"Secret Technique—Phantom Blade Dance—New Year's Celebration!!"
Alexis blinked, bewildered. "New Year's… Celebration?"
Z proudly declared, "That's a finishing move suffix Awei insisted I add. Anyway—prepare yourself for a strike that crosses the stars!"
Hoshino slid the Trap Card from her hand into the Duel Disk, its holographic light flaring like a supernova, empowering Z's twin blades.
"—I activate the Trap Card Servant's Galactic Saber War! I target one card on the field and destroy it! My target is Cyber Angel Natasha!"
Z's twin swords clashed with Natasha's iron blade, the impact sending shockwaves across the water's surface.
Z gasped in disbelief. "Nani!? You actually blocked my Phantom Blade Dance!? Don't tell me—you're one of the servants of the Golden Great Emperor, Cosmo Gilgamesh!?"
Alexis pulled a card from her Graveyard and banished it, explaining calmly, "When you activated your Trap to destroy my Cyber Angel, it triggered the effect of the Ritual Spell in my Graveyard—Machine Angel Ritual!"
[Effect: If a LIGHT monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect while this card is in your GY, you can banish this card instead.]
"I banish the Ritual Spell to prevent the destruction!"
With Alexis's resolute cry, Natasha pushed back Z's attack, shattering the Phantom Blade Dance in a burst of radiant light.
The destruction had been nullified. Without rushing, Hoshino drew another card and placed it onto her Duel Disk.
"In that case, I Normal Summon Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily in Attack Position!"
[Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Dragon/Tuner/Effect][ATK 1200/DEF 800]
Stepping gracefully across a trail of blooming flowers, the gentle Saber Lily landed softly upon the lake's surface.
"Huh? It's Miss Z instead of Master X? How unusual," Lily remarked curiously.
Z immediately struck a pose. "Lily, remember this well! There's only one true heroine—and that's me, Z!"
Saber Lily frowned cautiously. "I vaguely recall Miss Z being… a villain."
"Villain or not, we're on the same side this time! Let's begin the Battle Phase, everyone!"
With a confident wave, Z dashed forward, her boots splashing against the water's shimmering surface.
But Alexis countered immediately. "It's useless, Senpai! Natasha's effect activates—when a Ritual Monster I control is targeted for an attack, that attack is negated!"
A shimmering barrier appeared before Natasha, completely nullifying all incoming attacks.
"No wonder a Level 5 monster only has 1000 ATK… It comes with that kind of annoying defense effect," Hoshino muttered.
High-Level Ritual Monsters often had weak stats but troublesome abilities. That's why many duelists said the scariest monsters were those with zero ATK and DEF.
"However…" Hoshino smirked, her lips curling upward. "That's exactly why I fused to summon Z in the first place!"
Crack!
The barrier shattered under Z's twin blades, fragments of light scattering across the lake. Unfazed, Z charged straight toward Natasha.
"Blades of starlight—erase everything! Now, light and darkness intertwine as one ultimate power!!"
[Mysterious Heroine Z's Effect: When this card is Fusion Summoned: Until the end of this turn, all monsters your opponent controls have their effects negated.]
"I activate Z's effect—Natasha's abilities are sealed! Face this head-on, Alexis!!"
For a brief moment, Alexis was startled—but she quickly regained her composure, her expression hardening with resolve.
"Then I'll fight back fair and square! I activate my Set Quick-Play Spell—Magnificent Machine Angel!"
[Magnificent Machine Angel (Quick-Play Spell) Effect: Tribute 1 "Cyber Angel" Ritual Monster from your hand or field, then target 1 LIGHT Fairy monster you control; it gains ATK/DEF equal to the Level the monster had when Tributed × 200, until the end of this turn.]
"I tribute Cyber Angel Benten (Level 6) from my hand to activate the effect! Natasha gains 6 × 200 = 1200 ATK!"
Alexis sent her final card to the Graveyard. Natasha's halo flared brighter, her body infused with Benten's power.
[Cyber Angel Natasha ATK 1000 → 2200]
"Now my attack is higher by 100 points! Counterattack, Natasha—Maitreya Sword Dance!"
Hoshino extended her arm, refusing to back down. The power of the Galactic Saber War flared once more around her Duel Disk.
"My last attack was blocked—but this time, I won't yield! Go, Z!"
Their blades clashed, red sparks scattering under the moonlight, illuminating the rippling lake. No one could have imagined such a dazzling swordfight unfolding in the tranquil night of Duel Academy.
Alexis frowned in confusion. "Wait… my monster's ATK was higher—so why—?"
Hoshino grinned. "Heh heh. I banish the Trap Card Servant's Galactic Saber War from my Graveyard to activate its second effect!"
[Effect: During the Damage Step, when a "Mysterious Heroine" monster you control battles, you can banish this card from your Graveyard; the opposing monster loses 500 ATK for each Warrior monster in its controller's Graveyard.]
Hoshino pointed toward Alexis's Graveyard. "You've got two Warrior monsters there—Cyber Tutu and Cyber Gymnast, both used as Ritual materials! So by Saber War's effect, Natasha loses 1000 ATK!"
[Cyber Angel Natasha ATK 2200 → 1200]
"In that case, my monster's still stronger! Finish this, Z!"
"Saber Ninpou—Secret Art: A Thousand Strikes in an Instant!!"
Z's twin swords flashed faster than the eye could follow. The resulting explosion of swordlight swallowed Natasha whole.
[Cyber Angel Natasha – Destroyed]
[Alexis LP 4500 → 3600]
"Next up—Saber Lily's direct attack!"
"O holy sword, guide me upon the path of knighthood!"
Swinging her golden holy sword, Saber Lily unleashed a radiant slash that struck directly at the defenseless Alexis.
[Alexis LP 3600 → 2400]
"Ahhh!"
Clutching her chest where the light pierced through, Alexis let out a faint gasp.
Within Duel Academy, the new-generation Duel Disks were designed to replicate the realism of Duel Monsters even more vividly.
Their solid holographic projections could simulate a faint sensation of pain when taking damage.
It wasn't enough to cause real harm—but it gave duelists the immersive feeling of standing alongside their monsters on the battlefield.
Having exhausted every card in her hand for a full-force assault, only to be left with an empty field afterward, Alexis couldn't help but sigh.
"So you counted the number of Warrior-type monsters in my Graveyard and set a counter-trap around that… You really are a powerful duelist, Senpai."
Slowly recovering from the pain, Alexis's spirit remained unbroken.
If anything, her gaze only grew sharper—burning with renewed determination.
"If I give up here, I'll never catch up to him."
—Unlike her current confidence, the younger Alexis once held deep prejudice toward Duel Monsters.
Especially since her older brother—the so-called "genius prodigy"—had been praised since childhood.
Under his dazzling shadow, Alexis convinced herself that girls could never surpass boys in dueling.
But five years ago, by sheer chance, she saw a duel broadcast between Hoshino and Seto Kaiba.
And she witnessed Hoshino, cornered and on the brink of defeat, overturn everything with a brilliant counterattack against the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
That single moment completely shattered Alexis's long-held beliefs.
So even a girl can be that strong.
The legendary "Duel King," the strongest duelist in the world—
Was such a cool, awe-inspiring woman.
That day, Alexis picked up her deck and challenged her genius brother.
She lost, of course—but in that loss, she realized something.
That seemingly unreachable wall she had once gazed at from afar… wasn't quite as impossible to climb as she'd believed.
She wanted to become stronger.
To chase after that dazzling figure.
To never again bow her head just because she was a girl.
That tiny seed of hope and ambition, planted through a fleeting TV moment, had begun to bloom within her heart.
"Not bad. I like that fire in your eyes—it's got the true spark of a passionate duelist~"
Hoshino nodded approvingly, then set her final card face-down on her Duel Disk, ending her turn.
[Hoshino: 0 Hand Cards | 2 Set Cards]
"But you've used up all your resources in that last exchange," Hoshino said with a knowing smile. "With no monsters left on your field, can you really keep fighting, Asuka?"
"No, Senpai—this duel is only just beginning!"
Drawing her next card—the last one in her hand—Alexis's eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight, brimming with confidence and grace.
"I activate the effect of Cyber Angel Natasha in my Graveyard!"
[③: If this card is in your GY, you can banish 1 other "Cyber Angel" monster from your GY, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; Special Summon this card, and if you do, take control of that target.]
"I banish Cyber Angel Benten from my Graveyard and target your Mysterious Heroine Z, Senpai!
I Special Summon Cyber Angel Natasha from my Graveyard—and take control of Z!"
Hoshino gasped as Alexis unveiled her final gambit.
Though her field had seemed empty, Natasha's effect was a perfect reversal lying in wait.
[Cyber Angel Natasha ATK 1000]
Bathed in mysterious light, the Z on Hoshino's field pressed her hand to her white cap and grinned mischievously.
"Oh right, I just remembered—I'm technically supposed to be a villain, aren't I? Sorry, Lily~ I'm switching sides now!"
[Mysterious Heroine Z ATK 2100]
Now under Alexis's control, Z smirked and raised her blade toward her former master.
"The battlefield's cruel, Master. Only those who survive to the end get to be called winners!"
Saber Lily muttered under her breath, "As expected of Miss Z… even betrayal suits her too well…"
With a graceful motion, Alexis slid her newly drawn card into her Duel Disk—her comeback finally taking shape.
"—I activate the Equip Spell Fusion Weapon! I target one Level 6 or lower Fusion Monster and equip it! The equipped monster gains 1500 Attack Points!"
Originally, that Fusion Weapon was meant for Alexis's Cyber Blader.
But now that she controlled the Level 5 Mysterious Heroine Z, it worked perfectly.
[Mysterious Heroine Z ATK 2100 → 3600]
Holding the glowing fusion weapon, Z smiled in pure delight.
"So this is the new power gained through betrayal… Magnificent!
With strength like this, no number of Sabers can stop me!"
"Yeah," Hoshino Alter muttered, "she's setting up a ton of death flags right now…"
"This is it, Senpai!"
Alexis raised her arm high.
"Mysterious Heroine Z—attack Artoria Pendragon Lily on Senpai's field!"
Charging across the water's surface, Z swung her fusion weapon without hesitation.
"Don't take it personally, Lily! Weak Sabers like you don't stand a chance in this cruel world!!"
Facing Z's oncoming assault, Hoshino shouted, "You're wrong, Z! Lily isn't weak! Even a fleeting bloom can shine brilliantly through perseverance!"
"Master!" Lily's eyes burned with courage as she gripped her golden sword tightly.
She could feel her master's resolve echoing within her heart.
"Charge forward, Lily! Until you grasp that single shining star!
Quick-Play Spell—activate! Artoria's Star!"
Hoshino sent Mysterious Heroine X from her Extra Deck to the Graveyard to power up her final strike.
"Artoria's Star's effect—Target 1 Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily you control.
Send 1 Mysterious Heroine X from your Extra Deck to the GY; that Lily's ATK becomes equal to X's ATK—3000 points!"
[Artoria Pendragon Lily ATK 1200 → 3000]
The power of the Artorias united—
And the distant star hanging in the night sky guided the young knight forward.
"I've inherited it… Master X's will!
All my training on the path to becoming the strongest Saber—now it becomes my strength to carve open the future!"
The holy sword in Lily's hands gleamed brighter than ever before.
"Hmph, even if your Lily powered up, my Z's ATK is still higher thanks to Fusion Weapon!"
Alexis pressed her attack without hesitation—
But sheer ATK alone wasn't enough to secure victory here.
"Not necessarily, Alexis! Final face-down—activate Trap Card Saber's War – Preparation!"
[Saber's War – Preparation (Trap) Effect: During either player's Battle Phase, Set 1 "Saber's War" card directly from your Deck. You can activate it this turn.]
The trap beneath Hoshino's feet shimmered, transforming into another card from her Deck.
"According to the effect of Preparation, I Set Saber's War – Focused Breakthrough—and immediately activate it!"
[Saber's War – Focused Breakthrough: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster you control; that opponent's monster loses ATK and DEF equal to your monster's ATK until the end of this turn. If its ATK becomes 0, destroy it.]
"Break through, Lily!
By this Trap's effect, Z's ATK drops by Lily's ATK value!"
[Mysterious Heroine Z ATK 3600 → 600]
"It's over, Miss Z!
This battle is the victory of my will—and my master's!
O chosen sword, grant me the strength to cut down evil—Star Triumph: Golden Sword!!"
A blinding wave of light burst forth, splitting the lake in two as Lily's strike carved a radiant path through the night, engulfing Z in its brilliance.
[Mysterious Heroine Z – Destroyed]
[Alexis LP 2400 → 0]
A 3000-to-600 damage difference—
Perfectly wiping out Alexis's remaining Life Points.
As the holograms faded, Alexis realized she hadn't even managed to so much as scratch her opponent.
"So… this is the gap between us, huh?
I admit it—I lost completely."