Chapter 82

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

"He evolved alongside Time Wizard's time magic, this monster," Jonouchi said in surprise, watching the elderly Li Shuwen standing on Hoshino's field.

"But its attack power is only 2000, nowhere near enough to defeat my [Gilford the Lightning] and [Thousand Dragon]!" Jonouchi, though briefly flustered by Li Shuwen's aura, quickly regained confidence. "Maybe he's just an old man."

"Am I being underestimated?" Li Shuwen, with his hands clasped behind his back, retracted the killing intent in his eyes, replacing it with...

"Li Shuwen, have you evolve? You look stronger," Hoshino couldn't help but ask, sensing the serene aura replacing the previous hostility.

"Kuhahaha, After training for a thousand years, You can said I get a bit stronger," Li Shuwen replied with a smile.

"This doesn't feel right, Jonouchi," Yugi, feeling a sense of danger after Li Shuwen subdued his killing aura, felt Li Shuwen had become even more intimidating.

"Jonouchi, you mustn't attack rashly," Yugi silently prayed, hoping Jonouchi would approach the current situation more cautiously.

"Do you think you can scare me with a monster that has only 2000 attack points?" Jonouchi, just a step away from victory, was increasingly controlled by his desire to win. "Watch as my Gilford the Lightning easily defeats you! Attack, Gilford the Lightning!"

However, as Jonouchi declared his attack, Hoshino's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Li Shuwen, he's entered the battle phase."

"Then I must respond!" Slowly opening his eyes, Li Shuwen's serene aura mingled with a sharp killing intent.

Li Shuwen took up a fighting stance, first stomping his right foot forward and then sweeping it in an arc across the ground.

The previously charging Gilford the Lightning suddenly seemed to be pulled off balance by an unseen force. Not only Gilford the Lightning but also the Thousand Dragon and Time Wizard were similarly affected, being drawn toward Li Shuwen.

"Wha-what's going on? Time Wizard? Thousand Dragon? I didn't command an attack!" Jonouchi exclaimed, bewildered by the bizarre scene before him.

"Is it the effect of Hoshino's monster?" Jonouchi, with no other explanation, looked at Hoshino, who was smirking.

"Have you finally figured it out?" Hoshino, with a constant smirk, raised her hand to announce Master Li's special effect.

[While this card is on the field, the opponent cannot skip their battle phase. If the opponent's monsters can attack, they must attack this card.]

"In other words, your monsters can't escape!" After Hoshino's spirited declaration, Jonouchi's three monsters were already being pulled toward Master Li Shuwen.

"So what? Even if you can defeat Time Wizard, my Thousand Dragon and Gilford the Lightning still have higher attack points!" Jonouchi shouted, refusing to back down. "Don't be scared by these tricks; keep attacking, Gilford the Lightning!"

"Kids, this day, why so hot-headed?" Li Shuwen, now in a combat stance, calmly remarked. "Using your power, harnessing the power of others—this is martial arts; this is the way."

[Upon entering the battle phase, this card's attack power increases by half the total attack points of all monsters on the field.]

"A single strike should suffice!" Taking a deep breath, Li Shuwen raised his energy to its peak.

"With Li Shuwen, Gilford the Lightning, Time Wizard, and Thousand Dragon on the field, totaling 7700 attack points, Li Shuwen's attack power increases by half that amount!" As Hoshino named each monster, the combined power gathered in Master Li's poised steel fist.

[Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Assassin)ATK 2000→5850]

"In lieu of a hundred techniques, I strike with but one. There truly is no second strike… Ha!" With a shout, Master Li unleashed his finishing move toward the two massive forms before him, "This is—Wu Er Da No Second Strike!"

The roaring wind from his punch engulfed Jonouchi's three monsters, swiftly piercing through them. It was a precise, refined blow without unnecessary movement or flashy effects.

"What is this feeling?" Opposite the attack, Jonouchi's pupils widened, his stomach churning as if he were the one struck, not the monsters. "Can this be just a hologram? It feels so real!"

With a single blow, the bodies of the three monsters shattered simultaneously, signaling Hoshino's victory in this duel.

"Wow! This is truly Li Shuwen!" Even Hoshino, standing behind Li Shuwen, couldn't help but be amazed by the punch.

Jonouchi Katsuya LP 2300 → 0

"Did I... lose?" Jonouchi, finally recovering from the shock, stared blankly at the cards in his hand. The zero on his LP indicated that his journey in the Duelist Kingdom had come to an end. "Shizuka, your brother tried his best, didn't he?"

"Jonouchi!" Hoshino's shout snapped Jonouchi out of his daze. "You did great. I'm really glad you were my opponent in the first match of the finals. And I don't mean that sarcastically; dueling with you reminded me of the true spirit of dueling."

"Hoshino..." Jonouchi, feeling more at peace rather than bitter over his loss, responded with determination, "Although you won this time, next time, I'll beat you! I'll get stronger!"

"Heh, me too. I won't let you catch up so easily!" Hoshino gave Jonouchi a thumbs-up, and they both left the dueling arena.

On his throne, Pegasus frowned, contemplating a single question, "Hoshino-girl, where exactly did you get these cards?"

"Hoshino, Jonouchi, you both fought wonderfully!" Even though one of them would inevitably lose, that was a predetermined outcome. But the group welcomed the returning duelists with laughter, acknowledging and appreciating their efforts.

"But I still lost!" Jonouchi scratched his head awkwardly in response to his friends' smiles.

"What are you saying, Jonouchi!" Honda playfully nudged Jonouchi's ribs, scolding him with a smile. "You, a rookie duelist, made it to the finals and fought Hoshino on equal footing. You could boast about this at school for a long time!"

"Hehe, is that true?" Jonouchi managed to squeeze out a smile, reassured by Honda's words. "Hearing you say that, I feel like I did pretty well."

"You too, Chiyuki, you fought brilliantly!" Mai Valentine, excited as if inspired by the recent duel, waved her fists in the air. "Especially that last move of yours was so cool! It ignited my duelist spirit!"

"Hehe, if it helps Mai get into better form, then this duel was worth it," Hoshino replied with a cheerful grin, though it was just a polite remark. Deep down, Hoshino genuinely hoped Mai Valentine would be in her best form for her next duel, especially since her opponent would be...

"Thanks, Chiyuki~" Mai Valentine patted Hoshino on the head, knowing that Hoshino was cheering her on. "Even against Mutou Yugi, I won't back down."

"Isn't that right, Yugi-kun~" Mai Valentine's face, initially serious, suddenly turned charming as she looked at Yugi.

"Mai, if you're planning to use seduction tactics against Yugi, it won't work!" Anzu, standing next to Yugi, laughed as she reminded, "Yugi has a determination that won't lose to yours!"

As Anzu finished speaking, the Millennium Puzzle on Yugi's chest flashed brightly. Yugi, who had been blushing and looking down due to Mai's teasing, now stood tall and confident as the Pharaoh.

"Indeed, Mai Valentine, let's have a duel as exciting as Jonouchi and Hoshino's." The Pharaoh smiled confidently, seemingly eager for the duel, inspired by the previous match.

"Yugi-kun is so full of fighting spirit~" Mai Valentine responded with a chuckle to the Pharaoh's words.

...

"The second match of the Duelist Kingdom Finals is about to begin. Duelists Mutou Yugi and Mai Valentine, please take the stage and prepare!" After a few minutes, as the excitement from the first duel settled, the elderly butler announced the start of the second match.

"Good luck, Mai, Yugi!" Hoshino cheered for the two as they walked onto the stage. Dueling between friends could be a bit conflicting, as supporting one would feel like betraying the other.

However, the undeniable fact remained that the winner of this duel would face Hoshino for the final glory.

"According to the rules, please present your qualification cards."

"Here, [Glory of the Right Hand of the King]!" Mai Valentine said.

"Mine is [Glory of the Left Hand of the King]!" Mutou Yugi replied.

Watching silently as the two presented their cards, Hoshino sighed slightly. If the organizers knew that the four finalists shared two sets of qualification cards, they would be surprised. It was quite a feat that these four could reach a delicate balance without any disputes.

"The qualification cards are in order. The duel is about to begin!"

<[System 45 Alert: Duelist Level Assessment Complete. Jonouchi Katsuya, B, Reward: Saint Quartz, Remaining Quartz: 46]>

Just before the duel officially began, Hoshino's attention was drawn back to the system alert.

"Huh, I didn't expect Jonouchi to have such a high duelist level~" Hoshino muttered, looking at Jonouchi, who was waiting for the duel to start.

However, Jonouchi's beast-like intuition quickly caught Hoshino's gaze, and he turned his head sharply.

"Hoshino, why are you looking at me..." Unexpectedly, Jonouchi, who usually carried the air of a delinquent, scratched his face shyly.

"I was just thinking that, despite your average looks, you have some dueling skills." Hoshino made up an excuse to brush off Jonouchi's question, then continued to look through the translucent system interface.

"I'm... average-looking? No way!" Jonouchi hung his head low, showing a disappointed expression, and weakly denied, "I still have quite a few girls who admire me at school, you know!"

"Only in your imagination, right?" Hoshino, mercilessly bursting Jonouchi's bubble, suddenly realized the nature of the system and pondered silently. "Come to think of it, this system was made by Da Vinci in those brief seconds before I was isekai. A true genius is terrifying. This level of skill would outshine most programmers."

However, whether the system was created with programming or magic, Hoshino couldn't tell.

"Anyway, since I got the Saint Quartz, the first thing to do is~" Smiling slyly, Hoshino opened the card shop. "When you get Saint Quartz, the first thing to do is GACHA!"

Although the Quartz could be used for card strengthening, well, after tasting the sweetness of today's gacha, Hoshino rediscovered a truth: "The gambling nature of gacha is more addictive than predetermined enhancements!"

"Open the card shop!"

<[Duelist Number 001, Hoshino Chiyuki, logged into the card shop.]>

<[Saint Quartz Summon (Limited-Time Banner) Eternal Madness Empire: Septem Recommended Heroic Spirits Summon]>

[Summon x1: 3 Saint Quartz] [Summon x10: 30 Saint Quartz]

"Without hesitation, ten summons!" Completely used to gacha in this world, Hoshino was no longer trembling with excitement. "Come on, come on, let's strike gold today! Let me feel Rome's hospitality once more!"

Whether due to the Romans' supposed hospitality, the first draw already shone with brilliant light.

"Oh, rainbow, this means a guaranteed 5-star!" Hoshino, who was very familiar with the gacha interface, could clearly distinguish the effects of different star-level cards. "But are there any 5-star servants in the Roman card pool?"

"I am Altera. Master, Gacha is a bad civilization." With a calm yet subtly dangerous tone, Altera's card appeared in Hoshino's hand.

(*****)

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