"This time, I'm counting on you, Miyu! Shine upon the sky as the Moon of the Earth!!"
The familiar energy rippling through the space made the King hesitate to believe his eyes.
"Using a Fusion Monster of 'Illya' and another Fusion Monster to create yet another magical girl...?"
Prisma Illya had already displayed overwhelming power, enough to overpower Kaiba, and yet even she had failed to destroy the Pyramid of Light.
That could only mean one thing—this time, Hoshino had pinned her hopes on a different ultimate form.
Fusing the same material monsters into distinct evolutions… Until now, Yugi had only seen Kaiba do this with his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Yet the second person to achieve it turned out to be Hoshino—with a Magical Girl deck, no less.
"You've got it wrong, Yugi. The fusion materials may be Illya and Miyu, but the focus this time is different!"
On Hoshino's field, emerging from the uniting glow of the two girls was not Illya, but Miyu—adorned in a radiant shrine maiden outfit.
"—Even on a moonless night, the stars still shine across the sky… Each small wish weaves the fabric of the world.
I was once born as the Crescent Moon Shrine Maiden to grant the wishes of humanity.
But now, I exist for the one I hold most dear—Lunar Magical Girl Miyu!"
[Lunar Magical Girl – Miyu][Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect][ATK 1000 / DEF 1000]
[Fusion Material: 1 "Miyu" Fusion Monster + 1 Fusion Monster]
[This card is also treated as a "Heroic Spirit" card. Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the listed monsters from your field. (You do not need "Fusion Spell".)]
Though its ATK and DEF mirrored the standard Magical Girl stat, and Miyu had replaced Illya as the core material, no one dared to scoff at those numbers anymore.
"Let's show them our counterattack, Miyu!"
"Yes, Master!"
Hoshino and Miyu exchanged a knowing glance. The Mystic Code Sapphire glowed gold, carving arcs of magical energy as soft and elegant as moonlight.
"Miyu's special effect activates—When this card is Special Summoned, all face-up monsters on the opponent's field return to the owner's hand!"
Moonlight blossomed, forming elaborate sigils that etched themselves into the two Sphinxes on Anubis's field.
No roars of agony. No bursts of damage.
In that moment—where moon and lion coexisted in peace—the towering Sphinxes simply vanished from the field.
Chloe cheered, "Defeating the enemy without even fighting—nice one, Miyu~!"
"Just like Prisma Magical Girl, Lunar Magical Girl – Miyu gains ATK equal to 200 times the combined Levels of her Fusion Materials."
[Dragon Priestess Miyu: Level 9]
[Magical Girl – Karna Illya: Level 8]
"Total combined Level: 17. Miyu gains 3400 ATK!"
[Lunar Magical Girl – Miyu ATK 1000 → 4400]
In terms of raw power, she wasn't quite as strong as Prisma Illya, who gained 300 ATK per Level.
But Miyu's true strength extended far beyond brute force—Anubis's now-empty field was the best proof of that.
"Hahaha! You think you can just get rid of my monsters that easily?" Anubis suddenly burst into laughter.
"I told you—under the protection of the Pyramid of Light, the Guardian Beasts are invincible! And now, I'll bury your power along with them!
Quick-Play Spell—[Double Cyclone], activate!"
As the face-down card flipped up, twin whirlwinds—one golden, one crimson—swirled violently, cutting across both Anubis's and Hoshino's fields.
[Double Cyclone – Quick-Play Spell: Target 1 Spell/Trap you control and 1 Spell/Trap your opponent controls; destroy them.]
"You should be familiar with this effect, Hoshino! The chosen targets are my Pyramid of Light and your Oath Under the Snow!"
At first glance, it seemed like a fair trade—both sides lost one card.
But since the Pyramid couldn't be destroyed, only Hoshino's Field Spell was affected.
And because the Pyramid's destruction was negated, its effect triggered once more—reviving the Sphinxes Anubis had just lost.
[Andro Sphinx DEF 2500]
[Sphinx Teleia DEF 3000]
This time, he played smart—Summoning them in Defense Position.
Facing Miyu in battle would be suicide.
His true target wasn't her—it was Chloe.
With Oath Under the Snow gone, Chloe could no longer redirect attacks.
"So you brought back your monsters again... But Anubis, it's time to say farewell to that annoying Pyramid for good!"
Hoshino's true goal in Summoning Miyu wasn't just to return Anubis's monsters—it was always to eliminate the Pyramid of Light.
Just as Anubis had chosen Chloe as his target, Hoshino had been aiming for hers from the beginning—
The Pyramid that blanketed the battlefield, sealing away divine power.
"This is Miyu—born from my final wish. The ultimate technique to shatter the Pyramid—"
Moonlight and starlight coiled around Miyu.
Even within the white, sterile space of the Pyramid, a fleeting illusion of night filled the air.
"Ten billion tiny lights... Don't forget that brief shine. 『New Moon of the Earth Illuminating the Stars – Wish Upon a Star』──
I wish that your feelings reach!"
[Once per turn: Target 1 face-up card your opponent controls; return it to the Deck.]
"If I can't destroy it, I'll just send it back to the Deck! That way, the Pyramid's protection effect can't even activate!"
The Duel Disk's lights pulsed.
Anubis's Continuous Trap—Pyramid of Light—vanished from the field, whisked back into his Deck.
"Hahaha! Return it to the Deck? Do you think I didn't prepare for that?!"
Anubis laughed with sudden confidence.
"Hoshino Chiyuki, you fool! You've just dropped a stone on your own foot!
I warned you before—the divine power will never be unsealed unless you destroy the Pyramid of Light!"
Pegasus had warned her, too—time and time again: the Pyramid had to be destroyed, not just removed.
A quick glance at their surroundings told her everything she needed to know.
Despite the card's disappearance, the white barrier remained. The divine power was still sealed.
Yugi's expression grew increasingly serious. With just one miscalculation, the situation had become even more dire.
"This isn't good. If returning it to the Deck doesn't work, then Hoshino's chances of destroying the Pyramid of Light have dropped to almost zero."
After all, the Pyramid of Light was now inside Anubis's Deck. If Anubis chose not to draw or use it, Hoshino wouldn't even have the opportunity to interact with it again.
"Regret your foolish mistake—and the defeat it has brought you, Hoshino Chiyuki!!"
"Heh... heh heh~"
To everyone's surprise, Hoshino let out a cold laugh.
"The real fool here is you! Did you really think I hadn't considered this possibility? No... This is the key step in destroying the Pyramid of Light and checkmating you!"
Confronted by Hoshino's seemingly baseless confidence, Anubis suddenly felt a deep, instinctual fear. For a fleeting moment, the overlapping blur of her figure made it seem as though he were facing that being—the one he feared and revered most.
"N-no... That's impossible. Stop bluffing."
"If you think I'm bluffing, then I'll prove it to you! Quick-Play Spell, activate!"
From Hoshino's final Set card, golden chains—countless as a downpour of stars—erupted forth, tightly binding Anubis's massive arms and piercing straight into the Deck within his Duel Disk.
"—[O' Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods]!"
"W-what is this?!"
Anubis, renowned for his immense strength, found himself unable to move beneath the sheer pressure of the chains. The ominous feeling in his heart surged.
"Struggling this much already? Looks like your divinity runs even deeper than I expected. But this is your end!"
[O' Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods – Quick-Play Spell Effect ①: If you control an 'Heroic Spirit' monster, declare 1 card name. Your opponent must reveal their Deck, and if the declared card is present, all copies of that card in the Deck are destroyed.]
Watching the tides turn once again, Yugi's voice rose with excitement.
"It targets and destroys a specific card in the Deck?! I see now, Hoshino! So that's why you went to all that trouble to return the Pyramid of Light to his Deck!"
"Exactly! That was my plan from the start! Since I couldn't destroy the Pyramid of Light while it was face-up on the field, I just had to destroy it while it was inside the Deck!"
Pointing at Anubis's Duel Disk—where the golden chains had embedded themselves deep into the Deck—Hoshino declared:
"The card I know is in your Deck—I declare the Continuous Trap Card, Pyramid of Light! Now, Chains of Heavens, do your work!"
Snap!
With a heavy tightening sound, the golden chains burrowed even deeper into Anubis's Deck, dragging forth the very card Miyu had returned there just moments ago.
"No... Impossible! How could this be?!"
Anubis could only watch in disbelief as the card was yanked from his Deck.
Then, an uncountable number of chains surged together, wrapping around the suspended Pyramid of Light. With its divine defenses stripped away, it was impaled and shattered into a blinding explosion of fragments right before his eyes.
[Pyramid of Light – Destroyed]
BOOM—!
A thunderous crash echoed across the battlefield. With the Pyramid of Light destroyed, the pure white walls sealing off the space began to collapse.
From the apex down, the radiant pyramid disintegrated into countless energy crystals, finally freeing Hoshino and her allies from its confines.
Outside, those who had anxiously awaited their return immediately understood what had happened the moment the Pyramid of Light collapsed.
Jonouchi, overwhelmed with excitement, grabbed Honda by the collar.
"She did it! Hoshino really pulled it off! The Pyramid of Light is gone! I knew there was no way Kaiba could beat her!"
"Then... does that mean my brother lost?" Mokuba asked, his voice mixed with worry and relief—relieved that everyone was safe, despite Kaiba's defeat.
"Stop, stop!!"
Watching the situation unfold, Pegasus suddenly shouted in panicked English:
"WHY?! Why is Hoshino-girl dueling neither Kaiba-boy nor Yugi-boy?! What in the world happened?!"
Anzu covered her mouth in shock.
"Who is that giant man?! Why is he dueling Hoshino?!"
The sudden twist left everyone speechless.
At the same time, spotting Kaiba unconscious on the ground, Mokuba immediately rushed to his side.
But the chaos wasn't confined to Kaiba Land. Outside the amusement park, the audience watching the event via live broadcast erupted in a frenzy.
"What kind of opening ceremony is this?! First, some weird special effects blocked our view, and now the duelists have completely changed?!"
"Are they screwing with us?! Do they think we're that gullible?!"
"Who's that shirtless giant?! Why is he dueling the Duel King?!"
"Wait—Kaiba just passed out?! Does that mean he lost again?!"
The wave of public outrage was undeniable. What was meant to be a grand opening for Kaiba Land had turned into a full-blown PR disaster—one that Kaiba would no doubt have to deal with for a long time.
But none of that concerned Hoshino.
With the Pyramid of Light destroyed, her duel against Anubis had finally reached its ultimate phase.
[Anubis LP: 1500]
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP: 0]
"...Huh? Continuing the duel even with no Life Points left... That's the first time I've seen that."
(*****)
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