Chapter 81

"Hoshino is serious; she plans to use a monster with 2000 attack points to attack the 3600-attack-point Gilford the Lightning!" Yugi remarked, observing Hoshino's unshakable determination to attack. "That must mean Hoshino's monster has some special destruction ability."

"That's right, Yugi!" Hoshino raised his right hand in agreement. "A true master, no matter how powerful the opponent, can always use their skills to face them!"

"Heh, isn't it normal to want to spar with a strong opponent?" Li Shuwen smiled slightly and commended Hoshino's reasoning. "Master, you have talent. Would you like to learn martial arts from me?"

"Li Shuwen, your martial arts might not be suitable for a girl like me," Hoshino politely declined, shaking her head slightly. Li Shuwen was known for his steel spear and iron fist; if she tried to learn his martial arts, she joked she might die on the spot. "But I do know its power. I activate the special effect of [Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Lancer)]!"

[②: When attacking a monster with higher attack points, this card's attack points increase by half the attack points of the attacked monster during damage calculation only.]

"Since [Gilford the Lightning] has 3600 attack points, Li Shuwen's attack points increase by half of that, 1800 points!" Hoshino declared the result, marveling at Li Shuwen's spear, which appeared to be capable of penetrating anything and was followed by a furious wind.

[Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Lancer)ATK 2000 → 3800]

"Li Shuwen's attack points have surpassed Gilford!" Honda couldn't contain his excitement. Torn between his idol and his best friend, he was extremely conflicted. "Is this the legendary 'strength meeting strength'?"

"It's only 200 points more; I can still recover!" Facing the spear that seemed to tear through the air, Jonouchi hurriedly activated his face-down card, "Quick-Play Spell [Graceful Dice]!"

"Of course, it would be Graceful Dice." Hoshino had suspected as much the moment Jonouchi set down two cards, knowing that his deck only had a few cards that could be set like that.

[Graceful Dice Quick-Play Spell Effect: Roll a six-sided die. All monsters you control gain attack and defense points equal to the result x 100 until the end of the turn.]

Rolling a 1 would mean 100 extra attack points, and rolling a 2 or higher would make Gilford the Lightning equal to Li Shuwen's attack points. But rolling a 1 would have no effect.

Result of the roll: 6

"Of course, it would be like that. Jonouchi's dice must all be loaded to roll 6!" Hoshino had a small hope for a 1, but reality harshly shattered it.

[Gilford the Lightning ATK 3600 → 4200]

"Didn't see that coming, did you, Hoshino! My Gilford the Lightning has surpassed you again!" Jonouchi boasted, grinning at the 6 on the dice and the attack points of his swordsman.

"I expected it!" Hoshino retorted loudly, not out of spite but because she truly had foreseen it. She slammed her last card onto the table. "This card was prepared for this moment!"

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Hero's Last Stand] from my hand!"

[Hero's Last Stand Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster you control; it gains 1000 attack and defense points until the end of the turn. If it battles an opponent's monster, inflict double battle damage to your opponent.]

[Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Lancer) ATK 3800 → 4800]

"His attack points even surpassed the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Honda gasped.

"Is this the trick of a magus? It's quite impressive!" Feeling the overwhelming power, Li Shuwen tightened his grip on the spear. "This spear strike will reach the pinnacle!"

Adjusting his breathing, focusing his mind, he moved into his stance—

What he displayed was a unique and supreme spear strike.

" Shen Qiang Wu Er Da God Spear, No Second Strike!"

Even though Gilford the Lightning blocked with his weapon, the sharp wind from the spear pierced through his body. It was a simple, unembellished spear thrust, devoid of excessive special effects or flashy moves, only that strike refined to perfection.

"Li Shuwen has a legendary feat where he pierced a fly on a wall without damaging the wall itself. This must be that spear strike," Honda whispered in awe, swallowing hard. It seemed like a simple spear thrust, but the whole room felt frozen in time.

"UMU~!" Nero praised loudly as she came to her senses. "Such an awe-inspiring strike deserves a thunderous applause in my Golden Theatre!"

But what was supposed to be a decorative Golden Theatre, under Nero's command, filled the room with thunderous applause.

" Gilford the Lightning destroyed! And because of [Hero's Last Stand]'s effect, you take double battle damage!" Enthralled by the applause, Hoshino declared the result of this epic battle.

Jonouchi Katsuya 3500 → 2300

"Damn it, it's not over yet! I activate my last face-down card!" Jonouchi stubbornly flipped open his last card, "Trap Card [Time Machine]!"

"This card? I remember Keith used it!" Hoshino suddenly realized.

[Time Machine Trap Card Effect: When a monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon that monster to the same field it was on, in the same battle position it was in when destroyed.]

"Revive the destroyed Gilford the Lightning!"

[Gilford the Lightning ★★★★★★★★ (8 stars) Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2800 DEF 1400]

"Great job, Jonouchi! Now Nero can't attack directly!" Yugi, seeing Jonouchi survive once again, was moved to tears. "This is your duelist's resolve, Jonouchi!"

"And in the next turn, if Jonouchi attacks Li Shuwen with Gilford the Lightning, Li Shuwen can't activate his effect passively and will be destroyed!" Honda, trying to analyze the situation like Yugi, felt Jonouchi was close to a comeback.

"But Hoshino still has Mash on the field. If Gilford the Lightning wants to attack, he'll have to target Mash first!" Anzu, staying calm, didn't overlook Mash silently holding up a shield on the field.

"That's easy; just summon another monster to attack Mash first!" Honda insisted on his point.

"You're right, Honda!" Nodding quietly, Hoshino agreed with Honda's so-called analysis. "But I won't give Jonouchi any more chances to counterattack! I activate the effect of [Alternate Ending] in my graveyard!"

[②: You can banish this card from your graveyard to add 1 Spell Card from your deck to your hand.]

"What?! [Alternate Ending] has this kind of effect?!" Jonouchi, utterly shocked, had no idea. The effect was a newly added feature from this morning's Max Out.

"The Spell Card I'm adding to my hand is [Lord Camelot]!"

"I've added the Spell Card [Lord Camelot] to my hand!" Hoshino said, lightly holding the card between her index and middle fingers. "Are you ready, Mash?"

"Yes, senpai!" Mash nodded firmly, her voice filled with determination.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Hoshino placed her only card face down on the table, making it obvious to anyone what card she had set.

"This means Jonouchi can't defeat Hoshino's monster this turn!" Yugi observed, understanding the hopeless situation Jonouchi found himself in. "Hoshino has mastered her deck. She used to just play whatever cards she drew, but now it feels like the entire deck is under her control."

"Can Jonouchi beat this version of Hoshino?"

...

"My turn, draw!" Jonouchi drew a card, feeling equally troubled. Although he still had many cards in his hand, they were all monsters that couldn't change the situation. The [Lord Camelot] card set by Hoshino in the back row had dashed his last hope of defeating Li Shuwen. If he relied on regular attacks, he wouldn't be able to destroy any of Hoshino's monsters this turn, and he would face a devastating counterattack from her boosted monsters in the next turn.

"Flawless!" Jonouchi muttered through gritted teeth as he assessed Hoshino's strategy.

Clutching the pendant around his neck, Jonouchi, determined to make a last stand, refused to give up. "Shizuka, lend me your strength and hope!"

Resolutely, Jonouchi prepared to take his final gamble. "I summon the monster card [Baby Dragon]!"

[Baby Dragon ★★★ (3 stars) | Dragon-Type][ATK 1200 DEF 700]

"Hmm, Baby Dragon..." Hoshino, who had been relaxed, suddenly frowned, sensing something amiss. "Why do I have such a strong feeling of déjà vu? Could it be that he's going to use..."

"And then I activate the effect of the monster card [Time Wizard] from my hand!" Sure enough, before Hoshino could finish her sentence, Jonouchi had already played Time Wizard.

"Hold on! Admin, I want to report this!" Hoshino put a hand on her forehead, extending her other hand toward Jonouchi to stop him. "Do you think [Time Wizard] is a Spell Card? You've already summoned Baby Dragon; how can you use the monster card [Time Wizard] now?"

"Jonouchi, you're cheating again, aren't you?" Hoshino accused Jonouchi of his shameless behavior.

"That's right, Jonouchi-boy, summoning two monsters in one turn is not allowed," Pegasus, lounging on a throne and seemingly assuming the role of a judge, remarked nonchalantly, legs crossed.

"Heh, no, Hoshino, because I activated this Spell Card!" Unexpectedly, Jonouchi wasn't fazed by Hoshino's accusation and instead picked up a card that had mysteriously appeared on the table. "Spell Card [Double Summon]!"

[Double Summon Spell Card Effect: You can conduct 2 Normal Summons this turn.]

"Is that better, Hoshino?" Jonouchi retorted, striking a confident pose. "No matter what, everything is calculated by me, Jonouchi-sama!"

[Time Wizard ★★ Light | Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 500 DEF 400]

[Activate the Time Magic Wheel. If successful, destroy all monsters your opponent controls. If unsuccessful, destroy all monsters you control and take damage equal to half the total ATK of the destroyed monsters. This effect can be used once per turn during your Main Phase.]

"If Time Wizard's Time Magic succeeds, all your monsters on the field will be destroyed!" Jonouchi, placing his last hope in Time Wizard, held the magical staff high. "Spin, Time Roulette!"

The spinning roulette had only one-third of its area marked for success, while the remaining two-thirds were filled with skulls, symbolizing failure. It was a do-or-die gamble!

"Before you activate Time Magic, I'll activate my face-down Quick-Play Spell [Lord Camelot]! This grants all my monsters immunity to being destroyed by battle once!" Hoshino, feeling uneasy about Jonouchi's final gamble, was convinced something significant was about to happen. If Mash was destroyed, Lord Camelot could no longer be used.

The towering wall of Camelot rose in the Golden Theatre, piercing through the ceiling with its high walls.

"My... my proud Golden Theatre!" Nero cried tearfully as she watched her theatre be destroyed by the walls.

As Camelot's wall rose, the spinning Time Roulette also came to a stop. Never underestimate Jonouchi's luck in dire situations; the Time Wizard's pointer landed perfectly in the success area.

"Time Magic, activate!" The Time Wizard shouted, waving its staff excitedly. The entire scene felt like it had entered a time tunnel, with the background turning into a whirl of clocks.

"It's no use, Hoshino! Even if your [Lord Camelot] protects your monsters from battle destruction, you can't stop the effect of Time Magic from destroying them!" Jonouchi clenched his fists in excitement, believing he had turned the tables. "After a thousand years, your gates, your theatre, and your monsters will age and be destroyed by the passage of time, while Baby Dragon will evolve into Thousand Dragon!"

[Thousand Dragon ★★★★★★★ (7 stars) | Wind | Dragon/Effect][ATK 2400 DEF 2000]

[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. Special Summon it by sacrificing [Baby Dragon] when Time Magic is successfully activated.] (Anime effect)

As the Golden Theatre crumbled into dust, Hoshino's monsters were also destroyed by the successful activation of Time Magic.

"Hoshino, you've lost!" Jonouchi declared his victory, pointing to the rubble on Hoshino's side of the field. "You have no monsters left, and next, I'll launch a direct attack to secure my victory!"

"Jonouchi, that guy beat Hoshino!" Honda, excited, couldn't believe his eyes.

"Heh, Jonouchi, who said all my monsters are gone?" Hoshino chuckled, her expression hidden. "Take a closer look at my field."

As the dust cleared, a lone, slender figure still stood amidst the ruins.

"Impossible! All monsters should have been destroyed by Time Magic's effect!" Jonouchi shouted in disbelief.

"Because I activated the effect of [Body of the Saint] from my graveyard! By banishing Body of the Saint from the graveyard, I chose a [Heroic Spirit] monster to make it immune to your monster effects!"

"So my Li Shuwen wasn't destroyed by Time Magic, and after enduring a thousand years..." Hoshino's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Li Shuwen has surpassed his previous state!"

"My, my, I never expected to train for a thousand years in this body!" Although the voice still sounded like Li Shuwen, it had aged significantly.

Standing tall amidst the battlefield was an elderly man with graying hair, yet he still exuded strength.

"To accumulate a thousand years of training, at this moment, I've surpassed my limit many times over!" Though he wore a smile, his sharp gaze radiated an intimidating aura.

[Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Assassin)★★★★★★★★★★ (10 stars) | Wind | Warrior/Effect][ATK 2000 DEF 1900]

[This card cannot be Normal Summoned. Special Summon it by sacrificing [Heroic Spirit – Li Shuwen(Lancer)] when Time Magic is successfully activated.]

(*****)

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