[Blue-Eyes White Dragon destroyed]
[Sigurd destroyed]
"My attacks aren't over yet, Hoshino!"
Dragging his last card onto the display, Kaiba revealed the projection of another white dragon on his field.
"Power of pure white, born from the infinite source of time! Wings that tremble with the overlapping echoes of souls! Appear from the azure abyss—Deep-Eyes White Dragon!"
[Deep-Eyes White Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Dragon/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 0]
[If a face-up 'Blue-Eyes' monster you control is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon this card from your hand, then inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of Dragon monsters in your GY × 600.] (Anime Effect)
"Since I have 4 Dragon monsters in my GY, Deep-Eyes White Dragon's effect inflicts 2400 damage to you! Take this—Deep Blue Radiance!!"
The souls of the three Blue-Eyes and the Ultimate Dragon surged from the Graveyard, channeling into Deep-Eyes White Dragon. A wave of dragon spirits unleashed a counterstrike straight at Hoshino.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 8000 → 5600]
Shielding her crimson eyes from the glare with her slender arm, Hoshino smirked.
"Just a slightly blinding light. Is that your counterattack, Kaiba?"
"No. The true power of Deep-Eyes White Dragon—its ATK becomes equal to that of a Dragon monster in my GY!"
Raising his arm, Kaiba directed the duel disk's energy. From the Graveyard, the raging light of the Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon wrapped around Deep-Eyes' form.
"Deep-Eyes White Dragon, inherit the might of my strongest fallen dragon—Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
[Deep-Eyes White Dragon ATK 0 → 4500]
"Now take this head-on!!"
Deep-Eyes' wings ignited, releasing a beam of condensed azure energy that tore through the battlefield, detonating in front of an unguarded Hoshino.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 5600 → 1100]
"Do you feel it, Hoshino? This is my reborn White Dragon—its perfect power!"
Having emptied his hand and poured everything into his assault, Kaiba ended his turn.
"This is the kind of duel that sets my blood on fire, Kaiba!"
As the dragon's radiance faded, Hoshino stepped from the dispersing white mist and flipped a Trap at her feet.
"Trap Card, activate—The Wandering Tales of Shana-oh!"
[Effect: When you take battle or effect damage, Special Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster from your Deck whose ATK is less than or equal to the damage you took.]
"This is my burning fighting spirit, Kaiba! From my Deck—Special Summon, Heroic Spirit – Martha!"
[Heroic Spirit – Martha ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][LIGHT][Fairy/Effect][ATK 1600/DEF 1300]
[①: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: Special Summon 1 "Tarasque Token" (Dragon/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500) to your field.]
"Thanks to Martha's effect—come forth, Tarasque!"
Descending with a thunderous roar, the Tarasque landed beside Martha.
[Tarasque Token ★★★★ (Level 4)][FIRE][Dragon/Token][ATK 1500/DEF 1500]
Clenching her fists, Hoshino shouted as her will aligned with Martha's spirit.
"Battle! Target the Deep-Eyes White Dragon—attack!!"
"A dragon that knows not the sorrow of love… let it scatter into stardust!"
Holy radiance gathered into Martha's fist, a divine light capable of purging evil itself. With a stomp that shattered the ground, she charged like a storm toward the white dragon.
"—Lord, please close Your eyes for a moment."
[②: At the start of the Damage Step when this card attacks an opponent's monster: You can Tribute 1 Dragon monster you control; destroy that opponent's monster, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK.]
"I Tribute Tarasque—Martha's effect activates!"
The Tarasque lunged, wrapping around Deep-Eyes White Dragon to hold it in place.
"There's no escape now—take this! 'Iron Fist of Holy Judgment'!!!"
With a single blow that could pierce the heavens, Martha's fist detonated with sacred power, shattering Deep-Eyes White Dragon and her own Tarasque companion alike.
"This is Boss's holy purifying strike! Now suffer damage equal to Deep-Eyes White Dragon's 4500 ATK!"
The shockwave hurled Kaiba into the wall behind his monster.
[Deep-Eyes White Dragon destroyed]
[Kaiba Seto LP 6500 → 2000]
"A fine counterattack, Hoshino. But destroying Deep-Eyes White Dragon comes at a price! From the abyss of the Graveyard—its final retaliation!"
[When this card is destroyed: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.]
"Be swallowed by the abyssal light!!!"
[Heroic Spirit – Martha destroyed]
Once more, mutual destruction cleared both fields in a blinding storm of energy.
"In that case! Quick-Play Spell—Heroic Spirit – Emergency Summoning! When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Heroic Spirit from my Deck in Defense Position!"
Hoshino revealed her last set card. Though Kaiba had no hand left, she played cautiously, placing her monster in defense.
"With this, I Special Summon in Defense Position—Heroic Spirit – Leonidas I!"
[Heroic Spirit – Leonidas I ★★★ (Level 3)][EARTH][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1400/DEF 1900]
"Leonidas I's effect—he cannot be destroyed by battle against monsters with 2500 or more ATK! Your move, Kaiba!"
"Hmph, clinging to survival? A duelist who abandons offense cannot hope to defeat me, Hoshino!"
Kaiba drew. Despite having emptied his hand, his eyes blazed with iron confidence.
"I activate the Spell Card—Pot of Greed! I draw two cards… and with these, I'll end the duel! Draw!!"
Two glowing cards slid from his Deck, Kaiba sweeping them skyward in a dramatic arc. A dragon's roar echoed as his gaze sharpened with absolute certainty.
"It's over, Hoshino! I activate the Ritual Spell—Chaos Form!"
[Chaos Form – Ritual Spell Effect: Used to Ritual Summon a "Chaos" Ritual Monster. You must Tribute monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Ritual Monster's Level, or you can banish "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" or "Dark Magician" from your GY instead.]
"By Chaos Form's effect, I banish Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Graveyard instead of tributing!"
Light and darkness spiraled together, molding the remains of Blue-Eyes White Dragon into a monstrous new form of chaotic might.
"Dragon of Chaos, herald of destruction! The ultimate evolution of light and darkness! Witness, Hoshino—this is the monster that will crush you! Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!!"
[Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Dragon/Ritual/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 0]
[①: Cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects.]
Its vast form split the heavens, each step shaking the ground. Summoned by Chaos Form's ritual, the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon roared, gathering its final, decisive blast.
"This long battle ends here, Hoshino! Chaos MAX Dragon's ultimate attack—Extreme Chaos Burst White Lightning!!"
A spiraling beam of light and darkness shot forth, slamming against Leonidas I's Spartan shield.
"Too naïve, Kaiba! Don't forget—Leonidas I cannot be destroyed by battle with monsters that have 2500 or more ATK!"
"The naïve one… is YOU, Hoshino!!" Kaiba's roar shook the field like thunder.
"Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's effect—when it attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts double piercing battle damage equal to the difference between its ATK and that monster's DEF!!"
[Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon ATK 4000]
[Leonidas I – DEF 1900]
"Piercing value: 2,100 points. Double damage: 4,200 points. I've won! Feel this terrifying power that can tear apart the heavens and the earth, Hoshino!!"
The Chaos Burst Light pierced through the round shield in Leonidas's hands and blasted straight into Hoshino's slender frame.
"Ahhhh!"
With a sharp, almost musical cry, the last of Hoshino's Life Points vanished in an instant.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 1100 → 0]
[Duel Over – Winner: Seto Kaiba]
As the duel officially concluded, the golden spotlights that had been illuminating the space gradually faded. The duel simulation device—developed with KaibaCorp's latest technology to replicate Hoshino Chiyuki's dueling style—had fulfilled its mission and shut down.
"Well done, Big Brother! This time it's a complete victory!"
Mokuba, who rushed out excitedly, no longer had quite the same childish look as before. Over the past two years, his once messy, waist-length hair had been trimmed into a neat, short cut.
"By the way, this simulator was truly flawless. Not only did it reproduce Hoshino's duel tactics, but even her slightly sharp in-duel banter was recreated with uncanny realism. Truly worthy of the year-long effort of twenty technicians."
Clap clap clap—!
The staff, who had been nervously holding their breath, finally relaxed the moment Kaiba secured his victory.
"Congratulations, Kaiba-sama, on so brilliantly defeating a perfect simulation of the Duel King! With this, the official duel for the worldwide audience in two days should be no problem."
"This is the pinnacle of performance for a simulated Hoshino Chiyuki. I believe even the real Duel King Hoshino would struggle to match this level."
"With such a clean and decisive victory, Kaiba-sama's dueling skills surely surpass the Duel King's by now."
The technicians who had developed the simulator, blind to Kaiba's increasingly dark expression, showered him with flattery—as if his victory already guaranteed their promotions and raises.
"To think I ever relied on you useless fools… I'm utterly disappointed. As of today, you're all fired!"
"K–Kaiba-sama?!"
The technicians, who moments ago were dreaming of promotions, now plummeted from heaven to hell in an instant.
"Pack your things and get out. Don't let me see you in KaibaCorp again, you incompetents!"
With that furious declaration, Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Entertainment, stormed out of the simulation duel arena.
"Big Brother… what on earth just happened?"
Even Mokuba couldn't understand Kaiba's reasoning. He just stood there, staring at his brother's back as he walked away, utterly at a loss.
In the corridor, Kaiba's brows remained tightly furrowed as he replayed the duel in his mind.
"In the end, it's nothing more than a soulless shell. To think a simulator could perfectly replicate her level… that was unrealistic after all."
The scene in his mind rewound again and again, always stopping at the final turn of Hoshino's duel.
After Deep-Eyes White Dragon destroyed Martha with its effect, leaving both sides with empty fields, the simulated Hoshino chose to forgo attacking, using Heroic Spirit – Emergency Summoning to summon Leonidas I in Defense Position. At that moment, Kaiba had felt an overwhelming sense of wrongness.
If it were the real Hoshino, she would never give up an attack in that situation. If it were the real Hoshino, the duel at that moment would have gone like this—
"This victory is mine, Kaiba! Quick-Play Spell – Heroic Spirit – Emergency Summoning, to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Heroic Spirit' monster in Defense Position!"
As the spell activated, a magical girl wreathed in swirling pink stardust materialized on Hoshino's field.
"I Special Summon in Defense Position—Magical Girl – Illya!"
[Magical Girl – Illyasviel ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 1000]
"When Magical Girl Illya is Special Summoned, I can add one Phantasmal Summon from my Deck to my hand! And now it's over, Kaiba—Quick-Play Spell: Phantasmal Summon!"
When fusing with a Magical Girl monster, Phantasmal Summon allows you to use only one Fusion Material from the field to perform a Fusion Summon. Illya, who had appeared in Defense Position, now shifted to offense.
"Fusion Summon—Magical Girl – Hercules Illya!"
[Magical Girl – Heracles Illyasviel – ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2800/ DEF 1000]
"Final blow!"
The small-bodied magical girl swung her massive stone axe down upon Kaiba. With no set cards to defend himself, he was helpless as Illya's ferocity consumed him whole.
[Kaiba LP 2000 → 0]
"It's not enough… If I want to defeat Hoshino, I need even greater power!"
Lifting his gaze to the window, Kaiba looked toward Domino City's clock tower. The hands had just passed midnight. The duel he had promised Hoshino two years ago was now only a single day away.