Chapter 48

"Oh, I see, now I totally get it." After listening to Hoshino's explanation, Nobunaga, with her arms crossed confidently, replied with a full smile.

"There's no time to lose, let's get started right away." Hoshino slowly stood up, brushing off the grass from her pants.

"Great, we can finally duel!" Nobunaga jumped up excitedly. "But Master, where are we going to duel?"

"If I remember correctly, there should be a duelist arena nearby." Provided the system can perfectly replicate the entire Duelist Kingdom in this space, Hoshino thought to herself. Observing the surrounding grass carefully, she indeed found a large square area of grass that was noticeably different in color from its surroundings. The only explanation for this inconsistency was that a duelist arena was hidden beneath it!

"Since the arena is here, the activation button must be..." Hoshino walked around the edge of the square arena and found a red activation button hidden in the grass.

"Hey, I'm pressing it!" Without hesitation, Hoshino pressed it and waited quietly for the duelist arena to rise.

"Self-destruct sequence of the duelist arena initiated, countdown: 10, 9, 8..." A familiar synthesized voice, but with entirely unfamiliar lines.

"??" Hoshino was dumbfounded, listening to the emotionless synthesized voice counting down, her mind blank.

"4, 3, 2..." "Are you kidding me?!" As the countdown neared its end, Hoshino, realizing she couldn't dodge in time, hurriedly drew a handful of cards and threw them out. "It's decided, you guys, Nobu Multi-Layered Ring!"

Various Nobus materialized in front of Hoshino, forming a not-so-sturdy human wall that shielded her.

Although the Nobu's defense wasn't very high, fortunately, the duel arena hadn't risen, so the explosion occurred underground. By the time the force reached the surface, it had significantly dissipated, only scattering the Nobus in front of Hoshino.

The stunned Nobus reverted to cards and returned to Hoshino's hand.

"Wow! Master, that was amazing!" Watching Hoshino confidently press the self-destruct button and then skillfully form a shield with the Nobus to block the explosion, Nobunaga couldn't help but applaud. "So this is what a duel is about!"

"Absolutely not!" Hoshino turned her head, blushing and yelling angrily, "Did you not listen to any of my explanations just now? How does this look like a duel at all?"

"No wonder the staff in black uniforms always raise the arena during duels. It turns out that raising the arena is such a dangerous task." As Hoshino silently searched for a new arena, she complained in her heart, "Why is there a self-destruct button? What kind of maniac is Pegasus to design the duelist arena like this?"

"Finally found it." Unlike the dangerous-looking red button earlier, this blue button looked much safer and wasn't particularly hidden.

"This shouldn't cause any more problems." Nervously swallowing, Hoshino carefully pressed the blue button and immediately crouched to the side.

Watching the giant duel arena slowly rise from the ground, Hoshino finally breathed a sigh of relief. This time, nothing went wrong.

"So cool, this is the duel arena Master talked about, right?" Once the arena was raised, Nobunaga eagerly leaped onto it. "Oh no, I forgot to bring my deck! Master, quickly pass me my deck."

Seeing Nobunaga stretch out her hand for the deck like an innocent child, Hoshino smiled slightly, handed over the deck, and then quietly walked to the opposite side of the arena.

With the deck in hand, Nobunaga placed it on the table excitedly, waiting silently for the game to begin.

"Heh..." Watching Nobunaga place the deck on the table, Hoshino's lips curled into a barely noticeable, triumphant smile. "This rookie duelist really doesn't know to shuffle the deck. Before handing it to her, I put all the monster cards I used to block the explosion on top, with no supporting spell or trap cards."

"You'll be stuck drawing only monster cards in hell! Oda Nobunaga!"...

"It's time to duel, with Oda Nobunaga going first!"

"Ah, I go first? Alright!" Surprised to go first, Nobunaga took a deep breath and drew a card from her deck. "Let's see~" Nervously looking at her hand, Shin was confused. "I can only summon one monster per turn, right? Okay, I'll summon [Chariot Nobu] in attack position!"

Placing the card carefully on the table, the holographic sensor activated, projecting the image of Chariot Nobu onto the field.

[Chariot Nobu★★★★Earth][Machine/Effect][ATK: 1500 DEF : 1500]

"Nobu!" The roaring Chariot Nobu began running around the empty field.

"Since I can't attack on the first turn, I'll end my turn." Nobunaga put down her cards, indicating the end of her turn.

"Haha, no spell or trap cards, just as I thought." Laughing inwardly, Hoshino drew a card from her deck. "My turn, draw! I'll summon a monster in face-down defense position and set two cards, ending my turn."

Even though there are no set cards on her side, Chariot Nobu's effect is still pretty powerful. I need to handle this carefully.

"Haha, it's my turn again! My turn, draw!" Becoming more confident, Nobunaga drew a card with much more vigor than last turn. "Master, let me show you the terrifying power of my Nobus!"

Confidently placing the monster card from her hand onto the table, Nobunaga's face lit up with joy. "I summon the monster card [Nobu Corps] in attack position!"

[Nobu Corps ★★★★Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK: 1900 DEF: 100]

"Nobu!" The familiar Nobu Corps Troop appeared on the field with a bang.

"Huh? Nobu Corps?" Hoshino suddenly realized that the Nobu Corps, who had always stayed by her side, had somehow disappeared. "That guy must have sneaked back into the deck after encountering danger!"

"Attack Master's monster with Nobu Corps!" Now extremely excited, Nobunaga felt as if she had returned to her past, commanding troops on the battlefield. "Dueling is so fun, Master!"

"But the fun ends here for you! My defense monster is [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight]!" Revealing the face-down defense monster, Hoshino poured cold water on Oda.

[Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight★★★★Light][Warrior/Effect ][ATK:1000 DEF:2000]

"Mash's defense is higher, so [Nobu Corps] can't destroy Mash!"

"It's useless, Master! Activate Nobu Corps effect!" Nobunaga raised her right hand, commanding Nobu Corps in battle. "Once per turn, when this card attacks a defense position monster, destroy it without calculating battle damage!"

"Nobu!" Drawing the Kiku-Ichimonji Norimune, Nobu Corps accelerated toward Mash.

"Go, Nobu Corps, Kiku-Ichimonji Norimune Slash!" Oda, believing in her inevitable victory, roared.

"Clang!" The sound of the swiftly drawn sword clashing against metal, Kiku-Ichimonji Norimune was blocked by Mash's shield.

"Activate Mash's special effect, this card in defense position cannot be destroyed by battle or effects!" Hoshino finally revealed his sinister smile. "And since you activated [Nobu Corps]'s effect, at the end of the turn [Nobu Corps] is sent to the graveyard. Didn't see that coming, did you, Oda? When it comes to strategy, you are no match for me!"

"Master, you are so sneaky." Holding her shield, Mash turned back to look at Hoshino with a disdainful gaze.

"Ugh, it's just Mash, yet she's so powerful." Nobunaga frowned as he watched the Kiku-Ichimonji Norimune get blocked.

"But due to Mash's effect, after being attacked in defense position, she is forced into attack position. So now Mash is in attack mode." As Hoshino announced this, Mash, who had just blocked Shin's attack, slowly lowered her shield.

"Senpai, why are you dueling Nobunaga?" Mash asked, confused, lowering her shield. "Speaking of which, Nobunaga, do you really know how to duel?"

"Ridiculous! Is there anything new under the sun that the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven can't master?" Nobunaga snapped at Mash for questioning her. "Reformation, innovation, we must not be bound by old customs and common sense. I am the King of Innovation, and even dueling will submit to me."

"Chariot Nobu, attack Mash!" Nobunaga commanded her Nobu again, as Mash, now in attack mode, only had an attack power of 1000, compared to Chariot Nobu's 1500.

"I won't let you succeed. From my hand, I activate [Heroic Spirit – Saint George]'s special effect!" As the chariot closed in on Mash, Hoshino quickly threw a card onto the table!

[Heroic Spirit – Saint George★★★ (3-star) Earth][Warrior/Effect][ATK: 1000 DEF: 1600]

[① When an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can activate this card from your hand in defense position, and its defense increases by 500. ② While this card is on the field, your opponent can only target this card for attacks.]

"Block it, Saint George!" In a flash of light, Saint George appeared on the field, raising his holy sword to intercept the charging Chariot Nobu.

"Not so fast, Master! You're too naïve!" Nobunaga threw a card from her hand onto the field, catching Hoshino off guard. "Did you really think I didn't know your Heroic Spirit cards' effects?"

"Special summon, [Golden Giant Mecha Nobu]!" With Nobunaga's command, the massive Mecha Nobu appeared on the field.

"NOBU!!" As always, its heavy voice resonated, and even as a hologram, its presence was overwhelming.

[Golden Giant Mecha Nobu★★★★★★★★ (8-star) Earth][Machine/Effect][ATK:2400 DEF:2000]

[① When your opponent special summons a monster from the deck, hand, or graveyard, you can special summon this card from your hand. Then, select one special summoned monster on your opponent's field and destroy it.]

"Golden… Giant Nobu?" Hoshino murmured, staring at the massive card Nobunaga had just played, "It's impossible, the top cards of Nobu's deck should have been the small Nobus I placed there, how could she draw this…"

"Master! Are you wondering how I could draw the Golden Giant Nobu?" Nobunaga interrupted Hoshino's muttering, answering as if she could read Hoshino's mind, "You think I didn't notice you tampering with my deck? I didn't shuffle the cards on purpose!"

"Then how did you draw it… unless!" Realizing her plan had been uncovered, Hoshino finally understood Nobunaga's intention, "You swapped the three cards in your hand?!"

"Exactly, Master. From the start, I had [Golden Giant Nobu], [Silver Giant Nobu], and [Sōji Okita] in my hand. I didn't shuffle because I placed them on top of my deck!" Nobunaga raised her right hand, pointing at the stunned Hoshino, "This duel was calculated from the very beginning by me, Oda Nobunaga!"

"Is this person really a newbie duelist?" Hoshino couldn't believe Nobunaga's tactics, realizing she might have underestimated her opponent. "Is this what they call the King of Innovation, who can instantly grasp all new things? What a useful ability."

"I activate [Golden Giant Mecha Nobu]'s special effect, choosing to destroy one special summoned monster on your opponent's field." As Nobunaga commanded, the giant Mecha Nobu's mouth gathered laser energy again, "Go, Giant Nobu, destroy Saint George!"

"NOBU!" The thick golden laser effortlessly pierced through Saint George's armor.

"Ugh, I was careless! Master, be careful, Nobunaga is not easy to deal with." Clutching his wound, Saint George disappeared after leaving his last advice.

"Since Saint George is destroyed, [Chariot Nobu] continues its attack on Mash!" With her plan realized, Nobunaga laughed heartily, "Nobu, it's time for a comeback!"

"Nobu nobu!" Setting up its cannon, Chariot Nobu aimed at the defenseless Mash.

"Ready!Aim!!Fire!!!" Nobunaga's high-pitched attack declaration was reminiscent of commanding her former musket troops.

"Activate the trap card!" A drop of cold sweat trickled down Hoshino's face as she decided to activate a set card after thinking for a moment, "Trap card, [Nagging Shopkeeper]!"

[Nagging Shopkeeper Trap Card Effect: When an [Heroic Spirit] monster you control is targeted for an attack, you can special summon one level 4 or lower monster from your deck in defense position. The summoned monster's defense increases by 500 points.]

Special summon from the deck in defense position, monster card [Heroic Spirit – Cu Chulainn]!

[Heroic Spirit – Cu Chulainn★★★★ Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK:1600 DEF: 1600+500=2100]

"What kind of toy-like attack is that? Easily blocked~" Cu Chulainn taunted, looking at Chariot Nobu's toy-like cannon with a smirk.

"Then I'll activate Chariot Nobu's effect. Once per turn, this card's attack increases by 1000 points!" Understanding the principle of "strike while the iron is hot," Nobunaga wouldn't retreat an inch in such a critical moment.

[Chariot Nobu ATK→2500]

"NOBU!!" Furious at being mocked, Chariot Nobu armed itself fully, unleashing all its firepower.

"Hey, hey, can't take a joke?" Seeing the sudden barrage, Cu Chulainn smirked helplessly, "Can't be helped, Master, don't blame me for this!"

Freshly summoned, Cu Chulainn was engulfed by the full-on assault of Chariot Nobu.

"Of course, I won't blame you. You've done well, Cu Chulainn." Hoshino said, looking relieved as Cu Chulainn stood up again from the barrage, "Cu Chulainn's effect, which can only activate once: if this card is destroyed, it can be special summoned in defense position and cannot change its form."

"The fight continues! I won't go down so easily!" Shrouded in the smoke of the explosion, Cu Chulainn wiped the blood from his mouth, roaring at Nobunaga.

"What a spectacular offense and defense, Master!" Nobunaga, extremely excited, remained undeterred despite her attack being blocked by Cu Chulainn. "But don't forget, I still have one monster that hasn't attacked!"

"NOBU!" At Nobunaga's command, the Golden Giant Mecha Nobu prepared for another assault.

"Golden Giant Mecha Nobu, attack Mash again!" Nobunaga's high spirits caused her red cape to lift behind her. "Giant NOBU version, King's Cannon!"

A thick golden laser shot toward Mash.

"This is the homeland that heals all wounds, all grudges——"

"What?" Nobunaga was startled, seeing Mash chanting with closed eyes.

"——Appear, Lord Camelot!!"

A massive Camelot gate rose from the ground, blocking the Mecha Nobu's attack.

"Quick-play spell, Lord Camelot!"

[******]

If you'd like to read 20 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!