Chapter 435
"—The sword of the Demon King, burning eternally upon the distant land! Fusion Summon! 'Beyond the Aeons!!"
[Beyond the Aeons ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)] [FIRE] [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 3000 / DEF 2500]["Claw of Hermos" + "Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga"]
[If this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 Warrior monster on the field; equip this card to that target as an Equip Spell Card.]
Transforming a Monster Card into an Equip Spell to unlock hidden potential—this is the power of the legendary dragon, The Claw of Hermos.
"Wha—! That's... that's...!!"
Jonouchi's scream echoed from the audience. Among those present, he looked the most shocked at seeing Hoshino play Claw of Hermos.
"That's my Legendary Dragon! How is it in Hoshino's hands?! Weren't the Legendary Knights supposed to have vanished?!"
With a wicked smirk, Hoshino glanced toward Jonouchi with pitying eyes.
"No, this dragon belongs to me now, Jonouchi~"
After defeating The Leviathan, the three Legendary Knights were expected to depart this world. However, Knight Hermos sensed a new, unknown threat looming in Hoshino's future—something different from Orichalcos.
Ultimately, Hermos chose to leave his power behind to assist Hoshino in facing the coming trials.
"Using the power of the Legendary Dragon to fight a god, huh? Only you would think of such a reckless strategy... and actually go through with it," said Yugi in amazement.
"But it's not just the dragon," Hoshino declared. "There's also Oda Nobunaga, who infused the sword with anti-divine power to forge Beyond the Aeons!"
Sliding Beyond the Aeons into the Spell/Trap Zone of her Duel Disk, Hoshino declared:
"I equip Beyond the Aeons to Okita!
The equipped monster gains 1000 ATK and becomes unaffected by your card effects!"
[Okita Soji ATK 2500 → 3500]
Catching the blazing sword falling from the sky, Okita gained both tremendous power and resistance. Her cherry-blossom-colored hair now glowed with fierce crimson from the reflected flames.
Nobunaga: "You'd better wield me properly, Okita!"
Okita, raising an eyebrow at the sword: "You're still talking even after becoming an Equip Spell, Nobu? Really trying hard to stay relevant, huh?"
With the fusion complete, Hoshino nodded.
"Get ready, Okita-san. Use the sword, forged from Nobu's will, to cleave down the gods!"
"Ooooh! Now we're talking, Master!"
"This finally feels like I'm the ace of the team again!"
With fire blazing from her blade, Okita aligned her gaze with the red-hot edge—her expression suddenly turned serious.
"I am Okita Souji! As the ace of this duel, I swear upon this blade—blessed with the power to slay gods and Buddhas alike—that I shall cut down every divine being across the world!"
Nobunaga: "Imitating your Alter form's edgy tone again? You're getting way too cocky, Okita!"
"Time to enter the Battle Phase! Okita's effect: She can attack once for each monster your opponent controls!
Engulf the battlefield in your Demon King flames!"
Okita's green figure blazed through the air, her red sword carving a fiery realm akin to the Great Inferno of Sixth Heaven—the deepest layer of hell.
Mokuba, observing the field:
"Yugi's monsters all have lower ATK than Hoshino's Okita! If this Battle Phase goes through—"
Kaiba agreed:
"Then all three of Yugi's monsters and his remaining Life Points will be wiped out by Hoshino's... But Yugi won't go down without a fight! He holds The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Raising his arm, Yugi pointed toward the burning god in the sky.
"Even if Okita has gained resistance through Beyond the Aeons, she still can't withstand Ra's flame!"
Mokuba suddenly realized:
"That's right! Ra – Phoenix Mode ignores targeting and destruction protections. Even with just 100 Life Points left, if Yugi stops Okita's attack this turn, he could turn the duel around!"
But Ra remained floating—unmoving. It didn't transform.
"Heh heh~" Hoshino laughed. "Thinking of switching into Phoenix Mode?
Too bad the condition hasn't been met, Yugi!"
Yugi looked at the Life Points display on his Duel Disk.
"Beyond the Aeons' effect activates at the start of the Battle Phase—it deals 500 damage to both players!"
The inferno Okita carved into reality wasn't just for show—it scorched both duelists' Life Points:
[Yugi LP 1100 → 600]
[Hoshino LP 2800 → 2300]
With Yugi's LP now under 1000, he could no longer activate Phoenix Mode.
"500 damage isn't much, but it seals off the most troublesome form of Ra!
Now Okita just needs to land one blow to end this!"
Okita swung her sword, flames spreading across the entire field.
With 3500 ATK, she only needed to destroy either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl to clinch victory.
"So you blocked Phoenix Mode. Big deal," said Yugi, unshaken.
"I never said I'd activate that form again. The divine flame you can't resist—comes from Ra's true final effect!" TheauthenticversionisonM|V|LEMPY_R.
"Pay LP until you have 1 remaining; this card gains ATK equal to the amount paid.
Then, tribute any number of your monsters; Ra gains ATK equal to their total ATK.
This is treated as a Fusion between god and duelist."
[Yugi LP: 600 → 1]
"The god shall rise upon the earth.
Rebirth forged by the life of its master.
Together, they become one.
Their enemies shall burn.
Divine wrath shall turn all to ash!"
Ra's final transformation began—not with Yugi standing atop the god like some cliché villain, but at the very center of Ra's flame, his burning Duel Disk symbolizing their union.
"By fusing with The Winged Dragon of Ra,
And absorbing the powers of both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, Ra's final ATK becomes 8299!"
[The Winged Dragon of Ra ATK 3300 → 8299]
Jonouchi:
"Over 8000 ATK?! If Hoshino attacks now, she's just walking into her own defeat!"
Yugi had never intended to use Phoenix Mode—rather than stall, he was ready to end this duel in one counterattack!
"This is the end, Hoshino! Face Ra's final form—
Golden Flame Cannon!!"
"Don't get cocky, Yugi!!"
Hoshino roared back.
"I've already beaten Ra before—there's no way I'd forget its effects!
I calculated every possibility, accounted for every move.
And now, the final obstacle will be cleaved by this—Beyond the Aeons!!"
Nobunaga:
"Let's go, sickwoman! Let the world witness our combined strength!!"
Now, as a true Shinsengumi, Okita shattered the divine flames with her blade alone.
Despite her usual antics, the genius swordswoman of the Shogunate wielded techniques that could ascend to Noble Phantasms.
"—Beyond the Aeons' effect activates!!"
[The equipped monster gains ATK during damage calculation equal to 2000 × the number of DIVINE monsters on the field and in the Graveyards.]
"Yugi, you have Slifer in your Graveyard and Ra on the field.
I have The Wicked Dreadroot in mine.
That's three gods in total.
Which means Okita's power increases by 6000!"
[Okita Soji ATK 3500 → 9500]
"Now we've turned the tables—strike now, Okita!!"
Her sword pierced through the Golden Flame Cannon.
Crimson and gold fire clashed—and through the combined will of Nobunaga the Conqueror and Okita the Sword Saint, the gods' pride was shattered.
"—Mumyou, Sandanzuki!!!!"
"RAAAAAAH!!"
The once-invincible Ra screamed as it was obliterated by the final strike.
The ultimate god was defeated—by this unlikely pair of clownish heroes.
Behind Hoshino, the little Wicked God girl appeared, sympathetically watching Ra fade into ash.
"Don't be sad, bro. You're not the first god to get wrecked by those two..."
After all, she too had once been the strongest—and lost to these exact goofballs.
(*****)
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