Chapter 86

"The effect of the Magical Hat is to select three Spell or Trap cards from the deck and use them as hats. If destroyed, they go directly to the graveyard." Yugi knew well that Okita's attack could target all monsters, but he remained calm.

"Even if Spell or Trap cards are hidden under the hats, they can't activate their effects if destroyed!" Hoshino, raising her right hand, was not concerned about the cards hidden below. "Don't be intimidated by his words. Keep attacking, Okita-san!"

"Got it, Master!" With a swift motion, Okita slashed at the Magical Hat in front of her. Of course, with only a one-in-four chance, it wasn't easy to hit the target. The hat revealed nothing but a face-down card cut in half.

"Cough!" Familiar blood spurted out. An unavoidable side effect of the attack was the accumulation of a Weakness token.

[Weakness] x1

[Okita Sōji ATK 3000 → 2900]

"What an inconvenient setting. I used to only cough up randomly, but now I cough up blood with every strike!" Okita complained as he wiped the blood from her mouth, continuing toward another Magical Hat.

"Cough!"

"Cough!"

"Ugh!"

[Weakness] x3

[Okita Sōji ATK 2900 → 2700]

"Master, what kind of luck do you have? You chose wrong three times in a row!" Okita, now vomiting blood, grumbled at Hoshino's choices.

"No, no, Okita-san, you've misunderstood. Today, my luck is at its peak." With confidence, Hoshino crossed her arms and spoke coolly.

"Choosing wrong three times is the proof of my luck!" Hoshino, unfazed by Okita's three blood-spitting episodes, was more concerned with the fully accumulated [Weakness] tokens. "When three [Weakness] tokens are collected, Okita's true power is revealed!"

[When this card accumulates 3 or more [Weakness] tokens, you can add [Nameless Three Step Thrust] from the deck to your hand.]

"No more hiding, Dark Magician!" With [Nameless Three Step Thrust] added to the hand, and the other hats destroyed, the Dark Magician hiding under the last hat revealed itself.

"The final blow, Okita!" Slamming the retrieved card on the table, Hoshino pointed to the now-visible Dark Magician. "Activate Quick-Play Spell Card [Nameless Three Step Thrust] from hand!"

[Nameless Three Step Thrust Quick-Play Spell Effect: This can only be activated when [Heroic Spirit-Okita Sōji] and [Weakness] tokens are on your field. ①: Remove all [Weakness] tokens and target one face-up monster on the opponent's field; it is forcibly changed to Defense Position, and its DEF is reduced by 500 for each removed [Weakness] token. ②: If [Heroic Spirit-Okita Sōji] attacks the targeted monster, damage calculation is performed three times.]

[Weakness] x0

[Okita Sōji ATK 2700 → 3000]

"Target the Dark Magician, forcibly change it to Defense Position, and reduce its DEF by 500 x 3 = 1500 points!"

The Dark Magician, crouching, was forcibly switched to Defense Position.

[Dark Magician DEF 2100 → 600]

"When Okita attacks a monster in Defense Position, piercing damage is inflicted! So take this, the one-hit kill sword of Okita-san!" Hoshino shouted, commanding Okita to unleash her Noble Phantasm.

"So, it was all planned, Master. You're amazing!" With the three [Weakness] tokens removed, Okita was back in peak condition, speaking with confidence. "Master, you must have seen through the placement of the hats from the beginning. We've won!"

"Well, yes, exactly!" Hoshino shamelessly accepted Okita's praise, coughing awkwardly.

"In short, it's the Mumyō Sandan-Zuki" Leveling her sword, Okita unleashed three consecutive strikes in the same space and time, easily piercing the Dark Magician's body.

"Sorry, Dark Magician, but in this duel of aces, Okita-san emerges victorious." Standing behind the pierced Dark Magician with both hands raised, Okita declared triumphantly, "Today, Okita Sōji officially becomes the strongest ace monster in this story!"

"Cough!" [Weakness] x1

[Okita Sōji ATK 3000 → 2900]

"Humph!" However, just before disappearing, a faint cold laugh reached Okita's ears.

"Huh?!" Okita, with her years of battle experience, immediately sensed something was off from the opponent's behavior, "Master, it seems it's not over yet?"

"I can see that without you telling me." Hoshino, having waited a while, had not seen the Yugi's life points drop. Not only that, but another monster had appeared on the Yugi's field.

"The last set card didn't activate, and the remaining card in his hand vanished." Faced with this situation, Hoshino could only think of one possibility. "So, the last card in your hand was Kuriboh, right?"

"You know it well, Hoshino." Yugi pointed to the top card in his graveyard, Kuriboh, with a raised finger.

However…

[Dark Magician of Chaos ★★★★★★★★ (8 stars) Dark] [Spellcaster/Effect][ATK:2800 DEF:2600]

"Where did this monster come from?" Hoshino, with a twitching mouth, couldn't figure out when Yugi summoned this monster.

"Hoshino, you cooperated with me by destroying all my hats at once!" Yugi picked up the card from the last hat destroyed by Okita, explaining to Hoshino, "This is the card I placed in the last hat you destroyed, [Chaos Scepter Blast]!"

[Chaos Scepter Blast Quick-Play Spell Effect: If you control a Level 8 or higher Spellcaster-Type monster: Banish 1 card on the field face-down. If this card in its owner's Spell & Trap Zone is destroyed by an opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon 1 "Magician of Black Chaos" or "Dark Magician of Chaos" from your Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions.]

"So, it was a Spell card that activates when destroyed." Understanding the situation, Hoshino looked at the confident Yugi with a complex expression. "You anticipated Okita's effect to attack all monsters and used this card in combination with the Magical Hats. Yugi, you are a terrifying man walking on the edge."

"Thanks to your cooperation, I was able to summon the strongest sorcerer from my deck, [Dark Magician of Chaos]!" Yugi placed the new monster card on the table, looking at Okita, who had stopped attacking. "Also, since your monster, Okita can only perform additional attacks in one turn after the first regular attack, it can't attack my newly summoned Dark Magician of Chaos."

"But, Yugi, your so-called strongest sorcerer has an ATK lower than my Okita's by 100 points!" Even though she had to admit the Yugi's trick with the hidden card was impressive, a single Dark Magician of Chaos couldn't overturn the advantage on her field. "And most importantly, Yugi, with the last Kuriboh discarded, you have no cards left in your hand!"

"Sore wa dou kana? (I wonder about that)" Yugi replaced the mocking tone with a questioning one, pointing to his Chaos Sorcerer. "Dark Magician of Chaos, magic or a miracle, open the path to victory for me!"

[When this card is summoned or special summoned, you can add 1 Spell card from your graveyard to your hand.]

"The card I will add to my hand is this!" Yugi proudly showed a Spell card from the graveyard to Hoshino, "Spell card [Card of Sanctity]!"

"You hid [Card of Sanctity] under the Magical Hats, too, Yugi; you're a high-stakes gambler!" Hoshino looked at Yugi with a mixture of admiration and frustration. "Unlike Kaiba's straightforward attacks with powerful monsters, this strategy of connecting each step to create an amazing effect is much harder to deal with."

"As long as I win the gamble, that's all that matters, right?" Yugi added [Card of Sanctity] to his hand and motioned for Hoshino to continue. "Go on, continue your turn, Hoshino!"

"I would have continued even if you hadn't said so!" Hoshino, perhaps irritated by the Yugi's series of chains, responded with frustration.

"Now I can't continue to attack; I need to think of a strategy to prepare for Yugi's attack next turn." Her eyes darted between her hand and the field, contemplating Yugi's next move. "Next turn, Yugi will surely use the freshly drawn [Card of Sanctity] to refill his hand. This means my hand will also be forcibly replenished to six cards, so this turn I need to..."

"Set three cards, then summon the monster card [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight] in Defense Position!" To maximize the effect of [Card of Sanctity], Hoshino desperately used up her hand, even setting normal Spell cards that didn't need to be set.

"Servant Mash, reporting for duty!" Mash, seemingly eager for a dramatic entrance, declared with a cool line, "My shield will protect my Master from all harm!"

"Cough, Mash, you don't have to force yourself to say things like that." Hoshino, coughing awkwardly, gently reminded Mash, who was blushing and hiding behind her shield, "Even without those lines, I know you're very reliable, Mash."

"Master~"

"Alright, the setup is complete, turn end!"

"Come on, Yugi. Even if you refill your hand with [Card of Sanctity], I still have the advantage in card count!" After setting up her field, Hoshino glanced at the relaxed Yugi across from her. "With Mash, Rho Aias, and Fou's triple protection, even you, Yugi, will have a hard time breaking through this field."

"My turn, draw!" Yugi didn't rush to use [Card of Sanctity] to refill his hand. He merely glanced at the newly drawn card and Hoshino's back row filled with set cards.

"Trying to replenish your hand alongside my [Card of Sanctity], your strategy is quite transparent, Hoshino." Yugi, without showing any clear approval or disapproval, commented on Hoshino's setup. "It's a common move most people would think of."

"But..." Yugi flipped over a card from his first turn, "This turn, I'll destroy all your set cards, along with your proud defense."

"Activate the set Spell Card, [Dark Magic Attack]!" To Hoshino's surprise, Yugi revealed a normal Spell card that seemed useless while set on the field.

"This is the card you've had set since the first turn?" Hoshino, feeling deceived, clenched her teeth. The card she had speculated about and guarded against countless times turned out to be just a regular Spell card. "You've completely fooled me, Yugi!"

"All's fair in love and war, Hoshino!" Yugi, with arms crossed, held two cards between his fingers.

[Dark Magic Attack Spell Card Effect: Can only be activated when "Dark Magician" is on your field. Destroy all Spell and Trap cards on your opponent's field.]

"Hold on, where do you have a Dark Magician on your field!" Hoshino interrupted, trying to prevent the King's blatant cheating.

"Look closely at the two cards in my hand, Hoshino." Yugi separated the two cards he had between his fingers and placed them on the table. One was [Dark Magic Attack], and the other was the Spell Card [Monster Reborn].

"This is the card I drew this turn!" After [Monster Reborn] was activated, the [Dark Magician] in the graveyard was bathed in holy light and dramatically returned to the Yugi's field. "My strongest servant has returned and will now dismantle your setup, Hoshino!"

"Go, Dark Magician, activate the Spell Card [Dark Magic Attack]!" Yugi, with his right fist clenched, commanded the resurrected Dark Magician to use the combo spell.

"Understood!" With a deep grunt, the Dark Magician leaped high into the air, pointing his staff downward.

A black orb, infused with eerie dark magic and wrapped in a layer of crackling black energy, crashed down onto Hoshino's field.

"This isn't good, Master, there's no way to block this attack." Emiya, holding up a cherry blossom shield, could only helplessly watch as the five remaining layers of the barrier were pierced and destroyed by the black orb. "While this doesn't directly damage us, the five-set cards behind Master are probably all gone."

Caught off guard by this development, Hoshino could only watch as her back row was wiped out by [Dark Magic Attack], including the deployed Rho Aias and Fou on Okita's shoulder.

"Fou~san!" Okita lamented, seeing Fou disappear from her shoulder.

[Okita Sōji ATK 2900 → 2400]

"Without Fou's help, I can't defeat the Dark Magician!" That seemed to be the true reason for Okita's sorrow. The sharp-eyed Dark Magician seemed to be flaunting the recent turn of events, displaying the aura of a true ace, while Okita, deliberately turning her head away, avoided eye contact as if admitting defeat.

"I only have one card left in my hand, so you should know what comes next." Yugi placed his last card on the table, raising an eyebrow at Hoshino.

"Of course I know, it's time for everyone's favorite part—refilling our hands!" Before Yugi could recite the card's effect, Hoshino had already started drawing cards.

[Card of Sanctity Spell Card Effect: All players draw cards until they have 6 cards in hand.]

"This nullifies your card advantage, Hoshino." Despite having six cards each, the Yugi's field was now stronger. Having already used [Nameless Three-Step Thrust] and with Okita still burdened by [Weakness] tokens, Hoshino's forces were unable to challenge the [Dark Magician], let alone the even stronger [Dark Magician of Chaos].

Glancing at his newly replenished six cards, Yugi's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "Sorry, Hoshino, the pieces of my victory have come together!"

With a bold declaration of victory, background music fittingly called "Passionate Duelist" seemed to play behind him.

"I activate the Spell Card, [Bond Between Teacher and Student] from my hand!"

(*****)

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