"I summon from the graveyard, [Heroic Spirit - Oda Nobunaga]!"
With slender fingers, Hoshino reached into the graveyard slot of her duel disk, pulling out Nobunaga, the card buried deepest beneath several others that had already fallen into the graveyard.
"No matter how many times your Dragon Lord revives, it won't stand a chance against Nobunaga!" Hoshino slammed the Nobunaga card down onto her duel disk with immense confidence.
"Stuck with dead cards? Hard to summon? Not a problem!" With a dramatic sweep of her crimson cloak, Nobunaga, wielding her matchlock rifle, strode onto the battlefield.
"The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Oda Nobunaga, has arrived!"
[Heroic Spirit - Oda Nobunaga ★★★★★★★★ (8-star)][FIRE][Warrior/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
"Look at that attack power!" Mokuba's eyes lit up as he watched Nobunaga's crimson form march into the duel with awe.
"It's just like my brother's ace, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Hahaha, you've got a good eye for a kid!" Nobunaga grinned broadly, pointing her long rifle at Keith's roaring Dragon Lord.
"Remember this well—I am the ace of this deck, the ace of all aces, a Heroic Spirit whose name echoes through history, deciding the outcome of every duel I appear in!"
"Nothing but a bad hand…" Hoshino interrupted Nobunaga's boast, mercilessly cutting through her pride with a casual remark.
"Attack now, Nobunaga! It's time for your first strike in the history of this Duel Monsters world!"
"Go, Nobunaga, defeat that creepy dragon!" Mokuba, now completely captivated by Nobunaga just because her stats matched Blue-Eyes White Dragon, cheered for her enthusiastically.
"Master, you're so mean! But…" Nobunaga's smile grew more sinister as she pulled her black hat down lower.
"I can't afford to disappoint my very first fan in this world!"
Though Nobunaga was resurrected without the support of the "Nobus" (her loyal army), making her almost a vanilla monster with no additional effects, her high attack power alone made her formidable.
As Mokuba had pointed out, with attack power equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Nobunaga could sweep away most of the Duel Monsters in this world.
And that included the terrifying Dragon Lord in front of her.
"This is my invincible bullet—Three Line Formation!!" Nobunaga's matchlock rifles appeared out of thin air, floating in the air as she pulled the trigger. Simultaneously, a barrage of bullets shot forward, piercing through the thick body of the Dark World Dragon Lord with unparalleled speed.
With a final, weak roar, the Dark World Dragon Lord once again dissipated into the ominous black mist.
[Keith LP 3500 → 3200]
"Continue the attack, Ushiwakamaru!" With Keith's field now empty, Hoshino commanded a direct attack from Ushiwakamaru without hesitation.
"As you command, my liege!" Spinning her sword hilt, the sharp gleam of Ushiwakamaru's blade pierced through the dark atmosphere on the field, "Ushiwakamaru, charge once more!"
"Hehehe..." Keith, however, didn't look the least bit nervous, even though he was about to be directly attacked. "I've told you, no matter how many times you destroy my Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World, my immortal monster will rise again and crush you!"
"Activate face-down card, Quick-Play Spell [Gateway to Dark World]!"
[Gateway of the Dark World - Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 "Dark World" monster in your GY; Special Summon that target. You cannot Summon monsters the turn you activate this card, except by this effect (but you can Normal Set).]
After the Dragon Lord was destroyed, the lingering dark energy on the field gathered as the face-down card activated, slowly forming a dark orb radiating a purple glow.
"This is the boundary between the graveyard and the battlefield, between Hell and the mortal realm!" Keith shouted as he drew the card he had just sent to the graveyard.
"Break through the gateway, and return once more, [Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World]!"
[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ATK 2700]
For the third time in just a few turns, this Dragon Lord of Dark World once again returned to the battlefield. At this rate, if Hoshino didn't come up with a solution, the Grapha would revive again and again.
"Since you've already declared your attack, Ushiwakamaru's attack cannot be stopped!"
"Swoosh!" The sharp blade sliced through the air, producing a crisp collision sound. Without any preparation, Ushiwakamaru couldn't easily cut down the Grapha as she had the previous turn.
The 400-point difference in attack power was like an insurmountable chasm, knocking Ushiwakamaru's blade away.
[Hoshino Chiyuki's LP 4000 → 3600]
"Hahahaha!" Keith finally let out a maniacal laugh after making Ushiwakamaru suffer a setback.
However, thanks to the Haori of Vows Ushiwakamaru was wearing, even clashing with Grapha didn't result in her destruction.
"Wow, so that sickwoman's haori is that useful, huh?" Nobunaga, watching everything unfold from the back, showed a look of envy. "Man, I want equipment like that too."
"A Nobunaga wearing a haori, huh?" Hearing Nobunaga's muttering, Hoshino couldn't help but imagine it.
And then, a familiar figure popped into her mind.
"Nobu?"
"That would be the Shinsengumi, right?" Hoshino's mouth twitched slightly at the thought.
"However, with my strength, such an effect that prevents destruction in battle would be unnecessary anyway, hahaha!"
"Haha, true that." Hoshino grinned alongside Nobunaga's hearty laugh, turning her gaze toward Keith. "No matter how many times you revive your Grapha, it'll just fall to Nobunaga's firepower again."
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Hoshino's remaining hand: 1 card.
"Although summoning such a powerful monster was a minor slip-up in my perfect plan, the overall flow is still under my control."
Keith drew a card from his Duel Disk, his once sinister eyes now fully consumed by a dark aura.
"It's time to revive the evil god slumbering in my graveyard, to erase all that stands before me—including your last shred of hope!"
"From my hand, I activate [Premature Burial]." Keith threw the Spell card onto his duel disk, shouting maniacally.
"Come forth, the ultimate evil god of destruction, [The Wicked Eraser]!"
[Premature Burial Equip Spell Effect: Pay 800 Life Points, select 1 monster from your graveyard and activate this card. Special summon the selected monster in face-up attack position and equip it with this card. When this card is destroyed, the equipped monster is also destroyed.]
[Keith Howard LP 3200 → 2400]
"Rise again and display your overwhelming form that obliterates all!" Keith, now even more deranged, seemed to be in a similar state as Devlin when he summoned the Evil God.
However, Hoshino was certain that this person was still Keith. Unlike Devlin, who had been controlled, Keith, despite his madness, remained the same person at his core.
As the Evil God card activated, an overwhelmingly ominous aura filled the field, completely overshadowing the eerie dread brought by the Dark World.
If Grapha exuded a chilling aura that caused the temperature around it to plummet, the Evil God's presence brought an aura of annihilation that threatened all living beings.
"ROAR!!" The sound, somewhere between a dragon's cry and a beast's howl, echoed through the narrow alley.
[The Wicked Eraser ★★★★★★★★★★ (10 stars)][DARK] [Fiend/Effect][ATK ???/DEF ???]
"Attack power ???" Hoshino frowned deeply.
The atmosphere shifted dramatically. Unlike the last duel with an Evil God, which took place indoors, Hoshino and the others could now feel the strange phenomenon clearly.
It seemed that whenever a god appeared, it transcended the realm of holographic projections, exerting a tangible influence on the surrounding environment.
Just like when Obelisk the Tormentor appeared, the previously clear skies were suddenly covered in dark clouds.
The clouds, flashing with lightning, appeared as though they were threatening the mortals on the ground, churning with immense energy.
From within the stormy clouds, a god that could annihilate all emerged, its long, slender body twisting, its dark wings and terrifying horns serving as proof of its identity as a demon from the depths of hell.
"Hahaha, I've won!" Keith spread his arms wide, proudly showcasing his Evil God monster.
"Summoning an Evil God through revival is indeed much easier than using tributes." Understanding Keith's strategy, Hoshino analyzed, "But the effect of the God cards limits spells affecting them to only one turn. In other words, once the turn ends, the Evil God revived by Premature Burial will return to the graveyard."
"One turn is more than enough! No one can defeat an Evil God, not even you, Hoshino!"
"Oh? But I've already defeated one Evil God, haven't I?" Hoshino retorted swiftly, her gaze toward the opposing field growing firmer. "And this time won't be any different. I'll defeat this Evil God as well!"
"Evil God? Is that the card my brother mentioned? The one said to rival the God cards?" Ever since Seto Kaiba returned from the Egyptian exhibit, he had informed Mokuba of the existence of the Evil God cards. Mokuba had some knowledge of them, but this was his first time witnessing an Evil God in person.
"What an ominous aura… It's nothing like my brother's Obelisk the Tormentor…" Mokuba's frightened expression betrayed his inner panic. "How can something like this even be god?!"
"Just watch, kid!" Nobunaga's commanding voice sliced through the atmosphere of despair like a blade.
"Nobunaga?" Mokuba, stunned, finally realized something. "Wait… why is a Duel Monster talking to me?"
"As my first fan in this world, I shall show you how I conquer all mysteries and enemies on the battlefield!" With her usual confident grin, Nobunaga showed no fear despite the Evil God's presence.
"What a stubborn monster you are." Seeing Nobunaga's refusal to yield, Keith's laugh grew even more maniacal. "I can't wait to see how that confident expression of yours will twist once you witness the true power of the Evil God!"
With a grand gesture, Keith declared the hidden effect of his Evil God: "The Wicked Eraser, the time has come to reveal your true strength!"
[This card's attack and defense points are equal to the number of cards on the field x 1000.]
"There are so many cards on the field that can empower The Wicked Eraser! Four monsters (Grapha, Evil God, Nobunaga, and Ushiwakamaru) and six Spell and Trap Cards (Hoshino's two set cards and Haori of Vows, and Keith's one set card, Premature Burial, and Continuous Trap Dark Smog). Therefore, The Wicked Eraser's final attack points are…"
[The Wicked Eraser ATK 10000]
"10,000 attack points!?" Mokuba, stunned by the sheer power of the Evil God, froze in disbelief. "Is this the power of a god that destroys all?"
"With such a high attack power, any monster can be crushed easily. But I'm always careful…" Not content with merely basking in the Evil God's power, Keith discarded a monster from his hand to the graveyard. "I activate the effect of Dark Smog, discarding [Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World] from my hand, and I'll banish [Heroic Spirit - Martha] from your graveyard!"
Once again, the eerie black miasma stretched from Keith's side to Hoshino's Duel Disk, invading her graveyard.
"It seems you're really afraid of Martha, huh?" Hoshino let out a helpless chuckle as she watched her monster being banished again.
"While Martha is indeed troublesome, banishing your monster wasn't my main goal. Don't forget, even though I summoned the Evil God, my deck is still a Dark World deck!" Keith discarded another monster, and the Duel Disk confirmed the special summon.
[Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World ★★★★★ (5 stars)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 1400]
[When this card is discarded to the graveyard by a card effect, you can special summon this card from the graveyard.]
"I always go all out, even when squashing an insect. And since there's now another card on the field, the Evil God's attack power rises again!"
[The Wicked Eraser ATK 10000→11000]
"Isn't it an honor to have the champion of America going all out against me~" Hoshino teased, not missing the opportunity to lighten the mood.
"I'll shut that annoying mouth of yours for good!" Keith, veins bulging in anger—likely triggered by the mention of "champion"—shouted as he declared his attack.
"The Wicked Eraser, crush Oda Nobunaga!"
The Evil God's furious roar was accompanied by a death ray, shot from its grotesque maw, boasting an attack power of over 11,000. The beam surged toward Nobunaga.
"There's no way anyone could block that attack…" The sheer energy contained in the beam, as displayed on Mokuba's terminal, far exceeded the limits of a normal monster.
In other words, only a god could wield such terrifying power.
"Huh? Who says it can't be blocked!" With a fierce shout, Nobunaga thrust her gloved right hand forward, as though a burning red skull manifested behind her in the flames of her fighting spirit.
"Now it's time for me, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, to take center stage!" The white military glove she wore absorbed the annihilating death ray.
With the dignity of a true ruler, Nobunaga held firm, clutching the fate of the duel—and of everyone present—tightly in her hands.
(*****)
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