Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Why... why is this happening, Master...? Th-the candy... was poisoned..."

With those final words, Okita collapsed into the pool of blood she had just vomited.

"To think she was taken out just for being greedy... Okita-san, when it comes to being comic relief, you might just be the strongest Heroic Spirit."

Ren, satisfied his plan had gone perfectly, grinned smugly. "And thanks to Gingerbread House's effect, I recover 500 Life Points for every destroyed monster. Now, you've got no monsters left to support your offense~"

[Ren LP 3200 → 3700]

"Don't count me out yet, Ren!" As her turn began, and Okita was destroyed, Hoshino flipped over a card beneath where Okita had stood.

"Trap Card activate—[The Merciless One]!"

[The Merciless One – Trap Effect: When a "Heroic Spirit" monster you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster from your hand or Deck with a Level lower than the destroyed monster.]

"The Heroic Spirit I'm summoning is—[Heroic Spirit – Tamamo Cat]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Tamamo Cat ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][DARK][Beast-Warrior/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 0]

Throwing the selected card onto the field, Tamamo Cat appeared in full 3D—wearing nothing but a naked apron. Her sexy pose immediately drew all eyes to her.

"Wild fox Tamamo Cat enters the scene! Time for our walk, Master~"

The flustered Ren didn't know where to look. "T-T-Totally indecent... That naked apron is way too lewd!"

"...Five years from now, you'll regret saying that."

Hoshino continued, "After Special Summoning Tamamo Cat, I Normal Summon from my hand—[Heroic Spirit – Mary Read]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Mary Read ★★★ (Level 3)][WATER][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1200/DEF 1000]

[When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit – Anne Bonny" from your hand or Deck, but its effects are negated.]

"Thanks to Mary Read's effect, I Special Summon Anne Bonny from my Deck. Then, I banish both to Fusion Summon—[Heroic Spirit – Anne & Mary]!"

[Heroic Spirit – Anne & Mary ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][WATER][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 1800/DEF 1500]

Because of Ren's Continuous Spell, Gingerbread House, any monster exceeding 2500 ATK would be destroyed during the next Standby Phase after "eating candy." With only 1800 ATK, Anne & Mary were Hoshino's safest option.

Akasha quietly muttered, "There it is—that weird fusion logic where just being close is enough to count as fusing."

Anne & Mary: "Hey, hey, we're the infamous pirates who once ruled the Seven Seas! It's because we're a duo that we can keep adventuring together!"

With her monsters summoned and ready, Hoshino leapt into the battle phase.

"Time to attack—Tamamo Cat! Thanks to her effect, during the battle phase, she can attack all monsters on your field. I'm gonna save my precious kouhai!"

Tamamo Cat raised her claws, eyes gleaming with excitement and bloodlust. "Well-done? Or medium rare? You're about to taste Tamamo's Hell~!"

"I won't let that attack go through—Golden Castle of Stromberg, activate!"

The Field Spell behind Ren erupted with radiant golden light, enveloping the charging Tamamo Cat.

[When your opponent declares an attack: Destroy that attacking monster, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half its original ATK.]

"Nyah? What's happening...? Suddenly I feel sooo sleepy... Nap time~"

In an instant, the once-eager Tamamo Cat vanished from the field.

"According to Golden Castle of Stromberg, Tamamo Cat is destroyed, and you take damage equal to half her original ATK."

[Vivian LP 4000 → 2850]

"What kind of busted, totally unfair effect is this?!"

Watching her Life Points plummet, Hoshino finally understood Keith's serious warning earlier.

This sort of nearly unavoidable defense required no cost and even inflicted bonus damage—it was more terrifying than the Seal of Orichalcos back in the day.

And from what Ren had said earlier, there didn't seem to be a once-per-turn limit. If Hoshino kept attacking, Anne & Mary would be wiped out too.

"Mash... Looks like I can't get you out of there this turn... Let's hope your armor holds, okay~?"

"Senpai, were you laughing just now?!"

"I activate Tamamo Cat's effect. When she's destroyed by battle or card effect, I can draw 1 card from my deck. Then I Set two cards face-down. Turn end."

[Vivian's: 1 Hand Card | 2 Set Cards]

"My turn—draw."

Despite having successfully shut down Hoshino's offense with a banned card, Ren's expression looked oddly conflicted.

"As the maintenance cost for Golden Castle of Stromberg, at the start of each of my Standby Phases, I'm supposed to send half the cards in my deck to the Graveyard."

Hoshino narrowed her eyes. For a Field Spell with such powerful defense, that kind of maintenance cost was... suspicious.

Unless the deck was designed to benefit from graveyard effects, discarding half your deck every turn meant a quick loss by deck-out.

Ren hesitated, then continued in a softer tone: "But... the cost for maintaining this card is paid by the opponent."

"...Eh?" Hoshino's face went blank.

Keith suddenly shouted, furious.

"Don't push it too far! I've never heard of it having an effect like that! Even if it's a banned card, it shouldn't be so blatantly broken!"

Clara, once again panicking, clung to Akasha's head.

"How can this be happening...? It's already a banned card, and now it's showing effects that never even existed before..."

Inside the VIP suite overlooking the arena, Zigfried couldn't suppress the smirk tugging at his lips.

"That's right... my adorable little brother. With your dueling skills, and the Golden Castle of Stromberg that I personally modified, no duelist could possibly defeat you. Even the Duel King, wielding a true Heroic Spirit deck, wouldn't be a threat—let alone this 'Vivian.'"

His gaze then slid over to the tense Clara by the stage. Watching the duelist representing her family being pushed to the edge of defeat, Zigfried looked utterly delighted.

"A woman who dares to defy me... You'll regret your reckless choices soon enough."

Announcer: "What kind of overpowered card effect is that!? Not only is Vivian's offense completely sealed off, but she's also forced to send half her deck to the graveyard every turn—just to maintain her opponent's Field Spell!"

"Where did this cheating brat come from, using a card like that in a duel!?"

"Don't lose to this kind of dirty trick, Vivian!"

After sending half her deck to the graveyard, Hoshino's Duel Disk lit up with an effect notification.

"I activate the special effect of Marie Antoinette, who was just sent to the Graveyard. I can now add one 'Heroic Spirit' monster from my deck to my hand!"

Even though Hoshino's deck wasn't built around graveyard plays, some of her cards still triggered effects when sent there—like this long-forgotten Marie.

With the turn officially starting, the golden palace behind Ren shimmered once more.

"Main Phase. I activate the effect of Golden Castle of Stromberg! By giving up my Normal Summon this turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my deck. The monster I choose is... Prinzessin!"

[Prinzessin ★★★★(Level 4)][LIGHT][Fairy/Effect][ATK 300/DEF 600]

Just like in the fairy tale, Prinzessin appeared in ragged clothes—only to magically transform into a gown fit for royalty under a glimmering spell.

"When Prinzessin is Special Summoned, I can also Special Summon one Pumpkin Carriage from my deck in Defense Position!"

[Pumpkin Carriage ★★★(Level 3)][EARTH][Plant/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 300]

"And since Golden Castle of Stromberg is active, I can equip Glass Slipper directly from my deck to Prinzessin!"

Prinzessin raised her foot, and a sparkling crystal slipper appeared beneath it.

[Glass Slipper – Equip Spell Effect: If the equipped monster is a Fairy-type, it gains 1000 ATK.]

[Prinzessin ATK: 300 → 1300]

"Even if you've filled your board with monsters, none of them have enough attack points to surpass Anne & Mary!"

Ren smirked and declared his Battle Phase.

"Doesn't matter. I activate Pumpkin Carriage's special effect! While it's on the field, Prinzessin can attack the opponent directly!"

"Hee-ya!"

She launched her crystal slipper with a vicious kick—smashing it right into Hoshino's head.

[Vivian LP: 2850 → 1550]

"Oww..."

This time, the pain wasn't just her usual over-the-top theatrics—Prinzessin's heel was genuinely brutal.

"When Prinzessin inflicts direct damage, Glass Slipper switches targets and forcibly equips to one of the opponent's monsters!"

Now on the feet of Anne and Mary—one slipper each, as there were only two—it created a hilariously strange sight.

Anne:

"Ooh, glass slippers! I feel like a princess—it's so dreamy~"

Mary:

"But they don't fit right... they're really hard to move in..."

"Only Fairy-types can wear the Glass Slipper. Anyone else who tries will lose 1000 ATK due to its Equip effect!"

[Anne & Mary ATK: 1800 → 800]

"Now the tables have turned! Time to end this battle—go, Forest Hunter!"

Drawing his bow, the seasoned hunter locked onto Hoshino's field with piercing focus.

"Fire! Gale Arrow!"

"Emergency dodge! Anne & Mary's effect—activate!"

[Once per turn, during your opponent's turn: Return this Fusion Monster to the Extra Deck and target 2 of your banished 'Heroic Spirit' monsters; Special Summon them in Defense Position.]

Anne:

"Tactical retreat, Anne~"

Mary:

"Got it~ You won't hit us that easily—not with our sea-slicked agility!"

The duo split apart, leaping away in opposite directions as their Fusion form dissolved—narrowly dodging the arrow.

[Anne Bonny – DEF 1000]

[Mary Read – DEF 1000]

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy to beat someone who defeated King..."

"Then I'll keep attacking—go, Forest Wolf!"

With claws bared, the wolf lunged forward and destroyed the defending Anne. But with no Mash on the field and no Equip Spell attached, its effect didn't activate again.

[Anne Bonny Destroyed]

"And since the Fusion Monster left the field, Glass Slipper is sent to the Graveyard and then re-equips to Cinderella."

[Cinderella ATK: 300 → 1300]

Ren returned the Equip Spell to his Duel Disk and ended his turn.

[Ren: 2 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]

Announcer:"Flawless. The prodigy Ren is using a fairy tale deck in perfect synergy with his Field Spell to completely suppress Vivian! With her offense blocked, and both her deck and Life Points dwindling every turn, how can Vivian possibly turn the tide?"

"Prodigy? More like a cheating brat if you ask me!"

"Using a banned card and acting all smug—give me back the money I bet on this match!"

Hoshino drew her card for the turn and looked at Ren, who now wore a faintly uneasy expression.

"Ren... is this really what you wanted? Dueling with a banned card like this?"

Ren didn't answer. His gaze shifted away, avoiding her eyes.

"Since you're not answering, I'll take that as silent agreement. No matter your reasons, using a card like this is an insult to the duel. This turn—I'm going to destroy your Golden Castle, along with all your fairy tales!"

"Impossible... The modified Golden Castle—not even the Duel King or Yugi Muto could defeat it...!"

"Then I'll do what even the Duel King couldn't! I activate the Spell Card in my hand—Monster Reborn! I bring back my ace monster from the Graveyard: Okita Soji!"

[Okita Soji – ATK 2500]

"What's the point of reviving a monster now...?"

Hoshino smirking "Oh, there's a point. Now let me show you the nameless light that shines through the winter clouds! I activate the Spell Card Polymerization from my hand! I fuse the WATER-attribute Heroic Spirit – Mary Read on my field with Okita Soji!"

Fusion energy burst across the field, radiating brilliance like a midsummer sun—outshining even the artificial glory of the golden palace.

"—Soar between the heavens! Become the irreplaceable dream of summer! Fusion Summon: Heroic Spirit – Okita J. Soji!"

(*****)

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