Chapter 70

"Let's decide this final battle!" Both Artoria and Jeanne Alter pointed their swords at the Twin Burst Dragon.

"Even if I attack your Twin Burst Dragon with any of my monsters, you'll lose, Kaiba!" Hoshino declared, pointing at the stern-faced Kaiba. "Go, Artoria! Launch the final attack on Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!"

"Yes, Master!" Artoria, gripping Excalibur, charged forward. The sacred sword glowed, leaving a golden trail in its wake.

"Hmph, the last spotlight is taken by the genuinely cold-blooded girl," Jeanne Alter smirked, her irritation barely concealed. "But if she fails, my blade of resentment will pierce our opponent without mercy!"

"Kaiba has no way out now!" Jounouchi cheered as Artoria rushed toward the Twin Burst Dragon. "Hoshino has finally beaten Kaiba!"

"It's not over yet. I won't lose here! For Mokuba, I can't lose!" Kaiba revealed his face-down card, thinking of Mokuba's soul trapped in a card. His eyes grew more determined. "Activate Quick-Play Spell, [Emergency Provisions]!"

[Emergency Provisions Quick-Play Spell Card Effect: Send any number of other Spell/Trap Cards you control to the Graveyard to gain 1000 LP for each card sent.]

"It's useless. Even if you forcefully restore your Life Points, it's just a drop in the ocean against Artoria's high attack power!" Hoshino continued her assault, unfazed by Kaiba's Life Point recovery.

"Watch closely, Hoshino!" Kaiba dramatically raised his hand, sweeping up the Spell Card affected by Emergency Provisions. His coat flared behind him as he made the exaggerated motion.

"I'm sending the Equip Spell Card [Megamorph] to the Graveyard!"

"!!!"

Seto Kaiba LP 1400 → 2400

"Hmph, you understand now! With [Megamorph] sent to the Graveyard, the negative effect on Twin Burst Dragon is gone!" Kaiba's stern expression softened slightly as his strategy succeeded.

[Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon ATK 1500 → 3000]

"Kaiba's strategy involves using Emergency Provisions to send [Megamorph] to the Graveyard, restoring his Life Points, and boosting Twin Burst Dragon's attack power to withstand Artoria's assault," Yugi observed from the sidelines, admiring Kaiba's resolve. "Kaiba, you're a duelist worthy of respect!"

"It's futile. Even if you block this attack, Jeanne Alter's follow-up will still get through!" Hoshino's confidence wavered slightly in response to Kaiba's move.

"Yugi, Hoshino! I won't hold on desperately when I know defeat is inevitable!" Kaiba declared, activating his final face-down card. "Activate Trap Card, [Burst Breath]!"

[Burst Breath Trap Card Effect: Tribute 1 Dragon-Type monster; destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls with DEF less than or equal to the Tributed monster's ATK.]

"I'll Tribute my Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!" Kaiba roared, giving his final command to the Twin Burst Dragon. "Blue-Eyes, show your final dignity!"

With the effect of Burst Breath, Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon roared, and its massive dragon breath swept across the field.

"Even though Jeanne Alter and Artoria have a high attack power, their DEF is all below Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's 3000 ATK!" Kaiba, grabbing onto his last lifeline, decisively Tributed his monster. "So, Hoshino, your two monsters are destroyed simultaneously!"

"Damn it, I haven't even made my move!" Jeanne Alter complained to Hoshino as the dragon breath engulfed her. "This isn't my fault, Master. I tried my best!"

[Artoria DEF 2000→ Destroyed]

[Jeanne Alter DEF 2500→ Destroyed]

"To think you had such a card, Kaiba!" Hoshino couldn't help but break a sweat as her monsters were engulfed by the terrifying dragon breath. "What a fearsome opponent.!"

"It's over. With no monsters on the field, Hoshino will be directly attacked by Kaiba's monsters next turn!" Jounouchi, who had thought Hoshino had won, was shocked by the sudden reversal and didn't dare to prematurely celebrate anymore.

"But I won't give up so easily, Kaiba!" Hoshino, equally determined, revealed her final face-down card. "Activate Trap Card, [Back of the Hero of Justice]!"

[Back of the Hero of Justice Trap Card Effect: If two or more [Heroic Spirit] monsters you control are destroyed in the same turn, you can Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Shirou Emiya] from your hand or Deck.]

"Since two [Heroic Spirit] monsters were destroyed, Special Summon from my hand!" Slapping her last monster card onto the table, Hoshino called upon a name symbolizing justice. "Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Shirou Emiya]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Shirou Emiya★★★★★★ Fire Attribute, Spellcaster/Effect][ATK:2200 DEF:2600]

"Master, we're in a tough spot!" Emiya, appearing on the field, immediately assessed the situation.

"As expected of an archer, nothing gets past you." Hoshino, looking at Emiya's strong back, felt reassured. "But the struggle is over. This is the final strike! Go, Emiya!"

"Yes, Master! Trace on" Emiya swiftly projected a longbow and a spiral sword. The bow, though simple and dark, fit perfectly in Emiya's hands.

"At this close range, I won't miss!" Emiya notched the spiral sword onto the longbow, aiming at Kaiba. "I am the bone of my sword…Caladbolg"

The spiral sword, shot with explosive speed, was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye and exploded upon impact with Kaiba.

By destroying the projected Noble Phantasm and triggering an explosion, its power was momentarily maximized.

"It's no good, Hoshino's monster only has 2200 attack points, and Kaiba has 2400 Life Points. She's still 200 points short!" Jounouchi calculated quickly from the sidelines.

"It won't fall short; I'll end this duel now, Kaiba!" Hoshino drew another card from her hand and slapped it onto the table. Immediately, Shirou Emiya's body surged with magical power. "Activate Quick-Play Spell, [Heroic Deed]!"

[Heroic Deed Quick-Play Spell Card Effect: Target 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster you control; that monster gains 1000 ATK/DEF until the end of this turn. If it battles an opponent's monster this turn, any battle damage it inflicts to your opponent is doubled.]

[Heroic Spirit – Shirou Emiya ATK 2200 → 3200]

"You have no monsters, no face-down cards. You're finished, Kaiba!" Hoshino exclaimed, thrilled to have victory within her grasp after such a hard-fought battle.

However...

"Activate the special effect of [Spirit Reaper] from the Graveyard!" Kaiba, with a gleam in his eyes, clearly had not given up yet.

"Seriously, Kaiba, isn't that a bit too much?" Hoshino, almost crying and laughing at the same time, saw Kaiba summon another monster. The joy of impending victory instantly dissipated. Without exaggeration, this was the most dramatic duel Hoshino had experienced since coming to the Duelist Kingdom.

"This [Spirit Reaper] was sent to the Graveyard as the cost for [Monster Reincarnation]!"

("Due to the effect of Monster Reincarnation, [Spirit Reaper] was sent to the Graveyard, and [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] was added to the hand from the Graveyard!")

Kaiba, drawing a card from the Graveyard, his eyes burning with determination, said, "This is a duel I cannot afford to lose!"

The spiral sword that should have exploded in front of Kaiba was blocked by the sturdy body of Spirit Reaper. The amplified Broken Noble Phantasm exploded on the field like a nuclear bomb.

"I can banish this [Spirit Reaper] from the Graveyard to negate an attack once!"

Even with the double damage effect of [Heroic Deed], Kaiba still wasn't defeated. The responsibility he carried made him resilient against one desperate situation after another.

"When you discarded cards with [Monster Reincarnation], you already considered a defense for an empty field. That's the level of a top duelist in the world—just how strong do you have to be to stop?" Hoshino, unwilling to lose, clenched her teeth. Even against the world's top duelists, she didn't want to lose. "Set a card and end my turn."

Naturally, neither Kaiba nor Hoshino wanted to lose after fighting so hard. Both sought victory to the very end.

"Hoshino, I acknowledge Yugi's evaluation of you. You've shown strength no less than any duelist." Kaiba's unexpected praise came as they reached the final steps of the duel. "But this will be the last turn!"

"My turn, draw!" Kaiba's elegant card-drawing motion made the card seem to sparkle in the air.

"Hahaha, it seems fitting to settle this duel with this card!" Kaiba, glancing at his drawn card, laughed excitedly before slamming it onto the table. "Activate Spell Card, [Dragon's Mirror]!"

A gigantic mirror appeared on Kaiba's field due to the spell. Reflected in the mirror were three terrifying dragon heads.

"Damn, Kaiba drew that card at the last moment!" Yugi, eyes wide open, admired Kaiba's incredible luck. "The deck responded to Kaiba's perseverance at the final moment."

[Dragon's Mirror Spell Card Effect: Banish Fusion Material Monsters listed on a Dragon Fusion Monster from your field or Graveyard, then Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck.]

"It's a spell card that fuses monsters from the Graveyard?" Hoshino, incredulous at Kaiba's final card, sensed something ominous. "Could it be?!"

"Indeed! I'll fuse the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my Graveyard!" Kaiba roared, slamming the card of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon onto the table. "Appear once more on this shattered battlefield, the ultimate Dragon!"

The familiar three-headed dragon broke through the gigantic mirror, spreading its wings as it emerged. The ultimate emperor, symbolizing destruction, descended with a terrifying roar.

[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon★★★★★★★★★★★★ (12 stars) Light Attribute, Dragon/Fusion Monster][ATK:4500 DEF:3800]

"Let's settle this, Hoshino!" Kaiba roared confidently alongside his dragon, pointing at Hoshino. "This is the true final battle!"

"Attack, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Triple Burst Stream of Destruction!"

Following Kaiba's final attack command, the three-headed dragon unleashed a devastating white light.

"Damn, Hoshino's Life Points can't withstand this attack!" Without any enhancement, Blue -eyes 4500 ATK was enough to crush Emiya's relatively small body with a single strike.

It should have been like that...

"Counterattack, Emiya!" Hoshino, not knowing when to give up, issued her final command to Emiya.

"Hmph, what a willful master." Emiya, closing his eyes, smiled meaningfully. "But today, I'll surpass my limits for you, Master!"

"Trace on!" Familiar projection magic, yet Emiya's open hands did not produce new weapons.

"Futile struggle!" Kaiba believed that any flashy tricks were useless against absolute stats.

But as soon as Kaiba's words fell, a massive sword projected by Emiya stood between him and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The giant sword, larger than the massive dragon itself, was not meant for human use.

"Broken-Noble Phantasm: Ig-Alima: Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains," Emiya declared. "Though only a replica, it's sufficient for now!"

A Divine weapon, the Ig-Alima: Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains, is capable of cutting through a thousand mountains. It was not merely for slashing with the blade or sheer mass.

The sword contained the concept of "Skyline." This was the principle that separates heaven and earth. As this principle leaked from the sword's gleam, the giant sword easily cut through mountains.

"Kaiba, this is my last stand, my final trump card!" Hoshino's final face-down card transformed her duel-long conviction into an explosive burst of determination. "Activate Trap Card, [Limited/Zero Over]!"

[Limited/Zero Over Trap Card Effect: Activate when an opponent's monster declares an attack on a monster you control. The targeted monster's ATK becomes equal to the attacking monster's ATK until the end of this turn. After that, the targeted monster is destroyed.]

"With Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's 4500 ATK, Shirou Emiya's ATK also increases to 4500!"

"This transcendental power will indeed damage the spirit base irreparably, but now's not the time to worry about such trivial matters!" Emiya, feeling his body burn with immense power, gritted his teeth and persisted.

[Heroic Spirit – Shirou Emiya ATK 2200→ 6700]

"Another Broken-Noble Phantasm: Sul-sagana, the Sword of Burnt Horizon!" Emiya roared, projecting the companion sword to Sul-sagana. The Sword of Burnt Horizon, capable of burning away a thousand seas, possessed the concept of "Horizon."

The two giant swords resonated, and with earth-shattering force, they smashed into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's massive body.

"What kind of monstrous battle is this!" The spectators, speechless, struggled to describe the ultimate clash between the two monsters. The collision between the two swords and the Ultimate Dragon's triple-burst stream instantly pushed the holographic system to its limit.

(****)

"Incredible!" Pegasus, abandoning his favorite snack, pressed his face against the screen, half-rising from his seat. "Marvelous, this is the true hidden potential of holographic projection technology!"

"When I fully grasp this wonderful technology, I will surely see you again, Cynthia..." Pegasus whispered, a tear glistening in his previously excited eyes as he thought of her.

(****)

"The administrator mode can't even fully capture this?!" Kaiba was in disbelief as he watched the blurred image of the two forces colliding and the warning signs lighting up on the platform. The administrator mode, essentially the failsafe that utilized 100% of the duel platform's capabilities without regard for load limits, had reached its peak.

Yet now, even this 100% capacity had been completely exhausted.

"Kaiba, this is my final counterattack to seize victory!" Hoshino, thrilled to see the two god-forged weapons overpowering the Ultimate Burst Stream, raised her gloved right hand. "Go, Emiya, for the final..."

"Broken-Phantasm!" As Hoshino and Emiya shouted in unison, the dual god-forged swords, symbolizing ultimate fantasy, shattered the Ultimate Burst Stream, their explosion further amplifying their power.

"So our goals were the same," Kaiba muttered, a smile of satisfaction crossing his lips as he felt the explosion of the dual swords. "It's just that our timing was different, Hoshino!"

"??!!"

"Activate Quick-Play Spell from my hand!" Slamming his final card onto the overloaded platform, Kaiba's face shifted from satisfaction to indomitable pride. "Fusion Duel!"

[Fusion Duel Quick-Play Spell Card Effect: Activate only when a Fusion Monster you control declares an attack on an opponent's monster. Your Fusion Monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster it is battling, until the end of the Damage Step.]

"It's a card with the same effect as [Limited/Zero Over]?!" Hoshino, shocked by Kaiba's last card, felt a strange sense of relief.

"Due to the effect of [Fusion Duel], my Fusion Monster, [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], gains the ATK of [Heroic Spirit – Shirou Emiya]!" Kaiba, using his last ounce of strength, roared, discarding all his remaining cards and reaching out as if grasping victory itself. "This is the true final strike!"

[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon ATK 4500→11200]

"It's over 10,000 ATK!!" Yugi, utterly stunned by the unprecedented duel, murmured to himself. "This duel is destined to go down in the history of Duel Monsters as the greatest duel ever!"

"Hos---hino---!"

"Don't come closer---!!"

In the space-tearing collision and Kaiba's shout, this duel, which stood at the pinnacle of Duelist Kingdom, finally reached its conclusion.

Hoshino Chiyuki LP 1300 → 0

"Duel over. Winner: Seto Kaiba." The electronic voice, sounding more exhausted than usual, announced the result, likely using the last of the platform's power.

"Did... I lose?" Hoshino stared blankly at her empty field and depleted Life Points, unsure of how to react.

Since her first duel with Yuta at the start of Duelist Kingdom, Hoshino had never lost a duel. Despite being in seemingly hopeless situations, she had always persevered, using her belief to find a way to victory and turning the tide to win.

But in the end, she lost to Kaiba. The duelist known as Seto Kaiba was truly different from any other duelist she had faced. Even though Hoshino had given her all, using her Heroic Spirit deck to its fullest potential, she was still one step short. No matter how close she came to victory, not standing at the end meant defeat.

Silently, Hoshino removed the five-star chips from her duelist glove and handed them to Kaiba, who had been waiting for her. "Kaiba, you are incredibly strong. Even giving my all, I couldn't defeat you. A bet is a bet; take these star chips to save Mokuba."

"Hmm?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow as he took the star chips. "How did you know about Mokuba?"

"You shouted during the duel that you couldn't lose because of Mokuba," Hoshino replied with a bitter smile.

"Is that so?" Kaiba chuckled, realizing he had spoken out loud in his intense focus. "I'll take your star chips then, Duelist Hoshino Chiyuki!"

Combining Hoshino's five-star chips with his own, Kaiba now had the required ten-star chips. He turned once more towards Pegasus' castle.

"After I defeat Pegasus, I'll invite you to work at KaibaCorp!" Leaving these words, Kaiba began climbing the steps to the castle.

"Thanks for the offer," Hoshino murmured, watching Kaiba's retreating figure. "But I hate working more than anything."

(*****)

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