"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, [Monster Reborn]!" Jonouchi's confidence soared as he played the card drawn through [Card of Safe Return]. "I will now turn this duel around!"
"Monster Reborn? Does Jonouchi have something stronger than Red-Eyes Black Dragon in his graveyard?" Honda asked Yugi, puzzled by Jonouchi's move.
"I'm not sure." Yugi shook his head, also confused by Jonouchi's strategy. "As far as I know, Jonouchi's deck doesn't have any cards with higher attack power than Hoshino's Nero at 3100."
"The monster I'm reviving from the graveyard is [Kaiser Sea Horse]!" Jonouchi placed the resurrected monster on the field. "And because I Special Summoned a monster from the graveyard, [Card of Safe Return] activates again, letting me draw three more cards!"
[Kaiser Sea Horse★★★★ (4-star) Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1700 DEF 1650]
[This card can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a LIGHT monster.]
A terrifying marine warrior clad in spiked armor and wielding a heavy spear appeared on the battlefield.
"Is it the monster discarded by [Graceful Charity]? Damn Jonouchi, he's back in the game!" Hoshino remarked with slight annoyance as she watched Jonouchi replenish his hand and field. "Fine, but with the current battle strength of your monsters, you're still slightly weaker than me."
"Once I play this monster, you won't be smiling, Hoshino~" Jonouchi raised an eyebrow and pointed at Hoshino with one hand while making a finger gun with the other, striking a pose he thought was cool.
"So disgusting!" Hoshino felt an overwhelming sense of aversion to Jonouchi's attempt to look cool.
"You should be familiar with Kaiser Seahorse's effect!" Jonouchi tributed Kaiser Sea Horse, slapping a monster card from his hand onto the field. "If I tribute Kaiser Seahorse to summon a LIGHT monster, it counts as two tributes! I tribute [Kaiser Sea Horse] and [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] to Tribute Summon the warrior of light from my hand!"
"Wait, Kaiser Sea Horse can count as two tributes, so why not also tribute Red-Eyes Black Dragon? That's three tributes!" The only monster Hoshino had encountered that required three tributes was Hercules, with his overwhelming destructive strength. If Jonouchi wasn't making a mistake, the monster he summoned had to be as powerful. Hoshino instantly felt a shiver down her spine.
"Exactly, this monster is similar to your Hercules, needing three tributes to unleash its true power." The light from the tributes extended to the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field. "From my hand, I Summon [Gilford the Lightning]!"
[Gilford the Lightning★★★★★★★★ (8-star) Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2800 DEF 1400]
Amidst flashes of lightning, the warrior holding a sword crackling with electricity descended onto the battlefield, raising his electrified blade to the sky as if calling for victory.
"Activate [Gilford the Lightning]'s special effect!"
[You can Tribute 3 monsters to Tribute Summon (but not Set) this card. If Summoned this way: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.]
As Gilford raised his voice, thunderbolts rained down on Hoshino's field.
"Master, this monster is dangerous!" Nero complained with a serious expression, using all her magic to resist the lightning.
In the grand Golden Theater, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
[Heroic Spirit - Caligula] destroyed.
[Heroic Spirit - Caesar] destroyed.
After the lightning subsided, only Nero remained on the field.
"Hmm? Why is one still left?" Jonouchi, expecting to clear Hoshino's entire field, scratched his head in confusion.
"[Body of the Saint]!" Hoshino revealed her set card, breathing a sigh of relief. "Nero within the Golden Theater isn't affected by Spell or Trap cards, so I set this card to counter monster effects. I didn't expect to use it so soon."
[①: Target 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster you control; it is unaffected by your opponent's monster effects this turn.]
"You are impressive, Hoshino, blocking my attack from Gilford the Lightning." Jonouchi complimented Hoshino while acknowledging the situation, "But Gilford the Lightning can still attack this turn!"
[Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius ATK 3100 → 2600]
"Damn, because Caesar left, my power has decreased!" Nero inspected her hands, visibly feeling the drop in magic.
"Hoshino, your Nero can't defeat my Gilford the Lightning!" Jonouchi pointed forward, declaring the attack. "Go, Gilford the Lightning, strike with Thunder Slash!"
The lightning-charged sword created a dazzling arc as Gilford charged.
"Jonouchi, your attack names are lame!" Hoshino retorted, waving her right hand as Nero counterattacked. "If you can't avoid it, then meet it head-on, Nero!"
"If it's Master's command, I have no choice!" Nero drew the Aestus Estus embedded in the ground, red flames enveloping the sword once more. "Come, noble warrior! I, Nero Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, shall test your strength! Let the flames of glory ignite our battle!"
As the words fell, the lightning sword and the flame sword collided, producing a massive burst of lightning and fire.
"Mmm, it feels like I can't win, Master!" Though neither side retreated, Nero's lower attack power by 200 was crucial. The flames on her sword began to fade.
Hoshino Chiyuki LP 3100→2900
"Activate [Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius]'s special effect!" Hoshino realized that without activating this effect, she couldn't save Nero.
[This effect can only be used once per duel. ③: When this card is destroyed, you can flip 3 coins. If at least one is head, the destruction is negated.]
"Nero, show them the persistence of the Emperor!" Encouraging Nero, Hoshino pulled out coins from her pocket. "At least one of these three should be heads!"
Flip results: Tails, Tails...,
"Don't be ridiculous!" Hoshino's frustration grew with each consecutive tail. "I refuse to believe that my luck is an 'E-' while he is 'EX.'"
Muttering about the unfairness of fate, Hoshino tossed the final coin...
"Master! My magic is restored!" The flames on Nero's Aestus Estus reignited. Seizing the moment, Nero created an opening and escaped the clash. "Even after facing the death, I will dance gloriously!"
Flip results: Tails, tails, heads.
"Come, let's start again, Lightning Swordsman!" Nero exclaimed arrogantly, raising the burning Aestus Estus in her hand.
"Nero, even if you fight again, your lower attack power means you can't beat the Lightning Swordsman," Hoshino whispered, trying to remind the emperor not to be stubborn.
"A duel between a lightning sword and a flame sword... You've reignited my duelist spirit, Hoshino!" Jonouchi, still reeling from the explosive clash, regained his composure and spoke with growing excitement, "This is what a duel should be like—truly exhilarating!"
"I equip [Lightning Sword] from my hand to [Gilford the Lightning]!" But seeing Jonouchi play the Equip Card left everyone speechless.
[Lightning Sword Equip Spell Card Effect: Equip only to a Warrior-Type monster. It gains 800 ATK. All WATER monsters on the field lose 500 ATK.]
[Gilford the Lightning ATK 2800→3600]
"Uh? Did I do something wrong?" Even someone as dense as Jonouchi noticed the sudden quietness and sensed something was amiss.
"Jonouchi, why didn't you equip that card before attacking? That would've inflicted more damage to my Life Points," Hoshino said, holding her forehead in frustration.
"Umm..." Jonouchi, about to admit his mistake, quickly thought of an excuse, "I was being cautious of your set card, Hoshino! If it was a [Magic Cylinder], I could've lost! Hahaha, my calculations are never wrong!"
"Jonouchi does have a point there," Yugi said, unexpectedly persuaded by Jonouchi's spontaneous reasoning.
"Hahaha... Yugi, you always understand me," Jonouchi said with a forced laugh, setting two cards, "I set two cards and end my turn!"
"My turn, draw!" Hoshino sighed as she glanced at her three remaining cards compared to Jonouchi's full hand, "I guess it's my turn for the tables to turn."
"But I've prepared many strategies for situations like this!"
(Sherlock Holmes: "Miss Hoshino, utilizing card effects to maintain card advantage is crucial. True despair isn't having no monsters on the field, but having no cards in hand. Always consider strategies to replenish your hand unless it's an all-or-nothing move.")
"I activate the Spell Card [ Alternate Ending] from my hand!" Hoshino confidently placed the newly Limit Broken [Alternate Ending] on the table, "Today, I'll replenish my hand while defeating your arrogant Lightning Swordsman!"
"[Alternate Ending]? Isn't that the card where you discard two cards to retrieve a Spell Card from the graveyard?" Yugi asked, puzzled by Hoshino's move given her limited hand, "Is it wise to use such a costly card in this situation?"
[Alternate Ending Spell Card Effect: ①: Discard two cards, then target one Spell Card in either Graveyard; add it to your hand.]
"I discard my last two cards to add [Monster Reborn] from Jonouchi's graveyard to my hand!" As expected, Hoshino aimed for Jonouchi's [Monster Reborn].
"But even with [Monster Reborn], what can you do without any cards in hand?" Yugi still didn't understand Hoshino's plan, "Is there a monster in the graveyard that can defeat Jonouchi's Gilford the Lightning?"
"Of course, Yugi! I'll use [Monster Reborn] to revive a monster from my graveyard..." Hoshino smiled triumphantly, retrieving the card, "[Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Lancer)]!"
A blast of light signaled Li Shuwen's arrival on the battlefield...
"Show them the pinnacle of martial arts!" Li Shuwen roared, elegantly twirling his spear.
[Heroic Spirit - Li Shuwen(Lancer)★★★★★★ (6-star) Wind][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2000 DEF 1900]
"Li Shuwen, the legendary martial artist! He's my idol!" Honda shouted excitedly, "But when did Hoshino have Li Shuwen in the graveyard?"
"It's because of [Alternate Ending]'s effect, Honda," Yugi explained, frowning, eager to see what Hoshino planned with Li Shuwen, given the high cost of summoning him.
[①: If this card is Summoned or Special Summoned and you have no cards in hand, draw two cards and discard one.]
Thanks to Li Shuwen's effect, Hoshino drew two cards and smiled brightly, "Perfect, these cards are just what I needed!"
"Due to Li Shuwen's effect, I draw two cards and discard one. I discard [Heroic Spirit - Marie Antoinette]!" Discarding Marie was highly beneficial for Hoshino's deck.
[②: If this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can add one [Heroic Spirit] monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.]
"I add [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight] from my Deck to my hand!" Hoshino quickly summoned Mash in Defense Position, "I summon [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight] in Defense Position!"
[Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight★★★★ Light][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1000 DEF 2000]
After a series of moves, Hoshino had one card left in her hand. Looking at her final card, she smiled with relief.
"Time to attack, Li!" Hoshino commanded, pointing at Jonouchi, "Show them the power of your spear!"
"You're using Li Shuwen, with just 2000 attack points, to challenge my Gilford the Lightning?" Jonouchi exclaimed in disbelief.
Li Shuwen, obeying Hoshino's command, swung his spear and spoke calmly, as if recounting his life story.
"Behold my unparalleled skill of Liu He Da Qiang! The Spear that Kills with one Thrust, I'll show it to you!"
(*****)
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