Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 355 -

According to Kaiba's Duel Simulation AI, once "Crush Card Virus" was successfully triggered, it should have wiped out nearly a third of Hoshino's Deck. Losing her powerful Heroic Spirit monsters as support would have inevitably plunged her into defeat.

"Hoshino, you… you didn't switch decks, did you?!"

But the reality in front of him was starkly different—only a handful of monsters from Hoshino's Deck had been destroyed. For a result this abnormal—not even matching her previous Heroic Spirit Deck—even an average duelist's Deck would've had far more monsters with over 1500 ATK.

Hoshino stuck out her tongue and laughed. "Ehehe~ So you noticed? I guess something this obvious can't stay hidden forever."

To Kaiba, though, that seemingly harmless smile was anything but innocent. His brow furrowed as his mind raced.

"Why would she change decks now of all times? Did she realize I used the Duel Simulation AI? Did she switch decks intentionally to counter me?! If she's figured all that out and still smiles like it's nothing... this woman's dangerous."

Kaiba was practically locked in a mental chess match with himself, almost ready to tattoo "mastermind schemer" on Hoshino's forehead. What he didn't know, however, was that her deck change was pure desperation—and sheer coincidence.

"Even so..." Kaiba glanced at the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon on his field and quickly regained his composure. "No matter how you struggle, Hoshino, you still can't overcome my strongest monster—Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!"

"That's not for you to decide!"

With a flick of her wrist, Hoshino spun the newly added Quick-Play Spell between her fingers and slammed it into her Duel Disk.

"Quick-Play Spell—[Phantasm Summon]! By banishing Magical Girl – Miyu as Fusion Material, I can Special Summon the corresponding Magical Girl Fusion Monster—no other materials needed!"

Miyu reached for the Class Card strapped to her pale thigh, a surge of starry magic flowing into her from the Mystic Code, Sapphire.

"It's time for us to take the stage. Are you ready, Sapphire?"

"I'm always ready, Miyu–sama!"

The Class Card swiped across the star-marked crest, and a brilliant magic engulfed Miyu's petite frame.

"Then… Class Card: Archer—Install!"

As the magic storm raged, Hoshino threw the newly fused Magical Girl onto her Duel Disk. From the brilliant light emerged Miyu—no longer in her elementary school uniform, but now clad in gleaming golden armor.

"—Fusion Summon! [Magical Girl – Gilgamesh Miyu]!"

[Magical Girl – Gilgamesh Miyu ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 2000/DEF 2000]

[Fusion Materials: "Magical Girl – Miyu" + "Heroic Spirit – Gilgamesh (Young)"]

[This card is also treated as a "Heroic Spirit" card.]

Now fully convinced Hoshino had changed decks, Kaiba studied her strange summoning method with a serious expression.

"Gilgamesh… as a Magical Girl? So she's combining Heroic Spirit monsters in a completely new way—to create an entirely different class of monsters?"

Miyu raised her hand, drawing on both the Class Card and Phantasm Summon to imbue herself with the power of the youngest King of Heroes. In the white space of the Pyramid of Light, she opened a golden portal to the Gate of Babylon.

"When Magical Girl – Gilgamesh Miyu is successfully summoned, her special ability activates—I can Set 1 Equip Spell directly from my Deck!"

Hoshino pulled an Equip Spell from her Deck and slapped it face-down onto the Duel Disk. From the open Gate of Babylon, a small, fluffy creature tumbled out.

"Eh? =_=?"

Illya blinked in confusion. "Miyu, is… is this something you can actually pull out of the Gate of Babylon?"

"I… I don't know either," Miyu admitted, equally baffled. "It's the Equip Card Master picked…"

Hoshino, however, declared it proudly. "That's right! The Equip Card I've set is—Fou!"

"Fou~!"

The fluffy beast cuddled up against Miyu's cheek, immediately activating maximum cuteness mode.

"Enjoy it while you can…"

Hoshino's lips curled into a sly smirk as she turned to Gilgamesh Miyu and issued her next command.

"We're not done with the Battle Phase yet. Now let's show them what true savage tactics look like! Activate [Magical Girl – Gilgamesh Miyu]'s effect!"

[Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can send 1 Equip Spell you control to the GY; target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it.]

"Now, Miyu—launch Fou at them!"

"Fou?!"

Fou's expression shifted from bliss to absolute horror.

Sapphire sighed. "That really is a savage tactic… No wonder Master can fling Arash without hesitation."

"Treasures exist to be used!" Hoshino grinned. "By sending the Equip Card 'Fou' to the Graveyard, destroy Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon on Kaiba's field! Do it, Miyu!"

"Y-Yes, Master…!"

Feeling a little guilty, Miyu still followed through. Drawing power from the Gate of Babylon, she hurled Fou forward with full force.

"—Gate of Babylon!!"

Fou transformed into golden light, streaking toward Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon like a divine projectile.

"That's it! Your strongest Shining Dragon's been destroyed by Miyu's effect! And since she was Fusion Summoned during the Battle Phase—she hasn't even attacked yet!"

[Magical Girl – Gilgamesh Miyu ATK 2000]

[Kaiba Seto LP: 2000]

Although Pegasus had insisted Hoshino destroy the Pyramid of Light during the duel, she felt the more pressing priority was victory itself. At the very least, she couldn't allow Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon to remain on the field.

"Heh… heh heh… HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Suddenly, Kaiba erupted into laughter, his face shining with pure exhilaration.

"I have to admit, Hoshino—your ability to create entirely new forms of monsters through fusion has completely shattered my predictions!"

In that moment, Kaiba discarded all pretense of simulation. He abandoned every calculated outcome and focused only on the one thing that mattered—the thrill of the duel.

"Trying to win by simulation alone is just too dull! Your unpredictable style is exactly why I want to duel you head-on—and crush you! Now, activate Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's special ability—!"

"As long as Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon is on my field, I can choose to ignore the effects of all Spells, Traps, and Monster effects!"

Its wings of light surged. With a roar, the dragon effortlessly tore through Fou's golden projectile.

Hoshino's eye twitched. "What kind of broken-ass immunity is this?! Pegasus, did you print this card with your damn ass?!"

The ability to choose whether to accept or reject effects at will—this meant Kaiba could freely accept any beneficial effects while outright denying anything detrimental. Was there ever a more unfair advantage?

"So this is the card Pegasus created that surpasses even the Gods... In a way, it's even more overpowered than a God Card."

Hoshino deeply regretted not pressing Pegasus earlier about the card's full effects. Back then, her attention had been entirely on the Pyramid. But now, compared to the structure that sealed away the Gods, this Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon seemed like an even bigger threat.

Judging by the astonishment on Yugi's face, it was clear he was also learning the absurd extent of the Dragon's effect for the first time.

"But even this Dragon's ability has a limitation—once it chooses to accept or reject an effect, it can't make another judgment for effects from cards with the same name."

"That's basically no restriction at all! It just accepts the good and ignores the bad! Ugh—fine! Ending the Battle Phase, I activate the special effect of [Magical Girl – Miyu], who was banished as Fusion Material earlier!"

[②: When this card is banished as Fusion Summon material, you can return it to your hand.]

Hoshino retrieved Miyu from the banished zone, but her rhythm had already been thrown off. The Shining Dragon, which should have been destroyed by the Gate of Babylon, still stood unscathed. And once her turn ended, Kaiba's counterattack was sure to follow.

"This is bad. I need a plan. With only 100 LP left, forget the Shining Dragon—if Kaiba summons even a single monster and it manages to land a hit on Illya, I'm done."

After a moment's hesitation, Hoshino made her decision and slammed a Spell Card onto the Duel Disk.

"I know it's a bit of a waste, but I don't have a choice! Spell Card—[Phantasm Contact]!"

[Phantasm Contact – Spell Card Effect: ①: Return the Fusion Materials listed on a "Magical Girl" Fusion Monster from your field, GY, or that is banished to the Deck(s); Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck.]

"Thanks to Phantasm Contact, I can use monsters in the Graveyard as Fusion Materials! And right now, one of them is the monster destroyed by your Crush Card Virus—Karna!"

"Karna, huh?" Kaiba's expression turned grave, his brows furrowing slightly. He hadn't forgotten that Karna—one of the strongest Heroic Spirits—had once single-handedly defeated his Obelisk the Tormentor.

"Go, Illya! Phantasm Contact—[Magical Girl – Karna Illya]!"

Scarlet flames erupted from Hoshino's field. Under the overwhelming surge of magical energy, Illya emerged from the blaze, wielding the divine spear—now embodying Karna himself.

[Magical Girl – Karna Illya ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][LIGHT][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2800/DEF 2000]

"When Karna Illya is successfully Fusion Summoned, her effect activates—I can banish one Heroic Spirit monster from the Graveyard to increase her ATK by that monster's ATK!"

Hoshino drew Okita Souji's card from the Graveyard and immediately sent it to the Banished Zone.

"I banish Okita Souji, who was also sent to the Graveyard by Crush Card Virus! Illya's ATK increases by Okita's ATK—2500!"

[Magical Girl – Karna Illya ATK 2800 → 5300]

Yugi watched in awe. "She actually summoned a monster stronger than Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon in this situation. Kaiba's Crush Card Virus not only failed to cripple her—it ended up powering up her monster instead."

"As expected of a monster fused with Karna—just as troublesome as you, Hoshino."

"Originally, Phantasm Contact also increases the Fusion Monster's ATK for this turn, but since I've already missed the Battle Phase, that effect's basically meaningless."

That was why Hoshino felt she'd wasted the card—if she'd held onto Phantasm Contact until her next turn, she could've launched a devastating counterattack.

But of course, if she didn't survive to see that next turn, it wouldn't matter anyway.

"Finally, I activate the effect of the [Magical Girl – Miyu] I just retrieved. By discarding her, I can shuffle [Magical Girl – Gilgamesh Miyu] back into the Extra Deck and replace her with a new Fusion Monster using Miyu as material!"

Once again, the animation for Phantasm Summon lit up Hoshino's field. Gilgamesh Miyu's majestic golden armor faded, replaced by a pair of chain-like weapons in Miyu's hands—and a magnificent white Pegasus beneath her feet.

"—Summon! [Magical Girl – Medusa Miyu]!"

[Magical Girl – Medusa Miyu ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][DARK][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 1000]

["Magical Girl – Miyu" + "Heroic Spirit – Medusa"]

The newly summoned Medusa Miyu appeared in Defense Position, ensuring Hoshino wouldn't lose any LP if Shining Dragon launched an attack.

But more importantly, this was the real reason she summoned her. If Medusa Miyu were sent to the Graveyard during Kaiba's attack, she could transfer her power to Karna Illya.

And since Shining Dragon couldn't rewind its attack once declared, it would be forced to crash headfirst into the divine spear—guaranteeing its own destruction.

"What a flawless plan!" Hoshino thought, grinning as she set two cards onto her Duel Disk.

"I set two cards and end my turn!"

[Hoshino: 2 Hand Cards | 3 Set Cards]

"I don't know what you're scheming," Kaiba growled, "but in the presence of the strongest Blue-Eyes, all these little tricks are meaningless! My turn—draw!"

With a sweeping motion, Kaiba drew his next card. But instead of attacking immediately, he paused.

"If you're so eager to show off your new power in front of me, Hoshino... then I'll respond in kind—not just with Shining Dragon, but with a new power of my own!"

Kaiba inserted the card into his Duel Disk, and a thunderous aura erupted from his field.

"This is the next evolution of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon—a form capable of shattering even the Gods! Spell Card activated—[Dragon's Mirror]! By banishing three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my Graveyard, I Fusion Summon—[Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon]!"

(*****)

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