NOVEL WEB Chapter 434
"No, Yugi! I won't let this go unanswered! I activate my Counter Trap—Battle of Camlann!!"
Facing the oncoming Dark Magic Attack head-on, Hoshino flipped her second face-down card without hesitation.[Battle of Camlann – Counter Trap Effect: When a monster effect, Spell, or Trap Card is activated: You can banish 1 "Artoria" monster from your GY; negate that activation, and if you do, destroy it.]
"As the activation cost for Battle of Camlann, I banish Ideal King of Knights Lily from my Graveyard—to negate and destroy Dark Magic Attack!"
The dark magical energy, cleaved apart by the power of the King of Britain, dissipated into the void. The effect that threatened to wipe out Hoshino's back row vanished with it.
"Not only that—because the number of Heroic Spirit monsters in my banished zone increased, Oda Nobunaga, boosted by the Continuous Trap Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, gains additional ATK equal to Ideal King of Knights Lily's ATK!"
[Oda Nobunaga ATK 5400 → 7800]
"Full firepower! Let the gods witness our strength, Nobunaga!"
The scorching flames of Hell surged higher. Now with more than double the ATK of The Winged Dragon of Ra, Nobunaga's aura burned with overwhelming intensity.
"Heaven, Earth, and Buddha shall turn to ash—"
"Six Heavens shall gather and overturn the world—"
"This is my full-power mode—Demon King of the Sixth Heaven!"
Legend has it that once she reaches full power, Nobunaga appears... well, naked. But engulfed in hellfire, no one can actually tell what she's wearing—so the legend remains unconfirmed.
"...So this is how it is, huh?" Yugi muttered, glancing at his struggling Winged Dragon of Ra, caught in the Demon King's inferno. If he took this attack directly, his Life Points would surely be obliterated.
"If it's hellfire that destroys gods—then I'll counter it with a divine flame even greater!"
Yugi activated Ra's effect, and his Life Points shifted in response to the clash of flames.
"—I pay 1000 Life Points to activate the Phoenix Mode of The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
[Yugi LP 2100 → 1100]
[Once per turn, by paying 1000 LP: Activate God Phoenix Mode. Destroy 1 monster on the opponent's field, ignoring effects. This card cannot be destroyed, takes no battle damage, and is unaffected by other card effects until the End Phase. This can also be used during your opponent's turn.]
A golden light engulfed Ra's body, transforming it into its God Phoenix form. The fiery divine bird roared and charged straight toward Oda Nobunaga.
"When the time comes, the god shall rise as a phoenix, and the chosen monster shall be laid to rest within the earth!
Feel the wrath of divine flames—destroy Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga!"
An absolute destruction effect that ignored all resistances. Even with low LP, Yugi chose to erase the greatest threat to divine monsters.
"This fire chicken's seriously bad news, Master!" Nobunaga's smug grin finally tensed as the Phoenix closed in.
But then—a familiar voice rang from Hoshino's hand.
"Heh… this is all there is to Nobu, after all. Even if she's got the power to slay gods and Buddhas, she's still just a flashy fool."
"That voice—?!" Even with defeat looming, Nobunaga had the presence of mind to recognize it.
"That infuriating tone… it's you, Okita?!"
"Let the cool and reliable Okita-san save Nobu from fire and brimstone... well, just fire, in this case."
"You're saving me? This is effect destruction that ignores resistances, you know! Wait—why do you even have an Okita in your hand, Master... no way—"
[When destroyed by battle, Ideal King of Knights Lily's special effect activates: Add 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster from the Deck to your hand.]
"Master, you used that precious search… to add someone as useless as Okita?!"
"What's wrong with searching for my ace monster?" Hoshino revealed Okita from her hand and flipped over her third set card.
"I've seen that God Phoenix destruction before. It's absurd—there's no way to endure it. So instead, we dodge it! Quick-Play Spell—Phantasmal Summon, activate!"
By sending the targeted Nobunaga to the Graveyard as Fusion Material, the destruction effect of God Phoenix failed to resolve.
"With Phantasmal Summon's effect, I send Oda Nobunaga from the field and Okita Soji from my hand to the Graveyard. I also banish Nursery Rhyme from the Graveyard as Fusion Material—Fusion Summon!
Final Battle Light—Heroic Spirit – Majin-Okita Sōji Alter!"
[Heroic Spirit – Majin-Okita Sōji Alter ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
[Heroic Spirit – Okita Soji + Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga + 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster]
"My blade reaches the sky—Super Majin Okita Alter appears!"
Wielding a katana nearly her size, Okitan slashed clean through the incoming divine flames with ease.
"Her effect: This card gains 1000 ATK for each banished 'Heroic Spirit' monster. I have 3 banished."
[Okitan ATK 3000 → 6000]
The battle resumed immediately. Even in God Phoenix mode, Ra had to follow through with its attack.
Its 3300 ATK collided against Okita's 6000.
"Slice through the dust of the world! With endless light—sever the dawn!"
In a flurry of countless slashes, Okitan shattered God Phoenix's blazing form.
"While in God Phoenix mode, Ra cannot be destroyed and takes no battle damage!"
As Yugi's effect resolved, the Phoenix regenerated once more, its flaming wings reforming into The Winged Dragon of Ra.
The audience held their breath. Ever since Dark Magic Attack and Nobunaga's flames clashed, the duel between Hoshino and Yugi hadn't slowed for even a second—until the moment Okitan shattered the Phoenix.
In the stands, Kaiba muttered:
"Even against Ra, the strongest Egyptian God, she didn't falter—and even forced it into a corner. But… after a clash of this scale, Hoshino has a fatal weakness."
And if Kaiba saw it—Yugi definitely saw it too.
"At the end of the turn, Majin Okita will banish herself by her own effect. That leaves you with no monsters on the field, Hoshino—just one card in hand against my Dark Magician and Ra."
Indeed, once Okitan left the field, Hoshino would be completely exposed.
"If I could plan a strategy to fuse Okitan just to dodge God Phoenix, you think I didn't prepare a follow-up?"
With a dramatic flourish, Hoshino flipped over her final set card—having now revealed all four she had placed last turn.
"Quick-Play Spell—Resolved in Unity, activate!"
[Resolved in Unity – Quick-Play Spell Card Effect: Target 1 "Heroic Spirit" Fusion Monster on the field; return that Fusion Monster to the Extra Deck. Then, if all the Fusion Materials used for its Summon are present in your GY or banished, you can Special Summon that full set to your field.]
A specialized "Heroic Spirit"-archetype Fusion release card. Once the radiant light dispersed, the materials Hoshino had used to Fusion Summon Okitan—Nobunaga, Okita, and the previously banished Nursery Rhyme—all returned to the field.
[Okita ATK 2500]
"Fusing and then separating again... what a strange feeling. But kind of embarrassing too."
This content was first released on MV_LEMPYR.
[Oda Nobunaga ATK 3000]
"Being one with Okita, then separating... yikes. I'm actually feeling kind of fluttery looking at her now."
[Nursery Rhyme DEF 800]
"Did you two forget about me? Or... are you both feeling flustered looking at me too? =A=?"
After repositioning their cards on the Duel Disk, Hoshino immediately activated Nursery Rhyme's effect:
"Since Nursery Rhyme was Special Summoned, I can add 1 Spell Card that lists 'Heroic Spirit' from my Deck to my hand!"
This was exactly why Hoshino had chosen her as Fusion material earlier—to set up for this retrieval.
[Hoshino: 2 Hand Cards]
"So, Yugi... does this look like someone who's run out of options?"
"Amazing. To have calculated this far in advance... Even I must acknowledge your skill."
Yugi smiled wryly, eyeing the field Hoshino had refilled like a magician's sleight of hand. He ended his turn by setting two cards.
[Yugi: 2 Hand Cards | 3 Set Cards]
[Demon King of the Sixth Heaven – Continuous Trap:]
"At the end of each turn, both players take 300 damage for each 'Heroic Spirit' monster in the banished zone!"
The fiery barrier created by Nobunaga still lingered. As long as it remained, both duelists would continue to be scorched at each End Phase.
"There are 2 banished Heroic Spirits, so both players take 600 damage!"
It might not sound like much, but with Yugi sitting at only 1100 LP, it was practically a ticking time bomb. If Hoshino simply ended their next turn, Yugi would be burned out within two.
"I discard the monster card Lifeforce Harmonizer from my hand! Its effect: When an effect that inflicts damage would activate, discard this card to negate and destroy that effect!"
A transparent wave surged from Yugi's Graveyard, extinguishing even the cursed flames of Nobunaga. For a being without divinity, perhaps the flames were just... a little too warm.
[Demon King of the Sixth Heaven – Destroyed]
"That card feels super situational. Did you print it just for this duel, Yugi?"
Hoshino raised a brow, then drew her next card.
Jonouchi: "Without Mara Papiyas, Nobunaga probably can't beat Yugi's Winged Dragon of Ra anymore. Plus, Hoshino's last two cards should be Spells—one from Spell Sanctuary, the other from Nursery Rhyme."
Honda: "So to turn the tables, Hoshino would have to draw... one of the Evil Gods? They do have 3 monsters on the field, after all."
Rebecca: "No, that'd be dangerous. Ra is the strongest Egyptian God. If Hoshino tributes all three to summon an Evil God, Yugi could just activate Ra's Phoenix Mode and destroy it instantly. That'd be game over for Hoshino instead."
Anzu: "So... Yugi might just overpower Hoshino with Ra?"
The Winged Dragon of Ra, while not as sudden as Slifer's thunder force, boasts unmatched dominance—capable of OTKs via Fusion strategies or becoming an indestructible Phoenix that scorches everything in its path.
"Everything rides on Hoshino's next draw..."
From the stands, Kaiba watched with narrowed eyes, as if trying to pierce through Hoshino's cards with x-ray vision.
"Even The Wicked Avatar can't overpower Ra in its Phoenix form. What now, Hoshino?"
And just as everyone expected Hoshino to summon a monster to challenge Ra, they instead revealed a completely unexpected card from their hand.
"O nameless dragon, become legend—awaken the hidden power within the card's soul!"
ROOOOAR!!
A crimson dragon of legend soared onto the field.
"With the power of The Claw of Hermos, I awaken the slumbering potential within Oda Nobunaga—reshaping it into a new form!"
"—The sword of the Demon King, forever burning atop the distant land!"
"Fusion Summon! Beyond the Aeons!!!"
(*****)
If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!