Chapter 773 - 773

"This sorrow, condensed until it drips and dissolves, corroding the very end of causality! Yubel's ultimate evolution — Special Summon! Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare!"

[Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare ★★★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 12)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 0]

The soul that Yubel had merged into Supreme King Jaden's body, combined with the Supreme King's mental landscape manifested as a Reality Marble, caused overlapping causality to transcend Terror Incarnate, creating Yubel's ultimate evolved form.

"A Level 12 Effect Monster…" Hoshino said cautiously.

["Aibo, what's so special about a Level 12 Effect Monster?"]

"They're extremely rare. Monsters that can reach Level 12 simply through their own existence, without using a form of 'accumulation' such as Ritual, Fusion, or Synchro Summoning — I can count the ones I've encountered on one hand."

Unlike a Fusion monster such as Ultimate Dragon, a monster that is simply Level 12, without requiring some form of combination to reach that level, was something that, in Hoshino's memories, almost exclusively belonged to the level of final bosses.

Paradox's strongest Malefic monster, Malefic Truth Dragon.

Dartz's monster with infinitely high ATK, The Divine Serpent Geh.

"A Level 12 monster that exists by itself… we need to be extremely careful with it."

Hoshino Alter pointed out:

["Is it really that scary? Minazuki's Dystopia the Despondent is also Level 12, isn't it? And Akasha defeated it easily."]

"Ahem. That was obviously because Minazuki hadn't properly mastered the potential of his card."

Judging from its printed ATK and inherent resistance, Dystopia the Despondent might not have reached the level of The Winged Dragon of Ra or The Wicked Avatar, but it was at least stronger than the ordinary God Cards.

It was simply that Minazuki's personal Duel style placed more emphasis on unpredictability than on pure strength.

"Jaden… he feels completely different now."

Meanwhile, Minazuki was focusing on something different from Hoshino, who was directly engaged in the Duel.

Rather than the Special Summon of Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare, he was more interested in the Supreme King himself, who had fused with Yubel.

"Jaden, plus the Supreme King, and now he's fused with Yubel too? Should we start calling him Jaden Yuki Mk-III from now on?"

Akasha found the situation difficult to understand.

"The promise… even if it meant sacrificing herself, even if it meant sacrificing the Duel Spirit she cherished most, Jaden and Yubel were determined to win this Duel. But what exactly was it all for?"

On the black Duel Disk, the card Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare radiated an oppressive aura.

Supreme King Jaden said:

"The power I gained after fusing with Yubel! Once Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare appears, beginning from my next turn, the number of cards I draw during my normal Draw Phase becomes 2, and my hand size limit increases to 10 cards!"

"An effect that increases both the number of cards you draw and your hand size limit?"

As expected of a genuine Level 12 monster, Hoshino was seeing this type of effect for the first time.

Moreover, judging from the nature of the effect, even if Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare left the field, the effect would not disappear.

The 10-card hand limit itself wasn't particularly important.

Under the rules, if you had more than six cards in your hand at the end of your turn, you had to discard cards until you had no more than six.

Under normal circumstances, unless you were playing an extremely defensive strategy — or using a special combo involving Slifer the Sky Dragon, whose ATK is determined by the number of cards in your hand — it was rare to have more cards than the hand limit anyway.

Compared with that, the other effect — essentially allowing you to activate Pot of Greed once every turn by drawing two cards — was extraordinarily powerful.

Simply possessing this effect was enough to justify this monster being Level 12.

["Could it be that because Jaden and Yubel fused together, changing from a tag-team battle into a solo Duel, this monster was born to compensate for the difference in power?"]

"Regardless of why this monster was born, if we keep dragging this out and allow our resources to fall further behind, it'll become extremely troublesome! We have to finish this quickly!"

Hoshino inserted a card from her hand into the back-row zone of her Duel Disk and activated a Spell.

The battlefield, which had originally been shrouded in darkness, was instantly illuminated by dazzling lights.

["Ah, so bright! Is this the work of the Grand Servant Lighting Technician?!"]

"— Spell Card activated! Hypothesis Deduction!"

[Hypothesis Deduction – Spell Card Effect: Declare 1 card name to activate. If the declared card is in your opponent's hand, add the declared card to your hand, then Set 1 Spell Card from your Deck that has 'Heroic Spirit' mentioned in its text. If the declared card is not in your opponent's hand, send all cards in your hand and on your field to the Graveyard.]

Thanks to the special effects sponsored by the Grand Servant Lighting Technician, Hoshino stood beneath the spotlight and performed Sherlock Holmes's classic hypothetical deduction.

["If you guess wrong, every card on your field and in your hand gets sent to the Graveyard! That drawback is way too huge, Aibo!"]

"That's why I'd only activate this card when I'm certain my deduction will hit the mark."

Taking a puff from an imaginary "air smoking pipe," Hoshino imitated Sherlock Holmes's manner of speaking and looked toward the three cards remaining in the Supreme King's hand.

"This doesn't even qualify as basic common sense anymore… You can't fool me, Supreme King. You have that card in your hand, don't you? The monster returned to your hand by Fusion Recycling Plant — King of the Swamp!"

Hoshino exposed the answer in a single statement.

During the Fusion Summon in the first turn, the Supreme King had indeed used the Field Spell Card to recover this versatile Fusion Material back to his hand.

"Take it."

Supreme King Jaden coldly pulled the card from his hand and precisely flicked it into Hoshino's hand.

His card-throwing technique was no less impressive than Kaiba's.

"Much obliged~"

After adding the versatile Fusion Material to her hand, Hoshino continued:

"According to Hypothesis Deduction's effect, because I guessed correctly, I can also choose one 'Heroic Spirit' Spell Card and Set it on the field. The Spell Card I choose to Set is the Normal Spell Phantasm Contact!"

Because a Quick-Play Spell Card cannot be activated during the same turn it is Set, Hoshino did not choose Phantasm Contact.

Instead, she Set the Normal Spell Card Phantasm Contact.

"For this turn's Normal Summon, I'll put the King of the Swamp I just took from you into Defense Position!"

[King of the Swamp ★★★ (Level 3)][WATER][Aqua/Effect][ATK 500/DEF 1100]

The versatile Fusion Material — a monster without any definite form, resembling nothing more than a puddle of muddy water — appeared on Hoshino's field.

At the same time, Hoshino immediately flipped up the Set Normal Spell Card Phantasm Contact.

[Phantasm Contact – Spell Card Effect: Return the Fusion Materials listed for a "Magical Girl" Fusion Monster from your field, Graveyard, or banished cards to their owners' Decks, then Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck.]

"I'll return King of the Swamp on my field and Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily in my Graveyard to the Deck as Fusion Materials, then Fusion Summon!"

Two beams of light shot out from Phantasm Contact, each returning one of the Fusion Material cards from Hoshino's Graveyard and field to their respective owners' Decks.

["Since King of the Swamp is the Supreme King's card, Phantasm Contact returns it to its owner's Deck… wait, Aibo, the Fusion Material you substituted with King of the Swamp couldn't possibly be…"]

"That's right! The Fusion Material I substituted King of the Swamp for was Magical Girl – Illya!"

Alexis wore an awkward expression.

"You used that ugly monster to substitute for cute Illya?"

Akasha let out a small sigh.

"Illya must have some very complicated feelings about this."

Saber Lily: "Doesn't anyone care about me, the one who had to fuse with that sticky monster?"

The beams of Phantasm Contact converged.

Although the materials were somewhat questionable, the resulting Fusion Monster was anything but.

"Come forth! Dream Contact Summon — Magical Girl – Artoria Lily Illya!"

[Magical Girl – Artoria Lily Illya ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][LIGHT][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 1000]

Holding the golden Sword of Victory, Illya appeared in her Dream Summon form, her head hanging dejectedly.

"Umm… is it just my imagination? I feel like something is all sticky inside my clothes, and something strange seems to have been fused into my body…"

Ruby: "Stop making naturally lewd comments, elementary-schooler!"

Judging from the situation, Illya apparently still hadn't realized that King of the Swamp had been used as a substitute for her Fusion.

"It's just your imagination. Nothing is different from usual, so concentrate on the battle, Illya."

Hoshino continued declaring the effect.

"Phantasm Contact's effect — the ATK of the monster Special Summoned by this card increases this turn by 200 points × the combined Levels of the Fusion Materials! And King of the Swamp (Level 3) and Saber Lily (Level 4) have a combined Level of 7!"

Illya immediately realized what had happened.

"(*ﾟﾛﾟ) There was obviously something weird mixed into the Fusion Materials, Master! And you told me it was just my imagination!"

[Artoria Illya ATK 2500 → 3900]

Although she complained about it, Illya still accepted the ATK boost.

Furthermore, because the monster with the highest ATK on the field had changed, The Wicked Avatar also transformed into an identical form — a black-haired, black-skinned little-girl version of Illya.

[The Wicked Avatar ATK: 3901]

"Wow, even more tanned than Kuro."

Although both possessed Illya's appearance, Chloe could only be considered to have tanned skin.

The form taken by the Evil God, however, was completely black.

"Next is the effect of Magical Girl – Artoria Lily Illya! When this card is Special Summoned, I can add 1 'Magical Girl' monster from my Deck to my hand!"

Hoshino searched through the Deck in her Duel Disk and pulled out the card she wanted.

Naturally, she chose Miyu, who could interact with the Magical Girl Fusion Monsters through their effects.

"Everything is ready. Time for battle! Let's see exactly what kind of power this Ultimate Nightmare is hiding!"

Hoshino swung her Duel Disk into Battle Phase and chose to attack first with the Artoria Illya summoned by Phantasm Contact.

"— Take this! Cut down evil! Sword of Victory — Caliburn!!"

Illya brought the sacred sword she had raised above her head crashing downward.

Roaring, Illya unleashed the radiance of the golden blade and charged toward Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare on Supreme King Jaden's field.

"Counterattack, Yubel! Show the power we have woven together!"

The enormous two-headed dragon spewed darkness, instantly overpowering the radiance of Illya's sacred sword.

"Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare cannot be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I would take from battles involving this card becomes 0. Then, after the battle, inflict damage to my opponent equal to the ATK of the monster that attacked this card, and destroy that monster!"

Hoshino had already anticipated the reflected-damage effect shared by Yubel's forms.

However, the ultimate power evolved by this Ultimate Nightmare was even more troublesome.

While reflecting the damage, it could also directly destroy the monster that battled it.

"Is that all?!"

Hoshino shouted from within the suppressed radiance of the sacred sword.

"It's up to you, Illya!"

"I won't lose here!!"

Illya swung the golden Sword of Victory downward before immediately reversing the motion and slashing upward.

The radiance of her consecutive sword strikes tore through the darkness, slicing the energy spewed by Ultimate Nightmare cleanly in two.

"Magical Girl – Artoria Lily Illya's effect! As long as this card remains on the field, all effect damage I would take becomes 0! And because of Phantasm Contact's effect, Illya also cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn!"

She used her own effect to nullify the damage, while using the Spell's effect to negate destruction.

The Magical Girl of love and justice transformed the sorrow within the darkness into nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

Alexis suddenly understood.

"I see! To counter Yubel's reflected-damage effect, Senpai deliberately chose Illya in her Fusion Sword form! That way, she doesn't have to worry about the threat to her Life Points!"

Minazuki pointed out:

"But Ultimate Nightmare itself doesn't take damage, and it can directly destroy the monster that battles it. How is Headmistress going to break through it?"

"By overwhelming it with firepower!"

Hoshino raised her hand toward the sky.

A massive number of matchlock guns, enough to blot out the sky, simultaneously loaded their ammunition.

The thick smell of gunpowder filling the air was clearly the signal that Oda Nobunaga was preparing to attack.

"Where I tread, there shall be nothing but the endless corpses of gods, Buddhas, and all living beings. How could I possibly allow a monster like you to stop me here?! Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu attacks!"

Nobunaga pulled the trigger in her hand.

In response, countless matchlock guns fired simultaneously.

At this instant, the clash was elevated into an immense hell of searing heat and endless destruction.

"An attack without meaning. Counterattack, Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare!"

The collision between the overwhelming barrage of gunfire and the demonic dragon's breath erupted into a wave of heat that swept throughout the entire Supreme King's Castle.

Blocking the scorching heat wave with her arm, Akasha said:

"Even though Illya is on the field and you won't take damage, if you recklessly attack Ultimate Nightmare, Nobunaga will still be destroyed, Hoshino-nee."

Minazuki pointed out:

"But Oda Nobunaga has an effect that allows her to remove an Xyz Material instead of being destroyed!"

Akasha retorted:

"Then wouldn't that just amount to deliberately wasting an Xyz Material? Just like Supreme King said, it would be completely meaningless!"

"No!"

Alexis carefully observed the battlefield.

After being reprimanded by Hoshino earlier, she had not looked away from the Duel again.

Within the explosive waves of heat, she caught the crucial detail.

"This attack is only a diversion! The blade hidden within the storm of gunfire is Senpai's real trump card!"

Within the fiery heat wave, Okita Souji charged toward the dragon alongside the trajectories of countless bullets.

The blade in her hand reflected the crimson, scorching radiance of her burning fighting spirit.

"Time for a shift change, Nobu!"

[Heroic Spirit – Oda Nobunaga: Tenka Fubu Effect: If this card with Xyz Material is destroyed by battle or card effect, you can target 1 "Okita Souji" Xyz Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that monster, then attach this card to it as Xyz Material.]

From the very beginning of the battle, Hoshino had never intended to activate Nobunaga's effect that would remove an Xyz Material to prevent her destruction.

Instead, she deliberately allowed Nobunaga to be destroyed by Ultimate Nightmare, using that destruction to trigger the effect that would replace her with Heroic Spirit – Okita Souji: Ikedaya Incident from the Graveyard.

"Heroic Spirit – Okita Souji: Ikedaya Incident's effect! At the declaration of an attack, remove an Xyz Material to activate! Change the monster being attacked to face-down Defense Position, then, at the start of the battle, send that Defense Position monster to the Graveyard!"

"This is the real killing blow! Victory or defeat — Forbidden Gate Iai Slash!!"

A blade of light wrapped in flames flashed.

Within the span of only a few seconds, the battlefield underwent a dramatic reversal.

The coordinated assault of Nobunaga and Okita successfully severed and shattered the enormous body of Ultimate Nightmare.

[Yubel – Ultimate Nightmare] destroyed.

"These two comedians really can't be underestimated after all."

The Evil God sighed with emotion — a sentiment it had not expressed in many years.