"Interrupting the duel, are we? This time, you're not getting away, Vampire!"
Hoshino pulled out a strange, gold-plated key from her chest and smiled. "Besides… this is what you've been after, isn't it~?"
"The Key of the Seven Gates!? It was on this little girl all along!?"
Feeling deceived, Camula shot a furious glare at Crowler behind Hoshino. "You hideous fool! Didn't you claim to be the head of this academy!?"
Hoshino narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh? Is that true, Professor? Are you saying a professor's position outranks the Headmistress now?"
"M-Mamma mia!" Crowler stumbled back, frantically rubbing his hands together as he avoided her gaze. "You misunderstand, Headmistress~! That was merely a bluff to provoke the opponent, nanno-ne! Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to stall long enough for you to arrive!"
"Well, fair enough." Hoshino smirked. "You did handle yourself decently this time, so I'll let that one slide. Now then…"
Her gaze sharpened as she turned back to Camula. "You harmed my students, spread fear throughout the academy, and nearly cost me one of my most important colleagues. But most importantly—" her lips curved into a dangerous grin, "—I just don't like you. Time to count your sins, Camula!"
Before the ominous Illusion Gate stood the vampiress—one of the Shadow Riders—controlling a powerful field: two Vampires and the mighty Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem.
"A crash-in duel? You really think you can win after barging in like that? Don't tell me you hit your head, girl!"
"Heh, maybe so," Hoshino replied coolly, "but looking around, it seems you're the only one here who doesn't understand the situation."
Camula blinked as she noticed something unnatural: despite her overwhelming field, not a single Duel Academy student showed fear.
"Come on, Headmistress! Avenge Professor Crowler!" "With Sensei here, we've got nothing to fear!" "Don't go easy on that cheating old hag, Headmistress!" "Use your strongest deck and crush her!"
Camula's scarlet eyes widened. "Impossible…! Even with the field so completely in my favor, how can none of them fall into despair!?"
"That's right!" Hoshino's voice rang clear. "This academy was built upon bonds of trust—and those who believe in the future will always carve a path through darkness! Let's duel!"
[Camula LP: 100 → 4000]
[Chiyuki Hoshino LP: 100 → 4000]
"Huh? Our Life Points reset?" Camula frowned at her Duel Disk. "In a crash-in duel, shouldn't the new duelist inherit the previous field and LP?"
"It should work that way," Hoshino replied, raising her glowing Millennium Bracelet, "but you've been cheating, haven't you, Camula?"
The bracelet pulsed with golden light, overriding Camula's Shadow Game with an even stronger dark aura.
"This is my Shadow Game. It won't cause any deadly side effects, but if someone attempts to cheat within it, the rules are forcibly corrected—to ensure a fair duel."
Black mist surged, blocking out the swarm of bats Camula used to manipulate the field.
"Now, your little tricks won't work anymore."
"Tch, even so—you couldn't have chosen a worse moment to interfere!"
Drawing until she had five cards in hand, Camula immediately pressed the attack.
"Let's see how you handle this with an empty field! Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, crush her completely!"
Crowler grabbed his head in despair. "Mamma mia! My Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem—being controlled by the enemy! If the Headmistress loses because of this, I'll be the one to blame, nanno-ne!"
Since this was technically a continuation of her duel with Crowler, Camula's Battle Phase remained in effect.
"That's exactly what I was waiting for!" Hoshino declared, raising a card. "From my hand, I activate the effect of the monster card Heroic Spirit – Formal Dress: Mash Kyrielight! When I control no monsters and my opponent declares an attack, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard!"
As the card slid into her Graveyard, a radiant summoning circle flared open on Hoshino's field.
"Then, when your monster declares an attack, I draw one card from my Deck! If it's a Heroic Spirit that can be Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon it in Defense Position instead—to block the attack!"
"Whoa, such a desperate gamble right off the bat?" Zane muttered.
Jaden only grinned. "That's the only way to stop an attack with an empty field. Believe in Sensei—and her deck!"
"Draw!!"
Wind roared as her draw sliced through the darkness, and a bright voice echoed overhead.
"I Special Summon in Defense Position—Heroic Spirit – Astolfo!"
"Master~~~!"
[Heroic Spirit – Astolfo ★★★★★★(Level 6)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1000 / DEF 1500]
"Charlemagne's Paladin Astolfo—blooming like a flower upon the battlefield! Though I'll never wither~!"
Leaping from the back of his mighty griffin, Hippogriff, Astolfo landed lightly atop the head of the charging Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!
"So cute!" Syrus and Minazuki cried, sparkling with admiration.
Akasha, having already fallen for the same trap once, crossed her arms knowingly. "Don't say I didn't warn you—Astolfo's actually a guy."
Syrus froze, sweating. "S-such a cute… guy…?"
Minazuki clenched his fist, trembling with excitement. "That makes it even better!"
…Did this guy just awaken a whole new fetish?
Camula scoffed. "Even if you summoned a blocker, it's useless! Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem inflicts piercing battle damage equal to the difference between its ATK and your monster's DEF!"
Crowler gasped. "Mamma mia! With 4400 Attack Points, that means 2900 damage straight to the Headmistress!"
"No," Hoshino said calmly. "Other monsters might not be able to stop him—but Astolfo can!"
Placing the newly drawn card sideways on her Duel Disk, Hoshino pointed up toward the sky where Astolfo was falling and declared—
"This is the special ability of Heroic Spirit – Astolfo! His finisher—!"
[①: Once per turn, when this card you control becomes the target of an opponent's attack: You can activate this effect; negate that attack, then change that attacking monster to Defense Position.]
"—'Riding the Crow Airplane!'"
Descending from above, Astolfo's rear end slammed squarely into the steel forehead of the Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem! The impact jolted the giant's body, halting its charge as it dropped to one knee.
"Thanks to Astolfo's effect, I negate Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem's attack—and change it to face-down Defense Position!"
"Nice!" Jaden and Akasha high-fived. "Sensei stopped the Golem's attack!"
Crowler finally exhaled in relief. If Hoshino had lost because of his monster, he'd never live it down.
"Hmph, lucky brat! But my Battle Phase isn't over! Vampire Lord—attack Astolfo!"
"Then I'll continue with Formal Dress: Mash Kyrielight's effect! As long as I draw a monster, it will take the attack in Astolfo's place!"
"Good luck, Master! My fate's in your hands!"
Astolfo clasped his hands in prayer. His attack-negation effect could only be used once per turn—if he was to survive Vampire Lord's strike, everything depended on Hoshino's next draw.
"Leave it to me, Astolfo! Draw!!"
Hoshino glanced at her new card, her eyebrow twitching slightly. She sighed softly. "Astolfo… I won't forget your sacrifice."
Clearly, it wasn't a monster card.
"(>.<)"
Crimson claws carved through the air, tearing across Astolfo's chest. With only 1500 DEF, he was effortlessly shredded by Vampire Lord's assault.
[Heroic Spirit – Astolfo destroyed]
"And now, Vampire Fraulein—attack directly! Drain every last drop of her blood!"
"Then this will be Mash's final draw!"
On her third attempt, Hoshino finally drew a monster. The field shimmered with soft pink stardust as a new figure descended.
"Yes! I Special Summon in Defense Position—Magical Girl – Illya!"
[Magical Girl – Illya ★★★★ (Level 4) | LIGHT | Spellcaster/Effect | ATK 1000 / DEF 1000]
"When Illya is Special Summoned, I can add one Phantasm Summon from my Deck to my hand!"
Manifesting in Defense Position, Illya braced herself as the pale Vampire Fraulein lunged toward her. "Honestly, vampires kinda scare me… but at least my Defense isn't that bad!"
Camula licked her lips, fangs glinting. "I bet the blood of a cute little girl tastes exquisite. I activate Vampire Fraulein's effect—by paying 500 Life Points, her ATK increases!"
[Vampire Fraulein ATK: 600 → 1100]
"Eh!?" Illya yelped, startled by the sudden boost. Before she could react, the pale vampire girl wrapped her in a tight, intimate embrace.
"Accept my fangs of blood!"
Fraulein's sharp fangs pierced Illya's delicate snow-white neck. In an instant, her blood and mana were drained away. Illya trembled twice… then went limp, defeated.
"Illya?" Hoshino's voice trembled with concern.
Camula chuckled darkly. "Hehehe… This is the power of a pureblood vampire's assimilation. Become my thrall, Illya—and join my field!"
Illya's eyes slowly turned scarlet, faint fangs emerging beneath her lips.
"Vampire Fraulein's effect: after this card destroys a monster by battle, at the end of the Battle Phase, that monster is Special Summoned to my field as my servant! So the Illya destroyed by Fraulein returns… under my control!"
[Magical Girl – Illya DEF 1000]
"Illya… even you've joined the traitor brigade now, huh?" Hoshino sighed, watching her former ally stand among Camula's undead ranks.
Illya gently touched her new fangs and spoke with a sultry grin. "I'll never forget you, Master~ Compared to being launched by Chen Gong, being bitten feels… kinda nice."
Ruby sighed. "As expected of our naturally pervy magical girl. Even as a vampire, she's still a mess."
Camula giggled wickedly. "I Set two cards and end my turn."
[Camula: 3 cards in hand]
"My turn—draw! Don't worry, Illya. I won't let you stay under her control for long."
Sliding a card into her Duel Disk, Hoshino continued, "I discard Heroic Spirit – Okita Souji from my hand to activate the Spell Card—Premonition of Beginnings!"
[Effect: Discard 1 card; banish 1 Spell from your Deck. During your next Standby Phase, add the banished card to your hand.]
"And next, I activate the effect of Heroic Spirit – Shuten-Douji from my hand!"
[Send this card from your hand to the GY; choose 1 monster on your opponent's field and change its battle position. Flip effects do not activate.]
A sweet, intoxicating scent filled the air—Shuten-Douji's sake seeped across the field, swirling around the face-down monster.
"I change the Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem I flipped face-down last turn back to Attack Position!"
"Huh?" Zane frowned. "But why switch it to Attack Mode? Its ATK is higher. What's she planning?"
Sending Shuten-Douji to the Graveyard fulfilled the final condition Hoshino needed. She slammed a card onto her Duel Disk—lightning and divine might roared into existence.
"With Mash, Souji, Shuten, and Astolfo in my Graveyard—four different Heroic Spirits—I can now Special Summon from my hand…"
"Heroic Spirit – Minamoto no Raikou!!"
Heroic Spirit Swordmaster: The Sevenfold Battle of the Underworld — "Kokujou: Ichimonji Norimune!"