"Where on earth did Hoshino run off to?" At noon, Yugi, Jounouchi, and Mokuba returned to the central fountain of the city, looking worried.
"When she left, she said the city was a safe zone and nothing would happen as long as we didn't cause trouble. But now, she's suddenly disappeared!" Jounouchi, frustrated mainly because of his concern, was becoming increasingly agitated. "If I'd known, I would've gone with her. Damn it!"
"Jounouchi, don't get so worked up just yet." Yugi patted Jounouchi on the back, trying to comfort him. "Since this is a game world, and Hoshino has the power to defend herself, I don't think there's anything in this city that could threaten her."
"Exactly, and if there's something even Hoshino can't handle, having you there wouldn't change much," Mokuba added, following Yugi's reasoning.
The underlying meaning was clear: you're too weak, just a tagalong.
"Uh, that's not exactly what I meant, Mokuba." Yugi scratched his spiky hair awkwardly, laughing.
"Hey, did you hear? In today's King's Arena tournament, a dark horse suddenly appeared—and it's a cute girl!" As the three were at a loss, a conversation among passersby caught their attention.
"Really? A cute girl participating in a match full of bulls and beasts?"
"Yeah, it's true! I heard she even defeated the Bull Warrior! Should we go check it out?"
"The Bull Warrior was defeated?! That girl must be strong!"
"Yugi, Mokuba, did you hear that?" Jounouchi asked, determination in his eyes after the passersby finished talking.
"Yes, loud and clear!" Yugi nodded emphatically.
"A cute girl tearing it up in the arena... It has to be Hoshino!" Mokuba, recalling the scene of Hoshino single-handedly destroying three zombies, was certain.
"Let's head over there quickly!"
---
To the south of the city, in the Desert Capital Arena—
"Damn it, all our coins are with Hoshino, so we can't even afford tickets!" Jounouchi, realizing they were broke, shouted in despair at the half-coin ticket price.
"This arena sure is popular, though. Just look at how many people are gathered outside," Yugi observed, taking in their surroundings.
A sea of people, likely just as broke as Yugi and his friends, surrounded the arena, hoping to soak in the annual excitement from the outside.
"Yugi now's not the time to be marveling at the crowd!" Mokuba scolded Yugi, drawing a card from his Duel Disk. "Since we can't afford tickets, let's blend in with the crowd! With so many people, it'll be the perfect cover!"
"Mokuba, what are you planning?!" Jounouchi, worried that Mokuba might cause trouble, quickly asked, "If you start something in this crowd, it'll be a big problem!"
"Idiot! Do you think I'm as reckless as you?" Mokuba discreetly placed the drawn card, its glow cleverly concealed by his clothing. "Counter Trap Card: [Dark Illusion]."
As the card's effect activated, a faint shadow gradually enveloped the three of them. Blending into the crowd, the dim shadow was nearly impossible to notice without close inspection.
"I didn't know you could use a card like that!" Jounouchi marveled at the strange scene around him, amazed by Mokuba's creativity.
"I am a genius, after all. Don't lump me in with you ordinary people." Mokuba spoke with calm detachment as if stating a simple fact. He waved his right hand, signaling the others to move forward.
---
"We finally made it in!" Once inside, Jounouchi let out a long sigh of relief.
"Jounouchi, look!" Yugi shouted, pointing to the center of the circular arena. "Isn't that Hoshino?"
In the middle of the arena, Hoshino, clad in Emiya's revealing outfit, sat atop a mound formed by the bodies of several large men stacked together. The warriors beneath her, once powerful enough to take on many, were now nothing more than a makeshift throne.
"Is there anyone else who dares to challenge me?!" Hoshino, wearing an intimidating expression, taunted mercilessly. "Why have your audience members been so quiet for a while now? Have you all lost your money already?"
"Incredible, I can hardly believe my eyes! In such a short time, Chiyuki Hoshino has already won eight consecutive matches, and each one was a complete one-hit kill!" The commentator, who had hosted the King's Arena tournament for many years, had never seen matches end this quickly. Typically, the tournament could last several days, even weeks, as winning ten consecutive matches with limited stamina was incredibly difficult. But now...
"With just two more wins, the youngest champion in the Desert Capital Arena's history will be crowned!"
"Hoshino entered this kind of tournament?" The three spectators couldn't help but frown. Although they had found Hoshino, they couldn't understand why she would spend time in an arena match that had nothing to do with finding Kaiba.
"Hoshino must have her reasons," Yugi said, seriously watching Hoshino in the arena. He was certain she wasn't participating just for fun.
---
"Alright, our ninth contestant has entered the arena! Known for his impenetrable defense, it's Iron Rhino Tamm!"
A giant clad in heavy steel armor squeezed through the entrance gate. The armor was so thick that even this huge man struggled to move, his movements slow and cumbersome.
[Tamm][ATK 1500/DEF 2000 → 2500]
"So, in this world, all battles are based on Duel Monster stats," Yugi instantly understood why Hoshino had been dominating.
"If that's the case, then there should be no one who can stop Hoshino," Jounouchi said, feeling reassured that even the intimidating giant before them only had such low attack power.
"But his defense is quite high. If he stays in defense mode and doesn't attack, what will Hoshino do?" Mokuba, now fully engrossed in the atmosphere, watched with great interest.
"Folks, it looks like we're finally in for a drawn-out battle!" The commentator, seeing Tamm step into the arena, finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. "In previous battles, no one has been able to break through Iron Rhino Tamm's legendary defense. When his opponents are exhausted, Tamm will strike back. How long will it take for Hoshino to break through Tamm's defense, or will she run out of stamina and be countered by Tamm? Let's watch and see!"
*Bang! Bang!* While the commentator was still speaking, Hoshino tried two quick slashes, which predictably bounced off the armor. "Oh? It's quite tough," she remarked.
"Give it up, little girl. I won't attack until your stamina is completely drained!" Tamm's voice, muffled under layers of armor, taunted with cowardice. "I made sure to eat and drink well before coming on stage, so I can outlast you!"
"Good job, Tamm! We love your endurance strategy!" Some of the gamblers, seeing a glimmer of hope, rekindled their dying spirits.
"You call this boring fight entertaining? The taste of you Desert Capital folks is questionable." Hoshino shot a disdainful glance at the crowd, then quickly drew a card from under her thigh-high skirt. "But I think you're about to be disappointed."
Phantasm Summon, while it could imbue Hoshino with the power of a Heroic Spirit, had rules similar to a prototype, scaled-down Duel Disk made by Kaiba—it could only summon one monster. This made it difficult when she wanted to summon a high-level monster requiring two tributes.
"Although it's a bit troublesome, that doesn't mean I can't defeat you! Activate, Quick-Play Spell: [Heroic Shaping]!"
[Heroic Shaping Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK/DEF until the end phase. If it battles an opponent's monster, the battle damage to your opponent is doubled.]
"W-What is that?!" The commentator, at a loss for words, stared in shock at the giant sword now floating above Hoshino's raised hand—a sword so massive it could cleave through the entire arena.
"Trace on—Ig-Alima!" Hoshino grinned slightly, satisfied with the sight of the colossal sword in the air. "Sorry, Tamm, but at least you had a full meal before this, so you won't die hungry~"
Ig-Alima: Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains: A massive, boneless sword capable of cutting through even a thousand mountains. Not merely slashing with its blade, nor solely relying on its sheer mass.
[Heroic Spirit - Emiya (Hoshino) ATK 2200 → 3200]
"No, no way, this can't possibly be a weapon a human can wield." The aura emanating from the Divine Construct was far beyond that of any ordinary weapon. Even clad in his prideful armor, Tamm didn't believe he could withstand a strike from this colossal sword.
"It's too late now, Tamm! Once you step into this arena, there's no turning back!" Hoshino shouted as she swung her arm down heavily, aiming at the fleeing Tamm.
"Pseudo Noble Phantasm: Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains (Ig-Alima)!"
The massive sword, spanning the entire arena, left no room for someone as encumbered by heavy armor as Tamm to evade. The Mountain-Splitting Sword aimed squarely at Tamm, crashed down with the force of Hoshino's swing, striking Tamm's armor with a tremendous impact. The violent collision stirred up waves of earth, reshaping the once-flat arena. The sword's sheer weight drove half of its blade into the ground, with poor Tamm being crushed into the earth without a chance to resist.
[Heroic Spirit - Emiya (Hoshino) ATK 3200 → 2200]
"Tsk tsk, getting him out of there is going to be a chore," Hoshino muttered, shaking her head at the thought of the cleanup. Even though she hadn't delivered a lethal blow, Tamm, buried in the earth, would find it extremely difficult to climb out.
On the other side, the commentator, jaw nearly unhinged in shock, couldn't even begin to comprehend the scene before him. But the sword, deeply embedded in the arena, perfectly complemented the battlefield, further highlighting the arena's brutal atmosphere. Afterward, the organizers decided not to remove the sword from the arena—possibly because they couldn't. The Mountain-Splitting Sword, with half its blade lodged in the earth, became an accidental but iconic feature of the Desert Capital Arena. As for why the projected counterfeit sword didn't disappear, perhaps it was because this world was an illusion to begin with.
But that's a story for another time...
"Is there... is there anyone else brave enough to—er, I mean, anyone else willing to challenge our contestant Chiyuki Hoshino?!" the commentator, finally regaining his composure, stammered through his announcement.
"Hey, you just said 'brave enough'!"
"Do you even know how to host? If not, step down!"
While some of the audience still grumbled with dissatisfaction, no one dared to question Hoshino's strength anymore.
"Ah! According to the latest information, the tenth challenger is already in position, and they're also a newcomer! Please welcome our..."
"Strong one, I've been waiting for this moment for so long!" Before the commentator could finish, a pitch-black figure burst through the rising iron gate, charging toward Hoshino with eager anticipation. "Let's have a real, intense fight!"
"!!!" Hoshino, suddenly recalling something, looked in shock at the dark figure rushing toward her.
("To think I'd meet such a strong opponent in a place like this. This trip wasn't in vain after all.")
"As expected, this is the final boss. It looks tough!" Fully armed in pitch-black armor, wielding two strange weapons that flickered with flames of red and blue, the figure exuded an overwhelming aura.
[???][ATK2800/DEF400]
"Damn, what kind of monster has this kind of attack power!" Though she had sensed the danger, Hoshino couldn't help but exclaim when she saw the exact stats displayed on the panel.
"Let's have a true duel between men!" The dark figure roared, raising his blood-flame-imbued weapons high, clashing them against Hoshino's hastily projected Kanshou and Bakuya.
"Hey! I'm not even a man, alright!" Although she managed to block the strike, the enormous gap in attack power made Hoshino dizzy, and the powerful impact sent her flying.
[Phantasm Summon Emiya] destroyed.
"Incredible, unbelievable!" Finally witnessing a seemingly even match, the commentator's hidden passion was reignited. "Are all the contestants in this year's King's Arena tournament monstrous newcomers? Our previously unstoppable contestant, Chiyuki Hoshino, has been overwhelmed in the very first exchange!"
"Our new challenger, Beowulf, currently has a significant advantage!"
"Huh? Beowulf?!"
(*****)
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