Hoshino stood motionless, the Millennium Bracelet on her wrist emitting an eerie glow.
"That was easy," Bakura said with a dismissive wave, though he secretly exhaled in relief. "Made me break a sweat, but it was easier than I thought."
"What did you do?" Arash shouted angrily, his eagle-like gaze now brimming with killing intent.
Jeanne Alter was taken aback—not by their shared white hair, but by Arash's sudden, fierce aura, so unlike his usual kind demeanor.
"Oh? She has lost consciousness, yet her monster remains. How rare," Bakura said, shrugging indifferently as he met Arash's unyielding stare.
"So this is the power of a card spirit, huh? Oh well, it doesn't matter. She is already sent to the depths of darkness! Hahahaha!"
Bakura's maniacal laughter echoed through the endless, lifeless darkness. His twisted grin stretched unnaturally as if pushing the limits of human expression.
"What's got you laughing like that?"
"?!" Bakura's laughter froze, and cold sweat dripped down his back. Despite the chill of the dark space, he felt a bone-deep cold.
"I asked you, what's so funny?" Hoshino's gaze and tone were icy to the extreme.
"How?! You fell into the darkness—it should be impossible for you to awaken!" Bakura, whose many lifetimes had never seen anyone return from the abyss, began to doubt reality.
"No one consumed by darkness should be able to retain consciousness!"
"Darkness? You mean this thing?" Hoshino raised her wrist, displaying the Millennium Bracelet. Originally glowing gold, the bracelet now shimmered an eerie purple.
"What a trivial trick. The Millennium Bracelet is practically useless—it can't start Shadow Games, control minds, or swap souls. Its only purpose is to store dark energy."
The Millennium Bracelet absorbed small amounts of dark energy after every Shadow Duel. Besides summoning a Heroic Spirit in critical moments or being wasted by Holmes, Hoshino hadn't found much use for it.
"Da Vinci, I know you're here—stop hiding and show yourself!" Hoshino shook the bracelet, her voice commanding.
"Boo hoo hoo, Hoshino-chan, you're so cold—you didn't even add 'Chan' when you called my name," Da Vinci whined playfully, her semi-transparent figure flickering into view.
"Answer me. Do the Egyptian God Cards have the power to open a door to another world?" Ignoring Da Vinci's antics, Hoshino got straight to the point.
"…"
"So you know something, don't you, Da Vinci?" The unusual silence confirmed Hoshino's suspicions.
With a sigh, Da Vinci replied, "If I must say, yes. According to records, the Egyptian God Cards serve as a key to guide souls to another world. But whether they can lead to your previous world is entirely unknown."
"That's enough!" With her answer, Hoshino turned her sharp gaze back to the sweat-drenched Bakura and raised her Duel Disk. "This duel is over. Your Shadow Game and your tactics are meaningless—pathetic, even."
"Two Millennium Items' powers absorbed by a fake artifact?!" Bakura was incredulous. If what Hoshino said was true, then this girl wielding a counterfeit artifact now possessed dark energy surpassing that of any previous Item wielder.
"My turn…" The dark energy flowed into her deck as if finding its true home, consuming it greedily. "Draw!"
With the card she drew, Hoshino pointed at Bakura again. "If the Millennium Rod is with you, then you must have encountered Marik! Tell me, where is he?"
Now that her goal had become the Egyptian Gods, she not only needed Kaiba, who held Obelisk the Tormentor, and Yugi, who somehow acquired Slifer the Sky Dragon, but Marik, who wielded the Winged Dragon of Ra, was also essential.
"Marik… is…"
"Three…" Hoshino suddenly began a countdown, unsettling Bakura.
But Bakura didn't know where Marik went after handing over the Millennium Rod. He might still be at the base or secretly watching the situation.
"Two!"
"Don't get cocky! Even if you win this Shadow Game, it doesn't affect me in the slightest!" Realizing he'd been afraid for no reason, Bakura dismissed his anxiety. Even if Hoshino won, the Shadow Game's reversal rule would protect him.
"One… Forget it. Looks like you won't answer." Hoshino sighed, setting down her card and issuing her final command to Jeanne Alter.
"At last, the time for revenge has come! Hear the roar of my soul, forged in hatred—Le Grondement de la Haine!"
Jeanne Alter pointed her sword, crimson flames easily overwhelming Bakura's insignificant monster, Mokey Mokey, and surging toward Bakura himself.
[Dark Bakura's LP: 1500 → 0]
"Hahaha, I'm fine! As expected, I'm fine. My Shadow Game rules don't make mistakes!" Feeling his fear was wasted, Bakura affirmed the reversed Shadow Game wouldn't harm him.
"True, but this is beyond a Shadow Game's reach! I told you, I'd beat you until you regretted it!" Hoshino showed no intention of stopping, and her Heroic Spirit on the field shared her resolve.
"Oh no!" Grabbing the Millennium Ring and Rod, Bakura tried to end the Shadow Game and return to their original dimension.
"Trying to run after losing? Not a chance!" Hoshino raised the Millennium Bracelet on her right hand, its vast reserves of dark energy locking the space in place. "It's your turn, Arash! Pin him down."
"Pin him down? That's beyond me; this arrow could level a mountain!" Never underestimate the great hero—Arash's ordinary arrows were as powerful as his Noble Phantasms.
Releasing his fully drawn bowstring, Arash's eyes burned with an eagle's killing intent.
"Daring to harm Master—now I'm really angry!"
The swift arrow tore through the air, piercing Bakura's arm with precision.
"Ahhh!" Bakura let out an agonized scream, as though his very soul had been shattered, and the Millennium Rod slipped from his grip.
"A useless trinket anyway; better leave the Millennium Rod!" With its power to locate the other Millennium Items, the Ring could pinpoint Yugi's current location, while Marik would certainly retrieve the Rod, making his escape impossible.
Bakura's pupils trembled as he stared at his numb arm. He finally understood his fear. The girl before him was no longer the Hoshino he had previously known. Her presence exuded an absolute confidence that saw everything beneath her.
"Heh, I'm not done yet," Hoshino smirked, and although the duel was over, she seemed to toy with the suffering Bakura as if it were merely entertainment.
"Quick-Play Spell, [Phantasmal Summoning]! I fuse Jeanne Alter, Arash, and Artoria Pendragon from my hand!"
Three beams of light—each a different color—converged into a single point, twisting into a darkness as deep as an abyss.
"Fusion Summon! [Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter]!"
From the dark light emerged Mysterious Heroine X, cloaked in black. Her expression was blank, but the crimson lightsaber in her hand seemed to pulse with warmth.
"Just as I thought—this dark energy allows access to all Alter-class servants." Hoshino finally showed her first genuine smile of the duel.
"Take him down, X Alter!"
"Five seconds is all I need!" Mysterious Heroine X assumed a professional stance, her gaze sharp as she locked onto her prey.
"No, please—no!" Overwhelmed by the dark, indescribable power radiating from the creature before him, Bakura felt sick with fear.
"Alter-reactor, critical limits exceeded. Even if you beg, there's no stopping it now!" Mysterious Heroine X's final reply shattered any last hope for Bakura.
"At a time like this, rather than begging pathetically, repent for your foolishness in hell." Hoshino taunted, the dark energy of her Millennium Bracelet intensifying to emit a black glow.
Mysterious Heroine X rushed toward Bakura, her lightsaber trailing a crimson arc. "Under the light of our darkness, return to subatomic particles!"
The crimson slash carved through the dark space like a flower blooming in a swamp—beautiful yet deadly to anyone caught in its path.
"Cross Calibur—(Black Dragon Twinblade of Victory)!"
Her final X-slash unleashed an explosive sound, merging with Dark Bakura's scream and shattering the fragile dark space.
[Duel Over. The victor: Hoshino Chiyuki!]
(*****)
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