"Battle! With those 8000 points of ATK, shatter Heracles for me!"
Entering the Battle Phase, empowered by the combined strength of the two Sacred Beasts, Raviel's terrifying punch came crashing straight down upon Heracles.
[Hoshino LP 8000 → 5100]
"Heracles' effect! As a substitute for being destroyed by battle, remove half of this card's Valor Counters!"
The steel-like body, blown apart by the devastating blow, slowly began to repair itself once more under the shroud of its Noble Phantasm.
[Valor 5 → 2]
"And for each Valor Counter removed, Heracles' ATK increases by 300!"
[Heroic Spirit – Heracles ATK 5100 → 6000]
"ROAAAR—!"
The resurrected Heracles roared furiously at Raviel before him.
"Still has two counters left—that means it can revive one more time, huh? What a persistent monster."
After unleashing that all-out punch, Kagemaru made no further moves during this Battle Phase. Still, the ferocious charge with 8000 ATK—and the massive reduction of Hoshino's remaining Life Points—made him feel as though he had regained the upper hand.
"After the Battle Phase ends, I activate the effect of Uria in my Graveyard once more! I discard a Trap Card from my hand to revive it!"
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames ATK 4000 → 5000]
Although Raviel's ATK-absorption effect is limited to once per turn, Uria's own revival effect has no such restriction—as long as you have Trap Cards in hand, it can revive as many times as you like.
"Finally, because Uria revived, Card of Safe Return triggers, allowing me to draw three cards from my Deck."
"This is bad… Uria's repeated revival, combined with Card of Safe Return, is seriously troublesome."
Watching Uria's ATK continue to rise and Kagemaru's hand keep growing, Hoshino finally felt a trace of pressure.
Even though she could tell that Kagemaru's skill as a Duelist was fairly mediocre, there was no denying that the raw power of the Three Sacred Beasts themselves—combined with various support cards of unknown effects—made them, in some ways, even harder to deal with than the Egyptian Gods.
After placing cards onto his Duel Disk, Kagemaru signaled the end.
"I set two cards. Turn end!"
"At the end of your turn," Hoshino pointed out, "the ATK increase effect of Raviel should also wear off."
[Raviel, Lord of Phantasms ATK 8000 → 4000]
Jonouchi clenched his fist. "With its ATK back down to 4000, there's still hope. After all, Heracles' ATK has already climbed past 6000."
"My turn—draw!"
"At this very moment, the set Continuous Trap activates—Hyper Blaze!"
Almost simultaneously with Hoshino's draw, Kagemaru flipped over the card he had set at the end of the previous turn.
"The effect of the Continuous Trap Hyper Blaze—once per turn, discard 1 card from my hand to activate it. Choose one of Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, or Raviel, Lord of Phantasms from my Graveyard, and Special Summon it, ignoring its summoning conditions!"
Thanks to the powerful hand-refilling effect of Card of Safe Return, Kagemaru didn't even blink at discarding cards—especially since reviving a Sacred Beast from the Graveyard would only let him draw even more afterward.
"I discard one card from my hand and revive Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder from my Graveyard, ignoring its summoning conditions!"
[Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder ATK 4000]
"Now, all three are assembled on my field!"
Thunder roared and flames surged. Centered around Raviel, the three colossal Beasts displayed their overwhelming majesty to the world.
"Mama mia… this looks really bad, nyone! All three are summoned, nyone!"
"You have to be careful, Hoshino!" Uria's weak voice rang out—this time not because her masochistic tendencies had been triggered by an attack, but for an entirely different reason.
"I can feel my consciousness starting to blur. When the Three are revived and gathered together, even if they themselves are unwilling, they will follow the ancient legend and influence—no, overturn—this world."
"Follow the legend…" Hoshino recalled what she had previously heard in Kaiba's office about the legend of the Three Phantasmal Lords.
'When the cards of the Three Sacred Beasts resurface upon the earth, heaven and earth will be engulfed in chaos. Darkness will gradually awaken, and the world will be led toward destruction. To awaken the Three, what is required is the life force of all Duel Monsters on the planet.'
"The life force of all Duel Monsters on Earth… don't tell me—!"
"AH—!"
Just as Hoshino realized how dire the legend truly was, screams had already broken out among the students watching.
"The cards—the monsters in the Duel Monster cards—they're disappearing!"
"How can this be?! The card art—everything's turning into empty, pure white!"
Flipping through his own Deck as it gradually faded away, Jaden said in disbelief, "The life force of Duel Monsters is really being drained… exactly like the legend described."
And it wasn't just the students at Duel Academy. In that instant, Duel Monster cards across the entire world vanished. Looking across the globe, only Kagemaru and Hoshino—still locked in their Duel—were able to use Duel Monsters anymore.
"HAHAHAHA!" From an armed helicopter hovering above Duel Academy, Sartorius laughed wildly as he sensed the world being swallowed by chaos and darkness. "My prophecy was correct after all! The 'Revival' of the Upright position signifies the birth of a new world—this is the world of terror ruled by the Sacred Beasts!"
"Kagemaru!" Hoshino shouted sternly. "Do you even understand what you're doing?! If you destroy Duel Monsters—and this world along with them—what meaning does your endless life even have?!"
"Meaning? The power of the Beasts that reign over heaven and earth, wielded by me—that is meaning!" Completely indifferent to the fate of others, Kagemaru continued the Duel. "Because Hamon has revived, I can draw three more cards!"
No longer able to maintain a physical form, Uria pleaded weakly, "Please, Hoshino—stop it! At the very least, you can't allow all three Phantasmal Lords to remain on the field at the same time. Otherwise, Duel Monsters all over the world really will be absorbed…"
"With things like this, stopping all three from being on the field at once is just too difficult, meow!"
Wiping the cold sweat from his temple, Banner analyzed the situation.
"As long as Kagemaru discards just one card, he can revive a Sacred Beast. Even if you defeat one, it can be easily Special Summoned again from the Graveyard, meow."
"No—there's still a way!"
Glancing at the card she had set last turn, Hoshino's fighting spirit reignited.
"If taking down just one is meaningless, then to prevent all three from being on the field at the same time—I just need to destroy all three in a single turn!"
"What?!"
Jonouchi could hardly believe his ears. "Hoshino, you're saying you'll wipe out all three in one turn? Is that even possible? Under the Fallen Paradise Field, the Three Sacred Beasts have resistance to effect destruction!"
"If we say it's impossible now, then everything really will be over, won't it?"
Hoshino declared firmly. "Even if it's impossible, we'll force it to become possible!"
Without any additional summoning steps, pressed for every second, Hoshino charged straight into the Battle Phase.
"Heracles—destroy Raviel first!"
After reviving twice, Heracles' ATK had already skyrocketed to 6000. The heroic spirit charged headlong toward the towering Raviel.
"That's practically suicide, Hoshino Chiyuki!"
Kagemaru roared arrogantly, revealing a card from his newly replenished hand as his voice echoed across the fractured battlefield.
"—I activate the monster effect from my hand: Raviel, Lord of Phantasms – Shimmering Scraper!"
[Raviel, Lord of Phantasms – Shimmering Scraper (Monster Effect):
Quick Effect: You can discard this card and target 1 "Raviel, Lord of Phantasms" you control; for the rest of this turn, its ATK becomes double its current ATK, also it can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each.]
Overwhelming demonic power erupted from Raviel's massive arms. With its ATK doubled by the effect of another copy of itself, Raviel once again reached the same terrifying level it had when it absorbed Uria's power last turn.
[Raviel, Lord of Phantasms ATK 4000 → 8000]
"Taste it properly—the might of the Heavenly Crushing Fist!"
Fist and axe collided in a deafening explosion. With its ATK surpassing Heracles', Raviel stripped away Heracles' final revival opportunity.
[Hoshino LP 5100 → 3100]
[Valor ×2 → 1]
[Heroic Spirit – Heracles ATK 6000 → 6300]
"So that's your counterattack this turn, Hoshino?"
Kagemaru sneered, completely dominant. "Pathetic. Human power is truly insignificant before the greatness of the Sacred Beasts!"
"My counterattack is only just beginning."
Flipping over the only set card at her feet, Hoshino lifted the curtain on reversal.
"—I activate the set Quick-Play Spell: Castle of Snow!"
[This card can only be used once per Duel.
Choose one of the following effects:
Pay half your LP; Special Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit – Heracles" from your Graveyard.
Place 6 "Valor" on 1 "Heroic Spirit – Heracles" you control.
Remove 1 "Valor" you control; Special Summon 1 "Illya" monster from your hand, Deck, or GY.]
"By Castle of Snow's effect, I remove the last Valor from Heracles!"
[Valor ×1 → 0]
[Heracles ATK 6300 → 6600]
As Heracles' ATK surged to its absolute limit, a young girl's call became starlight, piercing through the darkness that shrouded heaven and earth.
"Berserker—!"
"Special Summon! Magical Girl – Illya!"
[Magical Girl – Illya ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 1000 / DEF 1000]
Slender fingers clasped a steel-like giant's hand. Like a reunion after loss, the girl and the hero once again stood side by side.
"When Magical Girl – Illya is Special Summoned, I add Phantasm Summon from my Deck to my hand!"
Tracing a blazing arc with the Phantasm Summon card, Hoshino poured everything into this fusion—Heracles' ultimate power and Illya's strongest dream form.
"Fusion Summon! Magical Girl – Karna Illya!"
[Magical Girl – Karna Illya ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][FIRE][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2800 / DEF 2000]
Solar flames wrapped around her petite body. Wielding a god-slaying spear, Illya fused with a supreme Spirit Origin, carving open hope upon the battlefield.
"When the Fusion Summon succeeds, Magical Girl – Karna Illya's effect activates!"
[When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can banish 1 monster from your field or Graveyard; this card gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK.]
"I banish Heroic Spirit – Heracles from my field!
After removing all Valor and reaching his maximum ATK, Heracles' full power is inherited by Karna Illya!"
Raising the golden spear overhead, Illya gathered extreme magical energy, crimson flames spiraling around her as she shouted with all her strength.
"Fight with me, Berserker! Lend me your power!"
"ROAR—!!"
[Heroic Spirit – Heracles banished]
[Magical Girl – Karna Illya ATK 2800 → 9400]
"9400 ATK?!"
The entire academy cried out in shock.
"That already surpasses even two Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragons!"
Minazuki calculated precisely. "Which also means—it's equivalent to three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"
With a sweeping motion, Hoshino launched the battle.
This was the long-prepared reversal strike of the turn.
"Charge! Illya, Heracles—target Raviel!
Crush all 8000 points of that Raviel's ATK!"
"Ooooooh!!"
"ROAR!!"
Illya's cry and Heracles' roar overlapped. Wrapped in blazing flames, the roaring axe of their combined assault pierced straight through Raviel.
[Raviel, Lord of Phantasms destroyed]
[Kagemaru LP 8000 → 6600]
Hoshino pressed the attack.
"It's not over yet! Magical Girl – Karna Illya's effect continues!"
[(Quick Effect) Once while this card is face-up, discard 1 card; send face-up monsters your opponent controls to the Graveyard whose total ATK is less than or equal to this card's ATK, then this card's ATK becomes 0.]
"I discard Heroic Spirit – Okita from my hand to activate Karna Illya's final effect!"
[Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder ATK 4000]
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames ATK 5000]
"Their combined ATK is 9000. And Illya's ATK is—"
A spear of inevitable annihilation, forged from divine lightning itself.
Because this is a rule-based effect that sends monsters directly to the Graveyard, even the destruction resistance granted by Fallen Paradise cannot stop it.
"—Comprehend the mercy of the King of Gods, and burn to nothingness!
'O Sun Wheel, Submit to Death!'"