"Hiding your strength? Are you still trying to bluff at a time like this?" the man taunted arrogantly. "No one will recognize you in that getup, so when you lose, just leave quietly. I don't need your rare cards; in fact, you won't be able to touch my friend's cards either!"
The Boss truly lived up to his reputation as leader of the Seven Bosses of Domino City's Southern District. His rugged appearance matched his straightforward sense of loyalty—quite unlike 'Tadashi,' who would sell out his friends for a rare card. Hoshino, hiding her eyes behind her sunglasses, couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for him.
"Because of what you just said, I'll go easy and take fewer cards," Hoshino said. Admiration was one thing, but she still planned to take her share of cards.
"Heh. Whether you can take any cards depends on your strength." From the look of the situation, the Boss didn't believe the girl had the strength to turn things around. Female players in Duel Monsters were rare—and top-tier female players were even rarer. No way would one waste her time battling a bunch of nobodies from the Southern District.
"My turn!" Amid the burning ruins, Hoshino pulled out a Field Spell Card.
"I activate the special effect of [GUDAGUDA Final Honnoji]!"
[GUDAGUDA Final Honnoji Field Spell Card Effect: At the standby phase of your second turn after activation, this card is destroyed, and you can Special Summon up to two [Nobu] monsters from the graveyard.]
As the fiery battlefield crumbled around them, the Boss sneered, "Sacrificing the Field Card for one last gamble, huh? Interesting!"
"Wrong choice of words. This isn't a gamble!'" Hoshino had no intention of reviving any monsters from her graveyard. Instead, she tossed the card in her hand onto the field.
"This is my assured victory! Since Final Honnoji was destroyed, it triggered the special effect of [Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga] in my hand!"
[Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga ★★★★★★★★ (8-star)][FIRE][Warrior/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
[①: When your Field Spell Card is destroyed, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.]
As the Honnoji Temple crumbled, Oda Nobunaga emerged with a fiery red cloak billowing like flames, a smirk on her face.
"Man's life of fifty years, against Heaven's span, Like a dream, a phantom. Once granted breath, what being escapes its final fade? — Oda Nobunaga."
"Hey, Nobu, you don't have to add your name after quoting yourself." It was rare for her to say something so appropriate to the atmosphere, but adding '—Oda Nobunaga' at the end ruined it, making Hoshino unable to resist teasing her.
"A-Attack power... 3000?!" The Seven Bosses of the Southern District gasped in unison, eyes fixed on Nobunaga amid the flames.
"Attack power on par with the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" The Boss wiped the sweat from his brow, looking as if the surrounding flames had real heat. "I can't believe I'm seeing such a powerful monster here."
"Wait, did you see the prefix of that monster?!" Tadashi cautiously caught on to the key detail and shouted, "That unique prefix... it can't be..."
"That's why I said I'm going all out. But now that you've realized it, it's too late!" Hoshino waved her hand, causing the loose sleeve of her clean white arm to swirl with lingering sparks.
"I activate [Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga]'s special effect!"
[②: When this card is successfully Special Summoned by its ① effect, you can activate this effect. Destroy up to three monsters on your opponent's field with different names and lower attack power than this card.]
"Perish in the Three Line Formation!" Nobunaga's cloak swirled violently as the effect was activated. Behind her, an innumerable number of muskets floated in the air in an impossibly organized manner.
"—Show your corpse to the Three Thousand Worlds!"
A barrage of bullets, filled with the strong scent of gunpowder, rained down from the countless muskets, destroying the three Dragons on the opponent's field.
"According to the effect, all three monsters with lower attack power than Nobunaga are wiped out!"
[Alexandrite Dragon] [Luster Dragon] [Hyozanryu] – Destroyed.
"The unique 'Heroic Spirit' prefix... A masked girl with strength that ranks among the world's top duelists..." The Boss, stunned by the destruction of his monsters, was far more shocked to realize the true identity of the masked girl in front of him.
"The Duel King!"
"Farewell!" Nobunaga held a specially made musket in both hands and with a firm pull of the trigger, a solid bullet accompanied by a golden magical beam pierced straight through the opposing player.
[Boss LP 2800 → 0]
[Duel over. Winner: Hoshino Chiyuki in disguise!]
As the duel officially ended, the surrounding holograms naturally disappeared, and the once-burning battlefield returned to the peaceful street it had always been.
"As I said, I've won this duel, and I'll be taking all of your rare cards." Putting away her duel disk, Hoshino glanced at the eight men in front of her, all of whom had mixed expressions.
In less than an hour, the Seven Bosses had all been defeated, even before the morning crowd had gathered.
"To lose to the Duel King… I accept it." Laughing heartily, the Boss carefully put away the cards on his duel disk. "A bet's a bet. Let's hand over our rare cards to the victor."
Since the Boss had spoken, the remaining six men couldn't afford to keep hesitating. After all, joining a tournament like Battle City meant accepting the risk of losing.
Only Tadashi stood there dumbfounded, feeling conflicted. He had been the one to call his friends, yet he was the only one who didn't have to give up a rare card. It felt like betraying his friends for his gain, like a coward during wartime who sells out his comrades for personal benefit. His face burned with shame.
Gritting his teeth, Tadashi finally steeled his resolve and pulled out Luster Dragon #2 from his deck, handing it to Hoshino.
"Ah, that card of yours is completely useless, so I don't need it." Hoshino 'politely' waved her hand, leaving Tadashi standing there awkwardly.
But things weren't quite as optimistic as they seemed...
"Hoshino-nee, these cards are pretty much useless," reported Akasha, flipping through the decks with a disappointed look.
"Is that so?" Hoshino didn't doubt Akasha's judgment, trusting her professional opinion.
"U-Useless?" The Seven Bosses of the Southern District could never have imagined that their meticulously crafted decks wouldn't contain a single card that caught Hoshino's eye.
"In that case, I won't take your rare cards after all." With a magnanimous smile, Hoshino returned the card decks to the seven men without removing a single card. "But I will be keeping the puzzle cards!"
[Hoshino Chiyuki's Puzzle Card Count: 5 → 12]
Looking at the large number of puzzle cards in her hand, Hoshino mused, "I've collected two people's worth of puzzle cards in an instant, but having too many doesn't seem to be particularly useful."
The Seven Bosses of the Southern District, holding their returned decks, were still in disbelief that Hoshino hadn't taken a single card. They didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
"So that's the difference in skill. My deck is worthless in the eyes of the Duel King." The Boss accepted this fact with a bitter smile, looking a little dejected.
Perhaps sensing she had been too harsh, Hoshino tried to comfort him. "Actually, as the top eight in a regional tournament, you guys do have some strength (better than the brats in the toy shop)."
She added, "It's just that your deck coordination is awful. If you're going to use a deck focused on normal monsters, you should at least add Heart of the Underdog cards!"
"!!!" All seven Bosses stared at Hoshino in disbelief, mouths hanging open.
"W-what? Did I say something wrong?" Faced with their suddenly heated gazes, the tuft of hair sticking out from under Hoshino's cap curled up again instinctively.
"Wait... we could've used that combination all along?" The Boss practically shouted, looking excitedly at his deck. "Yeah! By using Heart of the Underdog, we could draw cards continuously and overwhelm the opponent with monsters!"
Hoshino's confusion only deepened as she saw their reactions. "I just casually gave you the advice, why are you so excited?"
"Advice that benefits us this much—truly worthy of a Duel King at the pinnacle of all duelists!" The Boss looked at Hoshino with grateful eyes. If it weren't for the gender difference, he might have already reached out to shake her hand.
"Not only did you not take our rare cards, but you also gave us, the losers, such practical advice. Big Boss, you're the most generous person I've ever met!"
"Big... Big Boss?"
"That's right, Big Boss! I have decided to follow you!" The Boss's gaze grew intense as he voiced his intentions.
"I want to follow Big Boss too!" Second Boss quickly echoed.
"If the Boss has decided, then I'll follow too!"
The seven of them—no, including Tadashi, it was now eight—stirred once again, looking like they were about to swear loyalty to Hoshino right then and there.
"No!" Hoshino crossed her arms in front of her chest, forming an X, and sternly rejected the eight men's request.
(***)
"Odion, the spies in the City have already tracked down Hoshino's whereabouts!" Marik, communicating through his Millennium Rod, relayed the information to Odion at his side.
"You found her this soon?" Odion asked in disbelief.
"They said they spotted a girl in South District summoning Heroic Spirit monsters. It has to be her!" Marik, trembling with excitement, knew he was one step closer to his plan's success.
"Take some of our men with you immediately and capture Hoshino! Make sure she doesn't get a chance to use any cards!" Marik instructed.
(***)
"We won't bother you, Big Boss!" The Boss, still unwilling to give up, pleaded, "Please, just let us stay by your side and watch you duel! Even observing a top-tier duelist like you would teach us so much!"
"Trust me, you won't learn anything just by watching." Hoshino, growing increasingly exasperated, thought that no matter which deck she used, it was so unique that they could, at most, pick up a few flashy lines but not much else.
As Hoshino racked her brain for a way to explain this to her newfound 'followers,' Several pairs of eyes watched her silently from the shadows...
"Are you sure it's the girl over there?" a man asked Odion, who stood behind him. Hoshino's disguise covered her face completely, making it hard for them to confirm her identity.
"It's her," Odion replied.
"Akasha's with her too." Odion's expression turned complicated as he glanced at the conspicuous blonde girl beside Hoshino. Though he knew Akasha was a traitor, Odion, being inherently upright, was reluctant to harm such a young girl.
"Looks like there are a lot of people gathering around?" the third man pointed out.
Following Marik's orders, Odion had chosen two of Rate Hunter's stronger members to join him. Including Odion, who stood 193 cm tall, their imposing presence would surely make any self-respecting group of kidnappers ashamed to admit they were here to abduct a high school girl.
Fortunately, Odion didn't need to care about appearances; he just had to complete the mission Marik had given him.
"Those unfamiliar faces—not Hoshino's companions. Probably just bystanders!" Waving his thick arm, Odion signaled to the other two.
"We can't delay any longer. Let's move before more people gather!" The three large, figures charged forward with well-trained precision.
.
..
...
Of course, with their massive frames, they couldn't approach without attracting attention.
"Hoshino-nee, it looks like something's coming our way!" Akasha, who noticed first, pointed at the three black silhouettes charging toward them like trucks.
Seizing the opportunity to change the subject, Hoshino looked in the direction Akasha pointed. "What? Is that how people go jogging these days? These guys are intense."
"No those outfits..." Akasha, realizing something was wrong, quickly raised the alarm. "It's the Rare Hunters!"
The dark cloaks were practically the uniform of the Rare Hunters, and all three were familiar faces, instantly recognized by Akasha.
"What? Again… Don't tell me they're here for another duel?" Hoshino shrugged with a smile. Even though she had just finished beating seven duelists in a row, it hadn't drained her at all. She could easily handle a few more grunts.
Handle them easily—at least in a duel...
She had assumed they would run up to her, politely activate their duel disks, and say something like, 'Hoshino Chiyuki, let's duel for your rare cards and your honor!'
"Well, I guess I have no choice but to duel as the Duel King... Wait! I'm still in disguise! How did they recognize me?" Hoshino suddenly realized something was wrong. Even though she was wearing a perfect disguise, they were still charging straight toward her...
These guys were not here with good intentions!
In a crucial moment, Hoshino's intuition kicked in, and within seconds, she deduced the most likely scenario.
—After yesterday's incident with Akasha, Marik must've gotten desperate and decided to use force!
Sure enough, as Hoshino suspected, the three men had no intention of dueling. Odion charged straight toward Hoshino, his massive hand reaching to grab her masked face. The first step in kidnapping was to incapacitate the target or at least prevent them from crying out.
Although Marik had ordered Odion to take Hoshino back by force, the idea of knocking out a defenseless girl made Odion, as a man, feel somewhat resistant.
So, Odion chose to cover Hoshino's mouth with brute force to keep her from making any noise. With Hoshino's small frame, he could easily tuck her under his arm, and no amount of struggling would help. This was the safest method Odion could think of to bring her back without causing any harm.
"!!!" However, Odion's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized he had failed at the very first step.
Even if Hoshino had noticed him coming, his sudden move should have caught her off guard. Yet everything that was happening now had completely deviated from his original plan.
To Odion's shock, the seemingly frail Hoshino dodged his powerful grab with surprising speed. Then, the two men following up behind him met the same embarrassing fate as Odion.
"Isn't she supposed to be just an ordinary high school student?!" Odion, who had lived a life on the edge, developed a reaction speed beyond that of normal people. He was also keenly aware of others' abilities.
Judging by Hoshino's evasive movements, her reaction speed far exceeded that of an ordinary human, even surpassing Odion's. This level of intuition could only be developed after surviving numerous life-or-death situations.
Hoshino frowned, surprised by her reflexes. She knew her capabilities well. In the face of such an overwhelming assault, the old her would have had no choice but to wait for death.
But now, things were entirely different. The moment her attackers struck, it felt as though the entire world slowed down around her. Odion's seemingly ferocious attack appeared in slow motion to Hoshino.
Of course, Hoshino herself had no idea that this was all thanks to another inherent skill inherited from Emiya. Unlike her Hawkeye, which she'd noticed before, this skill hadn't activated until now, so it went unnoticed.
[Mind's Eye (True): Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deducing an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament]
"I thought this was all about dueling, but here you are attacking people out of nowhere," Hoshino complained, effortlessly dodging several more attacks, moving as if she had 'Evasion' equipped.
"Hoshino-nee, you're so cool! (✧◡✧)" Akasha's eyes sparkled as she watched Hoshino's skillful maneuvers. "I didn't know you knew can move like that!"
"Hey!" Finally, the Seven Bosses snapped out of their daze; their leader was being attacked on their turf
"How dare you lay a hand on our Big Boss on our turf! Do you think we're just going to stand by?" One of the rougher bosses roared. Though not as tall as Odion, his rugged appearance exuded an equally intimidating aura.
"Let's help the big boss beat them up!"
"┗|｀O′|┛ Rawr~~" X7
Although the Seven Bosses weren't as physically imposing as the Rare Hunters, they made up for it in numbers. Even with two of them ganging up on each Rare Hunter, there were still two left to spare.
"W-Wait, they're not just random bystanders?!" Odion sighed as everything spiraled out of control. "Who would've thought Hoshino, would secretly be the leader of a gang!"
"That's why a plan with so many uncertainties is doomed to fail!" At this moment, Odion regretted not voicing his concerns to Marik earlier.
"Phew, what's going on here?!" Hoshino, panting heavily, finally had a chance to step back as her underlings took over. Though she had dodged the attacks with ease, the large movements had taken their toll on her stamina.
To catch her breath quickly, Hoshino removed her disguise: a hat, glasses, and scarf. Her face, flushed from exertion, cheeks rosy, and lips parted, she greedily inhaled fresh air.
Seeing this, the Seven Bosses paused their brawl for a few seconds, entranced by the sight, only to receive a few punches in the process.
They had only ever seen the face of Duel King online, and now, seeing her in person, they realized she was even cuter than in the pictures.
"Now that we've seen your true face, we're ready to follow you for the rest of our lives, Big Boss!"
Now that Hoshino had caught her breath, her gaze turned fierce. "Finally, my hands are free!" She dramatically unfolded the duel disk on her arm.
"We're doomed!" As soon as Odion saw her activate the duel disk, he felt all hope drain away. Every plan had failed so miserably, it felt like they had come here just to embarrass themselves.
"Summon! You'd better prepare yourselves!" Hoshino scolded as she slammed three cards onto her duel disk.
(What followed was too brutal to describe—use your imagination!)
Seeing the Rare Hunters trio tightly bound by the Chains of Heaven, Hoshino clapped her hands in satisfaction.
"Hoshino-nee, what do we do now?" Akasha, fully aware that Odion was Marik's right-hand man, had already informed Hoshino of the situation.
A mischievous grin spread across Hoshino's face. "What should we do with them? Heh..."
"We'll wait for Marik to come and pay their ransom. Otherwise, we'll tear them apart!"
(*****)
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