba, shocked but seemingly catching on, exclaimed, "You're using Avenger Dragon to collide with Dreadscythe? That would activate its effect..."

"Exactly! Avenger Dragon's effect: During battle, it flips cards from the top of the deck to the graveyard until a trap card that can activate is revealed! That means my graveyard will overflow with monsters!"

The dragon, its maw brimming with black flames, charged forward, fully aware of its seemingly suicidal attack.

Simultaneously, Hoshino's duel disk began working at full speed, sending card after card from her deck into the graveyard.

"Foolish! Hoshino, by continuously sending monsters from your deck to the graveyard, you're only increasing the ATK of Deathscythe's blade!"

The attack initiated, and the Guardian's overwhelming scythe cleaved through the flames, straight through the Dragon's enormous body.

[Guardian Dreadscythe ATK 16000 → 21000]

"Surpassing 20,000?!"

Watching the Guardian effortlessly annihilate his Legendary Dragon, Kaiba clutched his chest as though he could physically feel the destruction. "Does this mean Hoshino just sent 10 monsters to the graveyard?! Then the revealed trap card is—?"

Rafael sneered dismissively. "It doesn't matter what trap card she revealed. Damage from an ATK over 20,000 far exceeds the meager 50 LP you two have left!"

"Not so fast! This final gamble... is my victory!"

From within the shroud of black flames and destruction, Hoshino heaved a sigh of relief and smiled as she looked skyward. The once-dim sky now shimmered like a dreamscape, soothing every ache in her soul.

"—This is the trap I revealed from my deck: [Garden of Avalon]! Its effect makes all damage I take this turn become 0!"

This card, entrusted to her by her Sensei from the future, had repeatedly saved her in moments of despair, steadfastly guarding her precious 50 LP.

Under the radiant light of her trap, the battlefield transformed into a breathtaking utopia. Its dreamlike scenery reflected Hoshino's unwavering resolve, as though it were her very own reality marble.

Amid the shining glow, Valon found himself staring in awe. "Even now, she persists... Are mere cards—those fragments of a bygone era—truly that important to you, Hoshino?"

Rafael froze for a moment. Watching Hoshino pull that single trap card amidst countless cards was like witnessing her entire deck respond to her will.

"So this is the bond you share with your cards. Impressive, Hoshino! But even if you've nullified the damage this turn, next turn Kaiba will lose the duel due to a deck-out!"

"There is no 'next turn'! It's over now!" With the trap activated and victory in sight, Hoshino turned toward Okitan.

Okitan, prepared for the final clash, gripped her sword tightly. All she awaited was Hoshino's final command.

Raising her duel disk, Hoshino's crimson eyes glinted with determination as the blade's golden edge reflected the light of triumph.

"Finish this, Okitan! Use Rengoku to sever the threads of fate!"

With unparalleled precision, the blade unleashed a radiant strike, clashing with Dreadscythe in a brilliant collision of light and shadow.

"Infinity! Sever the skies with boundless radiance!"

Blinded by the overwhelming light, Rafael squinted. "Even with its abilities, Okita Alter's ATK is far below Dreadscythe's! She can't destroy it!"

"[The Extremity of Endlessness] effect: The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or banished by card effects! So go all out, Okitan!"

"But Dreadscythe still holds the advantage with its ATK! You can't outlast it!"

Kaiba smirked. "Rafael, you fail to understand the true terror of Hoshino's Heroic Spirit. As long as Okita Alter doesn't destroy the opposing monster in battle..."

Not wanting Kaiba to steal the moment, Hoshino quickly interjected. "If Okitan fails to destroy a monster in battle, she can banish Heroic Spirit monsters from my graveyard to attack again!"

With all the cards in her graveyard now floating into the air, Hoshino flung them skyward. The shimmering gold of the banished cards formed an endless trail of light, a reflection of Okitan's limitless strikes.

"With each banished Heroic Spirit, Dreadscythe weakens! This endless radiance is my ultimate strike. All 10 Heroic Spirits in my graveyard will be banished for this! Rafael, let our duelists' faith clash and decide the victor here and now!"

"Raaaagh! Don't lose, Dreadscythe! Channel every ounce of resentment in your scythe to cut through this attack!!"

[Okitan ATK 6000 → 16000 ]

[Guardian Dreadscythe ATK 21000 → 16000]

Valon, watching in disbelief, was utterly stunned. "With all 10 monsters banished from the graveyard, their ATK ended up equal!"

The clash between blade and scythe sparked violently as they collided, neither side giving an inch. Just like their perfectly matched ATK, it was an improbable yet evenly matched struggle.

"So this is your full power, Hoshino!"

Though their ATK was equal, unlike Okitan, who couldn't be destroyed by battle, Rafael's Dreadscythe was destined to be destroyed by this final strike.

Crack!

The sharp sound of metal shattering rang out as Rengoku clashed with Dreadscythe. Cracks began to spread from the tip of the sword.

Lowering her head, Hoshino trembled, gripping the shattered Rengoku.

"—The one who's truly about to lose... is you!"

"[The Extremity of Endlessness]'s effect activates! When destroyed, Okitan's can Attack again and it's ATK doubles! It's over, Rafael! This is the ultimate strike that surpasses infinity itself!"

"End this duel, Okitan!"

"Vastness, freedom, and boundlessness...!"

[Okitan ATK 16000 → 32000]

"Zekken, Mukyusandan!!!"

Black radiance, ablaze with fire, erupted from the sword's tip as it clashed with the Dreadscythe. With momentum to sever the skies and surpass all limits, it annihilated everything in its path.

[Rafael LP 200 → 0]

Having endured nearly 20,000 points of damage, Rafael, with only 200 LP left, was sent flying by the sheer force of the impact, rendering him unconscious.

[Duel ends. Victory: Hoshino & Kaiba!]

(*****)

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