"I banish [Body of the Saint] from my graveyard. This turn, [Heroic Spirit - Martha] will not be affected by monster effects." Hoshino tapped the graveyard with her finger, banishing the card. "So, Martha won't be destroyed by [Revolver Dragon]'s effect this turn!"
"Impossible, activating a magic card from the graveyard!" Keith's face grew darker as he watched Martha withstand three bullets. "Even if you blocked my special effect, can you withstand my attack this turn? [Revolver Dragon], Attack!"
The dark barrel loaded again, but this time it was an attack declaration, meaning [Body of the Saint] couldn't block it.
"Goodbye, saint!" Keith, pushing his sunglasses down to his nose, sneered at the soon-to-be-destroyed Martha.
"I won't let you!" Hoshino put all her effort into protecting her 'boss', "I activate the trap card [Nagging Shopkeeper]!"
[Nagging Shopkeeper Trap Card Effect: When a monster with [Heroic Spirit] in its name is targeted for an attack, you can activate this card to special summon a level 4 or lower monster from your deck in defense position, and its defense increases by 500 points.]
"Due to [Nagging Shopkeeper]'s effect, I Special Summon a Level 4 or lower [Heroic Spirit] monster from my deck to become [Revolver Dragon]'s attack target!" Hoshino took out a card she relied on heavily, "In Defense Position, I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight]!"
[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight ★★★★ Light] [Warrior/Effect ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000]
[While this card is face-up on the field in Defense Position, your opponent must target this card for attacks. After a battle in which this Defense Position card is attacked, it is changed to Attack Position. This Defense Position card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.]
"Because of Mash's effect, she cannot be destroyed by battle while in Defense Position! Block the attack, Mash!" Wielding a large shield, Mash stood between Martha and [Revolver Dragon].
"Yes, senpai! Transient Wall of Snowflakes!" Mash's sturdy shield intercepted the powerful attack, with three bullet marks burning into her large shield.
"Who is this hero, Mash?" Bakura struggled to recall the name.
"I don't know either, never heard of her..." Jonouchi, quick to dismiss what he didn't recognize, remarked, "Though she is cute."
"She must be some unknown minor character," Honda chimed in.
The sharp words, like three swords, pierced Mash's fragile heart.
"Yes, I am not a true Heroic Spirit, just an unknown pseudo-servant." Mash, dejected, lowered her shield.
"No, that's not true, Mash..." Hoshino angrily glared at the three below and quickly comforted her, "Mash, you're amazing. Even if your fame isn't as great as other Heroic Spirits, you're always number one in my heart!"
"Senpai?" Mash, standing with her shield, looked at Hoshino with a forlorn gaze. "Is that truly how you feel?"
"Of course, you're the best, Mash!" Hoshino exclaimed suddenly, shouting an inexplicable slogan.
"This girl... No wonder she's gathered seven-star chips; she's quite skilled." Seeing his attack blocked again, Keith calculated silently.
"But as long as I have this ace, I have nothing to fear." Rubbing his special coin, Keith pushed his sunglasses back up, hiding his sinister eyes. "I set two cards and end my turn."
Hoshino glanced at Keith's field: two set cards, one face-down monster, and [Revolver Dragon]. Although she led in life points, the pressure was immense. If she didn't destroy [Revolver Dragon] this turn, it would be troublesome next turn.
Hoshino's field: [Mash], [Martha], one set card, three cards in hand.
"My turn, draw!"
"This is...!" Even without looking at the card, Hoshino could feel its immense power. "Whoa, just holding it gives me chills. This is reliable."
"Stop muttering to yourself!" Keith, unable to tolerate Hoshino's whispers, yelled, "When dueling Keith Howard, being distracted means certain defeat!"
"I pity you!" Hoshino, unfazed by Keith's outburst, felt her energy surge with her new draw. "Prepare to say goodbye to [Revolver Dragon] and your deceitful tricks!"
"I activate the magic card [Pot of Greed], drawing two cards." With five cards in hand, Hoshino felt confident, "This is enough. Five cards are enough to create a new ending!"
"I activate the magic card [Alternate Ending] from my hand!"
[Alternate Ending Magic Card Effect: Discard one [Heroic Spirit] monster and one magic card from your hand, then target one magic card in either player's graveyard and add it to your hand.]
"What are you planning?" Keith felt an inexplicable unease.
"To achieve victory and defeat the undefeated legend of America!"
"I discard [Heroic Spirit - Okita Souji] and [Crane Wing Triple Strike] to select a magic card to add to my hand." Discarding Okita, Hoshino felt relieved.
"I add the magic card [Soul Exchange] from the graveyard to my hand!" Hoshino's costly acquisition was the card Keith used to summon [Revolver Dragon], marking the heated start of this duel.
"And now, this duel will end with the help of this card!" Hoshino slammed [Soul Exchange] on the table, leaving herself with two cards in hand. "I activate [Soul Exchange], discarding one card..."
Hoshino had one card left in her hand.
To summon this Heroic Spirit, she used four cards—
"Using [Soul Exchange], I tribute [Revolver Dragon], [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight], and [Heroic Spirit - Martha]!"
—and three monsters as sacrifices!
The three monsters were enveloped in a white light.
"Three monsters? Summoning with three sacrifices?" Yugi frowned, seeing such a card for the first time. Even powerful monsters like Blue-Eyes White Dragon only required two tributes.
"If it's him, he can bring victory to master." Martha smiled, disappearing into the white light, as a colossal figure emerged.
Meeting the summoning conditions, Hoshino summoned a monster symbolizing absolute victory, "Come forth! The heroic legend, the unparalleled Heracles!"
[Heroic Spirit - Heracles★★★★★★★★★ (9 stars) Earth][Warrior/Effect][ATK:3000 DEF:2800]
A giant, like dark steel, roared as it stood on the battlefield.
The furious roar of the pitch-black giant echoed through the cave. The sealed space shook slightly from the sheer sound energy.
"What kind of monster is that?" Jonouchi, dumbfounded, stared at the black giant before him. The oppressive force far surpassed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon he had faced.
"Does Hoshino's deck have such a powerful monster?" Yugi, who hadn't seen Hoshino summon Artoria, instinctively thought Hoshino's deck was won by synergy and effects. But this card felt different; it radiated absolute power.
[Heracles★★★★★★★★★ (9 stars) Earth][Warrior/Effect][ATK:3000 DEF:2800]
[If this card is Tribute Summoned by releasing 3 monsters including a [Heroic Spirit] monster, place 12 Valor Counters on it.]
[Heracles Valor Counters x12]
"Its attack power matches Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but its presence is far more imposing." Honda, as a novice duelist, used Blue-Eyes White Dragon as the benchmark for powerful cards.
"The great hero from Greek mythology, Heracles..." Anzu, familiar with the legend, covered her mouth in astonishment. "He completed the twelve labors, said to be impossible, and even gained an immortal body."
Staring at the giant on the battlefield, Keith felt a drop of cold sweat run down his forehead, dampening his bandana.
"What's there to be afraid of? No matter how legendary, it's just a duel monster." Keith, regaining his composure, thought. "Besides, I have a [Time Bomb] set on the field. If she declares an attack next turn, she's finished!"
[Time Bomb★★★★ (4 stars) Dark][Machine/Effect][ATK:1400 DEF:1400]
[Effect 1: When this face-down Defense Position card is attacked, before damage calculation, it equips itself to the attacking monster. Effect 2: During your opponent's next Standby Phase, destroy the equipped monster and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the monster's ATK.]
"Due to using the magic card [Soul Exchange], I cannot declare an attack this turn," Hoshino emphasized, mimicking Keith's earlier actions with [Revolver Dragon]. "But I can activate a special effect without relying on luck or dirty tricks!"
[By removing 1 Valor Counter, this card gains 300 ATK. Effect 1: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can target 1 monster on your opponent's field with lower ATK or in Defense Position, remove 1 Valor Counter, and destroy that monster.]
"I activate [Heroic Spirit - Heracles]'s special effect, remove one Valor Counter, and destroy your face-down Defense Position monster!" Hoshino pointed at Keith's face-down [Time Bomb], unaware of its identity.
Without moving, Heracles roared, sending a massive shockwave that short-circuited and destroyed [Time Bomb].
Valor Counters x11, [Heracles ATK → 3300]
"It was a [Time Bomb]! Good thing Hoshino didn't attack!" Yugi gasped at the destroyed monster.
"Dammit, she destroyed my hidden bomb so easily. What kind of unreasonable monster is this?" Keith, who had felt confident because of [Time Bomb], now felt a sense of frustration. He suspected Hoshino had figured out his cheating.
"Since I can't attack, I end my turn." With no cards in hand, Hoshino ended her turn.
"My turn, draw!" Keith's right hand trembled slightly as he drew, the oppressive presence of Heracles weighing on him. "I, Keith Howard, feeling fear, how disgraceful."
His hand steadied when he saw his draw. Keith's stern face turned to joy. "Hahaha, my luck hasn't run out! I activate the Equip Magic Card [Premature Burial]."
[Premature Burial Equip Magic Card Effect: Pay 800 Life Points, then target 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it in Attack Position and equip it with this card. When this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster.]
Keith Howard LP 1400 → 600
"This card is like a weaker [Monster Reborn]," Jonouchi analyzed as [Premature Burial] was activated.
"Most of the time, but its Equip effect can sometimes surpass [Monster Reborn]," Yugi added.
"I revive [Revolver Dragon]!" Keith brought [Revolver Dragon] back from the graveyard, marking its third appearance in this duel, showcasing its tenacity.
[Revolver Dragon ATK:2600]
"It's time to use [Revolver Dragon]'s effect again." Keith prepared his special coins to repeat his trick.
But as Keith tossed the coin, a thunderous roar from Heracles startled him, causing his right hand to shake.
"Damn it!" Realizing his mistake, Keith was shocked.
Result: Two tails, one head. Effect failed.
Glaring at Heracles, who had roared, Keith fumed silently.
"Nice, Heracles!" Hoshino gave a thumbs-up, taunting Keith, "What's wrong, American champion? Looks like your luck's run out."
"Don't get cocky! I didn't become champion by luck alone!" Keith infuriated, slammed the table and declared an attack, "Go, [Revolver Dragon], an attack that monster!"
"Attacking [Heracles] with [Revolver Dragon]'s 2600 ATK against 3300 ATK? Is Keith insane?" Anzu questioned.
"Do you think I'd make such a foolish move, girl?" Keith revealed one of his set cards, "I activate the trap card [Metalmorph]!"
"Equip [Revolver Dragon] with [Metalmorph], and behold, [Metal Revolver Dragon]!" The newly equipped silver armor glinted in the light, transforming [Revolver Dragon] into a shining [Metal Revolver Dragon], "Destroy the Heracles!"