"Hoshino, stay strong!" The anxious cries of Yugi and Jounouchi mirrored Holmes's concern, all worried about the severe mental blow Hoshino had suffered.
"Pegasus, how could you harm Chiyuki? You're despicable!" Mai shouted, her voice filled with anger and sympathy for Hoshino, who was under the thrall of the Millennium Eye.
"Has she lost consciousness? What a pity, Hoshino-girl." Pegasus, seeing Hoshino's lack of response, surmised the situation. In the thick atmosphere of a Shadow Game, taking a direct hit of 2500 damage at once was something a girl like Hoshino couldn't endure, which is precisely the terror of a Shadow Game. Even if your Life Points remain, if your spirit is crushed, it equates to losing the duel.
"There's nothing more to say. This duel was always destined to end with your defeat, Hoshino-girl." Lacking any sense of mercy, Pegasus gave the final attack order. "But the game must end properly for everything to be resolved. So, Toon Cú Chulainn, deliver the finishing blow to your master."
"What irony, to be struck down by your monster, ha! Ironic and amusing~"
"Wake up, master! If you fall here, I'll never be able to show my face at Chaldea again!" Cú Chulainn, resisting Pegasus's attack command with all his might, seemed to struggle as if against a Command Seal.
However, without Magic Resistance, Cú Chulainn couldn't resist. Pegasus's attack declaration was the absolute rule in this game. Despite his reluctance, Cú Chulainn charged at Hoshino with his spear.
"Miss Hoshino! If you don't wake up now, you'll lose!"
"Hoshino, hang in there!"
"Hoshino!"
"Chiyuki!"
"Master!!!"
————
"Senpai!"
"..."
"Mas... mash!"
Hoshino's pupils suddenly contracted, and her body, which had been standing like a wooden figure, slumped onto the dueling platform, barely supported by her hands. "I..."
"I can't die here... I promised Mash that I would take her to see a more magnificent place..." she muttered weakly, dragging her heavy right hand to her last set card.
"Chiyuki, you're conscious again..." Mai, with tears still in her eyes, watched Hoshino's movements, her arms trembling as she held Anzu.
"I activate my last face-down card, the trap card..." With the last of her strength, Star flipped the card, breathing a sigh of relief, "[Final Guard]!!"
"I'm counting on you, Nobunaga!"
[Final Guard Trap Card Effect: This effect can only be used once per duel. When your Life Points are below 2000 and an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, Special Summon one monster with [Heroic Spirit] in its name from your deck. The Battle Phase ends immediately. The monster Special Summoned by this effect is banished when it leaves the field.]
In an instant, the arena was engulfed in flames, burning down the toon castle that had already been corroded by poison gas. After the fire, only ruins remained, with a single grand door still standing, as if declaring that the field spell hadn't been destroyed.
"How dare you bully my master, how infuriating!" Emerging from the flames, the enraged Nobunaga walked out, tipping her military hat. "Only I can bully my master! No one else is allowed!"
"Nobunaga!..." Hoshino, touched by Nobunaga's reappearance, softly called out.
"Master, you rest a bit. I'll handle things for now." With a fierce gaze from under her hat, Nobunaga locked eyes with the advancing Cú Chulainn. "You're just a cartoonish Lancer, know your place!"
With that, Nobunaga swiftly raised her gun and fired without hesitation at the approaching Cú Chulainn.
"Bang!" Propelled by gunpowder, the bullet shot from the barrel, heading straight for Cú Chulainn's forehead.
"Not enough, Nobunaga!" However, Cú Chulainn, relying on his beast-like instincts, deflected the bullet with his spear, despite its near-invisible speed. "You can do better than that!"
"Oh? If one gun isn't enough, how about ten? No, a hundred guns?" Though Nobunaga spoke harshly, she didn't move an inch, nor did she seem inclined to continue the attack, merely floating unnaturally in the air.
Then, countless matchlock guns, as if conjured by magic, appeared around Nobunaga, floating just like her in the air.
"Is this firepower sufficient, Lancer?" With a massive release of magic from Nobunaga, the increasing number of matchlock guns aimed at a single point.
"Yikes, a serious Nobunaga is terrifying." Even as a toon monster, Cú Chulainn broke into a cold sweat, facing the overwhelming firepower of Nobunaga's matchlock guns.
"Perish amidst three thousand worlds! Tenma Gourin!!" With a flick of Nobunaga's right hand, a deluge of matchlock guns fired in unison, like a disciplined army, beginning a grand barrage. "Demon Descent! Behold, the Demon King's Three-Line Formation!!"
The barrage lasted for tens of seconds, creating a massive chasm between Pegasus and Hoshino's fields. The rift, marked by the bullets, was filled with the smell of gunpowder and unbearable heat, perfectly separating Pegasus and Hoshino's fields.
"Master, I've bought us some time, so please recover quickly," Nobunaga called out to Hoshino, whose complexion was visibly improving after the attack.
"I'm okay, Nobunaga. I'm much better now." Hoshino managed a weak smile at Nobunaga, forcing herself to stand. "Thanks to your efforts, we've managed to survive this turn, but the battle isn't over yet."
"Ha ha ha ha! With the Sixth Demon King now on the field, what do you have to worry about, Master?" Nobunaga laughed heartily, sending Hoshino a reassuring look. "I'm not as weak as that man-slayer(Okita); those two monsters are no match for me."
[Heroic Spirit - Oda Nobunaga★★★★★★★★ (8-star) ][Fire][Warrior/Effect][ATK3000/DEF2500]
"In the final moment, you found yourself again, Hoshino-girl…" Pegasus's expression grew complex as he gazed at the large trench filled with gunpowder between him and Hoshino. "Such resilient mental strength—no wonder you're favored by the spirits."
"Does my awakening trouble you, Pegasus?" With her physical and mental state significantly improved thanks to Nobunaga buying her time, Hoshino began to regain her usual composure. "Or are you more troubled by the monster I summoned?"
With Nobunaga's 3000 attack points, she perfectly outclassed Pegasus's two Toon monsters, including Cú Chulainn. Moreover, Pegasus's Toon monsters had already attacked and couldn't switch to a defense position. If Pegasus had no countermeasures this turn, Nobunaga's assault next turn could easily take out Pegasus's remaining 400 Life Points.
"Only one card left, right, Pegasus~" Hoshino, still leaning on the table, couldn't resist taunting him, "Can this last card save you from defeat?"
"Hoshino-chan, do you have to keep tempting fate at a time like this…" Da Vinci's voice, filled with exasperation, echoed from the wristband.
"Ha ha ha, just being able to stand up is commendable, Hoshino-girl~" Pegasus, placing his last card on the table, remained composed. "My last card is the magic card [Toon Table of Contents].'"
[Toon Table of Contents: Add 1 [Toon] card from your Deck to your hand.]
"Pegasus's last card is a universal search card for Toon cards!" Jonouchi lamented, having thought that Hoshino was already in the clear. "If there's another powerful Toon card in Pegasus's deck, it could be troublesome."
"As a reward, let me show you something no one has ever seen before a new Toon monster!" Raising the card high, Pegasus wore a confident smile. "I tribute my two Toon monsters on the field to summon a monster from my hand…"
"Finally liberated, huh? Sorry, Master, for causing so much trouble." As Cú Chulainn, freed from control, vanished in the sacrificial light, he worried more about Hoshino's state than his predicament. "Master, no matter what challenges you face, please don't give up."
Scratching his head, Cú Chulainn disappeared from the field, "I'm going to be scolded by everyone when I get back. What a headache…"
"I tribute summon [Toon Ancient Gear Golem]!" As Pegasus slapped the card on the table, the entire field shook. In the dilapidated Toon castle, a massive, somewhat worn-looking mechanical golem, half-kneeling, grabbed onto the crumbling castle tower and slowly rose to its feet.
"Is this a Toon monster?" Hoshino, feeling a sense of foreboding, looked up at the towering mechanical giant, almost reaching the ceiling. "This has way too much presence for a Toon monster!"
[Toon Ancient Gear Golem★★★★★★★★ (8 stars) Earth][Machine/Effect][ATK3000/DEF3000]
[① This card cannot attack the turn it is summoned flipped face-up, or Special Summoned.
②If [Toon World] is on the field and your opponent controls no Toon monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly.
③ If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.
④If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.]
"This is my most magnificent and cute, new Toon monster." Pegasus spread his arms wide, like a child showing off a new toy. "A new generation of Toon monsters that can stay on the field without [Toon World] and doesn't require Life Points to attack. Truly a flawless monster~"
"I'm not even going to comment on how you call it a new Toon monster when it's Ancient Gear Golem." Hoshino, with an annoyed expression, complained to Pegasus. "Don't you feel ashamed creating such OP cards for yourself?"
"Heh heh, Hoshino-girl, the strength of Duel Monster cards isn't decided by me." Shaking his head with a smile, Pegasus rejected Hoshino's accusation. "It's the spirits who choose the cards, and I merely create them."
"I don't understand, I don't care, no way!" Hoshino swiftly dismissed his words, urging Pegasus, "You have no cards left. it's my turn now?"
"Please proceed~"
"My turn, draw!" Raising her right hand, which she had been using to support herself, Hoshino drew a new card.
Feeling something was off, Hoshino leaned toward the wristband, asking quietly, "Hey, Da Vinci-san, we're in a Shadow Game right now. Won't that trigger that thing called Destiny Draw?"
Noticing no change in the wristband, Hoshino seemed a bit disappointed, realizing she couldn't trigger a Destiny Draw.
"Hoshino-chan, D-Draw is a function that lets you draw a card from your deck in a desperate situation, potentially turning the tide with one card." Da Vinci's voice patiently explained from the wristband, "If D-Draw isn't triggered, it means your deck doesn't currently have a card that can decisively turn the game around."
"So there's no card that can turn the tide in one move, huh?" Frowning, Hoshino glanced at the card she had just drawn. "Or maybe there are no winning cards left in my deck…"
"..." Da Vinci remained silent, seemingly agreeing with Hoshino's assessment.
"Sigh, this card came at the worst time. Is my luck running out?" Hoshino sighed, looking at the current situation on the field. The 3000 attack points Ancient Gear Golem matched Nobunaga's, but the opponent was a Toon monster.
The fate of a regular monster clashing with a Toon monster? Remembering the unfortunate fate of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon against Toon Blue-Eyes, it was clear.
"Anyway, since my turn started, I gained another Command Spell!" The dark red glow marked the final Command Spell on Hoshino's hand.
[Command Seal] x3
"Even with all these Command Seals, there's only Nobunaga on the field. And my deck doesn't have any cards that synergize specifically with Nobunaga. What a waste." Hoshino muttered quietly, glancing at the Command Seals on her hand and Nobunaga's innocently smiling face on the field.
"Guess I have no choice but to try my luck! I activate the spell card [Nagging Quarrel] from my hand!" With a resigned look, Hoshino placed her last card on the table.
[Nagging Quarrel: Can be activated when there are 2 or more [Nobu] monsters in your Graveyard. ①: Both players draw one card. ②: If the drawn card is a monster card, reveal it to the opponent and draw one more card once. ③: Then, restore your Life Points by X150 the number of cards drawn by both players.]
"If only I had a god card like Yugi's [Card of Sanctity], it would be so easy to turn the tables." Hoshino, drawing a card from her deck, prayed silently, "Please, let it be a useful card!"
"Draw!"
"Ha ha… it's hard to say if this is good or bad at this moment." Hoshino, with an awkward smile, showed her newly drawn card to Pegasus. "The card I drew is the monster card [Heroic Spirit – Spartacus], so according to the effect, I can draw one more card."
"I drew the monster card [Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands], so according to the effect, I can also draw another card." Unexpectedly, Pegasus had drawn a monster, but it wasn't a Toon monster. "And because I drew two cards in a row, according to the effect of [Solemn Wishes] my Life Points are restored by 1000."
Pegasus LP: 400 → 1400
"And that's why this card came at the worst time." Seeing Pegasus's restored Life Points, Hoshino revealed the real reason she didn't want to use this card. "Never thought I'd end up healing the opponent…"
"And now, for the final draw!" Placing her hopes on this last draw, Hoshino squinted slightly, sneaking a peek as if that would somehow strengthen the card she drew.
"Nobu!" Seeing the final card, Hoshino suddenly called out to Nobunaga in front of her.
"???"
"Maybe we can defeat that giant in front of us!"
(*****)
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