"Not only does it negate the opponent's monster effect, but its ATK just keeps rising… higher and higher!"
Looking up at Qin Shi Huang's path of order overwhelming the Law Beast, Eve gazed at him with admiration.
"As expected of Hoshino's Wyrm! It's overflowing with brilliance and hope!"
Qin Shi Huang: "Go on. Continue praising me. I enjoy hearing it."
Hoshino continued her combo.
"And since True King of All Calamities' effect has been negated, my LIGHT monsters can activate their effects without issue! The moment Marie was successfully Summoned, I activate the effect of Heroic Spirit – Frankenstein in my Graveyard!"
As another Heroic Spirit had been successfully Summoned, Frankenstein once again became an Equip Card. Hoshino placed her in the Spell & Trap Zone, where the sword rested delicately in Marie's slender hands.
"This is little Fran's weapon?" Marie said awkwardly. "To be honest… I'm really not very good with weapons."
[Marie ATK 1000 → 1600]
"You need only remain among the spectators and quietly admire the performance," Qin Shi Huang declared confidently.
"Exactly. Our current firepower is already enough to break through their field," Hoshino nodded cautiously.
"Giving Marie a weapon is just insurance. If possible… I'd rather not have to use that at all."
Changing Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon on Kaiba Man's field from its 3000 DEF stance into its 2500 ATK battle position, Hoshino prepared to enter the Battle Phase.
"Kaiba Man!"
"This is the moment you've been waiting for — the White Dragon's accumulated radiance is finally about to be unleashed!"
Since it had entered the field, Deep-Eyes White Dragon, inheriting the 4500 ATK of the Ultimate Dragon, had yet to attack.
Now it was the key to defeating the Law Beast with its 3000 ATK.
"Prepare yourself, Deep-Eyes White Dragon!"
Hoshino pointed forward.
"With those pure white wings born from the azure abyss… illuminate the path to victory!"
"Hold it right there!"
Interrupting her declaration, the dragon girl suddenly activated the Continuous Trap in her back row just as Hoshino was about to enter the Battle Phase.
"Don't think that suppressing the Law Beast's effect means you can get cocky!"
"I activate the Continuous Trap True King's Return! And Special Summon Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix from my Graveyard in Defense Position!"
[Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix DEF 2100]
The magnificent dragon phoenix, adorned with dazzling starlit wings, returned to the battlefield, folding its wings around itself in a defensive stance.
Eve grinned smugly.
"(ﾉﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ You sounded so intimidating, but in the end you just summoned another monster to use as a shield. That's nothing more than a desperate last struggle~"
"You…! You actually called this a desperate struggle?! Then let me show you what a true comeback looks like!"
Flipping over her remaining Set Card, the dragon girl activated another Continuous Trap.
"I activate the Continuous Trap — True Draco Apocalypse! You remember what this card does… don't you?"
"Apocalypse…"
Seto Kaiba frowned as he recalled its effect.
"A Trap that destroys one True Draco card you control to halve the ATK and DEF of every monster your opponent controls."
"Exactly!"
"I revived Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix specifically so it could become the activation cost for True Draco Apocalypse!"
Empowered by the Apocalypse, the phoenix's beautiful starlit wings were instantly dyed pitch black, erupting with magical power far beyond its own existence.
"Watch closely! This is Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix's ultimate comeback strike at full power!"
Covering her left eye with one hand, the dragon girl once again struck an overly dramatic pose.
"By the calamity foretold in the True Draco Apocalypse, grant me your power and annihilate our enemies! Roar, Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix! Final Apocalypse Impact!"
A torrent of black energy erupted from the phoenix's mouth, engulfing Hoshino's field.
Qin Shi Huang, the assembled Heroic Spirits, and the two colossal White Dragons were all swallowed by the darkness.
[Qin Shi Huang ATK → 1500]
[Marie Antoinette ATK 1900 → 950] (ATK increased by 300 due to the additional face-up Continuous Trap.)
[Sima Yi ATK 1000 → 500]
[Deep-Eyes White Dragon ATK 4500 → 2250]
[Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon ATK 2500 → 1250]
With a single Apocalypse Impact, Hoshino's entire offensive force collapsed.
Under the debuff that halved everyone's ATK, there was no longer any way to break through the dragon girl's defenses.
"Hehe… This is the difference between you and me, Hoshino~"
The dragon girl smiled triumphantly before continuing.
"And when Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix is destroyed by a card effect, I can add one non-WIND Wyrm monster from my Deck to my hand!"
"Cough… cough…"
"What an irritating black mist. Even rudeness should have its limits."
After coughing twice from the smoke created by True Draco Apocalypse, Qin Shi Huang's expression darkened slightly.
"If even an immortal body finds this uncomfortable, then my subjects must never be exposed to the smoke produced by this black energy."
["Don't worry. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to come into contact with it anyway."]
"So there's a second copy of True Draco Apocalypse, huh…"
Waving away the black haze obscuring her vision, Hoshino sighed.
"In that case… I guess we'll have to go with Plan B."
"N-No way… Hoshino, you're actually going to…?!"
Even with half his face concealed by the mask, Kaiba Man couldn't hide the momentary look of shock that crossed his expression.
"It's my turn. So just quietly cooperate with me, Kaiba Man. I told you before — the White Dragon's accumulated fury and radiance will be unleashed upon them. No matter what method I have to use."
Raising her Duel Disk, stardust swirled around Hoshino's fingertips as it connected two of her monsters.
"I perform another Synchro Summon!"
"I tune the Level 4 Tuner Heroic Spirit – Sima Yi (Reines) with the Level 4 Heroic Spirit – Marie Antoinette!"
The light of Synchro Summoning shone brilliantly.
A white halo enveloped Sima Yi and Marie before merging them into a Level 8 Synchro Monster.
"All things in Heaven and Earth! With a brush that has reached the realm of the divine… paint the domain of the abyssal evil god! Synchro Summon — Heroic Spirit – Katsushika Hokusai!"
[Heroic Spirit – Katsushika Hokusai ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Fiend/Synchro/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 2500]
["Heroic Spirit" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters]
"What a grand entrance~ Time to get to work, Father!"
As the light of the Synchro Summon faded, a young girl holding an enormous paintbrush appeared. Resting upon her smooth, bare shoulder was a black octopus — the being rumored to be the true form of Katsushika Hokusai, concealing the power of an Outer God.
"Then help me paint over my opponent! I activate Heroic Spirit – Katsushika Hokusai's effect!"
[When this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; negate its effects.]
"That's not simply painting something black, Master! To depict all creation — even dreamlike worlds — only requires this one stroke poured out with all my skill!"
At first glance, Hokusai's enormous brushstroke appeared wild and chaotic.
Yet anyone versed in art would understand the profound mastery contained within that single stroke.
To Hoshino and the others, however, it looked as though Hokusai had simply painted a massive swath of black ink over half of Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General's body.
[Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General's effects are negated.]
"Alright! Effect successfully sealed!"
Hoshino nodded in satisfaction.
"Now Dreiath III's effect that grants destruction protection to all the True Dragons disappears!"
Eve suddenly understood.
"That's right! Without destruction protection, Marie — who had Frankenstein equipped as her weapon before being sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material — can trigger the effect to destroy a card again!"
The dragon girl sneered.
"You went through all that trouble — performing another Synchro Summon, painting all over the place — and this was your goal? How laughable! I still have three Wyrm monsters on my field. Even if I let you destroy one of them, you still won't be able to break through!"
"Oh?"
"You'll let me destroy whichever one I want?"
Hoshino smiled as she drew Heroic Spirit – Frankenstein from her Spell & Trap Zone.
To her…
This card had become the sword that would sever the battlefield.
"According to Heroic Spirit – Frankenstein's effect, the card I choose to destroy is…"
Pointing toward her chosen target, Hoshino swung the sword under everyone's astonished gaze.
"— Deep-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Y-You chose to destroy your own monster?!"
Eve cried out in disbelief.
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"No."
"Much as I hate to admit it…"
Kaiba Man calmly replied:
"Hoshino's decision is the only possible way to break through the current situation."
He had already guessed her strategy.
That was why, the moment Hoshino had mentioned Plan B, genuine shock had flashed across his face beneath the mask.
Activating the destruction effect, Hoshino declared:
"Carry the brilliance of this lightning-forged Aurora Sword!"
"Let your azure abyss unleash its radiant fury upon our enemy, Deep-Eyes White Dragon!"
"ROOOAAAR—!"
The sword streaked through the air, dragging an aurora across the battlefield before striking Deep-Eyes White Dragon.
The single point of impact detonated into an even greater explosion.
Picking up the destroyed Deep-Eyes White Dragon card from his Duel Disk, Kaiba Man followed up immediately.
"When Deep-Eyes White Dragon is destroyed… it takes every monster on your field with it!"
"Be consumed by the White Dragon's unleashed radiance, dragon maiden!"
[Deep-Eyes White Dragon Effect: When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters your opponent controls.]
Hoshino added:
"And don't forget!"
"Since Heroic Spirit – Katsushika Hokusai negated Dreiath III, the True Dracocavalry General's effect, every True Draco on your field has lost its destruction protection!"
The light gathered within Deep-Eyes White Dragon's circular wings erupted violently.
Countless beams blasted across the frozen battlefield before expanding into a blazing wave that swept over the dragon maiden's field, annihilating every Wyrm monster in its path.
"Perfect teamwork, Kaiba Man!"
"Hmph."
"Not that I wanted to cooperate with you in the first place."
Although every monster on the opponent's field had been destroyed…
Kaiba Man couldn't bring himself to celebrate after sacrificing his most magnificent, beloved White Dragon.
"That leaves only one thing! Launch a direct attack and reduce her Life Points to zero!"
[Ice King LP: 3100]
Even after sacrificing Deep-Eyes White Dragon, the opponent's field had been completely wiped clean.
With the battlefield wide open, the remaining monsters on Hoshino's field had more than enough damage to finish the Duel.
"Alright, everyone! Battle!"
Hoshino once again raised her Duel Disk and prepared to enter the Battle Phase.
However…
As the icy dust stirred up by the azure radiance gradually settled, the dragon girl was not standing alone.
Before her stood a monster no one had seen before, wielding a sword and shield forged from starlight.
"What…?"
"Didn't Deep-Eyes White Dragon wipe out her entire field?"
Hoshino shot Kaiba Man a suspicious glance.
Kaiba Man answered solemnly.
"Deep-Eyes White Dragon's effect definitely resolved. But… it seems achieving victory won't be that simple."
After the departure of Nidhogg, Generaider Boss of Ice, the dragon girl's eyes transformed.
Golden radiance overflowed from her pupils, so brilliant that it completely obscured them.
Like the divine gaze of the Lion King, her eyes no longer revealed even the slightest hint of emotion.
"I take back what I said earlier, Hoshino."
The dragon girl spoke calmly.
"Dueling you has been… genuinely entertaining. So, just as I promised before… I'll freeze you here forever and keep you with me on this frozen continent."
"No matter how many times you say it… my answer will always be the same. I refuse."
Hoshino's voice remained unwavering.
"But more importantly… what is that monster on your field? How did it survive Deep-Eyes White Dragon's attack?"
She could sense an aura similar to that of the True Draco emanating from the swordsman.
Yet simply standing there with sword in hand produced a pressure rivaling even that of the Law Beast.
Holding up the card, the dragon girl explained:
"I chained True Draco Apocalypse to Deep-Eyes White Dragon's destruction effect."
[True Draco Apocalypse – Continuous Trap Effect: During your opponent's Main Phase: You can Tribute Summon 1 face-up "True Draco" monster.]
The only monster card left in the dragon maiden's hand was the Wyrm she had searched earlier after Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix had been destroyed.
"I Tributed the Continuous Trap True Draco Apocalypse and True King of All Calamities to Tribute Summon… the strongest of all True Draco! Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King!"
[Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][LIGHT][Wyrm/Effect][ATK 2950/DEF 2950]
[When this card is Tribute Summoned face-up, Continuous Spells and Continuous Traps you control can be Tributed in place of monsters.]
"Swordmaster…"
Kaiba Man narrowed his eyes.
"But you Tribute Summoned it by chaining to Deep-Eyes White Dragon's effect."
"That means once the Summon succeeds, it should still be caught in Deep-Eyes' explosion!"
"This…"
The dragon maiden smiled confidently.
"…is the power gathered from countless True Draco! I activate Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King's effect!"
[This card is unaffected by the effects of cards with the same original card type (Monster, Spell, or Trap) as the cards Tributed for its Tribute Summon.]
"Since I Tributed the Monster Card True King of All Calamities and the Continuous Trap True Draco Apocalypse for its Tribute Summon…"
"Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King is unaffected by both Monster Effects and Trap Effects."
With the dual immunities granted by its Tribute Summon, Master Peace naturally ignored Deep-Eyes White Dragon's monster-effect field wipe.
"Now… prepare yourselves to receive the wrath of the Swordmaster, Hoshino!"