Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 341

"Yoshi, this looks much better now~"

Standing in front of the mirror, Hoshino adjusted her outfit. She had swapped out her skirt for jeans, finally toning down the overt sensuality brought on by her darker skin tone and shifting it toward a more stylish, sexy look instead.

"But still… Da Vinci ignoring me is one thing, but now I can't even summon any other Heroic Spirits..."

Unable to summon Da Vinci through the Millennium Bracelet, Hoshino had tried using her Duel Disk to summon Holmes for answers. Yet, unexpectedly—for the first time—the Duel Disk failed to summon any Heroic Spirits.

No, she couldn't say it was the first time. This had happened once before, in that future.

"Ugh, can't rely on anyone when it really matters. Seriously!"

With no way to determine the reason behind her transformation, Hoshino could only sigh in frustration. After finishing changing and freshening up, she left her room.

Ding-dong—!

The sound of the toy shop's door opening rang out. While Hoshino had been lost in thought, Grandpa Sugoroku had already arrived and flipped the sign to "Open."

Seeing a customer this early in the morning was unusual—especially considering the chaos from last night. After Da Vinci's summoning, the undead of Atlantis had invaded the real world. Even though the government had issued a safety notice by nightfall, most people had chosen to stay indoors.

Stepping through the door were Jonouchi and the others, their gazes immediately locking onto Hoshino. Unexpectedly, even Mokuba was with them.

Jonouchi furrowed his brow in confusion. "Where'd this foreigner come from?"

"Who are you calling a foreigner?!" Hoshino shot back, lifting her leg in a kick. One good thing about swapping her skirt for jeans was that she no longer had to worry about exposing herself while doing high kicks.

A simple question from Jonouchi, yet it felt as if a smug-faced gacha luck god had just activated a taunt effect.

"Hoshino? You're Hoshino, right?!" Among the group, Anzu's keen observation skills stood out. Despite the drastic change in skin tone and completely different fashion sense, she still managed to recognize Hoshino.

"Eh? No way?!" Jonouchi, Honda, and Bakura were all stunned.

Speaking of which, ever since Hoshino had taken the Millennium Ring from Bakura during Battle City, he had been gone for so long that she had nearly forgotten he even existed.

Jonouchi squinted at Hoshino. "Now that I take a closer look, aside from the skin tone, you really do look like Hoshino. What, are you changing your image to debut as an idol?"

Mokuba, unimpressed, gave him a side glance. "Jonouchi, it's rude to stare at a girl like that."

Honda chimed in. "So, Hoshino, did you sneak off for a tanning session last night or something?"

"How would that even work?! Idol debut, tanning—can you two at least try to think before speaking?!"

Hoshino clutched her forehead, exasperated at the two blockheads before her.

Jonouchi and Honda shook their heads in unison. "Nah, see, if we really think about it, none of this makes sense, so we might as well start guessing randomly."

Honestly, she couldn't blame them. A transformation like this overnight was beyond comprehension.

"Ah, whatever. No point in dwelling on something I can't explain." Accepting her current reality, Hoshino decided to move on.

"So, why are you all here so early in the morning?"

On days off from school, it was common for them to hang out at the shop, but for them to all show up right as it opened? That was unusual.

"Ahem—" Jonouchi turned away, scratching his face awkwardly.

"Hoshino, you mentioned you'd be deciding today whether to leave and return to your world. Everyone's really worried, so even though we didn't plan it, we all ended up coming early."

"Huh? Oh, that." Hoshino tilted her head, recalling how she had said last night that she'd think about whether to go back.

"So, Hoshino, have you decided yet?" Mokuba swallowed hard, clearly nervous. He had gone out of his way to leave KaibaCorp early in the morning just to be here—he must be genuinely concerned.

"Whether to stay or go, huh?" Surrounded by worried gazes, Hoshino felt a little self-conscious. But looking at the current state of her body, it didn't seem like the best time to return.

Testing the waters, she answered, "…I guess, for now, I'll stay…"

"YES—!!"

An explosion of cheers erupted in the store. Hoshino hadn't even finished her sentence before the group had already started celebrating on their own.

"Awesome! Hoshino's staying! I gotta call Brother right away!" Mokuba, tears welling up in his eyes, excitedly dialed Kaiba's phone.

"Even though he had to rush to meet Pegasus, he specifically told me to inform—"

Mokuba suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Oh no! Brother told me not to tell anyone about this…!"

Jonouchi scowled. "Tch, that Kaiba. Always so busy with his CEO duties. After everything Hoshino's done for him, and at such a critical time, he runs off to deal with some company business?"

Though, knowing Kaiba, even if he weren't at Pegasus, he probably still wouldn't have come in person.

Hoshino placed a hand on Jonouchi's shoulder to calm him down. "Well, if Kaiba actually went to see Pegasus in person, it must be something important. Otherwise, after the whole Duelist Kingdom, I doubt he'd ever want to meet Pegasus again."

Mokuba looked slightly guilty. "Brother didn't tell me exactly why, but last night, he spent the whole night using the Duel Simulation system… running simulations against you, Hoshino."

A shiver ran down Hoshino's spine. "Ugh? What's that Duel Simulation thing? Why does it sound so creepy when you say it like that?"

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

"…Uh, could Kaiba going to Industrial Illusions have something to do with this morning's news?"

For the first time, Bakura spoke up, pulling out his smartphone and opening his browser history.

Curious, the group crowded around to look, including Grandpa Sugoroku behind the counter.

[Shocking Discovery!! Industrial Illusions' archaeology division recently unearthed an ancient artifact in an Egyptian tomb—its shape resembles a white crystal pyramid.]

Below the headline was a blurry photograph of the so-called "ancient artifact."

"Wait, isn't that… the Millennium Puzzle?!" In perfect sync, everyone turned to compare it with the golden puzzle hanging from Yugi's neck.

Hoshino stared at the image a little longer, then shook her head. "No, the color's different. It looks really similar, but this white one doesn't seem like it would be a Millennium Item."

However, amid the group's shock, only Grandpa Sugoroku's expression grew more and more serious.

(***)

[Duel Over. The Winner: Seto Kaiba.]

"Oh no!! I actually lost to Kaiba-boy!"

With an expression of utter disbelief, Pegasus suffered a crushing defeat under Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's full-powered assault.

"How could this be? In just two short months, you've become this strong, Kaiba-boy?"

As the former strongest duelist, the father of Duel Monsters, and once at the pinnacle of the game, Pegasus naturally found it hard to accept such a devastating loss.

"Duel Monsters cards are meant to create the future! Pegasus, you're stuck in outdated, stale tactics from the past, unable to move forward. Even in just two months, I have already left you far behind!"

Pegasus's expression turned serious as he said, "Kaiba-boy, with your current strength, you could probably defeat anyone you wish. Even after attaining such power, you're still unsatisfied. What exactly are you pursuing?"

"It's still far from enough! Because there are people in this world whom I can never defeat through mere dueling skills and tactical adjustments alone—that's why I continue to seek greater power!"

.

..

...

Last Night – Kaiba Corporation's Duel Simulation Room

"Mr. Kaiba, the AI simulation for Chiyuki Hoshino's dueling style has been completed. By integrating all known duel data related to her, we're confident this AI will perfectly replicate her skills in battle!"

A staff member respectfully reported to Kaiba, who stood at the center of the simulation arena, duel disk at the ready.

Kaiba ordered sharply, "Enough talk, just start it already! I must develop a strategy to perfectly defeat Hoshino tonight—there may not be much time left..."

If Hoshino decided to leave tomorrow, then Kaiba had to duel her before she left and claim victory. His pride and unwavering duelist spirit demanded nothing less.

"Initiating the simulation duel system! First, rendering the simulated avatar..."

As the staff quickly adjusted the control panel, the entire arena was flooded with the glow of a holographic projection.

"Yeah—☆~"

The projected Hoshino jumped up on one foot and made a playful V-sign over her eye.

Kaiba's expression twitched, and he furiously demanded, "What the hell is this?! Is this your so-called perfect simulation? Are you all trying to get fired?!"

Seeing Kaiba explode with rage, the staff members shrank back in terror. "S-Sorry, Mr. Kaiba, but the design of Chiyuki Hoshino's avatar and animations was entirely created by Young Master Mokuba..."

"Mokuba did this?" Kaiba pinched his brow in frustration. Although he found it extremely irritating, since it was his younger brother's work, he had no choice but to let it slide.

Seeing Kaiba's anger subside, one of the staff members nervously tried to flatter him. "Additionally, Young Master Mokuba designed multiple outfits for the avatar. We have her casual clothes, school uniform, sportswear, and even a maid outfit—Mr. Kaiba, would you like to select—"

"Just use the most normal one! Start the duel already! If this simulation is even slightly inaccurate, you can kiss your job goodbye!"

For some reason, Kaiba felt an inexplicable surge of irritation. Since he couldn't blame Mokuba, he could only vent his frustration on his innocent employee.

However, it turned out this innocent employee's job was safe—for now. Because once the simulation duel began, Kaiba found himself embarking on a nightmarish losing streak.

.

..

...

"—Fusion Summon! [Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]! Then I activate the Equip Spell [Megamorph] to double its attack power!"

[Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon ATK: 9000]

"This is the ultimate Blue-Eyes, surpassing even the gods! Its effect allows it to attack three times per turn! Take this world-shattering Ultimate Burst Stream!"

Even in a simulation duel, Kaiba couldn't resist shouting every move at the top of his lungs. And he had repeated this for ten duels in a row without fail.

"I activate my Set Quick-Play Spell Phantasmal Summon! I fuse Mash Kyrielight and Spartacus from my Graveyard to Fusion Summon [Heroic Spirit - Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus] in Defense Position!"

[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus DEF 2000]

"When Mash Ortenaus is Fusion Summoned using Mash Kyrielight as a material, she cannot be destroyed by battle or effects! Also, all attacks must target her!"

Clad in her Spiritron armor, Mash stood firm before the massive Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, taking all three Ultimate Burst Stream attacks head-on.

"It's useless, Kaiba! Even if you fire off ten thousand Burst Streams, you'll never break through Mash's defenses!"

The simulated Hoshino, designed by Mokuba, even perfectly recreated her taunts and trash talk.

"Tch, that annoying Shielder again… Turn end!"

[Seto Kaiba LP 2000]

"My turn! Draw! I tribute my three monsters to Tribute Summon—[The Wicked Avatar]!"

A surge of black energy engulfed Hoshino's three monsters, transforming into the ultimate Evil God—a massive, dark sphere that slowly took on the form of Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"The Wicked Avatar's effect! Its ATK becomes the highest ATK on the field +1!"

[The Wicked Avatar ATK 9001]

"ROOOOAR!!!"

The black Neo Blue-Eyes roared at its counterpart on Kaiba's field, its presence even more oppressive.

"Then I activate the Spell Monster Reborn! I revive Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus from the Graveyard!"

[Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus ATK 1000]

"Battle! Incarnation of the Divine, destroy Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

A black Burst Stream was unleashed, directly striking Kaiba's massive dragon and shattering it into pieces.

[Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Destroyed]

[Seto Kaiba LP 2000 → 1999]

"Mash, deliver the finishing blow! Her effect doubles her ATK when attacking!"

[Mash ATK 1000 → 2000]

Her jet-powered shield activated, striking Kaiba with immense force and instantly wiping out his remaining Life Points.

"AAAAAAAAH!!"

[Seto Kaiba LP 1999 → 0]

[Duel Over. The Winner: Chiyuki Hoshino (Simulated).]

A ten-match losing streak. An all-nighter wasted. Kaiba had failed to develop a strategy to defeat Hoshino using the simulation system. Instead, he had only confirmed the sheer gap in strength between them.

.

..

...

"So, Pegasus, since you created the God Cards… after all this time, surely you've developed a new card that surpasses even the Gods!"

(*****)

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