With the nature of the Summoning, Hoshino Alter had to call forth the most powerful Servant possible while conserving energy. Among those seven, only one specific class was particularly special.

Originally, according to Hoshino's plan, drawing on the power of six out of seven Servants would have been enough to deal with Diabound and the undead army of Atlantis.

But if unforeseen events occurred—such as the Shadow Game being forcefully pushed to its final stage—they would need to reserve a trump card capable of confronting a Dark Evil God like Zorc.

"—Command Seal transfer. Class Assassin: Old Man of the Mountain!"

The Assassin class—more precisely, this Assassin—was a heroic spirit who disregarded soul and mana consumption altogether. Among those Hoshino could summon, he was by far the strongest.

Even with the summoning, Hoshino Alter was already at her limit managing six, including the divine-level Lion King. So, to counter the ultimate human evil, the vacant Assassin slot was left for Hoshino to control personally.

A solemn bell echoed through the royal capital's streets and alleys, slowly washing away the unease in people's hearts amidst an atmosphere of despair.

"...Old Man of the Mountain?"

Staring at the towering, heavily armored figure—over two meters tall—who suddenly appeared before him, Yugi was stunned.

This was the same heroic spirit-monster that Hoshino had summoned in two previous duels—both times turning hopeless situations into victories. Faced with the current crisis, even Yugi couldn't help but hope that this man might turn things around again.

"My contractor…"

Looking down at Hoshino, King Hassan's voice carried a faint trace of emotion.

"Gramps?"

"Contractor, this state of affairs... it is highly improper."

Hoshino and Hoshino Alter exchanged confused looks.

"Improper? What's improper?"

Mana, awkwardly, added, "I think he means you two are hugging way too tightly… Even I'm kind of embarrassed watching this…"

Even after returning to her normal body from her chibi form, Hoshino still clung tightly to Hoshino Alter. The two girls' slender bodies pressed so closely together that no one knew where to look.

"Eh? I think it's great! I mean, how often do you get the chance to hug yourself, right? Gotta take advantage of it while you can~"

With that, Hoshino hugged Hoshino Alter even tighter, relishing the soft and springy sensation against her arm.

"As expected of me—hugging myself feels amazing~"

"Right, right!" Hoshino Alter joined in cheerfully.

"Gramps, you're overthinking it. I think this is totally appropriate!"

Simon blinked, then looked up at King Hassan, who was nearly twice his height.

"So… he's also 'Gramps'? Hmm… I feel like I've lost in every possible way."

Hoshino tilted her head in thought.

"Well, I call him Gramps, but that's just me being sentimental. Maybe I should use something more formal, like 'King Hassan' or 'Old Man of the Mountain'?"

"Contractor…" King Hassan said, driving his great sword into the floor and gazing toward the distant sky.

"'Gramps' is fine."

Hoshino and Hoshino Alter smiled at each other and shouted in unison:

"Gramps!" ×2

"Very good."

(***)

Southern Region – Valley of the Kings

The stone slab inlaid with the seven Millennium Items cracked apart. The gate sealing the underworld burst open, and the overlord born from the united darkness of both realms began to revive. The canyon collapsed. The sky turned black.[The Great Evil God Zorc Necrophades ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 12)]

[DARK][Fiend/Ritual/Effect]

[ATK: ∞ / DEF: ∞]

"After thousands of years in a daze, I have finally been fully revived!"

Now completely fused with Zorc's body, Dark Bakura reveled in the sheer power of his monstrous form—dark energy that could obliterate the heavens and the earth.

"Mwahaha! The undead of Atlantis? The power of Orichalcos? Worthless trash before my complete form!"

He swept his enormous arms across the battlefield. With a single swing, he annihilated the unmoving undead soldiers like rag dolls.

"Invincible! This is what true invincibility means! I fear nothing now!"

Slash—!

A sharp blade aura screamed through the air. Zorc, laughing mid-monologue, was caught completely off guard by the sudden long-range attack.

By the time he realized what had happened, his massive, jet-black right arm had been severed—torn clean off by the attack—and crashed to the ground in a massive plume of dust.

"Whew, Gramps, that was quite the long-range slash~"

Hoshino brushed back the bangs blown by the shockwave and gazed southward, where Zorc's massive silhouette loomed high into the clouds—and now had one arm missing.

Hoshino Alter stroked her chin and nodded.

"So this is the legendary assassination technique! You snipe from a distance, wipe out all the guards, then stroll right in without being noticed. Gramps, you're too cool!"

Unlike the two of them, who were surprisingly calm—perhaps just used to this by now—the rest of the group on the palace rooftop was completely stunned. They'd just witnessed an attack that defied all human comprehension.

It took two hours on horseback to reach the Valley from the capital. Yet King Hassan had unleashed a slash from the rooftop that reached it in seconds and precisely struck Zorc.

This wasn't swordsmanship anymore. Had they misunderstood what "assassination" meant all along?

"A-Amazing, Hoshino!" Mana finally shouted after holding it in, her eyes sparkling.

"You guys just chopped off Zorc's arm like that! Seems like he's no match for Grandpa Hassan at all!"

"No. A Beast cannot be slain by a single soul. That was merely a greeting."

King Hassan lowered his glowing greatsword. Just one swing had caused it to heat red-hot from friction with the air—a sign of the overwhelming power behind what he called a mere "greeting."

And sure enough, as he said, Zorc's severed arm began regenerating even as the sword was being lowered.

Hoshino frowned.

"A Beast formed from the darkness of both the living and underworld… Zorc Necrophades. He's practically immortal."

"Brace yourself, Contractor—the counter-assault begins!"

"Don't worry, Gramps! Mana reserves are full!"

Using the Command Seal glowing on Hoshino Alter's hand as a conduit, Hoshino funneled all her mana and soul energy into King Hassan's blade.

From afar, Zorc's counterattack came: a long-range blast of deathly, fear-laced dark energy—a tidal wave of destruction aimed straight at the capital where all of Egypt's people were gathered.

If that attack landed, Egypt would be wiped from human history.

"—Blood shall drench the very earth, and fertile fields shall wither and lie fallow!"

Once again, King Hassan swung his burning sword straight into the oncoming dark tide. The clashing sword aura and death light collided midway between the capital and the valley—the resulting explosion obliterated several towns in the process.

"Verily, 'tis not ended! The tower shall rise from the very bones of the fallen!"

King Hassan continued swinging, one strike after another. His sword aura clashed head-on with Zorc's continued waves of dark energy—bursts of destruction lighting up ancient Egypt like a battlefield of gods.

"What kind of battle even is this...?" Kaiba stared, wide-eyed. The scene unfolding was like a clash of intercontinental missiles, completely shattering his understanding of battle.

If his Blue-Eyes White Dragon had been enough to fight Bakura or Diabound before, this level of warfare—a duel from miles apart using pure energy—was beyond his reach.

"Master! Okita-san brought the item back!"

A green figure suddenly flashed into view—so stealthy that no one noticed her arrival, not even King Hassan.

"Thou art... a most exquisite Assassin..." Hassan said, his voice full of praise.