"Nobu, I accept your will! I activate my set Trap Card!"
Having successfully clung to her final 100 Life Points—like a candle flickering in the wind—Hoshino flipped over the last set card amid the nearly suffocating tension gripping everyone present.
"—Holy Maiden Leading Chaldea!"
[Holy Maiden Leading Chaldea Trap Card Effect:
Can only be activated when you take 2000 or more damage.
Special Summon as many Level 4 or lower 'Heroic Spirit' monsters from your Graveyard to your field as possible.
Monsters Special Summoned by this effect are sent to the Graveyard during your next End Phase.]
"This flame that incinerated Fallen Paradise—the endlessly extending road of fire—is the path to victory! By the effect of Guided by the Heroic Spirits, I Special Summon all Level 4 or lower Heroic Spirits from my Graveyard!"
Within the raging flames of Burning Honnō-ji, twin beams of resummoning light rose up, standing before Hoshino and cutting off the chaotic darkness ahead.
"Answer my call—Saber Lily, Marie—!"
"T-This is…?"
The desperate duel within the flames—that familiar scene—stirred Akasha's memories. A powerful sense of déjà vu surged into her mind.
"Don't you think… Hoshino-nee kind of looks like her old self again?"
"You mean Hoshino's returned to how she was before?"
Jonouchi suddenly realized it as well. The Hoshino dueling amid the flames now truly felt far closer to how she had been seven years ago.
"Could it be that the Sacred Beasts didn't just drain Kagemaru and the Duel Spirits of their life force… but even Hoshino herself…?"
"After having her life force drained, her body actually returned to its original state?"
Akasha recalled what Hoshino had said at the start of the duel—that she was wagering her very life. She never expected it to truly come to pass.
Across the flames, Kagemaru looked at the summoning beams on Hoshino's field and smiled confidently.
"Trying to summon walls to block my attack? Don't forget—because the Continuous Trap All-Out Attacks is still on the field, all Special Summoned monsters must be in Attack Position!"
[Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily ATK 1200]
[Heroic Spirit – Marie Antoinette ATK 1000]
"And with such pitiful ATK values, do you really think they can stop the next attack?!"
[Necroface ATK 1800]
"You've already used all your set cards! That single Life Point of yours can't be saved anymore! Battle Phase continues—!"
Only one step away from final victory, Kagemaru's excitement was impossible to hide—even though his life force had already been drained by the Chaos Phantasm.
"In the end, victory is still mine! Necroface, attack Artoria!"
"You call that final victory? That kind of thing is never decided until the very last moment!"
Hoshino drew out a card shining with pure white holy light between her fingers, scattering gentle energy through the blazing flames.
"Because Artoria Lily was Special Summoned, I can add one 'Heroic Spirit' monster from my Deck to my hand! And the card I add is—Heroic Spirit – Irisviel von Einzbern!"
Materializing in a pure white sacred garment, Irisviel fused love, motherhood, and the Holy Grail together, allowing a sincere and pristine prayer to be realized.
"The power of longing is immense. O pure white Holy Grail—sing!"
A soothing, healing radiance capable of calming anxious hearts spread across the land, projected from the image of the Holy Grail at Irisviel's chest.
Even the unease among the academy's students—born from the Chaos Phantasm's descent and the world's plunge into darkness—seemed to be eased by this maternal light.
"Madam, I love you!"
"It's just a Chaos Phantasm—what's there to be afraid of?!"
"Hang in there, Headmistress—you have to win!"
"This world won't lose to something like that!"
Pointing her card toward Kagemaru, Hoshino declared her counterattack.
"Do you see it? The speed at which hope is passed along will always surpass darkness! To create a radiant future for duelists—that is the reason this academy exists!"
"But if you lose here, then the meaning of the academy—and even this world—will cease to exist!"
Commanding Necroface to continue its assault, grotesque, writhing tentacles extended from the monster's head and lashed toward Saber Lily.
"—I activate the special effect of Heroic Spirit – Irisviel von Einzbern from my hand!"
[Discard this card from your hand and target 1 'Heroic Spirit' monster you control.
Until the end of this turn, that monster's ATK increases by 1000 and is unaffected by the effects of cards other than itself and this card.]
"Master, the Holy Sword, and I—we will not lose here!"
Artoria Lily gripped the golden holy sword in her hands. Its brilliant radiance intertwined with the pure white light of Irisviel's Holy Grail.
Irisviel: "Young yet victorious king—raise your voice and proclaim the true name of the miracle you hold in your hands!"
[Artoria Lily ATK 1200 → 2200]
"—Sever evil! 'Caliburn!'"
The golden energy released from the blade's tip pierced straight through Necroface's head. With her ATK surpassing Necroface's through Irisviel's effect, Artoria Lily succeeded in cutting down the evil before her at the critical moment.
[Necroface is destroyed]
[Kagemaru LP 1700 → 1300]
"I told you—the outcome won't be decided until the very last moment. Come on!"
"So you barely survived the Chaos Phantasm's attack—then what about this?!"
Ending the Battle Phase, Kagemaru immediately placed the card he had drawn this turn onto his Duel Disk.
"Continuous Spell Card—Null-Vision Rashomon!"
From the Continuous Spell Card Kagemaru activated, chaotic energy poured forth, wrapping around the gigantic Armityle the Chaos Phantasm and forming a dark barrier that was nearly impossible to break through.
"As long as this Continuous Spell remains on the field, neither this card nor Armityle the Chaos Phantasm on the field will be affected by your card effects. Furthermore, Armityle the Chaos Phantasm's effect that increases its ATK is changed to increasing its ATK by 10,000 points every turn!"
"Mamma mia! Gaining ten thousand ATK every turn—how are you even supposed to fight that?!"
Feeling his entire worldview shatter, Crowler had never before witnessed a Duel Monster on this level.
While other monsters were still increasing their ATK by hundreds or thousands at a time, the terrifying Chaos Phantasm before them was already skyrocketing in units of ten thousand.
"The power of the Sacred Beasts is invincible—devour the entire world!"
The chaotic darkness in the sky deepened even further, darker than it had been just a second earlier. The exponentially expanding power of the Chaos Phantasm greedily drained the life force of Duel Spirits across the entire world.
"No matter how you struggle, next turn will be the end of both you and this world, Hoshino!"
Lowering his Duel Disk, Kagemaru ended this long turn—one that filled the entire world with fear.
(***)
Red Dorm Warehouse—
"(ﾟ△ﾟ;ﾉ)ﾉ I-I'm disappearing, I'm disappearing! My whole body is turning transparent…"
Having her life force mercilessly siphoned away by the distant Chaos Phantasm, the Dark Magician Girl hiding in the Red Dorm warehouse was on the verge of tears.
"Mana… I don't think I can hold on any longer this time."
"I won't let you disappear—please, hang on!"
Tightly embracing the Dark Magician Girl's fading body, Mana prayed with all her heart.
"Please… protect this world. Protect the world Mana loves most, and the smiles of the spirits. Please, Hoshino… Prince!"
(***)
"…What a headache. I barely survived that turn, but I have to admit—this Beast is truly troublesome."
Kagemaru's Continuous Spell had undeniably pushed the Sacred Beast's offense and resistance to their absolute limits.
Resting her fingertips on the Duel Disk, Hoshino gently closed her eyes, feeling the chaotic energy flowing around her body as she searched for a way to break through this predicament with her rapidly dwindling resources.
"Hoshino."
A gentle, familiar voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
"This voice… Yugi—no, not Yugi… the other Yugi. Atem?"
The Pyramid of Light on Hoshino's chest softly shimmered with a pale blue radiance.
The artifacts symbolizing the King of Light and the King of Darkness—the Pyramid of Light and the Millennium Puzzle—briefly connected distant souls at that moment.
Her consciousness was drawn into a vast, empty space, where the Pharaoh she hadn't seen in a long time seemed to have been waiting all along.
"Why are you here, Yugi? Or should I ask—where is this place?"
"If I had to explain," Atem said solemnly, "this is a space born from the intersection of the Millennium Puzzle and the Pyramid of Light."
"By all logic, the pyramids of light and darkness should never intersect. But the chaos filling the world right now has fused light and darkness together, creating this chaotic space."
"A space of chaos… how fascinating," Hoshino murmured, observing the surroundings as they shifted between black and white.
Atem smiled gently. "It's been a few years since we last met, hasn't it? Aibo is always busy with work—there's hardly any chance to catch up."
"I'd love to catch up too, but now isn't the time!" Hoshino waved her hands frantically. "The world is filled with chaos because of the Three Sacred Beasts—"
"I know," Atem replied calmly. "The world has fallen into crisis once again, just like during the Dartz incident."
"Huh? You already knew, Atem?"
"Then let's duel—just like old times!"
Atem spread his Duel Disk, his cloak billowing behind him as he assumed a battle stance.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?! I told you there's no time for this!" Hoshino complained.
Ignoring her, Atem casually drew his opening hand—and then burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! This is incredible… Hoshino, take a look."
He revealed his five cards. The Winged Dragon of Ra, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Obelisk the Tormentor—three God Cards—all appeared in his opening hand.
"Even if you draw the Gods, you can't summon them like that, Yugi. This is a classic bricked hand."
Others draw godly hands—you draw actual gods. Who could survive that?
Atem nodded. "That's right. The God Cards are powerful, but having them alone doesn't guarantee victory. The power of the gods always depends on the duelist's heart."
"Do you remember what we once discussed? What the God Cards represent in Duel Monsters?"
He looked at the three cards in his hand. "Status, dignity, and absolute power."
Hoshino added, "The unknown, mystery, and the meaning of existence."
After the KC Grand Prix, Atem and Hoshino had seriously discussed when the God Cards should be used. The clash of divine power during that final battle had shattered space itself, twisted time, and opened an Ultimate Shadow Game—no one could guarantee such a thing wouldn't happen again.
That was why, for most of the time afterward, neither of them kept the God Cards in their decks.
"But now is the time to truly wield divine power, Hoshino! You—who never fell even before the Three Egyptian Gods—have no reason to lose to a Chaos Phantasm!"
Selecting one card from his hand, Atem handed it to Hoshino. At the same time, the Pyramid of Light began flashing rhythmically, as if responding to a special signal.
"Yugi…?"
"Go, Hoshino!" Atem encouraged her with resolute eyes. "Just like when you shattered the darkness of Orichalcos—free this planet from darkness once again!"
Her consciousness slowly withdrew from the chaotic space, and the Pharaoh's figure grew increasingly indistinct.
Before disappearing, he added softly, "But this time, without Kaiba and me fighting by your side… won't you feel a little lonely, Hoshino?"
"Lonely…?"
"Hoshino!"
"Hoshino-nee!"
"Sensei!"
"Senpai!"
"Headmistress!"
"Aibo!!"
"Not at all!"
Back on the battlefield, Hoshino opened her eyes once more, now holding the final divine power in her hand.
"I was never fighting alone! Behind me are my friends, my students, and the people I must protect!"
["We made it just in time, aibo. It's ready!"]
"Perfect timing!"
Her left hand, wearing the Duel Disk, tightly grasped the Pyramid of Light on her chest, while her right hand plunged into the dazzling radiance bursting through the darkness.
"My turn—draw!!"
"It's useless! No matter what monster you draw, you can't defeat the strongest Sacred Beast!"
"It's not a monster—it's a god!"
The card drawn from that blinding light—the card drawn from Atem's hand, from the space where light and darkness intertwined—was the final divine power Hoshino now wielded.
"I activate the Spell Card—The Golden Apple!"
[The Golden Apple Spell Card Effect:
Recover 2000 Life Points.
Then add 1 Divine-Attribute monster from your Deck to your hand.]
"What?! A card that searches a Divine-Attribute monster?!" Kagemaru exclaimed in shock.
"Watch closely! The card I add to my hand is—The Wicked Avatar!"