Chapter 159

"Marik?!"

Upon hearing that name, Hoshino immediately became alert.

"The Rare Hunters and Marik…" Although she was on guard, Hoshino still found it hard to believe as she stared at the seemingly harmless blonde little girl in front of her.

"No way, this little girl is a Rare Hunter?" Mokuba, also in disbelief, stroked his chin as he observed Akasha.

With her delicate yet slightly childish face and height shorter than Mokuba by half a head, Akasha seemed even younger than him.

"But since she mentioned Marik, there's no mistaking it!" Hoshino's gaze grew more serious, confirming Akasha's identity.

There was no way this cute little girl would suddenly show up and pretend to be a member of the Rare Hunters as a prank.

Moreover, the name "Marik" wasn't something ordinary people would know.

"So, will you duel with me, Hoshino Chiyuki-nee?" Akasha's soft and timid demeanor showed no signs of the dominance one would expect from a Rare Hunter.

"Of course! I never turn down a duel!" Without hesitation, Hoshino activated her Duel Disk. After realizing Akasha's true intent, Hoshino no longer viewed her as just an ordinary blonde little girl.

No matter how cute she was, the girl in front of her was a notorious Rare Hunter.

As the Duel Disk emitted a crisp, pleasant mechanical sound, Hoshino retrieved her deck from her waist.

But unlike before, this time the deck was drawn from a box where her side deck was usually stored.

"I recently built a deck that's perfect for dueling you. Let's see how it performs!" As Hoshino inserted her deck into the Duel Disk, colorful lights flickered on its screen.

"Is it really okay to use a new deck in this situation?" Mokuba asked with concern. In his understanding, a new deck usually needed numerous battles and adjustments before becoming solid.

But Hoshino had no such luxury.

In fact, Hoshino's deck was constantly evolving and reshaping itself with every new card draw. Every duel was an opportunity to explore the deck's possibilities.

And it was precisely this endless potential that had brought her to this point.

"Besides, we're dealing with the Rare Hunters here, right? Until we defeat Marik and retrieve the stolen God Cards, the less we expose about our main deck, the better, right?"

"Hoshino-nee can use any deck she likes. You won't be able to beat Akasha either way," Akasha said, her words filled with confidence and arrogance despite her soft tone.

"Oh, how interesting!" Although Hoshino had dueled countless children, it was her first time hearing such bold words from someone so young.

[Hoshino Chiyuki vs. Akasha]

"Let the duel begin!"

"I'll take the first turn, my draw!" Even though her opponent was a member of the Rare Hunters, Hoshino didn't feel the need to fight over the first move with this little girl.

"I summon the monster [Lemon Magician Girl] in Attack Position!" Akasha's childlike voice and small frame looked completely mismatched with the enormous Duel Disk on her arm.

But just like someone with vast experience in dueling, Akasha's actions were smooth and practiced.

The Duel Disk responded to Akasha's command, glowing softly as she placed her card.

[Lemon Magician Girl ★★ (2 Stars)][LIGHT] [Spellcaster/Effect][ATK: 800 / DEF: 600]

"Hey~" A tiny wizard dressed in a yellow pointed hat materialized, fluttering in front of Akasha.

"Summoning a weak monster in attack mode… Is this little girl really a strong duelist?" Mokuba raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with doubt.

Such a move was typical of beginners who had just started playing Duel Monsters. Based on her appearance, Akasha definitely seemed to fit the profile of a child new to dueling.

"And now, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Perhaps intimidated by Mokuba's suspicious gaze, Akasha hastily inserted two cards into her Duel Disk, quickly ending her turn.

Akasha's remaining hand: 3 cards

"What an adorable monster you've summoned, Akasha~" Hoshino, sensing Akasha's nervousness after Mokuba's scrutiny, spoke up to calm her down a bit.

"But don't worry, my monster won't lose in cuteness either! My turn, draw!"

Scanning her hand, Hoshino's lips curled into a smile, and she quickly selected a card to place on her Duel Disk.

"I summon [The Tale of Lilies] in Attack Position!"

[The Tale of Lilies ★][LIGHT] [Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 100 / DEF 400]

An elegant, ornate book opened its richly illustrated pages, materializing in front of Hoshino.

"Summoning a monster with 100 attack points in attack mode as well..." Mokuba couldn't help but comment again. He had thought Akasha's move was weak, but Hoshino summoned a book with no battle prowess whatsoever.

"Hoshino, you're not going easy on her because she's cute, are you?" This childlike opening made Mokuba struggle to believe that this was the same Hoshino who had just faced an Evil God.

"Don't worry, Mokuba. I never take any duel lightly. You can ask the kids over at Kame Shop if you don't believe me," Hoshino said with complete sincerity. Even when facing children, she could defeat them in the most brutal ways possible.

"Besides, I have a lot of faith in this new deck~" With that, Hoshino waved her right hand forward. "I activate the special effect of [The Tale of Lilies]!"

[Effect: By releasing this card on the field, you can Special Summon 1 [Lily] monster from your hand or deck.]

"Thanks to the effect of the book, I'll Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Artoria Pendragon Lily] from my deck!" Drawing the chosen card from her deck, Hoshino replaced the magical book with it.

"And I also activate Artoria Lily's effect: when she is Special Summoned, I can add 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster to my hand!"

Hoshino swiftly and skillfully searched for another card.

"I'm adding [Heroic Spirit - Nursery Rhyme] to my hand!"

"Are you ready, Akasha? Let's have a duel straight out of a dream!"

[Heroic Spirit - Artoria Pendragon Lily ★★★★ (4-stars)][LIGHT][Dragon/Effect][ATK 1200 / DEF 800]

[When this card is Special Summoned, you can activate this effect: add 1 monster with [Heroic Spirit] in its name from your deck to your hand.]

"Next, I activate the special effect of [Heroic Spirit - Nursery Rhyme], which was added to my hand due to an effect!" Twirling the card between her fingers, Hoshino flipped the Heroic Spirit card over to show it.

[①: If there is a [Lily] monster on your field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.]

"Let the tea party of dreams begin! I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Nursery Rhyme] in attack mode!"

After placing the card on her Duel Disk, it was as if countless fairy tale toys bloomed into existence before Hoshino, scattering all around her.

[Heroic Spirit - Nursery Rhyme ★★★★ (4 Stars)][DARK][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 800 / DEF 800]

[This card is also treated as a [Lily] card.]

From the pile of tiny toys, the small body of Nursery Rhyme emerged.

"Hehehe, this is so much fun, Master!" Nursery Rhyme's voice was as clear as silver bells, her eyes shining as she looked at this new world. "To be summoned so quickly and be able to play with Master and the other kids – this world is wonderful!"

"Is this a new member of the Children's Kingdom? Welcome to the Children's Kingdom!" Nursery Rhyme, after surveying her surroundings, noticed the figure of Saber Lily holding a golden sword nearby.

"Uh..." Saber Lily, caught off guard, blushed slightly before nodding her head softly. "I'm Saber Lily, an apprentice knight. Although I'm no longer a child, I still have many areas where I fall short, so for now, I'm still a 'Lily.'"

"As long as you're a 'Lily,' you can join the Children's Kingdom without any conditions! Will Saber Lily join us too? The Children's Kingdom is full of joy!"

"Um, okay." Saber Lily, not knowing how to respond to Nursery Rhyme's pure and innocent smile, blushed and quietly agreed.

"Alright, Nursery Rhyme, enough chit-chat. We're still in the middle of a duel!" Cutting off Nursery Rhyme's endless chatter, Hoshino thought to herself that it was typical of this Heroic Spirit, representing fairy tales, to be able to talk endlessly if not stopped.

"Hoshino-nee, your monsters are all so interesting," Akasha, amused by the interaction between the two Lilies, chimed in. "I'm really jealous of Hoshino-nee's cards. Unlike Akasha's cards, which were all given by Marik-nii, mine have no soul." Akasha's smile faltered slightly, tinged with sadness.

"Cards without soul?" Hoshino, puzzled, tilted her head and looked at Akasha's field, where the Lemon Magician Girl floated. "I think that monster suits you quite well, Akasha."

"But I won't hold back!" Though unclear on what Akasha meant, Hoshino wasn't about to hesitate during the duel.

"Unfold the fairy tale book, Nursery Rhyme. Let's recreate the kingdom of dreams!" Waving her hand forward, Hoshino activated Nursery Rhyme's special effect.

[②: If this card is Special Summoned, you can add 1 Spell card with [Heroic Spirit] or [Lily] in its text from your Deck to your hand.]

"Thanks to Nursery Rhyme's effect, I'm adding this Spell card to my hand!" Hoshino swiftly drew out the card she had searched for and then unfolded the field zone on her Duel Disk for the first time.

The field zone on a Duel Disk usually remained hidden and was only revealed when a Field Spell was needed.

"Field Spell [Wonderland]!"

As soon as Hoshino placed the Field Spell in the special slot of her Duel Disk, the Duel Disk responded by emitting bright holographic projections.

"Rise, this kingdom of dreams!" With the activation of the Field Spell, the surrounding environment changed. What was once an ordinary street near a park transformed into a row of small, charmingly decorated houses. The simple street now had a more dreamy and whimsical feel thanks to the spell's influence.

"According to the effect of the Field Spell [Wonderland], the ATK and DEF of all Lily monsters on the field increase by 300."

[Saber Lily ATK: 1200 → 1500]

[Nursery Rhyme ATK: 800 → 1100]

"I'm so happy, so happy to be in the Children's Kingdom~!" Nursery Rhyme started joyfully running around the now-familiar field.

"Hoshino, even with the Field Spell's boost, these two monsters don't have very high attack power," Mokuba noted, a little concerned. Although Hoshino's chain of moves was impressive, the strongest monster on her field, Saber Lily, only had 1500 ATK. A monster with that kind of strength wouldn't be able to launch any significant attacks against a more powerful opponent.

Of course, fortunately, the opponent's monster was even weaker.

"Hold on, Nursery Rhyme! We're entering battle!" With her field set up, Hoshino wasted no time in transitioning to the battle phase.

"Nursery Rhyme, destroy Lemon Magician Girl!"

"Yes, Master!" Nursery Rhyme, stopping her playful run, obediently opened the book in her hands. Much like Andersen, Nursery Rhyme fought using the power of the book, though she didn't need to write anything herself.

"Let's play together, let's be even happier!" With a wave of magic from the book, an ice block materialized and was hurled mercilessly toward the Lemon Magician Girl.

There was something unsettling about a little girl happily shouting, "Let's play," while blasting the opponent to pieces, Hoshino mused.

"Uh, ah, I activate my face-down Trap Card!" Although Akasha appeared flustered from the attack, she still managed to precisely press the activation button on her Duel Disk.

[Mirror Force Trap Card Effect: ①: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can activate this card. Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.]

Due to the activation of the trap, a transparent blue barrier appeared in front of Akasha, blocking Nursery Rhyme's ice block.

"Akasha, you're really something, activating a powerful trap..." In Hoshino's experience, anyone who activated this trap usually did so with a smug attitude, waiting for their opponent's monsters to be wiped out (She's talking about Yugi!).

"But I'm sorry, that trap won't work on me!" A confident smile appeared on Hoshino's face as she stared at the barrier that had blocked Nursery Rhyme's attack.

Soon after, the barrier that should have reflected Nursery Rhyme's attack began to crack.

(*****)

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