Hoshino hadn't noticed Okita's approach at all—her brows twitched in momentary surprise.

"That Presence Concealment of yours is really solid, Okita. You might as well switch classes to Assassin already."

"I don't have any Presence Concealment, Master! Don't say weird things! I just came back normally, okay? Besides, as the Shogunate's strongest swordswoman, the Saber class is my last pride!"

Then what about your swimsuit version as an Assassin? Did you throw away both your pride and your clothes in that one?

Hoshino Alter scratched her head awkwardly and explained:

"Sorry, sorry. Actually, I used my last Command Seal to bring Okita back—that's why she seemed to just pop up suddenly. Still, I think Okita-san has quite the presence… probably?"

"Take that 'probably' back, Master!"

"You used your last Command Seal to bring her back?"

Only then did Hoshino realize: one Command Seal had been used to remotely contact the Lion King, and another had been given to her. The last Command Seal on Hoshino Alter's hand had mysteriously vanished as well.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Hoshino asked:

"Okita, you said you brought something back… So, what exactly did you use a Command Seal to retrieve?"

"Ufufufu =w=." With her earlier frustration over being mistaken for an Assassin cleared, Okita's mouth curled into a proud "w"-shaped grin.

"Try not to be too shocked—Okita-san risked her life infiltrating the battlefield to retrieve these items!"

Mana squinted suspiciously.

"Did you just say 'infiltrated'? That's a strange word for someone who insists on being a Saber, Miss Okita."

"Ugh!" Okita faltered slightly, then snapped, "That's not the point! What's important is…"

She reached into the obi wrapped around her waist and began rummaging with a suspiciously scheming look.

"Okita, what could you possibly fit in that little sash? Stop pretending it's some kind of dimensional pocket."

"Heh heh heh… Master, you're still too naive. A swordsman's obi can hold an entire world!"

Typically used by Japanese swordsmen to hold their sheaths, an obi was important—but holding an entire world in one? This was the first time Hoshino had ever heard that… or more likely, Okita was just making it up on the spot.

Her eyes flashed with golden light. As she pulled something out, her hand turned round like a dumpling:

"Tadah! The Millennium Puzzle! (delivered in a Doraemon-style monotone)"

"A Millennium Puzzle?!" Seeing the familiar Millennium Puzzle, Yugi shouted in surprise.

"That's not all! Now… the Millennium Scale!"

The puzzle was one thing, but when Okita pulled the large, unwieldy Millennium Scale from her sash, Hoshino was dumbfounded.

"Wait, you seriously had that in your sash? This defies all logic!"

Is this really a dimensional pocket?

"I'm not done yet!" Okita licked her lips and reached in again smugly.

"Tadah—" The source of this content ɪs ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt

"Enough with the 'tadahs'! Let me see for myself!"

At such a time, Hoshino couldn't bear watching Okita clown around any longer. She shoved her hand directly into her obi.

"Eek! Master, don't stick your hand into Okita-san's precious pocket without permission! That tickles—hahaha!"

Ignoring her protests, Hoshino pulled out everything she could find: rice crackers, yokan, random snacks, cute mini Nobu dolls… and the remaining five Millennium Items.

Looking at the messy pile on the ground, even Hoshino, who had extracted it all, could barely believe it. Her eye twitched uncontrollably.

"You really could fit all this in there… Are you from some kind of gag anime, Okita-san?"

Scratching her head sheepishly, Okita grinned:

"Hehe, I'm not that amazing, Master! These are just survival essentials when you're out and about!"

"So that's why you used your last Command Seal to bring Okita-san back, wasn't it, Other Me?"

The Great Dark God's stone tablet—into which the seven Millennium Items were embedded—had shattered after completing its purpose of unlocking the gate to the underworld and reviving Zorc. The scattered items had been flung across the battlefield.

Hoshino Alter nodded:

"Originally, I just wanted Okita to try her luck. I didn't expect her to actually retrieve all seven Millennium Items. That's some insane luck."

Holding the familiar Millennium Puzzle close, Yugi smiled warmly:

"Excellent. With the Millennium Items, my priests and I can fight too! We can't let all of Egypt's burdens fall solely on you, Hoshino."

"But, Yugi… Didn't Aknadin destroy the Egyptian God Tablets?"

The reason Yugi had lost to Thief King Bakura was due to Aknadin sabotaging the summoning of the three God cards.

Simon added:

"The Egyptian Gods aren't that easy to destroy. Aknadin only cast interference spells to block their summoning. I've already arranged for the court magicians to break the curse—it won't be long before the Gods return."

"If the Gods can return, then that gives us another trump card in battle!"

Yugi's lips curled upward slightly as he felt the familiar bond with the Spirit Tablets.

"Besides, the Egyptian Gods aren't my only power, Starfield! Here's my ace: Spirit Summon—Dark Magician, Mahad!"

The energy from Mahad's stone tablet activated. His soul, which had been sealed in it through forbidden sorcery, appeared once again—his vow to eternally protect the Pharaoh made manifest.

"It really is the Dark Magician..." Hoshino murmured, looking at Mahad's figure. So Yugi's iconic monster card carried such a quietly tragic backstory...

Kneeling down on one knee, Mahad spoke solemnly:

"My King, it is a great honor for me to fight by your side once more."

"Indeed, Mahad. Our battle is far from over. From this day forth, I entrust you to be my strongest force!"

"Master... it's really Master! QAQ!"

Mana, who had been on the verge of tears since Mahad appeared, finally broke down crying.

"I thought I'd never see you again! All my training this afternoon wasn't in vain!"

In truth, when Isis told Mana that she wasn't strong enough in magic to see Mahad, it had been a kind lie—to motivate her to keep training. Though Mana was mischievous and often lazy, her talent for magic already far surpassed most court magicians her age.

And as both versions of Hoshino watched Mana sniffling and sobbing, they instinctively took a step back, sensing that things might be about to get out of hand.

"Sniff sniff sniff~ Hoshino, why are you hiding from Mana? My snot's about to drip down already, QvQ!"

Hoshino: "Can't you just wipe it yourself?"

Hoshino Alter: "Ancient Egypt really was inconvenient without toilet paper…"

Helpless, Mana wiped her almost-dripping snot on the cloak hanging from Seto's back. Then she bent down and picked up the Millennium Ring that once belonged to Mahad.

"I want to fight too! If I use the Millennium Ring Master left behind, it should reveal the spirit monster deep within my heart—the one that belongs only to me!"

The Millennium Ring hanging over Mana's chest radiated a dazzling golden light, projecting the spirit that symbolized her heart—Dark Magician Girl.

"Just as I thought… If Mahad is the Dark Magician, then Mana must be the Dark Magician Girl."

Seeing the familiar, adorable Dark Magician Girl standing next to Mana, Hoshino became even more certain that the two were like carbon copies—except Mana's clear, sun-kissed skin reflected her pure heart.

Having successfully summoned her spirit, Mana clenched her fists in excitement, eager to leap into battle.

"It's the same outfit as Master! Now I finally have a spirit that can fight too!"

"Speaking of fighting… why does it feel like the enemy stopped attacking a while ago?"

Because of the chaos caused by Okita—plus retrieving the Millennium Items—Hoshino had forgotten to monitor the battlefield. He only now realized that the long-range exchange between King Hassan and Zorc had ceased.

"Heed this warning, Contractor—the Body of the Beast draws nigh. Ready thyself for battle."

"Approaching?—Holy crap, it really is getting closer fast!"

Looking into the distance, the figure of Zorc—previously just a massive black silhouette on the southernmost edge of the kingdom—was now rapidly approaching, his pitch-black wings vast enough to blot out the sky.

Kaiba spoke gravely: "Looks like they realized long-range attacks won't settle this. Now they're closing in on the capital deliberately. In other words, Zorc is absolutely confident he can win in close combat."

"Even if you're a Grand Servant, a Beast isn't something you take down alone. But for Zorc to be this confident in a head-on fight… feels like we're being underestimated."

Hoshino glanced at her allies: seven Heroic Spirits, seven high priests bearing the Millennium Items, the Masters from Chaldea, the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt—and one KaibaCorp president whose combat value was debatable, though at least not useless.

"We can't let Zorc revive in the real world. This battle will decide the fate of both worlds' histories—we must win!"

Zorc's enormous form, soaring at full speed on wings that eclipsed the heavens, was as fast—if not faster—than even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Archers, catapults, ready… FIRE! Don't hesitate! A target this massive can't miss—FIRE!!"

Under Seto's command, the capital hastily mustered what little military strength it had left. Their effectiveness was limited, but it stood as proof of humanity's will to resist until the bitter end.

However, arriving alongside Zorc were the countless Diabound.

After Zorc crushed the undead beasts of Atlantis, the restriction on Diabound vanished—and they resumed their endless replication. Neither their numbers nor their strength were something ordinary human armies could contend with.

"Let's go, Kaiba!"

"Hmph, it's been a while since we fought side by side, Yugi!"

With a nod of mutual understanding, the age-old rivals summoned their ace spirits—stepping in where human soldiers could not.

"Dark Magician, Mahad!"

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kisara!"

"—O Millennium Scales, weigh our souls with your body! Lead us to victory in this war!"

The souls placed on each side of the scales—Dark Magician and White Dragon—merged under the mysterious power of the Millennium Scales, taking on a new form.

Yami & Kaiba: "Fusion Summon—Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!"

[Dark Magician the Dragon Knight ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Dragon/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000 / DEF 2500]

["Dark Magician" + 1 Dragon monster]

The combined force of black magic and white dragon unleashed a spiral of chaotic energy, sweeping across the battlefield and obliterating a vast number of Diabound in a single strike.

"So cool—Prince and Master!"

Staring in awe at the mounted Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, Mana grabbed Hoshino's wrist.

"Mana wants to fuse too! Hoshino, fuse your spirit with my Dark Magician Girl!"

...Wait—are you trying to get a version of Dark Magician Girl that coughs up blood at random?!

"Aibo, Zorc is here!" Hoshino Alter warned, eyes locked on the sky.

Having arrived after the Diabound, the final boss—Zorc—now loomed near. Up close, his colossal form radiated an overwhelming presence, making the entire capital feel like a mere toy beneath him.

"It's all up to you now, aibo. I'll have the other six Servants support you!"

Against such a foe, spreading mana across all seven Servants was far less effective than focusing it entirely on King Hassan for a decisive blow—making Hoshino the linchpin of the counterattack.

"Leave it to me! By the name of my Command Spell, I shall raise our magical energy to the absolute limit, Gramps!"

Raising her hand with the Command Spell glowing on its back, Hoshino unleashed its crimson light. Now was no time to hold back—she restored King Hassan's drained mana, elevating it beyond his prior peak.

"Hoshino, as a grandpa myself—I won't lose either!"

Having never joined the battle before, the elder High Priest Shimon stepped forward in this moment of crisis. As Zorc bore down on the capital, he once again took up the long-abandoned Millennium Key, awakening the five strongest stone slabs sealed beneath the kingdom.

"Even if it costs me this old life of mine, I will protect this kingdom, the Pharaoh, and the children's future! By the name of Simon, the strongest High Priest—I release the seal—EXODIA!"