"Hoshino-nee, didn't you just say earlier that you didn't want to duel today? Are you okay with this?" Though Akasha was verbally supportive of Hoshino, deep down she was a little worried. After all, only Akasha knew how intense the duel Hoshino had just been through.
"If it's too much, Akasha can take your place! I won't lose, I promise."
Hoshino smiled as she affectionately ruffled Akasha's obedient and cute head. "Akasha-chan, in life, there will always be duels you can't avoid. At those times, instead of backing down, facing them head-on is the real display of a duelist's pride."
Akasha's face turned red from the head pats. "Hoshino-nee, it's cheating to say cool lines like that on purpose."
"Are you underestimating me?!" Rebecca stood confidently across from Hoshino, brandishing her deck.
Not backing down, Hoshino drew her Heroic Spirit deck from the cardholder at her waist. "I never underestimate any duelist, but if you think being an American Champion is enough, you won't be able to defeat me!"
"Then you are underestimating me!" Rebecca retorted.
[Hoshino Chiyuki vs. Rebecca Hawkins]
"Duel start!"
In an instant, Hoshino focused intensely and drew a card from her deck.
"I'll take the first move! My turn, draw!" After having the first turn taken from her so many times, Hoshino finally got the advantage.
"I summon a monster in defense position—[Heroic Spirit—Spartacus]!" She used to dramatically play her cards on the Duel Disk, but Hoshino found using the Duel Platform felt a bit awkward.
[Heroic Spirit – Spartacus ★★★ (3 stars)][EARTH][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1500]
"Oppressor, receive the baptism of love!"
Rebecca frowned slightly. "A monster I've never seen before... Could it be a region-exclusive card from Japan?"
"Then, I'll set two cards and end my turn."
Hoshino's standard opening was solid and cautious.
"Hmph, using rare cards doesn't necessarily mean you're strong!" Rebecca glanced at Spartacus' imposing figure.
"My turn, draw! Now let me show you the power of the American Champion!"
Rebecca discarded a card from her hand. "I activate the special effect of the monster card [Hecatrice] from my hand!"
[Hecatrice Monster Card Effect: You can discard this card to the GY; add 1 [Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen] from your Deck to your hand.]
"By discarding this card to the graveyard, I can search my deck for the continuous spell card [Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen]!"
Rebecca's dexterity in handling her deck was far beyond her years, her movements as graceful as a casino dealer's performance.
"Then I'll activate the [Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen] that I just added to my hand!"
[Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen Continuous Spell Effect: Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Fairy monster from your hand. You must control no monsters to activate and to resolve this effect.]
A majestic throne materialized on Rebecca's side of the Duel Platform, responding to the activation of the spell.
"Since I have no monsters on my field, I can use Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen's effect to special summon a Fairy-type monster from my hand!"
Before her words even finished, Rebecca threw a card from her hand.
"I'm summon... [Guardian Angel Joan]!"
"Joan?!" Hearing the familiar name, Hoshino's delicate brows arched slightly. "This world's version of Joan, huh? I wonder how strong she is."
"Come forth, and shower the battlefield with your light!" Although she appeared as a young girl, Rebecca exuded an unexpected commanding presence when dueling.
[Guardian Angel Joan ★★★★★★★ (7 stars)][LIGHT][Fairy/Effect][ATK 2800/DEF 2000]
A warm golden light gently illuminated Rebecca's field, as Joan materialized, spreading her pure wings as she floated in the air.
"Huh, not bad at all," Hoshino remarked, admiring Joan's dazzling effects and divine presence. "But my Jeanne is still cuter, after all."
"I'm not done yet!" Rebecca declared, drawing another card from her hand and slapping it onto the field.
"Since I haven't used my normal summon yet, I'll summon the monster card [Injection Fairy Lily] from my hand!"
"Lily?!" Hoshino's sensitive ears twitched twice again. "Oddly enough, Rebecca's card names overlap quite a bit with mine."
[Injection Fairy Lily★★★ (3 stars)][EARTH][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 400/DEF 1500]
The summoned Injection Fairy, hugging a syringe almost as big as herself, certainly lived up to her name—ready to administer a shot at any moment.
"Her attack power might be low, but that syringe is pretty intimidating," Hoshino muttered, reminded of a certain super AI.
With her field set, Rebecca pointed at Hoshino. "Let's move to the battle phase! I'll have Guardian Angel Joan attack your monster!"
"Hey!" Joan shouted as she spread her massive wings, projecting a beam of radiant light toward Hoshino's monster.
"Holy Light Purification!"
"Ugh! So bright!"
[Heroic Spirit – Spartacus] destroyed
"That attack is so holy and cool!" Hoshino couldn't help but compare this Joan to her own Jeanne, who would just whack enemies with a flagpole. In comparison, Jeanne seemed to only have the advantage of being cute.
"But when Spartacus is destroyed, it triggers his special effect!"
[When this card is destroyed by battle, inflict 500 damage to your opponent, then you gain 500 Life Points.]
[Rebecca LP 4000 → 3500]
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 4000 → 4500]
"Hmph, I'll also activate Guardian Angel Joan's special effect!" Rebecca pointed to her floating Joan.
[When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY: Gain LP equal to that monster's original ATK in the GY]
[Rebecca LP 3500 → 5000]
"Incredible!" Jonouchi exclaimed from the sidelines. "Both ended up with more Life Points after that exchange!"
Rebecca's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes glinting with excitement. "Heh heh, let's keep going. Battle! Injection Fairy Lily, attack directly!"
Upon receiving the attack command, the Injection Fairy lifted her giant syringe and then...
Stabbed it into Rebecca herself?
"??" Seeing this, Hoshino was completely stunned.
Rebecca's face twitched a little, clearly feeling some discomfort despite the holographic image. Even if it's just a projection, getting jabbed with a needle that big still hurts a bit.
"Hehe, while attacking, I activate [Injection Fairy Lily]'s special effect!" Despite the situation, Rebecca still wore a confident smile.
[Injection Fairy Lily's Effect: If this card attacks or is attacked during damage calculation (in either player's turn), You can pay 2000 LP once per battle; this card gains 3000 ATK during that damage calculation only.]
"I sacrifice 2000 Life Points to boost Injection Fairy Lily's attack power!"
[Rebecca LP 5000 → 3000]
[Injection Fairy Lily ATK 400 → 3400]
"Her attack power now exceeds the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Jonouchi exclaimed in shock.
"This is the strength of the youngest American champion?" Anzu commented nervously, eyeing the massive syringe.
Hoshino chuckled softly, "Using Guardian Angel Joan to accumulate Life Points, then draining them with Injection Fairy Lily for a powerful attack... A solid combo. But..."
Calmly, Hoshino flipped over a face-down card, activating the field's holographic system once more. "But it won't work on me!"
"I activate my set card, Quick-Play Spell [Heroic Spirit—Emergency Summoning]!"
[Heroic Spirit—Emergency Summoning Quick-Play Spell Effect: Activate when you control no [Heroic Spirit] monsters. Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [Heroic Spirit] monster from your Deck in Defense Position. This turn, you cannot Special Summon monsters that aren't [Heroic Spirit].]
"Ouch!!" A flash of light illuminated Hoshino's field as the emergency summoning was triggered, and a figure in a blue bodysuit took the hit from the enormous needle.
"I summon [Heroic Spirit - Cú Chulainn]!"
[Heroic Spirit - Cu Chulainn ★★★★(4 Star)][LIGHT][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1600/DEF 1600]
"Master, this is too much! Suddenly calling me out to take such a hit!" Cu Chulainn yelled, rubbing his sore rear. "Don't underestimate me just because of how I look—I'm terrified of needles!"
Hoshino blinked, then burst out laughing, "That's some hidden trait you've got there. So why didn't BB's Noble Phantasm trigger your weakness?"
Rebecca, still shocked that her finishing blow had been blocked so easily, gaped. "Another unfamiliar monster! How did a monster with such low defense block Injection Fairy Lily's attack?"
"Because Cu Chulainn is a survivor!" Hoshino proudly showed Rebecca the card.
[Effect: ② When this card is destroyed, special summon it in defense mode. This effect can only be activated once per duel, and this card cannot change its battle position.]
Akasha chimed in, "That's sneaky, Hoshinoo-nee Now you've have 1500 Life Points advantage!"
"Akasha-chan, if you don't know how to compliment someone properly, maybe don't try."
"Darn it, how did you block my combo?!"
In most of her matches, Rebecca's combo would usually secure her victory. But now, she realized that the white-haired girl standing across from her was no ordinary duelist.
"As expected, someone without real strength couldn't capture Yugi's heart."
But rather than despair, this challenge only fueled Rebecca's fighting spirit.
"I'll set one card and end my turn!"
Rebecca's remaining hand cards: 2
"My turn! But first, I activate Spartacus's special effect from the Graveyard!"
[Effect: During your Standby Phase, if you control fewer monsters than your opponent, you can activate this effect. Special Summon this card from your Graveyard in Defense Position.]
"Since I only have one dog on the field, I can Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Spartacus] from my Graveyard!"
Jonouchi clenched his fist in excitement. "So Spartacus has such a useful effect! No wonder it's Hoshino's soul card!"
Indeed, this was the new effect Hoshino gained after strengthening Spartacus with 30 Saint Quartz, bringing the soul card back into the spotlight.
[Heroic Spirit – Spartacus ★★★ (3 stars)][EARTH][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1500]
"The path of rebellion never ends! This is glory!" The mighty Spartacus once again roared as his bulky frame stepped onto the battlefield.
"With two monsters on Hoshino's field, she can now tribute them for a higher-level monster!" Jonouchi analyzed.
"But Rebecca's monsters both have high attack power, so it's not like just any tribute monster can surpass them," Yugi added cautiously.
Watching Yugi's furrowed brow, Anzu wondered to herself, "Is Yugi worried about Hoshino? Could it be that Yugi likes her? And if that's true, does the other Yugi also..."
"Now, after my Standby Phase, I draw!"
With four cards now in her hand, Hoshino surveyed the field. Just as Yugi pointed out, Rebecca had summoned two monsters as strong as Blue-Eyes White Dragon in her very first turn.
"But they're only on par with Blue Eyes! I tribute Spartacus to summon a new monster..."
As Hoshino placed the new monster on the table, a thick fog spread across the battlefield.
"That effect...!" Akasha trembled, remembering a scene that she would never forget in her entire life.
"Huh? What's happening?" Though the mini-arena couldn't generate fog as realistically as a Duel Disk, the mist still engulfed the entire field.
"From here on, it's hell. We are fire, rain, and power—bringing slaughter upon this land..."
"Come forth, [Heroic Spirit - Jack the Ripper]! Target Guardian Angel Joan!"
"—Maria the Ripper!!!"
[Guardian Angel Joan] destroyed
(*****)
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