The only opportunity Yugi had to discard a card was with Magical Stone Excavation, where he discarded a card along with Elf Swordsman. At that point, he could have opted to tribute summon Dark Magician of Chaos, retrieving Kaiba's Card of Demise from the graveyard with its effect. Yet, he chose not to.
He saved that one chance for an uncertain future—two turns later.
And now, that single chance has become the key for Kaiba to turn the tide in this desperate situation.
"I activate [Dark Magician of Chaos]'s effect!"
[When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned successfully, you can add 1 Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.]
"The card I'm adding to my hand is Card of Demise from the graveyard!" Kaiba flicked the card with the same confident gesture as before, only this time, it was Yugi's foresight that had made it possible.
"Enough is enough! Don't push your luck too far!" Hoshino growled through clenched teeth. They had managed to retrieve Card of Demise three times in one duel—a maddening feat. If it had been Card of Sanctity, at least Hoshino could have replenished her own hand. But Card of Demise gave Kaiba and Yugi the upper hand exclusively, with no apparent drawbacks.
Without hesitation or apology, Kaiba placed his remaining cards into his Duel Disk. "I set one card, then activate [Card of Demise] to replenish my hand to five cards!"
With his hand replenished, Kaiba turned his gaze toward Hoshino, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "You're done for, Hoshino!"
Kaiba activated his Duel Disk. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell [Mystik Wok]!"
[Mystik Wok Quick-Play Spell Effect: Tribute 1 monster. Select either its ATK or DEF and gain that many Life Points.]
"I tribute Dark Magician of Chaos on the field to recover 2800 Life Points!"
[Yugi & Kaiba LP: 100 → 2900]
Hoshino's voice was steady as she retorted, "Even if you've barely stabilized your Life Points, you still have no monsters on the field."
Kaiba sneered, his confidence unshaken. "That's exactly how I like it because now, I can reclaim everything you owe me! I activate the Spell Card [Dimension Fusion]!"
[Dimension Fusion Spell Card Effect: Pay 2000 LP; each player Special Summons as many of their banished monsters as possible.]
[Yugi & Kaiba LP: 2900 → 900]
"You're merging the banished zone with the battlefield..." Hoshino's voice trailed off in astonishment as the space around her began to warp and twist. From within the distortion, familiar figures emerged.
Roar—! Four thunderous roars shattered the sky.
Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, previously banished by Complaint Message on the Arrow, reappeared on the battlefield alongside Yugi's King's Knight, instantly filling their side of the field.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] x3, [Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon], [King's Knight]
With his Duel Disk once again brimming with monsters, Kaiba pointed dramatically toward Hoshino. "Summon your monsters! Don't forget, the banished zone wasn't mine alone!"
Hoshino, matching Kaiba's confidence, placed her own cards onto her Duel Disk. "I Special Summon the banished Marie Antoinette, Cú Chulainn, and Atalanta!"
Marie twirled joyfully, her voice bright and carefree. "So lively! Is there a celebration happening?"
The Light Dog and the Dark Dog exchanged glances, their expressions both wary and curious. "Standing side by side like this... Feels strange..."
Atalanta, her expression contemplative, glanced at her Alter counterpart. "Fighting alongside myself... This truly is a world where anything is possible."
"When it arrives, the scorching winds shall scour the earth, and the living shall become mere bones."
Having steeled herself for the final moment, Hoshino watched as Kaiba slammed a blue card onto his Duel Disk. "It's here!"
The skies, which had only just calmed after Slifer the Sky Dragon's departure, were once again consumed by turbulence.
"By offering Blue-Eyes White Dragon and King's Knight as tributes, I summon Obelisk the Tormentor!"
The enormous blue fist shattered the dimensional distortion, igniting the air and raising the tension of the duel to its peak.
[Obelisk the Tormentor ★★★★★★★★★★ (10-Star)][DIVINE][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000]
The towering blue figure loomed over the battlefield, its oppressive aura silencing all opposition.
Jonouchi's voice was filled with awe and disbelief. "Even Kaiba summoned a god..."
Kaiba, raising his arm in perfect sync with Obelisk, declared loudly, "Hoshino, whether or not you're controlled, I don't care! The truth I believe in lies in the clash of souls between duelists! Now, I'll use this soul's fist to wake you up!"
"Obelisk the Tormentor, attack Atalanta! — Divine Fist of Fury!"
The enormous blue fist, several times larger than Atalanta's petite form, tore through the air, blazing with destructive energy.
"If this attack lands, Hoshino-nee's LP will...'" Akasha, watching anxiously, could feel the weight of the moment. For the first time, Hoshino's seemingly invincible presence felt vulnerable.
Just as the devastating blow approached, a soft, healing light emerged from the battlefield, halting the attack and reversing the tide.
"Although I'm not great at fighting, protecting my Master is something I must do," a tender, childlike voice declared. A small blue figure, frail but resolute, stood before Hoshino.
Her young eyes shone with determination as she whispered, "A long time ago, I vowed my staff would only be wielded for my Master's future. I must protect her!"
As the attack surged forward, Medea Lily dissolved into radiant stardust, spreading across the battlefield and soothing the raging winds.
"This is the card of hope Medea Lily left me!" Hoshino flipped her last set card, its glow illuminating her side of the field.
"—[All Wounds Must Be Repaired]!"
[All Wounds Must Be Repaired Quick-Play Spell Effect: Activate only during the opponent's Battle Damage Calculation. This Battle Damage is reduced to 0.]
Medea Lily's final act of devotion transformed into hope, her light spreading across the battlefield and dispelling the shadows lingering in Hoshino's heart.
Reaching out, Hoshino grasped the glowing light, her expression softening. The relief in her eyes was akin to a parched wanderer finding an oasis in the desert.
"She blocked it?!" Kaiba's final attack, which had seemed assured of victory, failed to land, leaving him with a huge sense of disillusionment. His clenched fists trembled slightly, unable to believe what had just happened. "Then I'll continue to—"
"Cú Alter!" Hoshino's shout pierced through the field, cutting Kaiba off and stopping the roaring Blue-Eyes White Dragon in its tracks.
The Black Dog stood firm, his blood-red spear in hand, exuding an overwhelming pressure. He smirked, his voice low and dangerous. "Heh, it seems like I don't even need to step in. Your little dragons are already trembling."
"Because of Cú Chulainn Alter's effect, your attack is over!" Hoshino declared, her voice sharp and steady.
"The effect… again," Kaiba muttered, clenching his fists, his tone laced with frustration.
Twice now, he had pushed Hoshino to the brink, only to be thwarted by Cú Alter alone. Though Cú Alter's attack power wasn't as high as Blue-Eyes White Dragon, his defensive capabilities had made him the MVP of Hoshino's deck, allowing her to fight off both Yugi and Kaiba singlehandedly.
"But even if my Battle Phase is over, my turn isn't!" Kaiba declared, his piercing gaze burning with determination. "[Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon], activate your effect and target Hoshino's Cú Chulainn Alter!"
The majestic white dragon, under Kaiba's command, lifted its noble head and unleashed a piercing roar.
"Once per turn, it can target an opponent's monster and destroy it."
"Go, Burst Lightning Blast!" Kaiba commanded with ferocity as Blue-Eyes Alternative charged a powerful sphere of energy and hurled it at Cú Alter, the sheer force of the blast rippling through the air.
"How petty," Cú Alter smirked, sidestepping and lifting his dark right arm, effortlessly catching the incoming attack mid-air.
"I activate [Cú Chulainn Alter]'s special effect, banishing Cú Chulainn (Caster) from my Graveyard to make him immune to destruction!"
With a snap, the sphere of lightning disintegrated in Cú Chulainn Alter's hand. "Weak attacks… they won't do a thing!" he scoffed, his blood-red spear gleaming menacingly.
"Then feel the wrath of a god's attack! Let's see if you can handle this!" Kaiba's Duel Disk trembled as he raised his arm, his voice booming with authority.
"[Obelisk the Tormentor], activate your effect, and sacrifice the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons on my field!"
"!?" Hoshino gasped, instantly recognizing the devastating effect that would increase Obelisk's attack to infinite power.
"Your Battle Phase is already over, Kaiba! Even with infinite attack power, it won't matter!" Hoshino countered, though her voice betrayed a flicker of doubt.
Kaiba smirked coldly. "In the face of a god, all monsters are insignificant!" With a sweeping motion, Obelisk seized the massive forms of the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, crushing them in his enormous hands like mere playthings.
"This is the second effect of Obelisk: by sacrificing two monsters on the field, I destroy all monsters on your field!"
As Kaiba's spirit surged, Yugi couldn't help but marvel. "So Obelisk has such a powerful hidden effect… Its offensive capabilities far exceed even Slifer's."
"This is the fist of a god that shatters all! Prepare yourself!" Kaiba roared.
With energy gathered from the sacrificed dragons, Obelisk's mighty fists descended upon Hoshino's field, unleashing shockwaves that tore through the ground, sending debris flying and waves crashing against the nearby pier.
"Fist of Destruction!"
The devastating force obliterated Hoshino's entire field, her cards disappearing in the destructive storm one by one.
"In the face of Obelisk, you have no chance left!" Kaiba declared, his confidence surging. Though he hadn't fully defeated her yet, his divine strike had stripped Hoshino of all defenses.
"Darkness or whatever you want to call it can never overpower absolute strength!" he added triumphantly.
Seizing the moment, Kaiba slammed another card onto his Duel Disk. "And I possess that absolute strength! I activate the Spell Card, [Dragon's Mirror]!"
"By banishing the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my Graveyard, I can summon the ultimate emperor once more! Come forth, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Two colossal monsters now stood on Kaiba's field. Their overwhelming presence crushed the atmosphere, embodying the absolute strength Kaiba had just proclaimed.
"Master might lose this time…" Hoshino stared at her ruined field, the relentless assault leaving her seemingly powerless.
"You've already failed, Hoshino!" Kaiba declared with an uncharacteristic sincerity, echoing her earlier taunts when she had used Complaint Message on the Arrow to wipe out all of his "light" monsters.
"I don't fully understand the power of the Millennium Ring," Kaiba admitted, his tone softening ever so slightly. "But I don't want you to be trapped by such an unknown force."
With his final cards set, Kaiba prepared for the endgame, knowing the duel likely wouldn't reach his next turn.
Kaiba's hand: 0 cards. Set cards: 3.
"…" Hoshino stood silently amidst the wreckage, her expression unreadable.
"Hey, your expression looks strange, Master!" A familiar voice broke through the tension, ringing out unexpectedly from the ravaged battlefield.
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me… You forgot about me? I know my Alter form is pretty strong, but come on—look closer. I'm still here!"
"Cú?" Hoshino's eyes widened in surprise as Cú Chulainn emerged from the rubble, battered but still standing. With a cheeky grin, he gave her a confident thumbs-up.
"That punch was something, but I just barely made it!"
[Cú Chulainn's Effect: Once per Duel, if this card is destroyed, it can be Special Summoned in Defense Position and can't change its battle position.]
Kaiba's eyes narrowed, his frustration evident. "Tch, someone survived even that?"
"Master," Cú Chulainn continued, his smirk fading into a serious expression. "Are you really so caught up in this whole light-and-darkness debate? Even I don't mind my Alter form all that much. In the end, it's just two sides of the same coin. No matter how much someone leans toward the light, they'll always carry shadows within."
"Hmph, you can still talk even when you're barely holding together," Hoshino replied, her voice softening slightly despite her attempt to remain aloof.
Though she scoffed, hearing Cú Chulainn's words stirred something deep within her. Perhaps the faint light Medea had left in her heart was starting to shine once more.
"Hahaha! Light and darkness? How trivial!" A booming voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, tearing through the moment of introspection.
With a look of disdain, Cú Chulainn glared at the source of the laugh. "That voice… I hate it already."
"Listen up, you mongrels!" the voice bellowed, sharp and commanding. "Whether it's darkness or light, good or evil—even if I stand against the whole world—I alone shall bear your burdens!"
(*****)
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