"So, this is the true strength of Yugi Muto?"
A one-turn knockout—it was executed just like that. Even though Akasha wasn't using her deck, she could feel the intense pressure radiating from the man standing before her.
"Did Hoshino defeat someone like him? Just how intense was that duel?"
"Return Hoshino's deck. After that duel, you should understand that it's beyond your control!" Yami Yugi stated, putting away his Duel Disk and giving Akasha a piercing gaze.
"Akasha, run! Even if you can't use it, you have to get that deck back!" Marik's voice echoed urgently in her mind.
"But…"
"In this situation, as long as you run, he won't chase after you!" Marik's voice grew more urgent. "Even if you can't use the deck, as long as we can create a copy, it'll be fine… The main thing is eliminating a troublesome opponent like Hoshino!"
"I…" Akasha hesitated, but due to the power of the Millennium Rod, she couldn't disobey Marik's orders.
Her legs shifted subtly backward, and she didn't bother hiding her intent to flee.
"Running after failing? That's just like a thief," Yami Yugi scoffed, fully aware of Akasha's intent but making no move to stop her.
"Run!" Marik's shout exploded in her mind, spurring Akasha to bolt at full speed.
Despite her young age, Akasha had undergone rigorous training, and she had confidence in her ability to escape quickly.
"Oof! >x<"
"So, little girls running around late at night are going to get spanked by their Onee-san~" The voice was clear and calm, not showing a hint of complaint, as if It was just a casual conversation between siblings.
Akasha's eyes widened, trembling slightly. After colliding, she snapped back to reality, unsure of what expression to wear as she faced the girl before her.
"Hoshino-nee… When did you wake up?" Akasha forced a stiff smile, clinging to the slim hope that Hoshino hadn't realized she had stolen her deck.
Even with her memory altered by the Millennium Rod, Hoshino was the one person Akasha struggled to face.
"I woke up the moment you took my deck, Akasha-chan~"
As soon as Akasha had touched Hoshino's Deck, the Millennium Bracelet on Hoshino's wrist sent out a slight vibration that roused her from sleep. For Chaldea, an organization monitored 24/7, it was nearly impossible to tamper with Hoshino—or her deck—without her noticing.
Had Hoshino not intervened immediately, even at the cost of draining the energy stored in the bracelet, Akasha would have been restrained by Gilgamesh before she could have even left the store.
Looking down at the anxious Akasha, Hoshino squatted down slowly.
Smack!
Out of nowhere, Hoshino cupped Akasha's cheeks firmly—not too hard, but enough to make her face flush. Then, still holding her cheeks, she gently lifted Akasha's head.
"I…" Akasha, her head lifted, mustered up the courage to look into Hoshino's eyes.
She expected to see anger, blame, or disdain—emotions she often saw in Marik's eyes after a failed mission. That's what she braced herself for as she mentally prayed.
But why was she praying? Because that's not what she wanted to see…
What she wanted to see was Hoshino's usual gentle gaze—serious during duels, blank when climbing stairs, greedy when drawing cards, but warm and tender when looking at her. Those deep red eyes, as if they had magic, always drew her in.
Yes, just like the gaze Hoshino was giving her right now, filled with warmth and concern, reflecting the faint glimmers of moonlight on the dark street.
"Akasha, why are you just standing there? Break free from that woman!" Marik's voice echoed more intensely in her mind.
"Why? Why do you look at me like that? When you look at me with those eyes, Hoshino-nee, I can't find the strength to stand against you..."
Hoshino smiled softly, "Then don't worry about anything. Just follow me. I'll keep you safe, Akasha-chan."
Her words pierced right into Akasha's soul. Though they weren't loud, they drowned out Marik's frenzied shouting in her head.
"Really? Even after what I did, I can still stay by your side, Hoshino-nee?"
"Of course!" Hoshino replied firmly, without even a millisecond of hesitation—exactly the answer Akasha most wanted to hear.
"Great! Then I…" Akasha, overjoyed, reached for the deck in her Duel Disk to return it.
However, a golden eye suddenly appeared on her forehead, freezing her in place.
"Damn it! How dare you interfere with my plans!" Marik, far away, raised the Millennium Rod, infusing it with dark power. "If altering memories doesn't work, I'll control her directly!"
"Hoshino, it's the power of the Millennium Rod!" Yami Yugi quickly warned. "Akasha is being controlled, it's dangerous! Get away from her!"
"It's too late!" Malik's voice echoed from Akasha's small body as dark energy formed in her hands, aiming for Hoshino's unguarded eyes.
"Hoshino!" Yami Yugi rushed forward, but he knew he wouldn't reach them in time to stop the attack.
"Did you think I wasn't prepared for this?" Hoshino's expression remained calm, not a hint of panic, as she watched the attack approach.
At that moment, a strong, tan hand firmly grasped Akasha's wrist, stopping the attack just inches from Hoshino's face.
"Master, you should dodge in situations like this. It's dangerous," Emiya sighed in exasperation.
"Hehe, with a man like you who possesses 'Mind's Eye,' there's no way you'd miss," Hoshino replied with a confident smile, looking at Akasha—now fully restrained by Emiya.
"How is this possible? Why can a card spirit intervene?!" Marik, baffled, focused his gaze on the Duel Disk still active on Akasha's arm, as well as the two Heroic Spirit cards still in play after Yami Yugi's victory.
"Now, it's your turn, Medea!"
Besides Emiya, the second Heroic Spirit card placed in the Duel Disk was none other than our beloved Medea Lily.
"Hoshino, what are you trying to do?" Yami Yugi asked as he arrived beside Hoshino. Even though it was just a few steps away, he felt as if he had experienced the longest seconds of his life. If Emiya hadn't intervened in time, he couldn't imagine what the outcome might have been.
"I want…" The determination in Hoshino's eyes unexpectedly startled Marik, who was controlling Akasha's body. "To save the small soul trapped in the abyss!"
"Bastard?!" Even though his real body was in a safe place, Marik felt a tinge of fear—an overwhelming feeling of helplessness in the face of the unknown.
"Go, Medea!" Hoshino, steadying Akasha's pale face in her hands, gave the command to Medea, who had been chanting her incantation in silence.
"Magical providence, oh natural master of this world, return all to its origins— Rule Breaker!"
The purple, snake-shaped dagger tightly gripped in Medea's hand plunged heavily into Akasha's back, causing a massive surge of visible magical energy to burst forth.
"Ahhhhhh!" Marik's agonized wails echoed through the night.
"Hoshino, what are you doing?" Yami Yugi, having never seen such a scene, asked with a mix of confusion and urgency.
"Just watch!" Although the agonized screams came from Marik, seeing Akasha's pained expression still caused Hoshino to feel a pang of sadness. "Ever since Ishizu told me about Marik, I've been thinking. Someone like Marik, who can use the power of the Millennium Rod, would not hesitate to use despicable methods beyond dueling."
"Now! This is the trump card I prepared to counter the Millennium Rod, a power that can break all magic, all mysteries—Rule Breaker!"
"To counter the Millennium Rod?!" Yugi's eyes trembled slightly as he realized what Hoshino was getting at. Indeed, the Millennium Rod, with its ability to control people's minds, might not have much effect on those like him who possess a Millennium Item, but it holds overwhelming power over ordinary humans.
With Akasha being a former member of Rare Hunters, Yugi hadn't fully grasped the gravity of the situation. But when he imagined, for a moment, what it would be like if the Millennium Rod were controlling his closest friends—whether Jonouchi or Anzu—would he still be able to remain so calm?
While he had been focused solely on stopping Marik through duels, the girl in front of him had already thought ahead and devised such a detailed plan.
"Hoshino, sometimes you can be very dependable," Yugi thought to himself.
"What do you mean 'sometimes'!?" Hoshino, holding Akasha's face, found time to retort to the King even in this critical moment. "I'm reliable all the time!"
Marik's wails had grown noticeably weaker, a clear sign that the power of the Millennium Rod was being gradually nullified by Rule Breaker.
"Even though I wasn't entirely sure it would work, it seems to be quite effective," Hoshino thought, quietly breathing a sigh of relief.
"Hoshino! I will never forgive you! In the upcoming Battle City tournament, I will incinerate your foolish resolve with the flames of the strongest god!" Using his last breath, Marik struggled to issue his threat.
"'Never forgive you'? That's a phrase I should be saying, Marik! I originally had no interest in the God Cards, but now it's different! Now, I have a mission I must complete—to send scum like you, who use the power of darkness to manipulate people's trust and twist people's wills, straight to hell!"
Crack!
A sound like something shattering echoed, and the golden symbol that had been flickering on Akasha's forehead disappeared. Her body, as if suddenly losing its support, collapsed weakly into Star's arms.
"Hoshino… nee…" Akasha, lying in her arms, spoke in a faint, weak voice, but at least she was free from Marik's control. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Hmm, ask away. Anything except my measurements~" Hoshino teased.
"Hmph, as if I'd ask something so weird…" Even now, Akasha couldn't help but retort just like Hoshino. "I wanted to ask why you're willing to keep me by your side?"
Although Hoshino had already anticipated this question, hearing it asked so earnestly still made her pause.
"Well, of course, it's because you're so cu—"
"If you just say it's because I'm cute, I'll never speak to you again."
"Ah, I guess I can't get away with that answer, huh." Hoshino shook her head with a wry smile.
"It's because I saw it in your eyes—that sense of justice that hasn't been extinguished by Rare Hunters' control…"
This wasn't some flimsy excuse. From the first time they dueled, Hoshino had noticed Akasha's discomfort with fake cards, and during their rooftop battle at KaibaCorp, even when faced with the terrifying might of the Wicked God, Akasha's spirit never wavered. All these moments convinced Hoshino that Akasha had a good heart.
"With a reason as cool as that, I guess I'll let it slide," Akasha said with a smile before finally drifting off to sleep in Hoshino's arms.
"Hoshino?" Yugi asked, somewhat concerned.
"Don't worry, she's just asleep," Hoshino replied. "You should head back, too. After all the commotion we've caused, it'll be a hassle if anyone shows up."
"Yeah, you're right," Yugi agreed. Between the sound of alarms going off and Marik's earlier screams, it was likely that even the laziest of police officers would eventually notice.
"Well, since everything's settled, I'll head home. Good luck in tomorrow's Battle City, Hoshino. We both need to make it to the championship and take down Marik!" Yugi waved goodbye before heading back toward the Muto residence, next to the toy shop.
"Alright, let's go home too, Akasha-chan~" Hoshino said softly as she carried the small, not-too-heavy girl back to her room.
(***)
The next day—
Knock, knock, knock!
At the break of dawn, an urgent knocking came from outside the toy shop.
Still half-asleep, Hoshino grumbled as she rubbed her eyes. "Who is it this early in the morning?"
Though she complained, she quickly dressed and dragged her tired feet to open the door.
"Huh? Old man Arthur?" Hoshino, still groggy, barely recognized the familiar figure in front of her.
"If you're looking for Grandpa Sugoroku, he's next door."
"Ahem, actually, I'm not here for Sugoroku." Arthur coughed, his expression serious.
"The situation will be explained by me." A familiar but unexpected male voice came from behind Arthur.
"Y-you!" Seeing the man's face, Hoshino stammered in shock, instantly wide awake. No, she even doubted whether she was still dreaming.
Looking at the man's golden hair and the bangs covering one of his eyes, Hoshino finally understood why his voice had seemed so familiar.
"Ahhhhh!!–You're… Robin Hood? How did you get out on your own?!"
(*****)
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