"Am I really not going to survive until the second turn again? The difference between saints is way too big."
Faced with the menacing claws, Saint George looked enviously at Jeanne d'Arc, who had been on the field for much longer.
"But if my sacrifice can dispel the fear ahead and lead Master to victory, I have no regrets!"
However, just as the crushing claws of the Evil God were about to make contact with Saint George...
A wall of Camelot rose from the ground, and the evil claws embedded themselves deeply into it!
"That which heals all wounds and grudges, our glorious homeland—"
"Sir George, I won't let you die!"
"Manifest yourself!"
Using the central citadel of Camelot, the ultimate defense—the Round Table where the Knights of the Round sat. As long as the heart does not yield, the walls will never crumble.
"—Lord of Camelot!"
This was Mash's heart transcending fear, a determination not to succumb to the Evil God's dominion, manifesting the ultimate gates and the strongest defense.
The gigantic walls, equal in size to the Evil God itself, isolated the source of fear outside.
"What?! What is this?!"
"Quick-Play Magic! [Lord Camelot]!" With a flip of the set card, Hoshino revealed it to the shocked Devlin.
[Lord Camelot Quick-Play Magic Effect: If [Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight] is face-up on your field, you can activate this card. ①: Until the end of the turn, all of your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle once.]
"Devlin, this Camelot is the manifestation of humanity's will and the proof that they do not fear the power of the Evil God!"
"Master, to think you would go this far for me, to fulfill our promise," Saint George, who thought he was doomed, said with emotion from behind the gates.
("Sir George, next time you appear, I'll make sure you survive one turn!")
"It's nothing more than delaying your inevitable defeat! What can you possibly change!" After his failed attack, Devlin decisively ended his turn.
"It can change everything!"
"In that very moment, the tides of battle have already shifted!" Drawing a card, Hoshino called out to the Heroic Spirit on the field.
"Mash, activate the second effect of [Lord Camelot]!"
"Yes, Master!"
[②: At the start of your next turn, until the end of the turn, all of your monsters gain [Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight]'s original DEF as an attack boost.]
The radiant gates bestowed their brilliance upon the heroic spirits battling with all their might.
"Right at this moment, there's a change of players!" Jeanne d'Arc, who had been standing under the glow of the walls, suddenly vanished.
"Activate the Quick-Play Magic [Spirit Origin Conversion]!" As the second set card was flipped, it shone brightly alongside Camelot's.
"Now, I'll take care of the rest, you goody two-shoes!"
"Mm, I leave it to you!"
[Spirit Origin Conversion Quick-Play Magic Effect: Select 1 face-up [Heroic Spirit] monster you control. ①: Special Summon 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster with a different attribute and name from your deck, ignoring its summoning conditions, then return the selected monster to the deck.]
"Thanks to the effect of [Spirit Origin Conversion], I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc Alter] from my deck!" Hoshino played the long-prepared Jeanne Alter card, and Jeanne Alter, with her black flag raised, gracefully descended into the radiant glow of Camelot.
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc Alter★★★★★★★★ (8-star)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
"And due to the effect of Lord Camelot, Jeanne Alter and Saint George's ATK both increase by Mash's original DEF points!"
[Jeanne Alter ATK 3000 → 5000]
[Saint George ATK 1000 → 3000]
"Look at that attack power!" The crowd, witnessing the sudden appearance of Jeanne Alter with her high attack, stirred with excitement.
"The situation, which seemed so defensive, has been completely reversed in one move by summoning such a high-attack monster."
"This is the strength of the Duel King?"
Bathed in the brilliant light, Jeanne Alter grinned with a sinister expression that contrasted sharply with the holy glow.
"Come, Master, lend me your Life Points! You won't mind, will you?"
"How could I mind, Jeanne Alter, if you're willing!"
"Then I'll take it..."
"Ephemeral Dream!"
[Once per turn, by paying half of your Life Points, this card gains ATK equal to the amount paid. This effect can be activated even during the opponent's turn.]
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 3600 → 1800]
Having become used to the sensation of Jeanne Alter siphoning her life force, Hoshino showed no discomfort this time—quite the opposite, she felt oddly exhilarated. "It's amazing how even this can become something to get used to."
[Jeanne Alter ATK 5000 → 6800]
Unbeknownst to Hoshino, Jeanne Alter had practiced countless times in secret to avoid causing her Master pain.
"Her attack power has already soared to 6800." Seeing Jeanne Alter's power surge, Jonouchi was just as excited as the surrounding crowd.
"Yeah, normally, that attack power would be enough to destroy everything, but against the Evil God..." Even with his arms crossed, Yugi frowned, "Hoshino, your strategy has to go beyond just this!"
"Hahaha, how unfortunate! All that effort to increase attack power!" Standing behind the Evil God, Devlin laughed while covering his face. "But in the face of an Evil God, it's all useless! I really love watching you ants struggle for a victory that doesn't even exist."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Devlin. That 'nonexistent' victory is now right in front of me!"
"Flip over the final set card, and take your Evil God to the grave along with you!" Hoshino furiously flipped the third set card, returning Devlin's taunt with her own.
"Trap Card, [Heroic Battle – United Assault]!"
"Let's go, Master!!" x3
[Heroic Battle – United Assault Trap Card Effect: Select 1 face-up [Heroic Spirit] monster you control. Until the end of the Battle Phase, that monster gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all other attack-position monsters you control, and the ATK of those monsters becomes 0.]
"I select [Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc Alter] and combine the power of all the Heroic Spirits on the field!"
[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight ATK 1000 → 0]
"Take it, Jeanne Alter, my meager strength!"
[Heroic Spirit – Saint George ATK 3000 → 0]
"For Master's final victory, I entrust my lord's will to you!"
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne Alter ATK 6800 → 10800]
"Her attack power has exceeded 10,000!!" Devlin took a step back, trembling, feeling as if he were in a nightmare.
"Finally afraid, are you, Devlin? No, you're not Devlin at all!"
"You're a non-human entity hiding behind someone else's body—behold the light of the Heroic Spirits that will pierce through your Evil God!"
"In just one turn, she's broken through the Evil God's 8000-attack-point barrier!" Yugi, wide-eyed in admiration, recognized Hoshino's ultimate strategy, deeply impressed. "This is more than just overcoming the Evil God. Hoshino has surpassed herself again!"
"The battles against gods have made Hoshino even stronger!"
Hoshino herself may not have realized it, but the two duels against divine beings had caused her to grow rapidly as a Duelist.
"How strong does Hoshino plan to become before she's satisfied?" Jonouchi, with his duelist spirit ignited, was also fired up. "Damn it, I really want to duel her again! I don't want to get left further behind!"
The fastest way to grow stronger is by constantly surpassing oneself in the face of desperate situations.
"Such an awe-inspiring power, it's terrifying!" Jeanne Alter, drawing her black sword, pointed it at the massive body of the Evil God. "Let all evil converge here..."
"Although I wanted to say that, it doesn't seem quite fitting!" Jeanne Alter shook her head, rejecting her previous words.
"Gather all the wills that do not yield to fear! Transform them into the courage to break through despair! That's what I should have said!"
"Well said, Jeanne Alter!" Hoshino threw her final card onto the table, loudly declaring her imminent victory. "Courage is understanding fear, mastering fear, and overcoming fear!"
"Thus, humans and Heroic Spirits are born from courage. The song of humanity is the song of courage, and the greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage!"
"Only by conquering fear can one be called a hero of mankind!"
"Activating the last Quick-Play Spell from my hand, [Hero Creation]!"
[Hero Creation Quick-Play Spell Effect: You can activate this card by targeting one of your [Heroic Spirit] monsters on the field. That monster's ATK and DEF increase by 1000 until the end of the turn. If it battles an opponent's monster, the battle damage to your opponent is doubled.]
Merlin: "Oh my, our Master has grown into someone who can utter such beautiful speeches. How interesting."
"Allow me to lend you all a hand and resolve this like a dream!"
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne Alter ATK 10800 → 11800]
"Thanks, Merlin. This is the final card to finish off the Evil God!"
"Attack Wicked Dreadroot, Jeanne Alter! I leave the final blow to you!"
Now completely unaffected by any fear from the Evil God, Hoshino pointed at the massive figure of the Evil God.
"You don't need to tell me, I was already going to do it!" Jeanne Alter gripped her sword tightly, slashing across the ground with a fiery trail.
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne Alter ATK 11800 → 5900]
"Grant flames to the beast, and grant the dragon to my hands! Break the commandments, tear apart the chains of life! This is the finishing strike!"
The black flames gathered in Jeanne Alter's hands, and with her overly dramatic and edgy chant, they transformed into a roaring black dragon.
"Take this! My ultimate strike!"
"La Grondement Du Haine!"
The enormous black dragon, even larger than the Evil God, opened its terrifying maw and instantly consumed the god's body in fiery destruction.
The path of the burning black dragon obliterated everything, leaving no trace of the Evil God on the field.
[Duke Devlin LP 2300 → 400]
"It's over, Devlin! Due to the effect of [Heroic Creation], when my monster battles yours, the battle damage is doubled!"
"Did you see that, Evil God?! This is the united will of us Heroic Spirits, overcoming fear!"
[Duke Devlin LP: 400 → 0]
The duel ended.
The winner: Hoshino Chiyuki!
(*****)
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