Chapter 95 - 95

"Unbelievable! A direct damage of 3000 points in an instant!" Yugi let out a gasp, his eyes filled with astonishment as he looked towards the arena, where explosions and poisonous mist intermingled in the flames. "This is a true OTK! The new deck Hoshino prepared for the final battle is incredibly strong!" "Although the style is quite strange, it doesn't diminish Hoshino's strength! Dealing 3000 points of damage directly means..." Jounouchi, excitedly clutching Yugi around the neck, exclaimed, "Pegasus only has 2900 life points, which means Hoshino won!" "Jounouchi, Jounouchi, let go of Yugi!" Anzu sympathetically patted Jounouchi's shoulder as King struggled to breathe. "It's not over yet, there's no indication that the duel has ended!" Mai, frowning deeply, felt uneasy and kept waiting for the arena's announcement. As she expected, despite the intense explosion, the familiar synthesized voice did not announce the duel's end. "Hehehe, hahaha..." On the other side of the poisonous mist and flames, Pegasus's slightly crazed laughter rang out. "Interesting, very interesting indeed, Hoshino girl!" Pegasus's once neat silver hair was now disheveled, evidence that Hoshino's poison explosion, although not a one-hit knockout, had dealt significant damage to him. Pegasus LP: 400 "How could it be, just a sliver of life left?" Hoshino, puzzled, looked at the disheveled Pegasus across the field, as well as the stars of rain enveloping him. "The card I set to increase my life points for my Toon monsters to attack freely turned out to be my lifeline..." Pegasus said through gritted teeth, holding the flipped card in his right hand. "Hoshino-girl, you're the first, the first duelist to push me to such a state, and you'll pay for it!" [Solemn Wishes Continuous Trap Card Effect: Restore 500 LP each time you draw a card.] Seeing the set card in Pegasus's hand, Hoshino understood why Pegasus survived: "Because he recovered 500 LP when drawing a card, increasing his life points to 3400, he wasn't instantly defeated by the direct damage that followed..." "Miss Hoshino, be careful!" Holmes, who had been hiding his presence since the duel began, suddenly jumped out. "It's a Shadow Game!!" "A Shadow Game? How could..." Though hard to believe, Hoshino knew Holmes wouldn't lie at such a moment. A glance around revealed that the once clear light was gradually becoming blurry, replaced by an encompassing dark energy. "It's indeed a Shadow Game!" Hoshino sighed and clenched her teeth, reluctantly acknowledging it as she observed the changing scenery around her. "It's similar to the duel with Bakura, yet different." "It seems that after Pegasus's life points were rapidly reduced, his mental power to suppress the Millennium Eye personality also weakened significantly. He's now using the dark power of the Millennium Eye without regard for the consequences," Holmes stated, not speculating but asserting. "Hoshino-girl!!" As the dark power in his left eye began to leak, Pegasus's expression became more ferocious. "A duelist like you, threatening my invincible status, a ticking time bomb disrupting my plans, cannot be allowed to exist!" "Face the punishment of the Shadow Game!" "Damn, it's a Shadow Game!" Yugi, also realizing the situation was wrong, exclaimed as he watched the scene being swallowed by darkness. "Pegasus can wield such immense dark power! Did you sell your soul to the devil?" The enormous dark space enveloped the entire dueling arena, including Yugi and the others watching. "Hahaha, Hoshino-girl, those without dark power will suffer irreparable mental damage over time in such a dense dark space," Pegasus laughed, his previously disheveled hair inexplicably restored to its original state. "Hoshino-girl, let's see how long you can withstand the Shadow Game's effects." "Humph, Pegasus, you underestimated me," Hoshino smirked coldly, looking at Pegasus, who tried to wear her down with the Shadow Game. "I can hold on until you fall!" Raising her right hand, the golden bracelet inscribed with mysterious symbols began to flicker with a faint golden light after entering the Shadow Game, as if a strange switch had been turned on. "A Millennium Item? Hoshino girl, you have a Millennium Item too..." Pegasus was shocked, never having thought that the bracelet Hoshino always wore on her right hand would be a legendary Millennium Item. "Is there a bracelet-shaped Millennium Item?" "Eh? So Hoshino has a Millennium Item like Yugi and Bakura?" Jounouchi, whose memory was vague from the Shadow Duel with Bakura, naturally didn't remember Hoshino's Millennium Bracelet. "Um..." Yugi was momentarily at a loss for words, knowing the general situation but unsure how to explain it to his friends. "Hoshino's has a replica of a Millennium Item," Bakura, who had been silent since the start, suddenly explained to everyone. "A replica of a Millennium Item?" Jounouchi touched his chin, pondering. "There are even fake Millennium Items, huh? Well, it doesn't matter if it's fake or real, as long as it works, it's a good item!" "A replica Millennium Item, huh? Hoshino-girl, you continue to surprise me. If I had to compare, you're like a magical treasure chest that makes me want to unwrap you and see what's inside~" Pegasus's words took on a perverse tone, though Hoshino guessed he meant something else, she couldn't help but shudder in disgust. "But is this the time for such talk, Pegasus? Your strategy of dragging me down with the Shadow Game has completely failed. Look at your life points." With only 400 life points left, Pegasus was not quite a candle in the wind, but he couldn't even afford to pay the 500-point cost needed for a [Toon Monsters] attack. "Hahahaha, Hoshino girl, do you think you're any better off?" He pointed to Hoshino's empty field after a wave of counterattacks, as they continued to taunt each other. "And even if you can hold out in the Shadow Game, do you think your friends can?" "!!" Realizing something, Hoshino quickly looked up at the audience. "Anzu! Anzu, hang in there!" As expected, as Pegasus said, apart from Yugi and Bakura, the other companions were ordinary people without any dark power. Especially Anzu, who was not even a duelist and had a relatively weak physique. Without anything to rely on, she was the first to collapse. The souls of duelists are more resilient than those of ordinary people, allowing them to resist the encroachment of dark forces to some extent. This is why Pegasus couldn't take Kaiba's soul until he had defeated him. However, Anzu is different; she's not a duelist, just a girl, and it's unrealistic to expect her soul to withstand the dark forces. "Anzu..." Hoshino looked anxiously at Anzu, who had collapsed in the stands. "Pegasus, how could you target Anzu? It's despicable and not gentlemanly at all!" "Hahaha, a gentleman? Despicable? I'll do whatever it takes to achieve my goals, even if it means sacrificing my soul!" Pegasus ignored Hoshino's accusations and continued his turn. "Let's proceed, Hoshino-girl. I assume you don't want to drag this out." Indeed, the longer it dragged on, the more damage it would do to Anzu's soul. Hoshino had no choice but to continue the duel and try to end it quickly. "However, even if we continue, you have no monsters to block my attacks, Hoshino girl!" Pegasus, now back to his usual composed self, adjusted his freshly styled hair. "Who said I don't have any monsters left? I activate the special effect of [Silver Giant Mecha Nobu] which was destroyed and sent to the graveyard due to [Big Explosion Nobu]!'" [Silver Giant Mecha Nobu: When this card is sent to the graveyard, you can Special Summon one [Nobu] monster from your deck. The monster Special Summoned by this effect has its effects negated.] Hoshino, still resilient after the toxic explosion, played her trump card. "I Special Summon a monster from my deck in Defense Position, [Nobu UFO]!'" [Nobu UFO★★★ DARK] [Machine][ATK500/DEF1400] "No~Bu~" After Hoshino placed the card on the table, the alien-sounding Nobu UFO wobbled onto the field, riding a UFO as large as its body. "Darn, it's moving too slowly! We don't have time for this!" Normally, Hoshino wouldn't mind such a leisurely entrance, but with Anzu's condition, she was increasingly anxious and wanted to end the duel as quickly as possible. "No! Bu!" At Hoshino's scolding, Signal UFO quickly took its position. "Hurry, continue your turn, Pegasus!" "Oh, I can see you're getting anxious, Hoshino-girl." Enjoying Hoshino's current state, Pegasus felt his dark game was working. "But don't just worry about your friends; you should also worry about yourself." "In a shadow game, when players' Life Points decrease, they suffer real damage." Pegasus reminded Hoshino with a sinister smile. "When a duelist's Life Points reach zero, in a way, their life truly ends!" "You're kidding, right? Is it really that dangerous? We've been in shadow games before..." "Hoshino-chan, what Pegasus said is true." Da Vinci's grave voice interrupted Hoshino's muttering. "This shadow game is extremely dangerous, almost like betting your life. The concentration of dark energy here far exceeds the previous shadow game against Bakura!" "Da Vinci!" Surprised and delighted, Hoshino recalled that in a dark game environment, the Millennium Bracelet allowed her to communicate with Da Vinci. "Now's not the time for reminiscing, Hoshino-chan, focus on the duel!" "Yes, Da Vinci! But is Pegasus crazy? It's just a card game, and he's risking his life?" Hoshino looked at Pegasus with disbelief after hearing Da Vinci's explanation. "Pegasus, what kind of obsession drives you to sacrifice everything like this...?" Ignoring the questioning look from Hoshino, Pegasus continued his turn. "I'll continue, Hoshino-girl. I activate the Spell Card [Mimicat]!'" Pegasus placed his last card on the table, and from the cartoon castle shattered by the toxic fog, a long, comical blue cat appeared, slipping into Hoshino's graveyard. [Mimicat Spell Card Effect: When you have [Toon World] and a [Toon] monster on your field, you can activate this card by selecting a card in your opponent's graveyard and copying it.] "I'm copying the Spell Card [Pot of Greed] from your graveyard." As the Mimicat's slender body twisted in Hoshino's graveyard, the card in Pegasus's hand transformed into [Pot of Greed]. "Thinking of replenishing your hand at the last moment, isn't it a bit too late?" After leaving Anzu in Mai's care, Jounouchi refocused on the field, knowing that Hoshino's victory in the dark game was key to saving Anzu. "Wouldn't it have been better to copy a monster from Hoshino's graveyard instead of gambling on uncertain draws?" "That's not the case, Jounouchi." Yugi shook his head, agreeing with Pegasus's strategy. "Look at Pegasus's situation; he can't sustain an attack from Toon Monsters with just 400 Life Points, but after drawing cards..." [Solemn Wishes Continuous Trap Card Effect: Each time you draw a card, gain 500 Life Points.] "Since I drew two cards, the effect of [Solemn Wishes] activates, restoring 1000 Life Points~" After drawing, the holy rain around Pegasus grew denser. Due to the dark game, the healing effect made Pegasus look more refreshed. Pegasus LP: 400 → 1400 "By drawing cards and restoring Life Points, he can attack again with [Toon Monster]!" Hoshino lamented. Pegasus, who had saved himself from a critical situation with a combo of Mimicat and Solemn Wishes, was proving to be a master duelist. "But that's not all, Hoshino-girl. I drew a good card this time." Glancing at his two new cards, Pegasus launched his next assault. "I play the Spell Card [Toon Rollback]!'" [Toon Rollback Spell Card Effect: Select one Toon monster on your field. This turn, that monster can attack twice during the Battle Phase.] "I choose the monster that can attack twice, [Toon Cú Chulainn]!'" "It can attack twice, which means..." Before Jounouchi could finish, Toon Cú Chulainn's spear pierced the simple-designed body of Nobu UFO. "Cú Chulainn, you traitor!" Hoshino shouted angrily as she watched the comical Cú Chulainn impale her beloved Nobu. "Master, I didn't do it willingly. My body just isn't obeying..." Surprisingly, Cú Chulainn, controlled by Pegasus, managed to regain some consciousness with his strong will, though only just. "Be careful of the next attack, Master!!" "Haha~ The next attack will end you, Hoshino girl~" With Nobu UFO, her shield, destroyed, and Pegasus still having a 2000 ATK Cú Chulainn and a 2500 ATK Toon Summoned Skull, it was enough to finish off Hoshino. "Go, [Toon Summoned Skull], I pay 500 Life Points to attack Hoshino girl directly!" Pegasus LP: 900 → 400 As soon as he paid the Life Points, Pegasus's previously refreshed expression turned to one of pain, proving that the damage inflicted by the dark game was not a joke. "Hoshino-girl, prepare yourself; it hurts a lot." Gasping in pain, Pegasus smiled wickedly at Hoshino. "Attack, [Toon Summoned Skull]!" Despite its comical appearance, Toon Summoned Skull had the same power as the real 'Summoned Skull.' The lightning gathered around its body and struck Hoshino like a venomous snake. "Take this, Hoshino-girl, Toon Thunderbolt!!" Unlike Jounouchi or Honda, who were physically robust, Hoshino, who was even more delicate than Anzu, relied entirely on the protection of the Millennium Bracelet to survive in the dark space. However, the damage based on the rules of the dark game could not be avoided by the bracelet. The intense lightning engulfed Hoshino's frail body, the searing pain piercing through her being, making her feel as if her consciousness was being torn away from her body. "Aaaaaahhh!!!" Never having experienced such pain, Hoshino, a pampered young lady, felt as if her entire worldview had been shattered, the intense disparity nearly breaking her spirit. Hoshino Chiyuki LP 4000 → 1500 S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even a mere 500 Life Point cost made Pegasus wince in pain, so it was no wonder Hoshino, who had suffered 2500 points of damage, was in such agony. "Miss Hoshino, stay with us!" Holmes called out anxiously to Hoshino, who, after a scream, seemed to be on the brink of unconsciousness. (*****) If you'd like to read 20 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!