Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"You're still relying on Field Spells? Turn end!"

With his final counterattack completely nullified by Orichalcos Tritos and his hand emptied, Kaiba had no choice but to end his turn.

"Then it's my turn. Due to the effect of Orichalcos Impact from the previous turn, all marked monsters will be destroyed!"

As Dartz began his turn, he gestured toward the glowing sigils beneath the feet of the knights.

The monsters that had been on the field when Orichalcos Impact was activated—Hoshino's three Knights and Kaiba's Lord of D.—vanished silently within the barrier.

"Now, all that remains is to erase the monsters on your field, Kaiba. Once that happens, your final means of resistance will be gone. Just like the war ten thousand years ago, neither the Legendary Dragons nor the duelists could change anything!"

With Orichalcos Impact's effect resolving, Dartz drew a card and swiftly inserted it into his Duel Disk.

"I Normal Summon [Orichalcos Sacrificer] in Attack Position!"

[Orichalcos Sacrificer ★] [LIGHT] [Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK 0 → 500 / DEF 0 → 500] (OC)

A new figure materialized behind Dartz. Unlike the grotesque Orichalcos monsters that came before, this one exuded an entirely different presence.

A girl knelt on the ground, hands clasped in prayer, an aura of divinity surrounding her. Her long, white hair, eerily similar to Dartz's, cascaded over her flawless form, glowing with an ethereal light.

Dartz's expression softened, a rare gentleness appearing in his eyes.

"Orichalcos Sacrificer's effect activates! It can only be summoned while Orichalcos Tritos is active. When this card is Normal Summoned, it can be Tributed to restore 3,000 Life Points!"

'—My King, please accept my final prayer. Save Atlantis from its destruction!'

With those final words, the girl's form dissolved into radiant light.

[Dartz LP: 7500 → 10500]

"And when Orichalcos Sacrificer is Tributed by a card effect, it can Special Summon itself from the Graveyard. However, since it was Special Summoned, its effect does not activate again—so I won't be infinitely recovering my Life Points."

The girl's body reappeared, kneeling once more. But something had changed.

Her once radiant presence had vanished. The divine glow was gone.

Only a skeleton remained. Still clad in the same white garments, still locked in the same prayerful posture—yet now nothing more than a grotesque husk.

Hoshino shuddered. A chilling sensation ran down his spine.

"…!!!"

Dartz merely looked upon the transformation with a knowing smirk.

"Dartz… I've had my suspicions for a while now," Yugi spoke, his sharp gaze locked onto Dartz. "But now I've confirmed it."

His voice was grave as he voiced the truth:

"The monsters you've been summoning… they're the former people of Atlantis, aren't they?!"

"Oh?" Dartz raised an eyebrow, amused. His smirk widened as he examined Yugi.

"As expected of a fellow king—you can sense this sorrowful fate, can't you? That's right. These hideous creatures were once the loyal subjects of Atlantis. They refused to watch their empire fall. So even after their bodies were twisted into these grotesque forms, they entrusted their power to me—to the Orichalcos!"

Hoshino clenched his fists. A surge of fury boiled in his chest.

"But instead of honoring their trust… instead of using the power they gave you to protect them, you used them to destroy Atlantis and bring about the world's destruction?!"

Kaiba scoffed. "Hmph. What a pathetic excuse for a leader. Dartz, you're a failure."

Yugi grasped the Millennium Puzzle hanging from his chest, his voice commanding:

"Dartz, it is your heart that is truly corrupted! You have no right to decide this world's fate!"

"A Pharaoh who wields the power of darkness dares to lecture me? A dead man who has slumbered for 3,000 years, awakening only now—what greater proof could there be that the world is already at its end?"

Dartz let out a laugh, then held up a card.

"Just like this spell—[Monster Reborn]! Rise once more from the grave, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"ROOOOOOAAAAR!!!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which had just been sent to the Graveyard by Kaiba, was forcefully pulled back onto the field.

An Orichalcos mark was branded into its forehead.

[Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK 3000 → 3500]

"NTR right in front of him and branding it… that's just cruel," Hoshino muttered, sparing a glance at Kaiba.

As expected, Kaiba was grinding his teeth in pure rage, his jaw nearly shattering from the force.

"You dare defile MY Blue-Eyes?! DAMN YOU!!!"

"And now, I activate Orichalcos Tritos's effect! Since I control five monsters, I recover 2,500 Life Points!"

[Dartz LP: 10500 → 13000]

"His Life Points are over 13,000 now…" Yugi clenched his fists. "At this point, burn damage strategies won't be enough."

Hoshino knew it, too. Back when he fought Pegasus, he had used Okitan to burn away The Wicked Avatar's last Life Points—exploiting its inability to be destroyed.

But against Dartz, whose Life Points now surpassed 10,000… that strategy was useless.

"And now, this will be your final battle, Kaiba!" Dartz declared. "Attack, Orichalcos Dexia!"

Entering the Battle Phase, Orichalcos Dexia lunged forward, its metal palms opening as it advanced toward Destruction Dragon.

"Orichalcos Shunoros cannot attack, but as compensation, whenever Orichalcos Dexia battles, its Attack Points become equal to the opposing monster's ATK +300 during the Damage Calculation Step!"

[Destruction Dragon ATK 2000]

[Orichalcos Dexia ATK 2300]

"And, of course, this increased power will be deducted from Orichalcos Shunoros's total Attack Power."

[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 9600 → 7300]

The mighty Destruction Dragon, one of Critias's strongest forms, was crushed helplessly in Orichalcos Dexia's grip.

[Destruction Dragon Destroyed]

[Kaiba LP: 3300 → 3000]

Dartz smirked as he flipped over his final face-down card.

"And now… it's over, Kaiba!"

His voice was filled with finality.

"I activate the Trap Card Martyr's Grudge! When a monster is destroyed by battle, I can force another battle between two monsters of my choosing!"

Kaiba's eyes widened.

The massive form of Orichalcos Shunoros began to move.

Normally unable to attack, it now opened its mouth, gathering a sinister green energy.

"The two monsters I choose are Orichalcos Shunoros and your last remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

A colossal green energy beam shot forth.

With only 3,000 Attack Points, Blue-Eyes White Dragon stood no chance.

[Blue-Eyes White Dragon Destroyed]

[Kaiba Seto LP: 3000 → 0]

The invincible(?) Seto Kaiba… had fallen once again.

"Kai—ba—!"

The sudden, devastating defeat—brought about by Dartz's Trap Card, which forced a battle between Orichalcos Shunoros and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon—completely wiped out Kaiba's remaining Life Points.

Kaiba's wide-open eyes glared at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on Dartz's field, the very monster he had lost to Monster Reborn. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but an overwhelming sense of powerlessness left him unable to speak.

"It's over! Kaiba, Duelist chosen by the Legendary Dragons—fall into the depths of despair alongside your Critias Fang! The effect of the Seal of Orichalcos activates! When a duelist's Life Points drop to zero, their soul is sealed away!"

The overwhelming fatigue that consumed Kaiba was the sealing power of the Orichalcos. The moment his Life Points hit zero, the shrinking seal beneath his feet rapidly drained his strength—his very soul.

"Brother!" Mokuba's voice was filled with disbelief. Just last turn, Kaiba had been attacking aggressively—yet now, in a single counterattack, he had lost everything.

"When facing an opponent like Dartz, even a single misstep means losing your soul..."

Rebeca clutched the Soul Card containing Yugi's spirit even tighter, her hands trembling. "This duel is so dangerous that every second, they're literally gambling with their lives."

Dartz's triumphant laughter echoed through the battlefield, but he didn't give them time to grieve—he waved his hand and pressed forward.

"Don't think it's over yet. I still have Orichalcos Sacrificer and Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my field, while your field is empty."

"This is bad!" Sensing Dartz's overwhelming advantage, Yugi turned toward Hoshino.

With Hoshino wide open, Orichalcos Sacrificer extended its skeletal fingers, firing a beam of energy straight through Hoshino's chest.

[Orichalcos Sacrificer ATK 500]

[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 3600 → 3100]

"And now, it's your turn to fall, Hoshino! Take this final attack from Blue-Eyes White Dragon and be completely erased!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, tainted by Orichalcos's power, gathered a terrifying black energy beam within its maw, locking onto Hoshino's defenseless field.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack power is 3500 after being enhanced by the Orichalcos!" Honda shouted in panic. "If Hoshino takes this direct attack, he'll be eliminated—just like Kaiba!"

"Blue... Eyes...!!!"

"Kaiba?!" Dartz's expression showed rare surprise. "A lifeless body, already stripped of its soul—how could it possibly make a sound?!"

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon... You are a proud and beautiful Dragon... How could you possibly submit to this?!"

With hollow eyes, Kaiba used his last ounce of strength to cry out before collapsing completely.

"Seriously!? You can break the rules with the power of love?" Hoshino, who had nearly forgotten to breathe from sheer tension, watched as Blue-Eyes White Dragon—upon hearing Kaiba's voice—actually hesitated, its attack stopping mid-charge.

"A Duel Monster's attack should never stop just because a soulless person spoke! Kaiba, what did you do?!"

Dartz, who had been completely confident in finishing off Hoshino, was now clearly puzzled by Blue-Eyes' sudden halt.

"Heh… heh… Lose my soul? I, Seto Kaiba… will never be stopped by something as ridiculous as losing my soul..."

Even when faced with undeniable reality, Kaiba refused to accept it. It was that sheer stubbornness—the strength of his will—that allowed him to retain a fleeting moment of consciousness even after losing his soul.

"Hoshino… I've already stopped the attack for you… Don't you dare lose now!"

And in that fleeting moment of awareness, Kaiba activated the final card in his Graveyard before passing out completely.

"I activate the effect of [Necro Gardna]! Since it was sent to the Graveyard last turn via The Melody of Awakening Dragon, I can banish this card to negate an opponent's attack!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's devastating attack was nullified. Kaiba had succeeded in stopping it. But the moment the effect resolved, his soulless body was ejected from the barrier—lifeless, unmoving.

Seeing Kaiba's soul sealed away while also confirming the truth of the situation, Dartz merely shrugged.

"So it was just an effect stopping Blue-Eyes' attack? Hah—lasting so long even after losing his soul… I suppose I should praise you, Kaiba."

"It wasn't just an effect!" Hoshino snapped, eyes burning with fury. "What stopped Blue-Eyes White Dragon was Kaiba's unyielding will—and the bond between him and his dragon!"

Looking at Kaiba, now lying motionless outside the barrier, Hoshino's voice rang with unwavering determination. "Thanks to Kaiba's resistance, Orichalcos Shunoros's attack power has dropped to 7300! Next turn, I swear—I'll defeat both your Shunoros and YOU, Dartz!!"

"Oh? How amusing, Hoshino. But can you still be so confident after seeing this?" Dartz, finishing his Battle Phase, slotted his last hand card into his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Continuous Spell—[Orichalcos Energy Recharge]! Once per turn, this card increases Orichalcos Shunoros's ATK by an amount equal to my Life Points!" (OC)

[Dartz LP 13000]

[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 7300 → 20300]

"Over 20,000 ATK?!" Yugi inhaled sharply, staring at Dartz's absurdly high attack power and Life Points.

With both the strongest offense and the strongest defense in play, Dartz was ecstatic. "Hahahaha! Now, do you still think you can defeat my Orichalcos Divine Shunoros, Hoshino Chiyuki?!"

"I can!" Yet Hoshino's gaze did not waver in the slightest.

"Tch. Where do you even get that confidence?" Clicking his tongue, Dartz, irritated by Hoshino's defiant attitude, placed his hand over his Duel Disk.

"I end my turn!"

[Dartz's Hand: 0 | Set Cards: 0]

"It's my turn—Draw!"

As his turn began, Hoshino wasted no time flipping over his final face-down card.

"Dartz! This is my counterattack—the one that will cut through the darkness and summon hope! Trap Card—[Knights of the Round Table], activate!!"

[Knights of the Round Table – Trap Card Effect: If you have 3 or more "Heroic Spirit - Knights of the Round Table" monsters in your Graveyard: Add 1 "Lion King - Artoria Pendragon" and 1 Ritual Spell Card that lists "Heroic Spirit" in its name from your Deck to your hand.]

A golden light erupted from the Trap Card as Hoshino raised his Duel Disk high.

"—Lion King – Artoria Pendragon! Leading the Knights of the Round Table, we shall strike down the darkness that threatens to destroy the world!!"

(*****)

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