Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

This was the Kara no Kyōkai collaboration quest that Hoshino had never managed to complete. Until now, the system had always marked it as "???"—leaving her completely in the dark, unable to progress any further.

Of course, Hoshino had tried countless methods to trigger the quest.

Drawing cards with her mouth.

Pulling gacha while standing on her head.

Sleeping with Shiki's card under her pillow.

Eating ten boxes a day of Shiki's favorite strawberry ice cream.

In the end, all she got was stomach trouble from too much ice cream—nothing else ever worked.

But just now, in that fleeting moment—perhaps thanks to the sublimation of her mental image that elevated the Atlantis seal—Hoshino finally glimpsed it.

Though it lasted only an instant, she managed to peer into the Root of Akasha—triggering the final Kara no Kyōkai collaboration quest.

The sky stretched endlessly, faint and distant.

That beautiful figure stood somewhere indistinct, gazing up toward the stars.

An impossible encounter—yet one that illuminated the world in the blink of an eye.

—Like gazing into the depths of space on a snowy night.

"…The dream is over."

Clad in a kimono, Ryougi Shiki appeared, the cold gleam of her white katana flashing within the dimensional barrier.

With graceful, soundless steps, Shiki passed the Orichalcos. Her blade—linked to the Root—unleashed a slash that embodied death itself.

A spectral sword swung from the far shore, granting death to all living things.

"Ugh!!" Orichalcos's counterattack froze mid-motion. "You actually struck through the Creator God's divine body… such power!?"

"Too shallow, huh…" Shiki murmured, withdrawing her blade with elegance and returning to Hoshino's side. Though the strike had landed, it wasn't enough—it had only stalled the Creator God's retaliation.

Hoshino blinked in disbelief. She'd thought that slash would be the ultimate, spectacular finishing move.

"Huh? Even a Root-powered strike didn't finish it? This is gonna be trouble."

"No, Master." Shiki gently shook her head. "It's not that the strike failed—it's that most of the damage was absorbed by the conceptual defense covering the Creator God's body. It couldn't reach the Orichalcos core within."

When it comes to the Root, the Creator God itself is a conceptual embodiment of the world's origin. Two forces of the same origin naturally cancel each other out.

"Hoshino-chan, analysis complete!" Da Vinci's cheerful voice rang in. "At the moment it's attacked, the Creator God's armor instantly generates a conceptual barrier with the same property as the incoming strike. That's why Shiki's slash was nullified!"

"You figured that out from one attack? That's why you're the amazing Da Vinci-chan! But if you gave me some advice too, I'd love you even more~"

"The solution's simple~! If conceptual attacks cancel each other, then use a massive physical strike to smash through the armor!"

"I love you to death, Da Vinci-chan!"

When it comes to massive physical strikes, only one name comes to mind—

"Hahahahahahaha! Has the time finally come for me to shine!?"

A blazing figure erupted from a falling meteor. Ozymandias landed in dramatic fashion, laughing boldly.

"Though this battlefield gathers many heroes, without the Great Pharaoh, it's still muda muda!"

No, it wasn't that a Pharaoh was missing—it's just that only he would think to use his own tombstone as a weapon.

"Hm? Seto is here too?"

Catching sight of Kaiba, Ozymandias quickly realized his slip and changed the subject. "How's it going, Seto? Still in good health? Anything new in your relationship with Master?"

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt, but I am Seto."

Clearing his throat, Seto corrected the misunderstanding.

"There… there are two Setos?! Is this some kind of hell, Master?!"

Recalling the strict discipline from his childhood, Ozymandias suddenly felt the pressure of double the parental authority.

"Wait a second… even Shada, Karim, and Isis are here too! Is this… a dream of my past?"

So many familiar faces stood before him. For a moment, Ozymandias was transported back to his youth. Despite the harsh training to become Pharaoh, as the grandson of one, he had been deeply loved and blessed by the priests since birth.

Of course, the still-young priests and Seto had no idea why Ozymandias was suddenly so familiar, and could only respond with polite, awkward smiles.

Raising his staff high, Ozymandias radiated dazzling confidence, like a man stacked with every enchantment buff.

"I've always wanted to show you all the greatness of me, the Sun! Whether this is memory or dream—I've waited long for this moment!"

"Ozy!" Hoshino called out. "If you want to break the Creator God's defense, you'll need a heavy, physical strike. You know what to do, right!?"

"Of course, Master! You want me to crush those two giant black-and-white figures, right? Although… with two targets, my mana will be divided, and the strike might weaken."

Using pure force to shatter a conceptual barrier sounds simple, but who could guess how much sheer weight it would take? If spread across two targets, the success rate plummets.

"Leave that part to us! You just focus on preparing your maximum-density, single-target strike!"

"Let's go, Gil! This battle against the Creator God—are you ready?"

On both sides, Gilgamesh and Enkidu charged at the Light and Dark Creator Gods.

"Heh… My friend! With the divine power of the Creator God, their strength will surpass anything we've seen before! Enkidu!"

"The awakened breath of the stars—I walk alongside humanity! Therefore—'O children of man, bind the gods!' Enuma Elish!!"

From both flanks, the Chains of Heaven shot forth, targeting the Creator Gods whose divinity was second to none. Even if only for a moment, the chains' anti-divine restraints bit deep, their binding power overwhelming.

Hoshino Alter cried out, "The two Creator Gods are being dragged together by Goldie and Enkidu!"

The dual Chains of Heaven twisted and interlocked, forcing the twin Creator Gods into a single bound point. With Uruk's greatest pair giving their all, the enemy was locked firmly in place.

"The rest is yours, Sun King!!"

"Hahahaha, beautifully done, Golden One!!"

Floating upward slowly, Ozymandias summoned two colossal divine pyramids at once—one rising from the earth, the other descending from the sky.

"Do not avert your eyes—I shall grant you the honor of witnessing a radiance so glorious, even the sun itself cannot compare. Behold my divine majesty!!"

The massive pyramids—otherworldly constructs formed from countless fused temples—were an impossible sight in the real world. At their peak, they condensed an ultra-massive physical strike, a force powerful enough to crush and shatter the Creator God's armor.

"—O Almighty God, bear witness to my greatness! Kneel before me! My boundless brilliance shall summon forth the sun itself! Ramesseum Tentyris!!"

Still restrained by the Chains of Heaven, the Creator God was hurled skyward by the temple's might, taking the full brunt of the overwhelming physical impact from above.

"This should be enough to pierce the Creator God's conceptual defense armor, right?" Hoshino clenched her fists as she looked upward.

"No, Hoshino-chan! It's not enough! Even Ramesseum Tentyris alone cannot completely break through the Creator God's conceptual barrier!"

"No problem!" Hoshino, as if already expecting this result, waved her hand confidently. "That's not our only method of attack! Everyone—pour your magical power into the base of the temple in the sky!"

If the pyramid's sheer mass wasn't sufficient, then they would add thrust from below—forcing it through with overwhelming force.

"Please, everyone! All Heroic Spirits and Duel Monsters here—lend your strength to this one strike! Let us create the miracle of victory!!"

"Tch, looks like we don't have a choice!" Kaiba smirked, stepping forward as he drew a card. "Amplifying impact with propulsion—it's pure science!"

"—Shatter! Obliterate! Thunderous applause! Show your imperial form—Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!!"

With a thunderous roar, the Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon materialized, unleashing triple Ultimate Burst Blasts straight into the temple's base.

Kisara puffed her cheeks. "That's already the third form of Blue-Eyes—you think I'll lose to that!?"

Transfiguring into the Blue-Eyes White Dragon herself, Kisara's form wasn't as massive as the Ultimate Dragon's, but her dignity as the original carried unmatched weight.

"Let's go as well, Prince! Master!"

"Yes! Together, Mahad, Mana—fight at my side!"

Atem and Mana combined forces with their Dark Magician apprentices. Though a single Dark Magician might not rival Blue-Eyes in raw power, united, they surpassed their limits.

"—Dark Burst Magic!!"

"We will not lag behind either! Follow the Pharaoh—go, Exodia!!"

Led by Simon, the High Priests unleashed their full might, launching an all-out assault against the underside of the divine temple.

Hoshino's command rang out:

"Heroic Spirits who guard humanity—this is the moment! Reveal your True Names and attack with all your strength!!"

"Yes, Master!!"

"Balmung!"

"Quintett Feuer!"

"Fresh Blood Demoness!"

"Transforming, Flame-Emitting Meditation!!"

"Vasavi Shakti!"

"Vengeful Lightning of the Ox-King!!"

.

..

...

Countless Noble Phantasms converged into a single, radiant torrent of energy, hammering into the temple's base. The already immense impact was driven to its absolute peak, propelling the massive structure into the edge of the Atlantean Seal.

"It's working, Hoshino-chan!" Da Vinci shouted from her observation post. "The Creator Gods' conceptual armor is being stripped away under the sheer physical shock!!"

"You holding up, Ozy?"

"And you, Master? Don't push yourself too far."

Their weary smiles met. Ozymandias poured every last drop of magical energy into sustaining the temple's form under the onslaught, while Hoshino strained to keep the Seal itself from collapsing.

"We're not done yet!!"

Together they shouted, their unyielding will echoing:

"Creator Gods or not—against our determination and endurance, they're nothing!!"

"Well said, Master. At least for this moment, I acknowledge your training!"

With a graceful smile, the purple-haired, ageless beauty Scáthach raised her long crimson spear.

"Scáthach!!"

"Now then, let me give you all a little farewell gift!"

She hurled her spear, wrapped in terrifying magical energy, into the sky with all her might—her final Noble Phantasm to crush the Creator God.

"—Gáe Bolg Alternative!!"

The god-slaying spear tore through the heavens, brimming not only with magical energy but also with the rebellious will of the Morning Star itself.

"Wait—someone's riding that spear!! That's…!" Hoshino Alter exclaimed.

"Muahahaha! Explode with me, my love! Accept my glory!!"

"It's Spartacus!! He rode the spear upward!!"

Hoshino's eyes widened—she never expected Scáthach's "gift" to include him.

With his Berserker physique, Spartacus added raw, crushing force to the spear. Combined with his Noble Phantasm, the resulting impact rivaled a railgun unleashed from a collapsing fortress.

"—This is my all!! Crying Warmonger!!"

The combined strike smashed into the pyramid's base. With a resounding boom that shook the entire space, the Creator God's conceptual armor—capable of nullifying any attribute-based attack—was finally destroyed under overwhelming physical pressure.

"Why… why can humans surpass the power of gods again and again?! This is irrational… utterly irrational!!"

Falling with the shattered temple, Orichalcos—despite devouring the wisdom of countless planets—still found no answer.

"Filled with the unknown and limitless potential… grasping the future with their own hands, beyond reason itself—that is humanity! And you will never understand it!"

Gracefully walking barefoot across the ruins of the collapsing pyramid, Ryougi Shiki leapt into the air, her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception shining as they fully activated.

"This is the true final strike—go, Ryougi Shiki!!"

With the armor gone, her blade traced the Root's death line, slicing through the Creator God's body and severing the Orichalcos within.

"—Perish into nothingness, between the boundaries! Amalavijñāna!!"

"Curse you!! Princess of Atlantis has destroyed us! Aaaaaaaaah!!"

With its Root severed, Orichalcos ceased to exist—past, present, and future.

[Quest COMPLETE!]