NOVEL NEXT Chapter 253: Chapter 253
"Umu~!!"
[Heroic Spirit – Nero Claudius ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][FIRE][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 1900]
As Nero's summoning was completed, Hoshino immediately drew a card from her deck.
"Nero's special effect allows me to draw one card when she's summoned, provided no other monsters are on the field!"
"Neroooo!!"
[Heroic Spirit – Caligula★★★★ (Level 4)][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1500/DEF 1200]
"And with Caligula's effect: once per duel, if Nero is on the field, this card can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard or Deck!"
As the Roman Heroic Spirits continued to appear, the radiance of Hoshino's Continuous Spell Card, Vive la France, became even more dazzling.
"According to Vive la France's effect, summoning two monsters adds two Glory Counters to the card. I'll remove those counters to add Marie Antoinette from my deck to my hand!"
After adding Marie Antoinette to her hand, Hoshino raised her Command Spell, its light cutting through the oppressive darkness.
"Now comes the main event. I target Nero Claudius and remove one Command Spell counter to search for the Field Spell Golden Theater! Laus St. Claudius from my deck, then activate it!"
Hoshino inserted the card into her Field Spell Zone, causing the floor to tremble as the Golden Theater ascended in a radiant display.
Standing at its center, Nero grew visibly more excited:
"Open the gates! Raise the curtains for the soloist! Behold my talent and listen to the thunderous applause! Then praise me! Praise my Golden Theater! Umu!"
"Due to the effect of the Field Spell Golden Theater! Laus St. Claudius, Nero's ATK increases!"
[Nero Claudius ATK 2300 → 2600]
Jonouchi stared in awe.
"Hoshino's offensive pace is crazy—she brought out the Golden Theater on the second turn!"
Yugi nodded, analyzing the field.
"She's not just advancing her offense—she's maintaining a solid hand size and balancing her offense and defense. A very calculated move."
"Hoshino is amazing!" Shizuka exclaimed, her voice filled with hope. She silently prayed that Hoshino could avenge her brother, who had fallen to Marik's underhanded tactics.
"Prepare yourself! Witness Nero's splendid strike!" Hoshino declared, commanding Nero to attack. Nero raised her Aestus Estus high, leaving a fiery trail in her wake as she charged forward.
Unfazed, Marik activated a Set card on his Duel Disk.
"Heh-heh-heh! I activate a Trap Card!"
"It's useless! Nero inside the Golden Theater is unaffected by your Spells and Traps!"
Marik's grin widened.
"Did I say it was targeting Nero? The Trap I activated is [Relieve Monster]!"
[Relieve Monster Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target 1 monster you control; return that target to the hand, then Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from your hand.]
Jonouchi realized the danger.
"Oh no! I remember that card—it's meant to swap in one of his Torture monsters! Can Hoshino hold her ground?"
Having felt the pain of Marik's Shadow Games himself, Jonouchi couldn't help but worry for Hoshino, who, in his eyes, was strong at dueling but still an ordinary girl physically and mentally.
"Do you understand my strategy now? The pain of darkness has already etched itself into your body, Jonouchi!" Marik taunted as he swapped monsters on his field.
"I return Dark Jeroid to my hand and, in Defense Position, Special Summon [Holding Arms]!"
[Holding Arms★★★★ (Level 4)][DARK][Machine/Effect][ATK 500/DEF 1200]
[Effect: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; while this card is face-up on the field, that face-up monster cannot attack, also its effects are negated. While that face-up monster is on the field, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.]
The golden-eyed, metallic creature materialized, quickly clamping its pincers onto Nero's wrists, lifting her arms and exposing the curves hidden beneath her crimson dress.
"How dare you use such a thing to restrict my actions!" Furious, Nero struggled to break free, but her resistance only left red marks on her pale wrists.
Marik smirked.
"As long as the targeted monster remains on the field, Holding Arms cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. Your turn's attack ends here, Hoshino."
"A monster effect instead of a Spell or Trap to bypass the Theater… What a clever move," Hoshino admitted reluctantly, lowering her Duel Disk.
"Turn end."
[Hoshino's: 4 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]
"My turn! Draw!" Marik cackled as he looked at his drawn card.
"Gahaha! It seems fortune favors me. I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed]!"
With a flick of the card, Marik drew two additional cards, bringing his hand count to six.
"Next, I activate [Machine Duplication]!"
[Machine Duplication Spell Card Effect: Target 1 Machine monster you control with 500 or less ATK; Special Summon up to 2 monsters from your Deck with the same name as that face-up monster.]
"I target Holding Arms on my field to Special Summon two more copies from my Deck!" Marik declared, placing the two new monsters on his Duel Disk.
With three monsters now on his field, Marik raised a card high above his head. Lightning and thunder roared in unison as darkness swirled around him.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed.
"He's summoning a god? But if he sacrifices those monsters for The Winged Dragon of Ra, it'll only have 1500 ATK!"
Marik laughed maniacally.
"Gahaha! Who said I'm summoning Ra? Watch closely! A true powerhouse can command the wrath of the gods! Behold!"
Raising his arms to the heavens, Marik offered his three monsters as sacrifices. Their forms dissolved into the darkness, replaced by a blinding light that engulfed the field.
"I tribute my three monsters to summon [Slifer the Sky Dragon]!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DIVINE][Divine-Beast/Effect][ATK ???/DEF ???]
Yugi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Slifer the Sky Dragon?! Impossible! I remember handing Slifer to—"
Marik's laughter echoed, filled with malice. "Ha ha ha ha! You handed Slifer to Hoshino, didn't you? But do you think that alone is enough to defeat me?"
Amidst the grinding, explosive lightning, Marik's face twisted into a grotesque grin. "I am the one who can truly command the three Egyptian Gods and rule this world! Allow me to show you!"
A massive lightning bolt struck down from the heavens, crashing through Marik's body and splitting the lavish Golden Theater in half.
"My theater! How infuriating! Absolutely infuriating!" Nero shouted, now freed from the provocative restraints of the Holding Arms.
Hoshino's gaze turned sharp as she felt an ominous presence. "This Sky Dragon feels… off. Such abnormal anger!"
Though the Egyptian Gods were always known for their temperamental rage, Slifer's manifestation was different. The dragon hadn't even fully materialized from the storm clouds above, yet bolts of furious lightning were already raining down relentlessly on the battlefield.
Kaiba, observing with a calculating glare, pieced the situation together. "Marik, you didn't just create the Winged Dragon of Ra. You've forged additional counterfeit God cards!"
Jonouchi's eyes widened as he turned to Kaiba in shock. "What?! Another fake God card? But isn't using counterfeit God cards supposed to bring divine punishment?"
Marik sneered, activating his Duel Disk. "I've said it before: a true master will command even the wrath of the Gods! Witness my moment of divine domination!"
"I activate the Field Spell Card [Mound of the Bound Creator]!"
The ground shook violently as the rule preventing two Field Spells from coexisting forced the Golden Theater to collapse completely. Slifer's lightning tore through the cracks in the crumbling stage.
[Golden Theater! Laus St. Claudius] Destroyed
Thick, black chains erupted from the ground, reaching toward the stormy skies. They latched onto the clouds, dragging out the colossal form of Slifer the Sky Dragon.
[Mound of the Bound Creator - Field Spell Effect: Level 10 or higher monsters on the field cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects.]
"Now the God is under my control! With three cards in my hand, Slifer's ATK and DEF are both set at 3000!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon | ATK: 3000 | DEF: 3000]
The chains wrapped around Slifer's massive body intensified the dragon's anguished, furious roars. Yet, beyond the deafening cries of rage, Yugi and Hoshino sensed something deeper—pain and sorrow.
Yugi clenched his fists. "To think you'd stoop so low as to use such a method to forcibly control a God!"
"The Gods are restless… I can feel the genuine wrath of the true God cards," Hoshino murmured, her Duel Disk heating up unnaturally. Her deck began to tremble—a phenomenon she'd never experienced before.
"Marik, do you even realize the danger you're unleashing?"
"Ha ha ha! Do you still have time to lecture me? This is a Shadow Game—where the loser truly loses their life!" Marik extended his hand dramatically, issuing a command to the chained Slifer above.
"Unleash divine lightning and obliterate them! Slifer, attack Caligula with Superconductive Wave Thunder Cannon!"
"Roooooaaaaarrr!" The terrifying dragon roared, forced into action. A colossal bolt of lightning erupted from its maw, hurtling toward Caligula.
Amid the blinding flash, Caligula's form disintegrated into nothingness.
"Nero! Nooo!!" Caligula screamed.
[Caligula Destroyed]
Nero gritted her teeth, gripping her sword tightly as flames erupted from its blade, burning brighter and redder. "You destroyed my theater, and now you even dare target my uncle?!"
[Hoshino Chiyuki | LP: 4000 → 2500]
Marik smirked. "It's not over yet. When Slifer destroys a monster, my Field Spell Mound of the Bound Creator triggers its secondary effect!"
[Effect: If a Level 10 or higher monster destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY, the player who controlled the destroyed monster takes 1000 damage.]
More black chains burst from the ground, piercing Hoshino's figure and draining her life points further.
[Hoshino Chiyuki | LP: 2500 → 1500]
"Now let the darkness consume you!"
Hoshino's body began to vanish into shadow, starting from her thighs. More than half of her form, including her arms and torso, turned translucent as the darkness crept over her.
Mai called out in alarm. "Chiyuki, are you okay?!"
Hoshino replied calmly, "Aside from looking unsettling, I'm fine." Though she felt no pain, it was disconcerting to watch her own body disappear.
Marik's grin widened maliciously. "Death is creeping closer, Hoshino. Struggle if you dare, but it will be futile!"
With a flourish, Marik inserted a card into his Duel Disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
[Marik: 2 Cards in Hand | 1 Set Card]
[Slifer the Sky Dragon | ATK: 3000 → 2000]
Seeing Marik's move, Jonouchi leaned forward. "He didn't try to keep Slifer's attack high? He set a card instead? What a mistake!"
Mokuba joined in. "This is your chance, Hoshino! Attack now!"
However, both Yugi and Kaiba frowned, remaining silent. Marik wouldn't overlook Nero's remaining attack power of 2300, even without the theater. That set card had to be a trap designed to bait her into attacking.
"My turn! Draw!" As her turn began, one of the Command Spells on Hoshino's arm reappeared. However, with her field matching Marik's in monsters, she couldn't Special Summon Spartacus from the Graveyard.
[Command Spell ×2]
"I summon [Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight] in Defense Position!" Hoshino declared. Faced with the overwhelming power of Slifer, Mash was her best option.
[Heroic Spirit – Mash Kyrielight ★★★★ (Level 4) | LIGHT | Warrior/Effect | ATK: 1000 | DEF: 2000]
Marik chuckled darkly. "The moment you summon, Slifer's effect activates! Summon Lightning Sphere!"
A spherical bolt of lightning shot out from Slifer's secondary mouth, striking Mash's shield directly.
[When a monster is summoned to your opponent's field, reduce its ATK or DEF by 2000. If this reduces it to 0, destroy that monster.]
[Mash DEF: 2000 → 0]
"Though her DEF has dropped to 0, Mash can't be destroyed while in Defense Position," Hoshino said, using Mash's shield to barely stave off Slifer's devastating attack.
(*****)
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