Chapter 152

Although Hoshino appeared confident, deep inside, she was feeling a little uncertain.

Just think about someone like Devlin, a D-level duelist, who became so hard to deal with after using an Evil God card.

And now, the opponent standing before her, wielding an Evil God card, was none other than the former U.S. champion, Keith.

What's worse, in such a crucial moment, she was suffering from a bad hand!

"This feels great, this satisfaction of revenge." On the other hand, Keith, checking his hand, clearly had a near-perfect opening.

"I summon a monster card in Attack Position—[Zure, Knight of Dark World]!"

[Zure, Knight of Dark World ★★★★ (4 stars)][DARK][Fiend][ATK 1800/DEF 1500]

"A Dark World Knight, huh? Are all cards related to Evil Gods these gloomy monsters?" Hoshino mentally complained as she watched the shadowy knight materialize in front of her.

The alley was already a place where sunlight hardly reached, and now with the appearance of such a dark and eerie monster, the air around them seemed to grow even colder.

"The power I regained after falling into the darkness, this comes from the deepest parts of hell—the Dark World. Witness it for yourself, Hoshino!" Keith, having an ideal starting hand, clearly wasn't planning to end his turn so easily.

"I now activate the Spell Card [Dark World Dealings]!"

Responding to Keith's activation, a chilling and dark aura engulfed both his and Hoshino's decks.

[Dark World Dealings Spell Card Effect: Each player draws 1 card, then each player discards 1 card.]

"First, I draw a card, and then I discard [Sillva, Warlord of Dark World] from my hand!"

According to the Spell Card's effect, Keith should have discarded the card to the Graveyard.

However, he blatantly placed the discarded monster into his Duel Disk's monster zone in front of Hoshino.

"Hey, Keith, it was bad enough when you cheated secretly before. But now you've upgraded to blatantly playing dirty, haven't you?" Having never encountered Dark World cards, Hoshino was completely puzzled.

Keith's smile grew even more sinister. "Just watch and see if it's cheating."

To Hoshino's surprise, Keith's Duel Disk acknowledged the monster that was supposed to go to the Graveyard and successfully summoned it, meaning it wasn't a rule violation.

[Sillva, Warlord of Dark World ★★★★★ (5 stars)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 1400]

[If this card is discarded to the GY by card effect: Special Summon this card.]

The dark aura surrounding Sillva, Warlord of Dark World, was several times stronger than that of the Dark World Knight. Cloaked in heavy armor and wielding a bone blade, Sillva stood in the shadows, glaring at Hoshino with such a menacing stare that it felt as though he could claim her life at any moment.

"He summoned two monsters on his first turn, and one of them is a high-level monster!" Mokuba, who had always been a little scared of ghosts and monsters, couldn't help but shiver in the eerie atmosphere of the shadowy alley.

"Hmph, how do you like it, Chiyuki Hoshino? My invincible dark—ughh..."

Midway through Keith's boastful speech, he suddenly felt a powerful impact from the holographic image, as though he'd been slashed by a sharp blade, cutting off his arrogant words.

[Keith LP 4000 → 3500]

"Wha-What?! How is this possible?!" Staring in disbelief at his reduced Life Points, Keith shouted.

"Don't be ridiculous! It's the first turn! How did you attack me? Did you cheat with the Duel Disk?!"

"Heh..." Hoshino smirked contemptuously. "Keith, shouldn't we be a little more honest with each other? Constantly accusing your opponent of cheating makes dueling exhausting."

"Don't forget, thanks to Dark World Dealings, I also discarded a card." Hoshino, with a confident smirk, displayed the discarded card to Keith.

"The card I discarded is this—[Heroic Spirit - Marie Antoinette]. You should know her effect, right? When Marie is sent to the Graveyard, she lets me search my deck for a Heroic Spirit monster and add it to my hand."

"And the monster I added to my hand is this—[Heroic Spirit – Ushiwakamaru]!"

Mimicking Keith's move, Hoshino threw Ushiwakamaru's card onto her Duel Disk's monster zone.

[Heroic Spirit - Ushiwakamaru ★★★★ (4-star)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1200/DEF 1000]

[Effect: ①: If this card is added to your hand by a means other than drawing, you can Special Summon it. ②: When Special Summoned by this effect, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.]

"After Marie's effect adds Ushiwakamaru to my hand, Ushiwakamaru is Special Summoned, triggering her damage effect. That's how I was able to hit your Life Points on the first turn!"

Smiling confidently, Hoshino raised her finger and pointed directly at Keith.

"I'm Chiyuki Hoshino, and my favorite thing to do is to tell people who think they've got an unbeatable deck—they are stupid!"

The visibly confident Ushiwakamaru, after delivering her initial strike, elegantly sheathed her katana at her waist. "Such an entrance—does it please you, my liege?"

"That was amazing, Hoshino!" Encouraged by Hoshino's unexpected counterattack, Mokuba found that his fear had gradually faded away.

However, Keith, who had just taken a direct hit, was now on the verge of boiling over in rage. "Damn it! That was just a weak little bug of a monster. Once it's my turn to attack, I'll crush her completely!"

Since Keith was still in his first turn and unable to enter the battle phase, he could only swallow Hoshino's taunts and endure the situation.

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

Keith's remaining hand: 4 cards, 1 set card.

"My turn, draw!"

Hoshino frowned slightly. Although she had made such a bold statement earlier, her hand was still a mess.

The opening draw had brought Nobunaga and Okita into her hand, and it felt like they were showing off their affection for each other right in front of her, both stuck in her hand.

"If you won't cooperate, make sure you're ready to receive punishment!" With a wicked smile, Hoshino slowly pulled out a Spell Card from her hand and threw it onto the Duel Disk.

"I activate the Spell Card [First Premonition]!"

[First Premonition Spell Card Effect: Discard one card to activate. Banish one Spell Card from your deck. During your next Standby Phase, the banished card is added to your hand.]

"Hmm, time to decide who gets sent to the Graveyard..." Hoshino, raising her right hand dramatically, pondered her choices.

Amusingly, when Hoshino's fingers hovered over Okita's card, she could sense the card trembling, with Okita seemingly glancing nervously at Nobunaga, silently hinting at Hoshino to discard the other card.

Naturally, the same thing happened when she hovered over Nobunaga's card.

As the saying goes, "When trouble comes, even husband and wife will flee in different directions."

"I discard [Heroic Spirit - Oda Nobunaga] from my hand, and then banish [Graceful Charity] from my deck."

After 'careful' consideration, Hoshino decided to discard Nobunaga, whose summoning conditions were more difficult, especially given the lack of a Field Spell on her side. Nobunaga's requirements were just too harsh for the moment.

Of course, once Graceful Charity returned to her hand, Okita would meet the same fate.

"Tch, both of you blocking my hand, I'll toss you out every time I see you from now on!"

Pretending to threaten them with a harsh tone, Hoshino then drew two cards from her hand and placed them into her Duel Disk.

Responding to her actions, the holographic images of the two face-down cards appeared at her feet.

"I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Hoshino's remaining hand: 2 cards, 2 set cards.

"Heh heh, finally, it's my turn again." Keith, who had been fuming over the slash from Ushiwakamaru in the previous turn, was eager for his counterattack.

"Draw!" Keith's eyes were now full of killing intent, burning to tear Hoshino's Ushiwakamaru to shreds.

But anger didn't cloud his judgment.

Instead of rushing into the battle phase, Keith mysteriously played a Spell Card on his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Spell Card [Foolish Burial] from my hand!"

[Foolish Burial Spell Card Effect: Send 1 monster from your deck to the Graveyard.]

"Sending a monster straight to the Graveyard from the deck? That's a pretty foolish move!" Mokuba, the self-proclaimed genius, scoffed when he saw the effect.

"You're the foolish one, brat! Watch as I show you the versatility of the Dark World!" Keith, brimming with confidence in his deck, quickly selected a monster to send to the Graveyard.

"The monster I choose to send to the Graveyard is [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World]!"

"!!" The moment Keith sent the card to the Graveyard, Hoshino felt as if the abyss was staring back at her.

"Then, I'll activate the special effect of [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World] from the Graveyard!" It wasn't just a feeling—Keith's Duel Disk's Graveyard area was indeed emitting a terrifying dark aura.

"Of course it has a Graveyard effect." After seeing Keith's various plays, Hoshino had already gotten a sense of the Dark World deck's mechanics.

Send to the Graveyard, trigger effects, and summon! It seemed like a simple chain, but running it effectively allowed the deck to gather immense resources.

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World: You can return 1 face-up [Dark World] monster you control to your hand, except for [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World], and Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.]

"I'll return my [Zure, Knight of Dark World] to my hand and Special Summon [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World] from the Graveyard!"

The knight, Zure, who had been standing in the alley, suddenly vanished, replaced by an even heavier and more ominous dark presence.

"Come forth, [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World]!"

As Keith drew the card from his Graveyard and placed it on the field, the gathering dark energy exploded like it had been set ablaze, accompanied by the deafening roar of the dragon lord.

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ★★★★★★★★(8-star)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 2700/DEF 1800]

"He summoned an 8-star monster without any tribute..." At this moment, Mokuba finally understood the versatility of the Dark World deck that Keith had been boasting about.

Having successfully summoned the dragon lord, Keith was now grinning from ear to ear. "Finally, I'll re-summon the [Zure, Knight of Dark World] that returned to my hand. Now I've got three monsters on my field, and each one could easily crush that pitiful excuse of a creature you call a monster!"

[Zure, Knight of Dark World ATK 1800]

"Try it if you can! My Ushiwakamaru is more than a match for your monsters!" Even though the enormous dragon lord loomed before her, Hoshino's confidence remained unshaken.

Hearing her bold claim, Ushiwakamaru's expression softened into one of heartfelt loyalty. "My lord, for you to trust me, Ushiwakamaru, so completely! I will follow you to the ends of the earth, no matter the trial!"

"Still spouting nonsense before you die!" Keith, blinded by his thirst for revenge, had apparently not noticed that Ushiwakamaru could talk. All he could remember was the sting of that attack from the previous round.

"Attack that pitiful creature, Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World! Tear her apart in the most terrifying way!"

Responding to Keith's command, the dragon lord unleashed a low growl, beating its pitch-black wings before roaring a horrific burst of dark energy from its eerie maw.

"I told you, your monsters aren't even a match for my Ushiwakamaru! Why won't you believe me?" Seeing Keith fall into her trap by choosing Grapha for the attack, Hoshino smirked, her plan falling perfectly into place.

"Counterattack, Ushiwakamaru!"

"As you command, my lord!"

In a flash, Ushiwakamaru moved with such speed that it was almost impossible to track, dodging the terrifying attack of the dragon lord.

"Nani?!" Keith's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his attack miss.

"It's not over yet! This is Ushiwakamaru's counterattack!" With a fierce shout, Ushiwakamaru's agile body shot forward, heading straight for the enormous dragon lord.

"Nice work! Show those ugly monsters the power of your convictions!" At the same time as Ushiwakamaru's cry of loyalty, Hoshino's trap card revealed itself beneath her feet. "I activate the set trap card [Haori of Vows]!"

[Haori of Vows Trap Card Effect: If a WIND attribute [Heroic Spirit] monster you control is targeted for an attack, destroy the attacking monster. Then, this card is equipped to the WIND attribute monster as an Equip Spell that increases its ATK and DEF by 300. Once per turn, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle.]

"Due to the effect of Haori of Vows, the attacking Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World is destroyed!"

"Now, take this, from my secret arts!" With zero hesitation, Ushiwakamaru drew the sword from her waist and, at point-blank range, struck Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World.

"The Wandering Tales of Shana-oh, Act Two… Usumidori: Heavenly Blade Steps! Right between your eyes!"

In a flash of emerald light, there was no unnecessary flourish as the dark dragon lord's terrifying form was sliced clean in half.

[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World] has been destroyed.

"Sorry about that! Even though you looked quite impressive, that dragon lord of yours still fell to my Ushiwakamaru!"

Nothing felt better than taunting after a successful counterattack, and Hoshino was not one to let such a key moment slip by.

However, in her hand, Okita appeared visibly downcast.

Okita: "How tragic for me, Q^Q. Not only do I get tossed into the Graveyard, but someone else ends up wearing my Haori..."

(*****)

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