LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 258: Chapter 258
"Even after being kicked to the ground and rolling around, you still refuse to give up. Marik, your perseverance is surprisingly impressive~." Despite the failed attack, Hoshino couldn't resist the chance to deliver a taunt.
The fusion dissolved, and the Winged Dragon of Ra, now with its attack power reduced to zero, had lost the fiery majesty it once held. Its golden body, once ablaze with divine energy, now appeared hollow and lifeless—bereft of battle strength.
"Haha! Thanks to the Winged Dragon's effect, my Life Points have mostly recovered. Even if I take a direct attack, it won't matter at all!"
Marik, though nearly kicked into spitting blood by Kintoki earlier, stubbornly smirked through the pain. "As for you, with your pitifully low Life Points, a mere scratch from divine power will be enough to wipe you out completely!"
Sliding a card into her Duel Disk, Hoshino cast a glance at the Winged Dragon of Ra, now resembling a fragile, golden bird on the verge of collapse. "With this near-dead chicken left on your field, those words don't carry much weight~."
"I set one card face-down and use a Command Spell to revive Marie from the graveyard. That's it for my turn!"
[Command Spell] x2 → x1
Marie, summoned for the third time in rapid succession, puffed her cheeks in indignation. "Master, you're so mean, making me do this over and over again!"
"Hahaha! I promise this is the last time!" Hoshino laughed while using Marie's graveyard effect once more to search for another Heroic Spirit card from her deck.
"The card I add to my hand is [Heroic Spirit - Marie Antoinette Alter]!"
Mokuba furrowed his brow. "Hoshino isn't summoning any monsters? She still has one normal summon left."
Kaiba observed sharply. "If she summons a monster, it'll just be burned by the Winged Dragon of Ra. Hoshino must have realized this, so she's not wasting her resources pointlessly."
Marik's Life Points were still high enough to fuel Ra's God Phoenix Mode, a form that ignored resistances and decimated opponents. Facing such overwhelming divine power, Hoshino knew better than anyone the danger of rushing in recklessly.
"My turn! Draw!" Marik declared, a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he examined the card. Despite being knocked around earlier, his confidence was back in full force.
"Fate smiles upon me once again! I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Avarice]!"
[Pot of Avarice - Spell Card Effect: Target 5 monsters in your GY; shuffle all 5 into the Deck, then draw 2 cards.]
"Drawing a Pot at such a critical moment? How annoying," Hoshino muttered under her breath.
Marik selected five cards from his graveyard—three Holding Arms and two Ra's Disciple—and shuffled them into his deck. After a dramatic shuffle, he drew two cards, his grin widening dangerously. "Hahahaha! Truly delightful!"
Anzu shivered at Marik's unsettling laugh. "What kind of card did he draw this time?"
Marik eagerly slotted the two cards into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Continuous Spell [Card of Safe Return] and the Spell [Premature Burial]! With this combo, Slifer the Sky Dragon shall rise again!"
[Card of Safe Return - Continuous Spell Effect: When a monster(s) is Special Summoned from your GY: You can draw 3 card.]
Hoshino's grip tightened on her cards. "Damn it. He actually managed to pull off that combo."
Marik continued with fervor. "By activating [Premature Burial], I pay 800 Life Points to revive [Ra's Disciple] from my graveyard, triggering [Card of Safe Return] to draw three cards!"
[Marik LP: 2800 → 2000]
[Ra's Disciple★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Fairy/Effect][ATK 1100/DEF 600]
Upon its return, Ra's Disciple activated its effect, summoning the other two copies that Marik had shuffled back into his deck.
"Faithful heralds, offer your souls to the gods! I sacrifice my three [Ra's Disciple] to Tribute Summon [Slifer the Sky Dragon] from my hand!"
Three beams of radiant light shot upward, piercing through a dark storm cloud. From the heavens, a massive, crimson serpent descended, its body crackling with divine energy.
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DIVINE][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK ???/DEF ???]
Honda counted on his fingers. "Wait... Marik just drew three cards, right? So Slifer's attack points should be..."
Yugi nodded grimly. "Three cards in his hand. Slifer's attack power is 3000!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK: 3000]
Shizuka tugged at Jonouchi's sleeve, her voice trembling. "With only 3000 attack points, Hoshino might still survive this turn, right?"
Marik sneered, "A glimmer of hope? Let me shatter it completely! Witness my final move!"
Sliding another card into his Duel Disk, thunder roared as the ground trembled.
"I activate [Monster Reborn]! Arise once more, [Obelisk the Tormentor]!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DIVINE][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000]
"All three Egyptian Gods have gathered on my field!" Marik proclaimed. The battlefield itself seemed to bow under the overwhelming presence of Slifer, Ra, and Obelisk.
Though two of them were replicas, the sight of all three Egyptian Gods together was legendary. Marik stood triumphant, basking in the awe of the spectators.
"No one can stand against the combined might of three Egyptian Gods! Victory is mine!"
Even Kaiba felt his heart waver. "Even you, Hoshino, can't defeat all three Gods at once... right?" He muttered, almost disappointed at the thought.
Drawing yet another card thanks to Card of Safe Return, Marik's hand swelled, pushing Slifer's attack power to 5000.
"Now, let the wrath of the gods annihilate you!"
The combined assault of lightning, flames, and tempest shook the very heavens. The crowd looked on in stunned silence, fear etched on their faces.
"It's over," Yugi muttered as beads of sweat rolled down his face. "There's no way to survive that..."
"It's not over yet!" Hoshino's voice cut through the chaos like a sharp blade. Reaching out her hand, she revealed her last card.
"I activate the Trap Card [God Is Here With Me]!"
[God is Here With Me Card Effect: Activate only when your opponent declares an attack while they have 3 or more monsters in Attack Position on the field. Special Summon 1 [Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc] from your hand or Deck to your field.]
The overwhelming force of the three gods tearing through the heavens was abruptly stopped by a sacred brilliance emerging from the darkness.
"Because all three Egyptian God Cards are in Attack Position, I activate the effect of God is Here With Me to Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc] from my Deck in Defense Position!"
[Heroic Spirit – Jeanne d'Arc ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][LIGHT] [Fairy/Effect][ATK2500/DEF3000]
Standing firm against the combined assault of thunder, wind, and flame, Jeanne thrust her banner heavily into the ground without a single tremor. "Oh flag of mine, protect our comrades! Luminosité Eternelle!!"
"Jeanne's special effect activates—reducing her ATK by 1000. For the rest of this turn, no monsters on the field can be destroyed, and all battle damage becomes 0!" The sacred brilliance of Luminosité Eternelle severed the battlefield between Marik and Hoshino with divine power.
[Jeanne ATK 2500 → 1500]
"Just a means of clinging to life. Since you summoned a monster, take this—Slifer's Thunderforce!" Marik, confident and composed, showed no reaction despite his attack being thwarted. As long as the three Egyptian God Cards were on his field, he believed victory was assured.
The blinding Thunderforce pierced through the barrier of light, striking Jeanne's body. However, since Jeanne was summoned in Defense Position, it only reduced her formidable DEF points.
[Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc DEF 3000 → 1000]
Having blocked the combined assault of the three gods, Hoshino forced a faint smile. "Even if it's just a means of survival, it's still crucial. Haven't you heard the saying, 'You can only deal damage if you're alive'?"
"'Only alive to deal damage'? Blocking the gods' attack is the limit for that monster. Do you truly think you can survive before the Egyptian God Cards?"
Jonouchi, who had just calmed down after Jeanne's dramatic intervention, tensed up again. "No way, is Marik going to—?!"
"I pay 1000 Life Points! Winged Dragon of Ra—Egyptian God Phoenix! Not even Jeanne's ability can withstand this destruction that bypasses resistances!"
Once again enveloped in flames, the Winged Dragon of Ra rebirthed in its fiery form, unleashing an unstoppable attack that annihilated Hoshino's field, including Kintoki and Jeanne.
[Heroic Spirit - Jeanne d'Arc Destroyed]
[Heroic Spirit - Sakata Kintoki (Rider) Destroyed]
As the battlefield burned once more, Marik laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! There is no monster in this world that can stand against the gods!"
Mokuba stomped in frustration. "Damn it! Hoshino's monsters were all destroyed again. Could the Egyptian God Cards really be invincible?"
"Next, I activate [De-Spell] from my hand to eliminate your annoying Command Spells!"
[Spell Removal Spell Card Effect: Target 1 face-up Spell, or 1 Set Spell/Trap, on the field; destroy that target if it is a Spell. (If the target is Set, reveal it.)]
With Chaldea Mana Support System destroyed, the remaining Command Spell in Hoshino's hand also shattered.
"Tsk, so I can't keep using Marie for repeated shenanigans anymore." Despite her words, Hoshino clearly hadn't given up on tormenting poor, adorable Marie whenever she had the chance.
After inserting a card into his Duel Disk, Marik twisted his neck in a bizarre motion. "I set one card and end my turn."
[Marik: 3 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK 3000]
Yami Yugi's gaze was filled with complicated emotions. From the moment the three Egyptian God Cards were summoned, he had felt a stirring deep within his bloodline. Now, he was certain the three gods held the key to his lost memories.
"But compared to the outcome of Hoshino being consumed by the Shadow Game, retrieving those memories is meaningless!"
Gripping the Millennium Puzzle tightly against his chest, Yugi fixed his eyes on the girl fighting the three gods. Friendship and bonds held far greater value in his heart than the key to the god cards.
"Don't lose, Hoshino! If defeating all three gods simultaneously is a miracle, then you are surely the one who can create that miracle!"
"My turn! Draw!"
Even though Hoshino faced the dire situation of the three Egyptian God Cards, there were two blessings she could count on. These two factors would become her path to victory.
"I activate the effect of the Continuous Spell [Vive la France]!"
[Vive la France Continuous Spell Effect: Send this card, with 1 or more Glory Counter placed on it, to the Graveyard: Special Summon 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster from your Graveyard whose Level is equal to or less than the number of Glory Counters on this card.]
The first blessing was the six Glory Counters on the field.
"These luminous traces left by the battles and determination of the Heroic Spirits gather together to break through this dire situation. I send this card with six Glory Counters to the Graveyard to Special Summon a Level 6 or lower Heroic Spirit from my Graveyard!"
"I return in with fashion!" Nero, tossing a handful of crimson rose petals, was summoned from the Graveyard in a glorious light.
Seeing Nero, who had previously defeated two of his gods, revived, Marik's composed demeanor showed faint signs of wavering. "Slifer, fire Thunderforce!"
[Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius ATK 2300 → 300]
Jonouchi clutched his head in frustration. "This won't work! Even Nero only has 300 ATK under Slifer's suppression!"
"As long as she can survive, it's enough. If I can't summon monsters, I'll really be in trouble." Hoshino knew that even Nero couldn't stand against the three gods.
But her purpose in summoning Nero wasn't for battle.
The second blessing was a card Hoshino had prepared two turns ago—a safeguard against the gods.
"I banish [Heroic Spirit - Oda Nobunaga] from my hand, [Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius] on my field, and [Heroic Spirit - Sakata Kintoki (Rider)] from my Graveyard to Special Summon a monster from my hand!"
Yugi was astonished. "A monster summoned by banishing three monsters from different zones? This is the first time I've seen Hoshino summon this way."
At least in his memory, Hoshino had never summoned a monster like this before. "Then the monster Hoshino is summoning must be the brand-new Heroic Spirit she searched for last turn!"
Slamming the monster card into her Duel Disk, a chilling darkness filled the battlefield once again.
"Come forth, Special Summon—[Heroic Spirit - Scáthach]!"
(*****)
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