Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"So he actually pulled off a comeback from zero LP... I've lived for ten thousand years, and this is the first time I've seen something like this!"

Dartz's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish—a rather unique way of expressing his shock.

Meanwhile, the contracting Orichalcos Seal encased Rafael, the price he had to pay for staking his soul in battle.

"Rafael, you are one of the strongest duelists I have ever faced, in both dignity and conviction."

Despite Rafael standing as an enemy on Doma's side, Yugi still respected him as a fellow duelist and offered him the highest praise.

Encased within the seal, Rafael shook his head. "I abandoned my conviction to protect my monsters and relied on the Orichalcos, all for the sake of bringing back my family... I am not worthy of your praise, Nameless Pharaoh."

Yugi clenched his fist. "Rafael, the only one truly at fault here is Dartz. I will defeat him and save all of your souls!"

Dartz, regaining his usual smug demeanor, let out a casual hum. "Why does this sound like some dramatic farewell? This is just a first-level Orichalcos, you know~"

Raising his hand, purple light flickered in his palm before a sharp cracking sound echoed through the air. In the next moment, the barrier surrounding Rafael shattered, preventing his soul from being sealed.

Hoshino's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait, WHAT?! You could stop the Orichalcos from sealing souls this whole time?! Then why didn't you save Jonouchi and Valon earlier?!"

A mischievous smile played on Dartz's lips. "Did I ever say I was obligated to save them? Hoshino, just because you beat me in a duel doesn't mean you get to order me around~"

Smack!

"Ow!"

Hoshino flicked Dartz's forehead with all her strength, her expression filled with disdain. "So that's how it is, huh? If you could have saved Jonouchi back then and chose not to, then we have nothing more to talk about."

"Alright, alright~" Dartz rubbed his forehead, realizing that Hoshino was genuinely angry and decided to stop joking around.

"If I had intervened sooner, I might have been able to save them. But by the time I got there, their souls were already fully bound. All sealed souls are transmitted to the 'Dartz' on the sacrificial island—beyond my control."

Hoshino's expression softened slightly. "If that's really the case... I hope you're not lying to me."

Dartz shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

Then, a thought struck him. "Actually, now that I think about it, I am the one who's confused here. I've never heard of four chosen duelists before!"

Distracted earlier by the intense duel, Dartz had only now realized the anomaly.

"There are three Legendary Dragons, and they've always corresponded to three duelists. That was true ten thousand years ago, and it remains true ten thousand years later. There has never been a case where a fourth human duelist was chosen..."

Dartz poked Hoshino's pale hand.

"Hoshino, you're not human, are you?"

"Stop joking! Who could be more human than me?!"

Meanwhile, Yugi, still processing the sudden breaking of the Orichalcos Seal, frowned in confusion. Only now did he notice the unfamiliar girl standing beside Hoshino.

"Why is it that every time I see you, you've picked up another girl?"

Hoshino sighed, tilting her head. "Yugi, the way you said 'another' makes it sound so bad!"

Then, shaking her head, she changed the subject. "Anyway, let's get out of here. There's a lot to explain, but I'll keep it brief..."

(***)

Hawkins' RV

After Kaiba and Yugi carried Jonouchi's unconscious body back to the vehicle, Hoshino explained the situation to the others.

"Jon-ou-chi!! You idiot!"

Honda and Anzu hovered over Jonouchi's motionless form, tears streaming down their faces.

Honda wailed, "He was just telling me to protect everyone in the RV, and now he's gone and sacrificed himself!"

So that's why... Hoshino thought to herself. Jonouchi's soul was sealed because of the flag he set before the duel.

"Hoshino, are you saying this little girl—no, boy—is Dartz?"

Yugi's brows furrowed, reluctant to believe it. But given the circumstances, Hoshino had no reason to lie. Besides, the fact that Dartz could shatter the Orichalcos Seal before it took Rafael's soul was proof enough.

The 12-year-old genius American champion, Rebecca, furrowed her brows. "Different 'Dartz' entities? Even I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this..."

Mai crossed her arms. "If you really are Dartz, then give me back Jonouchi's soul right now!"

Dartz shook his head. "I've already told you—unless you defeat the Dartz on the sacrificial island, there's no way to save the sealed souls. Besides, if you can't stop Doma's plan, does saving one or two souls even matter if the world is destroyed?"

"So, how do we get to this sacrificial island?" Yugi asked.

Before Dartz could answer, Rafael suddenly interjected, his tone serious.

"It's impossible. No one can approach the sacrificial island except for the military."

Having narrowly escaped having his soul sealed, Rafael refused to abandon Valon's body and accompanied the group to help transport him back to the RV.

Hoshino's brows furrowed. "The military...? Are you talking about the group that kidnapped Arthur?"

She recalled how she had left the sacrificial island—escorted away in a military helicopter.

Kaiba, staring at the ever-expanding Great Leviathan in the sky, clenched his fists. "If we can't reach the island and stop Dartz, are we just supposed to sit here and wait for the end of the world?"

"Not at all~" Dartz shook his head confidently. But instead of looking at the Great Leviathan, his gaze was fixed elsewhere.

"If humanity still has the will to survive, they won't sit back and do nothing."

Following his gaze, Hoshino's eyes widened as she spotted a fleet of helicopters approaching, their blinking lights forming a faint glimmer of hope amidst the oppressive darkness.

Realizing what Dartz meant, Hoshino muttered, "If humanity really is that stupid... then maybe this world does deserve destruction, just like Dartz claims..."

The helicopters landed around them, and from one of them emerged a familiar figure—a minor military leader Hoshino had encountered during Arthur's kidnapping.

But now, there was no trace of the subservience he had shown before.

"Chosen duelists of legend, you are this world's only hope. We will escort you to the island. Please—defeat Dartz and stop this!"

The soldiers all bowed in unison.

"Please—!"

No, humanity wasn't foolish. At the brink of destruction, with the end looming near and the truth revealed, Dartz would now face the collective will of an entire world that refused to perish.

"Then it's time to head out, troops!"

"Ooohhhh!!"

Hoshino raised her arm, savoring the thrill of rallying the group. Carrying the hopes of saving the world, the Chaldea Master was on the move once again.

"Who are you calling 'troops'?"

As Kaiba passed by on his way to the armed helicopter, he flicked Hoshino's white-haired head.

"Let's go, Hoshino. This will be the final battle!"

Yugi, on the other hand, was much gentler, simply placing a reassuring hand on Hoshino's shoulder.

"I'm coming too, brother!"

"Take me along as well! I won't abandon my Darling's soul!"

"As a man, I, Honda, will personally retrieve my best friend's soul!"

Seeing her companions respond without hesitation, Hoshino caught a faint, peculiar smile on Dartz's lips.

"Humans... They may not be stupid, but they sure are a bunch of hotheaded fools."

Hoshino turned to the motionless Dartz. "Aren't you coming too? This is the exciting development you were hoping for, isn't it?"

As if performing magic, a purple barrier unfolded beneath Dartz's feet, his petite figure beginning to blur.

"You humans can stick to these primitive means of transport. I'll be waiting for you on the island~"

The barrier contracted, and Dartz's small figure vanished into thin air.

"So he really isn't human, huh..." Honda muttered, surprised at Dartz's sudden disappearance.

Anzu tilted her head, her gaze falling on Hoshino. "But don't you think that kid seemed a bit like you, Hoshino?"

"Like me?" Hoshino pointed to herself, puzzled. "Anzu, are you talking about the hair?"

Admittedly, both had long silver hair, so there was a resemblance from a distance.

Anzu shook her head and laughed. "No, I guess it's just my imagination. I just wondered if you might have been like that when you were a kid..."

Please, I was a proper little girl back then. How could I have looked like a bratty little boy? Hoshino grumbled internally before her companions ushered her onto the armed helicopter.

Meanwhile, Anzu and Mai stayed behind to care for the unconscious Jonouchi and Valon.

[Duelist Rank Evaluation Complete. Duelist: Dartz. Rank: A++. Reward: 140 Saint Quartz.]

[Detected: Duelist ID #001 Hoshino Chiyuki defeated Orichalcos. Triple Saint Quartz reward granted. Total: 425 Saint Quartz.]

"I'M RICH!"

While Kaiba and Yugi spent the journey refining their decks for the final battle, Hoshino opened her system to check the results of her previous duel—and was greeted with an astonishing surprise.

"Quality over quantity really pays off. This one duel is worth days of farming against kids!"

[Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot – Featured Knights of the Round Table Summoning Banner!]

Overjoyed, Hoshino remembered her ultimate goal for collecting Quartz.

"Today, I'm going to clear out every single one of the Round Table knights!"

[Summon x10 Confirmed]

As the summoning animation began, glowing particles stirred in the air, carrying the anticipation of something great.

"Oh, right..." Hoshino suddenly recalled. "Didn't Bedivere say he'd bring all of them by force next time?"

Sure enough, golden sparks began to dance.

"Fair and noble Master, I, Gawain of the Round Table, have come to assist you!"

With his princely aura and blond hair, Gawain, the first golden card of the ten-roll, entered Hoshino's collection.

But that was only the beginning. As if responding to Bedivere's earlier promise, another golden glow flickered, revealing a second knight.

"Tristan of the Round Table, at your service. I hope I can be of use to you."

The second knight, with his melancholic demeanor and flowing red hair, exuded an air of refinement.

"Sorry if I'm not as flashy, but I'm here to support my king! Agravain of the Round Table reporting for duty!"

The third knight, Agravain, with his slightly raspy voice, materialized.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to be in NPC Prison? How'd you end up in the summoning banner?" Hoshino quipped, staring at him.

"I can't believe it... They really crammed the rest of the Round Table knights into one roll. Bedivere, you've outdone yourself!"

Hoshino had expected to burn through hundreds of Quartz to summon the entire Round Table. Instead, she achieved her goal at lightning speed.

"Hah, what an easy battle. Victory is mine!" Hoshino grinned smugly, reveling in the fruits of her "Luck."

[Hoshino Chiyuki has evolved into 'Lucky Hoshino Chiyuki.']

But before she could celebrate, a composed and familiar voice cut through her excitement.

"Now is not the time to rejoice. The upcoming battle will undoubtedly be fierce!"

Thinking the ten-roll had ended, Hoshino froze in surprise as a majestic card appeared.

"Artoria Pendragon, Lion King of the Round Table! I will lead the knights to vanquish the darkness threatening this world!"

"Wait, FGO doesn't have this!" Hoshino exclaimed. Though the figure resembled the Lancer Altria she knew, this was the Goddess Rhongomyniad herself.

"Two NPCs in one roll? I'm thrilled, but this feels... complicated."

After organizing her four new Round Table knights, Hoshino glanced at her remaining 395 Quartz. For the first time, she felt an unfamiliar sensation—excess.

"So much Quartz and nothing to spend it on... What a rich problem to have."

With no other summoning pools available besides the Round Table banner and the shop's limited offerings already redeemed, Hoshino turned to her current deck for upgrades.

For 30 Quartz, she could strengthen a Spell, Trap, or Heroic Spirit Monster card.

As always, she hesitated. Every card in her deck was precious—her trusted allies. Playing favorites might risk internal disputes, or worse, a disastrous "harem fire."

Just as Hoshino agonized over the decision, two cards "accidentally" slipped out of her deck.

The cards featured Okita and Nobunaga, glaring at each other. Their intentions were as obvious as the scheming expressions on their faces.

(*****)

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