"The effect of Meteorain grants Magician of Black Chaos MAX the ability to deal piercing damage when attacking—so there's no need to even destroy Karna to end the duel! Go! — Meteor Rending Slash! Double Slash!"
Magician of Black Chaos MAX launched an attack, unleashing a burst of pitch-black sword aura. Crimson meteor fragments exploded forth, slashing toward the monster on Hoshino's field.
Although Hoshino wanted to activate her Set Trap Card Poster Girl to block the attack, against Diffusion Wave-Motion, which forced the monster to attack all opposing monsters, it would only serve as another target.
When Magician of Black Chaos destroyed King Lily with its first attack, Hoshino had a full board of five monsters, preventing her from activating the Trap.
"It feels like I've been completely seen through... Was this part of your plan all along, Yugi?"
[Artoria – DEF 2000 – Destroyed]
[Hoshino LP: 2000 → 1200]
As the pitch-black blade slashed across Artoria's chestplate, a ripple-like marking locked onto her.
"Damn it… this black magic… did it interfere with the holy sword's energy?"
Due to Diffusion Wave-Motion's effect of sealing monster abilities upon destruction, the defeated Artoria couldn't activate her effect to Special Summon Saber Lily.
However, in this situation, summoning Saber Lily, with her low DEF, might have only made things worse.
"—Triple Slash!"
[Lancelot – DEF 2000 – Destroyed]
"My King… I have shamed myself..."
With no other Knights of the Round Table on the field, Lancelot couldn't activate his effect and fell, unwillingly, before Magician of Black Chaos's blade.
[Hoshino LP: 1200 → 400]
"It's over, Hoshino! — Quadruple Slash!"
With unstoppable momentum, the dark magician's gaze locked onto its fourth target—Leonidas I.
[Leonidas I – DEF 1900]
"Even though your Leonidas I can't be destroyed by battle with monsters that have 2500+ ATK, under the effect of the Trap Card Meteorain, piercing damage still applies!"
Leonidas raised his shield. Though his expression was hidden beneath his helmet, his rigid stance and flexed muscles showed the severity of the oncoming blow.
"Sparta—! Will never retreat in the face of hardship!!"
Leonidas roared as the pitch-black blade clashed against his shield. Thanks to his resistance, he endured what had struck down both Lancelot and King Arthur.
But the unlucky one was the duelist behind him.
The piercing damage bypassed the shield—and surged straight toward Hoshino.
Hoshino tensed.
"Crap! If this hits, I'll lose—!"
[Partner, one of your three Set cards should be usable, right?]
"Of course! What do you take me for, someone who just blindly sets everything without thinking?"
...That's exactly what she did.
Flipping over a Set Trap, a gentle radiance formed into a towering pure-white figure—like a holy angel—who descended and shielded Hoshino from the incoming blow.
"After all, if I didn't try the whole 'I'm gonna lose!' moment just now, I wouldn't get another chance! I activate my Set Trap Card—Nightingale Pledge!"
[Nightingale Pledge – Trap Card Effect: Activate only when you would take damage that would reduce your Life Points to 0. Negate that damage. Afterwards, restore your Life Points by 200 for each "Heroic Spirit" monster on the field, in your GY, and in your Banished Zone.]
"Thanks to the Trap's effect, I take no battle damage! And I currently have 15 Heroic Spirit monsters across the field, Graveyard, and banished zone!"
"—I will cure you, even if it kills me. I will purge all that is toxic, all that is harmful!... Nightingale Pledge!!"
With Nightingale's resolute, angelic cry, the power of every Heroic Spirit that had appeared throughout the duel converged into a healing force—pouring into Hoshino like a divine spring.
[Hoshino LP: 400 → 3400]
Her Life Points skyrocketed—certainly not what anyone would call a "candle in the wind."
[You actually healed 3000 LP in one go?! That said, if you've summoned 15 Heroic Spirits, your Deck can't have many cards left, right?]
Between the Heroic Spirits and their related Spells and Traps, over 30 cards had already been played in this duel. Combine that with two full-powered Card of Sanctity activations (6 cards each), and the remaining cards in Hoshino's Deck were visibly few.
"This is the first time I've seen a duel where someone's about to deck out."
Some sharp-eyed spectators in the crowd noticed as well.
"It's also the first time I've seen such an all-out clash in a tournament match. Truly worthy of being a world-class final!"
That kind of praise was music to the ears of the Kaiba Corporation, the tournament organizer. However, Kaiba himself—watching from the VIP box—was more focused on the nearing conclusion of the duel between Yugi and Hoshino than any public accolades.
"Yugi, Hoshino... Will it be the Duelist or the Deck that falls first? Either way, this will mark a legendary conclusion in Duel Monsters history!"
In response to Hoshino Alter's concern, Hoshino said:
"Speaking of running out of cards—the same applies to Yugi. In fact, he might be worse off. The Spell Card Diffusion Wave-Motion forces Magician of Black Chaos to attack every monster on the opponent's field once!"
[Karna – ATK 7700]
Of the five monsters originally on Hoshino's field, four had already been cut down by Magician of Black Chaos. The one remaining—Karna—had an ATK far exceeding that of Yugi's magician.
With a teasing grin, Hoshino called out:
"Come on, Yugi—shout it again!! Quintuple Slash!"
"Hah, equipping Karna with Vasavi Shakti does indeed make his attack power nearly unmatched. But in exchange, he also has a fatal weakness! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card—Enemy Controller!"
Sliding the Quick-Play Spell into the Duel Disk, a giant game controller materialized in front of Yugi.
[Enemy Controller – Quick-Play Spell Effect: Choose one of the following effects to activate.
● Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; change that target's battle position.]
"Using Enemy Controller's effect, I change your monster, Karna, from Attack Position to Defense Position!"
[Karna – DEF: 0]
This was the weakness Yugi spoke of. In exchange for the divine golden armor and overwhelming attack of the spear of destruction, Karna's DEF stat was the lowest possible—0.
"—MAX Chaos Severing Slash! Fivefold Strike!"
The attack, just as Hoshino hoped, now came crashing down. Controlled by Enemy Controller, Karna was unable to counterattack and had to endure the blow with 0 DEF.
"This too... is fate, huh..."
[Karna – Destroyed]
[Hoshino LP: 3400 → 600]
The perfect five-hit strike by Magician of Black Chaos showcased terrifying power, instantly shaving off the Life Points Hoshino had just barely recovered. Just as Yugi had declared the previous turn, this was the ultimate chaos monster, playing the final notes of this duel's closing act.
And yet, Hoshino's performance could only be described as tenacious—to the point of shamelessness—completely beyond Yugi's expectations.
First, she used Arash to destroy Ragnarök. Then she activated Nightingale Pledge, gathering the power of all her Heroic Spirits to recover her Life Points and survive Magician of Black Chaos's fivefold strike.
Even though the duel should have ended this turn according to Yugi's prediction, Hoshino had stubbornly dragged it out.
"I finally understand. This unyielding spirit you have until the very end—that's your true strength, Hoshino."
Though the long Battle Phase had ended, Yugi's focus remained razor-sharp.
"Even with your deck nearly empty, I know you'll launch a storm-like counterattack next turn. So I won't stop fighting until the very end! I Tribute the three monsters on my field!"
Slamming his final divine wrath onto the Duel Disk, scorching gales swept across the battlefield and over the shattered walls of Babylon.
"—When it descends, the searing wind will scour the earth, and the living will become corpses! Descend now—Obelisk the Tormentor!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][Divine][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK 4000 / DEF 4000]
The final Egyptian God descended. Obelisk, raising his massive arms in a defensive stance, became the King's ultimate steel wall.
Kaiba furrowed his brow.
"So it's Obelisk the Tormentor..."
This Divine-Beast, once a cornerstone of many of Kaiba's victories, was bound to his fate in a way he couldn't ignore.
Of course, Kaiba himself didn't believe in fate. He chalked it up to irritation—irritation that Yugi had taken his God Card.
[Yugi LP: 800]
[Hoshino LP: 600]
Yugi had the Life Point lead, but with just a 200-point gap, both were within range of a single finishing blow.
To prevent Hoshino from launching a final all-out attack next turn and wiping him out, Yugi summoned Obelisk in Defense Position as a wall.
"When Obelisk the Tormentor is in Defense Position, your monsters can only choose him as their attack target!
And because I Tribute Summoned a God, the Continuous Spell Precious Cards from Beyond activates. I draw two cards from my Deck!"
Drawing two more cards, Yugi's deck was now nearly depleted.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card—A Feather of the Phoenix!"
[A Feather of the Phoenix – Discard 1 card, then target 1 card in your GY; return that target to the top of your Deck.]
Yugi selected a card from his Graveyard and returned it to the top of his Deck. He didn't reveal what card it was, then Set two more cards in his back row.
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
"My turn! Draw! And during the Standby Phase, I Special Summon Sage-King Gilgamesh, who was sent to the Graveyard last turn!"
[Gilgamesh – ATK 2400]
Returning from the underworld, Gilgamesh's eyes swept over the bombed-out remains of Uruk's walls.
"You mongrel! This king was gone for just a short while—and you destroyed my wall?!"
"Hey, don't blame me! The one who blew it up is that sea-star-headed guy across the field. But thanks for the reminder, Gil—I'm switching strategies..."
As the art of war states: all tactics are merely tools for change. There's no need to confront Obelisk head-on. If one can bypass the defense and land a direct hit—victory is still within reach.
Hoshino touched a card in her Graveyard Zone and declared:
"I activate the effect of Sherlock Holmes, sent to the Graveyard by Key of the King's Law!"
[Heroic Spirit – Sherlock Holmes – Effect: If this card is in the Graveyard, declare 1 card type (Monster, Spell, Trap); then reveal the top card of your opponent's Deck. If it is the declared type, Special Summon this card from the Graveyard. Then, you may send 1 card from your hand or field to the Graveyard to Set the revealed card to your field.]
Jonouchi frowned.
"The top card of Yugi's Deck is probably the one he just retrieved, right? Did Hoshino see what it was?"
"I didn't see it at all~" Hoshino admitted honestly.
From her angle and distance, it was impossible to see what card Yugi had returned to the top of his Deck.
"So this is where reasoning comes in! You specifically used A Feather of the Phoenix to return a card in this endgame state…"
It couldn't be one of the other two God Cards—Yugi lacked the Tributes. And it wouldn't be something like Card of Sanctity, since drawing with so few cards remaining would mean instant defeat.
"The most likely target... is Monster Reborn! I declare Spell Card!"
Hoshino pointed at Yugi.
"Alright, Yugi—show me what you brought back~!"
"Heh... I didn't think I'd be the one getting outwitted at the end."
Yugi gave a self-deprecating laugh and revealed the top card of his Deck.
"Just as you deduced, Hoshino. The card I returned to the top of my Deck was indeed the Spell Card—Monster Reborn."
"Yosh! Since I guessed correctly, I Special Summon Sherlock Holmes!"
[Heroic Spirit – Sherlock Holmes ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 1200 / DEF 1800]
"That was a brilliant deduction, Miss Hoshino~ You truly learned from the best. So let me lend you a hand..."
Holmes placed his hands together, emitting a dazzling light across Hoshino's Spell & Trap Zone.
"By discarding a card, we can Set that Monster Reborn on your field—it'll definitely come in handy~"
And even though Hoshino hadn't inserted any cards into the Duel Disk, the light formed an illusion of a face-down card materializing from thin air.
"Thanks, Holmes~ Now, it's time to decide this duel once and for all! I Tribute my three monsters: Gilgamesh, Holmes, and Leonidas I!"
The scorching gales raged again—this time accompanied by a presence even more overwhelming than Obelisk the Tormentor.
A black god descended... a titan who shattered the very earth.
"I Tribute Summon... the mightiest Evil God—The Wicked Avatar!"
(*****)
If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!