Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"It's finally over~," Hoshino sighed, deactivating her duel disk and slumping to the ground.

Before this duel, she had never imagined a day would come when she'd have to fight someone herself. Even though it was within a virtual world, the aches and pains she felt in her body were all too real, making them hard to ignore.

She glanced at Noah, who lay sprawled flat on the ground ahead of her, staring blankly at the sky with lifeless eyes—a look of complete defeat, as if he had been utterly broken.

"Did I go too far?" Hoshino scratched her head uncertainly.

"Not at all!" Jonouchi's voice rang out as he swaggered over, grabbing Noah's arm and effortlessly hauling his small frame into the air.

"How dare you harm Shizuka and my friends like that! Did you think I'd let you off the hook?" Without another word, he delivered a merciless punch, sending Noah's body flying across the ground.

"Onii-chan, stop fighting!" Shizuka protested, seemingly oblivious to Jonouchi's reputation as a former school delinquent.

Cracking his knuckles with a satisfied grin, Jonouchi shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's just a virtual body anyway. But even so, if I don't get a few punches in, I won't feel any better!"

"Gah!" Noah spat out a mouthful of blood, wiping the corner of his mouth as he struggled to stand. He knew if he stayed down, another beating was sure to follow.

Kaiba approached with his signature icy glare. "You've lost, Noah."

The others chimed in from behind him. "Yeah! Let us out of here already!"

"Let you out? Heh..." Noah's aura darkened, and his hollow eyes fixed on the ground. "I've already lost control of this virtual world I created. I have nothing left."

Yugi quickly pieced the situation together. "If Noah lost his power over the world, then Jonouchi and the others were able to recover. That means... the current master of this world is—"

"No way..." All eyes turned to Hoshino, who was still sitting on the ground. Their gazes were a mix of curiosity and disbelief.

"Huh? Me?" Hoshino pointed at herself in confusion. Although she had shattered Noah's control over the world with a single punch, she didn't feel any different.

"That means you've become the god of this world, Hoshino-nee!" Akasha exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "So cool! If you're a god, doesn't that mean you can do anything?"

Hoshino awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Becoming a god isn't that simple, you know. Besides, I don't feel like I've gained any special powers."

"Give it a try, Hoshino! If you don't, we might be stuck in this virtual world forever," Mokuba urged, clearly worried.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot~," Hoshino said, raising a finger and pointing at Jonouchi. "Turn into a monkey!"

BOOM—

With a puff of smoke and a dramatic explosion, the spot where Jonouchi had stood was now occupied by a golden-furred monkey with a hairstyle strikingly similar to his own.

Hoshino stared at her finger, then at the monkey version of Jonouchi in disbelief. "No way, it actually worked?"

"Screech, screech!" Monkey Jonouchi scratched his head frantically, his panic evident.

"This is Onii-chan? How cute!" Shizuka crouched down and patted the monkey's head with a smile.

"Enough messing around, Hoshino," Anzu said, placing her hands on her hips and sighing at Jonouchi's ridiculous state. "Try to see if you can get us out of here."

"Right, right~," Hoshino replied, sticking out her tongue apologetically.

"Screech, screech! (Turn me back first!!)"

Hoshino turned her attention to Noah, who still looked utterly defeated. With a serious expression, she declared, "Noah, as someone who's already dead, you shouldn't linger here in this form. I'll help you put an end to everything."

"So, it's over... all that I've been holding onto for so many years." Resigned, Noah shifted his gaze to Kaiba. "Seto, I'll never admit it. Even if I lost to Chiyuki, I'll never acknowledge that I'm inferior to you."

Kaiba scoffed coldly. "Hmph. You're nothing more than a ghost in a virtual world. Your acknowledgment means nothing to me."

"Goodbye, Noah!" Raising her hand to the sky, Hoshino commanded, "As the god of this world, I declare—end it all!"

The dark sky responded as if the lights of the virtual world had been abruptly turned off. The entire world began to collapse, and the infinitely stretched space reverted to the appearance of the underwater fortress.

"If this world collapses like this, I'll be in big trouble!" A deep, commanding voice echoed from the darkened sky.

"What's happening?!" Everyone looked up in shock.

Kaiba's body stiffened, and a strange smirk spread across his face. "That voice—I'd recognize it anywhere!"

"Kaiba Gozaburo! So, you transferred yourself into this virtual world too?"

A middle-aged man materialized in the sky, descending slowly. Although clearly of the same age as the Big Five, his imposing presence far surpassed theirs.

"Kaiba Gozaburo? Is that your adoptive father?" Hoshino asked, bewildered. She had just commanded the destruction of the world, but the collapse had been interrupted halfway.

Kaiba nodded grimly. "I suspected it from the start. That sly old fox—if he could transfer Noah's consciousness into this world after his death, he could certainly do the same with his own."

"Father?! How are you here?!" Noah stammered, stunned. He could hardly believe his father had been in the virtual world all along yet had never revealed himself.

Gozaburo's gaze at Noah was icy. "You've disappointed me. I preserved your consciousness thinking you'd contribute to KaibaCorp, but now I see you're completely useless."

Hoshino clicked her tongue in irritation. "What a terrible father—to say that about his own deceased son."

Gozaburo turned to Hoshino, his tone sharp. "Hoshino Chiyuki, is it? I didn't expect you to defeat Noah and seize half of this world's control."

"Half the control? No wonder..." Hoshino muttered, finally understanding why the world had only partially collapsed.

Gozaburo waved dismissively. "That's right. The other half of the control lies with me. Of course, I'm not foolish enough to duel you and risk losing it."

"So you're here just to keep us trapped in this world?" Kaiba's expression grew darker. From his childhood to now, he'd never dared to underestimate his ruthless adoptive father.

"Seto, duel me. Though you've found a capable woman, you still need to prove your own worth to me!"

A duel disk materialized on Gozaburo's arm.

"If you lose, I'll deem KaibaCorp unnecessary. Hundreds of missiles stored in this underwater fortress will launch, obliterating KaibaCorp Tower and Domino City."

"The missiles from the underwater fortress... destroying Domino City?!" Yugi was visibly shaken. "Do you even realize what you're saying? That would cost tens of thousands of lives!"

Gozaburo responded with a cold, "And what does that have to do with me?" He extended his Duel Disk with a flourish. "Come, Seto. Show me if you have the grandeur worthy of being the emperor of Kaiba Corporation!"

Kaiba smirked. "You want to duel me? Haven't you lost to me enough already?"

Kaiba's adoption by Gozaburo was prompted by the boy's defeat of him in chess—a game Gozaburo had mastered. At just ten years old, Seto meticulously studied all of Gozaburo's strategies and triumphed against the national chess champion. This display of genius, combined with Gozaburo's grief over the loss of his biological son, led him to adopt Seto and Mokuba, hoping to mold them into heirs who would strengthen Kaiba Corporation.

But in the years that followed, Gozaburo was consistently outplayed by Seto, who ultimately wrested control of the corporation away from him.

Gozaburo sneered. "Hmph. Just as you used my mastery of chess to defeat me back then, today, I will use your beloved Duel Monsters to reclaim my honor! And don't worry, there'll be no need for absurd rules like Deck Master here."

"Enough talk—let's get started!" Kaiba declared, his sharp gaze locking onto his opponent.

[Seto Kaiba vs. Gozaburo Kaiba]

[Duel Start!]

"Wait, they're dueling already?!" Hoshino tilted her head in confusion.

The situation was escalating rapidly. Neither Kaiba nor Gozaburo were ones for excessive conversation. Before anyone could process Gozaburo's chilling declaration to launch missiles at Domino City, he had already drawn his first hand.

"I'll take the first turn, Seto!" Gozaburo announced, glancing at his cards. A sly smirk crept across his face, causing his thick mustache to twitch.

Gozaburo slid a card into his Duel Disk. "As a leader, one must often make tough decisions. Let's see if you're prepared to face such challenges!"

"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card [Painful Choice]!"

[Painful Choice Spell Card Effect: Select 5 cards from your Deck and show them to your opponent. Your opponent selects 1 card among them. Add that card to your hand and discard the remaining cards to the Graveyard.]

"I'll choose these five cards from my Deck!"

The five selected cards materialized before Kaiba, arranged neatly in a row for him to inspect. His expression instantly darkened.

"Those cards—!?" Yugi, equally alarmed, tensed beside Kaiba.

"Chitter chitter!!" Even Monkey Jonouchi seemed distressed.

The five cards before them were none other than the pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One.

"You—!" Kaiba's teeth clenched in frustration, fully aware of his opponent's ploy.

Stroking his mustache, Gozaburo chuckled. "What's wrong, Seto? Does this remind you of a certain failure from your past? Just as you studied all my chess strategies to defeat me, I've thoroughly analyzed your duels!"

He was clearly referring to the legendary moment when Yugi had used Exodia to secure an unbelievable comeback against Kaiba—a duel that had nearly destroyed Kaiba Corporation's reputation.

"Do you think I'd let my past failures weigh me down?" Kaiba retorted. He jabbed a finger forward. "I choose Right Arm of the Forbidden One!"

"The Right Arm will join my hand, while the rest are sent to the Graveyard," Gozaburo stated, sliding the selected card into his hand. "Next, I activate [Graceful Charity], drawing three cards and discarding two."

As Gozaburo sent two cards from his hand to the Graveyard, Hoshino frowned. "He's dumping cards into the Graveyard like crazy. This feels off."

And sure enough, one of the discarded cards was the Right Arm of the Forbidden One.

"Hohohoho!" Gozaburo's laughter was filled with triumph. "And now, I activate the Spell Card [Contract with Exodia]!"

"Contract with Exodia?" Kaiba's brow furrowed. He had never seen such a card before.

"Contract with Exodia allows me to summon Exodia Necross from my hand if all five pieces of Exodia are in my Graveyard!"

Five enormous tombstones materialized on the battlefield, each one engraved with an Exodia piece. The tombstones shattered, their fragments converging to summon a colossal, shadowy creature—Exodia Necross.

[Exodia Necross ★★★★ (Level 4) [DARK] [Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0]

"Such a dramatic display... for a mere 4-star monster?" Kaiba sneered. "Necross? How fitting for a ghost like you, Gozaburo."

"You underestimate its power, Seto," Gozaburo growled. "Exodia Necross cannot be destroyed by Spell, Trap, or monster effects! Furthermore, its attack power increases by 1000 points every time it battles!"

Mokuba's eyes widened. "An invincible monster with unlimited attack growth?! How can we beat that?!"

"Turn end, Seto. Let's see how you struggle against the power of Exodia!" Gozaburo declared confidently, leaving his field wide open without even setting a card.

Kaiba smirked as he drew his card with a flourish. "You've always underestimated me, Gozaburo. But unlike you, I am not shackled by the past. Whether it's Exodia or your lifeless self, I will crush them both!"

"Then try!" Gozaburo roared. "Show me you can surpass me—surpass Exodia!"

Without hesitation, Kaiba discarded four cards from his hand. "From my hand, I activate [Polymerization] to fuse the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my hand!"

The three dragons roared as they combined in a brilliant surge of light.

Hoshino blinked in disbelief. "Again with this move? Kaiba, I know you say it's your bond with the Blue-Eyes, but summoning it this easily feels way overpowered."

Kaiba ignored her, instead locking eyes with Gozaburo. "And it's thanks to Noah that I could acquire even greater power—access to a card from the Kaiba Corporation database that has finally been completed! Prepare yourself, Gozaburo. I will show you the ultimate form of my Blue-Eyes!"

Gozaburo's confident smirk faltered. "What are you talking about?"

Kaiba placed a new card into his Duel Disk. "Witness the pinnacle of my power: Fusion Summon—[Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]!"

(*****)

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