Chapter 179

"Go, Jekyll!"

[Heroic Spirit - Jekyll ★★★★(4-star)][LIGHT][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1350/DEF 800]

"Yes, Master!" As soon as the card was placed, Jekyll's figure leaped out to block the long spear of the Beast King, which was wrapped in spiraling energy, for Hoshino.

But as expected, the spear with 3000 ATK easily pierced through Jekyll's body.

"My full strength could only block this one attack for you, Master. The rest is up to you, Hyde..."

[Heroic Spirit - Jekyll] is destroyed.

"Hmph, a desperate defense, huh?" Yako, seeing his attack blocked, seemed even more excited.

"Since a monster has been destroyed, offer this pure, unblemished soul to Lord Pegasus!"

The spiraling energy on the spear pierced Jekyll's body, and just like when Boudica was destroyed, it passed through Hoshino's body.

"Ugh..." Hoshino clenched her teeth, her red eyes squinting shut from the pain of having part of her soul torn away. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this feeling."

It felt as though part of her body was being ripped away. Though there were no visible wounds, the pain in her soul made it feel all too real.

"Hoshino-chan, are you okay?" Da Vinci asked, her face full of concern.

"I'm fine. I've already set up my next move. Even if my monster's effects are sealed, I won't let Yako win so easily," Hoshino said, regaining her composure and sending Jekyll's card to the graveyard.

"Hoshino-chan, you know I wasn't asking about the duel, right? I'm asking if your body can handle this."

"..."

Hoshino fell silent, not knowing if her soul could truly withstand the strain. But no matter what, there was no turning back now.

"My turn ends." Yako finished his turn without further action.

Yako's remaining hand: 3 cards.

"At the start of my turn, I activate the special effect of [Heroic Spirit - Jekyll] from the graveyard!"

[When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, during your next Standby Phase, you can special summon one [Heroic Spirit – Hyde] from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.]

Since Skill Drain only affects face-up monsters on the field, effects activated from the graveyard aren't negated. This was why Hoshino chose to summon Jekyll.

"Ha ha ha ha!" A wild laugh rang out, rivaling Yako's.

"Go, special summon from the deck! [Heroic Spirit - Hyde]!"

[Heroic Spirit– Hyde ★★★★(4-star)][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1450/DEF 800]

[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of [Heroic Spirit – Jekyll].]

A crouching figure wielding a dagger materialized on Hoshino's field.

"This sensation... the feeling of having my power sealed..." Hyde looked at his hands, seemingly less manic than usual due to the effect of having his skills sealed.

"My turn, draw!"

"Hoshino-chan, if the effects of your monster are sealed, you'll have to summon a high-level monster to win through brute force!"

"Exactly what I'm planning, Da Vinci-chan!" Hoshino confidently replied, playing a card from her hand.

"I activate the spell card [Voyage of the Flowers]!"

[Voyage of the Flowers – Spell Card Effect: You can only activate one card with this name per turn. Special Summon one [Heroic Spirit - Artoria Pendragon (Lily)] from your hand or deck.]

"With the effect of this card, I special summon [Heroic Spirit - Artoria Pendragon (Lily)] from my deck!"

As Hoshino placed the Lily card on her Duel Disk, a pure flower bloomed on the battlefield, bringing a touch of life to the dark environment.

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

"Good to see you again, Master!" Lily, who had been frequently summoned since becoming a Duel card, was in high spirits.

"Which Heroic Spirit will we be summoning this time? I'm ready!" She raised her golden sword, eager to fight.

"Lily, this time we won't be summoning any Heroic Spirit..."

"Huh? Why not?" Lily, still not grasping the situation, didn't realize her skills had been negated.

Refusing to believe it, Lily tried calling out, "Merlin, come to my side!"

No response.

"Even Merlin won't come... looks like Master was telling the truth." Lowering her golden sword, Lily quickly accepted the reality.

So Merlin is the kind of guy who responds every time he's called?

"Even though your effects are sealed, I still need your power!"

Hoshino drew another card from her hand, and a brilliant light spread from the two monsters on the field.

"If I can't win with effects, I'll rely on raw power! I tribute Lily and Hyde to summon a higher-level monster!"

With a dramatic flair, Hoshino slammed the card onto her Duel Disk, making a crisp sound.

"[Heroic Spirit- Okita Sōji]!"

"Ahhh! We've almost reached Chapter 200! Even the third arc has already begun! But Okita is not Summon for a hundred chapters, And to make things worse, Nobu already got her big moment!"

A voice full of complaints rang out from within the gathering green light.

[Heroic Spirit-Okita Souji★★★★★★★ (7-star)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 2000]

"Okita-san, making her triumphant return as the winner of Chaldea's Most Moving Award!"

"Wow, is this a brand-new monster for Hoshino-nee?" Akasha exclaimed excitedly.

"It seems like it. I've never seen Hoshino use this one before," Mokuba mused, stroking his chin.

"It must be a new Heroic Spirit card. I wonder how strong it is." Kaiba, with uncharacteristic confidence, gave his assessment.

"Okita-san was Master's first SSR, you know! Why are you all acting like she's a new character?!" Okita indignantly questioned the three spectators.

Well, it's their first time seeing you in action, so they're naturally excited.

"Don't sweat the small stuff, Okita. Just show them what you're made of!"

"Hmph, of course, Master!" Okita said eagerly, drawing her sword, Kiku-ichimonji, with a look of anticipation.

"For some reason, I'm feeling particularly good right now, as if I could attack multiple times without coughing up blood!"

Okita gained the Weakness effect, but thanks to Skill Drain being in play, her weakness was negated, leaving her feeling surprisingly healthy.

"It seems that way..."

"Go, Okita, attack Axe Dragonute!"

Although her attack power didn't match the Beast King Barbaros on Yako's field, Okita's attack power was more than enough to take down the Axe Dragonute.

"Got it, Master!" With a light step on the ground, Okita's figure disappeared for only a fraction of a second before reappearing behind the Axe Dragonute.

"Take this, the Okita-ryu assassination sword!" Her strike was cold and emotionless, like a true assassin — clean and precise.

So your true identity is Assassin, isn't it?

[Axe Dragonute] destroyed

[Tenma Yako LP 3000 → 2500]

"Master!" After destroying the opponent's monster, Okita shouted excitedly, "Really! I didn't cough up blood! Okita's tuberculosis is truly cured!"

"Let's just say it is…" Seeing Okita's expression of surprise, as if she had been reborn, Hoshino couldn't bear to tell her that her debuff had merely been negated temporarily.

"But Yako, according to the rules of the Shadow Game, your soul must be severed as well!"

Although tearing away someone's soul seemed cruel, Hoshino, who believed in retribution, didn't care about such trivial matters.

The white wind swirling around Okita's blade swept toward Yako, piercing through his body without any resistance.

"What… is this?!" Okita, shocked, stared blankly at the magic flowing freely from her blade and Yako's pained expression.

"Is this a new ability Okita-san mastered after overcoming her sickness? Automatic attacks are so cool!!"

"No, no, no, it has nothing to do with that." Hoshino waved her hand, cutting off Okita's fantasy.

"Haha, this is exhilarating. Offering my soul for Lord Pegasus's resurrection is my greatest wish!" Despite the immense pain caused by his soul being ripped apart, Yako's obsession with Pegasus made him fearless.

"This situation seems tricky, Da Vinci-chan." Hoshino gulped nervously at Yako's crazed remarks. "It's not the smart enemies that are scary, it's the ones with nothing to lose."

"Can that soul vessel bring back Pegasus?" Da Vinci looked up at the increasingly intense color of the transparent container, her tone filled with doubt. "We don't even know if Pegasus is alive or dead…"

"No matter what Yako's final goal is, all we can do now is give it our all!"

With that, Hoshino inserted another set card into her duel disk.

"I'll set one card and end my turn!"

Hoshino's remaining hand: 1 card, two set cards on the field

"My turn, draw!"

Glancing at the card he drew, Yako sneered, "Heh, I've drawn a good one. I activate the Spell Card, [Graceful Charity]!"

"After drawing three cards, I discard two from my hand."

"Is this card in everyone's deck?" Hoshino began to doubt the words spoken by Yuta when he gave her this card. "Didn't he say this was a rare card?"

But Hoshino couldn't deny that the legendary banned card was indeed incredibly useful.

After reorganizing his hand, Yako casually tossed out a monster card. "I summon [Enraged Battle Ox] from my hand!"

[Enraged Battle Ox ★★★★ (4-Star)][EARTH][Beast-Warrior/Effect][ATK 1700/DEF 1000]

Just as its name suggested, the Enraged Battle Ox was an aggressive beast-warrior, snorting heavily from its large nostrils as it appeared on Yako's battlefield.

"Finally, I'll activate the special effect of [Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür] from my hand!"

[This card can be Special Summoned from your hand by banishing 1 Beast-Warrior monster and 1 Machine monster from your field, hand, or graveyard.]

"I banish the [Machine Lord Ür] and [Caninetaur] I sent to the graveyard earlier with Graceful Charity. Come forth, my strongest beast god — Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür!"

Energy flowed from Yako's graveyard, combining the power of machinery and beasts. The mechanized version of the Beast God, towering over the battlefield, appeared.

[Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür ★★★★★★★★ (8-Star)][EARTH][Beast-Warrior/Effect][ATK 3800/DEF 1200]

[If this card attacks or is attacked, your opponent takes no battle damage. (This effect has been negated by Skill Drain.)]

"3,800 attack power…" Mokuba and Kaiba, watching the battle, spoke in unison as they witnessed the terrifying presence of Barbaros Ür, whose attack power even surpassed that of Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Da Vinci, closely analyzing the towering mechanical beast, quietly stated, "Normally, this card wouldn't deal any damage, but since its drawback has also been negated, it's now just a strong monster with an overwhelming 3,800 attack points."

"So, Hoshino-chan, how will you deal with it?"

"Don't worry, Da Vinci-chan, I've got a strategy!" Hoshino forced a smile, gripping her remaining card tightly.

"Attack, Beast King Barbaros Destroy Okita Sōji!"

Yako, having given the attack command, opted not to use his strongest monster, instead choosing the safer option of the 3,000 ATK Barbaros.

"Hah, you've fallen for it, Yako!" Watching the white-swirling spear rush toward her, Hoshino smirked as she pressed the activation button for her set card.

"Let me show you the Okita-style battle tactic! Quick-Play Spell, [Firefly's Flame of Integrity]!"

[Firefly's Flame of Integrity Quick-Play Spell effect: This card can only be activated if you target 1 [Heroic Spirit – Okita Sōji] on your field. That monster returns to your hand, and then you reveal the top 3 cards of your deck. Add 2 of those cards to your hand, then return the remaining card to your deck.]

"She fled!" The three spectators in the audience were wide-eyed, never expecting that Hoshino's so-called tactic was to return her monster to her hand. "Can that even be called a strategy?!"

"Sometimes, retreating is the key to victory. Okita-san knows that very well!" Hoshino replied confidently, though the truth was that Okita, seeing the fast-approaching spear, had panicked and retreated to the safety of Hoshino's hand.

"Staying in Master's hand is much cozier, after all, ~" (contented expression)

"Are you joking? With an empty field, are you just going to surrender?"

"The word surrender doesn't exist in my dictionary!" Raising her hand, Hoshino activated her new set card.

"This is the light that repels all darkness!"

(*****)

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