"Let's begin, Senpai! If you lose, you'll have to promise me one thing, okay~?"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to lose! Duel! I'll take the first turn!"
Drawing her opening hand from the Duel Disk, Hoshino placed a monster card horizontally on her field.
"I'll set a monster in Defense Position—Heroic Spirit – Spartacus! Then I'll set one card face-down and end my turn!"
[Heroic Spirit – Spartacus ★★★ (Level 3)] [FIRE] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 1500 / DEF 1500]
"Long time no see, my dear love—shake this tranquil lake once more!"
Under the moonlit night, Spartacus materialized through the Duel Disk, her battle cry rippling across the calm surface of the lake.
Alexis blinked in surprise. "Senpai, are you… using Heroic Spirit monsters too? Hoshino… you're running a Heroic Spirit deck…"
For a moment, Alexis wondered if the girl standing before her might actually be the Duel King's sister or something.
Digging through the haze of childhood memories, she recalled watching that legendary duelist on TV—and now, looking at Hoshino, she couldn't help but notice a faint resemblance despite her more youthful appearance.
Of course, it was probably just her imagination. After years of evolution, Duel Monsters had developed far beyond its early days. The once-rare "Heroic Spirit" monsters used by the Duel King had since been mass-produced through Industrial Illusions' commercial expansions, appearing in countless reprint sets.
Among them were familiar names—Spartacus, a balanced attacker and defender, and Cu Chulainn, the survivor who just wouldn't die. Even duelists who didn't run Heroic Spirit decks often kept one or two in their builds.
"My turn then! Draw!"
Alexis glanced at her starting hand and smiled. "So Spartacus deals damage when destroyed and lets you regain Life Points, huh~?"
She drew a card, then slapped one onto her Duel Disk. A cute girl materialized, her pink toes delicately brushing the lake's surface like a dragonfly touching water—a graceful figure under the moonlight.
"—I Normal Summon Cyber Tutu in Attack Position!"
[Cyber Tutu ★★★ (Level 3)] [EARTH] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 1000 / DEF 800]
"What a cute Duel Monster. It really suits you, Alexis~ But compared to Mana, she's a little lacking in… charm."
"Thanks for the compliment, Senpai—but my monster isn't just cute! Cyber Tutu's effect—"
[If the ATK of each monster your opponent controls is higher than this card's, this card can attack directly.]
"Since Spartacus's ATK is higher than Tutu's, I'll activate that effect! Direct attack, Cyber Tutu—Swan Kick!"
With a graceful twirl, the ballerina's slender legs swept past Spartacus, targeting Hoshino directly.
"Not so fast! I activate the effect of Heroic Spirit – Saint George from my hand! When an opponent's monster declares an attack, I can Special Summon this card from my hand in Defense Position! When summoned this way, Saint George gains 500 DEF!"
[Heroic Spirit – Saint George ★★★★ (Level 4)] [LIGHT] [Fairy/Effect] [ATK 1000 / DEF 1600 → 2100]
As the card was placed sideways on the field, the lake rippled—Saint George emerged from the waters, holy sword in hand, blocking Tutu's kick midair. "Sorry, lady. You shall go no further~"
"And as long as Saint George is on the field, your attacks can only target him!"
"So it really is a Heroic Spirit deck, not just a few cards…" Seeing a second Heroic Spirit monster confirmed Alexis's suspicion about Hoshino's strategy.
"To face a Heroic Spirit deck—it really feels like fate. Since the number of monsters on your field changed, according to the attack recalculation rule, I can choose to cancel Cyber Tutu's attack."
She withdrew the ballerina mid-spin. In older rules, Tutu would've struck Saint George and rebounded, dealing damage to Alexis herself.
"After the Battle Phase, I activate the Ritual Spell Machine Angel Ritual from my hand! I'll use Cyber Tutu (Level 3) on my field and Cyber Gymnast (Level 4) in my hand as tributes!"
The two monsters merged into a ritual flame that rose above the water, taking the form of a divine, mechanical angel.
"—I Ritual Summon! Come forth, Cyber Angel Natasha in Attack Position!!"
[Cyber Angel Natasha ★★★★★ (Level 5)] [LIGHT] [Fairy/Ritual/Effect] [ATK 1000 / DEF 1000]
[You can Ritual Summon this card with "Machine Angel Ritual."]
The golden-armored, centaur-like mechanical angel galloped across the moonlit lake, her radiant form shimmering over the water.
"A Level 5 Ritual Monster with only 1000 ATK?" Hoshino frowned. "That's quite low."
"Cyber Angel Natasha's effect—once per turn, I can target one face-up monster I control, and recover Life Points equal to half that monster's ATK."
Targeting herself, Natasha's wings spread wide, releasing a soft light as Alexis's Life Points increased by half of her ATK.
[Alexis LP 4000 → 4500]
"I'll set one card face-down and end my turn!"
[Alexis: 1 Hand Card | 1 Set Card]
"My turn—draw! A Cyber Angel Ritual Monster, huh? Then let's battle, Alexis!"
Slotting a Spell Card into her Duel Disk, Hoshino's two Heroic Spirits were engulfed in a fusion aura.
"I activate the Spell Card Polymerization! I fuse my Heroic Spirit – Saint George and Heroic Spirit – Spartacus to Fusion Summon—Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine Z!!"
[Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine Z ★★★★★ (Level 5)] [LIGHT] [Dragon/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2100 / DEF 1600]
[Fusion Materials: "Heroic Spirit" monsters × 2]
She looked identical to Mysterious Heroine X, except her blue leotard and cap were replaced with pure white.
"The true heroine—Z—has arrived! Now I'll erase both Saber and X under this moonlit sky!"
"And when I control a 'Mysterious Heroine' monster, I can activate a Trap Card from my hand—Servant's Galactic Saber War!"
Roaring under the moonlight, Mysterious Heroine Z's twin blades shimmered as she lunged toward Alexis's Cyber Angel Natasha.
"Secret Technique—Phantom Blade Dance—New Year's Celebration!!"