"I, Anubis, the King of Destruction, will erase you here and offer your head to that great one!"
As the self-proclaid "King of Simps," Anubis officially began his turn, slamming a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk and sending two face-down cards from his back row to the Graveyard.
"Quick-Play Spell—[Ergency Provisions]! By sending my Continuous Trap Cards Rebirth Judgnt and D.D.R. – Different Dinsion Reincarnation to the Graveyard, I recover 2000 Life Points!"
[Anubis LP: 400 → 2400]
The mont the Equip Spell Different Dinsion Reincarnation hit the Graveyard, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that had switched control to Hoshino let out a low growl before vanishing.
"A monster revived with Different Dinsion Reincarnation is destroyed when the Equip Card leaves the field. That ans Blue-Eyes White Dragon was effortlessly eliminated!"
"It was just fodder, nothing more~"
Hoshino waved dismissively. "Besides, even if you destroyed Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it doesn't change the fact that you still have no monsters on your field."
"Heh... Now is the ti to reveal the true power hidden within the Pyramid of Light!"
Anubis's deep voice echoed through the pure white space as the walls of the pyramid shimred, reflecting the remnants of the Clustered Star's earlier attack.
"Not only has it absorbed divine power, but now even the Star's energy has been drawn into the Pyramid. Once its immunity to destruction activates, it allows to Special Summon the Guardian Beasts of the Pyramid directly from my Deck!"
Yugi furrowed his brows slightly, murmuring, "The Pyramid's... Guardian Beasts?"
Two cards shot out from Anubis's Duel Disk deck slot, landing perfectly in his massive hands.
"My most loyal and powerful Guardian Beasts—infused with the power of gods and stars—shall now awaken! Special Summon—[Sphinx Andro] and [Sphinx Dorea]!"
[Andro Sphinx – ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Beast/Effect][ATK 3000 / DEF 2500]
[Sphinx Teleia – ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Beast/Effect][ATK 2500 / DEF 3000]
Sphinxes—legendary lion-bodied, human-headed beasts originating from Egyptian mythology. In both Egyptian and Greek legends, they appeared in male and female forms, representing divine judgnt, wisdom, and knowledge.
Now appearing before Hoshino, the Sphinxes summoned by Anubis through the power of the Light Pyramid embodied both aspects—one male, one female.
"Ozy, your pets are coming to attack . Aren't you going to do sothing?"
Hoshino muttered, recalling the Sphinx hidden within Ozymandias's pyramid—supposedly the king of all sphinxes. Logically speaking, these two should fall under its jurisdiction.
"Hmph. Hoshino Chiyuki, while I would love to tear you apart with my Guardian Beasts right now, the Sphinxes have a restriction—they cannot attack the turn they are Special Summoned. So I will first Set a card..."
"Setting a card? Are you ending your turn?"
Realizing the two imposing beasts on Anubis's field couldn't attack this turn, Hoshino secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"No... after setting this card..."
Anubis smirked sinisterly, sending a chill down Hoshino's spine.
"I activate a Spell Card from my hand—[Mischief of the Ti Goddess]!"
[Mischief of the Ti Goddess – Spell Card Effect: Skip 1 turn, proceeding directly to your Battle Phase.] (Ani Effect)
A scene resembling a ti-space tunnel linking to the future unfolded. As the Spell activated, ti accelerated rapidly, skipping what should have been Hoshino's turn entirely.
"What kind of cheating card is this?! Give my turn back!"
Anubis sneered triumphantly. "Hoshino Chiyuki, we are now in my next turn's Battle Phase. A turn has passed, and the Sphinxes are now free to attack!"
Hoshino glanced at her hand, then compared it to the Sphinxes' attack power.
"Although these two Sphinxes look terrifying with their massive size and Level, their ATK is only about the sa as Okita's. If I use Miyu's effect to swap dea Illya for Heracles Illya, then combine that with Oath Under the Snow, I might be able to counterattack!"
As if seeing straight through her strategy, Anubis flipped over the face-down card he had just set.
"Since a turn has passed, this Set Trap Card can now be activated—[Mind Crush]!"
[Mind Crush – Trap Card Effect: Declare 1 card na. If the declared card is in your opponent's hand, they must discard their entire hand. If it is not, you must randomly discard 1 card.]
"Hm... It seems you're holding onto a rather troubleso card—your final hope. Mind Crush's effect: I declare the card in your hand—[Magical Girl – Miyu]!"
Hearing the word "Magical Girl" co out of this muscular hulk's mouth sent shivers down Hoshino's spine.
Worse still, Anubis had accurately sniped Miyu, forcing Hoshino to discard not just Miyu, but her entire hand.
"What a dirty move..." Hoshino grumbled under her breath, reluctantly sending all her remaining cards to the Graveyard.
With the Battle Phase continuing, Anubis issued his next command.
"Now that your last hope has been erased, it's ti for your punishnt! Attack, Sphinx Dorea!"
The female Sphinx sprinted forward, her four limbs thundering across the battlefield as she charged at Illya, who stood in Defense Position.
"Field Spell—[Oath Under the Snow] activates!"
"When a Magical Girl is involved in battle, her ATK/DEF increases by her Level × 200!"
Yugi shook his head. "But Magical Girl – Illya is only Level 4. Even with the boost, she can't withstand the Sphinx's attack..."
"That's why I'm forcing a target switch!"
"Final effect of Oath Under the Snow activates!"
"When a Magical Girl becos the target of an attack, I can redirect the attack to another Heroic Spirit monster on my field!"
Among Hoshino's remaining monsters:
[Dragon Priestess – Miyu]
[Magical Girl – dea Illya]
Only dea Illya possessed both the Magical Girl and Heroic Spirit attributes.
By redirecting the attack to her, Hoshino could also trigger Oath Under the Snow's stat boost.
[Magical Girl – dea Illya (Level 8)]
"Since dea Illya is Level 8, her DEF increases by 8 × 200 = 1600 points!"
[dea Illya DEF 1000 → 2600]
[Sphinx Teleia ATK 2500]
"Hmph... Even at the very last mont, you're still flailing like a dying fish, trying to struggle?"
Seeing Hoshino successfully reverse the defense using her Field Spell's effect, Anubis rely sneered and slid a card into his Duel Disk.
"Then this will be the final straw that breaks the cal's back—Quick-Play Spell: [The Big March of Animals]!"
[The Big March of Animals – Quick-Play Spell Effect: All face-up Beast monsters you control gain 200 ATK for each Beast monster you control, until the end of this turn.]
As the Quick-Play Spell activated, the two Sphinxes beca even more ferocious.
"There are two face-up Beast monsters on my field, so both Sphinxes gain 400 ATK!"
[Sphinx Teleia ATK 2500 → 2900]
[Andro Sphinx ATK 3000 → 3400]
"ROOOAAARR—!"
Now empowered, Sphinx Teleia shattered the magical defenses surrounding dea Illya, destroying her completely.
[Magical Girl – dea Illya destroyed]
Yugi muttered with relief, "Thankfully, Hoshino's monster was in Defense Position—otherwise, that would've been disastrous…"
From the mont she took over with just 100 Life Points remaining, the fact that she had avoided any direct damage up until now was truly impressive.
"Hmph. You think Defense Position will save you?" Anubis scoffed. "Before the might of the Great Guardian Beast of the Pyramid, not even a defensive stance can prevent your downfall! Sphinx Teleia's special ability activates—"
[Effect: If this card destroys a Defense Position monster as a result of battle, inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to half of the DEF of the destroyed monster.]
"The destroyed monster had 2600 DEF, so take 1300 damage!"
With a powerful sweep of its wings, Sphinx Teleia launched razor-sharp feathers toward Hoshino. The barrage left crimson scratches streaking across her delicate face.
"It's over, Hoshino Chiyuki!" Anubis taunted, drawing a finger across his throat in provocation.
[Hoshino LP: 100 → 0]
(***)
anwhile, in Chaldea—
Weapons drenched in black mud—spears, swords, and axes—were embedded deep into the once-sleek, futuristic floors and walls. Sparks occasionally burst from the wreckage, bearing witness to the brutal battle that had erupted in an instant.
"I can't believe they've held out this long… By all logic, my Alter should have the upper hand. Don't tell that 'Alter = 3× Stronger' is just a myth?"
Standing beneath a gaping hole from which black mud continuously poured, 'Hoshino' looked visibly strained.
"Do you really think fake puppets made of black mud can defeat the true King? Don't be so delusional, mongrel!"
"Goldy, you're barely standing and still running your mouth?"
Gritting his teeth, Gilgash funneled the last of his remaining mana, summoning Gate of Babylon one more ti.
"If anyone here is on the verge of collapse, it's you, mongrel!"
On the opposite side, Alter Gilgash remained expressionless. However, the Ea in his hand showed clear signs of overuse, its core visibly trembling and close to breaking.
"Move aside, King of Heroes!"
With a thunderous roar, Iskandar seized an opening and charged forward at full speed aboard his Gordius Wheel. Sword and chariot crackled with lightning as he unleashed an attack ant to tear the very earth apart.
"I won't let you! Counterattack, Saber Alter!!"
"—Excalibur Morgan!!"
At Hoshino's command, a black beam of cursed light roared past her slender fra, headed straight for the rampaging chariot.
"Hmph!"
Wearing a confident smirk, Iskandar made a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding a direct hit from the corrupt dragon's breath. Only his crimson cloak was left fluttering behind.
"I leave it to you, Kings of Knights! Don't you dare lose!"
"Don't worry, King of Conquerors! Excalibur won't be overshadowed by Morgan's darkness!"
"Let's settle this—beautifully!"
Bursting through the abandoned crimson cloak, two figures erged—Artoria Pendragon and Arthur Pendragon, their blades radiating with golden light.
"EX—"
"CALIBUR!!"
Twin golden beams of hope rged into a towering pillar of light, completely engulfing their blackened counterpart.
"Got him!"
Seizing the mont as the holy light consud Alter Gilgash, Iskandar charged forward on his war chariot. With a final, lightning-infused strike, he cleaved off Alter Gilgash's arm, sending Ea flying.
"Tch. You stole my mont," muttered a battered Red Archer, clearly annoyed.
anwhile, Hoshino's eyes widened in disbelief.
"They still had this much mana left?! That completely exceeds my calculations…"
Brandishing his sword toward her, Iskandar declared with firm conviction:
"Girl, don't underestimate the heroes who shaped human history!"
"No single person's will alone can overturn the world!"
"…This is troubleso," 'Hoshino' thought grimly.
"I didn't expect them to be this resilient. If this fight drags on, neither side will escape unscathed. Now that my objective is complete… it's ti to retreat."
She cautiously stepped back toward the black mud, muttering to herself:
"Anubis should've already defeated the powerless '' by now.
I went through all this trouble to sever Chaldea's connection to that world, cutting off their access to Cards… Don't disappoint , Anubis."
(*****)
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