Chapter 68

"Overcome the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with your own strength?" Seeing Hoshino's serious expression, Kaiba toned down his mockery and became more solemn. "If you can do it, then go ahead and try, Hoshino!"

"Kaiba, while your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is indeed powerful, it has a fatal weakness," Hoshino said sharply, her eyes fixed on the Ultimate Dragon.

"Weakness? You're saying my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has a weakness?" Kaiba extended a finger towards Hoshino, his words full of confidence. "Stop your futile struggle. My Ultimate Dragon is perfect!"

"Hehe, I admit that purely in terms of power, your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is indeed a perfect monster." Hoshino held a card between her fingers and dramatically pointed it at Kaiba. "But, you forgot about the summoning method of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Summoning method?" Jonouchi thought for a moment and then realized, "That's right, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was summoned through [Future Fusion], which has a negative effect!"

"[Future Fusion] destroys the monster it summoned if it leaves the field!"

"Excellent, Jonouchi," Hoshino continued pointing at Kaiba. "Which means I don't need to destroy the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. I just need to destroy your [Future Fusion]!"

"Amazing! Hoshino, you've found the key to turning this duel around!" Yugi said excitedly.

"But how can you destroy the Future Fusion in the back row?" Jonouchi scratched his chin, pondering. "Could it be that the card Hoshino is holding is the key to dealing with Future Fusion?"

"No, the card I'm holding is just a useless spell card," Hoshino admitted with a playful smile. "I just thought it looked cool to point it at you, Kaiba."

"What the hell! You're joking at a time like this?" Jonouchi almost lost his balance upon hearing this.

"That's where you're wrong, Jonouchi~" Hoshino shook her head mysteriously. "Sometimes, a card might seem useless when drawn, but using a card isn't always about meeting its activation conditions."

"What are you talking about, Hoshino?" Jonouchi asked, even more confused.

Without further explanation, Hoshino pointed at Jeanne and declared, "I activate [Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc]'s special effect!"

[Once per turn: You can target 1 card in your opponent's Spell & Trap Zone (if the target is face-down, reveal it). Send 1 card of the same type (Spell/Trap) from your hand to the Graveyard, and if you do, destroy the targeted card. Your opponent cannot activate the targeted card in response to this effect.]

"The card I choose is your spell card, Future Fusion!" Hoshino pointed at the Future Fusion card in Kaiba's back row. "Did you receive the revelation from the Lord, Jeanne?"

"Hehe, it seems I haven't received any divine revelation," Jeanne said, opening her eyes. "But I have indeed seen through the opponent's card!"

"That's all I need!" Hoshino, receiving Jeanne's confirmation, raised her spell card and showed it to everyone. "By targeting the spell card [Future Fusion], I send this spell card from my hand to the Graveyard to destroy [Future Fusion]."

Hoshino sent the spell card to the Graveyard and explained to Jonouchi, "Do you understand, Jonouchi? Sometimes using a card doesn't mean meeting its activation effect, it just needs to be a spell card."

"I see," Jonouchi muttered, feeling that Hoshino was half-joking but unable to argue against her logic.

"Damn it, using this method to defeat my Blue-Eyes," Kaiba growled. His Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon began to destabilize as [Future Fusion] was destroyed.

"Stop resisting and disappear!" Hoshino made a throat-slitting gesture towards the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, a rare mischievous smile on her face.

"Don't be so cocky! Even without the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, I won't let you win so easily!" Kaiba quickly activated his set card. "Activate Quick-Play Spell [De-Fusion]!"

"De-Fusion?!" Yugi, who thought Hoshino had won, was shocked, then sighed. "It's true, Kaiba's aggressive strategies always leave a safe alternative."

[De-Fusion - Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 Fusion Monster on the field; return it to the Extra Deck. If all the Fusion Material Monsters that were used for its Fusion Summon are in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon them.]

Due to the effect of [De-Fusion], the nearly collapsing Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon instantly split into three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

[Blue-Eyes White Dragon ★★★★★★★★ (8 stars) Light][Dragon][ATK:3000 DEF:2500]X3

"Damn, just a bit more," Jonouchi groaned in frustration. He knew that three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were almost as troublesome as one Ultimate Dragon.

"Haha, now this is interesting, Kaiba!" Unexpectedly, Hoshino wasn't upset about Kaiba's move. Instead, she smiled with satisfaction. "If you were so easily defeated, you wouldn't be Seto Kaiba!"

"Oh no, Hoshino is getting too crazy," Jonouchi muttered, worried about her increasing interest.

Ignoring Jonouchi, Hoshino's mind was incredibly calm. She had anticipated that Kaiba wouldn't rely solely on a single Future Fusion for his advantage.

"But I didn't expect you to summon three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. This is..." Hoshino pretended to shake her head, a sly smile on her face. "Exactly what I wanted, Kaiba!"

Hoshino suddenly declared, "I activate the Equip Spell Card [Sealed Designation: Enforcer] from my hand, equipping it to [Heroic Spirit - Cu Chulainn]!"

[Sealed Designation: Enforcer - Equip Spell Effect: The equipped monster gains ATK equal to 200 times the total Levels of all face-up monsters your opponent controls.]

"Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons! You should know very well how many stars are on your field, Kaiba!"

"A single star level increases ATK by 200, so on Kaiba's field!?" With a shocked expression, Yugi looked at the monsters piled up on Kaiba's field.

"Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and two Giant Germs, totaling 28 stars!" Hoshino pointed to Cu Chulainn after finishing the calculation, and an immense energy, beyond all reason, surged onto the spear in his hand.

"What is this?" Cu Chulainn was initially stunned, but then a faint smile appeared as he understood the situation. "Is this Bazett's power? She really is a terrifying woman."

[Heroic Spirit – Cu Chulainn ATK 3000 → 8600]

"Too strong, this state is just too strong, Master!" Even Cu Chulainn himself was terrified by such overwhelming power. The scarlet spear in his hand felt like the demonic spear Longinus, and just holding it he could sense Its power was so great it might consume him as well. "Hey, hey, right now, I feel even stronger than my teacher!"

"Nani?! His ATK is actually 8600!" Facing an ATK far surpassing his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Kaiba's face twisted in disbelief as he shouted loudly.

"So strong, Hoshino is so strong!" Even Anzu, who only had a basic understanding of dueling, could sense the terrifying power of Hoshino's monster on the field.

"This scene is all your doing, Kaiba!" Hoshino extended two fingers and pointed directly at Kaiba, whose expression was twisted. It was merely due to summoning two more Giant Germs that this chain reaction occurred, leading to this situation. Should this be attributed to Kaiba's carelessness or Hoshino's persistence? Debating this now is clearly meaningless.

"This is the strike that will turn the tables!" Hoshino shouted, giving Cu Chulainn the final attack order, "Go, Cu Chulainn, attack the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Upon receiving the attack command, Cu Chulainn leaped high, raising the spear in his hand. "Master, if you had delayed any longer, I wouldn't have been able to hold this power!"

"This spear… it can definitely reach EX rank !" Roaring, Cu Chulainn used all his strength to hurl the spear in his hand like a nuclear bomb. "Take this, White Dragon! Gae Bolg!!"

Without any exaggeration, the Gae Bolg, once thrown, exploded like a nuclear bomb on Kaiba's field. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, caught in the scarlet storm, disintegrated in an instant.

[Warning!! Warning!!]

A familiar alert appeared before Kaiba.

[Warning! Warning! Holographic projection system overload, unable to restore field status!]

"Impossible! How can a holographic projection system based on the card itself fail to restore the card's battle?" Watching the warning, Kaiba, unwilling to believe his eyes, frowned and thought, "Our Kaiba Corporation products are absolutely perfect, there's no way there could be such a flaw. Then the problem must lie with Hoshino Chiyuki!"

"Activate, administrator mode!" Kaiba opened a hidden panel on the side of the arena and expertly input a series of passwords.

The holographic Image, overloaded by the intense scarlet storm, gradually became clear again.

[Seto Kaiba LP 7000 → 1400]

"This is a strike that can kill a god? I really want my teacher to see this…" Cu Chulainn, in mid-air, looked at the scarlet storm he had unleashed and sighed from the bottom of his heart. However, the price for using such immense power was that Cu Chulainn's body began to crumble like Arash's.

"If I could die as cool as this every time, that would be great…" Leaving these final words, Cu Chulainn disappeared from the battlefield.

[After the equipped monster declares an attack, this card is removed from play, and the equipped monster is removed from play.]

"Cu Chulainn ga shinda!!!" Jeanne closed her eyes, unwilling to see the sight of Cu Chulainn's body crumbling and the card being removed from play. "To achieve victory, he was willing to make such a sacrifice. Cu Chulainn, you are a true hero."

"A brave rebel!" Spartacus shouted.

"What are you two doing? He's not actually dead…" Hoshino looked at the two who were already in character, reminding them.

"Ah, I see." Jeanne, realizing it, coughed awkwardly. "Even so, we can't waste Cu Chulainn's sacrifice, let's keep attacking, Master!"

Waving her holy flag, Jeanne seemed eager to continue.

"Jeanne, don't forget, your ATK can't defeat the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Jeanne's 1500 ATK was only half of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's.

"Is that so…" Disappointed, Jeanne lowered her flag. She was not a reckless fighter and would not engage in a battle she could not win.

"But with your DEF, you can withstand the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack without any problem!" Encouraging Jeanne, Hoshino switched her two monster cards to defense position. "Change [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne] and [Heroic Spirit – Spartacus] to defense position, end turn!"

However, Kaiba hesitated to start his turn…

"How can this be? Why are the Duel Monsters' holographic projections talking?" Viewing from the administrator's perspective, Kaiba finally glimpsed the true nature of the Heroic Spirit deck. "Moreover, the lifelike movements and facial expressions, including the explosion effect just now, can't be achieved with current technology!"

With countless questions in his mind, Kaiba suddenly recalled Pegasus's words and the reason he was asked to duel Hoshino.

("Hoshino Chiyuki has the ability to communicate with spirits and a mysterious power that can unleash the potential of the holographic projection device. Duel her, and with your genius mind, you will surely discover the hidden potential of the holographic projection system.")

"Haha, so this is what you meant, Pegasus." With a self-deprecating smile, Kaiba finally understood Pegasus's intention. "Talking about the potential of holographic projection, this thing has clearly surpassed the realm of science!"

(*****)

"So, you've finally realized, Kaiba-boy." Sipping his tea and staring at the screen, Pegasus murmured to himself. "Though my goal is selfish, I need the help of your genius mind, Seto Kaiba!"

"Continue to be confused and bewildered, one day you will break through yourself and the limits of science."

(*****)

"My turn, draw!" Even if he couldn't understand the situation, the duel had to go on. Despite his LP being drastically reduced, the field advantage hadn't changed, and Kaiba still didn't think he would lose. "Set two cards, then activate the Spell Card, Card of Sanctity!"

[Card of Sanctity Spell Card Effect: Both players draw until they have six cards in their hands.]

Having cleared his hand by setting two cards, Kaiba fully utilized the Card of Sanctity's effect to draw six cards.

Glancing at his new hand, Kaiba's smile reappeared. "Activate the set card [Monster Reborn]!"

[Monster Reincarnation Spell Card Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand; add 1 monster from your Graveyard to your hand.]

"To replenish more hand cards, he set a normal Spell Card he didn't need! Really…" Surprised by Kaiba's tactic, Jounouchi clenched his fist in frustration. "Really… I've learned something new!"

Ignoring Jounouchi's antics, Kaiba drew a card and sent it to the Graveyard. "Using Monster Reborn's effect, send [Dead Spirit Guard] to the Graveyard, and add [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] from the Graveyard to my hand!"

"How much does Kaiba favor Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Seeing Kaiba retrieve the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Graveyard, Jounouchi couldn't help but comment.

"Please be quiet, Jounouchi." Although a companion, even Anzu couldn't tolerate Jounouchi's constant chatter, softly scolding him, "You're disturbing Hoshino's concentration."

"Sorry…" Jounouchi, reprimanded by Anzu, lowered his head like a scolded child.

"Now, let me show you my brand-new monster!" Perhaps having heard Jounouchi's remarks, Kaiba, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly raised his voice. "Activate the special effect of [Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon] from my hand!"

"Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon?" Hearing this name for the first time, Hoshino couldn't help but repeat it silently.

[Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned. You can Special Summon this card from your hand by revealing 1 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' in your hand to your opponent. You can only Special Summon 'Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon' once per turn this way.]

"So that's why Kaiba retrieved Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Yugi thought to himself, his eyes sharp.

"Due to the effect of Monster Reborn, I naturally have the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] that I just recovered from the graveyard in my hand!" Kaiba triumphantly displayed his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, "So the [Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon] in my hand can be Special Summoned to the field!"

Kaiba then dramatically slapped the card onto the table.

Amid flashes of lightning, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon roared onto the battlefield. Although similar in appearance to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon exuded a distinct presence. If Blue-Eyes White Dragon's light represented the light of destruction, then Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon's light symbolized the thunderous light of dawn.

[Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon][★★★★★★★★ (8 Stars) Light Attribute [Dragon/Effect][ATK:3000 DEF:2500]

[①: While this card is on the field or in the graveyard, its name is treated as "Blue-Eyes White Dragon."]

"This is Kaiba's new monster, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon," Yugi marveled at Kaiba's newfound power. "Kaiba, you've grown even stronger!"

"It's not over yet. Using the two Giant Germs on the field as tributes, I summon from my hand!" With a commanding gesture, Kaiba slapped another card onto the table, "Summon, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!"

The familiar roar echoed as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon returned to the field.

"Four Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Kaiba has gathered four Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field," the spectators exclaimed in awe at the lineup. One legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon was enough to crush any ordinary duelist, and now there were four.

"This is going to be tough..." Hoshino swallowed nervously, facing the four pairs of menacing dragon eyes gleaming with a blue light.

"Activate [Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon]'s special effect!" Not giving Hoshino a moment to breathe, Kaiba commanded, "Target the opponent's [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne] on the field!"

[②: Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it. This card cannot attack the turn this effect is activated.]

The Alternative White Dragon opened its mouth, crackling with lightning. Even though Alternative White Dragon's 3000 ATK couldn't destroy Jeanne's 3000 DEF by battle, its effect could destroy Jeanne regardless of her defense.

"Go, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon! Burst Stream of Destruction!" With Kaiba's shout, a terrifying lightning blast shot from Alternative White Dragon's mouth towards Jeanne on Hoshino's field.

"So, the effect destruction can only be countered by another effect. Raise your flag, Jeanne!" Although Jeanne had only 1500 ATK left, allowing her to use her invincibility effect one last time was better than being destroyed outright.

"Defend my brethren, my banner! God is here with me…Luminosité Eternelle!!"" Jeanne chanted, raising her holy flag. A sacred light once again swept the field, blocking the destructive lightning.

[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne ATK 1500→500]

Legend had it that through god blessings, Jeanne's holy flag's concept was elevated to her Noble Phantasm. However, while holding up the flag, Jeanne couldn't attack, and the flag would continue to accumulate damage from enemy attacks, making it unusable if overused.

"This is the last time, Master!" Jeanne panted heavily from exhaustion, worry evident on her face. Even though she blocked the attack, the enemy's strength continued to grow, and merely defending would lead to a slow defeat.

"Jeanne, you're doing well as a rebel," Spartacus said haltingly, looking at the exhausted Jeanne.

"Are you comforting me, Spartacus?" Jeanne used her holy flag to prop herself up, standing straight once again. "Sorry for worrying you. It's not time to give up yet!"

"Is this the heart of the cards?" Using administrator mode, Kaiba could see the conversation between the Heroic Spirits, shocking him again. He turned to Yugi in the audience, "So that's it, Yugi. You could see this all along!"

"But this time, I'll prove that mere heart of the cards can't defeat absolute power." Due to Jeanne's special effect, Hoshino's monsters couldn't be destroyed until the end of the turn, making further attacks pointless. Kaiba decisively ended his turn.

"Phew~" Hoshino took a deep breath. The pressure from the four Blue-Eyes White Dragons was immense, but she knew that staying calm was crucial. Only a clear mind could find a way to turn the tide.

"My turn! Draw!" Glancing at her hand, thanks to the effect of Card of Sanctity, her hand was replenished to six cards. Adding this turn's draw, she had seven cards in total, convinced that one of them could turn the situation around.

"Hmm! This card is?!" Hoshino slowly drew out a card from her hand, one of the special cards in her Heroic Spirit deck. Seeing this card, she smiled gratefully. "It's been so long since my first duel with you. I'm glad."

"Once again, lend me your strength, Yuta!" With a determined slam, she placed Monster Reborn on the table, "Activate the Spell Card, [Monster Reborn]!"

"Monster Reborn! Is she going to revive Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon?!" Jounouchi exclaimed, watching the field.

"Jounouchi, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon returned to the fusion deck due to Fusion Dissolve, not the graveyard, so it can't be revived," Yugi patiently explained. "And Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons are all on the field, with no powerful monsters in his graveyard. Hoshino has no monsters in her graveyard either. So what is she going to revive?"

"Revive [Giant Germ] from the graveyard!"

The round, purple sphere appeared on Hoshino's field due to Monster Reborn's effect.

"??" Even Kaiba was puzzled by Hoshino's intention, sending a questioning look.

"Then use [Giant Germ], [Heroic Spirit – Spartacus], and [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne] as tributes!" Hoshino raised her card high, and even before summoning, a powerful aura emanated from the raised card.

"What? Using three tributes?" Kaiba, finally understanding Hoshino's move, had a new question.

"Three tributes, it must be!" Jounouchi, seeing the raised card, couldn't contain his excitement despite Anzu's warnings.

"Yes, it must be Hoshino's ace monster, representing the power of her deck," Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Summon the monster from my hand!" Slamming the card onto the table, a beastly roar echoed before the image fully materialized, "Heracles!"

[Heroic Spirit-Heracles][★★★★★★★★★ (9 Stars) Earth Attribute [Warrior/Effect][ATK:3000 DEF:2800]

[If this card is Tribute Summoned using 3 monsters, including a [Heroic Spirit] monster, place 12 Valor Counters on this card.]

[Heracles Valor Counters X12]

"Crush them, Berserker!!"

"ROOOOOOOARR!!!"

(*****)

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