CHAPTER 426: CHAPTER 226

"She actually summoned a god..."

Zigfried had been certain of victory—his Valkyries, combined with Pegasus Wings, should’ve ended the duel. But in the end, they were melted away by the Evil God summoned by Hoshino.

As The Wicked Eraser left the field, the swirling dark clouds above slowly dispersed, revealing clear skies once more.

Though Hoshino had experimented with Evil Gods before, aside from Wicked Avatar, none of the others had ever appeared in public duels.

This marked the first time an Evil God revealed its terrifying form before duelists around the world. As a being comparable to the mighty Egyptian God Cards, its appearance naturally triggered an explosive reaction.

"So that’s what rivals the Egyptian Gods—the Three Evil Gods!"

"Seriously, just as expected from an Evil God... for a second I couldn’t even breathe."

"So massive... Turns out God Cards don’t just have power—they’re physically bigger than normal Duel Monsters too!"

In truth, the size of God Card holograms isn’t fixed. Hoshino had previously summoned gods in tight indoor spaces, where they didn’t appear so towering.

But in open-air fields, with unlimited room to expand, the overwhelming majesty of these gods towering above regular monsters could be fully displayed.

Looking back now, among all the gods, that one little sphere really does look the most unimpressive. No wonder it was always self-conscious about not fitting in with the other Evil Gods... so that wasn’t just a joke.

"I won’t give you another chance! Since you love finishing duels in a single turn so much—next turn, during my first Battle Phase, I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be OTK’d!"

Hoshino boldly declared her plan. Since she had gone first, she hadn’t even entered a Battle Phase yet. Although she had already shaved off nearly half of Zigfried’s Life Points through Spartacus and her Valkyries’ defensive effects, her true offensive hadn’t even started.

"Go Hoshino!" Jonouchi cheered, pumping his fist. "The Evil God just nuked the field, and that girly guy’s got no monsters left—go finish it in one shot!"

Even Jonouchi could tell: with all his Valkyries wiped out by The Wicked Eraser, Zigfried was completely out of options—defenseless, and ripe for the finishing blow.

"Hehehe... You say you’ll finish me in one turn? Hahahahahaha!"

Zigfried burst into hysterical laughter, clearly teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

Even if Hoshino’s Shadow Game wasn’t as extreme as when Marik once set Jonouchi on fire, the explosion from the Evil God—taken by four monsters—had inflicted real soul damage in this realm. And that pain didn’t just fade.

"You think you can beat me?! I meticulously arranged my deck’s card order during the duel—how could I lose? Don’t make me laugh! I still have one card left in my hand!"

His nerves shattered, Zigfried no longer even bothered hiding his cheating—he just screamed it out for all to hear.

"My Spell Card—activate Final Light!"

A soft, silk-like azure light descended upon the battlefield, wrapping gently around both Hoshino and Zigfried.

"Final Light’s effect lets me pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon one ’Valkyrie’ monster from my Graveyard! I’ll pay 2000 LP to bring back Valkyrie Brunhilde and Valkyrie Viertes in Defense Position!"

[Zigfried LP: 2500 → 500]

[Valkyrie Brunhilde DEF: 2000]

[Valkyrie Viertes DEF: 1400]

The summon nearly drained the last of his life force. But with two Valkyries back on the field, Zigfried began to regain a sliver of confidence.

"But when I Special Summon Valkyries with Final Light, my opponent can also Special Summon an equal number of monsters from their Graveyard with 2000 ATK or less."

Hoshino placed her selected monsters onto the Duel Disk. The same glowing azure light surrounded her side of the field.

"You Special Summoned two Valkyries, so I’ll Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie Ortlinde and Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie Hildr in Defense Position!"

[Ortlinde DEF: 1600]

[Hildr DEF: 2500]

Bathed in the light of this finale, the two Valkyries returned to Hoshino’s side.

"And since my turn was skipped by Mischief of the Time Goddess, I can activate Valkyrie Viertes’s effect again! I reveal the top card of my deck—if it’s a Normal Spell, I add it to my hand!"

With his deck rigged, even revealing one card guaranteed it would be a Normal Spell.

"I add the Normal Spell Swan Maiden to my hand and activate it immediately—Special Summon one ’Valkyrie’ monster from my hand or Deck! Come forth in Defense Position—Valkyrie Sigrun!"

[Valkyrie Sigrun ★★★★★★★★ (Level 9)] [LIGHT] [Fairy/Effect] [ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2400]

Sigrun appeared, her weapon now a sacred spear, different from the usual holy swords the Valkyries wielded.

"When Valkyrie Sigrun is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 8 or lower ’Valkyrie’ from my Graveyard! Return to me—Valkyrie Erda!"

[Valkyrie Erda DEF: 2200]

"Thanks to Erda’s effect, as long as she’s on the field, all opposing monsters lose 1000 ATK!"

[Ortlinde ATK: 800 → 0]

[Hildr ATK: 1400 → 400]

Having used every card in his hand, Zigfried rebuilt a four-monster wall in Defense Position—an iron fortress of Valkyries.

"Hahaha! You thought you could OTK me? Can you still act so arrogant in the face of the Valkyries’ ultimate line of defense?!"

Finally catching his breath, Zigfried lowered his Duel Disk. His long, twisted turn—distorted by time—was finally over.

"Of course I can. When I say you’ll die before nightfall—no one can keep you alive till dawn. My turn—draw!"

Hoshino officially began her turn. Despite the wall of Valkyries, she didn’t waver from her bold promise.

"Spell Card activate—Monster Reborn! I revive Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie Thrud from my Graveyard!"

[Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie Thrud ATK: 2300 → 1300]

Now, with three Valkyries standing once again on Hoshino’s field, they faced Zigfried’s four Valkyries across the battlefield. Tension crackled in the air—war was moments away.

Yugi’s voice trembled slightly as he watched:

"A battle between women, huh...? That’s... actually kind of terrifying."

Upon hearing Yugi’s comment, Anzu and Rebecca exchanged a glance filled with tension, as if suddenly becoming aware of something.

"It’s useless. As long as I have Valkyrie Erda, the weakened Valkyries won’t be able to break through my defense line."

Hoshino smirked slightly.

"If one can’t break through... then let’s combine the power of all three Valkyries! I banish the three Valkyries on my field from play to Fusion Summon—"

As guiding spirits of warriors, the graceful Valkyrie girls intertwined and danced elegantly in the sky.

"Rune, activate!"

"Synchronization initialized, calibration complete!"

"We are gathered here!"

Drawing the card and slamming it onto her Duel Disk, the Valkyries struck a unified battle-ready pose.

"Fusion Summon — Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie of the End!"

[Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie of the End ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)] [LIGHT][Fairy/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2800 → 1800 / DEF 3300]

[Requires 3 ’Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie’ monsters on your field to be banished; no Fusion Spell required.]

From the commentary booth, Akasha remarked with amused dedication:

"There it is! That strange phenomenon where three monsters standing in the same column equals a Fusion!"

Though it looked like just three Valkyries supporting each other, the girl now wielded a divine spear—a replica of Odin’s legendary weapon: Declaration of the Great God (Fake) (Gungnir).

"When Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie of the End is Special Summoned, all monsters in both Graveyards are banished!"

Valkyrie Zweite from Zigfried’s Graveyard, along with Hoshino’s Formal Dress: Mash and Spartacus, were all banished under Valkyrie’s authority.

"Then I activate the banished effects of Valkyrie Hildr and Thrud!"

[Hildr: When this card is banished: Banish the top 2 cards of your Deck; add 1 of your banished Spells/Traps to your hand.]

[Thrud: When this card is banished: Banish the top 2 cards of your Deck, then you can Special Summon 1 of your banished monsters.]

"I banish the top 4 cards of my Deck in total. Then I add the Quick-Play Spell Synchro Emergency Summon to my hand, and Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Saint George, Dragon-Slaying Saint in Defense Position!"

Since she could manipulate her deck order in this Shadow Game just like Zigfried, Hoshino wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

[Heroic Spirit – Saint George, Dragon-Slaying Saint ★★★★ (Level 4)][EARTH][Warrior/Tuner/Effect] [ATK 1000 / DEF 1600]

No longer just a martyr, but now a full-fledged dragon-slayer, Saint George proudly stood tall.

"Finally, I’ve risen above being cannon fodder! I’ve made it to the top!"

However, Yugi, watching closely from below the stage, noticed the most important detail:

"What... it’s a Tuner? Could it be connected to that ’training’ Akasha mentioned earlier?"

At this point, Yugi was easily the most concerned about Hoshino’s state. Especially after learning she’d gone through some form of special training before this duel. Combined with her behavior up to this point...

He could already sense it: just as he had gained Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, Hoshino had obtained a similarly dangerous power before their duel.

"Lastly, I activate the Trap Card Valkyrie Style from the Graveyard!"

The two backrow cards Hoshino had set at the start of the duel were used to summon The Wicked Eraser, and the unused Valkyrie Style had been destroyed by that board wipe—now resting in the Graveyard.

[Valkyrie Style – Trap Effect: If 3 banished ’Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie’ monsters exist, banish this card from your Graveyard. Return those Valkyries to the Deck and Special Summon 1 ’Heroic Spirit – Brynhildr’ from your Deck, ignoring Summoning conditions.]

"According to Valkyrie Style, I return the 3 banished Valkyries to the Deck and then Special Summon—Heroic Spirit – Brynhildr!"

As Hoshino played the Brynhildr card, the three Valkyries on her field instantly lit up with excitement.

"That’s the scent of Sister!"

"To think we get to fight alongside her... it’s like gaining the strength of a hundred warriors!"

"There’s nothing to fear now—we must show Sister Brynhildr our valor!"

[Heroic Spirit – Brynhildr ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)]

[FIRE] [Fairy/Effect]

[ATK 2000 → 1000 / DEF 3000]

With her water-blue spear in hand, Brynhildr descended upon the battlefield.

"Valkyrie Brynhildr, here by Master’s command! Please, don’t hold back—use me as you will~"

Rebecca gasped in disbelief.

"There are two of them on the field now?! I didn’t expect Hoshino to summon a Heroic Spirit Valkyrie for a head-on clash like this!"

Anzu added anxiously:

"But with Zigfried’s Valkyrie Erda reducing their ATK, it won’t be easy for Hoshino’s Valkyries to break through his defenses."

"This is the final clash of the Valkyries. Let’s settle this, Zigfried!"

With the summons complete, Hoshino raised her hand and initiated her Battle Phase, commanding her Valkyries into action.

"Heroic Spirit – Valkyrie of the End’s effect activates—its ATK increases by 300 points for each banished monster!"

After recycling the Fusion materials, the banished zone still held: The Wicked God, Mash, Spartacus, and one of Zigfried’s Valkyries.

[Valkyrie of the End ATK: 1800 → 3000]

"—Final Phantasm – Girls Advent!!"

Activating her Noble Phantasm, Valkyrie of the End created multiple copies of herself and the other Valkyries. Together, they hurled their spears—Gungnir (Fake)—with unstoppable force.

"That should be enough to break through! Target—Valkyrie Erda on the opponent’s field!"

Hoshino wisely aimed first at Erda, whose effect reduced ATK, knowing removing her would open the path for the rest.

"I won’t let you have your way! Valkyrie Brunhilde’s effect activates—when a ’Valkyrie’ monster would be destroyed, I can reduce this card’s DEF by 1000 to prevent it!"

[Valkyrie Brunhilde DEF: 2000 → 1000]

Raising her shield to intercept the incoming strike, Brunhilde blocked the assault—but her shield cracked under the sheer force of the spear.

"Interesting. You managed to block the attack under those conditions. Well then... Brynhildr, attack Brunhilde!"

(*****)

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