Chapter 328 328
"Awaken, miraculous Noble Phantasm—Rhongomyniad!!"
[Rhongomyniad – The Lance That Shines to the End of the World ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 0]
["Claw of Hermos" + 1 or more "Knight of the Round Table" monsters]
A dazzling light engulfed the field as Mokuba turned toward the scene, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Fusion into an Equip Card?! I didn't even know that was possible, Hoshino..."
Hoshino's expression remained steady as she raised her arm high.
"This is the power of the Claw of Hermos—the crimson blood of Britannia, reborn! Draw your lance, Lion King!!"
[①: When this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 "Lion King – Artoria Pendragon" on the field; equip this card to that target.]
"Holy lance, releasing restraints!"
A silver-armored hand reached out, grasping the lance embedded in the battlefield. In that moment, it was as if the weapon had always been a part of her. The Lion King clutched the shaft tightly, her divine radiance fusing seamlessly with the brilliant lance in her grasp.
"Rhongomyniad's effect—The equipped monster gains 500 ATK for each 'Knight of the Round Table' monster used as Fusion Material! Since I used Mordred and Tristan, the Lion King gains 1000 ATK!"
[Lion King – Artoria Pendragon ATK 3500 → 4500]
Dartz scoffed at the sight, forcing himself to maintain his composure.
"A mere 1000 ATK boost? Against my Orichalcos Shunoros, that's laughable! If this is your so-called 'Lion King,' what a joke!"
But Hoshino's emerald eyes gleamed with certainty. Slowly, she raised her hand and pointed toward the sky. Unbeknownst to Dartz, the enclosed ruins and the ceiling of the Seal had already transformed into an endless, brilliant sky, erasing the darkness of The Great Leviathan.
"Attack, Lion King – Artoria! Use your lance to shatter this Seal!"
High above, the Lion King leaped into the sky, her sacred lance raised to its peak. An overwhelming energy gathered in her grasp, prepared to tear through the heavens and sunder the earth.
Dartz's gaze sharpened as he activated the Orichalcos Field at his feet, motioning toward his backrow.
"Naïve! I won't let you attack so easily! I activate 'Orichalcos Tritos'! By releasing 'Orichalcos Sacrificer' on my field, I nullify your attack and destroy your monster!"
A deep blue seal manifested above Dartz, surging to intercept the descending judgment—but the Lion King showed no hesitation.
"—This lance is the phosphorescence of the stars, the radiance at the world's end! Nothing can stop it!!"
As the sacred light clashed against the Orichalcos Seal, the barrier shattered like a fractured mirror, overwhelmed by the sheer brilliance of the descending judgment.
Amid the glowing fragments and cascading radiance, Hoshino made her declaration.
"Rhongomyniad's effect—While the equipped monster is battling, my opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Card effects! Your Orichalcos cannot trigger before the sacred lance!!"
The battlefield trembled, but Dartz remained undeterred. A sinister smirk crossed his lips as he commanded his God-Idol's left arm:
"Then let your so-called 'divine judgment' be blocked by my absolute defense—Orichalcos Aristeros!"
[Orichalcos Aristeros's effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, change the attack target to this card, and its DEF becomes equal to the ATK of the attacking monster + 300 during the Damage Step only.]
[Orichalcos Aristeros DEF 4800]
The sacred lance, its light capable of piercing the sky itself, struck against the metallic arm of Aristeros. Sparks rained down across the battlefield.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 3100 → 2800]
Seeing that he had successfully defended against the strike, Dartz exhaled and began to applaud mockingly.
"Not bad, not bad! Hoshino, your strongest attack actually managed to pierce my Seal and strike my Shunoros. That's quite the feat! But as a reward, the value absorbed by my Aristeros from blocking the Lion King's attack will now be deducted from my Shunoros's ATK."
[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 20300 → 15500]
Yugi clenched his fist.
"Even if Hoshino bypassed the Seal, the difference in attack power is still too large! The damage from that slight reduction will just be restored on Dartz's next turn through 'Orichalcos Energy Recharge'..."
Dartz sneered.
"Exactly, Yugi! If that was your all-out counterattack, then I can only say—"
But before he could finish his sentence, Hoshino smirked. Her emerald-green fingertips traced a glowing arc through the air before swiftly slicing downward—signaling the next strike from above.
"—Lion King! Judgment, Second Strike!!"
"A radiance blooming at the world's end... that which rends the heavens and connects the earth!!"
Following Hoshino's command, the Lion King soared high once more, unleashing another devastating wave of sacred light upon the battlefield. The second strike crashed down, colliding with the defending Aristeros.
"Impossible?!"
Dartz, moments ago basking in his own confidence, was visibly shaken by the unexpected second attack.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 2800 → 2500]
[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 15500 → 10700]
"This is Rhongomyniad's true power!!"
Hoshino turned toward the now-staggered Dartz, her voice brimming with absolute certainty.
"A 'Lion King – Artoria Pendragon' equipped with the sacred lance can attack a number of times per Battle Phase equal to the total number of 'Knight of the Round Table' monsters on the field and in the Graveyard!"
Dartz's eyes widened in shock.
"S-She can do that?!"
The once-overconfident king of Atlantis now stood frozen in disbelief.
"At last... I've finally seen that expression from you."
Having endured Jonouchi and Kaiba's sacrifices, Hoshino had reached this moment. Beneath her now-expressionless face—unshakable in the presence of the Lion King's divine will—burned an unwavering fury.
"On my field and in my Graveyard, including the Lion King herself, there are seven 'Knight of the Round Table' monsters! So tell me, Dartz—how many times can you block this?!—Lion King, Judgment, Third Strike!!"
As if endowed with limitless magical energy, the Lion King had fully transcended into divinity. Wielding the sacred lance, she unleashed her radiance again. A third impact shattered the battlefield, shaking Dartz to his core. His once-proud demeanor crumbled beneath the relentless assault.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 2500 → 2200]
[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 10,700 → 5,900]
"Impossible! My Shunoros is actually being completely overpowered!"
"I won't give you another chance to replenish its attack power! I told you—I will completely destroy Shunoros this turn! Judgment, Fourth Strike! Go forth, Lion King!!"
Once again, the battlefield was engulfed by the radiant brilliance of the Holy Lance. Each successive attack surged with even greater intensity, shaking the very foundations of Dartz's domain. The dazzling energy swept through Hoshino's silver-white hair, illuminating it with a golden glow, as if she had ascended beyond mortality.
"Hoshino… Hoshino, she…" Mokuba watched in stunned awe from the sidelines, barely able to find his words. "Right now, she looks just like a goddess!!"
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 2200 → 1900]
[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 5,900 → 1,400]
After enduring four consecutive strikes, the once-majestic Orichalcos Shunoros—an entity brimming with solemnity and overwhelming might—now flickered weakly. Its enormous, oval-shaped eyes dimmed erratically, its energy nearly depleted.
"Prepare yourself, Dartz! This is the final attack—Judgment!"
Hoshino extended her arm toward the sky, calling forth the decisive strike. "Finish it, Lion King!"
In response, unlike the previous attacks that had torn through the heavens, the Lion King, Artoria Pendragon, surged downward. Atop her steed, she became one with the sacred lance, her descent wrapped in a luminous trail—an unyielding pillar of light, a beacon of divine retribution ready to pierce through the battlefield itself.
"Light, be released from the ends of the world! Split the heavens and tether the earth—anchor of the storm! Rhongomyniad!!"
The Holy Lance's final, full-powered strike obliterated Dartz's defenses. It tore through Orichalcos Aristeros, shattered the last vestiges of Shunoros's waning strength, and ruptured the ground beneath Orichalcos Tritos.
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 1900 → 1600]
[Orichalcos Shunoros ATK 1,400 → 0]
With Shunoros's attack power reduced to zero, it was instantly destroyed. And, as a consequence, the two arms summoned through its effect—Aristeros and Dexia—were obliterated as well.
[Orichalcos Shunoros – Destroyed]
[Orichalcos Aristeros – Destroyed]
[Orichalcos Dexia – Destroyed]
"I have fulfilled my vow from the last turn—to completely annihilate your Shunoros! And now, Dartz, all that remains is you!"
After unleashing five consecutive attacks, the Lion King landed gracefully, her divine radiance undiminished. The Holy Lance now pointed directly at Dartz's last two remaining monsters—Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Orichalcos Sacrificer.
Yet, instead of despair, Dartz burst into laughter—wild, unhinged laughter. His eyes glowed with manic fervor as he stared at Hoshino, whose very presence now radiated an aura of divinity.
"Hahahaha… Hahahaha!! Hoshino, do you truly intend to replace me? To surpass the Orichalcos and become this world's new god?! You are far too naïve! As long as darkness lingers in the hearts of humanity, the Orichalcos will never die!"
Hoshino remained unfazed. "I don't want to be a god. Nor do I seek to control the fate of humanity or this world. My only purpose here… is to fight for the will of humanity. To defeat you!"
"Even now, with that power in your grasp, you still cling to such foolish ideals?!" Dartz's voice dripped with disdain. "You would rather waste such strength on defending this corrupt, dying world?! Then drown in your delusions, Hoshino!"
In a frenzied motion, he grabbed the remaining monsters on his Duel Disk—including those that had not yet been destroyed—and sent them all to the Graveyard.
"The effect of Orichalcos Shunoros—when this card is destroyed, if my Life Points are 10,000 or more, I can activate its effect! I send all my monsters on the field and in my hand to the Graveyard, set my Life Points to 0… and then I Special Summon one 'Divine Serpent Geh' from my Deck!"
[Dartz LP 13,300 → 0]
"Divine Serpent Geh?" Yugi's sharp eyes narrowed as the oppressive aura spread across the battlefield. "So that was Dartz's true trump card all along?"
Dartz drew a single card from his Deck and slammed it onto the field with absolute conviction.
"Behold, legendary Duelists! Witness the ultimate embodiment of Orichalcos—the avatar of the abyss, the serpent god that is the Orichalcos itself! Special Summon—Divine Serpent Geh!!"
[Divine Serpent Geh ★★★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 12)][DARK][Reptile/Effect][ATK: ∞ DEF: ∞]
From the depths of darkness, an incomprehensibly massive serpent emerged. It ripped through the remnants of the Orichalcos Seal, its presence consuming the battlefield in an ominous, suffocating aura.
As the beast slithered forward, the holy radiance of the Lion King and the Holy Lance began to waver.
Mokuba's voice cracked in outrage. "Infinite attack and defense power?! What kind of cheat is this?! That's ridiculous!!"
Trembling from the suffocating pressure, Rebecca stammered, "But… but Dartz's Life Points are already zero… Shouldn't he have lost instantly?"
Shrouded in shadow, Dartz let out a slow, cold chuckle. "Heh… As long as Divine Serpent Geh is on the field, even if my Life Points are at zero, I cannot lose!"
Hoshino's gaze remained unwavering. "Then all I have to do is slay that monster. That should finally put an end to this, Dartz."
Seeing her unwavering resolve, Dartz's fury exploded. "This time, I will shatter your confidence!! Just you wait, Hoshino! You have no more means of attack—it's my turn! Draw!"
Now having locked his Life Points at zero and forcibly ended Hoshino's turn, Dartz launched a counteroffensive with the infinite might of Divine Serpent Geh.
"Devour everything, Divine Serpent Geh! That infinite power represents the darkness lurking within all mankind!"
From the gaping maw of the colossal serpent, a swirling black mist surged forward—the embodiment of absolute despair. Anything it touched withered instantly, its very existence erased.
But Hoshino did not falter. She raised her hand high, unwavering in the face of the abyss.
"If your attack symbolizes the darkness within humanity… then my counterattack is the exact opposite—the unyielding hope that shines throughout history, guiding mankind toward the future!"
The moment the black mist surged toward her, the Lion King, Artoria Pendragon, remained steadfast. At the tip of her Holy Lance, a barrier of radiant light unfolded—defying the oncoming abyss.
Standing beside her, their forms emerging like phantoms from the past, were six valiant figures—Bedivere, Gawain, Lancelot, Tristan, Agravain, and Mordred.
Yugi's eyes widened in disbelief. "The Knights of the Round Table… But why?"
"I activate the effect of my Trap Card—Knights of the Round Table—in my Graveyard!" Hoshino declared. "When 'Lion King – Artoria Pendragon' is attacked, I can banish six 'Knights of the Round Table' from my Graveyard to activate its effect!"
"King of Atlantis, watch closely! This is the power of the Knights who vanquish darkness!"
In the hands of the Lion King, the holy spear shone brighter than ever before. The radiance, once suppressed by the overwhelming darkness of Divine Serpent Geh, now surged forth once more, breaking through its limits. It pierced through despair, defied destruction, and reclaimed the battlefield.
"—Rhongomyniad, Seals Released! Pillar of Light that upholds the world's surface, reveal your true form!"
[Knights of the Round Table – Trap Effect ②: If "Lion King – Artoria Pendragon" is targeted for an attack while this card is in your GY: You can banish 6 "Knights of the Round Table" monsters from your GY; until the end of this turn, "Lion King – Artoria Pendragon" gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all monsters your opponent controls.]
"Due to the effect of Knights of the Round Table, the Lion King's attack power rises by the total attack power of Divine Serpent Geh!"
[Lion King – Artoria Pendragon ATK 4500 → ∞]
Dartz staggered backward, his expression contorting in disbelief. "Her attack power... has reached infinity?!"
But Hoshino pressed forward mercilessly. "Though both possess infinite attack power, the Lion King's ability prevents her from being destroyed in battle! Which means the only one truly doomed to destruction... is your so-called manifestation of human darkness!"
The sacred spear, now fully unleashed, illuminated the abyss. The "Pillar of Light", capable of encompassing all that exists, reappeared in the heart of this corrupted domain. At its core, the Lion King's right hand glowed with an unparalleled radiance, gathering all of the boundless light into a single, condensed point—transforming into the light of the world's end.
"It's over, Dartz! The embodiment of human darkness—Divine Serpent Geh—will be vanquished by this light of hope! Counterattack, Lion King! This is the final strike that will save the world!"
"—Final Judgment! Vanish into the light of the world's end!"
The Lion King, fully merged with the sacred spear goddess Rhongomyniad, unleashed her ultimate, unrestrained strike. "Rhongomyniad" pierced through the abyss, obliterating all traces of the darkness that had taken form on Dartz's field.
[Divine Serpent Geh – Destroyed]
[Dartz—Defeated.]
(*****)
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