"Special Summon—Magical Girl – Illya! And due to the effect of Okita Sakura, this card becomes Level 7!"
[Magical Girl Illya LV4 → LV7]
The young girl lightly tapped her toes against the ground. As Illya materialized in physical form, she spoke with a hint of emotion,
"I never thought there'd come a day when I'd be summoned by Miss Okita's effect. This really is… a rather subtle feeling."
Seeing this kind of effect for the first time—or rather, seeing this type of monster effect for the first time—Zane frowned slightly and began analyzing the situation.
"So it's the Headmistress's ace monster, Illya. But since she was Special Summoned with her effects negated, she can't search Phantasm Summon."
"Hey, you Cyber Dragon freak—watch your words!" Okita waved her sword threateningly.
Normally, summoning Illya to search Phantasm Summon and then choosing the appropriate Fusion Magical Girl monster based on the situation was one of Hoshino's trademark strategies. Even without ever truly dueling Hoshino before, Zane knew this well.
However, this time, Hoshino didn't choose that line of play.
"I set one card and end my turn."
After her turn ended, Zane fell into thought—and soon grasped the crucial point.
"The Levels of the summoned monsters became Level 7… Two Level 7 monsters on the field. Could it be—?!"
"You noticed it! My turn—draw!"
Drawing her card for the turn, Hoshino immediately overlaid the two cards on her field horizontally, forming an Overlay Network.
"With two Level 7 monsters on the field—let's go, Zane! This is a summoning that transcends eras, a brand-new power born from connection… Okita and Illya, overlay—Xyz Summon!"
In the virtual duel space, the two overlapping cards linked together, diving into the shimmering Overlay Network of infinite possibility.
Akasha asked curiously,
"If Okita and Illya are used as materials for a Fusion Summon, we get a Magical Girl Heroic Spirit. Then if they're used as materials for an Xyz Summon… what kind of monster appears?!"
Okita replied confidently,
"Obviously it'll be a brand-new form of Okita! After all, Okita is the rising star of the Xyz era!"
Illya shot back,
"Miss Okita, you already have your Sakura form. Don't be so greedy—this time it should be my turn!"
Illya, if we're talking about forms, you're the one with the most.
Pulling out the newly formed card and slamming it onto her Duel Disk, Hoshino revealed the final result.
"—Xyz Summon! The Jet-Black King of Knights – Artoria Pendragon Alter!"
Okita & Illya:
"(ㅍ_ㅍ)??"
[The Jet-Black King of Knights – Artoria Pendragon Alter][Rank 7][DARK][Dragon / Xyz / Effect][ATK 2700/DEF 2200]
[2 Level 7 monsters]
[This card is also treated as a 'Heroic Spirit' by rule.]
"Hmph. A boring ace."
Wearing modern attire and exuding British coldness, the black-clad Artoria made her cool entrance.
"Very well. It's execution time. I'll handle it myself—your brand-new ace."
At this point, even Hoshino herself was starting to lose track of just how many Heroic Spirits were eyeing the position of ace.
"Okita and Illya Xyz Summoned into Artoria…? Akasha's brain is a little confused right now…"
Scratching her head vigorously, Akasha's eyes were filled with pure confusion.
Hoshino explained,
"Akasha, you were misled by the fixed idea of Fusion. While Fusion Summoned monsters do have some connection to their materials, Xyz Summoning works differently…"
There are Xyz monsters like Karna that gain extra effects when specific monsters are used as materials—but for most Xyz monsters, all you need are two monsters of the same Level.
So things like overlaying two Holmes to summon Moriarty, or two Emiya to summon Gilgamesh, are all technically possible.
"So it's Xyz Summoning!"
"According to the rules, this new summoning method can only be used twice per duel!"
"I can't believe we're seeing it here!"
A sudden flood of unfamiliar voices rang out, making Hoshino realize that at some point, the room was no longer being watched by Akasha alone.
As mentioned before, high-rank duelists naturally became objects of study for newcomers. And Zane—at Rank 9—was no exception.
Whenever Zane dueled, it was like a popular streamer going live—he always had a loyal audience following him.
And because this was Hoshino's first time using Duel OL, she had casually created a room with no restrictions, allowing it to be completely packed with spectators just looking for excitement.
"Cyber Dragon Only":
"Go, Cyber Dragon Is the Best!"
"Cyber Dragon OTP":
"Cyber Twin Dragon has higher ATK at 2800!"
"Faith in Cyber Dragon":
"Prove to all duelists that Cyber Dragon is the strongest!"
If she didn't know better, Hoshino would've thought she'd wandered into some kind of Cyber Dragon cult.
Ignoring the noisy crowd of spectators, Hoshino moved straight into the Battle Phase.
"Attack, Artoria! Target the opponent's Cyber Twin Dragon!"
Zane exclaimed in confusion,
"What?! You're crashing Artoria's 2700 ATK into my 2800 ATK Cyber Twin Dragon?"
Gripping the hilt with both hands, the Jet-Black King of Knights raised her inverted Sword of Promised Victory, terrifying magical energy gathering around it.
Just as the spirit of the lake has both good and evil—Viviane and Morgan le Fay—the holy sword, too, possesses two sides.
"During battle, the effect of The Jet-Black King of Knights – Artoria Pendragon Alter activates—"
[① Once per turn, during damage calculation when this card battles a monster: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; until the end of this turn, this card gains ATK by 1000. If attacking a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage.]
Hoshino detached Okita Sakura, one of Artoria's Xyz Materials, sending it to the Graveyard.
At the same time, the jet-black holy light in Artoria's hands surged even further.
[Jet-Black King of Knights ATK 2700 → 3700]
The jet-black aurora blade—its magic no longer restrained—did not emit particles of light, but darkness so deep it devoured light itself. It was like the breath of Vortigern, the dragon that manifested to protect Britain.
"—Excalibur Morgan!"
With the Jet-Black King of Knights' furious roar, the black slash surged forth, instantly overwhelming Cyber Twin Dragon's evolutionary flames and cleaving through its twin heads.
[Cyber Twin Dragon destroyed]
[Cyber Dragon Is the Best LP 8000 → 7100]
As the roaring black light faded, there wasn't a single monster left on Zane's field.
"So you used an Xyz Material to momentarily surpass Cyber Twin Dragon—no, even surpass Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack power. Amazing… truly worthy of—"
Zane almost said Headmistress, but noticing the growing crowd of unfamiliar spectators, he swallowed the name halfway and changed his wording.
"No wonder you're 'World's Number One Eggplant.' I've learned a lot!"
Stop, Zane—please stop!
That nickname is ten thousand times more embarrassing than just calling me by my real name!
Hoshino's cheeks flushed slightly as she desperately signaled to Zane with her eyes, hoping he'd understand.
"Let's continue, World's Number One Eggplant. This duel is really getting exciting!"
Clearly, he did not understand at all.
"She's actually pretty cute—why would she choose an ID like that?"
"I don't even know what 'Eggplant' means, but it sounds really lewd…"
"Still, Rank 1 suppressing Rank 9 'Cyber Dragon Is the Best' in a single move—that's impressive."
Perhaps due to her age, Hoshino's former identity as the Duel King didn't seem to be recognized by the crowd.
"I set one card and end my turn."
[Hoshino's: 3 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]
[Jet-Black King of Knights ATK 3700 → 2700]
"Hoshino-nee didn't Normal Summon a monster this turn…" Akasha quietly wondered to herself. "Is she bricking?"
"My turn—draw!"
Glancing at the card he drew this turn, Zane immediately slotted it into his Duel Disk and activated it.
"—Spell Card Pot of Greed! I draw two more cards from my Deck!"
Crowler's already ugly face seemed to shatter as Zane replenished his hand back to five cards.
The corner of his mouth curled upward slightly—clearly, he was very satisfied with what he had just drawn.
"This turn, the pieces for my victory are already complete. I'll use these five cards to decide the outcome!"
Sending two Monster Cards from his hand into the Fusion Gate, Zane began his finishing combo, using all five cards in his hand.
"I banish the two Cyber Dragons in my hand through the Field Spell Fusion Gate and Fusion Summon—Cyber Twin Dragon!"
[Cyber Twin Dragon ATK 2800]
Once again brought forth through Fusion Summoning, the light of evolution drew out the roar of the twin-headed Cyber Dragon. However, Zane knew full well that Cyber Twin Dragon alone would never be enough to defeat the overwhelmingly powerful Jet-Black Knight King.
"Next, I activate my Set Quick-Play Spell—Burial from a Different Dimension!"
[Burial from a Different Dimension – Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target up to 3 banished monsters; return them to the GY.]
"By this effect, I return three Cyber Dragons from my banished zone to the Graveyard!"
The three Cyber Dragon cards popped out from the banished zone on Zane's Duel Disk and slid back into the Graveyard. At the same time, Zane continued activating effects from his hand.
"I activate a Quick-Play Spell from my hand—Cybernetic Fusion Support!"
[Cybernetic Fusion Support – Quick-Play Spell Effect: Pay half your LP; once, if you Fusion Summon a Machine Fusion Monster this turn, you can banish monsters from your hand, field, and/or GY as the Fusion Materials.]
[Cyber Dragon Is the Best LP 7100 → 3550]
"Ooooooh—!"
With a high-spirited roar, Zane paid half his Life Points, successfully opening the path to his final victory.
"After activating Cybernetic Fusion Support, I can use Cyber Dragons in my Graveyard as Fusion Materials! And now—this is my final Fusion Spell—Power Bond!"
[Power Bond – Spell Effect: Fusion Summon 1 Machine Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Material, and it gains ATK equal to its original ATK. During the End Phase of the turn this card is activated, you take damage equal to the amount of ATK gained from this effect at the time of the Summon.]
"A Fusion Summon that doubles its ATK but deals backlash damage at the end of the turn… Power Bond, huh? That name fits perfectly!" Akasha exclaimed in amazement.
Using Cybernetic Fusion Support in combination with Power Bond, Zane completed an extreme Fusion using his Graveyard, drawing cheers from the surrounding spectators.
Even Hoshino couldn't help but praise him.
"The king of Duel Academy… With power like this, you truly deserve that title."
"—Come forth! This is the light of termination! Power Bond—Fusion Summon! Cyber End Dragon!"
[Cyber End Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (10)][LIGHT][Machine/Fusion/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000]
["Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon"]
[Effect: If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage.]
Zane revealed the ace monster of the Cyber Style—Cyber End Dragon, formed from the fusion of three Cyber Dragons. Its massive mechanical body and three roaring dragon heads strongly resembled Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
"Due to the effect of Power Bond, Cyber End Dragon's ATK is doubled!"
[Cyber End Dragon ATK 4000 → 8000]
Placing his final card into the Monster Zone, Zane declared confidently:
"Finally, I Normal Summon Cyber Kirin and activate its effect—by tributing this card, until the end of this turn, all damage its controller would take becomes 0. This way, I won't suffer Power Bond's side effect!"
"Eight thousand attack points, and you completely avoided the backlash?! As expected of the number-one Cyber Dragon duelist—this is insane!"
"That's an invincible one-shot monster! It's over!"
The Cyber Dragon fans in the crowd erupted into a frenzy the moment Cyber End Dragon appeared.
"It's finished! Cyber End Dragon, attack! —Eternal Evolution Blaze!"
The three mechanical dragon heads locked onto the Jet-Black Knight King on Hoshino's field, unleashing an ultimate evolutionary flame that seemed to scorch the entire virtual space.
Pulling out the Illya card stacked beneath the Jet-Black Knight King's Xyz card, Hoshino declared:
"I detach my final Xyz Material. During this battle, Jet-Black Knight King's ATK increases by 1000!"
[Jet-Black Knight King ATK 2700 → 3700]
Even boosted by a thousand attack points, the sacred light of counterattack was no match for the 8000 ATK Cyber End Dragon empowered by Power Bond.
Still, that extra 1000 ATK was crucial. Thanks to it, Hoshino avoided being instantly killed by Cyber End Dragon's attack.
[The Jet-Black Knight King – Artoria Pendragon Alter is destroyed.]
[World's Number One Eggplant LP 5200 → 900]
"I still have Cyber Twin Dragon left, and you have no monsters on your field. This is the final strike of my victory combo!"
"Who says I don't have any monsters!"
Sending the Jet-Black Knight King's Xyz card to the Graveyard, Hoshino immediately activated its effect.
"I activate the effect of Jet-Black Knight King when it's destroyed by battle—"
[②: If this card is destroyed by battle: You can Special Summon 1 Level 7 'Heroic Spirit' monster from your Graveyard.]
"By that effect—revive! Heroic Spirit – Okita Sakura!"
[Heroic Spirit – Okita Sakura ATK 2500]
As the cherry-blossom dance bloomed once more, Okita—clad in her kimono—was pulled back onto Hoshino's field.
Akasha gasped.
"She was Special Summoned again—so that means!"
"That's right! When this card is Special Summoned, I can choose one 'Heroic Spirit' monster from my hand, negate its effects, and Special Summon it as a Level 7 monster!"
Slamming the monster she had drawn last turn onto the Duel Disk, blazing flames took form, materializing beside Okita.
"—Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga!"
[Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga ATK 3000 / Level 8 → Level 7]
Nobunaga:
"Never did I imagine I'd be summoned by the effect of a sick swordsman… This feeling is rather strange."
Okita:
"Why are you saying the same thing as Illya, Nobu?! That's so mean!"
Nobunaga:
"Silence! You appeared as an Xyz monster before me, and now you've even lowered my Level to match yours. You've been getting awfully arrogant lately, Okita!"
"So she's brought out two Level 7 monsters again…" Zane said cautiously.
By the rules, Hoshino still had one Xyz Summon remaining. And the unknown possibilities an Xyz Summon could bring made even Zane—who currently commanded an 8000-ATK Cyber End Dragon—dare not lower his guard.