Clang—!

The sharp clash of metal rang through the air. After a brief exchange of effects at the center of the field, Tomoe Gozen and Lancelot each stepped back, returning to their original positions.

"So her destruction effect was negated… but in that case, Hoshino's side still has the higher attack power!" Eve analyzed seriously.

[This card cannot be destroyed by battle. Its ATK increases by 300 × the number of monsters your opponent controls.]

"To cross blades with such a valiant warrior… only makes my flames burn even fiercer."

[Heroic Spirit – Tomoe Gozen ATK

2300 → 2900]

"Synchro Summoning… it's actually Synchro Summoning?!"

Even after the clash of effects had ended, the Queen of Hela remained shaken by the impact of the Synchro play.

"Heh, did this old woman just get scared by a summoning method she's never seen before?" Eve seized the rare chance to mock her. "Well, it can't be helped—older people are always slower to accept new things."

"So the legends were true…"

Ignoring Eve's taunts, Hela stared at Hoshino in shock, as if seeing through her delicate appearance and sensing something even kings would fear.

"No… if the legends are true, then all the more reason you must not be allowed to leave here alive—the girl chosen by the Star Relics! To prevent the coming of 'Ragnarök'!"

"Ragnarök?" Hoshino's brows twitched as she recalled what the Valkyries once said about the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

At the roots of the World Tree lurked the black dragon Nidhogg, endlessly gnawing away at it.

When the roots are devoured and the tree decays, the world will be destroyed. That foretold end—was called Ragnarök.

"But what does Ragnarök have to do with me? I'm not the one chewing on tree roots."

"Enough talk. Continue!"

Hela dropped her earlier relaxed demeanor—this time, she was clearly serious.

"You want me to continue?" Hoshino glanced over the field.

Lancelot, now out of Xyz Materials, would be easy to defeat as long as she prevented it from dealing battle damage.

The real obstacle now was the Golden Lord on Hela's field—high attack power and immune to destruction by effects.

Lancelot had made a flashy entrance—negating Magic Cylinder, dealing direct damage, and cutting down Okita—but Hoshino had a deeper instinct.

That Eldlich the Golden Lord might be the true key monster on Hela's side.

"Get ready—we're taking Synchro even further, Tomoe Gozen!"

Hoshino had yet to Normal Summon this turn. She placed a card beside Tomoe and immediately initiated another Synchro Summon.

"I Normal Summon Heroic Spirit – Fuuma Kotarou! Then I tune Level 2 Fuuma Kotarou with Level 6 Tomoe Gozen!"

[Heroic Spirit – Fuuma Kotarou ★★ (Level 2)][DARK][Warrior/Tuner/Effect][ATK 1400/DEF 0]

"Let us fight side by side, Lady Tomoe!"

"I entrust the guidance to you, Lord Fuuma!"

Fuuma Kotarou materialized and activated Synchro particles once more, forming a radiant circle that enveloped both Heroic Spirits.

"—Azure skies stir the winds of eternal summer! Offer prayers to the sea and gather the holy light of the stars! Synchro Summon—dance forth, Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne d'Arc!"

[Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne d'Arc ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][WATER][Fairy/Synchro/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 3000]

["Heroic Spirit" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters]

Dressed in a white school swimsuit with glasses, Jeanne radiated a refined summer aura. Her bare feet touched the field lightly, forming a stark contrast against the eerie, decaying land of death.

"Though this outfit is meant for relaxation… it seems now is not the time for leisure, Master."

"Exactly. Even if we turned this ruined land into a pool, it hardly looks swimmable."

Placing Jeanne's card onto the Duel Disk, Hoshino activated her effect. From the Graveyard, Tomoe Gozen's demonic flames reignited.

"Effect of Swimsuit Jeanne d'Arc—when this card is Synchro Summoned, Special Summon a lower-Level 'Heroic Spirit' Synchro Monster from the Graveyard in Defense Position! Come back, Tomoe Gozen!"

[Tomoe Gozen DEF 2000]

"To be summoned back again… truly, Master, your power is remarkable."

"Next—Fuuma Kotarou's effect! When this card leaves the field as material for a 'Heroic Spirit' monster, I can Special Summon a 'Fuuma Token'!"

[Fuuma Token ★★ (Level 2)][DARK][Warrior/Token][ATK 500/DEF 500]

A shadowy clone resembling Fuuma remained on the field as a token. Its 500 ATK wasn't much, but it was valuable as material.

"And now, I activate the special effect of Heroic Spirit – Fuuma Kotarou in the Graveyard—"

["Why does it feel like Kotarou is becoming more and more of a workhorse…?"]

[Once per turn: If this card is in your hand or Graveyard, target 1 Level 3 or higher 'Heroic Spirit' monster you control; Special Summon this card, and reduce that monster's Level by 2. If this card leaves the field, banish it.]

"I reduce Tomoe Gozen's Level by 2 and Special Summon Fuuma Kotarou from the Graveyard!"

[Fuuma Kotarou ATK 1400]

"All units ready—prepare for battle, everyone!"

Answering Hoshino's call, three Heroic Spirits and one token assumed battle stances.

"Finally, the effect of Swimsuit Jeanne d'Arc—while she's on the field, all WATER monsters gain 500 ATK."

[Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne d'Arc ATK → 3000]

"Since she's a WATER-attribute monster herself, she benefits from her own boost, huh."

Recognizing the familiar attack value, Kaiba showed a bit more interest in the seaside saint. "But even with 3000 ATK, it's still not enough to defeat the Golden Lord."

"Target Lancelot, Dark Knight of the Underworld, and attack, Jeanne!"

Unable to ignore the 500-point gap in power, Hoshino still chose to eliminate Lancelot first.

Or rather—she deliberately created the illusion that Lancelot was the only thing she could defeat.

"A feeble attack. So this is the power of the Star Domain? It seems the legends can't be trusted after all!"

Flipping her set card, Hela called forth the spirit of the undead Golden Land.

"—I activate my set Trap Card, Guardian of the Golden Land!"

[Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Zombie/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 800/DEF 2500) (this card is also still a Trap), then, if you control "Eldlich the Golden Lord", you can make the ATK of 1 face-up monster on the field become 0.]

"Since I control 'Eldlich the Golden Lord,' after turning Guardian of the Golden Land into a monster, I can apply its additional effect—reducing one of your monsters' ATK to 0!"

[Guardian of the Golden Land DEF 2500]

"Roar—!"

The undead golden lion, guardian of the silent Golden Land, unleashed a roaring wave under Eldlich's command, crashing toward Jeanne.

[Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne ATK 3000 → 0]

"I knew it—there'd be a troublesome Trap that synergizes with Eldlich."

As Jeanne's attack dropped, confirming her suspicion, Hoshino flipped her own set card.

"Watch closely, Hela—this is where the true potential of Synchro comes into play! I activate the Quick-Play Spell—Synchro Emergency Summon!"

[During either player's Battle Phase, perform a Synchro Summon using monsters you control, including a "Heroic Spirit" Tuner.]

"I tune Level 2 Heroic Spirit – Fuuma Kotarou with Level 8 Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne for an emergency Synchro Summon!"

The Synchro light burst forth mid-battle, enveloping Jeanne and Fuuma, elevating the saint's form even further.

"—Rippling summer waves gather into an angelic halo! Let the saint offer the blessings of the sea! Synchro Summon—shine forth, Heroic Spirit – Jeanne, Summer Saint!"

[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne, Summer Saint ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][WATER][Fairy/Synchro/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]

[Tuner + 1 WATER Synchro Monster]

Descending onto the field in her enhanced form, Jeanne's bare feet touched the ground—transforming it into a shimmering blue ocean.

"Final stage—transformation complete!"

Surrounded by glowing rings, Jeanne smiled. "This is the form where angel and princess unite~ Even a country girl can have royal elegance, you know?"

"You've definitely shaken off that 'village girl' image. Now use this final form to break through! Activate the effect of Summer Saint Jeanne!"

[When this card is Special Summoned, Special Summon 1 lower-Level "Heroic Spirit" Synchro Monster from your Graveyard.]

"I Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne from my Graveyard in Attack Position!"

[Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne ATK 2500]

"I was never a country girl to begin with, Master!"

Adjusting her glasses, the revived Jeanne puffed her cheeks in protest.

["Did Jeanne just split into two…? This field looks even stronger than before, aibo!"]

Hoshino grinned proudly.

"This is the power of Saint Synchro—of course it's this strong!"

"So the Star Relic brings forth such despair-inducing Synchro power…"

Hela's eyes flashed with anger. "Such power will surely bring ruin. I cannot lose to you here!"

"Bring ruin? Don't joke around!" Hoshino shot back. "Why does it suddenly sound like I'm the villain here?"

No one wanted to prevent a doomed future more than she did—there was no way she'd be the cause of destruction.

"Since Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne has returned to the field, all WATER monsters gain 500 ATK!"

[Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne ATK 2500 → 3000]

[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne, Summer Saint ATK 3000 → 3500]

"That ties with Eldlich's attack!" Eve exclaimed.

"Not done yet! Next—Summer Saint Jeanne's effect!"

[Effect: LIGHT and WATER monsters you control gain 800 ATK/DEF.]

"The overlapping radiance of the saints becomes an endless summer wave that breaks through adversity! Go, Jeanne—double enhancement, massive ATK boost!"

[Heroic Spirit – Swimsuit Jeanne ATK 3000 → 3800]

[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne, Summer Saint ATK 3500 → 4300]

"We've completely surpassed their attack power, Master!"

Tossing her halo into the air, Summer Saint Jeanne smiled brightly. "Now it's showtime!"

[Effect: Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or effects, and can attack up to 3 times during the same Battle Phase.]

"4300 ATK—and it can attack three times?!" Eve gasped. "So flashy and powerful—Lady Saint is amazing!"

"Hehe, firing off beams repeatedly is easy—as long as I fight alongside my friends~"

From the halo Jeanne tossed into the sky emerged not only azure waters, but dolphins of all shapes—and even a massive whale large enough to fill the entire battlefield.

"Why dolphins and whales?" Mokuba asked, confused.

["Probably because… it's whale Jeanne."]

"—I offer my prayer. Grant the twilight's nostalgia, grant the whale's blessing. O sacred sea of light, returning angel—descend upon these waters!"

A summoning miracle surpassing even top-tier magicians unfolded. Through her prayer to the sea, Jeanne called forth countless bonded phantom beasts, forming a grand Noble Phantasm that flooded the Queen of Hel's entire field.

The final blow—a colossal blue whale—crashed down, shattering all three monsters at once.

"Since Summer Saint Jeanne can attack three times in one Battle Phase, I can destroy all your monsters in one go!"

"—『O Bountiful Sea, Rejoice in Joy!』!"

[Number 23: Lancelot, Dark Knight of the Underworld] destroyed

[Eldlich the Golden Lord] destroyed

[Guardian of the Golden Land] destroyed

[Hela & Marik LP 5000 → 1900]