ALL NOVEL Chapter 233: Chapter 233
"The future... is now unpredictable..." Ishizu's pupils widened, and her alluring body trembled slightly. Being struck by a massive 7000+ life point blow in the Shadow Game was a mental shock beyond words.
"The course of this Battle City tournament and the fate of everyone on this airship... are inevitably heading toward destruction..."
As the darkness dissipated, Ishizu collapsed to the ground. Just as she had said, while her life was not in danger, the Shadow Game had taken its toll. Defeat meant she would likely remain unconscious for an entire day.
"Exchange of the Spirit, huh? What a terrifying strategy." Hoshino finally began to grasp the true horror of Ishizu's Exchange of the Spirit as she put away her Duel Disk. Without the card Da Vinci had handed her before boarding the airship, she would undoubtedly have lost to Ishizu.
She carefully moved the unconscious Ishizu onto the bed. Even though the Shadow Game was initiated by Ishizu herself, Hoshino couldn't bear to leave such a beautiful woman lying on the floor for an entire day. Ishizu's tall figure was lean and devoid of excess fat, so even someone like Hoshino could just barely manage to carry her.
"The Millennium Necklace, capable of predicting the future, huh? If it can't foresee my future, does that mean I'm about to leave this world?" Hoshino mused as she gazed at the unconscious Ishizu lying on the bed.
After all, she didn't belong to this world. If she forcibly altered its trajectory, would it lead to irreversible consequences? Just like Ishizu's warning before fainting—a future of inevitable destruction.
"Girl, stop overthinking everything." The evil god, who had suddenly appeared behind her, seemed to sense her turmoil. "Even if everything is moving toward destruction, that is the future predetermined for this world. It has nothing to do with you."
"No, it does!" Hoshino retorted firmly as she turned to face the evil god. "I won't let it end in destruction! Saving the future is the most important task of us Chaldea Masters!"
The evil god was taken aback by her unexpected response but soon displayed a look of intrigue. "Hehe... interesting! If you're willing to share your soul with me, I wouldn't mind helping you—even with something like saving the world."
"Come on, when that time comes, evil god-san, you wouldn't just sit back and do nothing, would you?" Hoshino replied with a radiant smile as she reached out to pat the little Gothic Lolita's head.
"Tsk, don't treat me like some kid who'd be satisfied with head pats!"
After briefly enjoying the attention, the evil god approached the bedside and gazed at Ishizu with a greedy grin.
"I remember the Battle City rules state that the loser must surrender their rarest card to the victor," the evil god remarked.
"Huh? This match actually counts as part of the official Battle City rules?" Hoshino seemed to have completely forgotten about this rule.
"What does it matter? She's unconscious anyway..." The evil god's grin grew even more sinister. "And we're only following the rules of the tournament."
With that, the evil god promptly plucked a card from Ishizu's deck. "Even though your deck can't fully utilize this card, its potential goes far beyond mere 'rule-breaking.'"
[Exchange of the Spirit - Trap Card Effect: Activate only while there are 15 or more cards in your Graveyard. Pay 1000 Life Points. Both players swap the cards in their Graveyard with the cards in their Deck, then shuffle their Decks.]
"Moreover," the evil god continued, "this card's rarity is at least on par with Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
Reminded of this, Hoshino's eyes lit up. After the Exchange of the Spirit, cards whose effects only activate in the Graveyard could now run wild. Just like in the final turn, where she easily fused into Okita Alter, the strategic possibilities were endless if the Graveyard had enough cards.
The fleeting guilt in her heart was swiftly drowned by the sheer power and potential of Exchange of the Spirit. Accepting the card from the evil god, Hoshino grinned mischievously. "Evil god-san, you're so clever! Since this duel took place on the Battle City airship, it's natural for us to adopt its rules."
"Hehehe, I knew we'd get along well!" The two partners in crime exchanged wicked smiles.
After ensuring Ishizu was settled in, Hoshino left the room and headed to the arena on the airship.
"The duel should have ended by now. If Ishizu's prediction is accurate, I need to console Mai a little," she thought as she pushed open the arena doors.
However, what awaited her was an eerily familiar darkness that made her heart skip a beat.
"Again? Shadow Game?! No way!" The environment was unmistakably the same as the Shadow Game she had just experienced.
"Hoshino-nee!" Akasha called out upon spotting her. "Huh? Why are you dressed like that?"
Hoshino was no longer wearing her previous short-skirt and blouse combo. Now clad in Ishizu's Egyptian outfit, Hoshino, while lacking Ishizu's exotic bronze skin, exuded a unique charm with her fair complexion paired with the exotic attire.
"It suits you, Hoshino!" Mokuba, who had been intensely focused on the duel moments ago, now couldn't take his eyes off her.
But Hoshino had no time to dwell on their opinions. A quick glance at the audience, where Yugi and Mai were seated, told her the second duel had already ended.
"Chiyuki, you're back." Mai's tone carried a hint of melancholy, making it clear how the second duel had concluded.
"Mai, are you alright...?"
Mai smiled wryly. "You don't need to worry about me. I only lost a duel. But Jonouchi, he..."
"Marik has started a Shadow Game!" Yugi interjected, his voice tense.
Hoshino's expression turned serious. "So it really is a Shadow Game."
"So, what's the situation now?" Hoshino's attention was immediately drawn to a massive, molten-red monster on Jonouchi's field. She couldn't see the life point scores on the Duel Disks but was captivated by the creature's overwhelming presence.
"Wait, does Jonouchi even have a monster like that in his deck?"
"That's Lava Golem, summoned onto Jonouchi's field by Marik's," Yugi explained grimly, his tone brimming with concern.
On the field, Jonouchi roared, "Attack, Lava Golem! Use Jonouchi Fire!"
"Jonouchi Fire?(~ヘ~?)"
[Lava Golem ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)]
[FIRE][Fiend/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
"Damn it! He actually forced my Jinzo and Baby Dragon to be Tributed to summon this thing," Jonouchi growled.
While Lava Golem's stats, were undeniably powerful, sacrificing an already formidable monster like Jinzo to summon it was clearly disadvantageous. Moreover, the card inflicted 1000 points of damage to its controller each turn.
Locked inside the metaphorical cage created by Lava Golem, Jonouchi roared in frustration, "If you're going to put a monster on my field, I won't hesitate to use it against you!"
Entering the Battle Phase decisively, Jonouchi pointed forward with great momentum, only to suddenly pause mid-action and exclaim, "Crap! I don't even know this monster's attack name!"
Dark Marik chuckled coldly, crossing his arms. "The attack name of my Lava Golem is Lava Strike."
"I won't use a name you came up with! Since it's now my monster, I'll name it myself!" Jonouchi adamantly rejected Marik's suggestion, waving his arm in defiance.
"Attack, Lava Golem! Use Jonouchi Fire!"
"Jonouchi Fire?" Just as Hoshino turned her attention to the battle, she heard Jonouchi shout out the explosively corny attack name.
"It's so cool, Oniichan! Fighting!'" Shizuka cheered excitedly from the stands.
"Fight back with Jonouchi Fire! Show Marik your determination!" Anzu and Honda joined in, passionately cheering.
Wait, I'm the weird one here? This name is actually getting positive reaction? Hoshino was baffled. Could this world have a unique aesthetic for naming attack moves?
"Should I start naming my attack moves, like Hoshino Beam or Chiyuki Cyclone?" Hoshino muttered, seriously considering the idea as she rested her chin on her hand.
The roaring magma flames, backed by Lava Golem's immense attack power, surged toward Marik's only Attack Position monster—Legendary Fiend.
[Legendary Fiend ★★★★★★ (Level 6)]
[DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1800]
"If Jonouchi's attack succeeds, Marik, left without monsters on his field, will take a series of direct attacks," Hoshino analyzed. She noticed that, besides Lava Golem, Jonouchi also had Rocket Warrior and Flame Swordsman on the field.
[Rocket Warrior ATK: 1500]
[Flame Swordsman ATK: 1800]
"This will end the duel!" Hoshino concluded confidently, inadvertently raising a flag.
"I activate my Trap Card—[Relieve Monster]!" Marik smirked as the face-down card at his feet flipped up.
[Relieve Monster - Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target 1 monster you control; return that target to the hand, then Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from your hand.]
"I return Legendary Fiend to my hand and Special Summon [Viser Des] in Defense Position!"
With Marik slapping another card onto his Duel Disk, the targeted monster was replaced with a strange-looking machine.
[Viser Des ★★★★ (Level 4)]
[DARK][Machine/Effect][ATK 500/DEF 1200]
"When this is Special Summoned, I can select 1 monster on your field and clamp it for punishment! After my third Standby Phase, that monster is destroyed!" Marik declared as the bizarre mechanical contraption clamped onto Flame Swordsman.
"I select Flame Swordsman for punishment!" The trapped Flame Swordsman let out a pained scream.
"Ah—ow, ow, ow!" Strangely enough, Jonouchi, still mid-attack, cried out in pain as well.
Hoshino quickly understood the situation, her earlier analysis clicking into place. "This must be the rule of the Shadow Game, right?"
"Exactly!" Marik sneered, spreading his arms arrogantly. "In this Shadow Game, any pain suffered by monsters is fully transferred to the Duelists themselves. And Viser Des's punishment is particularly excruciating!"
"A pain like this? It's nothing compared to Honda's punches!" Jonouchi gritted his teeth, enduring the torment and continuing his attack. "Besides, your monster is about to be engulfed by Jonouchi Fire!"
"It's useless! A monster equipped with Viser Des can't be destroyed by battle! Your attack is nullified, and now it's my turn!"
Jonouchi lowered his Duel Disk, grumbling, "What a dirty tactic!"
[Jonouchi's Status: Remaining Hand Cards: 0 | Set Cards: 0 | LP: 2800]
"Hey, Jonouchi, you didn't even declare your turn's end, and your opponent already took over! At least show some reaction!"
"My turn, draw! I activate the Spell Card—[Machine Duplication]!"
[Machine Duplication - Spell Card Effect: Target 1 Machine monster you control with 500 or less ATK; Special Summon up to 2 monsters from your Deck with the same name as that face-up monster.]
"Using Machine Duplication, I copy my Viser Des!" As the spell activated, two additional copies of the strange machine appeared on Marik's field.
"If you could barely handle one, how about three?! Ahahaha!" Marik's face contorted into a crazed, almost maniacal expression, exuding pure villainy.
Yugi's expression darkened. "Jonouchi!"
"Ahhhhhh!" Jonouchi screamed as his three monsters suffered triple the electrocution punishment. Thanks to the Shadow Game, the pain was fully transferred to him.
"Oniichan!" Shizuka cried, almost in tears as she watched her brother writhe in agony.
Hoshino clenched her fists in anger. "This isn't even a duel anymore—this is torture!"
(*****)
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