"— Witness the power of the true king's path! Nameless Victory Sword!"

["(꒪Д꒪)ノ H-Hey! You just casually changed the name of the move like nothing happened!"]

Within Mysterious Heroine Z's hands, a storm of dual blades that tore through space erupted forth. The dazzling special effects looked absolutely nothing like what you'd expect from a mere 2100 ATK monster as they exploded across Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird.

[Neo Spacian Air Hummingbird] destroyed

[Jaden LP 34700 → 33400]

"Even though it hadn't really sunk in before, seeing it now… 30,000 Life Points is honestly kind of terrifying."

After the duel damage calculation resolved, the mere 1300 damage deducted from Jaden felt like a drizzle of rain — and in that moment, everyone truly grasped just how absurd the current state of the duel had become.

As the battle damage resolved and all Seven Deadly Sin marks appeared, the long-silent Barrier of Harr reacted once more, transferring the word "Envy" from Hoshino's chest onto Jaden's.

"I told you there was no way I'd be jealous, hmph hmph hmph. What's there to envy about Jaden's chest anyway?" Hoshino sneered.

"Hoshino-nee, comparing your chest with Jaden's has somehow made this even more pathetic than jealousy itself," Akasha sighed helplessly.

"(╯°Д°)╯ Shut up and eat this attack — Flat-Chest Crushing! No wait, I mean — attack with Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight Grand Order!"

The giant assault-mode Camelot mech locked onto the effect-sealed Koga on Jaden's field. This time, the damage from its massive 5500 ATK shield slam was on a completely different level from before.

"Right as Sensei attacks — I activate my Set Quick-Play Spell!"

The moment Jaden flipped his face-down card, Koga placed both hands on his Masked HERO belt, and the golden armor instantly separated from his body, floating in midair.

"Mode changes aren't something only you can do! — Quick-Play Spell "Form Change"!"

[Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 "HERO" Fusion Monster you control; return it to the Extra Deck, then Special Summon 1 "Masked HERO" monster with the same Level but a different name from your Extra Deck as if it were Special Summoned by "Mask Change."]

"After returning Masked HERO Koga to the Extra Deck, I Form Change! I Special Summon the other Level 8 Masked HERO — Masked HERO Divine Wind — to my field in Defense Position!"

The floating golden armor was washed over by violent winds, transformed green, and reattached itself to the hero's body.

[Masked HERO Divine Wind ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][WIND][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2700/DEF 1900]

Clad in green armor with a white cape fluttering in the gale, Divine Wind looked exactly like a classic Showa-era superhero. He launched a flying kick straight into the assault of the giant Camelot mech.

"So he used Form Change to switch the attacking Koga into a defensive Divine Wind in order to avoid the damage?" Yugi analyzed. "With his Life Points still so high, it doesn't seem particularly necessary."

"Mr. Yugi, Masked HERO Divine Wind does far more than just avoid damage!"

After placing Divine Wind's card sideways onto the Duel Disk from the Extra Deck, Jaden declared its effect.

"Masked HERO Divine Wind cannot be destroyed by battle! And while this card remains on the field, during the Battle Phase, my opponent can only attack with 1 monster!"

Divine Wind's rider kick generated a raging tornado, forming what looked like a storm barrier across Jaden's field — an impenetrable wall of violent wind.

"As long as Divine Wind is on the field, no matter how high your monsters' ATK, Sensei — you won't break through this storm barrier!"

"Is that so…"

After narrowing her eyes to study Divine Wind for a moment, Hoshino pointed toward Mysterious Heroine Z on her field.

"Hero transformations really are cool after all! Z, you transform too!"

"Me?" Z's golden ahoge twitched as she stared at Hoshino in shock. "This is already my final and strongest form, you know! There's no further transformation option, Master!"

So 2100 ATK is your final strongest form? That's honestly pretty weak.

"I said transform, so just do it obediently!"

Flipping over her face-down card, Hoshino forcibly activated a transformation effect beneath Mysterious Heroine Z's feet.

"— I activate the Quick-Play Spell Princess of Red Bean Paste! I can target 1 'Artoria' Fusion Monster I control! And the effect of Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine Z allows her to also be treated as an 'Artoria' monster!"

"Nani?! I'm an Artoria too?!" Mysterious Heroine Z looked as though her entire worldview had just shattered.

Was that really something worth being shocked over?

[Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 "Artoria" Fusion Monster you control; send it to the Graveyard, then Fusion Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter" monster from your Extra Deck using monsters with the same Attribute as Fusion Material.]

"Cosmic transformation! I send Mysterious Heroine Z on my field to the Graveyard!"

With a wave of her hand, Hoshino dragged Z's virtual card into the Graveyard zone. Then, amid seven black-bean-paste lights converging into one, Mysterious Heroine X Alter materialized on the field.

[Mysterious Heroine X Alter ★★★★★★★★★ (Level 9)][DARK][Dragon/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2000]

"Chew chew~ Black bean paste energy fully charged, sugar levels optimal, reactor condition excellent. Ready to annihilate the enemy at any time, Master."

Wiping black bean paste from the corner of her mouth, X Alter swung her crimson lightsaber, which emitted a high-frequency hum.

"Even if X has powered up through transformation, she still can't bypass Divine Wind's effect that prevents destruction by battle!" Jaden emphasized.

"Saber target locked. Shall I strike now, Master?" X Alter's icy gaze fixed onto Divine Wind.

At the same time, Hoshino selected a Trap Card from the virtual hand floating before her and dragged it into the activation zone.

"While Mysterious Heroine X Alter is on my field, I can activate the Trap Card Star Wars of the Servant Universe directly from my hand!"

[Trap Card Effect: ①: Target 1 card on the field; destroy it. If a Warrior monster is destroyed by this effect, draw 1 card from your Deck.]

"Alter Reactor — limit break!"

Combining the two crimson lightsabers in her hands into a dual-bladed weapon, X Alter's slender figure leapt forward straight into the storm barrier ahead.

"Before the dark radiance of my blade… return to elementary particles—"

In X Alter's hands, the rapidly spinning crimson blade tore through the tornado storm, shattered the raging wind barrier, and in the final instant slashed across Masked HERO Divine Wind's body, carving a glowing X-shaped mark into it.

"— Black Dragon Dual-Clash Victory Sword!"

[Masked HERO Divine Wind] destroyed

"The barrier's broken, Mash! Go!"

Drawing the bonus card granted by the destruction of a Warrior monster, Hoshino continued the attack declaration of Mash Grand Order.

"Take this — my full-power strike!"

The shield wielded by the giant Camelot mech no longer needed techniques like "Shield Back Slash." Its sheer mass alone was enough to crush everything in its path.

"— The Distant Utopian City That Still Bears Heavy Weight!"

The direct hit of 5500 damage was truly devastating for Jaden. The pressure from the gigantic shield alone blasted him backward, sending him crashing into the edge of the barrier.

[Jaden LP 33400 → 27900]

["She already landed a direct attack for 5500 damage, and he still has that many Life Points left… this seriously feels like fighting the final boss of an MMORPG."]

At the instant the damage resolved, Harr pulsed again, and the "Sloth" mark on Hoshino's shoulder transferred onto Jaden.

"It's not over yet! Since Mysterious Heroine X Alter was Special Summoned during the Battle Phase, she can still launch a direct attack as well!"

Continuing the Battle Phase, X Alter — having already torn apart the storm barrier and destroyed Divine Wind — slammed violently against the ground once more, her charging lightsaber streaking past Jaden's body.

"— Instantaneous Shadowless Sword!"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

[Jaden LP 27900 → 24900]

Knocked down once again, having suffered nearly ten thousand points of battle damage in a single turn, and with the "Lust" sin mark also transferring onto him as the damage resolved, Jaden's expression twisted in pain as his breathing grew increasingly ragged.

"Jaden-sama… how could this…"

"Even after all this time, Jaden still has absolutely no way of fighting back against Hoshino-nee."

"It's over." Bastion lowered his head regretfully. "Jaden's field and hand are both completely empty now. Against Headmistress's field, there's almost no chance of turning this around. Even with twenty thousand Life Points left, he's basically just a target dummy."

Minazuki suggested:

"How about surrendering already, Jaden! A surrender only counts as half a loss, and losing to Headmistress isn't embarrassing at all!"

"Surrender? I will not allow such a thing." Harr interrupted. "If the duel is not carried through to the very end, the duelists whose souls have been sealed will never awaken!"

"Don't worry, I never planned to give up like this!" Supporting himself against his knees as he painfully rose back to his feet, Jaden answered firmly. "Keep going, Sensei. I'm not going down from something like this."

"You still don't know what it means to 'accept defeat,' huh? Just like always, Jaden."

Back then, the number of times Jaden lost to Hoshino was no fewer than the times he lost to Kaiser during Hoshino Alter's special training. Even so, Jaden stubbornly kept challenging her over and over again.

"I set one card and end my turn."

[Hoshino: 4 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]

"Believe in my deck — and the bond between heroes! I'm betting everything on this draw, doroo—!"

After drawing the one and only card that could save him, Jaden's field erupted with the light of Neo Space.

"Yosh! What I drew is the Trap Card NEXT! If I control no cards, I can activate this card directly from my hand!"

After placing the Trap Card into the back row of his Duel Disk, Jaden activated its effect without hesitation.

[Trap Card Effect: If you control no cards, this card can be activated from your hand. ①: Special Summon any number of "Neo-Spacian" monsters and "Elemental HERO Neos" from your hand or Graveyard in Defense Position (max 1 copy of each name). The effects of monsters Special Summoned by this effect are negated.]

"Last turn, I sent Neo-Spacian Dark Panther to the Graveyard through the effect of Convert Contact. Now I activate NEXT to Special Summon Elemental HERO Neos, Neo-Spacian Dark Panther, and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole from my Graveyard in Defense Position with their effects negated!"

Placing three cards sideways onto his Duel Disk in succession, the expanding Neo Space revived all three heroes from the Graveyard.

[Neos DEF 2000]

[Dark Panther DEF 500]

[Grand Mole DEF 300]

"And now — Double Contact Fusion! I return the three monsters on my field to the Deck as Fusion Material… Neos, unleash the nebula storm of reversal!"

Absorbing the Neo Space powers of Grand Mole and Dark Panther, Neos underwent a contact transformation and descended in the form of a dual Neo Space hero.

"— Contact Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Nebula Neos!"

[Elemental HERO Nebula Neos ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][EARTH][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]

["Elemental HERO Neos" + "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole" + "Neo-Spacian Dark Panther"]

[Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by shuffling the above cards you control into the Deck. (You do not use "Polymerization".)]

"When Nebula Neos is Fusion Summoned to my field, I can draw cards equal to the number of cards on my opponent's field!"

Currently on Hoshino's field were Xyz Mash, X Alter, the Continuous Spell Install, and one Set card — four cards in total.

"After drawing 4 cards from my Deck, I can also activate Nebula Neos's effect — target 1 face-up card on the field, and negate its effects until the end of the turn!"

Using this crucial Fusion to massively replenish his hand resources, Jaden then activated Nebula Neos's sealing power, locking onto Mash Grand Order.

"By negating Mash's effect, Mash's ATK returns to its original value!"

[Mash Grand Order ATK 5500 → 1000]

["That godlike draw from Jaden completely turned the duel around with a single card. Humans really can't beat protagonists blessed by destiny."]