Chapter 92

[Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn Prototype★★★★ (4-star) Earth] [Warrior/Effect][ATK1700 DEF1500]

"Is this the Cú Chulainn from Hoshino?" Although the name is the same, the appearance differs significantly from the usual image of Cú Chulainn that Hoshino uses, which naturally puzzled Jounouchi.

"Don't question me right away, Jounouchi. Just watch quietly for now," Mai, who isn't particularly interested in the origin or appearance of heroic spirits, was more concerned with Hoshino's opening move.

"Tch, that's why you women don't get it. Heroes are the romance of men," Jounouchi grumbled after being scolded by Mai.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn!" It was a standard opening, nothing significantly different from usual. After setting two cards face-down, Hoshino ended her turn.

"Has Hoshino figured out a way to deal with Toon World?" Yugi was worried, knowing there wasn't much that could be done in the first turn, yet Hoshino's opening seemed as usual.

"My turn, Hoshino-girl" Pegasus, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, "Draw!"

"Hehe, my luck seems pretty good today!" Pegasus chuckled slyly as he glanced at his drawn card and his hand. "Welcome to the Toon Kingdom!"

"Damn it!" Hoshino, sensing trouble as Pegasus spoke, guessed that he might not be shuffling his deck again.

"I activate the field spell card [Toon Kingdom] from my hand~" Pegasus placed the unique card into his field zone, and in an instant, a cartoonish castle appeared on the previously empty arena.

However, not shuffling was just a joke; shuffling decks is a necessary procedure before duels. Just as Hoshino drew her key card [Command Seal] on her first turn, Pegasus drew his key card [Toon Kingdom], not only due to having three copies in his deck but perhaps also due to the so-called bond between duelists.

[Toon Kingdom Field Spell Card Effect: ①: When this card is activated, banish the top 3 cards of your deck face-down as the cost.]

"As the condition for constructing the Toon Kingdom, I must banish the top three cards of my deck~" Pegasus continued, unhesitatingly banishing his three cards, "For such a small cost, we can build such a perfect Toon World; it's a great deal~"

Observing Pegasus's deck as he banished the top three cards, Hoshino noticed that Pegasus's deck was noticeably thicker than normal, likely to complement the banishing effect of [Toon Kingdom]. This is still within the rules.

"Hoshino-girl, do you know the special traits of Toon monsters?" Without rushing to continue, Pegasus cheerfully asked Hoshino after placing the field spell.

"How would I know? I didn't print these cards!" Hoshino replied disdainfully. Initially, she only viewed Pegasus as the main antagonist, but after he tried to peek at her with the Millennium Eye, she also tagged him as a perverted old man, so she didn't treat him kindly.

"Some Toon monsters can be Special Summoned, so they're not limited to one Normal Summon per turn~" Despite getting a cold shoulder, Pegasus maintained a friendly smile and explained softly, "So this turn, I'll summon two Toon monsters!"

"How many more privileges is Pegasus going to add to his exclusive cards!" Jounouchi grumbled, pounding the railing of the spectator seats.

"I summon [Toon Gemini Elf] in attack position, and Special Summon [Toon Mermaid] in attack position!" Pegasus placed the two cards from his hand on the table, and the holographic projection system in the arena activated again.

[Toon Gemini Elf★★★★ (4-star) Earth] [Spellcaster/Effect][ATK1900 DEF900]

The originally alluring Gemini Elf had lost all its original charm after being toonified, leaving only a rounded and humorous appearance.

Then, alongside the Normal Summon, the Special Summoned [Toon Mermaid] also appeared in the Toon Kingdom.

[Toon Mermaid★★★★ (4-star) Water] [Aqua/Effect][ATK1400 DEF1500]

[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. It can be Special Summoned if you control "Toon Kingdom".]

"There's some good news for you, Hoshino-girl~" After finishing his moves and placing his cards down, Pegasus seemed ready to end his turn, "Toon monsters cannot attack in the turn they are summoned, so you can take this time to think of a strategy, Hoshino-girl."

"End turn~"

Yugi frowned as he watched Pegasus's opening, "Summoning two Toon monsters in the first turn, one with an attack of 1900, the maximum for low-level monsters, truly worthy of the kingdom's ruler, a perfect opening."

"But Yugi, ignoring the higher attack [Toon Gemini Elf], Hoshino's Cú Chulainn has higher attack than the Special Summoned [Toon Mermaid]. She can just destroy it next turn, can't she?" Jounouchi, in his usual clueless mode, didn't understand why Yugi was so concerned.

"Jounouchi, you idiot! Don't you remember…" Honda yelled, hitting Jounouchi on the head, "Didn't you see the duel between Kaiba and Pegasus? Toon monsters can't be destroyed, and they can attack the player directly!"

"Right, I almost forgot!" Realizing his mistake after Honda's 'Iron fist reminder', Jounouchi exclaimed, "If Hoshino can't destroy the Toon monsters this turn, she'll get directly attacked next turn, and her Life Points will plummet!"

"Exactly." Yugi nodded, watching Hoshino in the arena closely, "So, what will you do, Hoshino!"

"My turn, draw." Hoshino didn't seem as desperate as her companions thought, facing Pegasus's two Toon monsters, "At the start of my turn, I get another Command Seal thanks to the effect of [Chaldea's Magical Support System]!"

A bright light shone, engraving another Command Seal on Hoshino's hand.

[Command Seal] x2

"Get ready for battle, Cú Chulainn!" Extending her right hand marked with the Command Seal, Hoshino called out to her Cú Chulainn on the field.

"Let's start, master!" Cú Chulainn, unlike his usual talkative self, was already poised and eager.

[Remove 1 Command Seal counter, and add a spell/trap card with the same name from your deck to your hand.]

"Here it comes, the card I'm adding to my hand is the Equip Spell [Piercing Thorn Spear]!"

[Piercing Thorn Spear Equip Spell Effect: ① The equipped monster gains 300 ATK.]

"Take this!" Hoshino placed the Equip Spell on the table, and the red spear in Cú Chulainn's hand began emitting a bright red light.

[Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn 1700 → 2000]

"Alright, its attack has surpassed the Gemini Elf!" Jounouchi shouted excitedly as he saw Cú Chulainn's attack power rise.

"But it doesn't matter if it's higher; regular monsters can't destroy Toon monsters." Honda, always level-headed, threw cold water on Jounouchi's excitement.

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Jounouchi's mood quickly dropped again.

"Don't be so down, Jounouchi!" Hoshino suddenly addressed Jounouchi from the arena, "When you can't think of a solution, just attack!"

"Hoshino…"

"Attack [Toon Gemini Elf], Cú Chulainn!" With a confident grin, Hoshino commanded the attack.

"Such recklessness, Hoshino-girl." Pegasus shook his head disappointedly at Hoshino's reckless attack, "You'd have done more damage to my Life Points if you attacked [Toon Mermaid]."

"Sorry, Pegasus. What I said to Jounouchi was when I didn't have a solution…" Watching Cú Chulainn rush towards the Gemini Elf, Hoshino smiled confidently, "But now I know how to deal with your Toon monsters!"

"Bluffing won't work; Toon monsters can't be destroyed in battle~" Pegasus pointed at the Toon castle on the field, "I activate the field spell [Toon Kingdom]'s effect when my Toon monsters would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish the top card of my deck face-down as a substitute~"

"This is the immortal Toon monster, ha…."

"Huh?"

However, in the middle of his laugh, Pegasus's eyes widened as he saw [Toon Gemini Elf] pierced through by the crimson spear, and he froze in disbelief.

"Pierce, penetrate, withdraw, Gáe Bolg!!" Cú Chulainn swiftly withdrew his spear from the Gemini Elf, flicking off the blood.

Pegasus LP 4000 → 3900

"How can this be? The immortal Toon monster, destroyed!" Pegasus covered his face in disbelief as he looked at the destroyed [Toon Gemini Elf], "It's too violent, way too violent! How can such a show be suitable for children?"

"What's wrong, Pegasus? Without using the Millennium Eye, you couldn't see through this?" Hoshino taunted Pegasus, smiling mischievously, "Activate [Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn Prototype]'s special effect."

[When this card battles, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step.]

"In other words, your field spell card [Toon Kingdom]'s effect, which was supposed to protect the Toon monsters, was nullified!"

"Whew~ What luck to trigger an instant death." Cú Chulainn (Prototype) whistled contemptuously as he looked at the Toon Gemini Elf, lying in a pool of blood with a hole in its body and convulsing. "I'm glad this body doesn't have Luck E."

"I say!" Sighing in frustration, Hoshino covered her face with her right hand and said, "Can't you guys, when destroying monsters, just have them disappear into holographic fragments like normal Duel Monsters? Seeing them get pierced and sliced like this is psychologically disturbing after a while!"

"That's not my fault, Master. The idea of breaking targets into holographic fragments is less logical. From a Servant's perspective, it's more natural for a defeated target to leave a corpse. I don't even know how to turn them into holographic fragments."

"Fine, fine, it'll disappear in a bit anyway." Unable to find a better argument, Hoshino resigned herself to ignoring the gruesome scene on the field.

"She destroyed the Toon monster!" The spectators were more focused on Hoshino's success in defeating the seemingly invincible Toon monster than on the Gemini Elf's corpse.

"She did it, she did it~♪ Hoshino, you did great~♪" Jounouchi and Honda hugged each other in excitement, their tone almost like singing, perhaps influenced by the Disney-esque atmosphere on the field.

"You two, just destroying one Toon monster doesn't mean Hoshino has won." Mai sighed at the sight of the two wild men singing together. "Even though Hoshino has made some progress thanks to her new monster's effect, it's not a long-term solution."

"Exactly. Cú Chulainn is only a 4-star monster. If Pegasus focuses on destroying him, Hoshino will lose her only means of countering the Toons," Yugi said, remaining cautious despite Hoshino's slight advantage.

"I'll also summon [Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight] in defense mode. End turn." Hoshino kept it simple: knowing that Cú Chulainn's effect could defeat Toons, she needed to protect him. "With Mash's protection, it should be hard for Pegasus to destroy Cú Chulainn."

"Senpai, where is this place? It feels like a fairytale!" Mash looked around, her face flushed with excitement, like a child at an amusement park.

"Good thing Mash didn't see the gory scene just now…" Seeing Mash's innocent expression, Hoshino could understand Pegasus's aversion to violent scenes.

"Hahaha, Hoshino-girl, your cards have some surprising effects." Though shocked by the bloody scene, Pegasus quickly regained his composure. "To spare the children's delicate hearts from such brutality, let me make him more adorable~"

"Huh? My Cú Chulainn is already cute enough, thank you!"

"No, no, no, a Toon-styled monster is what people find truly adorable." Pegasus placed a card on the table after drawing his card for the turn. "I activate the Equip Spell [Comic Hand]~"

"An Equip Spell? Is he trying to boost his monsters' attack?" Hoshino watched Pegasus's card placement with suspicion.

"I'm equipping [Comic Hand] to your monster, [Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn (Prototype)]!"

"Huh? Equipping it to Cú Chulainn?" Hoshino's duelist instincts told her that this card was trouble.

[Comic Hand Equip Spell Effect: Can only be equipped to an opponent's monster when you control "Toon World."]

A cartoonish hand extended from the massive Toon castle, bypassed Mash's shield and grabbed hold of Hoshino's Cú Chulainn.

"Ugh, what is this thing? It's so strong!" Despite Cú Chulainn's desperate struggle, the cartoonish hand's immense strength pulled him into the Toon castle.

"The fantastic Toon performance is about to begin~" With Cú Chulainn successfully drawn into the castle, Pegasus spread his arms like a show host. "Now, please welcome our new character, the castle's new friend, [Toon Cú Chulainn]!"

As Pegasus made the announcement, Cú Chulainn's agonized screams from inside the castle gradually ceased…

"What just happened?" Nervous sweat ran down Hoshino's delicate face to her neck. While Cú Chulainn's Luck wasn't as bad as Luck E, his situation wasn't likely to be much better. "It seems that whether it's Luck D or Luck E, Cú Chulainn can't escape his death."

[Comic Hand: ① Gain control of the equipped monster. ② The equipped monster is treated as a Toon monster, and if your opponent controls no Toon monsters, it can attack directly. ③ Destroy this card if there is no "Toon World" on the field.]

"What a terrifying effect! It's much stronger than [Brain Control] or [Change of Heart]!" Yugi was sweating as he marveled at [Comic Hand]'s effect.

"So, Cú Chulainn has become a traitor again?" Understanding [Comic Hand]'s dangerous effect, Hoshino stared at the Toon castle that had absorbed her Cú Chulainn.

"Hehe, this is such a high-energy moment!" The familiar voice of Cú Chulainn, now lighter, came from the castle. Then, a round, blue figure jumped out of the castle and stood on Pegasus's side. "Hey, you weird-looking woman over there, let me poke you with my spear!"

[Toon Cú Chulainn (Prototype) ★★★★ (4 Stars) Earth] [Warrior/Effect][ATK1700 DEF1500]

"Who are you calling a weird-looking woman?! Do you want to die?" Hoshino retorted at the sight of the comical version of Cú Chulainn. "This is just like an April Fools' card…"

"Hahaha, this is the truly universally loved cute form, Hoshino-girl~" Proudly observing Cú Chulainn, Pegasus gloated, "Your only monster capable of defeating Toons has now become a Toon itself. Isn't that an ironically amusing twist?"

(*****)

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