"Hey, hey, directly Normal Summoning a card like that… isn't that a bit cheating?"
Seeing Ibaraki's ATK far surpass Catapult Turtle, Dark Magician Girl puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"Ibaraki can be Summoned without Tributes, but if you Summon it that way, it comes with the drawback: 'This card is unaffected by your own card effects.'"
Unaffected by your own effects but vulnerable to the opponent's—basically, you lose all positive buffs and still eat every negative effect.
"But even so, it's more than enough to deal with the current situation. Go, Ibaraki! Destroy Catapult Turtle!"
The blazing wings behind Ibaraki burned so intensely that even Hoshino, standing behind her, struggled to handle the heat. She quickly moved into the Battle Phase to get that oni away from her.
"Let me strip every last coin from your shell—take this!"
Entering the Battle Phase, Ibaraki swung her razor-edged bone blade toward Catapult Turtle. With 2700 ATK, she had almost no rivals among monsters that can be Normal Summoned.
"You fell for it~!"
Dark Magician Girl cheerfully flipped her Set card, a radiant holy barrier erupting across her field.
"—I activate my Set Trap! 'Mirror Force'!"
Jaden gasped. "Uh-oh… Yeah, Yugi's Deck definitely has that card."
"Because of Mirror Force, all Attack Position monsters you control are destroyed!"
The bone blade crashed into the barrier, and the amplified shockwave rebounded straight into Ibaraki.
"Eh? I finally get my big entrance and immediately get blown up? I guess that really is the fate of an oni…"
[Anti-Heroic Spirit – Ibaraki-Dōji — Destroyed.]
Sending Ibaraki to the Graveyard, Hoshino didn't look upset at all—in fact, she looked relieved.
"Hmph. If the 'ace trap' was that easy to bait out of you, then the one who fell for it is you, Dark Magician Girl."
When someone uses Yugi's deck normally, the one card that gives Hoshino the biggest headache… is unquestionably this trap. Back when she dueled Yugi, she suffered quite a bit because of it.
She raised her Duel Disk and pulled a card from her Graveyard, placing it face-down in her Monster Zone.
"Since Ibaraki was sent to the Graveyard, I can activate the effect of Heroic Spirit Festive Wear: Marie Antoinette!"
[Once per turn: If a "Heroic Spirit" monster you control is sent to the GY, you can Special Summon this card from the GY.]
"Now begins Overworked-Marie's rapid-fire revival tactics! I Special Summon her in Defense Position!"
"Mes amis! Bask in the undying flames of the French spirit~!"
[Heroic Spirit Festive Wear: Marie Antoinette – DEF 2000]
Marie materialized sweetly and elegantly, quickly drawing excited praise from the surrounding spectators.
"What an adorable Duel Monster! Vive la France!"
"This duel is really a feast for the eyes—not just the duelists, but even the monsters are cute!"
"Since just now? Don't tell me you think Ibaraki is cute too?"
"To be honest, I can't resist a cute girl with horns."
You over there—please keep your horn-fetish under control.
Professor Banner smiled. "In terms of cuteness, our Okita contestant has a slight lead. But if we look only at the field, both have monsters with 2000 DEF—it's a pretty even matchup, nya!"
Ignoring Banner's rainbow-colored commentary, Hoshino Set a card onto her Duel Disk and ended her turn.
[Hand: 3 | Set cards: 1]
"My turn again! Draw!"
Dark Magician Girl glanced at her new card; the iconic blush on her cheeks bounced twice in delight.
"Finally! I drew it~ Too bad, Hoshino—this is the turn where your fate ends!"
With an innocent, harmless expression, she declared an OTK.
She immediately activated Catapult Turtle's effect on her Duel Disk.
"By Tributing Catapult Turtle, I can Special Summon 1 Level 5 Dragon from my Deck!"
With an explosive blast, the cannon fired a Level 5 Dragon straight from her Deck, sacrificing itself in the process.
"Because of Catapult Turtle's effect, I Special Summon Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon in Attack Position!"
[Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon ★★★★★ (Level 5) / DARK / Dragon / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 1500]
Flapping yellow wings and spitting flames, the cursed dragon materialized and circled above her field.
"Cursed Dragon, huh? That's also from Yugi's deck, but…"
Hoshino stared at it. If she remembered correctly, Yugi's Curse of Dragon was a Normal Monster. But this one was clearly an Effect Monster.
"I activate Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon's effect!"
[When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: Add 1 Spell/Trap that lists "Gaia the Dragon Champion" in its text from your Deck to your hand.]
With delicate fingers plucking a card from the swirling flames, Dark Magician Girl twirled and sent it flying dramatically into her Duel Disk.
"The card I searched is—Spiral Fusion!"
[Fusion Summon 1 Dragon Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Material.]
"Now I send 'Charging Gaia the Fierce Knight' from my hand and Cursed Dragon – The Cursed Dragon on my field to the GY as Fusion Material—Spiral Fusion Summon!"
"The strongest knight who pierces dimensions—descend!"
As the brilliant spiral-fusion effects of Dark Magician Girl unfolded across the field, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion burst through the barrier, the dragon-riding knight materializing as he soared over the battlefield.
"—Go! Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][WIND][Dragon/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2600/DEF 2100]
[This card's name becomes "Gaia the Dragon Champion" while it is on the field.]
"And due to the effect of Spiral Fusion—
If this card was Special Summoned using 'Gaia the Dragon Champion,' it gains ATK, and during this turn's Battle Phase it can attack monsters up to twice!"
[Sky Galloping Gaia ATK 2600 → 5200]
A thunderous draconic roar echoed as the flaming spiral lance wrapped in fire, sending Gaia's ATK surging beyond even the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
"And now for Sky Galloping Gaia's effect—"
[If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 'Spiral Spear Strike' from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.]
Dark Magician Girl, her setup complete, tossed the newly searched Spell Card into her Duel Disk with excitement.
[If 'Gaia the Fierce Knight,' 'Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight,' or 'Gaia the Dragon Champion' you control attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.]
"An ATK of 5200 with piercing damage—what kind of terrifying effect is that!?"
"So this is Yugi Muto's deck? It's on a completely different dimension from anything we normally see!"
The overwhelming offensive power stunned the spectators. No wonder Dark Magician Girl had boldly declared an OTK at the start of the turn.
"And I'm not done yet! Sky Galloping Gaia's second effect—when this card declares an attack on an opponent's monster, change that monster's battle position!"
The flame-wreathed spiral lance generated a violent updraft, forcibly twisting Marie into Attack Position.
[Heroic Spirit Festive Wear: Marie Antoinette ATK 0]
Banner gasped.
"Zero ATK… That's practically a direct hit! If it lands, Okita's Life Points will drop to zero instantly! This is a catastrophe, nya!"
"You don't need to say it—I KNOW!"
Hoshino flipped over a set card.
"Trap Card, activate—Virtuous Pike and Shield!"
A radiant protective glow burst forth as Mashu, holding her shield, appeared in Defense Position, summoned by the Trap's effect.
"Please stand behind me, Senpai—and Miss Marie!"
[If a monster you control is targeted for an attack: Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight from your Deck in Defense Position to take the hit instead.]
[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 2000]
"It's useless, Hoshino! Even Mash can't save you this time!
Sky Galloping Gaia's effect forces Mash to change to Attack Position!"
Alexis's eyes widened.
"Oh no! With only 1000 ATK, she still can't withstand Gaia's massive 5200!"
But just as everyone braced for disaster—Mash didn't shift to Attack Position.
Instead, her shield glowed even brighter.
"I will never retreat while standing at the seat of calamity! This is… my determination!"
[Virtuous Pike and Shield – Trap Effect: The 'Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight' summoned by this effect gains DEF equal to the total DEF of all other 'Heroic Spirit' monsters you control, and cannot have its battle position changed until the end of the turn.]
"Marie has 2000 DEF. So Mash's DEF increases by that amount!"
[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight DEF 2000 → 4000]
"OHHHH! This is Mash Kyrielight—full-power defense!"
Mash's shield clashed violently against Gaia's blazing spiral lance. Even with Spiral Spear Strike causing piercing damage, Mash's massive 4000 DEF meant the blow was no longer fatal.
[Okita LP 4000 → 2800]
"Mash in Defense Position cannot be destroyed by battle, and as long as she's on the field, the opponent must target her for attacks."
"To block a full-strength strike from Gaia… As expected of the Duel King. Just as troublesome as the rumors say."
Dark Magician Girl's sweet smile dimmed into mild irritation—Mash had completely derailed her seemingly guaranteed victory.
"But Gaia's attacks aren't over yet! Because of Spiral Fusion, Gaia can attack twice per turn!"
A second spiral thrust slammed against Mash's shield, carving away another large chunk of Hoshino's Life Points through piercing.
[Okita LP 2800 → 1600]
Mash bit her lip apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Senpai… I still couldn't stop all the damage."
"You did great! If it weren't for you, I'd be done already."
"Now, Spiral Spear Strike activates! When Gaia inflicts piercing battle damage, I can draw 2 cards and then discard 1. Since I inflicted piercing twice this turn, I draw 4 and discard 2."
With her hand suddenly refilled and her Graveyard stacked like a Charity spell on steroids, this tem-up version Dark Magician Girl was far more troublesome than Hoshino expected.
"I set one more card and end my turn. Your move, Hoshino!"
[4 Hand Cards | 2 Set cards]
"So that's how it is… Yugi, you bastard, you've really caused me a lot of trouble."
By now, Hoshino had fully figured out the truth behind Dark Magician Girl's deck. As she suspected, an ordinary duelist couldn't possibly use Yugi's deck effectively. Yugi must've realized the same.
That's why the deck he entrusted to Crowler for student study wasn't built around Dark Magician.
Instead, it had been restructured into a more flexible build that centered around Gaia the Fierce Knight.
Of course, as Yugi's iconic cards, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were still included—but without Yugi's mastery, they couldn't exert that same royal pressure.
"You know, Yugi—if you'd just handed over your full Dark Magician build from the start, I wouldn't have to suffer like this!"
Facing the 5200-ATK Gaia looming on the field, Hoshino grumbled inwardly while drawing her card for the turn.
"But the hope I need to break through this predicament… I planted it last turn."
Opening the banished zone of her Duel Disk, Hoshino retrieved a card removed from play at the very beginning.
"At the start of my turn, the Spell Card banished by Premonition of Beginnings—I add Princess of Red Bean Paste back to my hand."