"No way." Bakura's dark expression flashed with a hint of surprise. "A mere human without any dark power can actually move within the dark game space I created."
"Oh? Is that so?" Hoshino glanced at the Millennium Bracelet on her right wrist. Clearly, everything that had just happened wasn't a dream. The reason she could awaken in such a bizarre space was likely because of this.
"What's that thing on your wrist?" Bakura followed Hoshino's gaze and noticed the Millennium Bracelet. "That familiar feeling... A Millennium Item? Impossible! There's no bracelet-shaped item among the Millennium Items!"
"What are you babbling about, Millennium Ring? It's your turn." Hoshino didn't care about the appearance of the Millennium Items. She had gone through great lengths to get here, and her goal was to defeat the man in front of her.
"Oh? Do you really intend to continue in this situation?" Bakura, momentarily distracted by Hoshino's sudden appearance, almost forgot the current game state.
Bakura: LP 4000
Field: [Skull Knight★★★★Dark][Fiend-Type ATK 1000]
No face-down cards, two cards in hand
Hoshino (Yugi): LP 200
Field: [Flame Swordsman (Jonouchi)★★★★Fire][Warrior-Type ATK 1800], [Commander (Honda)★★Dark][Warrior-Type DEF 700], [Mystical Elf (Anzu)★★★Light][Spellcaster-Type/Effect DEF 2000 face-down]
Three cards in hand
Seeing Honda and Anzu's monsters with such low attack and defense points, Hoshino couldn't believe the Pharaoh had held on for so long. It was no wonder he had been at a disadvantage the entire time.
Even in such unfavorable conditions, the Pharaoh still had more monsters on the field. He truly was remarkable.
"My turn, draw!" Bakura's twisted grin was far from the gentle Bakura seen before.
"Look at your LP. One more hit and you're finished." His tone was filled with dark glee as Bakura mocked Yugi.
"But I won't let you lose that easily. I want you to lose the game and your most important friends." Bakura's sinister intent was clear. He not only wanted to win but also planned to send all the friends' soul cards to the graveyard.
"I activate the magic card, Change of Heart!"
[Change of Heart Magic Card Effect: Select one of your opponent's face-up monsters. Gain control of it until the end of this turn.]
"This is Bakura's favorite card!" The Pharaoh frowned. In regular duels, Change of Heart was banned from decks, but in this ruleless shadow game, bans didn't apply.
"I choose to control Commander!" Bakura announced.
At that moment, the activated Change of Heart card materialized a gentle-looking Bakura on the field.
"What's happening? Even Bakura himself is sealed in a card?" Hoshino was shocked to see Bakura in angelic attire. "He's really willing to use anything, even himself."
"What's going on?" The materialized Bakura (Change of Heart) moved Commander (Honda) uncontrollably to the opposite field.
"Damn it, Honda!" Jonouchi (Flame Swordsman) shouted as Honda left their field. "What do we do, Hoshino? If this keeps up, Honda will die."
If Commander attacked Flame Swordsman, Honda would undoubtedly perish.
Hoshino didn't answer Jonouchi. She was waiting for Bakura's next move.
"Hahaha, as much fun as it would be to have Honda die by your sword, I won't do that." Enjoying Jonouchi's angry expression, Bakura laughed even harder. "I want you and Honda to die together!"
"I sacrifice Commander and Skull Knight to summon Demon Lord! Honda is sent to the graveyard! Hahahaha."
[Demon Lord★★★★★★★★Dark][Fiend-Type/Effect][ATK:3200 DEF:2500]
[① This card can only attack if there are no other monsters on your field. ② When this card is destroyed, send all monsters on the field to the graveyard and inflict damage to the opponent equal to the number of cards sent to the graveyard x 200.]
The massive Demon Lord, dragging a large, shimmering sword, stepped onto the field.
"Whoa, it's huge!" Jonouchi (Flame Swordsman) looked up at the towering Demon Lord and swallowed nervously.
"Hoshino Chiyuki, you know what this card means, don't you? It's checkmate." Bakura pointed at Jonouchi, who was trembling. "Demon Lord, attack Flame Swordsman and end this!"
The flaming sword in Flame Swordsman's hand seemed powerful, but it was no match for the Demon Lord's sword, which gleamed with deadly light.
"Go join Honda in the other world, Jonouchi." The giant sword slashed through Jonouchi, sending him to the graveyard. "And you too, Hoshino Chiyuki. Don't think you can survive losing a shadow game."
This attack would reduce Hoshino's LP to zero, securing Bakura's victory.
"Huh? What's happening?" Bakura waited, but the game didn't end.
"I activate the effect of Kuriboh from my hand." Hoshino discarded Kuriboh to the graveyard, sighing in relief.
[Kuriboh Monster Card Effect: During your opponent's turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can discard this card to take no battle damage from that attack.]
"Good thing I had Kuriboh." The Pharaoh relaxed, Kuriboh being one of his most frequently used cards, saving him countless times in crises.
"So what?" Bakura wasn't upset about the delay. "I told you, when Demon Lord appears, it's checkmate."
Bakura wasn't wrong. Aside from Demon Lord's higher attack than Blue-Eyes White Dragon, its effect of destroying all monsters and dealing damage upon destruction was more than Hoshino's LP could handle.
Realizing this, the Pharaoh's face darkened again, acknowledging the devastating effect of Demon Lord.
"Damn, we've come so far." Hoshino bit her finger in frustration. Her original plan was completely disrupted by Bakura's powerful combo of Change of Heart and Demon Lord.
"What do we do, Hoshino? Jonouchi and Honda are dead. If we don't revive them this turn..." Anzu (Mystical Elf) pleaded tearfully.
"Draw your card, it's your turn." Bakura sneered, enjoying the atmosphere.
Slowly reaching for her deck, Hoshino quickly calculated her chances of turning the tide.
As soon as her right hand touched the deck, the Millennium Bracelet on her wrist shone brightly.
"Hoshino-chan, D-Draw!"
"Da Vinci!? D-Draw?" Hoshino exclaimed, hearing Da Vinci's voice in her head.
"Destiny Draw. There's no time for explanations, go for it, Hoshino-chan!"
A true genius instills confidence, making others think, "If Da Vinci is here, everything will be fine." Hoshino felt this reassurance deeply.
"Okay, Da Vinci! My turn, destiny-draw!"