Chapter 32

"You're finished, Millennium Ring!" As everyone launched their direct attacks, Bakura's LP instantly dropped to zero, and the eerie dark space began to collapse.

Bakura clutched his head in pain, wailing, "Impossible! How could I be defeated by a mere girl? I am the Millennium Ring! I am the great evi—"

"Get back, Hoshino!" The Pharaoh pushed Hoshino away from the table. The Millennium Puzzle on his chest glowed with a golden light, and the dark power emanating from it made Hoshino jump.

"Evil spirit within the Millennium Ring, return Bakura's body!" the Pharaoh roared. The concentrated dark power locked onto the spirit within the Millennium Ring.

Due to the dark game's failure, the evil spirit that had possessed Bakura became unstable and could no longer firmly anchor itself in his body. The Pharaoh noticed this and tried to use his dark power to separate the turbulent spirit from Bakura's body.

"No, no, stop..." Bakura resisted with all his might, his screams growing louder.

Hoshino suddenly realized something and extended her right wrist toward the mini Bakura on the table. "Bakura, try touching this bracelet." She didn't know if it would work, but an instinct told her to try.

"Huh? Okay..." Bakura, initially dazed, timidly raised his hands to touch the Millennium Bracelet on Hoshino's wrist.

As soon as mini Bakura touched the bracelet, a third presence joined the collision between the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Ring. Originally incompatible, the two Millennium Items formed a mystical triangular circuit with the third presence, allowing the soul energy to flow.

"What's happening? My soul is being pulled out..." The Millennium Ring's spirit, realizing the danger, looked utterly desperate.

In a flash, Bakura's menacing expression softened, returning to his usual harmless, introverted self.

"How can this be!!" Mini Bakura exclaimed, looking at his hands in horror. His sinister expression made it clear that his soul had swapped with Bakura's, now trapped in the Change of Heart card.

"Hahaha, didn't expect this, did you?" Jonouchi (Flame Swordsman) walked over with his sword, his face slowly breaking into a menacing grin.

"What are you going to do?" Mini Bakura, terrified by Jonouchi, fell onto the duel board.

"Guess what we're going to do!" Honda, looking fierce, joined in, hands on his hips and grinning wickedly.

"Everyone, get him! Think about how he treated us and his arrogant face during the duel." Hoshino, not missing the opportunity for some fun, egged them on.

"Alright, let's make him feel our pent-up anger." Spurred by Hoshino, Jonouchi and Honda began to pummel the fallen Bakura.

"Curse you, humans, daring to attack m—" Bakura couldn't finish his sentence as the brothers' barrage of punches and kicks overwhelmed him.

"I won't let you get away with this! Remember my—" Bakura's threats were cut off by another punch.

"You won't get a chance for revenge," Hoshino said coldly, picking up the Change of Heart card. "Go join the Reaper you so revere."

"If a soul card stays in the graveyard too long, the Reaper will take the soul away, and the body will never wake up." Those were Bakura's own words.

"No, you can't mean..." Bakura, now desperate, begged, "Please, don't do this..."

"Sorry, but our Master has no mercy!" With that, Hoshino slammed the Change of Heart card into the graveyard. The mini Bakura's form disintegrated.

"May your soul never find redemption under the Reaper's scythe."

As the Millennium Ring's spirit vanished, the shadow game's space fully collapsed, and the surroundings returned to normal. Everyone's souls returned to their bodies, but they didn't wake up immediately, likely needing time to reintegrate.

The only ones conscious now were Bakura, the Pharaoh, and Hoshino.

<Victory detected. Evaluating Duelist level.>

Hearing the familiar system voice, Hoshino felt a surge of joy. She had expected no rewards for only playing the last turn, but the system's consideration surprised her.

"Bakura, where did this Millennium Ring come from?" The Pharaoh looked at Bakura's chest, intrigued. Without the dark spirit, the Millennium Ring was now just an ordinary pendant.

Bakura thought hard, placing his finger on his chin. "I remember my father, an archaeologist, bought it from a man at a roadside stall in Egypt when I was young and gave it to me."

"So it did come from Egypt," the Pharaoh nodded, recalling that his Millennium Puzzle was also a gift from his grandfather, brought back from Egypt.

"Along with the Millennium Ring, there was a monster card, but I lost it," Bakura added sheepishly.

"Hoshino, is the thing on your wrist also a Millennium Item?" The Pharaoh shifted his gaze to Hoshino's right wrist, noticing the bracelet. "I don't recall you wearing that before."

"Ah, this..." Hoshino hesitated, trying to avoid the question, but the Pharaoh's sharp look made her give in.

...

"Was it Medea's illusion that warned you?" After hearing Hoshino's explanation, the Pharaoh was surprised. "So you have the ability to communicate with the spirits in the cards."

"Really? Maybe," Hoshino said, scratching her face. Thinking back, she often chatted with the spirits when summoning Servant cards, probably because of this ability.

"And you said your bracelet isn't a Millennium Item but something similar?" The Pharaoh stroked his chin, studying Hoshino. Although she explained part of it, she didn't reveal anything about Chaldea.

"Hoshino Chiyuki, who exactly are you..."