Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Author: Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!
Chapter 516 - 516
"With the power of the Legendary Dragon, I call forth the miracle of victory—The Claw of Hermos!"
"What?!"
"Impossible! The Legendary Dragon?!"
Kaiba could hardly believe his eyes. At the very last moment, the final card Hoshino Alter played turned out to be the Legendary Dragon—its power something no one had ever been able to predict.
Even though no simulation AI could match Hoshino's level, Kaiba had run countless simulations, testing every possible outcome. His system was powerful enough to replicate the effects of even the gods—yet this single Legendary Dragon remained a complete enigma, its hidden power beyond calculation.
"Yes!!" From the audience, Jonouchi pumped his fist so hard his over-the-top reaction startled everyone nearby.
"It's my old dragon! Way to go, Hoshino! Take Hermos' power and crush that Kaiba jerk once and for all!"
Far away, Sera fixed her gaze on the crimson dragon that had suddenly appeared in the sky, stunned.
"The Dragon of the Legendary Knights… even after Dartz was defeated, it still remains in this world?! Hoshino, just what are you, to unite the powers of so many people and identities?"
"I'll use the power of the Legendary Dragon Hermos and fuse it with Artoria Pendragon Lancer Alter—to awaken the card's new form!"
The legendary dragon soaring through the heavens resonated with the scarlet dragon on Hoshino Alter's field. Together, they merged into one, entrusting the final hope of reversal to Mash.
"—Fusion Summon! The Lance That Shines to the End of the World!!"
The storm-anchor binding the stars drew upon Hermos' power, extracting the purest essence of the Noble Phantasm from Artoria's card.
[The Lance That Shines to the End of the World★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/ DEF 2000]
[Fusion Materials: "The Claw of Hermos" + "Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lancer Alter"]
"When this card is Special Summoned: target 1 Warrior-Type 'Heroic Spirit' monster you control; equip this card to that target."
"I'm counting on you, Mash!—equip it to my Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus!"
Slowly, Mash grasped the black spear that descended from the heavens, manifested by the crimson dragon's power. Her exoskeleton armor pulsed with life as the spear's energy, born from the dragon's very heart, surged through her body.
"The reversed Holy Lance… so this is Miss Artoria's Noble Phantasm. A legendary weapon of this magnitude… do I really deserve to wield it?"
"Of course you do, Mash! No one is more worthy right now! Lance That Shines's effect—your ATK increases by 500 for each 'Round Table Knight' in my Graveyard!"
Hoshino Alter revealed six glowing cards in her Graveyard. The radiant knights of the Round Table encircled Mash, blessing her with their strength.
Lancelot: "The power of the Round Table… let it flow through the Holy Lance into you, Mash!"
Mash: "Senpai!"
Hoshino: "(ﾟﾛﾟﾉ)ﾉ Eh!? Lancelot just vanished?!"
"How shameful, Sir Lancelot…" Bedivere sighed, resting his Silver Arm atop Mash's hand on the lance.
"The strength of the Round Table, and the radiance of the King's spear—we entrust it to you now, Mash!"
[Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus ATK 1000 → 4000]
Kaiba growled. "So, thanks to the Legendary Dragon's boost, her attack rose by 3000… impressive, but it's still nowhere near enough to surpass my Shining Dragon!"
"You still don't get it, Kaiba… This is Mash Kyrielight with 4000 attack points!"
Hoshino Alter raised her hand, signaling the final battle phase. "It's time, Mash—let's end this!"
Mash's exoskeleton roared to life, jetting streams of energy that lifted her slim frame high into the air.
"The exoskeleton's awakening rate… 120%?! Senpai, with this much power, we could pierce the heavens themselves!"
"Then use it to win us this duel! Target—Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon! Go, Mash!!"
[Once per turn, when this card declares an attack: its ATK becomes double until the end of the Damage Step.]
From Mash's lance erupted a raging black storm greater than when she clashed with Ultimate Dragon. The furious tempest spun with incredible speed, engulfing the battlefield.
"Holy Lance… Anchor Released! This is the prayer of the Round Table, the starlight at the end of our journey! A strike to tear the heavens and pierce the earth!!"
[Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus ATK 4000 → 8000]
[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon ATK: 7900]
"Take this! Storm Anchor—Shining Spear of the Faraway End!!!"
Boosted by the exoskeleton's 120% awakening, Mash hurled herself forward, driving the black storm spear straight through Kaiba's radiant dragon, piercing its luminous white body in a single strike.
[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon destroyed]
[Seto Kaiba LP 3500 → 3400]
A difference of just 100 attack points tipped the scales of fate. With every ounce of strength, Hoshino Alter accomplished what even she herself had never fully achieved until this moment.
"This time, it's real—it's my undeniable, absolute victory, Kaiba!!"
Hoshino Alter turned to her long-waiting ally. "Ozy, finish this! Direct attack!!"
"Hahaha! It seems our master truly outshone Old Man Seto this time~"
Bathed in the brilliance of the sun, Ozymandias raised his scepter. With a single strike from his 6000 ATK, he erased the last of Kaiba's Life Points.
As the golden light consumed him, Kaiba's Life Points plummeted on his Duel Disk. At the very moment his defeat became clear, his lips curved into the faintest, almost unnoticeable smile of release.
"Hmph… so that's how it is. In the end, I still couldn't defeat you… Hoshino…"
[Seto Kaiba LP 3400 → 0]
But before the display could hit zero, the lights in the Kaiba Dome abruptly cut out. In an instant, the entire arena was plunged into darkness. Even the holographic AR duel fields flickered and vanished, as though the power itself had been severed.
And Kaiba's dwindling Life Points froze mid-drop, just before reaching zero.
Hoshino Alter blinked in disbelief. "H-Hey?! Cutting the power at the exact moment you're about to lose? Kaiba, you sore loser, that's just shameless!!"
"No, it wasn't me." Yet even Kaiba looked utterly baffled as his sharp eyes searched through the darkness for Mokuba in the audience. "What's going on, Mokuba? Switch to the backup circuit immediately!"
"It's no use!" Mokuba's helpless voice echoed through the darkened arena. "There's nothing wrong with the power supply at all, but none of the hall's systems will start up!"
Hoshino stiffened. "Wait… other me, that light in the sky—don't tell me?!"
She raised her head. With all the lights extinguished, the moon should have been the only source of illumination, its pale glow scattering across the stage. Yet now, floating high above, was something far brighter than moonlight—a cube radiating a pulsing orange glow.
"The Dimensional Cube?! Why is it appearing now of all times?!" Hoshino Alter cried in shock as the object's true nature became clear.
"It's over. There's no need to fight anymore, Seto Kaiba, Chiyuki Hoshino."
The voice that rang out was deceptively childish, yet steeped in unfathomable darkness. It echoed from near the hovering cube as a small figure stepped from the shadows, her delicate hands grasping the orange construct that descended into her palm.
"Sera! Why are you here? Didn't you say you lost the Dimensional Cube?!"
The little girl only smiled sweetly. "Of course that was a lie, Hoshino~"
"A lie?" Hoshino Alter's mind reeled, unable to piece together what was happening. "Then what you said before… that Kaiba might have the cube, that was also…"
"Also a lie, naturally~ I only said that to push you into taking your duel with Seto Kaiba seriously. But now it seems I needn't have bothered. Even without my interference, you gave it your all anyway."
Her face bore the innocent smile of a child, her voice soft and melodic—but Sera's icy gaze sent shivers through Hoshino Alter's chest.
That same feeling of being watched from the shadows—the same chilling presence Hoshino Alter had sensed last night, after failing to switch bodies.
"So you manipulated me and Kaiba into dueling with everything we had… Sera, what's your real goal? And the one who stopped aibo from swapping bodies with me—that was you, wasn't it?!"
"My goal?" She lifted the cube slowly, the orange glow spilling across her body. "Everything I've done is to erase the world's injustice—to ensure that all people are worthy of passing through the gates of the higher dimension."
The unstable form of her body—trapped for years in the rift between dimensions—solidified under the cube's energy.
"Don't you think it's unfair, Hoshino? You and Kaiba, chosen ones, granted the right to step into higher dimensions… while I, who brushed against its power, was left stranded in the dimensional rift for years. But now… it all ends."
"Aaaahhhhhh!!"
"What… what's happening?!"
"Help me! I don't want to die yet!"
Screams tore through the crowd. Bathed in the cube's glow, several spectators' bodies began to fragment into tiny orange cubes, vanishing into nothing.
"Hehehe… it's begun—the overture to the evolution of the world. The energy of your duel, Hoshino, colliding with Kaiba's, awakened the Dimensional Cube and opened the gate. It cannot be stopped. Humanity is about to step into a new chapter."
Her smile twisted as shadows enveloped her, like a fallen angel sounding the trumpet of the world's end.
"Quit screwing around, you little brat!!"
Kaiba's furious roar cut through the chaos. "I don't know where you came from, but to interrupt a major KaibaCorp event—you've got guts, I'll give you that!"
But Sera only sneered. "Seto Kaiba, the ever-devout believer in science. Even you can't change what's happening. Look around you. Does this look like the science you know so well?"
"If all I need is to defeat you, then that's enough. Anything that science cannot bind but still falls before its power—I consider it science all the same!"
"What kind of twisted logic is that…" Hoshino Alter muttered, twitching at the corner of her eye.
"But Kaiba's not wrong either! If the energy born from dueling can open the gate to higher dimensions, then we'll use that same energy to close it again!"
With perfect synchronicity, both raised their AR Duel Disks, standing tall in unison.
Sera frowned. "I told you already, it's useless. All sources of energy and matter have been sublimated by the higher dimension. Even your duel devices won't function."
"No… this Duel Disk isn't just a tool. It strengthens a duelist's very soul, linking their consciousness to create possibilities that no crisis can destroy. This is the ultimate power of science!"
"Let's go, Kaiba! With our linked souls, let's teach this lying brat a lesson!!"
"OOOOHHHH!!!"
The lights of their AR Duel Disks flared back to life. Their souls, intertwined through the duel system, broke through the higher-dimensional barrier, igniting a brilliance of science never seen before.
"Impossible… the light created by duelists' souls—actually piercing the dimension itself?!"
For the first time, Sera's calm voice wavered. Orange cubes gathered around her arm, forming a strange Duel Disk—the same kind Blue God once used.
"You hot-blooded fools… Why do people like you deserve entry into the higher dimensions, while I was left behind in the rift?! Fine then—I'll crush you myself! Taste the hatred I've carried for all these years!"
Once more, the radiance of a duel filled the darkened hall. Upon the stage, the final battle unfolded—the only light of hope within the shadowed venue.
"You're okay, Senpai?" Mash, clad in her glowing exoskeleton, reappeared with Ozymandias by her side.
"Seto, Master… does this mean it's your turn to fight side by side again?"
Hoshino Alter frowned in confusion. "Wait… why are the Heroic Spirits here? Don't tell me… the duel still isn't over?"
"What?!"
"Impossible! The Legendary Dragon?!"
Kaiba could hardly believe his eyes. At the very last moment, the final card Hoshino Alter played turned out to be the Legendary Dragon—its power something no one had ever been able to predict.
Even though no simulation AI could match Hoshino's level, Kaiba had run countless simulations, testing every possible outcome. His system was powerful enough to replicate the effects of even the gods—yet this single Legendary Dragon remained a complete enigma, its hidden power beyond calculation.
"Yes!!" From the audience, Jonouchi pumped his fist so hard his over-the-top reaction startled everyone nearby.
"It's my old dragon! Way to go, Hoshino! Take Hermos' power and crush that Kaiba jerk once and for all!"
Far away, Sera fixed her gaze on the crimson dragon that had suddenly appeared in the sky, stunned.
"The Dragon of the Legendary Knights… even after Dartz was defeated, it still remains in this world?! Hoshino, just what are you, to unite the powers of so many people and identities?"
"I'll use the power of the Legendary Dragon Hermos and fuse it with Artoria Pendragon Lancer Alter—to awaken the card's new form!"
The legendary dragon soaring through the heavens resonated with the scarlet dragon on Hoshino Alter's field. Together, they merged into one, entrusting the final hope of reversal to Mash.
"—Fusion Summon! The Lance That Shines to the End of the World!!"
The storm-anchor binding the stars drew upon Hermos' power, extracting the purest essence of the Noble Phantasm from Artoria's card.
[The Lance That Shines to the End of the World★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/ DEF 2000]
[Fusion Materials: "The Claw of Hermos" + "Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lancer Alter"]
"When this card is Special Summoned: target 1 Warrior-Type 'Heroic Spirit' monster you control; equip this card to that target."
"I'm counting on you, Mash!—equip it to my Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus!"
Slowly, Mash grasped the black spear that descended from the heavens, manifested by the crimson dragon's power. Her exoskeleton armor pulsed with life as the spear's energy, born from the dragon's very heart, surged through her body.
"The reversed Holy Lance… so this is Miss Artoria's Noble Phantasm. A legendary weapon of this magnitude… do I really deserve to wield it?"
"Of course you do, Mash! No one is more worthy right now! Lance That Shines's effect—your ATK increases by 500 for each 'Round Table Knight' in my Graveyard!"
Hoshino Alter revealed six glowing cards in her Graveyard. The radiant knights of the Round Table encircled Mash, blessing her with their strength.
Lancelot: "The power of the Round Table… let it flow through the Holy Lance into you, Mash!"
Mash: "Senpai!"
Hoshino: "(ﾟﾛﾟﾉ)ﾉ Eh!? Lancelot just vanished?!"
"How shameful, Sir Lancelot…" Bedivere sighed, resting his Silver Arm atop Mash's hand on the lance.
"The strength of the Round Table, and the radiance of the King's spear—we entrust it to you now, Mash!"
[Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus ATK 1000 → 4000]
Kaiba growled. "So, thanks to the Legendary Dragon's boost, her attack rose by 3000… impressive, but it's still nowhere near enough to surpass my Shining Dragon!"
"You still don't get it, Kaiba… This is Mash Kyrielight with 4000 attack points!"
Hoshino Alter raised her hand, signaling the final battle phase. "It's time, Mash—let's end this!"
Mash's exoskeleton roared to life, jetting streams of energy that lifted her slim frame high into the air.
"The exoskeleton's awakening rate… 120%?! Senpai, with this much power, we could pierce the heavens themselves!"
"Then use it to win us this duel! Target—Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon! Go, Mash!!"
[Once per turn, when this card declares an attack: its ATK becomes double until the end of the Damage Step.]
From Mash's lance erupted a raging black storm greater than when she clashed with Ultimate Dragon. The furious tempest spun with incredible speed, engulfing the battlefield.
"Holy Lance… Anchor Released! This is the prayer of the Round Table, the starlight at the end of our journey! A strike to tear the heavens and pierce the earth!!"
[Mash Kyrielight Ortenaus ATK 4000 → 8000]
[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon ATK: 7900]
"Take this! Storm Anchor—Shining Spear of the Faraway End!!!"
Boosted by the exoskeleton's 120% awakening, Mash hurled herself forward, driving the black storm spear straight through Kaiba's radiant dragon, piercing its luminous white body in a single strike.
[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon destroyed]
[Seto Kaiba LP 3500 → 3400]
A difference of just 100 attack points tipped the scales of fate. With every ounce of strength, Hoshino Alter accomplished what even she herself had never fully achieved until this moment.
"This time, it's real—it's my undeniable, absolute victory, Kaiba!!"
Hoshino Alter turned to her long-waiting ally. "Ozy, finish this! Direct attack!!"
"Hahaha! It seems our master truly outshone Old Man Seto this time~"
Bathed in the brilliance of the sun, Ozymandias raised his scepter. With a single strike from his 6000 ATK, he erased the last of Kaiba's Life Points.
As the golden light consumed him, Kaiba's Life Points plummeted on his Duel Disk. At the very moment his defeat became clear, his lips curved into the faintest, almost unnoticeable smile of release.
"Hmph… so that's how it is. In the end, I still couldn't defeat you… Hoshino…"
[Seto Kaiba LP 3400 → 0]
But before the display could hit zero, the lights in the Kaiba Dome abruptly cut out. In an instant, the entire arena was plunged into darkness. Even the holographic AR duel fields flickered and vanished, as though the power itself had been severed.
And Kaiba's dwindling Life Points froze mid-drop, just before reaching zero.
Hoshino Alter blinked in disbelief. "H-Hey?! Cutting the power at the exact moment you're about to lose? Kaiba, you sore loser, that's just shameless!!"
"No, it wasn't me." Yet even Kaiba looked utterly baffled as his sharp eyes searched through the darkness for Mokuba in the audience. "What's going on, Mokuba? Switch to the backup circuit immediately!"
"It's no use!" Mokuba's helpless voice echoed through the darkened arena. "There's nothing wrong with the power supply at all, but none of the hall's systems will start up!"
Hoshino stiffened. "Wait… other me, that light in the sky—don't tell me?!"
She raised her head. With all the lights extinguished, the moon should have been the only source of illumination, its pale glow scattering across the stage. Yet now, floating high above, was something far brighter than moonlight—a cube radiating a pulsing orange glow.
"The Dimensional Cube?! Why is it appearing now of all times?!" Hoshino Alter cried in shock as the object's true nature became clear.
"It's over. There's no need to fight anymore, Seto Kaiba, Chiyuki Hoshino."
The voice that rang out was deceptively childish, yet steeped in unfathomable darkness. It echoed from near the hovering cube as a small figure stepped from the shadows, her delicate hands grasping the orange construct that descended into her palm.
"Sera! Why are you here? Didn't you say you lost the Dimensional Cube?!"
The little girl only smiled sweetly. "Of course that was a lie, Hoshino~"
"A lie?" Hoshino Alter's mind reeled, unable to piece together what was happening. "Then what you said before… that Kaiba might have the cube, that was also…"
"Also a lie, naturally~ I only said that to push you into taking your duel with Seto Kaiba seriously. But now it seems I needn't have bothered. Even without my interference, you gave it your all anyway."
Her face bore the innocent smile of a child, her voice soft and melodic—but Sera's icy gaze sent shivers through Hoshino Alter's chest.
That same feeling of being watched from the shadows—the same chilling presence Hoshino Alter had sensed last night, after failing to switch bodies.
"So you manipulated me and Kaiba into dueling with everything we had… Sera, what's your real goal? And the one who stopped aibo from swapping bodies with me—that was you, wasn't it?!"
"My goal?" She lifted the cube slowly, the orange glow spilling across her body. "Everything I've done is to erase the world's injustice—to ensure that all people are worthy of passing through the gates of the higher dimension."
The unstable form of her body—trapped for years in the rift between dimensions—solidified under the cube's energy.
"Don't you think it's unfair, Hoshino? You and Kaiba, chosen ones, granted the right to step into higher dimensions… while I, who brushed against its power, was left stranded in the dimensional rift for years. But now… it all ends."
"Aaaahhhhhh!!"
"What… what's happening?!"
"Help me! I don't want to die yet!"
Screams tore through the crowd. Bathed in the cube's glow, several spectators' bodies began to fragment into tiny orange cubes, vanishing into nothing.
"Hehehe… it's begun—the overture to the evolution of the world. The energy of your duel, Hoshino, colliding with Kaiba's, awakened the Dimensional Cube and opened the gate. It cannot be stopped. Humanity is about to step into a new chapter."
Her smile twisted as shadows enveloped her, like a fallen angel sounding the trumpet of the world's end.
"Quit screwing around, you little brat!!"
Kaiba's furious roar cut through the chaos. "I don't know where you came from, but to interrupt a major KaibaCorp event—you've got guts, I'll give you that!"
But Sera only sneered. "Seto Kaiba, the ever-devout believer in science. Even you can't change what's happening. Look around you. Does this look like the science you know so well?"
"If all I need is to defeat you, then that's enough. Anything that science cannot bind but still falls before its power—I consider it science all the same!"
"What kind of twisted logic is that…" Hoshino Alter muttered, twitching at the corner of her eye.
"But Kaiba's not wrong either! If the energy born from dueling can open the gate to higher dimensions, then we'll use that same energy to close it again!"
With perfect synchronicity, both raised their AR Duel Disks, standing tall in unison.
Sera frowned. "I told you already, it's useless. All sources of energy and matter have been sublimated by the higher dimension. Even your duel devices won't function."
"No… this Duel Disk isn't just a tool. It strengthens a duelist's very soul, linking their consciousness to create possibilities that no crisis can destroy. This is the ultimate power of science!"
"Let's go, Kaiba! With our linked souls, let's teach this lying brat a lesson!!"
"OOOOHHHH!!!"
The lights of their AR Duel Disks flared back to life. Their souls, intertwined through the duel system, broke through the higher-dimensional barrier, igniting a brilliance of science never seen before.
"Impossible… the light created by duelists' souls—actually piercing the dimension itself?!"
For the first time, Sera's calm voice wavered. Orange cubes gathered around her arm, forming a strange Duel Disk—the same kind Blue God once used.
"You hot-blooded fools… Why do people like you deserve entry into the higher dimensions, while I was left behind in the rift?! Fine then—I'll crush you myself! Taste the hatred I've carried for all these years!"
Once more, the radiance of a duel filled the darkened hall. Upon the stage, the final battle unfolded—the only light of hope within the shadowed venue.
"You're okay, Senpai?" Mash, clad in her glowing exoskeleton, reappeared with Ozymandias by her side.
"Seto, Master… does this mean it's your turn to fight side by side again?"
Hoshino Alter frowned in confusion. "Wait… why are the Heroic Spirits here? Don't tell me… the duel still isn't over?"