"Master! Let's finish it off!" Cu Chulainn growled fiercely, plunging his red spear into the dragon's head as if he was hunting his prey.
"Impossible! How could a monster with only 1600 attack points defeat my Blue-Eyes?!" Kaiba asked in disbelief, watching his Blue-Eyes White Dragon get pierced.
"Who said it's impossible?" Hoshino picked up the Quick-Play Spell Card she had just activated and showed it to Kaiba. "Quick-Play Spell, [Golden Sumo Rock]!"
[Golden Sumo Rock - Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 monster you control with [Heroic Spirit] in its name. During a battle between that monster and an opponent's monster with higher attack points, increase your monster's attack points by the difference between their attack points.]
"Due to the effect of Golden Sumo, Cu Chulainn's attack points increase to match Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
[Cu Chulainn ATK 1600 → 3000]
"And because of Cu Chulainn's effect, even if their attack points are the same, he won't be destroyed in battle. So the only one being destroyed is your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Hoshino pointed the Golden Sumo card at Kaiba and shouted, "Send that White Dragon back to the graveyard!"
As Cu Chulainn withdrew his crimson spear from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's head, the dragon, realized as a solid hologram, shattered into fragments of light, returning to the graveyard.
"Slaying dragons isn't just for that 'I'm sorry' guy!(Referring to Siegfried)" Cu Chulainn said, spinning his spear before returning to his usual relaxed stance.
"Amazing, Hoshino! Not only did you defeat Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but you also increased Cu Chulainn's attack points to 3000, matching Blue-Eyes!" Jonouchi exclaimed, thrilled by Hoshino's control of the battlefield.
"But don't forget, in two turns, Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will be summoned," Yugi, watching nearby, warned. While he supported Hoshino, the situation was still not optimistic.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn." Yugi's warning was not without reason. Hoshino knew she had to prepare for the arrival of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in two turns.
"My turn, draw!" Kaiba didn't even look at his drawn card before adding it to his hand.
"Hoshino, you're quite an interesting duelist. Using such peculiar monsters to defeat my Blue-Eyes," Kaiba said, looking at Cu Chulainn with 3000 attack points. "It seems Yugi was right; this duel won't disappoint me."
"I summon a monster in face-down defense position and set one card. Turn end!" Kaiba placed two cards on the field without hesitation, ending his turn.
"Stalling with a defense monster, waiting for Ultimate Dragon's to summon?" Hoshino thought, drawing a card. "If that's the case, I need to speed up my attack and gain the advantage this turn."
"I summon the monster card [Heroic Spirit - Spartacus] in attack mode!" Hoshino placed the card on the table. Though not a particularly strong card, it was the first monster she summoned in her first duel, giving her a sense of reassurance.
[Heroic Spirit - Spartacus ★★★ (3 stars) Earth][Warrior/Effect][ATK:1500 DEF:1500]
"Come on, destroy the oppressor with my love!" Spartacus roared, appearing on the battlefield.
"Great, it's Spartacus!" Jonouchi was even more excited than Hoshino every time Spartacus was summoned.
"Attack the face-down monster, Spartacus!" In the face of unknown defense, it would be safer to attack with Cu Chulainn, who had higher attack points. However, if Spartacus could destroy the monster, Cu Chulainn could then attack directly, dealing 3000 damage to Kaiba and gaining a significant life point advantage. It was a gamble worth taking.
As Spartacus charged, the hidden monster revealed itself.
[Giant Germ ★★ (2 stars) Dark][Fiend/Effect][ATK1000 DEF:100]
"Yes! Its defense is only 100 points. Hoshino, you've got this!" Jonouchi shouted, seeing Spartacus's massive body crush the spherical virus.
"It's more complicated than that," Yugi responded calmly.
"Hmph, as expected of Yugi!" Kaiba sneered, raising the destroyed Giant Germ. "Activate the special effect of [Giant Germ]!"
[When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Inflict 500 damage to your opponent. You can also Special Summon any number of [Giant Germ] from your Deck in face-up Attack Position.]
Chiyuki Hoshino LP 4000 → 3500
"!!!" Hoshino was shocked by the effect of the destroyed Giant Germ.
"Then, I Special Summon two [Giant Germ] from my deck in Attack Position!" Kaiba retrieved two identical cards from his deck and placed them on the table.
[Giant Germ ATK:1000] X2
"Three Giant Germs add up to 1500 points of effect damage," Yugi frowned.
"But Hoshino has Cu Chulainn with 3000 attack points on the field. As long as she destroys one Giant Germ, she can inflict 2000 damage on Kaiba!" Jonouchi said optimistically, seeing the two 1000 attack point Giant Germs as no threat.
"Cu Chulainn, attack the Giant Germ!" Hoshino declared, pointing forward. She knew she would take 500 direct damage, but compared to the damage Kaiba would receive, it was negligible.
"With Ultimate Dragon about to appear next turn, are you feeling anxious, Hoshino?" Kaiba asked calmly as Cu Chulainn's spear advanced. "But remember, rushing to gain an advantage can sometimes backfire!"
"Activate the set trap card, [Draining Shield]!"
[Draining Shield - Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, and if you do, gain Life Points equal to that monster's attack.]
Just as Cu Chulainn's spear was about to pierce the round body of the Giant Germ, a soft green-glowing shield appeared between them.
"What? My strength is being drained, master!" Cu Chulainn said helplessly as the shield absorbed the energy concentrated at the tip of his spear.
Seto Kaiba LP 4000 → 7000
"Surprised, Hoshino? Your haste to gain the upper hand has actually worked in my favor!" Kaiba laughed maniacally, glancing at his boosted life points. "With such a massive life point lead and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, you stand no chance of winning!"
Ignoring Kaiba's taunts, Hoshino drew a card from her hand, held it in front of her, and murmured, "Lord, please respond to my prayers!"
"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
"It's Kaiba's turn now!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "That means..."
"The strongest, The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is finally about to descend!" Kaiba spread his arms wide, looking at the distorted space caused by Future Fusion. "Let mere mortals witness this absolute power, this absolute dominance!"
From the twisted space, the first dragon head, marked with a black insignia, emerged, followed by three dragon heads, and finally, the massive body of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon squeezed out from the distorted space.
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (12 stars) Light][Dragon/Fusion][ATK:4500 DEF:3800]
"It's finally here," Jonouchi murmured, remembering the fear he felt when faced with the emperor's power before.
"Perfect, invincible, the strongest!" Kaiba continued to shout, pointing at Hoshino's field. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, with power that transcends time and space, use your strongest Burst Stream of Destruction to annihilate the opponent!"
Receiving Kaiba's command, the three dragon heads, marked with terrifying insignia, began gathering brilliant white light. Although white light usually invokes thoughts of holiness, this light only brought thoughts of destruction.
"Go, attack Hoshino's [Heroic Spirit - Spartacus]!" Kaiba's attack target aimed directly at the weakest point on Hoshino's field.
"Oh no! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack will deal 3000 damage if it hits Spartacus!" Yugi realized Kaiba's plan. "This would leave Hoshino with only 500 life points, and with the two Giant Germs on the field, Hoshino would lose!"
"Kaiba isn't giving Hoshino any chance to react!" Jonouchi thought anxiously as the bright light was about to explode.
"It's over, Hoshino!" Kaiba declared, lowering his raised arm as the triple Burst Stream of Destruction shot towards Hoshino.
"Kaiba, you tried to finish me off this turn by using the Giant Germ combo, but isn't that a bit too hasty?" Faced with the incoming white light, Hoshino didn't seem as desperate as everyone thought.
"Being overly hasty can sometimes backfire," she echoed Kaiba's earlier words, activating the card she had just set.
"Activate the trap card [God Is Here With Me]!!" As the card was revealed, a holy light filled Hoshino's field, clashing with the incoming destructive white light.
"What is this? The light is so bright we can't see anything!" The intense light obscured everyone's vision.
Amidst the blinding light, only Hoshino's voice could be heard declaring the card's effect.
[God Is Here With Me - Trap Card Effect: Activate only when your opponent declares an attack while they control 3 or more Attack Position monsters. Special Summon 1 [Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc] from your hand or Deck.]
"Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc?" Kaiba squinted, trying to see through the light.
"Defend my brethren, my banner! God is here with me…Luminosité Eternelle!!"
A holy figure, the Heroic Spirit Jeanne d'Arc, appeared, raising her banner to protect all of Hoshino's monsters with angelic blessings. The triple Burst Stream of Destruction, as if hitting an invisible shield, dispersed harmlessly.
As the light faded, Hoshino's monsters were unharmed, and a new one had joined them.
[Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc ★★★★★★★★ (8 stars) Light][Fairy/Effect][ATK:2500 DEF:3000]
[Once per turn, you can reduce this card's ATK by 1000 until the end of this turn; your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and you take no battle damage. This effect can be activated during either player's turn.]
[Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc ATK 2500 → 1500]
"Master, don't push yourself too hard," Jeanne said, lowering her holy banner after successfully defending against the attack.
"Thank you, Jeanne. I'm glad you were here." Without Jeanne's Noble Phantasm, Hoshino would have lost the duel.
Kaiba's field, with three monsters, had met the condition for activating [God Is Here With Me].
Holding up the trap card, Hoshino smiled at Kaiba. "How about that, Kaiba? If you hadn't rushed to defeat me this turn by summoning two Giant Germs, I wouldn't have been able to activate [God Is Here With Me] and summon Jeanne to block your Ultimate Dragon's attack."
Kaiba's brow furrowed with a hint of regret. If not for the two Giant Germs, he wouldn't have met the condition for [God Is Here With Me].
"Not only did you let me block the attack, but you also gave me a chance to counterattack. I'll make the most of it, Kaiba!" Hoshino taunted, waiting for Kaiba's next move. "The real battle starts now!"
"Ridiculous!" Kaiba scoffed, drawing two cards and flicking his coat dramatically. "Even if you gather weak monsters, they are no match for my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Kaiba threw the two cards onto the table and changed the position of his Giant Germs.
"I set two cards and switch my two Giant Germs to Defense Position, ending my turn." Kaiba knew he couldn't damage Hoshino this turn due to Jeanne's effect, so sacrificing the Giant Germs would be pointless.
"Hoshino survived the turn!" Anzu finally snapped out of her daze from the intense battle. "Hang in there, Hoshino, don't lose!"
"Anzu..." Yugi hesitated, noticing her enthusiasm, unable to bring himself to tell her that Hoshino was still in a dangerous situation because of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
Hearing Anzu's cheer, Hoshino gave an OK sign to the audience and drew a card from her deck. "This turn, I'll turn the tide in one go. My turn, draw!"
"Hoshino, are you dreaming?" Kaiba taunted from behind his Ultimate Dragon. "Without the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, even if you summon Siegfried, he won't stand a chance against my Ultimate Dragon!"
"Damn it! I should've lent Hoshino my Red-Eyes Black Dragon before the duel!" Jonouchi regretted, smacking his thigh.
"It's okay, Jonouchi!" Hoshino's gentle voice soothed Jonouchi's frustration as she tapped Jeanne's card. "This time, let me surpass the ultimate dragon with my own strength!"
(*****)
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