"Let's go! Fusion Summon—Magical Girl – Cú Chulainn Illya!"
[Magical Girl – Cú Chulainn Illya★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)] [WIND] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2000 / DEF 1600]
Wielding her spear, Illya took a combat stance.
"Ugh, I just had a few days off, and now I'm already on overti again? I kinda envy Okita—she just gets to lie comfortably in the graveyard."
Illya, that's not quite right. While Okita does lie around in the graveyard a lot, her attendance rate is actually pretty high... I an, she's already putting in work from the very start of the duel, sitting snugly in Hoshino's hand.
"Ti to attack, Illya! Pierce the heart of that HERO with your spear!"
As the Battle Phase began, Hoshino didn't hesitate to declare an attack on Blazeman, completely ignoring the possibility of Jaden using Honest Neos.
"If you want to use Honest Neos' effect, you'd better hurry, Jaden~"
Jaden responded, "Sensei, you're trying to bait into activating it, huh? But that little smirk of yours gives it away. There's no way I wouldn't know about Illya—you use her all the ti."
[1: This card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects during the turn it is Summoned. You take no battle damage from battles involving this card.]
[2: Once per turn, at the end of the Damage Step, if this card battled but did not destroy that opponent's monster by battle: You can send that monster to the GY.]
"Even if I used Honest Neos to boost Blazeman's ATK to 3700, it still wouldn't stop Illya's effect. I fell for it once—I'm not making that mistake again."
Jaden made no move to counterattack, simply watching as Illya drove her crimson spear through Blazeman.
[Jaden Yuki LP: 4000 → 3200]
"Tch." Hoshino clicked her tongue in annoyance. She quickly realized that since her future self frequently used a Magical Girl deck, Jaden—who had spent three years at Duel Academy with her—would naturally know Illya's effects inside and out.
After Blazeman was sent to the Graveyard, Jaden flipped one of his set cards.
"Since Illya's effect didn't trigger, it counts as a regular battle destruction! Which ans I can activate my Trap—Hero Signal!"[Hero Signal – Trap Card Effect: When a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elental HERO" monster from your hand or Deck.]
A projection of the Hero Signal bead into the dim early morning sky above San Francisco.
"Answering the call of the Hero Signal—a new Elental HERO soars in! Special Summon—Elental HERO Stratos!"
A gust of wind swept through the field as a flying HERO replaced Blazeman.[Elental HERO Stratos ★★★★ (Level 4)] [WIND] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 1800 / DEF 300]
"Stratos's effect activates upon being Special Summoned—he lets add a 'HERO' monster from my Deck to my hand! I choose—Elental HERO Solid Soldier!"
Seeing the new HERO Jaden added, Hoshino remarked, "So many new Elental HEROes... This is getting interesting!"
And Jaden hadn't even used Fusion yet—the true power of the HEROes. That untapped potential was enough to get Hoshino fired up.
"In that case, the Magical Girl, as the predecessor of HEROes, can't fall behind! I return Phantasm Summoning from my Graveyard to the Deck to activate its effect!"
[Phantasm Summoning – Effect: Return this card from the Graveyard or banished zone to the Deck to activate. Send 1 "Phantasm Summoning Install" from your Deck to the Graveyard.]
"Using its effect, I send Phantasm Summoning Install from my Deck to the Graveyard. Finally, I set three cards face-down. Turn end!"
[Hoshino: 1 Hand Card]
Illya, nervously fidgeting with her spear, muttered,
"Eh? I'm really their predecessor? But the opponent looks so cool and mature..."
"Co on, Illya, be a little more confident! Who says grade schoolers can't be senpai?"
Since Pegasus supposedly got the idea for Elental HEROes from Hoshino's Magical Girl, it wasn't wrong to call Illya a forerunner of the HEROes.
"Well then, Sensei, that's enough warm-up. My turn—Draw!"
Jaden drew his card, and his expression suddenly turned serious.
Then sothing strange happened—his eyes began to change color.
"...Heterochromatic eyes? Jaden, you..."
Hoshino suddenly felt a strange but familiar power coming from Jaden—the sa odd sensation she felt from that evil god.
But unlike the Duel Monster spirit Evil God, Jaden was human. Eye color shifts like this weren't normal.
At that mont, the Evil God behind Hoshino smiled aningfully.
"Oho? Now this is fascinating. That brat over there actually fused a Duel Monster spirit into himself~"
"Fused... a Duel Monster spirit into himself? Wait—!"
No wonder the power coming from Jaden felt so familiar. Hoshino had just seen the spirit yesterday.
A demonic-looking but deeply devoted Duel Spirit—Yubel.
And sure enough, in the next mont, Yubel appeared behind Jaden just like the Evil God did behind Hoshino.
"To think you actually rged with Yubel... I don't know what happened, but Jaden, you're sothing else."
Jaden scratched his cheek awkwardly at the praise.
"Kinda feels like you're teasing , Sensei. If we're talking about 'amazing,' wouldn't that be you, with your Duel Spirits?"
After all, practically every Servant in Hoshino's deck could be considered a card spirit in this world. When it ca to spirit count, no one could compare to her.
"But that one behind you, Sensei, I've never seen before." Jaden pointed at the Evil God.
In his tiline, Hoshino had never obtained the Three Egyptian God Cards, so it made sense Jaden didn't recognize the Evil God.
Even so, the Evil God wasn't pleased and pouted.
"You brat—how dare you not know , the strongest of all Evil Gods?! You're walking a dangerous path!"
"As expected of Sensei's Spirit—still as overwhelming as ever! Then we can't afford to fall behind. Get ready, Yubel!"
"Hmph, we can't let them look down on us, Jaden!"
The gleam in his heterochromatic eyes grew sharper as Jaden drew a Spell Card from his hand and slid it into his Duel Disk.
"To defeat Sensei, I have to go all out—no holding back! This is the mont to show the peak strength that and my HEROes have built over the past three years! I activate the Spell Card—The Warrior Returning Alive!"
[The Warrior Returning Alive – Spell Card]
Effect: Target 1 Warrior monster in your GY; add that target to your hand.]
"With its effect, I add Elental HERO Shadow Mist from my Graveyard to my hand! Then, I Normal Summon Elental HERO Solid Soldier in Attack Position!"
The HERO retrieved by Stratos's effect in the previous turn, clad in thick silver-white armor, was promptly summoned to the field.[Elental HERO Solid Soldier ★★★★ (Level 4)] [EARTH] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 1300 / DEF 1100]
[Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "HERO" monster from your hand.]
"With Solid Soldier's effect, I Special Summon Elental HERO Shadow Mist, and activate her effect—"[Elental HERO Shadow Mist ★★★★ (Level 4)] [DARK] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 1000 / DEF 1500]
[Effect: If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Change" Quick-Play Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.]
After adding the Spell card through Shadow Mist's effect, Jaden inserted it directly into his Duel Disk.
"Justice, execute! Sotis, heroes hidden behind masks unleash even greater power! I activate the Quick-Play Spell—Mask Change!"[Mask Change – Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 "HERO" monster you control; send it to the GY, also, after that, if it left the field by this effect, Special Summon 1 "Masked HERO" monster from your Extra Deck with the sa Attribute that the sent monster had when it was on the field.]
"I send the EARTH-Attribute Solid Soldier to the Graveyard to Special Summon the Fusion Monster—Masked HERO Dian!"
From Solid Soldier, a dazzling, diamond-like form erged. With his identity hidden beneath a mask and a blue cape fluttering behind him, a brand-new Masked HERO took the stage.[Masked HERO Dian ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2800/DEF 3000]
[Must be Special Summoned with "Mask Change"]
[A masked hero of justice... It's like sothing straight out of Power Rangers! Too cool to be fair!]
Facing the new Masked HERO Fusion, Hoshino cautiously comnted,
"2800 ATK, huh... That's probably the strongest HERO monster I've seen so far."
"It's not over yet! Because Solid Soldier was sent to the Graveyard by a Spell Card effect, I can trigger his effect!"
[If this card is sent from the Monster Zone to the GY by a Spell effect: You can target 1 "HERO" monster in your GY, except "Elental HERO Solid Soldier"; Special Summon it in Defense Position.]
"I Special Summon Elental HERO Blazeman in Defense Position!"
[Blazeman DEF 1800]
By the ti Jaden snapped back into focus, four HERO monsters already stood on his field. Led by the strongest, Masked HERO, Jaden began his Battle Phase.
"Go, Masked HERO! Attack Sensei's Cú Chulainn Illya! Dian Impact!!"
The target was Illya. Even though Masked HERO had 800 more ATK, he'd be sent to the Graveyard after battle due to Illya's effect.
Clenching his fist, Jaden declared,
"Even if it ans sacrificing himself, Masked HERO will open the path for the rest of the HEROes!"
"Huh? Why are you making sound like the villain...?" Illya, a little flustered, stared at the incoming HERO. "I'm a magical girl of love and justice, you know... Shouldn't we be on the sa team...?"
"Illya, there's no good or evil in a duel—only victory or defeat!"
Hoshino flipped over one of her face-down cards, clearly not planning to let Illya go down in a one-for-one trade.
"—I activate the Continuous Trap Card: Class Card!"
[Class Card – Continuous Trap: When this card is activated: Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster (Warrior/DARK/Level 8/ATK 0/DEF 0). (This card is also still treated as a Trap Card.)]
Jaden, continuing his assault unfazed, responded confidently,
"Even if you summon a wall-like monster from a Trap Card, it won't stop my HEROes' onslaught!"
"Oh? Then how about this one?" Hoshino flipped over a second face-down card. "Trap Card—Escape from the Baker Street!"[Target monsters on the field, up to the number of face-up Trap Cards on the field; return them to the hand.]
Originally a card from the Hols deck, it ended up in Hoshino's possession after a wager duel where Hoshino Alter defeated Hols and took his entire deck.
"Since I have the face-up Continuous Trap Class Card on my field, I can return one monster to its owner's hand! I choose Masked HERO!"
Fusion Monsters summoned from the Extra Deck can't be returned to the hand—they return to the Extra Deck instead.
"Sensei, it's hard to find an opening against you... but this ti, I'm serious too. I activate my set Quick-Play Spell—Form Change!"[Target 1 "HERO" Fusion Monster you control; return it to the Extra Deck, then Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Masked HERO" monster with the sa Level as that monster's original Level, but with a different na.]
Following Mask Change, Jaden chained Form Change. Due to chain resolution rules, the last card activated resolves first.
"By chaining to your Trap, I return Masked HERO Dian to the Extra Deck first, then transform him into a new Masked HERO! Since your Trap loses its target, it fizzles!"
Dodging Escape from the Baker Street with Form Change, the leaping Masked HERO Dian shone under the light of justice—transforming into a new masked warrior.
"—Form Change! Special Summon in Attack Position—Masked HERO Acid!"[Masked HERO Acid ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][WATER][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2600/DEF 2100]
The second Masked HERO took the field—Acid, wielding a high-pressure acid blaster, already aiming at Hoshino's backrow the mont he landed.
"I activate Masked HERO Acid's effect! When he's Special Summoned, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls—and all their monsters lose 300 ATK!"
After the Form Change, Masked HERO Acid arguably had even more offensive power than before.
"Not only did you use a chain to dodge the trap, but you also summoned an even stronger Masked HERO? That was brilliant! But now I'll chain to Masked HERO Acid's effect too!"
Neither duelist willing to yield—both determined to press on, no matter the cost.
"I'll chain to Acid's effect with the activation of my Trap Card—Foreign Fusion!"
[Banish Fusion Materials listed for a "Heroic Spirit" Fusion Monster from your field or GY; Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster.]
Again, due to chain resolution, Foreign Fusion would resolve before Acid could destroy Hoshino's backrow.
Jaden raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"But Sensei, the only Heroic Spirit monster you have on the field is Cú Chulainn Illya, and there aren't any monsters in your Graveyard. Can you really perform a Fusion?"
"Who said I only had one Heroic Spirit monster? Watch closely, Jaden!"
Pointing at the Continuous Trap Card revealed earlier, Class Card, the card on Hoshino's field began spinning like a roulette wheel before stopping to reveal the final summoned Heroic Spirit.
Class – Shielder!!
"Class Card's effect: Once per turn, I can reveal one Heroic Spirit monster from my Deck, and until the end of the turn, this card is treated as having that na! And the one I revealed is—Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight!"
Jaden gave a wry smile.
"Aw man... It's Mash, huh…"
As Hoshino's strongest shield, even Jaden knew all too well how tough Mash was to break through.
"Now I have the required Fusion Materials on the field! Using the effect of Foreign Fusion, I banish Cú Chulainn Illya and Mash to Fusion Summon—Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus!"
[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus ★★★★★ (Level 5)][EARTH / Warrior / Fusion / Effect][ATK 1000 / DEF 2000]
[2 Warrior-Type "Heroic Spirit" monsters]
[If this card is Fusion Summoned using "Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight" as material: It cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects or by battle. Your opponent cannot target other monsters for attacks.]
"Spirit Core exoskeleton, all systems normal. Spirit Core synchronization rate stable at 60%. Pseudo-link established. Comncing combat!"
(*****)
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