Chapter 112

"Beowulf?" Suddenly realizing the situation, Hoshino finally understood the true identity of the man in front of her. His slightly familiar tone and the mind filled with thoughts of battle now made sense.

"Hahaha, Master, I never expected to run into you here! I'm so excited!" Even though he recognized Hoshino, Beowulf didn't seem to have any intention of stopping his attack.

[Heroic Spirit – Beowulf][ATK 2400 → 2800/DEF 0 → 400]

In a critical moment, Hoshino hastily drew a card from her leg, disregarding the risk of exposure. "Phantasm Summon! Install – Cu Chulainn!"

[Heroic Spirit – Cu Chulainn (Hoshino) ★★★★ (4-Star)][Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1600/DEF 1600]

A blue bodysuit instantly enveloped Hoshino's body, highlighting her slightly slender figure. The scarlet spear in her hand swept fiercely in a circle, scraping the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust as it met Beowulf's beast-like assault head-on.

"Oh, Master, you still manage to keep a clear head at a time like this!" Beowulf was completely unfazed by the dust that was kicked up, as the two weapons in his hands, Hrunting and Naegling, clashed heavily against Hoshino's spear.

"Is Hoshino planning to use Cu Chulainn's ability to survive a battle once, and then use him as a sacrifice to summon a higher-level monster in the next turn?" The moment Hoshino drew Cu Chulainn, Yugi understood her intention. "She really lives up to her name. She developed a strategy in just a few seconds!"

"But it's useless!" Beowulf roared as he brought Hrunting down in a heavy slash, cutting Hoshino's spear in two.

"What?! Why didn't Cu Chulainn's effect activate?" Hoshino was dumbfounded, staring in confusion at the broken and disappearing spear in her hand and the fading effect of the Phantasm Summon on her body.

"No way, Cu Chulainn was destroyed in one hit!" Jounouchi's eyes widened in disbelief. Cu Chulainn's survival ability was one of the best among all of Hoshino's monsters, with effects that granted one-time immunity to destruction and a return to the field after being destroyed in battle. To think it would be taken down so easily.

[Phantasm Summon Cu Chulainn] Destroyed?.

"Oh my god, our contestant, Hoshino Chiyuki, is being completely suppressed! Beowulf's beast-like attacks are terrifying!" The commentator, seizing the opportunity to narrate a rare evenly matched battle, poured all his pent-up enthusiasm into the commentary.

"What will Hoshino Chiyuki do next? Will she continue to defend, or will she take a desperate gamble and go on the offensive? Stay tuned, everyone!"

"Hahahaha, Master, I'm not going to give you any chance to keep a sacrifice for summoning a higher-level monster!" Beowulf cackled wildly as he launched another fierce assault.

"Why… Why am I fighting Beowulf here? This doesn't make any sense!" Hoshino muttered to herself as she prepared to counter Beowulf's attack with another card.

"Phantasm Summon! Install – Mash Kyrielight!"

[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight (Hoshino) ★★★★ (4-Star)][Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 2000]

Her front armor, which barely covered her abdomen and thighs, exuded a sultry allure, while the enormous shield, large enough to cover her entire body, instantly appeared on Hoshino.

"Master, it's you saying things like that at times like this that don't make any sense!" Beowulf grew even more excited as Hoshino summoned her armor again. "In this arena where it's either you or me, don't think about anything else, just focus on defeating your opponent!"

"Mash's shield, which cannot be destroyed by battle or effects, is generally considered absolute defense!" Hoshino thought to herself as she braced the massive shield in front of her. "If this doesn't hold, there can only be one reason…"

The burning Hrunting collided with the shield, the resounding crash echoing through the arena, causing the audience to cover their ears.

"Defense! Hoshino has chosen to defend herself with an extraordinary shield! Will it be effective?" Even as the impact reverberated through his eardrums, the dedicated commentator pressed on with his narration.

"Sorry, Master, but even Mash's shield is useless!" Beowulf sneered as he swung his dual blades across the shield, disarming Hoshino and sending the shield flying from her grasp.

"Impossible! That's Mash's invincible shield!" Jounouchi shouted in disbelief as Hoshino's defense was broken once again. "Isn't Beowulf cheating or something? How can he break through so many layers of her defense?"

"Hehehe, Master, the strongest spear and the strongest shield faced off, and I won!" Beowulf taunted, shouldering Hrunting as he looked at Hoshino, who had once again lost her Phantasm Summon. "You have no means left to fight back, do you?"

"Amazing! Beowulf's extraordinary combat skills are truly awe-inspiring! Could it be that our champion is about to be dethroned?"

"Hmph, that so-called strongest spear was just a lie to mislead me." Hoshino, without rushing to transform, stared intently at the seemingly relaxed Beowulf before her. "The real reason you were able to break through my defense is because of a banishment effect, isn't it?"

"Banishment?!" Yugi suddenly realized.

"Hahaha, as expected of Master. You figured out my trump card after just a few clashes!" Beowulf, ever straightforward, had no intention of hiding anything once Hoshino uncovered his secret and nodded in acknowledgment.

[This card's effect can only be activated at the start of the Battle Phase when battling an opponent's monster. That opponent's monster is banished, and at the end of the Battle Phase, this card is banished from the game.]

"As expected of you—Beowulf!" Hoshino sighed in resignation as her suspicions were confirmed. "Only you could wield such a reckless effect."

"Wait, if his effect is to banish both himself and his opponent from the game, then why hasn't Beowulf disappeared after attacking so many times?" Jounouchi, annoyed, pointed out the inconsistency. "He is cheating, isn't he?"

"It's probably because of the Hrunting in your hand, isn't it, Beowulf?" Hoshino shifted her gaze to the Hrunting in Beowulf's hand, which had never stopped burning, fully experiencing the difference between a genuine Noble Phantasm and the replicas Emiya frequently projected.

"Even though both contestants are engaging in a conversation that, while difficult to understand, certainly sounds impressive, from the looks on their faces, it seems that Beowulf has the upper hand!" The professional commentator from the Desert City kept on providing commentary, even in such a tense moment.

"You mean this thing, right?" Beowulf grinned as he lifted the Hrunting in his hand. "Even though I usually prefer fighting with my bare hands, I can't deny that this thing is incredibly useful!"

[Hrunting – Equip Card Effect: Can only be equipped to monsters with [Heroic Spirit] in their name. ①: The equipped monster's ATK and DEF increase by 400 points. ②: When equipped to [Heroic Spirit – Beowulf], this card gains the following effect: This card is not banished by its own effect.]

"What kind of overpowered combination is this?" Seeing the true effect of Hrunting, while Jounouchi's suspicion of cheating was dispelled, the situation still looked grim. "These two cards combined make him practically invincible!"

"It's indeed a tough one to deal with!" Even Yugi admitted the terrifying nature of this combo. "No matter what Hoshino summons with her Phantasm Summons, as long as it battles with Beowulf, it'll be banished directly. That way, she won't be able to gather enough sacrifices to summon a higher-level monster!"

"Hoshino, don't give up! Keep fighting!" Although Mokuba still didn't understand why Hoshino was participating in this battle, he didn't want her to lose.

"Come on, Master, let's see your next struggle!" Beowulf, with a face full of excitement, seemed to be fighting not for victory but purely for the thrill of battle. "But I won't give you a chance to gather sacrifices for summoning Martha. To be honest, I really can't deal with that saint."

"What a twisted sense of fun you have, you battle maniac!" In the past, Hoshino would've wanted to avoid this kind of muscle-bound fighter at all costs, but now things were different…

"I've figured it out—the winning strategy that will defeat you and lead me to victory!"

"Haha! As expected of my Master, even your bluffs are full of confidence!" Beowulf's interest grew even stronger as he charged at Hoshino again with Hrunting in hand. "Let me see it, then! Show me the strategy that can defeat me!"

"Can she pull it off?" Just a moment ago, Jounouchi had declared Beowulf unbeatable, but after hearing Hoshino's words, he felt a little embarrassed.

"She can do it, especially in this world!" Yugi nodded confidently. "Because the special characteristic of this world is that it allows one to unleash the hidden, infinite possibilities within their deck!"

"Infinite possibilities within the deck?"

"You're making it too complicated; there's no way Jounouchi will get it," Mokuba explained, noticing the blank look on Jounouchi's face. "In this world, you can draw any card you need, making endless strategies possible.

"You lost the moment you revealed your trump card, Beowulf!" Hoshino, drawing three cards in quick succession from under her raised skirt, calmly watched Beowulf charging at her.

"A huge crisis! Our contestant Hoshino has chosen to face Beowulf's attack unarmed?!" The commentator screamed frantically as he saw Hoshino standing still. "Could it be that after just a few rounds, she has realized she's no match for her opponent and decided to forfeit?"

As the commentator spoke, Beowulf's Hrunting was already dangerously close to Hoshino, who hadn't activated any Phantasm Summons.

"Hey, hey, Master, giving up doesn't work like this! Without a summon, you won't be able to block this attack!" Though Beowulf is a battle-crazed maniac, he can't bring himself to attack his Master.

"Don't worry, Beowulf! Attack with everything you've got!" But the determination in her eyes conveyed her resolve to the warrior.

"Alright then, here I come, Master!!"

"Come on, Beowulf!!" In an instant, a change in Hoshino's outfit caused everyone present to hold their breath, filled with tension. "Activate Trap Card [Ryuudou Temple Gate]!!"

[Ryuudou Temple Gate Trap Card Effect: Activate only when an opponent's monster declares a direct attack. Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Sasaki Kojirou] from your hand or deck.]

"My final Phantasm Summon! Install – Sasaki Kojirou!"

Wind, bird, flower, moon—these words could describe Hoshino's outfit at that very moment. In a light purple kimono, with one delicate, pale arm exposed, she wielded a katana nearly as tall as herself, swinging it toward Beowulf's advancing Hrunting.

[Heroic Spirit – Sasaki Kojirou (Hoshino) ★★][Dark] [Warrior/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 500]

"You used a Trap Card to Phantasm Summon Sasaki Kojirou, huh? Interesting, Master!" Unfazed, Beowulf continued his attack, his Hrunting clashing precisely with the katana.

"Exactly! If it's Sasaki Kojirou, he can certainly surpass Beowulf's attack power without needing any sacrifices!" Jounouchi, finally understanding Hoshino's strategy, pumped his fist in excitement.

"Beowulf, let me show you a sword technique that has been honed to perfection!"

A flash in the real world, followed by two more in a completely overlapping manner that ignored the concepts of time and space. This triple slash, produced by a "dimensional refraction phenomenon," surpasses speed, precision, and even illusory strikes—unnamed swordsmanship unknown to magic and magecraft, yet it reaches the heights of the "Second Magic."

"Secret Sword: Tsubame Gaeshi!"

[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. It can only be Special Summoned through the effect of [Ryuudou Temple Gate.] During the battle, this card's ATK becomes triple its original value for damage calculation only. After the battle, its ATK becomes 0.]

[Heroic Spirit – Sasaki Kojirou (Hoshino) ATK 1000 → 3000]

"With godlike swordsmanship, you've surpassed my attack power. Well done, Master!" Beowulf praised her without hesitation, but he still didn't believe he would lose. "But it's all in vain! Before my Hrunting, everything is crushed into nothingness!"

"The only thing in vain is you, Beowulf! This is my final card…" Hoshino revealed the last of the three cards she had drawn earlier, the key to securing victory in this battle. "Quick-Play Spell [Body of the Saint]!"

[Body of the Saint Quick-Play Spell Effect: Activate by targeting one [Heroic Spirit] monster on your field. That monster is unaffected by other card effects except this card's effect for the rest of this turn.]

"Your last move won't work anymore, Beowulf!" A holy light enveloped Hoshino's blade as she unleashed a triple slash that cut through Beowulf's thick body all at once.

Losing his balance after the heavy blow, Beowulf muttered in frustration as he caught a glimpse of Jeanne d'Arc behind Hoshino.

"That's why… I hate fighting saintly types…"

(*****)

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