Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

The sight of the sacrificial island was all too familiar—this was the place where Hoshino had once stood as a "high-ranking officer" of Doma. But now, inheriting Jonouchi's will and chosen by the Legendary Dragons, she returned, leading her comrades and the military in a fight to reclaim the world.

"You're so slow! I've been waiting so long I could've grown a garden!"

Standing on the island, overlooking the sea, Dartz was already waiting. He had swapped his usual attire for a sporty top and casual shorts, his hands cockily stuffed into his pockets. Though his long silver hair retained a certain delicate beauty, his overall appearance now leaned more toward that of a mischievous little boy.

The commander of the armed forces that had escorted Hoshino and the others down from the helicopters offered them a solemn military salute.

"The powers Dartz wields are beyond anything we can handle. All we can do is bring you here. So, for the sake of this world… may fortune be with you in battle!"

"What a grand display! If duels let you gain LP based on how many supporters were cheering for you, you might actually stand a chance~," Dartz quipped mockingly, plugging his ears to drown out the deafening cheers.

Looking at him in his new outfit, Hoshino chuckled. "Dressing the part, huh? You must be looking forward to this. But this time, we will win!"

With their decks refined and loaded into their duel disks, the three duelists exchanged a look of silent understanding before stepping into the island's only structure—the ritual temple.

"Three chosen duelists… Just like the war ten thousand years ago~," Dartz mused, watching their departing figures. For a moment, their silhouettes overlapped with those of three knights in his mind.

"So, will they save the world this time, or will the cycle of destruction repeat? This is going to be so interesting~"

"Welcome, Legendary Duelists~"

A familiar voice, slightly more mature than that of the little Dartz, rang through the temple, carrying a hint of softness. Standing calmly on the ritual platform was a white-haired man, his presence exuding an eerie sense of expectation.

"Dartz!"

Yugi and Kaiba exclaimed in unison, their voices brimming with hostility. This was the man responsible for sealing Yugi and Jonouchi's souls, the mastermind behind Kaiba Corporation's takeover.

Meanwhile, Hoshino, sweating slightly, found her focus elsewhere.

"This guy… the tire marks on his face are way too obvious."

Her gaze locked onto the glaring red tire-like imprint across Dartz's face.

"Seriously, aren't you supposed to be the King of Atlantis? You don't know a single healing spell? Showing up as the final boss looking like that is a disgrace to your image."

Of course, she dared not voice her thoughts aloud. Seeing that no one else seemed to care, she decided to let it slide.

"You've got some nerve showing up like that!"

Shota Dartz, however, had no such restraint, clutching his stomach as he burst into laughter.

Ah, I forgot about him...

The corner of the older Dartz's mouth twitched, his once-calm expression tinged with irritation. "So you've betrayed me, huh? Guiding them here—are you planning to defeat me?"

Shota Dartz's laughter abruptly ceased. His expression turned uncharacteristically serious as he met the gaze of his older counterpart.

"Betray? Don't make me laugh. You're the one who betrayed us. You used despicable means to gather power, consuming every other 'self' except for me. You've long strayed from the true will of Atlantis."

Hoshino suddenly understood and turned to the smaller Dartz. "So you're the only two left in this world? Aren't you worried he might just eliminate you?"

"He won't~," Shota Dartz replied with a confident smile. "If all the Dartz were to merge into one again, the original will would split us apart once more. In other words, he has to keep me—the weakest one—around as insurance."

Hoshino sighed, lowering her head. "This is the first time I've heard someone proudly call themselves 'the weakest.'"

"But I've had enough of your noisy personality..."

Dartz raised a hand, the blue energy of terror swirling at his fingertips. His gaze was filled with cold intent.

"Since you reject my vision, you're a traitor to the Orichalcos and Atlantis."

The same blue energy appeared beneath Shota Dartz, forming a barrier at his feet.

"Through the Great Leviathan, I've foreseen it: a separate 'self' has escaped to another world. In other words, even if I eliminate you now, the insurance won't be triggered. Your existence has lost its value."

"Wait, you're joking, right?"

Shota Dartz's confident smirk vanished, replaced by unease as his small body was lifted into the air by the barrier's force.

"Hold on, let's talk about this..." His voice trembled as he felt the strange energy surrounding him.

"Ten thousand years of coexistence has been far from pleasant. Farewell."

"Oh, shit—!"

With a sinister grin, Dartz snapped his fingers. The barrier collapsed, erasing the small figure within it into nothingness.

Hoshino's eyes widened, her crimson irises trembling. The mischievous brat who had been joking around just moments ago was gone in an instant.

"What… What did you just do?!"

A fire ignited in her chest—an anger she couldn't explain.

"It's simple," Dartz replied dismissively. "I merely removed a bothersome 'self' from this world. I suggest you stay out of other people's family matters."

"You're scum… absolute scum..."

Facing someone far more despicable than Shota Dartz could ever hope to be, Hoshino was at a loss for words to express her fury.

Kaiba and Yugi stepped forward simultaneously, flanking Hoshino and leaving the center position to her. With a sharp metallic sound, they activated their duel disks.

Yugi: "There's no point in talking to someone like this, Hoshino!"

Kaiba: "Let's duel! We'll crush his ambitions with our power!"

"Yeah, I'm really angry now!"

Inspired by Yugi and Kaiba's determination, Hoshino activated her futuristic duel disk and stepped between them.

"Prepare yourself, you tire-marked loser!"

At last, she found the perfect term to describe this version of Dartz.

[Dartz vs. Hoshino, Yugi, and Kaiba]

"Duel!!"

"My turn, draw!" Dartz declared, drawing the first card. In a three-on-one duel like this, it was customary for the solo player to take the first turn.

With a smirk, Dartz placed a familiar card into the hidden zone of his duel disk. "This duel within the barrier will wager the souls of you three. Your Life Points will be calculated separately."

[Hoshino LP 4000]

[Pharaoh LP 4000]

[Kaiba LP 4000]

"Field Spell—[The Seal of Orichalcos]—activate! When your Life Points reach zero, your soul will be sealed. The souls of the Legendary Duelists are the key to reviving the Orichalcos God!"

A large, pale green seal expanded beneath them, covering most of the ritual platform. Those outside the duel were, of course, barred from entering the barrier.

"Damn it! This is the same thing that sealed Jonouchi's soul!" Honda pounded his fists against the barrier in frustration, but it didn't budge.

Clutching Yugi's soul card tightly, Rebecca prayed, "Please… bring back my Darling and Yugi's soul!"

Kaiba scoffed. "Such arrogance. Calculating Life Points individually—do you really think you can defeat us with your puny total against ours combined?"

"Oh? Kaiba, chosen by Critias. You once saw Yugi as your rival, yet you lost to him again in the Battle City. That must make you the weakest of the three, right?"

"You…!"

Dartz's taunt struck a nerve, precisely targeting Kaiba's pride.

Hoshino sighed. "Don't let yourself get riled up so easily, Kaiba. He's obviously just using trash-talking tactics." Though, admittedly, she often used similar strategies herself.

Dartz chuckled. "Hehe, Hoshino, your presence truly surprises me. I thought you were just an annoying small fry, but to inherit the power of a Legendary Dragon and become the fourth chosen Duelist? That's unheard of."

Shifting his attention to Hoshino, Dartz drew a monster card and placed it onto his duel disk.

"I summon [Orichalcos Gigas] in Attack Position!"

[Orichalcos Gigas★★★★ (Level 4)][Effect][ATK 400/DEF 1500] (Anime Exclusive Card)

Hoshino squinted slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile, showing no reaction to Dartz's provocations.

"An annoying small fry, huh? Well, I'm honored to be a bother to someone as important as you. Besides, your 400 ATK monster in Attack Position looks more like the real small fry here."

A massive humanoid titan emerged from the card. Unlike regular monsters, Orichalcos creatures lacked both attribute and type—a trait exclusive to Dartz's army. Despite its imposing figure, it had a measly 400 ATK.

"Don't forget the effect of my Field Spell,—[The Seal of Orichalcos] grants all my monsters 500 ATK and DEF."

With a wave of Dartz's hand, the eerie green sigil of the Orichalcos engraved itself onto the titan's forehead, flooding it with dark energy.

[Orichalcos Gigas ATK 400 → 900]

Hoshino didn't even blink. "Yeah… still a small fry."

"Next, I activate the special effect of [Orichalcos Kyutora] from my hand. By paying 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon this card."

Without acknowledging Hoshino's jab, Dartz placed another monster onto his duel disk, this time in the back row.

[Dartz LP 4000 → 3500]

"According to the effect of Orichalcos, my back row zones can also function as Monster Zones. Furthermore, as long as there's a monster in my front row, my back row monsters cannot be targeted by attacks or effects."

It was clear—any monster Dartz summoned to his back row held significant importance.

"I Special Summon [Orichalcos Kyutora] in Attack Position in my back row!"

[Orichalcos Kyutora ★★★ (Level 3)][Effect][ATK 500 → 1000/DEF 500 → 1000](Anime Exclusive Card)

A strange, sea-urchin-like creature materialized on Dartz's field, its spiked body and single glaring eye radiating ominous energy. Even with the Orichalcos boost, its stats were unimpressive.

"Finally, I set two cards and end my turn."

[Dartz's Field: 1 Hand Card | 2 Set Cards]

Kaiba sneered at Dartz's field. "Using such pathetic monsters and expecting to win? I'll crush—"

"My turn, draw!"

Hoshino cut him off, casting him a glance that said, If you have time to talk, you might as well start playing.

"From my hand, I activate the special effect of [Heroic Spirit—Knight of the Round Table Bedivere]. If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"

Without wasting a moment, she flipped Bedivere's card. Unlike Dartz, she didn't drag out her turn—her only focus was defeating the enemy.

"Go, Bedivere! Special Summon in Attack Position!"

A brilliant light flared from her duel disk as a silver-armored knight emerged onto the field.

[Heroic Spirit—Knight of the Round Table Bedivere ★★★★★ (Level 5)][LIGHT][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1400/DEF 1200]

Bedivere placed a hand over his chest and gave a polite bow. "Bedivere, at your service, Master. I trust you're satisfied with the results of the summoning?"

Hoshino muttered under her breath, remembering her recent summon results. "Of course, it was your doing…"

Yugi, ever cautious, called out. "Be careful of your opponent's monster effects, Hoshino! Orichalcos monsters fueled by dark power won't be as weak as they seem."

Hoshino nodded. "I agree, Yugi." She gestured toward Bedivere. "Now, activating Bedivere's special effect!"

[When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Knight of the Round Table" monster from your Deck to your hand.]

Bedivere tightened his grip on his sword, his voice trembling with emotion. "Knights of the Round Table… I've always dreamed of…" His eyes burned with resolve. "I've always dreamed of fighting alongside my comrades like this once more!"

Hoshino raised her duel disk. "I add [Heroic Spirit—Knight of the Round Table Gawain] to my hand!"

(*****)

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