Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Since Mash in Defense Position cannot be destroyed by effects, even Slifer's Thunder Force is useless!" As the lightning dispersed, Mash's sturdy figure remained in front of Hoshino, shielding her with her massive shield.

Marik smirked. "For a Level 4 monster to withstand an attack from a god… Mash, is it? I must admit, I'm impressed."

Mash, however, wore a look of disdain. "I don't need praise from someone like you—it would give me nightmares!"

"You're absolutely right! My beloved Mash only needs my praise to shine! Since Mash was summoned, the Continuous Spell Vive la France gains one Glory Counter!"

[Glory Counter: ×1]

"Next, I'll use one Command Spell to revive a monster from the graveyard in Attack Position: Caligula! Another Glory Counter is added!"

[Command Seals: ×2 → ×1]

[Glory Counter: ×2]

Magical energy flowed from Hoshino's hand into the graveyard slot of her Duel Disk, summoning Caligula, who had just been destroyed by Slifer's attack.

Drawing a card from the graveyard, Hoshino placed it on the field with solemnity. "To defeat the false god before me, lend me your strength—lend your power to your beloved Nero! I Special Summon [Heroic Spirit – Caligula] in Attack Position!"

[Heroic Spirit – Caligula★★★★ (Level 4)][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1200]

Marik scoffed. "Weak monsters like that, no matter how many times you revive, can't stand before Slifer! And since you summoned a monster, prepare yourself for another Thunder Force!"

The second Thunder Force emerged from Slifer's eerie maw, crashing directly onto the recently revived Caligula and engulfing him completely.

[Caligula ATK: 1500 → 0]

Marik pointed to the fading figure in the light. "With his ATK reduced to 0, he will be destroyed by the effect. Say farewell under the thunder of Slifer!"

Straining against the lightning, Caligula let out a desperate roar. "Nerooooo! My beloved niece! Accept my final will—win glory for Rome!"

[Caligula: Destroyed]

"Fight, Nero—now is truly the moment to slay a god!" With Caligula destroyed, Hoshino decisively entered the Battle Phase.

"Yes, Master!" Nero's eyes burned with determination, rivaling the blazing crimson of her sword.

Jonouchi looked puzzled by Hoshino's actions. "She could've attacked directly. Why waste a Command Spell to summon a monster she knew would be destroyed?"

Yugi responded solemnly, "Hoshino wouldn't make such a pointless move. The problem lies in Marik's face-down card."

"Hahaha! You mentioned 'battle,' right? Then you've fallen into my trap!" Seeing Nero, trailing fiery arcs as she slashed toward Slifer, Marik grinned wickedly and activated his face-down card without hesitation.

"I can't believe you fell for such a simple trap! Truly naive! I activate the Trap Card [Reckless Greed]!"

[Reckless Greed Trap Card Effect: Draw 2 cards and skip your next 2 Draw Phases.]

Jonouchi gasped in realization. "He set a card to replenish his hand as a trap to lure Hoshino into attacking!"

"Thanks to Reckless Greed, I draw two cards from my deck. As a result, Slifer's ATK increases to 4000!" Marik declared, drawing two cards and making a slitting gesture at Hoshino.

"This ends now. Lose all your Life Points during your own attack and succumb to the darkness, Hoshino!"

"If it were that simple, wouldn't that mean I'm not even as good as Jonouchi?"

Jonouchi scratched his head. "Why did you have to drag me into this? Though, yeah, I didn't notice the face-down card…"

Pointing to the Trap Card already activated at her feet, Hoshino replied sternly, "Take a closer look, Marik. The one being destroyed in this battle is your Slifer!"

Marik froze. "Nani?! When did you activate a trap? Traps don't work on gods!"

"While you were basking in the might of your Thunder Force and the false power of your god, the tides of battle had already turned!" With Hoshino's sharp voice, Nero's blazing sword slashed deeply into Slifer's massive dragon head.

"This is Caligula's legacy. When I revived Caligula using the Command Spell, I also activated the Trap Card [Love is Not Here]!"

[Love is Not Here Trap Card Effect: Can only be activated if there are 2 or more face-up Level 4 or lower [Heroic Spirit] monsters on your field. Discard up to 2 cards from your hand. Then, your opponent discards the same number of cards. For each [Heroic Spirit] sent to the Graveyard by this effect, inflict 300 damage to your opponent.]

—Devour My Soul, Moonlight (Flucticulus Diana)!!

"Thanks to Love is Not Here, I discarded two cards from my hand. As a result, you must discard two cards from your hand, reducing Slifer's ATK by 2000!"

Discarding two cards from her hand to the Graveyard, Hoshino confidently faced Marik's field. Nero, now elegantly leaping across the massive body of the false Slifer, slashed countless fiery marks onto the dragon's crimson scales.

[Slifer the Sky Dragon ATK: 4000 → 2000]

[Nero Claudius ATK: 2300]

"The Rome I rule, the will I inherit, the flames of wrath I wield! Feel it all with your own body!"

From head to tail, Slifer's colossal body ignited like an inferno, its black chains glowing red-hot under the flames, ready to snap at any moment.

Hoshino pointed forward resolutely. "If you think you can defeat me with a fake god, then you're the truly naive one here!"

—Aestus Domus Aurea!! Nero roared her final declaration, and the fiery marks across Slifer's body erupted into countless explosions. The wailing Slifer disintegrated in the sea of flames.

[Slifer the Sky Dragon: Destroyed]

[Marik LP: 3500 → 3200]

The searing pain of the flames, transmitted through the shadow duel, caused veins to bulge on Marik's forehead once more.

The spectators erupted in excitement. "She defeated a god in one turn! And that's with the Field Spell Mound of the Bound Creator in play! She is incredible!"

But the excitement wasn't limited to just her friends. The moment Slifer was cleaved apart, the entire world seemed to boil over.

"What kind of battle is this? It's so dazzling!"

"That's a god! The legendary strongest monster! And it was defeated in a single turn!"

"She's the Duel King! Even gods can't stand in her way!"

Pegasus's assistant, Croquet, murmured, "Mr. Pegasus, the duelist you recognized might truly be capable of overcoming the god you feared…"

With its attack power of 4000 and the synergy provided by Mound of the Bound Creator, Slifer the Sky Dragon was a force to be reckoned with, possessing near-perfect resistance.

"Defeating Slifer by reducing my hand cards… A simple combo using low-level monsters, yet it achieved such a significant result." Mimicking Hoshino's motion, Marik discarded two cards from his hand.

Due to the timing and effect of Love is Not Here, Marik was forced to discard the two cards already in his hand. He could not discard the two additional cards he had just drawn using the effect of Reckless Greed.

"We did it, Senpai!" Mash excitedly turned to Hoshino, her expression glowing with anticipation. As one of the Level 4 monsters on the field, she was instrumental in activating Love is Not Here.

Nero nodded, radiating satisfaction. "Umu! I have demonstrated the glory of Rome to the world! Surely, there will be more duelists who admire Rome after this!"

Whether there would indeed be more admirers of Rome was uncertain, but this duel marked the beginning of Nero's fan club—composed of earnest duelists who admired her fiery resolve.

"You both did wonderfully! As expected of my girls!" Hoshino praised with a wide grin.

"Senpai, I'm getting mad now!" Mash pouted, clearly dissatisfied with Hoshino's playful tone. Nero, however, smiled knowingly.

"But now is no time for jokes; the duel isn't over yet!" Hoshino's expression shifted to one of focus as Love is Not Here activated again.

"According to its effect, for every Heroic Spirit monster I discarded, I inflict 300 points of damage to you. Among the two cards I discarded was the [Heroic Spirit – Marie Antoinette], which I had added to my hand earlier using a Continuous Spell card!"

[Marik's LP: 3200 → 2900]

The dark corruption on Marik's body spread further, as if reacting to his diminishing Life Points.

"And now, I activate the effect of Marie, which I just sent to the Graveyard! I add one Heroic Spirit monster from my Deck to my hand." The radiance of Marie's glory illuminated Hoshino's field as she searched her Deck for a card.

Simultaneously, she placed two cards face-down on her Duel Disk. "I'll end my turn by setting these two cards!"

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

"My turn!" Marik declared. "Due to the effect of Reckless Greed, I skip my Draw Phase this turn." His field remained empty, leaving him with only the two cards he had drawn previously using Reckless Greed.

The ongoing duel had drained both players' resources severely. Even Hoshino, who had paced herself carefully throughout the match, was down to a single card in hand. Marik's situation appeared even worse.

"It seems neither of us has enough resources for the next stage of this duel," Marik said, inserting a card into his Duel Disk with a sly grin.

Recognizing the familiar play, Hoshino smirked. "What if I told you my hand is sufficient? Don't tell me you're about to activate Card of Sanctity?"

Marik's grin widened as his ruse was exposed. "Hahaha! You've seen through me! Indeed, I activate [Card of Sanctity]! Both players draw until they each hold six cards in their hands!"

Both duelists replenished their hands. Marik drew six cards, while Hoshino drew five, bringing her hand total to six as well.

"Ahahaha! My luck is extraordinary today!" Marik exclaimed, immediately activating another card. "I activate the Spell Card [A Feather of the Phoenix]!"

[A Feather of the Phoenix Spell Effect: Discard 1 card, then target 1 card in your Graveyard; return that target to the top of your Deck.]

Marik discarded a card and retrieved a crimson card from his Graveyard. "Using A Feather of the Phoenix, I return Slifer the Sky Dragon to the top of my Deck!"

Seeing this, Yugi's frown deepened. "He's retrieving Slifer again? Such mockery of the gods will not go unpunished!"

"Mockery? The gods are under my command now!" Marik boasted as his Duel Disk lit up ominously.

"Behold the power of the gods bowing before me! I activate the Spell Card [The True Name]!"

[The True Name Spell Effect: Declare 1 card name; excavate the top card of your Deck, and if it is the declared card, add it to your hand. Then, you can add to your hand or Special Summon 1 DIVINE monster from your Deck. Otherwise, send it to the Graveyard.]

"I declare Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Yugi's eyes widened. "He used A Feather of the Phoenix to ensure the top card of his Deck is Slifer. Now, he not only regains Slifer but can summon another god from his Deck!"

Feeling the intense aura growing stronger, Kaiba's expression hardened. "Could it be… Marik is summoning—?"

Marik spread his arms theatrically. "Yes! Witness the scorching winds and crushing might of Obelisk the Tormentor, summoned directly from my Deck!"

[Obelisk the Tormentor ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DIVINE][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000]

The battlefield was swept by a scorching gale as the colossal blue giant materialized, its body bound in black chains from Mound of the Bound Creator.

Kaiba clenched his fists. "Even Obelisk… Marik's Deck includes all three Egyptian God Cards, though as replicas!"

Suddenly, Hoshino, who had been silent, spoke with unwavering confidence. "Marik, do you feel the wrath of the gods? Not your fake creations, but the true gods, whose fury will soon break these chains!"

Marik scoffed. "Divine punishment? Divine wrath? None of that matters. With Mound of the Bound Creator, all divine power is mine to control!"

Marik's taunt ceased as his gaze fixed on a card Hoshino revealed from her hand.

"The real Obelisk the Tormentor has answered my call! To punish the fake on your field, the power of the true gods now belongs to me!"

(*****)

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