"Wait a second—sothing about this charge doesn't feel like it has 0 ATK!!"
The enraged Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, having lost its wings, charged forward with a desperate force that completely defied the image of a monster with 0 attack points.
What exactly was a monster with 0 attack points? Sothing like Illya, whose weapon had been shattered—standing there empty-handed, scrambling helplessly in the face of an oncoming attack. That was the very definition of a weak, worthless monster with 0 ATK.
Illya: "Eh? That's weird… I feel like soone just called useless behind my back, and it's really annoying!"
Hoshino stepped forward and waved her hand reassuringly. "Don't be scared of that. A clash between monsters with 0 attack points won't have any effect. Trust —just go for it, Illya!"
Regaining her confidence, Illya clenched her tiny pink fists. "If Master believes in , then I won't back down! Magical Girl—Karna Illya, taking the field!"
Thud—Smash—Biu—Whoosh~~~
"Owww! That hurt!!"
The scene was as futile as an ant trying to stop a rolling cart. The much smaller Illya barely made contact with the massive Archfiend Black Skull Dragon before she was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. She spun through the air in a graceful arc before crashing pitifully to the ground at Hoshino's feet.
"I… I'll never trust Master again… I hate this so much…"
Illya lay motionless on the floor, weakly clutching Hoshino's ankle, as if she were about to carve the word 'Tragic' onto Hoshino's leg.
"This doesn't make sense… How did she lose so badly?"
Hoshino rubbed her chin, deep in thought. There was no doubt that Jonouchi's monster had 0 attack points—the fact that neither monster was destroyed in the clash was clear proof of that.
"I see now," Yugi suddenly spoke up. "Jonouchi, your monster must have a hidden effect, doesn't it? That's why you made that attack."
"Hah, can't hide anything from you, Yugi. That's right! This is my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's final trump card!"
Jonouchi, looking pleased that his plan had worked, confidently pointed at the recently concluded battle. At that mont, from the severed stumps of Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's wings, a surge of scorching red flas erupted.
"Archfiend Black Skull Dragon! Even with 0 attack points, it can still unleash a finishing blow!"
[Effect: Battle Phase: You can target 1 "Red-Eyes" Normal Monster in your Graveyard; inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK in the Graveyard, then shuffle it into the Deck.]
"Even if its ATK is 0, the fact remains that it battled just now! As the Battle Phase ends, I target the Normal Monster in my Graveyard—Red-Eyes Black Dragon—to deal damage equal to its original 2400 ATK directly to you!"
The dragon's flaming wings spread wide once more, appearing even more terrifying than when it had first arrived.
"With no monsters left to shield you, Illya won't be able to block this damage for you this ti, Hoshino! Take this full blast from my dragon—and hand over your victory!"
"I refuse! I never hand over victory once it's in my grasp!"
At the exact mont Jonouchi declared his final move, the last remaining set card in Hoshino's back row flipped up. From its card face, an icy chill surged toward Jonouchi's Graveyard.
"I originally put this card in my Deck just to recycle valuable Magical Girl resources—but I never expected it to beco my lifesaver in this mont! I activate my set Trap—[Necromancy]!"
[Effect: Select a total of two cards from either player's Graveyard, and return them to the owner's Deck.]
"With Necromancy's effect, I target your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning in your Graveyard and return them to your Deck! That ans your Graveyard no longer contains a Normal Monster for Archfiend Black Skull Dragon to target with its effect!"
"Nani?!"
The sudden turn of events ca so unexpectedly that Jonouchi was left in shock. He had been just one step away from victory—yet now, his Graveyard was empty of any viable targets.
"Jonouchi! I bet your gun is empty!"
Mokuba clenched his fists, shouting in excitent. "So cool, Hoshino!"
"Whew—!" As the Battle Phase ended, Jonouchi let out a long sigh.
After such an intense clash, even though there was no definitive winner yet, the razor-thin margin for error made their hands tremble with excitent as they held their cards.
"Even if I have no bullets left, I haven't lost yet! Thanks to my Card of Safe Return's effect, I still have four cards in my hand—while you're down to just one card and no set cards! If I can endure this turn, the Goddess of Victory will smile upon !"
Jonouchi built his final line of defense, setting three cards onto his field. Combined with his two continuous Spells, his entire back row was now full.
"I believe these last three cards will give the chance for a coback! If you can break through them, then go ahead and try. Turn end!"
[Jonouchi's Field: 1 Hand Card | 3 Set Cards]
Archfiend Black Skull Dragon is destroyed due to Flash Fusion's effect, leaving Jonouchi's field empty.
"So you're trying to hold out for a counterattack next turn? Challenge accepted! Draw!"
The mont Hoshino drew her card, Jonouchi's first set card flipped up.
"At the very start of your turn, I activate my Trap Card—[Red-Eyes Spirit]!"
A blinding light burst onto Jonouchi's field, responding to the indomitable spirit of a true Duelist—the very soul of the Red-Eyes Dragon.
[Effect: Target 1 "Red-Eyes" monster in your GY; Special Summon it.]
"With this effect, I Special Summon my Red-Eyes Darkness tal Dragon in Defense Position from my Graveyard! And thanks to Card of Safe Return, I get to draw three more cards!"
[Red-Eyes Darkness tal Dragon DEF 2400]
From within the radiant light, the enormous Red-Eyes Darkness tal Dragon erged once again, shielding Jonouchi.
"So this is your last line of defense? To be honest, it's nowhere near enough! I switch my Magical Girl—Illya to Attack Position!"
[Magical Girl—Illya ATK 1000]
"Go, Illyasviel! Break through the tal Dragon and carve open the path for the final strike!"
[Heroic Spirit—Illyasviel ATK 4350]
Having fully activated her Sword form with Altera as an equip card, Illya's attack power was more than enough to break through the tal Dragon's defenses.
But just as Jounouchi had said, if he managed to survive until his next turn, he could potentially turn the tide of the battle after replenishing his hand. So naturally, Hoshino spared no effort in launching her attack.
"Please, tal Dragon! With your body, beco my strongest shield! I activate my Set Quick-Play Spell—[Pianissimo]!"
Jounouchi flipped his second Set card, and the colorful musical notes surrounding tal Dragon counteracted the radiant slash of the War God's sword.
[Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 face-up monster you control; this turn, that face-up monster's original ATK becos 100, also that face-up monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.]
Yugi was sowhat surprised. "Jounouchi actually blocked it! He protected tal Dragon and even replenished his hand… Maybe he really can—"
"I won't let you have your way!" Hoshino cut off his exclamation, slamming her final card onto the duel disk with force.
"I will stake everything I have to defeat you this turn! This is the card that will decide the match—Quick-Play Spell, [The End Of The Other Side]!"
[Quick-Play Spell Effect: If you control "Magical Girl - Illya": You can pay 500 LP; add 1 card from your Graveyard to your hand.]
[Hoshino LP: 1000 → 500]
Mokuba's eyes narrowed. "Hoshino has cards in her Graveyard… Is she going to retrieve Kaleid Ruby?"
"It's useless, Hoshino! Because of Pianissimo, even if you activate Kaleid Ruby, you won't be able to destroy tal Dragon by effect!"
Hoshino retrieved a card from her Graveyard and pointed it toward the tal Dragon, still cloaked in colorful light. "I know the cannon alone won't be enough. That's why I'm bringing back this—[Phantasm Summon]!"
Anzu's eyes lit up in excitent. "She's using Phantasm Summon again? From the start of the duel until now, Hoshino has already fused four different forms of the Magical Girl! Though, uh… so of them don't quite feel like Magical Girls…"
Hoshino inserted the Quick-Play Spell into the duel disk, and the elentary schooler-clad Illya was once again enveloped in that familiar starlight.
"This is it—the final Phantasm Summon of this duel! The ti has co to rge the power of legendary aces across eras and seize victory!"
Illya reached for the card case strapped to her thigh. "Class Card Saber—Install! Okita Soji!"
"With the power of the dual aces, I will pierce through your iron wall! Fusion Summon—[Magical Girl – Okita Soji·Illya]!"
A long-absent ace from the Graveyard had returned to the battlefield in a new and unexpected form. Dressed in Okita Soji's attire, Illya's katana glead with a cold, determined light.
[Magical Girl – Okita Soji·Illya ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)] [WIND] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2500 / DEF 2000]
Now in her new form, Illya's eyes were filled with unwavering resolve. "I will inherit Okita-senpai's strength! A true ace must be a card that can carry an entire deck!"
No, no, no. Okita has never carried an entire deck before, Illya… Don't put so much pressure on yourself.
(Okita: "The mont I appear, people just get this 'I'm definitely going to win' feeling! That's what it ans to be an ace!"
Spartacus: "That's right! That's !")
Hoshino resud her Battle Phase, waving her hand as she commanded Illya in her Okita form. "This attack carries the power of Okita's Piercing ability! One slash is all it takes to win! Attack, Illya!"
"Yes, Master!" Agile and nimble, Illya leaped toward the defending tal Dragon.
[If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage equal to double the difference between this card's ATK and that monster's DEF.]
Honda clenched his fists, tension thick in the air. "Even if her ATK only exceeds DEF by 100, Jonouchi only has 50 LP left! Is it still just one step short?!"
"—Shukuchi!"
A movent technique that instantly closes the distance between opponents. The pinnacle of footwork pursued in many martial arts and combat styles. It's not just about speed—it's a technique that integrates footwork, body movent, breathing, and blind spots into one seamless motion.
Illya vanished, reappearing behind tal Dragon, exploiting its blind spot. Her blade, shimring with light, slashed down with precision and power.
"With this strike, I will end this battle!"
But just then, Jounouchi flipped over his final Set card, a victorious grin spreading across his face. tal Dragon's black exterior suddenly beca coated in another layer of gleaming, reflective tal.
"That's right, it's over! This duel is mine! I activate my Trap Card—[talmorph]!"
[Trap Card Effect: Target 1 face-up monster on the field; equip this card to that target. It gains 300 ATK/DEF.]
[Red-Eyes Darkness tal Dragon DEF: 2400 → 2700]
Clang!
The sound of tal deflecting the blade rang out. Illya, who had barely surpassed tal Dragon's DEF by 100, now found herself unable to break through its fortified defense.
[Hoshino LP: 500 → 300]
"You couldn't land the final blow, Hoshino! Next turn, I'll use Red-Eyes Darkness tal Dragon to attack! Even your strongest Illya can't stop !"
talmorph's additional effect would allow tal Dragon to absorb half of Illya's ATK during an attack, making it strong enough to overpower her.
"Hmph, are you sure you actually stopped , Jounouchi?" A smirk played across Hoshino's lips as she gestured toward the battlefield—Illya had vanished after her attack.
"The power born from the fusion of two aces is enough to break through any defense! With the radiance of this secret sword—"
A blur of afterimages appeared—Illya stepping lightly upon the air itself, her form too fast for the eye to follow.
"Lightless, Three-Stage Thrust!!"
[If this card battles and does not destroy a monster, that monster's DEF becos 0, and this card can attack once more.]
A triple thrust that converges on a single point. Okita's signature sword technique. The tip of the blade creates a refraction phenonon, making it an essentially unavoidable attack.
"—Mumyou, Sandanzuki!"
[Red-Eyes Darkness tal Dragon DEF: 2700 → 0]
Three piercing thrusts struck a single point on the dragon's tallic armor. A mont later, the entire shell shattered—bringing the massive dragon crashing down with it.
[Jounouchi LP: 50 → 0]
[Duel Over. Winner: Hoshino Chiyuki.]
For the first ti, Illya experienced the exhilaration of victory in a duel. Her face lit up with irrepressible excitent as she turned to Hoshino.
"We did it, Master! It's my perfect win—whoa?!"
(*****)
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