"You... you really don't want to hear it?" Yuta asked, embarrassed by Hoshino's decisive rejection of his heartfelt confession. "Is it because you don't think I'm worthy?"
"I know from watching anime that characters power up if they tell their story," thought Hoshino, now on full alert.
"Hmph, is that so? Then I'll tell you my story after I defeat you..." Yuta rubbed his nose, quickly getting back into the duel.
"Even though your monster is strong, it's still powerless in the face of the sea." Yuta drew a card and confidently glanced at the Tornado Wall protecting him. "The proof is, even if you managed to destroy The Legendary Fisherman, you still can't inflict any damage on me."
As long as the Field Spell Card Legendary Ocean (Umi) remained on the field, Tornado Wall would negate all damage to Yuta. In other words, even if Hoshino's Heracles attacked directly, Yuta wouldn't take any damage.
"Will this turn into a drawn-out battle..." Mokuba, observing the field, couldn't think of any countermeasures. "But as long as the opponent can't defeat Hoshino's monster, it won't be much of a threat to her either."
"Your monster is strong, Hoshino, but I learned something from facing the sea! Humans cannot challenge the ocean. Attempting to fight against a natural force is a foolish act!" With that, Yuta placed a monster card on his Duel Disk.
"I summon [The Legendary Fisherman II] in Attack Position!"
[The Legendary Fisherman II ★★★★★ (Level 5)][WATER][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2200 → 2400/DEF 1800 → 2000]
[Effect: This card's name becomes The Legendary Fisherman while on the field or in the GY. While Umi is on the field, this card is unaffected by other monsters' effects.]
Standing atop a small whale, The Legendary Fisherman II, with its familiar spiky hairstyle, materialized on the water's surface.
"Pffft, hahaha." Hoshino couldn't help but burst into laughter, completely taken out of the moment by the sight of The Legendary Fisherman II.
"Yuta, did you put yourself on a card? Why does The Legendary Fisherman II have the same hairstyle as you?" Hoshino laughed, pointing at the monster's identical spiky hair.
"I'll take that as a compliment. If I could have the same spirit as The Legendary Fisherman, I'm sure I could ride the waves too!" Yuta, blushing, clearly didn't get Hoshino's joke.
"But just having this monster won't be enough to defeat my Heracles!" Wiping the tears from her eyes, Hoshino calmed down and spoke.
"That's true, it's not enough with just the second-generation Fisherman. But what about this?" Yuta continued the flow of the duel and placed a spell card on his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card [Graceful Charity] from my hand!"
[Graceful Charity Effect: Draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards from your hand.]
"I can't believe that card isn't banned here!" Hoshino, who had been laughing just moments earlier, suddenly became alert.
"Thanks to this Spell Card, I draw three cards from my deck, then discard two cards from my hand." This powerful card allowed Yuta to quickly sift through his resources and optimize his hand for the duel.
"I want it... I really want that card!" Hoshino's eyes sparkled with envy as she watched Yuta draw three cards.
"Hoshino, the final piece of the puzzle for my victory is now in place!" Yuta held his Duel Disk high, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"I activate the effect of [The Legendary Fisherman III] from my hand!"
"The Legendary Fisherman... III?" Hoshino had no time to joke about how many generations of The Legendary Fisherman existed anyway.
Because at that moment, a dazzling blue light flickered in Yuta's Graveyard, as if challenging the entire ocean.
[Effect: You can tribute 1 The Legendary Fisherman you control to Special Summon this card from your hand.]
"This is the ultimate fisherman, the strongest man to sail across all seas!" Yuta slammed the glowing blue card from his hand onto his Duel Disk, and in the place of The Legendary Fisherman II, a new monster appeared.
[The Legendary Fisherman III ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][WATER][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2500 → 2700/DEF 2000 → 2200]
Standing tall on a whale embedded with a red rhombus-shaped gem, The Legendary Fisherman III gripped his harpoon firmly.
"The strongest Legendary Fisherman, huh? I must admit, he's got a certain aura to him." Even Hoshino couldn't help but admire the man who now seemed to rule over the ocean.
"This is my final trump card, Hoshino! I activate The Legendary Fisherman III's special effect!"
[Effect: When this card is Special Summoned, banish all monsters your opponent controls. This card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects and is unaffected by your opponent's Spell and Trap effects.]
Amidst the turbulent waves, the harpoon in The Legendary Fisherman III's hand locked onto the massive body of Heracles. "Say goodbye to your muscular ace, Hoshino! Legendary Fisherman, Harpoon Barrage!"
"Damn, banishment again..." Hoshino furrowed her brow. If there was one weakness her Heracles had, it was to effects that banished cards.
"There's no way I'll let you succeed so easily!" Of course, Hoshino had prepared countermeasures for this rare weakness. "I activate my set Quick-Play Spell!"
"Your Spell Card won't affect The Legendary Fisherman III!"
"I told you not to be so hasty!" Hoshino, recalling that she'd said the same line before, quickly pressed the activation button on her Duel Disk.
"I target Heracles on my field to activate the Quick-Play Spell [Body of the Saint]!"
A holy light enveloped Heracles's massive body, deflecting the lethal harpoon fired by The Legendary Fisherman III.
"Because of Body of the Saint's effect, Heracles won't be affected by card effects this turn." Hoshino, quietly relieved, wiped the nervous sweat from her forehead.
If the Heracles she had summoned after using many of her cards had been banished, this duel would have been in serious jeopardy.
"I knew you wouldn't be defeated that easily, Hoshino. But banishing your monster wasn't my real objective." With a smile, Yuta drew another card from his hand.
"I mentioned this before, didn't I? When facing the sea, I learned that humans have limits. Challenging something you can't beat is a foolish act."
"But we men of the sea always find a way to surpass the obstacles the ocean presents and catch our final prey. Do you know why?"
With that, Yuta slammed his final card onto the Duel Disk. "It's because we use our wits to overcome the impossible!"
"I activate the Equip Spell [Shooting Star Bow – Ceal]!"
[Shooting Star Bow - Ceal Equip Spell: The equipped monster loses 1000 ATK but can attack your opponent directly.]
"Star Bow?!" Although it was her first time seeing this card, with a name that included both 'Star' and 'Bow,' Hoshino instinctively felt that this Equipment Card had to be strong (and probably self-destructive).
"A monster equipped with Star Bow can attack the player directly by lowering its attack points by 1000!" After playing the card, Yuta's hand pierced through the wall of Tornado Wall in front of him.
"Watch closely, this is how a man of the sea hunts! Legendary Fisherman III, attack Hoshino directly!"
[The Legendary Fisherman III ATK 2700 → 1700]
In response to the activated effect of the equipped card, the spear in the hands of The Legendary Fisherman III transformed into a bow.
The humpback whale leapt high, carrying The Legendary Fisherman III, who drew the bow with his muscular frame, completely bypassing the massive body of Heracles standing on the sea's surface.
With the sun nearly at the same height as the whale's leap, an arrow shot from the perfect blind spot struck with pinpoint accuracy.
"Ugh..." Even though it was just a holographic projection, the high-impact damage dealt in one powerful blow made Hoshino feel a jarring shock.
[Chiyuki Hoshino LP 4000 → 2300]
"It's not over yet. This is the unyielding spirit of a man of the sea! Now, activate the special effect of The Legendary Fisherman III!"
[Once per turn, damage inflicted by a battle or effect becomes doubled, and all cards that were banished are returned to the Graveyard.]
"Now, take this second meteor shot!"
The Legendary Fisherman III swiftly drew another arrow from the bow, and just before landing back into the water, unleashed a second shot, striking Hoshino from another unexpected angle, once again bypassing Heracles.
[Chiyuki Hoshino LP 2300 → 600]
"Damn, have I used Arash too much in the past? Today I'm the one getting shot by a Star Bow..." As her Life Points rapidly dwindled, Hoshino wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling the tension.
"This isn't good; Yuta's strategy is really dangerous for Hoshino!" Watching from the sidelines, Mokuba had assumed that after summoning Heracles, no monster could threaten Hoshino.
But contrary to everyone's expectations, Yuta had managed to seize a huge advantage with what felt like a sneak attack against Heracles, all in just one turn.
"This is the strategy I devised while facing the sea." After delivering two direct attacks, Yuta lowered his cards, believing he had secured the victory.
"Turn end."
Kajiki Yuta's Remaining Cards in Hand: 1
"Yuta, I have to admit, your strategy is impressive." Hoshino sincerely complimented him. Facing Heracles, a monster thought to be nearly invincible, she had never imagined there could be such a tactic.
"My turn, draw!"
Moreover, there was indeed some truth to Yuta's claim that his strategy was invincible. With the protection of Tornado Wall, the player wouldn't take any damage, and it perfectly complemented The Legendary Fisherman III.
The most critical factor was that, on top of this nearly invincible defense, Yuta's lightning-fast assault left little time to react. In just two turns, he could decimate his opponent.
This meant the opponent only had one turn to come up with a counter-strategy.
"You think I've been cornered?" Tilting her head, Hoshino held a card between two fingers, flashing it toward him.
"Isn't that the case, Hoshino? Ever since I mastered this strategy, I haven't lost." Yuta's gaze was firm, fully confident in his unbeatable strategy.
"Then, I must apologize. Today, you've encountered me." Hoshino, adopting a battle-ready stance, pointed the card in her fingers at Yuta.
"If this is what it means to be cornered, then I would have never been crowned Duel King!"
Before she finished her sentence, a brilliant red aura began to gather on the back of Hoshino's hand, where her card was held.
"Let me be the one to break your undefeated record!" With a flick of her wrist, she threw the card onto her Duel Disk. The command seals on the back of her hand glowed brightly.
"Chaldea Mana Support System!"
[Chaldea Mana Support System Continuous Spell Effect: When this card is activated, place 1 [Command Seal] counter on it. During your Standby Phase, place 1 [Command Seal] counter on this card.]
[Command Seal] x1
"Next, I activate the effect of the Command Seal targeting Heracles on the field!" Holding her glowing red hand high, Hoshino's determined eyes locked onto Heracles standing on the water's surface.
[Remove 1 [Command Seal] counter, target 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster on your field, and add 1 Spell/Trap with that monster's name from your Deck to your hand.]
"Now, Heracles, let's unleash our full power!" As red mana roared from her command seals, Hoshino swiftly drew a card from her deck.
"The card I'm adding to my hand is this—[Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads]!"
"Let me show you the full power of Heracles!"
With a sharp slap, she placed the retrieved spell card onto the Duel Disk, and the remaining traces of red mana left a mesmerizing arc in the air.
"ROOOOAAAR!!" A deafening bellow erupted from Heracles' black frame, like the howling of a train rushing by.
Then, Heracles began swinging his massive battle axe.
Through his martial prowess, whether wielding a weapon or just his bare hands, his skills had materialized into the Noble Phantasm known as Shooting the Hundred Heads. It unleashed the maximum potential of his weapon, displaying various forms from anti-personnel to anti-army, and even siege-level attacks depending on the situation.
With one swing, the sea surged.
With the second swing, the massive wave was cleaved in half.
With ten swings, the tsunami's towering whirlwinds destroyed the resplendent palace of Atlantis as if heralding the end of days.
With a hundred swings...
"If splitting the sea is the only way to defeat you, then Heracles, let's part the ocean!"
"ROOOAARR!!" Standing behind the colossal waves split apart by Heracles' furious axe swings, Hoshino, with arms crossed, had already set her sights on final victory.
"Wow, she wasn't kidding around earlier..." Mokuba muttered to himself, watching in awe as the towering tsunami, generated by Herculean strength and skill, surged above even the tallest building in Domino City.
"She's taking up nearly half of the satellite supercomputer's processing power on her own?" Looking at his terminal, Mokuba gave a helpless smile.
"Brother, one satellite may not be enough."
(*****)
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