Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 363

[Lunar Magical Girl ATK 4400]

[Chloe ATK 1000]

[Magical Girl – Illya DEF 1000]

[Hoshino Chiyuki LP: 0]

Catching a glimpse of the Life Point counters flashing for both duelists, Jonouchi was filled with confusion.

"Hoshino's Life Points are completely gone... Did she lose?"

"No, Hoshino-girl must have used some method to forcibly alter the victory conditions, allowing her the chance to destroy the Pyramid of Light in the end."

Pegasus anxiously analyzed the situation. Even though he had never met Anubis before, he could feel a familiar sense of oppression emanating from him—likely tied to his past as a wielder of a Millennium Item.

Honda took a sharp breath. "Even after dropping to 0 Life Points, she kept fighting? That means this duel was seriously intense..."

"Even if it was difficult, since she destroyed the Pyramid of Light, it means Hoshino-girl is now incredibly close to victory!"

With the Pyramid of Light gone, Anubis' field—where his Sphinxes once stood proud—was now filled with their agonized roars.

"So I was right all along, Anubis. The Sphinxes, which could be easily revived thanks to the Pyramid of Light, had a weakness. Now that the Pyramid is destroyed, they can't remain on the field anymore, can they?"

"GRRAAAAAH—!"

As if to confirm Hoshino's deduction, the writhing Sphinxes let out their final cries before shattering into nothingness.

[Andro Sphinx – Destroyed]

[Sphinx Teleia – Destroyed]

No one expected the situation to shift so quickly. Chloe twirled her twin swords excitedly.

"Destroying the Pyramid and getting rid of the monsters in the process? That's a great deal! Master, let's take advantage of the empty field and finish this in one blow!"

"Hoshino Chiyuki... You are the first person in a thousand years to destroy the Pyramid of Light!"

Just as Hoshino prepared to follow Chloe's suggestion and go for a direct attack to end the duel, Anubis interrupted with a declaration.

"As expected of the half-body of that great one. I shall wager everything on this final clash!"

"So, you still have a plan, huh? Just a reminder, you're basically a 'Three-None' guy right now~"

The "Three-None" referred to Anubis having no monsters, no set cards, and no cards in hand.

"It matters not. The moment the Pyramid of Light collapsed, the strongest guardian beast sealed within it awakened! It shall purge the wicked who trespassed upon its domain with its supreme light!"

From the Graveyard section of Anubis' Duel Disk, a dark presence surged forth, forming countless lingering spirits above the shattered remains of the Pyramid.

"When Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia are destroyed at the same time, I can pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon the strongest guardian of the Pyramid—Theinen the Great Sphinx!"

[Anubis LP: 1500 → 1000]

A radiant pillar of light erupted from Anubis' now-empty field. The guardian, born from the souls of the fallen Sphinxes, appeared in its ultimate form—its sheer size alone twice that of its predecessors.

[Theinen the Great Sphinx ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)]

[LIGHT] [Beast/Effect] [ATK 3500 / DEF 3000]

[This card cannot be targeted by effects and cannot be destroyed by effects.]

Chloe scoffed, waving dismissively.

"Tch. All that flashy summoning for this? It doesn't even have more ATK than our Miyu! Easy win~"

Like a general standing on the battlefield, Hoshino felt the weight of Chloe's words like a mountain of flags being planted on her back.

"Chloe, you little... I've always treated you well, and now you're raising death flags for me at the worst possible time!"

Unlike Chloe, Miyu frowned slightly. As someone attuned to magic, she could feel the difference in power between this Sphinx and the ones before.

"Master, this one is different from the monsters we've faced earlier... Even that troublesome Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon didn't give me this kind of feeling."

"That kind of feeling?" Hoshino furrowed her brows. "What did you notice, Miyu?"

"A hatred from wandering souls... This monster is supposed to represent the purest light, but the moment it arrived, this entire space became filled with invisible wraiths!"

Illya shivered beside her, clutching herself tightly. "M-Miyu, stop scaring me! I don't see any ghosts!"

Anubis raised his massive hand and solemnly declared,

"Such keen insight! You even sensed the fleeting aura of death itself! That's right—Theinen the Great Sphinx, master of life and death, devours all spirits lost within the Pyramid of Light!"

[When this card is Special Summoned, I can pay 500 Life Points to increase its ATK by the total ATK of all monsters in my Graveyard.]

[Anubis LP: 1000 → 500]

"RRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

Letting out a furious roar, Anubis sacrificed his remaining Life Points to infuse Theinen the Great Sphinx with the strength of every monster in his Graveyard.

[Theinen the Great Sphinx ATK 3500 → 38500]

"Oh my god?! It just gained 30,000 ATK—what kind of Graveyard from hell is this?!"

Pegasus couldn't help but exclaim in shock. Of course, he had no way of knowing that Anubis' Graveyard didn't just contain the two Sphinxes, but also all the Blue-Eyes and other monsters sent there during his battles with Kaiba, Yugi, and Hoshino.

The result was an absolutely monstrous Graveyard, making Theinen the Great Sphinx a force that could surpass nearly any creature—including Hoshino's Lunar Miyu.

"Master... This is bad news..." Chloe took a nervous step back. Since she was linked to Hoshino's soul, she knew that if they didn't find a solution immediately, she would be the first target of that terrifying monster.

Honestly, this was all her fault for raising flags earlier. And now, karma was coming back in full force.

The bigger problem was that Theinen the Great Sphinx, being immune to targeting effects, couldn't be bounced back to the Deck by Miyu's ability. If they had to rely purely on attack power, it would take at least ten Magical Girls to match this beast.

"We already destroyed the Pyramid of Light, and yet we're still about to lose here? This is beyond frustrating..."

Gritting her teeth, Hoshino glanced at the lone card in her hand—Phantasm Summon, which she had recovered last turn.

But she knew the truth: even if she used it to Fusion Summon her strongest card, it still wouldn't be enough to overcome that ridiculous ATK stat.

"...Is this where it ends?" Yugi looked away, unable to watch.

Having witnessed Hoshino's duel from the very beginning—starting with only 100 LP against Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon, all the way to now, where she wagered everything at 0 LP to destroy the Pyramid of Light—Yugi understood better than anyone just how difficult this journey had been for her.

"Hoshino, how could you lose to some no-name like this?"

"Hm? Kaiba?"

With Mokuba supporting him, Kaiba—who had been knocked unconscious by Anubis earlier—finally regained consciousness at the last moment.

"Oh, you're still alive," Hoshino replied nonchalantly.

"You managed to defeat my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I won't allow you to lose so easily to that kind of monster! You've overcome countless desperate situations—your true strength is far greater than this!"

Come on, Theinen the Great Sphinx is way more difficult to deal with than your Blue-Eyes, okay?

"My true strength, huh..." Hoshino chuckled bitterly. It wasn't that the Magical Girls lacked power. In terms of resource efficiency and field control, they excelled in every aspect.

But what she needed right now wasn't just utility—it was a monster with true breakthrough power. Someone like Okitan, capable of unleashing a reality-defying attack.

"Hahahaha! I can already sense it—some Master is already missing their ace, just two matches after switching to a new one..."

"???" Hoshino couldn't believe her ears. She glanced around but saw no sign of that familiar green silhouette. "Okita, you're still alive?"

"That's so cruel! Don't just assume I'm dead! I'm perfectly fine—though, I have been banished..."

Due to Karna Illya's effect, Okita had been sent to the Graveyard by Crush Card Virus. She had barely gotten comfortable before being promptly banished as ATK-boost material.

"Okita, if you can talk to me now, does that mean the battle in Chaldea is over?"

"Well... I wouldn't exactly say we won..." Okita's voice sounded hesitant.

"They just... suddenly withdrew for some unknown reason. Although a lot of damage was done, Da Vinci and the others began immediate repairs and reopened the connection to this world."

Hoshino's eyes lit up with excitement. "They reestablished the connection to this world? That means—!"

If the connection had been restored—and if Okita could communicate again—then her cards should now be usable once more.

"This is perfect! Da Vinci-chan, you're amazing!"

"Oh, right, Master! Emiya-san wanted me to pass you a message... He said—'It's time!'"

At those words, Illya and Miyu immediately perked up. "Emiya-san? Is he talking about Onii-chan?"

Hoshino glanced at the lone card in her hand—Phantasmal Summon—then at Miyu on the field. In an instant, she understood what Emiya meant.

"I see... This is the only hope I have left to bet on. Then let's see it, Emiya—the power that earned you the title of Hero of Justice!"

Slamming her final card into the Duel Disk, Hoshino bridged the connection between her field and graveyard, shattering the previous restrictions that had sealed away her Servant cards. She was about to unleash her most powerful Phantasmal Fusion yet.

"With the Quick-Play Spell Phantasmal Summon, I fuse Heroic Spirit – Emiya from my Graveyard—"

"Hmph, yet another monster sent to the Graveyard by me?"

Kaiba let out a self-mocking laugh. The viral strategy he had devised to counter Hoshino had once again backfired, becoming the key to her comeback.

"—And I fuse it with Lunar Miyu on my field to perform Phantasmal Summon!"

Yugi's eyes widened. "A Fusion Summon even stronger than that?!"

Kaiba smirked. "Don't disappoint me, Hoshino. This isn't where you're supposed to fall."

Even Pegasus, watching from the sidelines, could barely contain his excitement. "Unlike Kaiba-boy and myself, Hoshino-girl never pursued power for its own sake—yet it continuously gathers around her! How magnificent! This is the form of a true King of Duelists!"

Anubis roared, "It's useless! No matter how many times you fuse, you can't surpass Theinen the Great Sphinx!"

"Shut up, you plebeian!" Hoshino snapped back. "All you need to do is sit there and wait for your defeat!"

Drawn by the energy of Phantasmal Summon, Miyu's body gently floated into the air as she began to chant:

"—A wishful light shimmering upon the earth... The falling moon gathers its immaculate radiance, praying to the heavens!! No matter how faint a light may be, one day, it shall shine brighter than even the moon itself!!"

Connecting with the crescent moon's radiance and inheriting the girl's prayers, a crimson figure tore through space and stepped onto the battlefield.

"This is the ultimate Fusion Summon! Appear now—Archer Install – Shirou Emiya!!"

[Archer Install – Shirou Emiya ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 2000]

[Lunar Magical Girl – Miyu + Heroic Spirit – Emiya]

[Must be Special Summoned by Fusion Summon using the above Fusion Materials. This card is also treated as a "Heroic Spirit" monster.]

"Don't worry, Miyu. I'll take care of the rest."

His voice was warm, yet carried a tinge of melancholy. Though he was Emiya, this was a different version—one who walked a different path, and upheld a different ideal. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

A man who would sacrifice everything for his justice, even if it meant his own downfall. A man who would forsake the world for Miyu's happiness—wielding a power meant for all of humanity, and declaring he would use it for one person alone.

(*****)

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