The shattered dark space, obliterated by Mysterious Heroine X Alter, slowly dissipated, separating Hoshino and Bakura from the Millennium Item and returning them to the quiet park at dawn.
Thud—!
As Dark Bakura's consciousness faded, his body collapsed to the ground, limp like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Hoshino-nee!"
As soon as Hoshino returned to reality, she heard Akasha's worried shout.
"Where did you go? You scared me to death!"
"I went to figure out what I should really be doing." Walking over to the unconscious Bakura, Hoshino noticed the Millennium Ring dangling from a thin cord around his neck.
"The Millennium Ring. If it's so fond of causing trouble, I'll borrow it for a while." Hoshino snapped the cord effortlessly, the Millennium Ring slipping into her hand.
"What happened to the white-haired guy?" Akasha asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at the unconscious Bakura.
"Hah." Hoshino glanced at the Millennium Ring in her hand, a cryptic smile curling her lips. "If you act recklessly, you'll pay for it."
"Oh, I almost forgot." She pulled Bakura's deck from his duel disk without hesitation.
"Tch. Just as I thought—complete garbage." She clicked her tongue, disappointed after rifling through it. Hoshino had hoped to find some rare cards, only to discover that his deck was full of weak monsters and spells that inexplicably drained life points, seemingly designed to lose.
To her surprise, she found six Puzzle Cards in Bakura's pocket, baffled at how he'd managed to collect so many with such a terrible deck.
"Big Boss, are you guys alright?" The Seven Bosses of the Southern District approached cautiously, their concern etched on their faces.
"Stop calling me Big Boss—I'm not your boss." Coldly rejecting them once again, Hoshino handed the Millennium Rod back to the tied-up Odion. "Take this back to Marik and tell him this: I'll find him, and he'd better be ready."
"You?!" Odion's eyes widened, completely unable to understand. Returning the Millennium Rod to her enemy right after obtaining it—what was this person thinking?
"Well then, time to get on with the real business, Akasha-chan!"
She gestured to Akasha, fixing her gaze on the Millennium Ring in her hand. Although the Millennium Ring could sense the location of other Millennium Items, Hoshino had no idea how to activate it.
She shook it near her ear, hearing only the faint chime of its pointed ornaments but nothing else.
"What a useless trinket. Maybe I should just melt it down for cash!"
Buzz—
The Millennium Ring suddenly emitted a faint light, and its pointed ornaments aligned like a compass, pointing toward the docks.
"The docks? Why would Yugi be there?" Hoshino frowned, realizing the Ring was likely pointing toward the Millennium Puzzle—it hadn't reacted to the nearby Millennium Rod, after all. Given it was the Millennium Ring, it made sense for it to be more selective.
"Hoshino-nee, what do you mean by 'real business'? Weren't we here to hunt for rare cards today?"
"That's right, rare card hunting." Hoshino gave a sly smile, glancing toward the distant docks. "Now, let's go hunt the rarest card in existence."
"You guys should leave too. Staying here any longer might cause trouble." She reminded her henchmen, knowing Marik would not spare them if he returned.
After all, she had warned them. Whether they chose to leave was no longer her concern.
(***)
Domino City Docks
[Tag Duel]
[Yugi Muto & Seto Kaiba VS Rare Hunters Masked Duo]
Current Field:
Yami Yugi: [Alpha The Magnet Warrior] in Defense Position
Seto Kaiba: [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] in Attack Position
Remaining LP:
[Yami Yugi & Seto Kaiba: 700]
[Masked Duo: 2200]
"See that? That's the unbeatable power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba declared triumphantly, clenching his fist with fierce intensity.
The opponents' empty field, still shrouded in dissipating smoke, was clear evidence of Blue-Eyes White Dragon's recent rampage.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the legendary ultra-rare powerhouse, huh? Quite a challenge."
The Masked Duo, one large and one thin, were known as the Light Mask (the larger one) and Dark Mask (the thinner one). They were the most formidable tag team among the Rare Hunters, specializing in tag duels and having pushed Kaiba and Yugi to the brink.
But Kaiba turned the tables at the last moment with Blue-Eyes White Dragon and its Burst Stream of Destruction.
Light Mask: "Quite a challenge…"
Dark Mask: "But before the might of our ultimate team…"
"You're still no match!" Speaking in perfect sync like a comedy duo, their words showed they'd been working together for quite some time.
"It's my turn." Dark Mask began his turn, casually drawing a card from his deck.
"It's time to show them our trump card." The plump Light Mask suggested.
Glimpsing at the card he'd just drawn, Dark Mask gave a wicked grin. "Yes, that puny Blue-Eyes White Dragon is no match for us!"
"I activate the Ritual Spell Card [Advanced Ritual Art]!" Dark Mask tossed the card onto his duel disk, and a mystical circle glowing with an unusual light appeared before him.
Kaiba furrowed his brow, thinking, "Advanced Ritual Art? A Ritual Spell… He's summoning a Ritual Monster!"
"Behold the most powerful masked monster, a beast capable of defeating even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Advanced Ritual Art's effect activates..."
[Advanced Ritual Art Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon any 1 Ritual Monster. You must also send Normal Monsters from your Deck to the GY whose total Levels equal the Level of that Ritual Monster.]
"I send two Level 4 Normal Monsters, [Grand Tiki Elder], from my Deck to the Graveyard, totaling 8 stars! I now Ritual Summon the strongest masked monster at Level 8!"
As the ritual was completed, countless masks materialized on the field, merging into one grotesque, monstrous form.
[The Masked Beast ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Fiend/Ritual][ATK 3200/DEF 1800]
A hideous beast cloaked in a sea of grotesque, lifeless masks appeared, radiating malice.
"3200 Attack Points? A Level 8 monster surpassing even the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba folded his arms, his expression betraying his astonishment.
"See now, your Blue-Eyes White Dragon is nothing before the unstoppable Masked Beast!" Dark Mask laughed as he declared the attack.
"Masked Beast, obliterate the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Masked Death Beam!"
Countless beams shot from the faces of the beast, piercing through the massive Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] Destroyed
[Yugi & Kaiba LP 700 → 500]
"With the only threat to us destroyed, I'll set two cards and end my turn!"
"Did you think Blue-Eyes was the only monster here? You've underestimated me."
Kaiba smirked as he folded his arms, watching Yami take his turn. "Hmph. Yugi—the only man I respect! Take my Blue-Eyes' fury and obliterate them!"
Brimming with confidence, Yami drew his card with a flourish. "You won't get another chance. This turn will end the duel! My turn, draw!"
The Masked Duo exchanged a glance, their confidence unshaken.
"You're staring down a monster stronger than Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and you still think you can win?" Dark Mask sneered.
Yugi smiled, holding up two cards. "Are you so sure about your 'invincible monster'? Take a look at these two cards!"
"Huh?"
"I'll combine my hands [Gamma The Magnet Warrior] and [Beta The Magnet Warrior] with the [Alpha The Magnet Warrior] on the field! Together, they form the ultimate Magnet Warrior!"
Yugi sent the three Magnet Warriors to the Graveyard, their holographic images merging into a single new monster.
"Arise! Special Summon [Valkyrion the Magna Warrior]!"
[Valkyrion the Magna Warrior ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Rock/Effect][ATK 3500/DEF 3850]
[Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 1 [Alpha The Magnet Warrior], [Beta The Magnet Warrior], and [Gamma The Magnet Warrior] from your hand and/or field.]
"A monster with an Attack even greater than our Masked Beast?!" Light Mask staggered back, the terrifying aura of Valkyrion making him sweat.
"What's there to fear? A mere 3500 Attack!" Dark Mask wiped the sweat from his brow, quickly regaining his composure. "I activate the Trap Card [Mask of Weakness]!"
[Mask of Weakness Effect: Target 1 attacking monster; that target loses 700 ATK until the end of this turn.]
A grotesque mask appeared, latching onto Valkyrion.
[Valkyrion the Magna Warrior ATK 3500 → 2800]
"With your monster weakened, there's no way you can defeat our Masked Beast!"
Yugi scoffed, mocking them. "The strongest tag team in the Rare Hunters, and this is all you've got?"
"What did you say?!"
"I said you're weak! Watch this—Valkyrion's special effect activates! By sacrificing it, I summon three Magnet Warriors from my Graveyard!"
Valkyrion split into its components, and the three Magnet Warriors reappeared on the field.
"With three monsters on my field—and my Normal Summon still unused—do you know what comes next?" Yugi's eyes gleamed with victory as he drew a card from his hand.
Kaiba smirked, already realizing Yami's strategy. "Yugi, you never disappoint."
"Witness the wrath of the gods!" Yugi placed a bright red card onto his Duel Disk, calling out the name of a divine beast.
"When the thunder roars and the ancient scriptures align, an infinite power is unleashed! I sacrifice my three monsters to summon... [Slifer the Sky Dragon]!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DIVINE][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK ???/DEF ???]
Slifer's massive, fiery red form loomed over the battlefield, crackling with a storm of lightning.
"This… This is a god..." The Masked Duo trembled, their confidence crumbling under Slifer's overwhelming presence.
"Slifer's effect: its Attack and Defense are equal to the number of cards in my hand times 1000!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK ??? → 1000 per hand card]
Hearing Slifer's effect, the Masked Duo let out a sigh of relief.
"Haha! With just one card in hand, Slifer's power is pitiful—what are you planning, Yugi?"
"Sore wa dou kana?! (We'll see about that.)" Yami replied, placing his last card onto the Duel Disk.
"Here it is—my final Spell Card: [Card of Sanctity]!"
"What?! No way!!"
"Card of Sanctity lets both players draw until they have six cards in hand. Slifer the Sky Dragon's final Attack is..."
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK 1000 → 6000]
"This… This can't be happening!" The Masked Duo stared in horror as Slifer's Attack soared.
"Let's end this! Slifer the Sky Dragon!" Yugi's cape billowed in the fierce winds as he commanded his godly beast.
"Thunderforce Attack!"
"It's no use—I still have a face-down card!" Dark Mask desperately flipped his Trap Card. "I activate the Trap Card [Sakuretsu Armor]!"
[Sakuretsu Armor Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; destroy that target.]
"Your Trap Cards are powerless against the gods!"
Ignoring the Trap's futile attempt, Slifer unleashed a devastating lightning blast, engulfing and annihilating the grotesque Masked Beast.
[Masked Duo LP 2200 → 0]
[Duel Over. Victory: Yugi Muto & Seto Kaiba]
(*****)
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