"This... this has to be a joke. How could he have defeated Howard with just one card…"
Things had happened far too quickly for Clara to process. The formidable field Keith had established with his twin Dragons was completely annihilated by the sky-riding Valkyries.
"It wasn't just one card, young lady…"
Zigfried's seemingly magical maneuver didn't escape Hoshino's attention. While it looked like only one card had been played, the board state established by Ride of the Valkyries alone was enough to obliterate Keith's monsters in an instant.
[Ride of the Valkyries – Spell Card Effect: Special Summon any number of "Valkyrie" monsters from your hand.]
"Due to the effect of Ride of the Valkyries, I Special Summon from my hand: Valkyrie Erste, Valkyrie Zweite, Valkyrie Erda, and Valkyrie Brunhilde!"
After activating the Spell Card, four of the remaining five cards in Zigfried's hand were revealed to be Valkyrie monsters. Hoshino understood now—this type of genius duelist never relied on shuffling by chance.
"Valkyrie Zweite's effect—when Special Summoned, she destroys one of the opponent's monsters."
"Valkyrie Erda's effect—if she was Special Summoned by a 'Valkyrie' card effect, all opponent monsters on the field lose 1000 ATK."
One of Keith's Dragons was destroyed outright, and the other had its power reduced. Even though Keith tried to counter with his set Trap Card, it wasn't enough to stop the relentless, coordinated assault of the four Valkyries.
[Duel Result: Victor – Zigfried]
"Damn it aaaaaahhhh!!"
Perhaps because the duel had ended so abruptly, the electric shock device around Keith's neck didn't activate until the result was officially declared. A powerful current surged through his body, sharp pain lancing through his spine.
"I… won't die in a place like this!!"
He clawed at the device in desperation, trying to rip it off. But not even a man of Keith's strength could remove it under such intense current—especially when forcibly removing it would trigger an explosion.
"Hoshino-nee, do sothing! Like you did for Jonouchi!" Akasha cried, tugging at Hoshino's sleeve, completely forgetting to use her usual tone.
"He was annoying before… but he bought fries last night. That kinda makes up for it, right?"
Hoshino clenched her fists, shaking her head. "It's not that I don't want to save him… I just can't. This isn't the sa as what happened to Jonouchi…"
Jonouchi had suffered spiritual damage—his soul burned by the flas of the Winged Dragon of Ra. That was sothing Hoshino could nd using materialized energy through the Duel Disk. But this—this was physical trauma. Real, irreversible harm. And Hoshino was only human. She couldn't perform miracles or bring back the dead.
"Damn it. If I'd known this would happen, I would've asked Da Vinci to destroy Keith's device too…"
To Hoshino, Keith had always been a troublemaker—a guy who stirred up drama more than once. At first, she hadn't cared what happened to him.
But after two days of fighting side by side—and especially after hearing about Clara's feelings the night before—that 26-year-old man with the mature face no longer seed so bad.
"Howard… no…"
Clara, overwheld and trembling, watched helplessly as Keith scread in agony, completely losing her composure.
"Hahaha! I've been waiting for this! Keep struggling! Keep screaming! And then… just die already!"
Zigfried laughed like a madman, drinking in Clara's distress.
"See this? This is what happens when you go against , Clara!"
Smack—!
"?!"
The laughter ended abruptly when a Duel Disk ca soaring through the air and smashed into Zigfried's face. Cards scattered in every direction—Keith's entire deck flung across the floor.
Using the last of his strength—perhaps even the last spark of his life—Keith had hurled his Duel Disk with all the force he could muster, silencing Zigfried.
"So damn noisy… Picking on a girl like that… You call yourself a man?"
"Puh…" Zigfried spat out a mouthful of blood, choked out by the impact. Then, sneering, he muttered, "Still conscious? How interesting. A final struggle before death. But it's about ti you dropped~"
"I really lost… right here… What a disgrace…"
Just as Zigfried had said, Keith's body collapsed to the floor, unmoving. He was already at his limit.
Zigfried, with his experience, had dueled not just to win—but to kill. From the start, his intent had been lethal.
"Howard… It's my fault… I shouldn't have made you fight in my place…"
Clara's voice trembled as she stared at Keith's fallen body and the dical staff rushing to his side.
"How ironic… I only found so aning in life during this last month…"
—"Unconscious. No breathing. No pulse. Confird death."
—"Ti of death: 3:44 PM. Please collect the body."
The cold, clinical announcent hit Hoshino like a brick. This really was a place where people gambled with their lives.
Death wasn't new here. But when it was soone you knew—soone you'd spoken to, fought beside, maybe even laughed with—it beca real in a way numbers never could.
It was like hearing about a stranger who died in a car crash—you might feel a mont of sympathy. But when it's your friend, your classmate, your family… that's when the aning of death truly hits ho.
"This twisted, inhumane way of dueling… Zigfried, I'll never forgive you!"
"Clara-nee! Snap out of it!" Akasha cried, her voice desperate.
Unable to withstand the shock of Keith's confird death, Clara collapsed, fainting on the spot.
"Oh? How fragile, Clara~ Regretting it now, aren't you? Regretting not agreeing to marry back then! Hahahaha—!"
Smack—!
Zigfried's laughter died for the second ti. Hoshino had taken off her now-useless shock collar and hurled it with flawless precision—slamming it straight into his mouth and silencing him once more.
"I was really wrong. Death duels? I never should've gotten involved in sothing like this from the start. A duel that twists the will and devalues life… From the mont I stepped in, it was destined to end in tragedy."
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zigfried—despite his battered state—still maintained his usual effeminate composure. Not a hint of anger on his face.
"My brother, Ren, really owes you, doesn't he? You should count yourself lucky nothing happened to him. Otherwise, the one lying here right now would be you… Vivian. No—maybe it's more appropriate to call you Duel King."
After Hoshino nullified the modified effect of Golden Palace, even an arrogant duelist like Zigfried could no longer dismiss her as ordinary.
To possess that kind of power using a Heroic Spirit deck—and especially that Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight card, far beyond any replica—that was strength only the true Duel King could wield. Hoshino's strength. The genuine might of a Heroic Spirit.
She pulled back her gray hood, revealing silver-white hair. Her deep crimson eyes burned with fury.
"Don't think you can win and run! I'm officially challenging you to a death duel. This ti, I won't destroy the shock device. But in return—you're wearing one too. And it better be fully functional!"
Knowing Zigfried ran the underground dueling arena, Hoshino didn't expect him to willingly wear a device that could kill him.
So to force his hand, she had to demonstrate the sa level of resolve.
"Hahaha! Interesting!" Zigfried burst into laughter again—this ti, no flying Duel Disk ca to shut him up.
"I accept your challenge and your terms. However… the duel won't take place here. It'll be at the KC Grand Prix Finals!"
"The KC Finals? So you got an invitation too, huh?"
Considering Ren was Zigfried's brother—and rembering Ren had said he was entering the tournant in his brother's place—it wasn't hard to deduce that Zigfried also received an invite to the prestigious tournant, one reserved for a select few duelists worldwide.
Who knew what Kaiba was thinking, inviting even his business rivals to his own company's event?
"On the stage of the KC Grand Tournant, I'll defeat the Duel King—the one who bested Seto Kaiba and Yugi Muto—before a global audience."
Zigfried spread his arms wide, already basking in the imagined glory of his future.
"I accept your condition that both duelists wear the shock devices. That way, the dramatic spectacle of the Duel King dying on the spot will beco a reality. Doesn't that sound like the perfect twist?"
Hoshino narrowed her eyes. "A dramatic twist… but that's not all you're after, is it?"
"Of course not! Turning the KC Grand Tournant into a stage of death, with the whole world watching… The backlash would destroy KaibaCorp once and for all. But even knowing this, you won't refuse—because it's your only chance to avenge Keith Howard."
"Quite the plan… No wonder you're the so-called 'business genius' who tried to compete with KaibaCorp using bootleg virtual projectors."
She emphasized bootleg with deliberate scorn.
"But I think you've misunderstood sothing. You think I'm challenging you to avenge Keith? No. I just really can't stand that smug, effeminate face of yours and want to smash it until it swells."
"Hahaha, then I'll be waiting for you—at the KC Grand Prix~"
.
..
...
6:05 AM —
"Is Clara okay?" Hoshino asked, anxiously watching as she helped 9527 escort the unconscious Clara and Keith's body to the hospital.
"She's fine," 9527 replied, voice subdued. "The doctors said she just fainted from emotional shock. I already contacted her family—they should be sending soone soon to take care of her. But Mr. Keith…"
Hearing Clara was safe brought Hoshino a sliver of relief. But the real cause of her collapse still left a bitter ache in her chest.
Saying she didn't want to avenge Keith—that had just been tough talk for Zigfried's benefit. In truth, it took everything in Hoshino not to rip Zigfried apart then and there.
Because if you kill soone in a fit of rage, you're nothing but a murderer.
And deep down, Hoshino couldn't shake the feeling that Keith's death was her fault.
If she hadn't gotten tangled up in the family conflict… if Clara hadn't chosen to rise to the higher-tier duel arenas… maybe none of this would've happened. At worst, Zigfried would've trapped her in endless battles in the standard circuit.
"Well, now that her family's taking care of Clara, there's nothing left for us to do."
Hood pulled back over her head, Hoshino turned and quietly left the hospital. Akasha had already gone back to the hotel to rest.
The San Francisco sky at 6 a.m. was unusually gray. Though the sun should've been rising, the air around Hoshino felt even colder than it had at 4 a.m. the night before.
"So duels don't always bring smiles, huh… So battles are just destined to end in sacrifice."
She looked up at the bleak sky and muttered, slowly coming to terms with sothing she hadn't wanted to admit—that ever since Duelist Kingdom, her path had been lined with battles ending in loss.
"No… That's not true. Even duels that end in sacrifice can still bring smiles… if you're fighting to protect sothing worth dying for."
Suddenly, a cheerful voice called out from behind her—familiar, and yet sohow distant.
"You taught that, rember? That a true duel is about enjoying the fight and giving it your all so you can smile without regrets. Sensei…"
Before her stood a young man in a red school uniform, wearing the sa Duel Disk she once used—a Duel Disk from the future.
That unmistakable, jellyfish-like hairstyle left no room for doubt.
"You… You're… Jaden Yuki?"
(*****)
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