"Altera, destroy Exodia the Forbidden One!"
"Yes!" Altera's curt response came without unnecessary words. Already gripping the Sword of the War God, she readied herself. Her calm eyes locked onto her target.
At some point, the three-colored glow of her sword had shifted into a rainbow-like light, signifying that Altera had unleashed her Noble Phantasm.
"The prosperity of civilization ends here!" She stomped the ground and shot forward like a meteor, the rotating tip of her sword radiating a spiral of rainbow light.
"The power of the War God is in my hands!"
Altera charged, her long hair cloaked in the rainbow glow. The way she thrust forward like a shooting star, illuminated by the brilliance, was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was a force meant to destroy everything on Earth, far removed from anything that could be called 'beautiful.'
But the radiance in Altera's hand, combined with the light against her dark skin, was so mesmerizing that the onlookers were nearly entranced.
"Photon Ray!"
The piercing strike of the shooting star collided with the target, and Altera's final roar snapped Hoshino out of her thoughts.
With only 1000 attack points, Exodia the Forbidden One stood no chance. Against Altera's overwhelming 3350 attack points, it was easily pierced by the War God's sword and vanished from the battlefield like any other destroyed monster.
"Hmph, is it over?" Hoshino smiled contentedly, watching as the most crucial part of Exodia was destroyed by Altera.
"Hoshino, is that your final act of resistance?" Unlike Hoshino's expression, Gekko didn't seem to think her last attack had any significant impact.
To Gekko, Hoshino's counterattack, although impressive, didn't seem capable of changing the final outcome.
"Hoshino, this isn't resistance, but a requiem for you..." Hoshino gestured with a forceful slash downward, as if she were cutting the ties of fate.
"This is Altera's power, the strike that shatters civilizations, that destroys everything!"
As Hoshino's finger sliced through the air, the rainbow light shone in the place where Exodia the Forbidden One had been destroyed, and as if it were contagious...
"What's going on?" A surprised Gekko looked down at his Duel Disk.
The graveyard section, the deck section, and the battlefield—all were glowing with the same rainbow light.
Though the seven-colored light appeared beautiful, it carried an indescribable sense of pressure. More accurately, it invoked the primal fear a living creature feels in the face of a natural predator—the terror of impending destruction and extinction.
"This is the light that symbolizes Altera's power to destroy everything! I activate [Heroic Spirit– Altera]'s special effect!"
[Effect ①: When this card destroys an opponent's monster in battle, that monster is banished instead of being sent to the graveyard. Afterward, all cards with the same name in your opponent's hand, graveyard, and deck are banished. ②: This card cannot attack directly, and the battle damage it deals becomes 0.]
"I won't harm your Life Points, but I will destroy your civilization!"
Boom—! A soft explosion sound echoed as three cards were ejected from Gekko's Duel Disk, all glowing with the same rainbow light.
"Gekko, you know what this effect means, don't you?" Hoshino asked, looking at the cards scattered at Gekko's feet with a serious expression.
Destroy one and banish three, as Altera had declared, erasing the significance of those cards from the duel. In a true sense, Altera had destroyed those cards.
"Three cards of the same name, banished..." The sudden turn of events was so shocking that Mokuba, standing nearby, muttered quietly, "In other words..."
"It's a chain destruction strategy." Lowering his head, Gekko sighed softly, the victorious smile he had worn earlier now completely gone. "Yes, I know..."
"I can no longer gather all five pieces of Exodia..."
"Gekko has no chance of winning anymore!"
In unison, Gekko and Mokuba both declared the outcome of this duel.
"I knew it! Hoshino-nee! (/≧▽≦)/" Akasha, excited, raised her hands high. If the duel weren't still ongoing, she would have probably run over to hug Hoshino already.
Mokuba, resting his chin on his hand, began to ponder aloud, "If Hoshino used this effect against my brother's Blue-Eyes White Dragon, what would happen?"
Gekko's resigned laughter echoed through the silent hallway, "Hahaha, I have to hand it to you, Hoshino Chiyuki!"
"I can no longer assemble the five pieces of Exodia, so I truly have no way to defeat you! As you predicted, this is a duel I was bound to lose!"
"This is what makes you the perfect duelist—accepting defeat."
The sudden reversal of victory and defeat, going from heaven to hell in an instant, would be hard for most to accept. Yet, Gekko showed no excess emotional turmoil.
"Please don't keep calling me the perfect duelist. I've already lost to you, Duel King!"
"And besides, that title doesn't exactly bring me any joy..." Gekko muttered softly, a familiar melancholy flashing through his eyes once again.
Then, the gentlemanly smile returned to his face.
"So, are you going to surrender now, Gekko?"
Hoshino hadn't heard Gekko's final muttered words. Still, she held some fondness for this white-haired gentleman, who had maintained his gentlemanly demeanor throughout the duel. If he surrendered and cleared the way, she wouldn't be forced to finish him off.
"No, please let me duel until the end!"
Despite his earlier admission of defeat, Gekko's actions contradicted his words. His eyes now sparkled with an excitement he hadn't shown before. "It's been so long since I've felt this kind of fun from dueling. I want to fight to the very last moment!"
"This fun? You mean you haven't dueled in a long time?"
"Yes, it's been many years. I had forgotten this feeling, the thrill that makes my hands tremble. I just can't give it up—the battle between Duel Monsters cards and the clash of Duelists' souls!"
"Don't waste any more time, Hoshino. Let's continue!" Gekko urged her, excitement brimming in his voice.
"Hmph, interesting. Gekko, you are a duelist worthy of respect!" Raising her duel disk arm once again, Hoshino drew a card from her hand and placed it into her duel disk.
"I accept your challenge—let's duel until the very end!"
"I set a card face-down, then summon [Heroic Spirit - Elizabeth Bathory] in Attack Position."
[Heroic Spirit - Elizabeth Bathory ★★★★ (4-star)] [FIRE] [Dragon/Effect] [ATK 1300/DEF 1000]
"La la la~ Everyone's favorite idol, Elizabeth-chan, is back on stage~"
"Please don't start singing just yet!" Hoshino hurriedly covered Elizabeth's card, desperately buying a moment of peace for everyone present.
"Ugh... I'll hold it in, ugh..."
"My turn ends!"
Although the attack power of Exodia Incarnate was reduced to 3000 due to the removal of its head piece in the graveyard, with Altera already having attacked, the 3000 ATK still posed a formidable barrier.
"My turn, draw!"
Without even looking at the card he drew, Gekko knew that no matter what part of Exodia he drew, it was now just a useless card.
"Exodia Incarnate, attack the Artoria Lily on Hoshino's field!" Without any hesitation, Gekko declared the attack.
The perfect duelist always makes the perfect choice, even at the end. With Saber Lily having the lowest attack on Hoshino's field apart from the defense-position Medea Lily, her 1200 ATK was naturally overwhelmed by Exodia's 3000, dealing 1800 battle damage to Hoshino.
However, Hoshino's current Life Points were 1900, exactly the amount she had managed to scrape together through the effects triggered last turn with Artoria's mana boost.
100 Life Points were all that separated Gekko from defeat.
"Hahaha, Hoshino, maybe you're the true perfect duelist!" Gekko smiled, a final, satisfied smile as he pointed forward.
"Let this be the final attack! Obliterate!!!!"
The fire roaring from Exodia's hands surged toward the small frame of Saber Lily.
Gekko set down his card, watching the scene unfold. Even if it wasn't a complete victory, leaving Hoshino with only 100 Life Points wasn't too bad...
Swish!
Just as Gekko was waiting for the flames to consume the field, a sound like the wind from a sword slash swept through, rustling his white hair.
Amidst the raging flames, the knight holding a golden sword stood firm, her eyes filled with the determination of a king. She was just a trainee knight, yet...
The battle should've been over, but no one could've predicted that the golden light from her sword would actually slice through the raging flames.
A power that had never before been felt from the Holy Sword surged forth, as the immense mana stored in Artoria Lily's dragon heart engulfed the field, forming a golden shield that completely neutralized the encroaching flames.
"Gekko, even though I wanted to let you have this final attack, since you're determined to fight to the end, it would be disrespectful of me not to give my all!"
Hoshino flipped over the card she had just set in her Duel Disk.
"This is the will of the King of Knights, as she rallies everyone's hearts for a final counterattack!"
"Trap card: [Heroic Battle – United Assault]! According to the card's effect, all the attack power of the Heroic Spirits on my field will be transferred to Saber Lily!"
[Heroic Battle – United Assault Trap Card Effect: Select 1 face-up [Heroic Spirit] monster on your field. Until the end of the Battle Phase, that monster gains attack points equal to the combined attack points of all other Attack Position monsters you control, and those other monsters' attack points become 0.]
"I'll transfer the attack power of Altera, Atalanta, and Elizabeth Bathory to [Heroic Spirit - Artoria Pendragon (Lily)]!"
"The glory of the War God is now in your hands," Altera declared as she looked upon Saber Lily.
"As the King of Knights, show us your purest smile, blessed by the Goddess," Atalanta encouraged.
"Take Elizabeth-chan's idol power! It's super strong, so use it well!" Elizabeth chimed in, her voice filled with enthusiasm.
[Heroic Spirit - Artoria Pendragon (Lily) ATK 1200 → 7850]
With the infusion of mana from the other Heroic Spirits, the light from Saber Lily's Holy Sword grew more dazzling by the second.
"Thank you, everyone, for granting me your strength and empowering Caliburn!" Artoria Lily cried out as she raised the golden sword high.
"Sword of Selection, grant me your power! Cleave the wicked! Caliburn!"
The resounding shout of the King pierced through the roaring inferno, and the shining golden light shattered the Exodia Incarnate's flames, casting its gentle radiance across the corridor.
"I see, Duel King Hoshino Chiyuki," Gekko murmured, his voice soft yet filled with admiration.
Bathed in the golden light, Gekko showed no regret, only a look of satisfaction as he closed his eyes.
"...If it's you, I know you can save Yako in my place..."
[Tenma Gekko LP 4000 → 0]
(***)
"Gekko, you've already become the perfect duelist!"
"Really? Mr. Pegasus?!"
Being acknowledged by Mr. Pegasus, the person Gekko respected most, was probably one of the happiest moments of his life. But there seemed to be something hidden within Mr. Pegasus's gentle smile...
"Wow, Gekko, Mr. Pegasus is calling you the perfect duelist!"
"Gekko-sama really is amazing, isn't he?"
"I'm so jealous of big brother. I want to be recognized by Mr. Pegasus too!"
Unaware of the deeper meaning behind Mr. Pegasus's smile, Gekko quickly became immersed in the flood of praise that came with the title.
"Big brother, you're amazing! I totally can't beat you."
"No way, Yako, you've gotten way stronger..."
"Hehe, I feel like I almost beat you this time, Gekko~"
"Yeah, that was really close..."
"Congratulations on another tournament victory, Gekko-sama."
But amidst all the celebrations, something began to change inside Gekko.
Why did dueling start to feel like such a burden?
It felt like everyone around him was getting stronger and stronger, but he...
He hadn't improved at all.
("Gekko, you've already become the perfect duelist!")
Is that so, Mr. Pegasus...
As Gekko stared at his trembling hands, he finally understood the deeper meaning behind Mr. Pegasus's words.
"I've reached my limit, haven't I," he realized.
Mr. Pegasus had the ability to see through everything, and he could tell at a glance that, as a duelist, Gekko had already reached his limit.
Mr. Pegasus had kindly called him the perfect duelist, perhaps to give him a beautiful ending, or maybe to hint at something deeper.
One day, Gekko would be surpassed by those around him—the other children raised by Mr. Pegasus, and even his beloved younger brother, Yako, would leave him far behind.
He started to fear that day's arrival. The deep sense of helplessness filled his entire being.
"Mr. Pegasus, Yako-sama! Gekko-sama—something's happened to him!!"
It hurt so much, yet somehow, amidst the pain, Gekko felt a sense of release.
(*****)
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