Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 309 -

Rebecca was furious as Yami snatched Yugi’s soul card from her hands.

"Why did you take my darling away?! It’s all your fault for losing the duel! His soul was sealed in that card because he took your place!"

"Rebecca..." Anzu’s heart ached as she looked at Yami. Speaking softly, she continued, "The other Yugi didn’t want to lose either. If anyone is hurting the most from this, it’s him."

Rebecca clutched the soul card tightly to her chest, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks.

"My darling... He’s such a kind and strong person!" she cried. "Why is someone like him trapped in such a cold, lifeless card?!"

Moved by Rebecca’s raw emotions, the Pharaoh deeply understood her love and concern for Yugi. It was a warmth he himself had never experienced—one that only Rebecca could offer.

"Rebecca," he said solemnly, "I promise I will find a way to free my partner’s soul from this card."

Clenching his fists with newfound resolve, he continued, "For now, you should keep the card. Until I defeat Rafael, I am not worthy of taking my partner’s soul back."

Hoshino smiled in relief as she saw the Pharaoh regain his fighting spirit.

"That’s wonderful, Kaiba! Even if we don’t yet know how to break the seal on Yugi’s soul, reclaiming the card wasn’t pointless after all," Hoshino said cheerfully.

Kaiba, however, scowled in disbelief. "What ’soul-sealing card’? Are you messing with me, Hoshino? Yugi’s standing right here, isn’t he?"

Oh no, Hoshino thought. She had forgotten that Kaiba didn’t believe in such things.

The Pharaoh turned toward Hoshino, his gaze filled with gratitude.

"Hoshino, you defeated Rafael and reclaimed my partner’s card? It seems that even though we never finished the Battle City finals, the gap between us remains."

Hoshino scratched her cheek awkwardly. "If it were just me, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat Rafael. It was only by teaming up with Kaiba and using the power of the Legendary Dragon that we barely managed to win. He really was a terrifying opponent."

"The Doma are really that powerful?" Jonouchi shivered at the thought.

First, they had defeated Yugi. Then, they had pushed both Hoshino and Kaiba to their limits—even with a combined effort. For duelists like them to have never appeared in Duelist Kingdom or Battle City meant only one thing: Doma didn’t consider ordinary duelists worthy of their time.

Anzu tilted her head. "But Hoshino, you haven’t told us why you disappeared suddenly, only to reappear later... with Doma."

The group perked up, curiosity lighting their expressions. Even Kaiba, ever the aloof one, subtly leaned in to listen.

"If it weren’t for Hoshino, I likely wouldn’t have made it back from Doma," came an elderly voice.

Arthur Hawkins emerged from the RV, his frail figure carrying an air of wisdom.

Rebecca looked stunned. "Grandpa, didn’t you say Hoshino was one of Doma’s? Even their military listened to her!"

Jonouchi’s eyes lit up. "Whoa! Is that true, Hoshino? You were commanding their army? What’s that like?!"

Sorry, Hoshino thought. The only army I’ve ever commanded is in a mobile game.

Arthur adjusted his glasses and sighed. "At first, I thought Hoshino was merely trying to keep me from investigating the ancient Atlantis civilization further. But now..."

His gaze lingered on the soul card in Rebecca’s hands.

"Now, it’s clear that my safe return is thanks to Hoshino’s efforts. I owe you a sincere apology for misjudging you back then."

Arthur bowed deeply, leaving Hoshino flustered.

"Professor, there’s no need for that..."

Jonouchi’s eyes suddenly gleamed as if he had solved a great mystery. "I get it now!"

Honda rolled his eyes. "What could a blockhead like you possibly ’get’?"

"Hoshino was undercover!" Jonouchi declared with pride. "She infiltrated Doma to figure out their plans! With her skills, she probably became one of their top duelists and used her position to uncover their secrets. That’s how she got Professor Hawkins and Yugi’s soul card back!"

Hoshino blinked, her mouth slightly agape.

Jonouchi... you actually figured it out?! Even the part about becoming one of Doma’s?!

She could only nod silently as Jonouchi’s triumphant smirk grew wider.

"So I was right! I knew it!" Jonouchi exclaimed.

The Pharaoh’s gaze softened. "Hoshino, you risked so much to infiltrate Doma. Was it because you sensed their schemes from the start?"

Even Mokuba chimed in. "Then what exactly is Doma trying to do? And why did they target Kaiba Corp?"

Hoshino sighed, preparing to explain. "Honestly, it’s pretty cliché. Their goal is the usual villain shtick: world destruction—"

Before she could finish, the sky suddenly darkened. Light faded as an oppressive blackness swallowed the heavens.

Jonouchi scratched his head. "Huh? Did it get dark already? Does night fall this early in America?"

"That’s impossible!" Rebecca shouted, her voice tinged with panic.

Everyone turned their gazes skyward, unease settling in their hearts.

Anzu let out a scream and stumbled back. "A snake! A giant snake’s shadow is floating in the sky!"

The immense, serpentine silhouette twisted and coiled across the blackened firmament. Its body was so massive that its tail was nowhere in sight. It didn’t merely float—it slithered through the night like a predator in an endless sea of stars.

All across the world, people bore witness to this unsettling phenomenon.

The shadow’s gaping maw opened, devouring stars one by one. With each consumed star, the world grew darker—the light of hope fading as terror crept in.

(***)

"Devour the light and bring the world to ruin with darkness! Descend, almighty Orichalcos God, and awaken the lost souls of Atlantis!"

Despite Hoshino’s attempt to interrupt, Dartz had completed the ritual, fueled by the power of the Egyptian God Cards. His plan to drive the world toward ultimate destruction—just as he had done to Atlantis 10,000 years ago—was now in motion.

"All that remains are the souls of the chosen duelists to fully resurrect the Orichalcos God. The hour of destruction has arrived..."

(***)

Hawkins Research Site

As the group stared at the sky, perplexed by the sudden phenomenon, Professor Arthur Hawkins abruptly rushed back into the RV. Moments later, he returned with a handful of photographs and glanced up at the sky, comparing the images to the serpent devouring the stars.

"This is it! The legendary Orichalcos God from the Atlantis—the Grand Dragon Leviathan!"

Everyone gathered around Arthur, peering curiously at the photographs—relics salvaged from his burned-down research facility.

Hoshino studied the image, a realization dawning on her. "This tablet... it looks so familiar!"

The Pharaoh quickly turned to her. "Hoshino, is something wrong? Did you notice something?"

"This Atlantis stone tablet is incredibly detailed!" Hoshino leaned in for a closer look. "Way more intricate than those abstract Egyptian God tablets from the museum!"

The Pharaoh’s eye twitched in annoyance. "I apologize if ancient Egyptian craftsmanship was too abstract for your tastes!"

Still, as he begrudgingly compared the civilizations, he couldn’t deny that Atlantis’ technological and artistic advancements might rival those of the modern era.

Kaiba, unimpressed, scoffed. "Pointless. Only those chained to the past waste their time on such things." Without waiting for an invitation, he casually stepped into the RV.

"If there’s research material here, there’s bound to be a computer. I’ll use it."

Jonouchi frowned. "Hey! You can’t just walk into someone else’s place like that! And why not go back and use your company’s supercomputers, huh?"

Hoshino tugged at Jonouchi’s sleeve, whispering, "Psst, Jonouchi... Kaiba can’t do that anymore. He’s bankrupt. All his fancy equipment is out of reach now."

Jonouchi’s jaw dropped. "Bankrupt?! Seriously?!" After seeing Hoshino’s solemn nod, he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Haha! So he’s not the president of Kaiba Corp anymore? He’s just like me now—a regular ol’ commoner!"

Hoshino facepalmed. "Did you really just admit you’re a ’commoner’? And now you’ve said it loud enough for Kaiba to hear... I’m doomed to get the cold shoulder from him forever."

Jonouchi proudly puffed out his chest. "Well, as a fellow commoner, I’ll show him how tough we are! Let’s see how Mr. Former President handles the commoner life!"

.

..

...

Half an Hour Later

Despite the ominous shadow looming over them, Kaiba remained glued to the computer like a stubborn gamer. Suddenly, his face lit up with triumph.

"I knew it! Dartz... no matter how well you hid your tracks, I’ve uncovered your secret."

Hoshino perked up. "Wait, Kaiba! Are you investigating Doma? You’re telling me you tracked down a secretive organization like that just by searching the internet?"

Kaiba smirked, spinning his chair to show her the computer screen.

"I can’t trace Doma directly, but the company that maliciously acquired Kaiba Corp—Paradius Inc.—is undoubtedly their front. And their CEO is..."

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Hoshino exclaimed as Kaiba pointed at the screen, revealing Paradius’ CEO.

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"That’s him! Dartz! I didn’t recognize him clearly before because of that tire mark on his face, but it’s definitely him!"

Kaiba’s voice was steely. "With financial power capable of blackmailing presidents and armies, and the ability to manipulate global markets, Doma’s reach is terrifying. But their arrogance exposed them—they underestimated me."

Hoshino clenched her fists, her resolve burning. "Exactly! Their blatant takeover of Kaiba Corp only led us straight to them. Now that we know who they are, it’s time to strike back!"

Rebecca suddenly called out, her voice tinged with unease. "Guys, look outside! There’s a crowd heading toward us!"

Alarmed, the Pharaoh rushed to the window. His sharp gaze locked onto the approaching figures, his expression darkening.

"Rebecca... that’s not a crowd of people. Look closely."

In the darkness, an army of blue-armored skeleton soldiers emerged, their hollow eyes glowing with eerie, ghostly light.

"The undead soldiers of Atlantis!"

The Pharaoh had witnessed this terrifying scene before—through the memories granted by The Eye of Timaeus. These same undead hordes had slaughtered all life in Atlantis during the battle against the Orichalcos God.

Hoshino’s sharp vision focused on the skeletal army. "So the snake in the sky is summoning them."

Jonouchi’s voice wavered. "The people of Atlantis... coming after us from 10,000 years ago?!"

Hoshino smirked, drawing a card from her Duel Disk. "Well, if they’re so eager to meet us, it’d be rude not to greet them back. Let’s show them what modern duelists are capable of. Let’s go, Medea!"

(*****)

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