"You're gradually starting to keep up with the pace, huh, Jaden."
Fighting in the Duel, Hoshino could feel much more keenly than Akasha just how drastically Jaden's power had increased after fusing with Yubel.
The boost provided by Yubel had allowed Jaden to create monsters capable of standing toe-to-toe with gods. They had even managed to suppress Hoshino's offensive for a time, coming close to victory on multiple occasions.
["Aibo, a Neos Wiseman that can't be destroyed by card effects is even more troublesome than Yubel."]
It could also reflect battle damage just like Yubel. At least Yubel could still be destroyed by card effects.
Neos Wiseman, however, had 3000 ATK of its own while also being immune to effect destruction, eliminating that particular method of breaking through its defenses.
Hoshino said, "It doesn't really matter whether it has resistance to effect destruction or not. I didn't deal with those Yubels by destroying them with card effects, anyway."
Putting aside the original Yubel that Hoshino had destroyed herself…
Yubel – Terror Incarnate had been forcibly stacked as Xyz Material by Oda Nobunaga.
Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare, meanwhile, had been sent to the Graveyard by Okita's effect before being dragged into the Super Polymerization.
"Looks like winning really is difficult, huh? Then…"
After ending the Battle Phase, Jaden activated another Spell Card from his hand.
"— Spell Card, Pot of Avarice!"
[Pot of Avarice — Spell Card Effect: Target 5 monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.]
"I target Elemental HERO Neos Wiseman that was just destroyed and sent to my Graveyard, along with Elemental HERO Shadow Mist, Yubel – Terror Incarnate, Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare, and Armageddon Knight. Five cards in total! I return all of them to my Deck and shuffle it!"
By clearing out his Graveyard, Jaden had practically used this single Pot to shuffle almost every monster remaining there back into his Deck.
"Then I draw two cards! I Set two cards and end my turn!"
[Supreme King Jaden: 1 Hand Card | 2 Set Cards]
"My turn! Draw!"
As her turn began, Hoshino glanced at the card she had drawn and said,
"Not bad. I drew a good card. For my Normal Summon this turn, I summon Heroic Spirit – Medea Lily in Defense Position!"
[Heroic Spirit – Medea Lily DEF 1500]
Those bare little feet once again stepped onto the battlefield.
As soon as Medea Lily was resummoned, she immediately showered Hoshino with healing light.
"Don't worry, Master. No matter how many times it takes, I'll always heal you~"
[Activate during your Main Phase. Recover 1000 LP.]
[Hoshino LP 1999 → 2999]
Alexis recalled, "If I remember correctly, when this card is successfully Summoned, you can also search your Deck for a Spell or Trap Card that mentions 'Medea,' right?"
"That's correct. But there aren't any cards like that left in my Deck anymore."
The two Trap Cards mentioning "Medea" that Hoshino had included in her Deck were High-Speed Divine Words and Rule Buster, the latter of which she had drawn through Space Ishtar last turn.
Since she had already drawn them into her hand, naturally she could no longer search for them from her Deck.
"Don't blame me for that," Ishtar immediately tried to dodge responsibility. "My job was just to block the attack! You never told me what kind of Trap Card I was supposed to draw."
"I'm not blaming you either." Hoshino smiled. "You did an amazing job by negating the attack. It's only because you, Ishtar, blocked that attack for me that I'm still able to stand here right now!"
"You… hmph. For a mere human, you sure know how to talk."
After secretly stealing a glance at Hoshino's smiling face, Space Ishtar nervously rubbed the hilt of the dagger in her hand.
However, the main reason Hoshino was smiling was that as long as a "Medea"-mentioned Trap Card could be activated while Medea was on the field, it could be activated directly from her hand.
"Next, Spell Card — Fate/Grand Order Memories I!"
[Spell Card Effect: Target 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that monster.]
The card Hoshino had drawn this turn was a Spell Card specifically designed to revive Servant monsters.
Selecting the black Xyz card in her Graveyard, Hoshino declared,
"The monster I'm reviving this turn is — Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu!"
[Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu ATK 3000]
Oda Nobunaga could practically be called a natural-born killer of the divine and mysterious.
Her ability to once per turn select cards on the opponent's field and stack them as Xyz Materials was more than enough to deal with even Neos Wiseman, despite its resistance to effect destruction.
"— Counter Trap! Black Horn of Heaven!"
Jaden naturally understood just how troublesome Oda Nobunaga's effect was. The moment Hoshino placed the card onto her Duel Disk, he flipped up his Set card.
[Black Horn of Heaven — Counter Trap Effect: Negate the Special Summon of 1 opponent's monster and destroy it.]
"By the effect of Black Horn of Heaven, I negate the Special Summon of Oda Nobunaga and destroy it!"
"Too naive! In response to Black Horn of Heaven, I activate the Counter Trap Rule Buster!"
Hoshino flung the card onto her Duel Disk.
Under normal circumstances, Counter Traps — with the fastest Spell Speed — could not be chained to anything except another Counter Trap with the same maximum Spell Speed.
[Rule Buster — Counter Trap Effect: If you control ["Heroic Spirit – Medea"], you can activate this card from your hand. ①: When a Spell/Trap Card is activated while you control a "Heroic Spirit" monster, you can activate this card. Negate that activation, and return that card to its owner's Deck. During this turn, your opponent cannot activate the card returned to the Deck by this effect, nor can they activate cards with the same name.]
Drawing the strangely shaped, twisted dagger, Medea Lily channeled her magical power through her petite body.
She leapt toward Jaden's back row and plunged the Noble Phantasm of the "Rule Buster" magecraft directly into the face of the Black Horn of Heaven card.
With a crackling burst of purple lightning, the card face of Black Horn of Heaven shattered.
"Got it, Master!"
[Black Horn of Heaven's effect is negated.]
"Excellent! The Special Summon goes through! And now, Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu's effect — once per turn, I can target 1 card on your field and stack it underneath this card as Xyz Material!"
No one could remember how many times the roar of gunfire had echoed across the sky above Supreme King's Castle.
Oda Nobunaga unleashed a full barrage of gunfire at Neos Wiseman on the opposing field.
"Even if there's usually a law that says smoke means no damage, this time it should finally be enough to finish it off, right?!"
Akasha stared anxiously, practically wishing she could pierce through the smoke and see Jaden's field.
However, after the smoke and gunpowder had cleared, the scene before them was impossible to distinguish at first glance — whether or not Neos Wiseman had actually survived.
A bizarre, pitch-black, bloodstained cross.
Neos Wiseman was firmly fixed upon it, resembling the fate of God recorded in some apocalyptic scripture announcing the end of the world.
"— Trap Card activated! Nightmare's Chains!"
Supreme King Jaden flipped up his final Set card and declared:
"I can activate this card by targeting 1 Spellcaster-Type monster with 2500 or more ATK on my field. That monster is unaffected by my opponent's card effects. During the End Phase, it is destroyed, and afterward I take 1000 damage."
"Nightmare's Chains, huh…"
Hoshino furrowed her brows.
She had actually seen this Trap Card before.
It was originally a Trap Card intended to work with a Dark Magician Deck. By targeting a Spellcaster-Type monster with 2500 or more ATK, it was generally used as an emergency means of protecting Dark Magician on the field.
Yet now, it had been applied to Neos Wiseman instead.
Minazuki suddenly realized something.
"Wait! The monster is destroyed during the End Phase, and he also takes 1000 damage as backlash? Then if Headmistress doesn't do anything, wouldn't Jaden just lose?!"
Akasha scolded him.
"You idiot! Neos Wiseman can't be destroyed by card effects… that means it won't suffer the drawback of Nightmare's Chains at all!"
"Huh? Why does it work like that?! That's cheating!"
Hoshino, who had momentarily stopped moving, finally realized Supreme King Jaden's true intention.
The immunity granted by the Trap Card Nightmare's Chains had no explicit duration.
After all, according to its effect text, the Spellcaster monster was supposed to be destroyed during the End Phase.
But by using Neos Wiseman's own effect to prevent that destruction, the immunity granted by Nightmare's Chains would effectively remain on the card forever.
"I fell right into his trap…"
The Counter Trap Jaden had flipped up at the beginning — Black Horn of Heaven, which negated the Special Summon of Oda Nobunaga — was nothing more than bait, the opening move.
Knowing full well that Hoshino had Rule Buster in her hand, Jaden's goal had simply been to trick her into using it.
Then, by means of Nightmare's Chains, he could evolve Neos Wiseman into its complete form.
["Aibo, now that you're practically out of resources, breaking through the ultimate Neos Wiseman is going to be very difficult. How about betting everything on Ishtar? We could gamble that she'll be able to attack directly this turn by bypassing Neos Wiseman."]
As long as Space Ishtar drew a monster this turn, her effect would allow her to ignore Neos Wiseman and launch an attack.
Hoshino had considered that possibility as well.
But in the end, she abandoned it.
After all, this was the woman who would absolutely fumble at the most critical moment.
Betting the most important attack on Ishtar's effect?
Hoshino had a feeling she would lose so spectacularly that she wouldn't even be able to recover.
"Although the only card I can use right now is Oda Nobunaga, it's still too early to say I'm completely out of options."
Activating the Spell Card in her Graveyard, Hoshino declared:
"I still have one more trick up my sleeve. This is the last card I can use! I activate the effect of the Spell Card Phantasm Contact in my Graveyard!"
[Phantasm Contact — Spell Card Effect: ②: You can banish this card from your Graveyard to activate this effect. Add 1 "Magical Girl" monster from your Deck to your hand. This effect cannot be activated during the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard.]
Alexis suddenly realized something.
"Searching a Magical Girl monster from the Deck… of course! Up until now, Senpai still hasn't drawn Illya! That card has unlimited possibilities!"
Akasha shook her head.
"No. Hoshino-nee has already used her Normal Summon for this turn to summon Medea. Even if she searches for Illya now, she can't use her."
After searching the card, Hoshino understood that better than anyone.
She no longer had a Normal Summon available this turn to use Illya.
In fact, under these circumstances, if she stubbornly searched for Illya anyway, it would practically guarantee her defeat.
"The 'Magical Girl' monster I'm adding to my hand is Magical Girl's Other Half – Chloe! Then I activate its effect—"
[Magical Girl's Other Half – Chloe — Effect: ①: You can discard this card from your hand to target 1 'Magical Girl' Fusion Monster in your Graveyard or banishment; Special Summon that monster in Defense Position.]
"Using Chloe's soul, connecting through Shared Pain!"
Hoshino pulled the Fusion card from her Graveyard and placed it sideways on her Duel Disk.
"I Special Summon Magical Girl – Artoria Illya from my Graveyard in Defense Position!"
[Magical Girl – Artoria Illya DEF 2000]
The thick, cotton-cup-like presence returned to the field.
Illya drove the holy sword in her hands into the ground, guiding the power of King Artoria's Saint Graph through herself.
"Listen, holy sword! This is the hope of survival, guided by Kuro!"
"Magical Girl – Artoria Illya's effect! When this card is successfully Special Summoned, I can activate its effect to Set 1 Spell or Trap Card from my Deck that mentions 'Artoria' directly onto my field!"
She selected a card from her Deck and placed it onto the Duel Disk.
With Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu now being the only card left in Hoshino's hand, this was practically the same as openly telling Jaden:
Next turn, I'm going to survive by relying on this card.
"I end my turn!"
[Hoshino: 1 Set Card]
Jaden declared:
"During the End Phase, Nightmare's Chains's destruction effect activates! However, Neos Wiseman will not be destroyed by card effects!"
Just as Hoshino had predicted, the strange cross shattered apart.
Yet rather than destroying Neos Wiseman, it instead allowed him to obtain even greater power.
"My turn! Due to the effect of Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare, I draw two cards! Then, I enter the Battle Phase!"
Certain that victory was already in his grasp, Jaden immediately declared an attack.
At the same time, responding to the Supreme King's command, Neos Wiseman unleashed the ultimate nova that had condensed with scorching heat within its chest.
A violent blast swept toward Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu on Hoshino's field.
With the same 3000 ATK as Neos Wiseman, even if the two monsters destroyed each other in battle, Neos Wiseman's inherited effect from Yubel would still inflict 3000 damage to Hoshino.
[Hoshino LP 2999]
The difference of just 1 Life Point was destined to prevent Hoshino from withstanding this attack head-on.
"Hoshino Chiyuki! Let me see how that Set card of yours is going to stop the ultimate power of evolution born from Yubel and me!"
"Then don't you dare blink. The Set card is activated!"
Hoshino flipped up the final Set card she had searched with Illya.
Using the Sword of Promised Victory, she stirred up a violent gale across the field.
"— Trap Card! Invisible Air!"