Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Ritual Summon—[Heroic Spirit – Altera the San(ta)]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Altera the San(ta) ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][LIGHT][Fairy/Ritual/Effect][ATK 2200/DEF 1000]

"And at the same time, I activate the Ritual Spell [Year End Present]! When I use a [Lily] monster to perform a Ritual Summon, I can draw one card from my deck!"

"A Ritual monster with only 2200 attack points?" Marik sneered disdainfully. "It's useless against my defenses."

Drawing a card, Hoshino countered with a smirk, "Then how about this? I activate the special effect of [Heroic Spirit – Altera the San(ta)]! When this card is successfully Ritual Summoned, I can Special Summon one [Lily] monster from my Graveyard or banished zone to my field."

Raising the rainbow candy-like Sword of Mars, Altera chanted softly, causing her fake white beard to slip off.

"Christmas effect activated—candies, cookies, and cake for everyone to enjoy!"

"Eat! We wants to eat!" Jack appeared from the mist, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Altera.

Placing Jack's card back on her Duel Disk, Hoshino declared, "Thanks to Altera's effect, I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Jack the Ripper], which was sent to the Graveyard by my Ritual Spell!"

[Heroic Spirit – Jack the Ripper ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][DARK][Zombie/Effect][ATK 800/DEF 1000]

"No defensive monster can stand in Jack's way, but..."

Satisfied by the sight of Jack licking Altera's sword, Hoshino drew another card from her hand.

"Altera the San(ta)'s second effect allows me to banish a [Heroic Spirit] monster from my hand, then add a [Lily] monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand."

Discarding the freshly drawn Okita, Hoshino quickly summoned the [Lily] monster she retrieved.

(Okita: "Why?! I also wanted to celebrate Christmas! That Sword of Mars looks delicious!")

"The monster I summon is [Heroic Spirit – Euryale]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Euryale ★★★★ (Level 4)][DARK][Fairy/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1000]

[This card is treated as [Lily]]

The materialized Euryale crossed her arms with a dissatisfied expression.

"I'm a goddess! How can I be lumped together with these children? I object, Master!"

Resting her chin on her hand, Hoshino pretended to think.

"Maybe it's because you're just too adorable, Euryale—so small and cute~."

Euryale's face turned slightly red as she froze for a moment.

"Of course, I know I'm beautiful and cute... Really, Master, you're so sly!"

"Haha, now I activate Euryale's special effect. Once per turn, I can target one of your monsters to change its battle position."

Pointing at Marik's Metal Reflect Slime, Euryale's goddess arrow, adorned with a heart-shaped charm, traced a pink path as it struck the solid wall.

Upon impact, the once-imposing Metal Reflect Slime collapsed into a shimmering pink puddle.

"Even a slime can be charmed, huh? How should I put this..."

Hoshino looked away with a teasing expression.

"This feels like something out of a... doujinshi."

Euryale blushed furiously and protested, "You're the one who ordered me to activate my effect, Master! You pervert!!"

"Anyway..." Hoshino chuckled, her gaze fixed on Marik's now-powerless defense.

"Your high-defense wall has ironically become your greatest weakness!"

[Metal Reflect Slime ATK 0]

"Tch!" Marik clicked his tongue, visibly annoyed.

Extending her hand, Hoshino confidently declared, "I promised to make your life bloom like a flower this turn. Let's show you why flowers are so red! Everyone, attack Marik with everything you've got!"

"Yeah!" (x4)

"Let me teach you a lesson!" With her slender arms, Euryale nocked an arrow into her golden bow, perfectly sized for her petite frame. Her rapid shots were almost invisible to the naked eye.

[Metal Reflect Slime - Destroyed]

[Marik LP: 3800 → 2300]

"Now it's your turn, Jack!"

"Mm, let him experience the might of the Lily Kingdom!"

The clash of frost and flame intertwined with dazzling flashes of Jack's blades, striking Marik relentlessly.

[Marik LP: 2300 → 700]

"And for the final blow—let's go, Zerco~!" Riding her fluffy Zerco, Altera leaped into the air, brandishing her candy cane—or rather, the Sword of Mars.

"Candy Star Photon Ray! Baaa... Baaa... Baaa baaa? Baaa baaa baa!!!"

Seven-colored holy light, accompanied by dazzling special effects, descended upon Marik.

"Tch, I was waiting for this! I activate my Trap Card—[Zoma the Spirit]!" Marik flipped his final set card.

A grotesque black entity emerged, intercepting Altera's attack.

[Zoma the Spirit - Continuous Trap Effect: Special Summon this card in Defense Position as an Effect Monster (Zombie/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 500) (this card is also still a Trap).]

With only 500 DEF, the Trap Monster was instantly obliterated by Altera's attack.

Marik smirked sinisterly. "Take this—my revenge-filled grudge! When Zoma the Spirit is destroyed by battle, it inflicts damage equal to the attacking monster's ATK."

"Ugh?!" The spiritual entity pierced Hoshino with blinding speed.

[Hoshino LP: 4000 → 1800]

Mai remarked softly, "He not only blocked her decisive blow but counterattacked. He doesn't falter, even under pressure."

"Hmph, but that was your last card."

Had Hoshino acted alone, Marik's traps might have been insurmountable. But now, with Marik drained of resources, Hoshino was ready to end it.

"I reveal my set Quick-Play Spell—[Phantasmal Summoning]! I fuse the three [Lily] monsters on my field!"

The three small companions converged into a radiant light.

"Three Lily monsters combined!" Akasha exclaimed, anticipation in her voice. "What kind of cute new monster will it be?"

The next moment shattered her dreams. Instead of a delicate figure, a towering giant emerged, its sheer size dwarfing the battlefield.

"Fusion Summon—[Heroic Spirit – Paul Bunyan]!"

Akasha's small mouth opened and closed, her hesitation evident, before she twitched twice in resignation. "Well... it is cute, but... it's just so intimidating."

[Heroic Spirit - Paul Bunyan ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2600/DEF 1000]

[Requires 3 [Lily] monsters as material]

"I want to play with you guys too~ but..." Paul pouted, scratching her head. "The ceiling is so low here. It needs to be rebuilt."

Kaiba scoffed. "Rebuilt? This is the Duel Tower, a masterpiece designed by KaibaCorp! A Duel Monster like you has no right to make such demands!"

Why are you even arguing with a Duel Monster? That's not scientific at all...

Hoshino pointed at Marik across the field. "Marik, hold onto your head tight! This is Paul's direct attack!"

"So this is the enemy? Leave it to me!" Paul looked down at the tiny Marik beneath her massive feet and slowly lifted her leg.

"You're in the way. I'll tear this place down along with you—Marvelous Exploits!"

Paul's enormous stomp, though only a virtual image, gave everyone the illusion that the entire Duel Tower trembled with its impact.

[Marik LP 700 → 0]

Veins bulged on Marik's forehead, and it was clear that Paul's crushing blow had inflicted more than just damage to his life points—it had bruised his spirit.

"What a boring duel!" Marik sneered after a moment of silence. His life points at zero, he withdrew his Duel Disk. "Do your best to survive; just hope you don't face me in the first round."

Hoshino smirked. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

However, the thoughts of the other players were entirely different from Marik's. With him eliminated by Hoshino, both Yugi and Kaiba were now scheming to lose as quickly as possible to ensure they faced Marik in the tournament's first round.

"It's my turn. I draw!" Kaiba, the player with the highest remaining life points (LP 2400), was in the least favorable position in this "Marik chase."

Despite this, Kaiba's confident smile betrayed no sign of concern. His advantageous starting position after Marik's defeat offered significant tactical opportunities.

"I summon [Granadora] in Attack Position!"

[Granadora ★★★★ (Level 4)][WATER][Reptile/Effect][ATK 1900/DEF 700]

Seeing the pudgy dragon materialize, Hoshino raised an eyebrow. "This is the same card Dark Bakura used for his suicide move! Kaiba, you scoundrel—you modified your deck ahead of time, knowing the rules!"

After all, Hoshino had never seen this card in Kaiba's deck before. It was unlikely he would include such a seemingly unimpressive card compared to his prized Blue-Eyes.

"Hmph." Kaiba smirked, not denying her accusation. "Granadora's effect restores 1000 life points when summoned, but it also inflicts 2000 damage to me if it's destroyed."

[Kaiba LP 2400 → 3400]

Kaiba summoned his monster but refrained from moving to the Battle Phase immediately. Instead, he activated a set card: "Quick-Play Spell [Shrink]! I target Granadora!"

[Shrink Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target one face-up monster on the field; its original ATK becomes halved until the end of this turn.]

Granadora rapidly shrank in size, its ATK halved.

[Granadora ATK 1900 → 950]

"So, you plan to lower your monster's ATK and crash it into one of Hoshino's monsters to destroy it and take yourself out? You're targeting Marik too," Yugi speculated, a knowing smile on his face.

But Kaiba's next move caught Yugi off guard.

"Next, I'll equip [Granadora] with the Equip Spell [Gravity Axe - Grarl]!"

[Gravity Axe - Grarl Equip Spell Effect: The equipped monster gains 500 ATK. Monsters your opponent controls cannot change their battle positions.]

[Granadora ATK 950 → 1450]

The now-miniature Granadora hefted a comically oversized battle axe, a sight both absurd and strangely amusing.

"And finally, I activate my Trap Card [Ring of Destruction]!" Kaiba flipped over his set card, revealing the true depth of his strategy. "I'll destroy my own Granadora, dealing damage to all players equal to its ATK!"

[Ring of Destruction Trap Card Effect: Target one face-up monster on the field. Destroy it, and both players take damage equal to its ATK.]

A black, circular explosive device latched onto Granadora's neck.

"This means everyone takes 1450 damage from Granadora's ATK. And since its effect triggers upon destruction, I'll take an additional 2000 damage, totaling 3450!"

[Yugi LP 1500]

[Hoshino LP 1700]

[Kaiba LP 3400]

"What?! That guy wants to lose on purpose?!" Jonouchi exclaimed, realizing Kaiba's plan to ensure he faced Marik.

From the sidelines, Marik sneered. "Fool. So eager to be my first victim?"

As the flames from the Ring of Destruction surged, Hoshino reacted swiftly. "I won't let you! Altera, it's your turn!"

"Understood, Master!" Altera's voice was firm as she emerged from the flames. Gone was her red Santa outfit. Now, wielding the true Sword of Mars, she unleashed a powerful strike, dispelling the explosion.

"Whoa! She transformed! So cool!" Akasha exclaimed, marveling at Altera's stoic and commanding form.

"Using the Quick-Play Spell [Spirit Origin Conversion], I banish Altera San(ta) from the field and Nobunaga from my hand to Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Altera]!"

Standing tall at the center of the battlefield, Altera radiated the presence of a war goddess, nullifying the devastating damage that would have consumed the field.

"Master taught me this: These hands, meant for destruction, can also protect what's important—and embrace children with love."

[Heroic Spirit - Altera ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Warrior/Effect][ATK 3350/DEF 2400]

[As long as this card is on the field, all effect damage becomes 0. This effect cannot be negated.]

(*****)

If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!