"To wield your own strength… and to make use of the strength of others. That is martial arts. That is the Way!"
With his Noble Phantasm, Li Shuwen calmly lowered his fists and folded his hands behind his back once more, every bit the dignified grandmaster.
Meanwhile, the dragon girl's slender body was blasted backward by the force of his fist, crashing directly into a towering glacier behind her.
A thin streak of crimson trickled from the corner of her lips.
Hoshino hurriedly called out:
"Whoa, hold on! We're just playing cards here, and she's coughing up blood! Li… don't you think you hit her a little too hard?"
"You pity your enemy?"
Li Shuwen frowned slightly as he looked toward the dragon girl lying against the ice wall.
"My Master is truly a kind-hearted person. There is nothing wrong with compassion. But… there are times when an eye for an eye is the only proper response."
"An eye for an eye?"
Qin Shi Huang gazed calmly ahead.
"Nothing in this world escapes My sight. And anyone who dares to harm My most cherished subjects… should not expect to escape punishment."
"That's right!"
Eve suddenly remembered.
"That Ice King almost froze Hoshino earlier! If Kaiba hadn't reacted fast enough and pulled her away… that sneak attack was absolutely despicable! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"
"So that's what he meant…"
Only after Eve's reminder did Hoshino finally understand Li Shuwen's words.
"To be honest… I didn't think much of it at the time."
Hoshino Alter sighed.
["(꒪Д꒪)ノ These people are way too protective of their own!"]
Or perhaps… this was simply the world's rules exacting their own revenge.
Violence outside the proper bounds of a Duel would always be repaid.
Just as the Ice King was experiencing now.
Ordinary people would've been knocked unconscious — if not killed outright — by the shockwave from Li Shuwen's punch.
But… the dragon girl wasn't an ordinary human.
She was a Dragon.
"Now… let the final judgment descend!"
Activating the Great Wall Defense's ultimate orbital cannon from outer space, Qin Shi Huang raised his divine arm and pointed straight ahead.
"Between Heaven and Earth… all mortals are but fleeting beings! Let this Calamity Star cleanse the land! Above Heaven and beneath Heaven… only I reign supreme!"
Bathed in the crimson light of the Great Wall Defense Line – "Calamity Star" Orbital Cannon Mode, an enormous blazing celestial body slowly descended from the blood-red sky.
Its apocalyptic appearance was eerily similar to the meteor that Harr had once summoned.
"We've won!"
Eve cheered excitedly.
But unlike that previous Duel — when the unknown meteor had filled everyone with terror — this visible Calamity Star represented something entirely different.
It symbolized the victory Hoshino and her companions had fought so desperately to achieve.
Hoshino declared:
"As long as Qin Shi Huang attacks after banishing Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon from Kaiba Man's Graveyard… his ATK will surpass Draco Berserker of the Tenyi! That'll be enough to finish this Duel!"
"'We've won?' Don't get ahead of yourselves… I haven't lost yet."
The dragon girl slowly regained consciousness after crashing onto the frozen ground.
Feeling the scorching heat of the descending Calamity Star above her, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"I reveal my final Set card!"
"At a time like this?"
A bad feeling washed over Hoshino.
Even after activating Magic Cylinder, the dragon girl still had one unknown Set card remaining.
But she hadn't activated it against Li Shuwen's devastating 5000+ battle damage.
That meant… it probably wasn't a defensive Trap.
After all, most defensive Traps wouldn't work against Qin Shi Huang anyway.
"So why now…?"
"L-Look!"
Eve suddenly screamed.
"The sky! There are two meteors!"
"What?!"
High above the dragon girl…
Another enormous inferno was descending through the crimson heavens.
A gigantic blazing sphere —
Every bit as massive as the orbital cannon summoned by Qin Shi Huang.
Hoshino Alter gasped.
["She copied the same kind of counterattack?! How is that possible?!"]
The dragon girl raised her hand.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell — Inferno Tempest!"
[When you take 3000 or more Battle Damage from 1 attack, you can activate this card. Remove all monsters in each player's Deck and Graveyard from play.]
"You can only activate it after taking more than 3000 battle damage?"
Hoshino blinked.
"Who would ever run such an incredibly situational card?"
The dragon girl smiled.
"Situational? Well… haven't I already fulfilled its condition? After Li Shuwen's attack dealt over 5000 battle damage… I activated it immediately."
The devastating punch from Li Shuwen had perfectly satisfied Inferno Tempest's activation requirement.
Wiping away the blood from her lips, the dragon girl forced herself back to her feet and smiled triumphantly.
"Let the tempest from Hell sweep everything away! Erase every counterattack… erase every possibility… and erase every last shred of hope!"
Before Qin Shi Huang's orbital strike could land…
The infernal storm exploded first.
Towering flames engulfed the frozen kingdom, transforming the entire world into a blazing hellscape.
"Because of Inferno Tempest's effect… all monsters in both players' Decks and Graveyards are banished!"
All three Duel Disks whirred at maximum speed.
Every Monster Card from both the Decks and Graveyards was automatically ejected and sent into the Banished Zone.
With every monster removed from their Decks…
Kaiba Man and the dragon girl were left with only a few remaining Spell and Trap Cards.
As for Hoshino… after drawing so heavily earlier with Flower of Hope…
Not a single card remained in her Deck.
"Now that every monster has been banished… you should know exactly what that means, Hoshino. If there isn't a single monster left in your Graveyard… you can't activate the Great Wall Defense Line's Orbital Cannon to increase Qin Shi Huang's ATK anymore."
The effect of the Field Spell Great Wall Defense Line – "Calamity Star" Orbital Cannon Mode activated during Qin Shi Huang's battle by banishing 1 monster from the Graveyard. During that Battle Phase, Qin Shi Huang gained ATK equal to the banished monster's original ATK.
But if there wasn't a single monster left in the Graveyard…
Then the card's activation condition itself could no longer be met.
"In that case, Qin Shi Huang won't be able to surpass Draco Berserker of the Tenyi's 7000 ATK!"
Draco Berserker of the Tenyi let out a triumphant roar.
Only moments ago, it had been trembling before Qin Shi Huang's suppression and the descending Calamity Star.
Now, it proudly straightened its back once more.
"In the end… I still outplayed you, Hoshino!"
"So you were willing to banish every monster in both your Deck and Graveyard just to stop the Calamity Star Orbital Cannon…" Hoshino praised her. "I have to admit, that's an impressive amount of resolve."
"What? Trying to flatter me now?" the dragon girl sneered.
"It's too late to beg for mercy. I already told you. You're never leaving this place alive."
"Sorry," Hoshino smiled.
"But the one who outplayed the other… was me!"
"What?"
The dragon girl frowned.
"You're saying I overlooked something? You banished every monster in my Deck and Graveyard… but you forgot one thing. I still have one monster on my field! I activate my Quick-Play Spell!"
Hoshino placed the final card from her hand onto her Duel Disk.
With 0 cards left in her Deck…
And 0 cards left in her hand…
This truly was her very last card.
"Quick-Play Spell — Prince of Lanling in Battle!"
[Quick-Play Spell Effect: Tribute 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster you control; add 1 "Heroic Spirit" monster from your Deck, Graveyard, or Banished Zone to your hand. Until the end of this turn, that monster is treated as a Tuner.]
"I Tribute Heroic Spirit – Assassin Li Shuwen to activate Prince of Lanling in Battle!"
"So… this is your final move."
Li Shuwen stood tall within the pillar of white light created by the Tribute.
He turned back toward Hoshino.
"For Master's victory… I would gladly offer not only these fists… but even my life itself!"
[Heroic Spirit – Assassin Li Shuwen] Tributed.
"Once Li Shuwen is Tributed… a monster exists in my Graveyard once again."
Carefully placing Li Shuwen's white Monster Card into her Graveyard, Hoshino declared:
"Go! Qin Shi Huang! I activate the effect of Great Wall Defense Line – 'Calamity Star' Orbital Cannon Mode!"
"The brilliant resolve that shines like a luminous pearl… Captain of My Guard, I accept your will! And now… I shall reward you with the most magnificent reversal shot imaginable!"
The Great Wall shifted once more into Orbital Cannon Mode.
The blazing Calamity Star launched from the vastness of space, tearing through the atmosphere of this alternate world.
"I banish Heroic Spirit – Assassin Li Shuwen from my Graveyard! At the start of battle, Qin Shi Huang gains ATK equal to Li Shuwen's original 3000 ATK!"
[Heroic Spirit – Lostbelt King Qin Shi Huang ATK: 4500 → 7500]
[Draco Berserker of the Tenyi ATK: 7000]
[Ice King LP: 500]
"That's exactly 500 battle damage!"
Eve practically jumped with excitement.
"That wipes out all of her remaining Life Points! This is incredible! You actually turned it around! Hoshino… you're officially my idol!"
Seto Kaiba nodded in approval.
"The Great Wall Defense Line that creates miracles… after obtaining the light of Synchro… Hoshino has reached an entirely new level."
The massive burning Calamity Star crashed down at point-blank range.
The resulting explosion eclipsed even Inferno Tempest, spreading crimson flames throughout every corner of the once snow-white frozen kingdom.
At its center —
Draco Berserker of the Tenyi was completely annihilated.
[Draco Berserker of the Tenyi] destroyed.
"Wait! It's not over yet!"
From within the raging explosion, Kaiba Man noticed something unusual and immediately shouted.
"You said it's not over?"
Hoshino looked at him in confusion.
[Ice King LP: 3500 → 3000]
"Three… thousand five hundred Life Points?!"
Hoshino rubbed her eyes.
For a moment, she thought she was seeing things.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
The next instant —
An earth-shaking dragon's roar tore through the fading flames of the Calamity Star, extinguishing its fire and restoring freezing winds that once again swept across the white glacier.
[Nidhogg, Generaider Boss of Ice ATK: 2100]
A magnificent Phantasm Dragon emerged from the flames.
It was the dragon girl's true form — the Ice King herself.
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
Unlike before…
This form dwarfed even the version that had once rivaled Blue-Eyes White Dragon in size.
She now resembled a divine being reigning over the entire frozen continent.
"How nostalgic… I don't think I've been forced into this form for nearly ten thousand years."
Wrapped in an icy aura, the dragon girl gazed meaningfully at Hoshino.
"As expected… the one who inherited her will… and the power of the World Legacy… only someone like you could push me this far."
"Her will?"
Hoshino frowned.
"You mean… the person from ten thousand years ago who supposedly ended the war with the World Legacy?"
"How wonderful legends are."
The dragon girl laughed bitterly.
"'She ended the war with the World Legacy.' She was remembered like the hero of a fairy tale. But reality… is never that beautiful. Even after inheriting the World Legacy's power… that person accomplished nothing."
Eve immediately protested.
"That's impossible! If the previous World Legacy successor accomplished nothing…"
"Then why did the war disappear? Want to know?"
The dragon girl smiled.
"Beat me. And I'll tell you. But if you lose… knowing the truth won't matter anymore."
She removed the Continuous Trap King's Proof from her back row.
"I Tribute King's Proof to activate its effect! I gain 1000 Life Points for each King's Counter on it!"
"Hold on!"
Eve immediately objected.
"Han Xin already negated King's Proof's effects! How can it still activate? That's just making up rules!"
"No…"
Hoshino answered seriously.
"It really can. Han Xin only negated the effects of face-up Spells and Traps while they remained on the field. But King's Proof's final effect activates by Tributing itself."
Kaiba Man added:
"Once it Tributes itself… it's already in the Graveyard when its effect resolves. It is no longer a face-up card on the field… so Han Xin's negation no longer applies."
The effect resolved successfully.
With three King's Counters, the dragon girl recovered 3000 Life Points.
That was why the Ice King now stood at 3500 LP.
"We've fought this far… and you still had another trump card hidden away!"
Kaiba Man gritted his teeth.
"Just how troublesome are you?"
The dragon girl smiled knowingly.
"We've repeated this cycle countless times… and you've Dueled me more times than anyone else. Just how troublesome I am… Kaiba Man… you should know better than anyone."
"Repeated this cycle…?"
Hoshino looked toward Kaiba.
"Kaiba… what did she mean by 'cycle'?"