The shockwave from Ea's rotation surged outward, pulverizing every enemy in sight.
Swallowed whole by Gilgamesh—the King of Heroes' direct attack—Nightshroud let out a shrill, agonized scream, as if his body were truly being torn apart by Ea.
A flicker of pity crossed Hoshino's eyes.
"Because you activated Illusion Gate, your soul will be dragged into the Abyssal Hell if you lose the duel. Nightshroud, this is the consequence of your own choices."
"Heh… hehehe… you want me to pay the price?"
Perhaps from the unbearable pain, Nightshroud—already being pulled toward the Gate—only became more deranged.
"You think a bunch of brats can finish me off? Do you know how long I've survived? —Two hundred years! For 200 years, I've clawed my way through death countless times. As if I'd fall to children!"
Akasha stiffened.
"Don't tell me this guy plans to cheat…"
"Cheat? No. I'll offer a soul to the Gate, just as promised—only, it won't be mine. It'll be Atticus Rhodes's body instead!"
Nightshroud didn't even attempt to hide his scheme. He never intended to risk his own soul. Even in defeat, possessing Atticus's body would allow him to escape unharmed.
"What did you say?!" Trapped inside the iron cage, Alexis grabbed and shook the bars in panic. "Using my brother's soul as the price for a Shadow Game—how could you?!"
"Calm down, Alexis! Y-you're going to fall…!" Jaden wobbled as he tried to steady her.
The cage, barely balanced atop the towering rocks, tilted dangerously. Even though the lava below had dried, a fall from that height would seriously injure both of them.
"In a situation like this, how am I supposed to stay calm?! That scumbag is cheating, and he wants to sacrifice my brother!"
"Don't worry. I won't allow my student to be sacrificed for no reason."
"Senpai…"
Compared to Jaden's shaky reassurance, Hoshino's words carried far more weight. Alexis stopped rattling the bars, though the fear in her eyes didn't fade.
"You say you've lived for 200 years? That a bunch of kids could never defeat you? —Then how about him?"
She pointed toward the battlefield, where Gilgamesh still stood, not yet fading even after the duel's end.
"This man is a geezer who's lived for several thousand years. If you want to compare age… do you really think you can compete with that?"
Landing beside Hoshino, Gilgamesh rapped his knuckles against her bouncing ahoge.
"Zasshu, do not refer to the King as a geezer. Even after thousands of years, my title remains 'King.'"
"Thousands of years…? That's impossible…" Nightshroud muttered, shaken.
"Insect. Do not delude yourself into comparing your existence to mine."
A sharp glint flashed from the Gate of Babylon. Enkidu—the Chains of Heaven—shot forth at bullet-like speed, its sharpened tip striking the black mask covering Atticus's face.
Crack—!
With a sharp metallic snap, the mask split down the center, unleashing a torrent of dark energy like a collapsing dam.
"Your disguise was far too transparent. If this is all you've learned in 200 years of 'survival,' then your opponents must have had the intellect of amoebas."
"So the mask was the real body…" Akasha winced. "I suspected it for a moment, but I didn't think a villain could actually be this stupid."
With the mask destroyed, Atticus's personality separated from Nightshroud. A shadowy figure condensed from the leaking darkness and stood beside the Illusion Gate.
Exposed at last, Nightshroud roared in humiliation,
"So what if you revealed my true form?! The Gate has already locked onto Atticus's soul—!"
"No. As long as your real body is exposed—that's more than enough."
Hoshino snapped her fingers. Gilgamesh's gaze turned toward the heart of the Gate—toward the icy abyss within.
Zing—!
Several chains shot out from within the Gate itself and bound Nightshroud's shadowy true form.
"An attack from inside the Gate?! How is that possible?!"
"Well done," Hoshino praised. "Nice work, Kingu!"
"It was merely a trivial task," Kingu replied lightly. "You made the correct decision at the perfect moment, Hoshino."
The instant the Gate activated on the final turn, Hoshino had triggered Kingu, seizing the last chance to counterattack and signaling Kingu to act.
Enkidu's Noble Phantasm—connected directly to the Origin—awoke with force.
Empowered by immense magical energy, the Chains of Heaven resisted the Gate's destructive pull, drilled into its core, and unleashed a mother's wrath—the waves of annihilation.
"Perish with your Gate—Nightshroud!"
"This can't be happening! I—I'm being outplayed by children?!"
Nightshroud's scream tore through the air. Overwhelmed by chains infused with divine power, he had no way to resist and was forcibly dragged inside.
The Gate, now devouring Nightshroud, was wrapped in countless coils of chains and slammed shut with violent force.
The result resembled a sealing ritual—so many chains bound around the Gate that reopening it was nearly impossible.
"Sink the Gate into eternal slumber, Kingu. I'm counting on you."
"What a troublesome girl… Fine, I'll help you just this once~."
Glowing golden behind Hoshino and Gilgamesh, Kingu reinforced the chains even further, applying enough force to crush the Gate completely and sealing it forever.
(***)
Meanwhile…
"Chairman Kagemaru! The power of the Sacred Beasts—!"
The white-clad man widened his eyes as the artwork on the Illusion Gate card began to fade.
Though each of the Shadow Riders carried their own copy, all were connected to a single Gate. And now, with the card fading, it signified the Gate's permanent closure.
"Nightshroud, who wielded both the Gate and Uria… has been defeated. Even the Gate's power is now lost forever…"
Confined in his life-support pod, the elderly Kagemaru trembled, wrinkles tightening around his eyes.
"This power… could only belong to one who stands on he threshold of godhood. I've spent my entire life pursuing immortality… yet a little girl has surpassed me…?"
The Shadow Game of molten lava finally came to an end. Just like the icy battlefield before it, the moment everyone regained their senses, they found themselves back at the familiar hot spring inn.
"Then I'll leave him in your care, ma'am."
Hoshino casually made up an excuse—that a student had gotten lost near the volcano—and asked the inn's proprietress to prepare a single room for the still-unconscious Atticus.
"To think a handsome young man like this would get lost and collapse in a place like that… what terrible luck."
Touching her slightly flushed cheek, the beautiful proprietress showed genuine concern.
As expected of the academy's famed pretty boy—even unconscious, he could stir the protective instincts of almost any woman.
"Don't worry, dear guests. I'll personally take care of this little cutie. Please, continue enjoying your relaxing hot spring trip."
"Relaxation, huh…"
Hoshino rubbed her neck, feeling more tired than usual.
Normally, staying home gaming for long hours only caused back and shoulder pain.
But today, she had faced two Shadow Riders—this was definitely not the so-called "fatigue-relieving" hot spring trip.
"Senpai, I want to take care of my brother too," Alexis requested.
After an incident like this, she naturally wanted to help.
"Mhm, I'll leave it to you," Hoshino nodded. "If he wakes up, tell me immediately. There are a lot of things I need to confirm."
Why was Atticus Rhodes—who should have been studying abroad at the American branch—taken over by a Shadow Rider? Was something happening at the academy's overseas division as well? Hoshino couldn't shake off a subtle sense of unease.
"Well then, Senpai, oya-sumi~"
"You too, don't push yourself too hard, Alexis."
After saying goodbye, Jaden, Hoshino, and Akasha returned to their rooms.
And now that Alexis was finally gone, Akasha absolutely wasn't going to waste this rare chance to be alone with Hoshino.
"Hoshino-nee's body is sooo soft and smells really good… but you can't touch there, okay… (.--)zzz"
However, the moment they returned to their room, exhaustion washed over Akasha like a tidal wave, and she collapsed onto the futon, falling asleep instantly.
To be fair, Akasha had been the one who worked the hardest today. She had fought three high-intensity duels in a Shadow Game environment. Not just Akasha—even the Lilies were probably at their limit.
"You worked hard, Akasha~"
Hoshino wiped the drool from the sleeping girl's mouth, then slipped into the same futon beside her.
"As a reward, let's sleep together tonight. It's been a while."
.
..
...
The next morning—
The lighting in the hot spring inn was wonderful. Early in the morning, warm sunlight shone down on Hoshino like Ozymandias's laughter, gently waking her.
"Hm?"
Still half-asleep, Hoshino felt something soft trembling in her arms.
"Akasha? You're up this early?"
She rubbed the red head in her arms out of habit… and even through her groggy mind, she sensed something was wrong.
"A red head…? Wait. Who?"
Akasha's hair was supposed to be golden.
Snapping fully awake, Hoshino stared at the red-haired little girl sleeping peacefully beside her, looking completely content.
"Hold on—what is happening… Let's calm down and think."
After she and Akasha fell asleep last night… what could possibly have happened that resulted in a red-haired little girl suddenly appearing in their futon?
"Don't tell me… simply sleeping together is enough to produce a child overnight…?"
It made no logical sense—but considering her Atlantean bloodline, Hoshino couldn't dismiss the possibility outright.
"What's wrong, Hoshino-nee?"
Akasha, awakened by Hoshino's gasp, sat up sleepily.
"I think I fell asleep right awa—huh?"
Seeing the red-haired girl lying between them, Akasha's drowsiness evaporated instantly.
"W-What is going on here?!"
Shock and panic collided in her voice, leaving her stammering.
"Don't tell me… infidelity?! Hoshino-nee, you secretly brought another girl back at night! And to show off your dominance, you even slept right next to me—with her in between!"
"Calm down, Akasha! Do you even hear what you're saying?!"
The fact that she could jump to such an eroge-brained conclusion made Hoshino genuinely worry about what Akasha had been learning.
"Then what is this?!"
Akasha poked the red-haired girl accusingly.
Woken by the poking, the little girl rubbed her eyes and yawned widely.
"Mmm… that was such a good sleep~"
Yes. Best to ask the person herself.
"Um, who are you exactly?" Hoshino asked.
"Me? I'm Uria Yasuda~!"
With a bright, innocent smile, the red-haired girl—Uria—responded in a crisp, lively voice.
"Yasuda… Uria?"
The name felt oddly familiar, though Hoshino was certain she had never met this girl before.
"So, Uria… why are you here?"
A blush crept onto Uria's cheeks. Fidgeting shyly, she murmured,
"Oh, Hoshino… don't tell me you don't remember what happened last night~?"
"(°Д°) Wh-What happened last night?!"
Akasha's eyes sharpened like a hawk's, blazing with suspicion as she glared at Hoshino.
Hoshino frantically waved her hands.
"No! Don't misunderstand! I fell asleep immediately—I couldn't have done anything!"
"I mean what happened before you fell asleep."
In Uria's red, sparkling eyes, memories clearly danced.
"Even if you don't want to admit it… we definitely did everything we needed to do~"
"Death sentence—!"
Akasha leapt to her feet like a judge delivering instant punishment.
"So you do like little girls, Hoshino-nee! Then why didn't you go after me when I was little?! Was I not cute enough back then?!"
That's your main concern?!
"Wait, Akasha— I think I understand now."
Hoshino studied the girl carefully. Her deep red eyes and blazing crimson hair flickered like living flames.
"Uria, what you mean… is related to yesterday's duel, isn't it? I think I know who—what—you really are."
"Bingo~! Correct answer!"
And with that, Hoshino was about 80% certain of Uria's true identity—
Even if the truth was almost too unbelievable to accept.