Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 308 -

Golden light gently descended into her hands. The two new cards Hoshino drew from the top of her deck radiated an unmistakable aura.

"Ah, ara, ara~! We meet again, Master. You really are just a child who can't grow up—always clinging to me, hmm~?"

"Heh, so you summoned me again. Do as you like—but don't come crying later~."

Raikou's expression, which had been warm and indulgent just moments ago, instantly shifted to one of contempt—like a flawless mask-changing performance.

"Oh, I see now—there's an insect here. Filthy little oni, stop polluting the air with your breath! If you can't, I'll gladly help you stop for good."

Not to be outdone, Shuten's smile turned sharp, her fangs glinting mischievously.

"Oh, how annoying. What's a reeking milk cow doing here, trying to seduce Master? Old hag, please retire already!"

What a headache these two are.

With a wry smile, Hoshino quietly put the two cards away. "I'll leave this mess for Kintoki to handle. I believe in you—die a glorious death, buddy!"

Now then—

[Remaining Saint Quartz: 35]

[Banner Loading...]

"Ouch! Hoshino, if you're going to poke me, at least be gentle!" Mokuba grumbled.

"Ah, sorry, sorry! Got a little too excited~."

"Mokuba's not your toy, Hoshino. Even you can't bully him too much, or I'll get angry."

Kaiba, piloting the jet, still managed to spare a moment to defend his little brother—sounding every bit the protective older sibling.

"Don't be mad, Big Brother—it's not that bad..."

[Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot - Featured Knights of the Round Table Summoning Banner!]

Ignoring Kaiba's warning entirely, Hoshino's attention was completely drawn to Da Vinci's latest cash-grabbing scheme.

"Knights of the Round Table, huh? I remember..."

Pulling out her backup deck box, Hoshino spread out the cards stored inside, searching for two specific ones.

"Of course! Cards with both [Heroic Spirit] and [Round Table] traits."

The two Round Table Knights currently in her possession—Mordred and Lancelot—were part of a specialized Round Table archetype derived from the broader Heroic Spirit deck. Their synergy would only truly shine once she gathered more knights.

"Well, there's only one thing to do—draw! Ten-pull!"

[Confirm!]

But thinking an "up" banner actually guarantees better luck? Laughably naive.

Despite the "Knights of the Round Table" label, nearly none of the summons were related to the knights. Seeing the last pull fail to produce even a single golden glow, Hoshino let out a disappointed sigh and lightly bonked Mokuba on the head.

"That's uncalled for, Hoshino!" Mokuba protested.

"What's wrong, Master? You don't look too happy. Did my arrival displease you?"

A soft, gentle male voice suddenly cut through Hoshino's despair.

"Bedivere of the Round Table has come once more to offer my sword to you, Master!"

Bedivere! Oh, right—he's the only Round Table Knight who isn't a gold card!

To avoid drawing Kaiba and Mokuba's attention, Hoshino kept her reaction internal, though her heart swelled with relief.

Reading the meaning behind her gaze, Bedivere scratched his face awkwardly.

"Apologies for not being a rare card, Master."

Not rare? That's great! At least you're not ignoring me like some others. Bedivere really is the kindest.

Hoshino shook her head emphatically, hoping Bedivere would understand her gratitude.

True to her hopes, Bedivere smiled warmly. "I understand, Master. Don't worry—I'll bring the rest of those unruly knights here, even if it takes a bit of... persuasion."

That might be going too far... but if it works, I won't complain.

(***)

Dartz stood silently before the now-empty ritual platform, his expression unreadable.

Kneeling before him, Rafael and Valon had no words to explain losing the God Cards.

"Lord Dartz, the situation is..." Valon hesitated, trying to explain.

"No need—I already know." Dartz cut him off, turning toward them with a calm yet chilling demeanor.

The truth behind Dartz's identity was astonishing: he was the last survivor of Atlantis. Thousands of years ago, Atlantis had fallen into corruption and sin. Disgusted by humanity's darkness, Dartz had used the power of the Orichalcos to destroy the kingdom entirely.

Now, 10,000 years later, Dartz had seen the same corruption spread across the modern world. Determined to cleanse it once more, he sought to revive the Orichalcos and annihilate humanity.

In other words, Dartz—the mastermind behind Doma—was no mere man. He was a true, immortal monster who had lived for 10,000 years.

"...This is a tire mark, right?" Dartz murmured, touching his still-red cheek. "A literal tire mark on my face. It's... kind of ruining my image."

Hoshino Chiyuki.

Dartz muttered the name of the duelist responsible, his gaze darkening.

"As someone not chosen by the Legendary Dragons, she should have had no impact on our great plan or our divine god. And yet..."

From knocking him out with some bizarre technique, infiltrating the organization, stealing the Egyptian God Cards, and finally teaming up with Kaiba to defeat Rafael and reclaim Yugi's soul—Hoshino had done nothing but dismantle their efforts step by step.

Even Dartz could no longer deny it—this supposedly "unimportant" duelist had become a legitimate threat.

"Dartz, I've made up my mind!" Rafael declared resolutely. "Please grant me another chance. I will defeat Hoshino and retrieve the God Cards, even if I must use the Seal of Orichalcos!"

Having been defeated by Hoshino, Rafael had come to a grim realization:

The more he clung to the idea of protecting everything he held dear, the more he failed to protect anything at all.

If sacrificing part of his beliefs meant achieving his ultimate goal—reviving his family in Dartz's remade world—then he was willing to go through with it. Even if it meant corrupting his Guardians.

Dartz, however, raised a hand to stop him.

"Do not lose focus, Rafael. The God Cards are no longer important. The resurrection of our divine god is inevitable—it's only a matter of time. Your task now is to defeat the Pharaoh and claim his soul."

At this revelation, Rafael's eyes widened.

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It was no longer the Pharaoh's soul they had in their grasp... but the soul of his host, Yugi.

"As for Hoshino Chiyuki..."

Dartz's voice turned cold as he rubbed his bruised cheek.

"I will personally make her pay."

(***)

Hawkins Research Institute

"Wow, they really burned it to the ground, huh? Not even a trace of it being a research lab left."

Hoshino pressed her face against the transparent window of the Blue-Eyes jet, gazing down at the charred remains of the institute.

"Weren't we supposed to be locating Arthur's residence? Why'd we come straight to the research facility instead?"

Mokuba scanned the area, nodding as if something had clicked. "It seems Professor Hawkins and his granddaughter lived at the research institute. There's no mention of another residence, but—oh! Found it!"

A large white RV was parked near the burnt ruins. It wasn't hard to spot.

"The professor must be there. As for Yugi and the others..."

"We'll find out once we land," Kaiba interrupted coolly, finally cutting the jet's thrusters.

The loud engine noise immediately drew the attention of everyone in the RV. Though it was broad daylight, the group emerged looking exhausted, their faces weary with worry. Even Rebecca stepped out, her red glasses giving her a slightly more mature look compared to before.

But one figure was conspicuously absent: Yami Yugi.

"This bizarre-looking thing must be Kaiba's!" Jonouchi scoffed. "Even in a time like this, he's gotta flaunt his weird sense of style!"

Rebecca looked confused. "Kaiba? You mean Seto Kaiba, the president of KaibaCorp? The one who invented Duel Disks?"

Anzu nodded. "That's him. But why would he know where to find us?"

Kaiba was the first to jump down from the jet, landing smoothly while completely ignoring the group. Behind him, Hoshino and Mokuba were struggling to disentangle themselves from the cramped single-seat setup.

"Where's Yugi? He's not here?" Kaiba cut straight to the point, his tone as cold as ever.

Anzu stepped forward. "Yugi's inside resting. He's... been exhausted. Did you come here for him?"

Her concern wasn't just for Yugi's physical state but for his other self. The sight of the Pharaoh's defeated and lonely expression had left a sharp ache in her heart.

Kaiba frowned. "Exhausted? Just because he lost a duel to Rafael, he's already breaking down? As my rival, he's really letting me down."

"Wait a second, Kaiba," Honda interrupted. "How do you even know about Yugi losing the duel?"

Ever since their return from the Valley of the Kings, the group had been trapped in a heavy fog of defeat, unable to take even a single step forward.

Kaiba smirked dismissively. "Is that supposed to be a secret?"

"I told him."

Finally managing to climb out of the jet, Hoshino dusted herself off and hopped down to the ground. Unlike Kaiba's dramatic entrance, she had to awkwardly slide off the side of the jet's sleek frame.

Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu were collectively stunned at the sudden appearance of Hoshino.

"Hoshino... you..."

"Traitor—!"

Without warning, Rebecca, who had been silent until now, suddenly erupted, catching everyone off guard.

"I heard from Jonouchi! You're the traitor who stood by and did nothing while my dear's soul was taken away!"

Unlike Anzu, who hid her feelings, Rebecca openly adored Yugi and pursued her love without reservation. Learning that Yugi's soul had been taken—and that Hoshino had allegedly stood idly by—only deepened Rebecca's pain. Pain that likely surpassed anyone else's there.

Jonouchi scratched his head awkwardly, glancing at Rebecca and then at Hoshino, whom he hadn't seen in a while. "Rebecca, I don't think I said Hoshino was a traitor. All I said was that I saw her with the people from Doma..."

"Standing with Doma and watching as my darling's soul was taken away. Isn't that evidence enough?"

Rebecca's voice quivered with the weight of her emotions. She pointed angrily at the RV behind her.

"Grandpa told me in secret when he came back. He said that when Doma took him away, he saw it too! Hoshino is one of Doma's! If you're innocent, explain yourself!"

Hearing this revelation for the first time, the group's expressions grew increasingly conflicted.

"I don't believe it!" Jonouchi immediately stepped forward. "Hoshino would never do something like that! She's saved us so many times! Remember when we were trapped in Noah's underwater fortress? Or during my Shadow Game with Marik..."

Kaiba, surprisingly, gave Jonouchi an approving smirk. "For a third-rate duelist, you're unexpectedly insightful."

Honda and Anzu nodded in agreement. "Hoshino would never do such a thing. Even if Professor Hawkins said he saw her, there must be an explanation."

Though Hoshino's sudden reappearance in Doma's ranks had been unintentional, the unwavering trust of her friends—despite the overwhelming evidence against her—made her nose sting with emotion.

With a flick of her wrist, Hoshino pulled a card from her belt's card case and tossed it toward Rebecca.

"Rebecca, I know you're worried about Yugi. But before you decide if I'm the 'traitor' you think I am, take a look at this first."

Rebecca caught the card, her small frame trembling as she held it in both hands.

"This is...?!"

Her eyes widened in shock. "This is... my darling's soul?"

Jonouchi gasped. "That's... the card that sealed Yugi's soul! Hoshino, how did you get this?!"

"Partner!"

Before anyone could respond, the RV's metal door was flung open with a loud crash. The Pharaoh stumbled out, his movements unsteady, his expression unlike anything the group had ever seen before. The usual confidence in his face was replaced with exhaustion and despair, and the sight of him made Hoshino's heart ache.

Snatching the soul-sealed card from Rebecca's hands, the Pharaoh stared at it with wide, revitalized eyes.

"Partner... I won't lose you again! I won't let anything hold me back anymore. I won't lose again!"

(*****)

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