Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Activating the effect of [Fire King High Avatar Garunix] from my Graveyard!"

[Once per turn, during the next Standby Phase after this card was destroyed by a card effect and sent to the GY: Special Summon this card from the GY.]

As the two Garunix crossed paths in the sky, Hoshino suddenly realized something:

"So that's why you destroyed it from your hand last turn—to fulfill the condition for Special Summoning it from the Graveyard. Fire Kings are more interesting than I thought."

However, judging by the serious expressions on Rafael and Valon's faces, Hoshino could tell that this Fire King beast, bearing the title of "Avatar," wouldn't be so simple.

As expected, Alister pointed toward the Garunix soaring above.

"When this Garunix is Special Summoned by its own effect, it destroys all monsters on the field!"

The Garunix circling high above suddenly spread its wings wide, unleashing waves of flames that surged across the entire Monster Zone.

Hoshino's eyes widened as she realized one crucial fact:

"Destroying all monsters on the field means..."

"That's right!" Alister declared smugly. "The other [Fire King High Avatar Garunix] on my field will be destroyed as well! This way, the second Garunix will revive during the next Standby Phase, wipe the field again, and the cycle will repeat endlessly! It's an infinite loop!"

Rafael, watching intently, explained with a serious tone:

"This is Alister's chain of infinite field wipes. While technically infinite, most duelists won't survive more than one or two cycles."

Valon let out a low whistle.

"Pulling off a full Garunix loop by Turn 2? Looks like Hoshino-chan is in some real trouble."

Apparently, Valon had started calling her "Hoshino-chan," signaling that he already considered her one of their own. After all, nothing bonds duelists—or even spectators—better than a good duel.

"Burn it all to the ground!" Alister roared.

The flames engulfed the field, scorching every monster in sight.

"Well, Hoshino? Your field is as good as empty now!"

"Empty? What nonsense is he spouting?" Hoshino teased, turning toward her own monsters.

Once again, the flames were sliced apart by Brave Elizabeth, who tilted her head cutely and remarked:

"Daydreaming in broad daylight? Does this guy even have eyes?"

Using the lingering flames from Garunix as a makeshift lighter, Waver casually lit a cigarette and muttered:

"This is why I keep telling you: stop playing StarCraft. You should try strategy games instead."

Alister rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Not a single monster left the field? How is that possible?!"

Though the second Garunix had indeed been destroyed, the monsters on Hoshino's field remained untouched.

"The effect of [Heroic Spirit – Zhuge Liang] activates! When this card is sent from the Monster Zone to the Graveyard, I can place it in my Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell instead."

Hoshino slid Waver's card into her back row as he took a symbolic step back on the battlefield.

"Next, I activate the effect of [Vessel of the Saint] from my Graveyard!"

[Vessel of the Saint Effect: When an opponent's monster effect activates, banish this card from your Graveyard and target 1 [Heroic Spirit] monster you control. That monster is unaffected by your opponent's monster effects this turn.]

Jeanne d'Arc: "O steadfast warrior, accept the Lord's blessing and rise again!"

"I'll target Brave Elizabeth, making her unaffected by Garunix's effect!"

Elizabeth, fidgeting in her barely-there outfit, shyly glanced over.

"So reliable, Manager! Protecting me so carefully—it must be true love!"

Come on, you're the only one on the field who can fight! Who else would I protect?!

Of course, Hoshino, the self-proclaimed "Dragon Girl Whisperer," didn't voice her true thoughts. Instead, she gave Elizabeth a firm thumbs-up, making the little dragon girl blush even more.

"Since [Heroic Spirit – Zhuge Liang] is now a Continuous Spell, his effect activates—while he's in the back row, all my monsters gain 300 ATK/DEF!"

[Brave Elizabeth ATK 4400 → 4700]

Elizabeth raised her katana with excitement.

"Woo-hoo!!"

Alister clicked his tongue.

"Futile resistance."

He gestured toward his Graveyard.

"I activate the effect of [Fire King Avatar Barong], which was destroyed last turn—during my Standby Phase, I can add one 'Fire King' card from my Deck to my hand."

Alister searched his Deck, adding a card to his hand. With his normal draw included, his hand was now up to three cards.

"And since [Fire King High Avatar Garunix] was destroyed by its own effect, I can Special Summon [Fire King Avatar Kirin] in Defense Position from my hand!"

[Fire King Avatar Kirin ★★★ (Level 3)][FIRE][Beast/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 200]

[If a face-up "Fire King" monster(s) you control is destroyed by a card effect: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.]

Bathed in emerald flames, Kirin emerged onto the battlefield. Now that his Standby Phase had ended, Alister moved into his Main Phase.

"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed]!"

He swiftly drew two more cards, bringing his hand back to three.

Amelda nodded approvingly.

"Even though the field wipe will continue next turn, I'm not just sitting around waiting for it."

Without hesitation, Alister placed two more cards onto his Duel Disk.

"I Summon [Fire King Avatar Arvata] in Defense Position and equip [United We Stand] to Garunix!"

[Fire King Avatar Arvata★★★★ (Level 4)][FIRE][Beast-Warrior/Effect][ATK 1800/DEF 200]

A beastly warrior with an elephant's face and twin flaming axes appeared on the field.

[United We Stand Equip Spell Effect: The equipped monster gains 800 ATK/DEF for each face-up monster you control.]

"With three face-up monsters, Garunix gains 2400 ATK!"

[Fire King High Avatar Garunix ATK 2700 → 5100]

With an enormous power boost, Garunix now surpassed even Brave Elizabeth in Attack Power.

"Attack, Garunix! Let the flames of the Fire Kings consume everything before you!"

Alister commanded as his Garunix, now boasting an overwhelming 5100 ATK, soared high above. The majestic firebird looked more imposing than ever, its blazing wings illuminating the battlefield.

"—Fire King's Extinguishing Blaze!"

Hoshino raised her Duel Disk, ready to counter.

"5100 ATK? That may not be enough to defeat Elizabeth! Activating the effect of [Brave Elizabeth]—during the Battle Phase, I draw 1 card from my deck!"

Alister smirked.

"I expected that! Activating the effect of [Fire King Avatar Arvata]!"

The elephant-headed warrior, wielding dual fiery axes, hurled one straight at Elizabeth.

[Effect: When a monster effect is activated while this monster is on the field (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy 1 other FIRE monster in your hand or face-up field.]

Boom!

As the flames clashed against Elizabeth's crimson aura, her ability to draw was forcibly suppressed.

"Your monster's effect is now nullified! As a cost, I destroy the FIRE monster [Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys] in my hand!"

Alister tossed his last card into the Graveyard, and the firestorm raged on, consuming Elizabeth.

"Now, perish before the flames of the Fire King!"

"Not so fast!"

Though Elizabeth's effect had been negated, Hoshino confidently flipped a card from her back row, unveiling it amid the inferno.

"Activating my face-down Trap—[Mature Gentleman]! This turn, my monsters cannot be destroyed by battle, and I take only half the battle damage!"

[Hoshino LP 5000 → 4800]

Alister narrowed his eyes but quickly smirked.

"Of course, you wouldn't go down that easily. But I've already achieved my goal."

Hoshino frowned.

"Achieved your goal? Are you saying that attack was just to destroy the monster in your hand?"

Alister's grin widened.

"Exactly. Witness the devastating combo of Fire King High Avatar Garunix and Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys! With this, your downfall is inevitable. Turn end!"

[Alister: 0 Hand | 0 Set Cards]

"This will be the final showdown! Draw your card, Hoshino!"

His Duel Disk radiated intense heat, as if locking onto her battlefield.

Hoshino clenched her fist.

"There's no way I'm losing momentum now! My turn—draw!"

The moment she drew, twin pillars of flames erupted from the field, intertwining into a brilliant inferno that shot skyward.

Alister raised his fiery hand as his custom Duel Disk glowed a fierce crimson.

"During your Standby Phase, I activate the effects of [Fire King High Avatar Garunix] and [Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys] from my Graveyard! Rise again—eternal birds of fire!"

From the depths of the Graveyard, a brilliant roc and a golden phoenix soared into the sky, their dazzling flames scorching the battlefield.

[Fire King High Avatar Garunix★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][FIRE][Winged Beast/Effect][ATK 2700/DEF 1700]

"When Fire King High Avatar Garunix is revived by its effect, it destroys all other monsters on the field!"

[Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ★★★★★★★★(Level 8)][FIRE][Winged Beast/Effect][ATK 2400/DEF 1600]

Dancing beside Garunix, the golden phoenix flared its wings, unleashing flames toward the back row.

"And [Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys], when revived by its effect, destroys all Spells and Traps on the field!"

The combination was devastating. With Garunix's effect wiping out all monsters and Nephthys clearing the Spell & Trap Zones, the battlefield was on the verge of total annihilation.

Valon scratched his head and sighed.

"That's it. Even if she's tough, Hoshino-chan is no match for us, the Doma. And Alister didn't even need The Seal of Orichalcos!"

But then—

"Don't count me out so soon!"

Hoshino stood firm amidst the inferno, her expression unwavering.

"I really didn't want to use this card… but you've forced my hand. Prepare yourself, Alister!"

"?!?!"

"Activating my Trap Card—[Joint Recital]!"

As the Trap Card was revealed, a dazzling figure emerged from the flames—Nero Claudius, adorned in an elegant white gown. With an air of imperial grace, she stepped forward, her radiance cutting through the inferno.

"Oh, dragon maiden! Without my graceful song, your duet would have ended prematurely!" Nero declared.

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"No more words—let's begin a grand duet! I'll show you how much I've been practicing!"

"Though this stage is humble, these blazing flames perfectly reflect my fiery passion! Let the ultimate duet begin!"

Fulfilling a promise made in North America, Nero and Elizabeth joined their voices.

Their melody soared across the battlefield, shaking heaven and earth. Passionate, transcendent, and irresistible—their song left everyone breathless.

[Joint Recital Trap Effect: If you control a "Heroic Spirit - Elizabeth" monster: Add 1 "Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius" monster from your Deck to your hand. This turn, your opponent cannot activate the effects of Special Summoned monsters.]

The roaring inferno was pierced by their resounding performance, the sheer force of their voices causing cracks to form in the rock beneath them.

Mid-air, Garunix and Nephthys faltered, their mighty wings trembling as their flames flickered and faded.

Valon, nearly collapsing from the spectacle, muttered in awe.

"I take it back, Hoshino-chan… I underestimated you. With strength like that, you don't even need to duel to handle most opponents."

Meanwhile, the duelists on the field looked utterly drained, as though they had just emerged from a Shadow Duel.

Hoshino, barely able to lift her Duel Disk, pressed on.

"Due to Joint Recital, the effects of Special Summoned monsters cannot activate this turn. And..."

Drawing a new card from her deck, her resolve remained unwavering.

"I add [Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius Bride] to my hand!"

(*****)

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