Chapter 202 - 202

Rowick hesitated slightly. "A reason why I need to be stopped? I'm curious, but I'll have you prove it to me with your strength." "Time to attack, Traptrix Atrax!" Both sides now had the option to settle for a draw: Rowick could attack Angra with his Traptrix, or Hoshino could have Angra attack the Traptrix. However, Rowick had no intention of settling for a draw; he was certain he had the upper hand. Although Zero Hole's effect had been blocked by Hoshino using Arash, Rowick's two set cards were preserved thanks to the disappearance of the Zero Hole. "My two set cards, Bottomless Trap Hole and Void Trap Hole can block any attempt Hoshino makes to summon a powerful monster. All that's left is waiting for a card like Raigeki to destroy Angra Mainyu." [Void Trap Hole's Trap Card Effect: When your opponent Special Summons a monster(s) with 2000 or more ATK: Negate the effects of 1 of those monsters with 2000 or more ATK, and if you do, destroy it.] Confident in his plan, Rowick was certain he couldn't lose "All I have to do is wait for the right moment, and I can defeat Hoshino. Once I defeat her, I'll finally... have my revenge!" "Attack Hoshino's face-down monster!" Unfazed by Traptrix's attack, Hoshino calmly asked, "Mr. Rowick, are you scared? Afraid to face Marik?" "???" Rowick froze. However, the attack wouldn't stop just because of their conversation. Traptrix's sharp tendrils swiftly pierced through Hoshino's face-down monster. [Heroic Spirit - Jekyll] destroyed. "Remember when I proposed this duel? I never said I wanted to stop you—that's just what you assumed." Transferring Jekyll's card to the graveyard, Hoshino's gaze grew more intense as she looked at Rowick. Rowick frowned. "If that's what this is about, I already apologized." "You just want someone to stop you, don't you?" "That's impossible!!" Rowick hastily denied her accusation, his heart resisting Hoshino's insight. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You want revenge, your mind consumed by the flames of hatred. But deep down, you're scared. You haven't overcome the shadow of your defeat by Marik. If you chose a draw, at the very least, you'd prove you're strong enough to challenge him." "I don't refuse a draw out of fear; I simply have the confidence to defeat you!" Rowick shouted in protest. "Are you trying to find confidence through beating me?" Hoshino smirked, having already completely seen through Rowick's intentions. "Do you think that by defeating me, you'll have what it takes to beat Marik? Let me tell you the truth, you've misunderstood two important things!" "Enough talk, start your turn already." Not wanting to listen any longer, Rowick gestured for her to continue. Rowick's field: 0 cards in hand, 2 set cards, and monsters [Traptrix Atrax ATK 1800] and [Traptrix Nepenthes DEF 2000]. Without rushing to draw, Hoshino activated the effect of her monster in the graveyard during her standby phase. "I activate the special effect of [Heroic Spirit - Jekyll] in my graveyard! On the standby phase of the turn, after it was destroyed, I can Special Summon [Heroic Spirit - Hyde] from my deck!" [Heroic Spirit– Hyde ★★★★(4-star)][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1450/DEF 800] [This card cannot be Normal Summoned. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of [Heroic Spirit – Jekyll].] "Damn, even this monster doesn't meet the minimum requirements to trigger my traps." Rowick's hand hovered over the button to activate his set cards, but he was forced to withdraw as Hoshino's monster slipped under his trap's activation threshold. "Haha!" Hyde's wild laugh echoed, mocking Rowick's overly cautious tactics. After summoning Hyde and shuffling her deck, Hoshino suddenly trembled, as though sensing a powerful force. She then smiled subtly and addressed Rowick, "Now let me tell you what the two things you've misunderstood are!" "The first thing you've got wrong: having given up your only chance for a draw, you now have no chance of defeating me!" "Hoshino, if you keep summoning these weak monsters to avoid my traps, all I see is you setting yourself up for a slow death." Though Rowick tried to keep up his confident front, the repeated failure of his trap activations made him increasingly anxious. "No rush." Hoshino calmly placed her fingers on her deck, in no rush to draw. Instead, a dark power began to swirl around her, shocking Rowick. "What is this aura?" The familiar sensation made Akasha's eyes widen in surprise. "And now for the second thing you've got wrong, Mr. Rowick: your deck will never be able to defeat a god!" Unlike last turn's radiant draw, Hoshino's current draw felt as if she had just unleashed the floodgates of some sealed, dark power. "Due to Hyde's special effect, I can use this card as two tributes for a tribute summon!" Dark energy poured from Hoshino's hand, surging like an uncontrollable flood and enveloping the quiet street. "With three monsters as tribute, I will now summon the god from the abyss!" The moment her card hit the duel disk, the cold, heart-wrenching cries of agony echoed through the now-sealed space. "Come forth, [The Wicked Dreadroot]!" [The Wicked Dreadroot ★★★★★★★★★★ (10 Stars)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000] The dark flood and chilling cries seemed to materialize at that moment. A gigantic beast formed from the essence of fear took shape before Hoshino. Draped in a cloak of white bones, the massive form of Wicked Dreadroot blocked the entire intersection, like a monstrous truck cutting off the road. "Good thing it's early morning and there aren't many people around, or this would cause a commotion." This was Hoshino's first time summoning an evil god outside, and she couldn't help but be concerned about its overwhelming presence and ability to stir fear deep within anyone's heart. In any other situation, it would surely have caused a panic. "So this is... a god that surpasses all Duel Monsters?" Rowick, who was face to face with the terrifying visage of the evil god, felt his sanity slowly crumbling away. "However, this insanely high attack power plays right into my hands!" Struggling to gather his courage, Rowick wasn't crushed by the god's aura since he had his trump card ready. "I activate the set trap card [Bottomless Trap Hole]! When a monster with 1500 or more ATK is summoned, it is destroyed and banished!" The same trap that took down Okita at the start of the duel was once again triggered on Hoshino's field. Corresponding to the evil god's massive form, the trap hole this time was gigantic, splitting the entire street as if slicing it in two. "And the activation of this trap also triggers the special effect of [Traptrix Nepenthes]." [If you activate a [Hole] Normal Trap Card (except during the Damage Step): You can add to your hand, or Special Summon, 1 [Traptrix] monster from your Deck, except [Traptrix Nepenthes]. You can only use this effect of [Traptrix Nepenthes] once per turn.] "I Special Summon [Traptrix Dionaea] from my deck!" [Traptrix Dionaea ★★★★ (4 Stars)][EARTH][Plant/Effect][ATK 1700/DEF 1100] "Finally, I activate the special effect of [Traptrix Dionaea]!" [When this card is Special Summoned: You can target 1 [Hole] Normal Trap in your GY; Set that target, but banish it during the End Phase of your next turn if it is still on the field. You can only use this effect of [Traptrix Dionaea] once per turn.] "I choose the [Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare] in my Graveyard and set it back on my field!" After executing his flawless combo, Rowick exhaled deeply, his gaze fixed on Hoshino's field. "Hmph, with my continuous traps, even a god can't possibly win…!" But before he could finish, Rowick froze. The god in front of him didn't fall into the Bottomless Trap Hole as he expected. Instead, the massive figure hovered impossibly above the dark abyss, defying logic. "Are you done?" Hoshino, cloaked in dark energy behind the god, smirked disdainfully. "Heh, a god that crawled up from the depths of the abyss wouldn't willingly fall back so easily, would it?" "How? How is this possible?" Rowick, now utterly shocked, had lost all of his former composure. "Trap cards do not affect gods!" Hoshino pointed directly at Rowick. Under the god's ominous presence, Hoshino's eyes, lined with darkness, seemed even more sinister. "This is the reason I had to stop you. A deck that relies on traps, no matter how powerful, can never defeat the power of a god. Nor can it ever defeat Marik and his Winged Dragon!" "The power of a god that cannot be defeated…" With his last line of defense shattered, Rowick's deep-seated fear surfaced under the oppressive presence of the god. "Attack, Wicked Dreadroot!" The god's skeletal claws, pale and merciless, reached toward the small, delicate forms of the Traptrix on Rowick's field. "Fear… Is this the fear I've been hiding deep in my heart?" Watching his trembling hands, Rowick felt a sense of relief, as if some weight had been lifted. "So after all these years, I still haven't escaped the shadow of that Shadow Game." That feeling of being swallowed by darkness, unable to see the surroundings, and battling alone while slowly realizing the duel was slipping out of control, ending in total despair. "Hoshino, I admit it. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of facing another Shadow Game where my life is on the line. I'm afraid of losing Kashar again." "Lolicon Mister…" Seeing Rowick's defeated expression, Akasha unexpectedly felt a pang of sympathy. "Which is why, you don't have to risk everything anymore. Leave the rest to me!" Even though Hoshino was controlling the power of a god and surrounded by darkness, she was not consumed by malevolence, staying true to her ideals. That was Hoshino's resolve. [Rowick Hawkins LP 1000 → 0] [The duel is over! The winner is Hoshino Chiyuki!] As the duel-ending sound echoed, the massive shadow of the Evil God faded, and the dark energy surrounding Hoshino dissipated into the air. "This… truly…" From the moment the Zero Hole was destroyed to the summoning of the Evil God, Arthur had been in a state of stunned silence, his mouth wide open. Now that the duel was officially over, he finally came to his senses a bit. "Amazing, Hoshino! Truly, you've opened my eyes." Arthur rubbed his chest and took a few deep breaths. "The legendary God Card… this kind of excitement is a bit much for an old man's heart." "Hmph, from now on, anyone who uses a trap deck against me will be crushed by my Evil God!" Hoshino smugly packed away her duel disk, already envisioning how she'd punish trap decks with the power of her evil god in future duels. "Haha, you've got me!" Rowick raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Though he seemed a bit disappointed, his face showed no signs of bitterness over his loss. "To think you pulled out a God Card, something so far beyond the norm! If I had known, I would've just opted for a mutual destruction earlier." "Lolicon Mister, you did pretty well," said Akasha, her emotions complicated as she looked at Rowick. Surprisingly, she found herself offering words of comfort. It must have been that blood connection at play—though she refused to acknowledge Rowick as her father, seeing his dejected expression still tugged at her heartstrings. "Kashar?!" If there's one thing guaranteed to heal a wounded soul, it's comfort from one's daughter. Rowick's previously forlorn expression disappeared instantly. "Even though I lost, Kashar still noticed her father's heroic duel, didn't she!" "No, no, no, there's no such thing as 'heroic duel' here!" Akasha's face flushed with embarrassment as she vehemently denied it. "Haha, how tsundere! Just like Leah~" Rowick teased. "Ahem!" Hoshino cleared her throat loudly, cutting off Rowick's overly affectionate display. "Mr. Rowick, mind your image, please!" Hoshino, clearly feeling a bit of disconnect seeing Rowick's behavior, commented. Though he had the face of Robin Hood, he was acting more like Lancelot, which felt somewhat jarring. "Ah, sorry." Rowick scratched his head, also realizing he'd gotten carried away. "Hoshino, as per our agreement, I'll give you the card for Ramesseum.'" Rowick, having composed himself, spoke earnestly. "However, I'm still curious—how do you plan to use this card? I've tried countless methods over the years, but I've never been able to truly activate it. The card's effect remains a mystery." "How to use it, huh…" Hoshino took the card and stared hard at the strange ancient text on its face. It looked similar to the markings on the God Cards but was still somewhat different. So, how exactly did Kaiba and the others manage to read the God Cards' effects? If no one could understand them, wouldn't that just leave everything up to their imagination? Can't they be more like the Evil Gods and have their effects written out? "Sorry, I can't give you an answer on how to use it either. I'll just have to figure it out through duel." Hoshino admitted honestly. Rowick was shocked. "Figure it out through duel? Are you planning to add it to your deck, even though you don't know what its effect is?!" "As for its effect…" Hoshino rested her soft face on her hand, pondering. To be honest, every time Hoshino looked at this card, the image that popped into her head was of Ozymandias dragging two pyramids around, clashing their peaks together, accompanied by that spiritually unsettling "HAHAHAHAHAHA" laugh. "If I had to guess, it probably destroys a specific monster on the opponent's field or something," she said. Given it's a buster single-target Noble Phantasm, that kind of design would be reasonable. "How did you come up with that?" Rowick's mouth twitched. Not knowing FGO, he couldn't even begin to imagine the scene in Hoshino's head. "Of course, I'm not ruling out the possibility that it destroys all of the opponent's monsters!" Hoshino added, knocking her palm as she suddenly realized something. If the Ozymandias in this world were a bit smarter and flipped the temple upside down to crash the pyramid's base, it could very easily turn into a large-scale, mass-destruction Noble Phantasm—a proper buster card. "..." Rowick, having no idea how to respond at this point, could only maintain a polite smile. "Oh ho ho ho, I didn't expect the toy shop to be so lively this early in the morning." From the direction of the Muto residence, the elderly voice of Sugoroku chuckled as he approached, accompanied by Yugi. "Good morning, Grampa Sugoroku!, Yugi!" Bright and full of energy from having woken up early, Hoshino greeted them enthusiastically. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be up so early, Hoshino," Yugi commented in disbelief. "Normally, you only get up at the last minute before school, without even having breakfast." "Yeah, yeah," Sugoroku chimed in, "On your days off, you usually sleep until almost noon, only getting up because you're hungry. You must be starving already, though you ate three bowls last night." Hoshino's face flushed bright red as she shot a deadly glare at the two men. How dare they expose her like this in front of outsiders! A girl is supposed to care about her image! "Hahaha, I didn't expect Hoshino to have such a childish side," Arthur said, stroking his beard with a smile. "Still, maintaining a healthy routine is good for work," Rowick advised. "Hoshino-nee, if you keep this up, you'll turn into a sloth," Akasha added. "None of your business!" After waking up early and being treated like this, Hoshino was fuming. If she had known, she would've just gone back to bed until noon. Stomping her foot in frustration, she stormed off towards her room. "Is Hoshino-nee going back to sleep now? No breakfast?" Akasha asked, watching Hoshino suddenly walk away. "Oh, she's gone," Sugoroku commented with a laugh. "She left," Yugi echoed with a grin. It seemed as if the grandfather-grandson duo had conspired to tease Hoshino. "By the way, Arthur, you said you'd come back in a few days, but here you are early the next morning. You must miss your old friend," Sugoroku remarked. "Haha, I had some business with the kids, but I'll be busy later. Since I'm here, why don't we grab some tea together?" "Morning tea! I want some!" Akasha exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. Though she didn't know what "morning tea" was, she wanted to try it. "Akasha-chan, no time for tea! We're leaving!" Hoshino suddenly burst back out of the house, looking ready to head out. "Hoshino-nee, what's with that getup…?" Akasha stared blankly at Hoshino's new look: a hat, mask, sunglasses, and only a pink cowlick peeking out—she looked like a celebrity sneaking out in disguise. "This way, none of the other participants in Battle City will recognize me!" Hoshino, confident in her disguise, proudly raised her arm with the duel disk attached. "No time for tea, Akasha-chan! Let's go hunt for rare cards!" (*****) If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!