Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 637

">_<"

"Um... excuse me, are you okay?" Since this was the classic "a beautiful girl falling from the sky" scenario, even though she had smashed through her wall—which was mildly upsetting—Hoshino decided not to dwell on it.

And honestly, falling in like that? A normal beautiful girl would’ve turned into a "splat." The fact that this blue-haired girl in shrine maiden robes was still intact meant her physical condition was definitely far beyond ordinary.

"I-I’m fine~" the blue-haired girl replied with a bright smile.

Though her smile was dazzling, her slender body looked a little wobbly.

"I’m probably just not used to flying like that... My head feels kinda dizzy..."

Before she could finish speaking, a large amount of bright red liquid began flowing from her head.

"Huh? That’s weird... why does everything look so red?"

"!!! ∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ Hey! That’s a crazy amount of blood! Are you seriously okay?!"

"Senpai, what happened?" Bursting through the door after hearing the loud crash upstairs, Mash and the other Heroic Spirits rushed in immediately.

Cu Chulainn: "Master, did you finally tear your house down because of a card game?"

Emiya: "And I just saw Okita collapsed in the hallway, looking like her soul left her body. What kind of trauma did she suffer?"

Okita had probably lost a duel, and as an ace, her pride just couldn’t handle it.

"Mash, I’m fine. But someone else definitely isn’t..."

Hoshino pointed worriedly at the blue-haired shrine maiden lying among the rubble, blood still flowing.

"Do you need me to call a doctor for you?"

"N-No need to worry! I can still use basic healing magic—Eve can handle it!"

Forcing herself up, the blue-haired shrine maiden pressed her hands together. A gentle pale green glow slowly spread from between her fingers.

"Ohh, looks pretty professional~" Cu Chulainn praised.

"Well of course, after all, I am the Shrine Maiden who inherited the Chalice—"

Before she could finish, another small spurt of blood sprayed from the wound on her head. The healing light instantly dissipated, and she collapsed face-first onto the ground, her butt sticking up in the air.

"Sorry... looks like I used up the last of my mana. Please... call a doctor for me..."

Emiya sighed. "This girl might be even more airheaded than our Master."

Hoshino frowned. "Mash, go get Nightingale."

"Senpai, if we call Miss Nightingale directly... wouldn’t that be a bit too cruel? For a small injury like this, wouldn’t Medea Lily be better?"

"No, I think Nightingale is just right~"

Cu Chulainn muttered, "Women really are terrifying."

After Mash jogged off, Hoshino turned toward the roof. With one wall missing, her room was basically half open to the sky now.

"So, Kaiba Man, you know something about this, don’t you?"

"That is the Crowned by the World Chalice." Kaiba Man’s gaze fell on the blue-haired shrine maiden, who had fainted face-down from blood loss.

"As a shrine maiden who offers requiem prayers to the God, she can bring forth the power to resist the Nine Realms King. But judging from this situation... it looks like the Chalice might’ve smashed her on the head."

["== Is that some kind of Kaiba-style cold joke? Though honestly, she does seem kind of... not very bright."]

...

"Mmnya~" Smacking her lips slightly, the shrine maiden slowly opened her eyes. Feeling the white bandage wrapped around her head, she said gratefully, "Did I faint earlier? Did you save me? Thank you so much!"

But then she realized something was wrong.

"Wait... why am I tied up so tightly? I can’t move at all."

"This is the minimum necessary measure to prevent your wound from reopening and getting infected."

Nightingale, who had treated her, spoke sternly. "If you experience blood loss like that again, you will die. Therefore, to prevent unnecessary movement, I initially recommended amputation."

"A-Amputation?! Doctor, was I really injured that badly?! Please don’t give up on me!"

"Don’t scare her, Nightingale." Hoshino had only intended to get a little payback for her room being smashed through, but seeing the cute girl’s eyes welling up with tears made her soften.

Besides, amputating someone because they bumped their head—even by Berserker standards—was a bit much.

Hoshino explained instead, "We just treated your wound. But until we confirm you’re not hostile, we can’t untie you yet."

"Hostile? I would never be hostile! Unless you’re on the King’s side!"

"That’s good. I’m not on the King’s side. You’re Eve, right? I’m Hoshino Chiyuki—the owner of the house you smashed through."

"Hoshino Chiyuki?! You’re Hoshino Chiyuki?!" Eve’s eyes sparkled as she stared intensely at Hoshino, looking thrilled. "Then the Chalice’s guidance was correct! I’ve finally met you, Chiyuki!"

Although Eve looked deeply moved—almost like she wanted to hug Hoshino—the fact that she was tightly bound made the scene rather awkward.

"Anyway, I’ve been looking for you for so long, Hoshino!"

"How long?"

"Two days! No, three days!"

"== That’s not long at all. That’s basically just the end of spring break."

Blushing bright red, Eve hurriedly explained, "T-The time flow is different! One day there equals one year in this world!"

"Oh? So you’ve been looking for me since three years ago? Really?" Hoshino shot her a suspicious glance.

If Hoshino remembered correctly, Duel Academy had only just been established around that time. The timing didn’t really line up with anything meaningful.

"The timing doesn’t matter! What matters is that if you don’t inherit the power of the Chalice to fight the Nine Realms King, no one else will be able to win!"

Hoshino obtained the title: [Chosen by the Chalice]

(***)

Duel Academy—

"o(ﾟДﾟ)っ! Zane is going to duel that gigantic robot?!" Looking up at the surreal sight before her, Akasha said nervously, "The size difference is way too huge! Can that thing even use a Duel Disk and cards properly?"

"Akasha, that’s what you’re worried about?" Alexis retorted. "The important question is whether Zane can win! If he loses, the academy will be flattened!"

"That’s true... I wonder who’s stronger, the King of the Academy or Jaden?"

The deep, heavy voice echoed once more from within the massive body of Dovelgus. Accompanied by the clanking sounds of mechanical transformation, the giant hammer that had nearly destroyed the academy shifted form—turning into a sleek black Duel Disk brimming with mechanical design, attaching itself to the king’s left arm.

"Do all these Kings follow the same rule? Using their weapons as Duel Disks!" Akasha exclaimed. "But that Duel Disk is way too big. The cards won’t even match the size—don’t tell me it’s going to pull out giant-sized cards too?"

"Heh heh heh." Loptr smirked proudly. "The technological level of the dwarves far surpasses your backward human science. Soon, the King will show you our latest cutting-edge duel equipment. Don’t let your jaws drop too far."

A pale blue AR light activated. From the super-massive Duel Disk, enlarged virtual cards—scaled to match the disk’s size—were drawn one by one and arranged neatly in front.

"Hahaha! Shocked, aren’t you? This AR Duel Disk technology isn’t something you humans could ever master!"

"..."

No one was shocked. In fact, their reaction was oddly flat, making Loptr’s smug smile stiffen awkwardly.

"Are you so stunned you can’t even speak?"

"No, it’s just... we saw this AR Duel Disk seven years ago," Akasha bluntly replied.

The surrounding students began discussing.

"Isn’t this just the enlarged version of the Kaiba Corp AR Link Duel Disk from back then?"

"It was super impressive the first time we saw it, sure. But now? Not exactly jaw-dropping."

"Pfft. So this is what you call ’latest cutting-edge duel equipment’?"

"Nani?! You said seven years ago?!" Loptr cried out in disbelief.

"The dwarves’ latest Duel Disk technology... and humans developed it seven years ago? Impossible. According to our data, human technological standards should not have advanced that far. If that’s truly the case... we must reassess humanity’s power."

Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. Humanity’s overall technological level wasn’t much different from what Loptr had investigated. It was just that the technology tree for Duel Monsters—thanks to a certain corporation—had been raised to an absurdly high level.

"Even after witnessing such a scene, you remain unfazed. Human, you are worthy of battle!" Dovelgus praised. "Come—duel! I will take the first move!"

[Iron King – Dovelgus LP 8000] VS [Zane Truesdale LP 8000]

Drawing an ultra-large virtual card, Dovelgus swung his thick mechanical arm and inserted the neatly arranged cards from his hand into the Duel Disk.

"—I activate the Spell Card Machina Redeployment!"

[Machina Redeployment – Spell Effect: You can activate 1 of the following effects.

● Discard 1 "Machina" card; add 2 "Machina" cards with different names from each other from your Deck to your hand, except "Machina Redeployment".]

"I discard Machina Fortress from my hand and add two ’Machina’ cards with different names from my Deck to my hand. Next, I activate the effect of the discarded Machina Fortress in the Graveyard—"

[You can discard Machine monster(s) whose total Levels equal 8 or more, then Special Summon this card (from your hand or GY).]

"I discard the Level 8 Machine-Type monster Machina Megaform from my hand and Special Summon the previously discarded Machina Fortress from the Graveyard in Attack Position!"

[Machina Fortress ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][EARTH][Machine/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 1600]

Matching Dovelgus’s size, the gigantic Machina Fortress materialized on the ground, radiating an overwhelming presence.

"Finally, I set one card and end my turn!"

[Dovelgus: Hand Cards 4]

"So huge!" The academy students looked up at the two massive figures before them in awe. "At this level of battle, only Zane could possibly stand against it."

"Machina Fortress not only has attack power comparable to Okita’s, but when it’s destroyed by battle, it can also destroy one card on the opponent’s field. It’s a very troublesome control monster for an opening play," explained a man in a yellow uniform who had appeared beside Alexis and Akasha at some point.

"ヾ(ﾟдﾟ)ﾉ Huh? Who are you? Why are you acting so familiar and just walking over here?" Akasha asked.

"It’s me! Bastion Misawa! We met during the dorm battle, remember?!"

"Misawa? Is there such a person?" Akasha tilted her head. "I only know Ichizawa. If even I don’t remember you, you must not have appeared for a few hundred Chapters, right?"

"My turn, draw!"

Standing atop the academy building to face Dovelgus, Zane drew for his turn.

"A fortress of this level is nothing before Cyber Dragon. From my hand, I activate the effect of Cyber Dragon Nachster—"

[You can discard 1 monster other than this card; Special Summon this card from your hand.]

"I send Cyber Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon Cyber Dragon Nachster!"

[Cyber Dragon Nachster ★ (Level 1)][LIGHT][Machine/Effect][ATK 200/DEF 200]

[This card’s name becomes ’Cyber Dragon’ while on the field or in the GY.]

Cyber Dragon Nachster, whether in size or stats, was completely outmatched by Machina Fortress.

"Pathetic! Is this the power of humanity?!"

"Silence! The effect of Cyber Dragon Nachster will awaken a new evolutionary radiance!"

Zane shot back at the taunt and declared:

"When Cyber Dragon Nachster is Normal or Special Summoned, you can target 1 Machine-Type monster in your Graveyard with 2100 ATK or DEF; Special Summon it!"

He pulled the previously discarded card from his Duel Disk’s Graveyard slot and slammed it down. The evolutionary light of a second Cyber Dragon shone on Kaiser’s field.

"—I Special Summon Cyber Dragon from the Graveyard!"

[Cyber Dragon ★★★★★ (Level 5)][LIGHT][Machine/Effect][ATK 2100/DEF 1600]

"Let your scrap-metal fortress be obliterated before the evolutionary light of Cyber Dragon! Spell Card—Evolution Burst!"

[Evolution Burst – Spell Effect: If you control "Cyber Dragon": Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target. "Cyber Dragon" cannot attack the turn you activate this card.]

A brilliant flame burst from Cyber Dragon’s mouth, instantly engulfing the massive Machina Fortress.

"Beautiful! If it’s destroyed by effect, Machina Fortress won’t trigger its last-words effect!" Misawa exclaimed excitedly.

"No... it doesn’t look destroyed," Akasha said, pointing toward the burning fortress. "It feels like... it’s transforming?!"

"Naive human. I activate the effect of Machina Megaform discarded to the Graveyard!" Dovelgus drew a massive virtual card from his Duel Disk.

[If a face-up "Machina Fortress" you control is sent to your GY while this card is in your GY: You can banish that "Machina Fortress" from the GY; Special Summon this card.]

"I banish the destroyed Machina Fortress! Behold the evolutionary transformation of the iron soul!"

[Machina Megaform ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Machine/Effect][ATK 2600/DEF 1500]

The grounded fortress transformed into an even larger super robot with legs, delivering an even greater visual impact.

"Useless scrap! No matter how many times you change form, you cannot defeat the invincible Cyber Dragon! Watch closely—this is true evolutionary transformation! Spell Card—Power Bond!"

As Zane activated the Machine-Type Fusion Spell, the two Cyber Dragons on his field fused together in a blaze of welding light.

"I fuse the two Cyber Dragons on my field with the effect of Power Bond! According to the Spell’s effect, the Fusion Monster’s ATK is doubled! Roar—Cyber Twin Dragon!"

[Cyber Twin Dragon ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][LIGHT][Machine/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2800 → 5600/DEF 2100]

[’Cyber Dragon’ + ’Cyber Dragon’]

"He summoned Cyber Twin Dragon with 5600 ATK!"

"As expected of Zane—so strong!"

Pointing forward forcefully, Zane commanded the assault.

"Use the evolutionary light of the twin dragons to devour the loser before you! Cyber Twin Dragon, attack!"

The twin dragon heads unleashed overwhelming beams that vastly surpassed Machina Megaform’s attack power, instantly destroying Dovelgus’s monster.

[Machina Megaform destroyed]

[Dovelgus LP 8000 → 5000]

"My attack isn’t over—but your battle is! Cyber Twin Dragon’s effect allows it to attack twice during the same Battle Phase! Now—behold this fatal evolutionary light, double blast!!"

"Human ignorance and arrogance will ultimately bring about destruction. I activate my Set Trap Card—Rainbow Life! I discard one card from my hand. For the rest of this turn, instead of taking damage, I gain Life Points equal to the damage I would have taken!"

The explosive double-evolution beams did not harm Dovelgus in the slightest. Instead, the enormous energy of Cyber Dragon was absorbed entirely by the giant mechanical body.

[Dovelgus LP 5000 → 16600]