NOVPUB"Master, Okita is back again!" Wielding her Kiku-Ichimonji, Okita turned to Hoshino with a hopeful expression. "You always believed in me, right?"
Hoshino instinctively averted her gaze, avoiding Okita's eager eyes. "Y-yes, of course, I've always believed in you, Okita."
"Oh? Really?" Okita gave a mischievous smile, her mouth forming a 'w' shape.
"Why is it you again, Okita? Even at this critical moment, you have to steal my spotlight!" Nobunaga shouted at Okita, clearly displeased.
"Nobu? Is it just me, or do you seem particularly hostile towards Okita today?" Although the two often clashed, Hoshino noticed Nobunaga's animosity towards Okita was especially pronounced today.
"Because, because..." Nobunaga lowered her head when pressed by Hoshino.
"Oh? Because of what? Tell us~" Okita smirked, putting her hand to her ear as if listening intently.
"Because, because!!" Unable to bear it any longer, Nobunaga suddenly raised her head. "Why did Okita appear so much earlier than me? I'm Oda Nobunaga, the beloved and trustworthy event Heroic Spirit, everyone can easily get me to level 5!"
"So what?!" Nobunaga scoffed at the destroyed token. "After all that talk, this is all you can do, Okita?"
"Not at all, Okita's power doesn't stop here!" Due to her inherent illness, Okita coughed up blood from the exertion, staining the ground.
"Hang in there, Okita!" Hoshino, clenching her fist, silently cheered. "Activate [Heroic Spirit - Okita Souji]'s special effect!"
[①: When this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. ②: This card can attack additional times in the same Battle Phase equal to the number of opponent's monsters. ③: After each battle, place a [Weakness] counter on this card. For each [Weakness] counter, this card's attack decreases by 100 points.]
[Weakness] Counter x1, [Okita Souji ATK → 2400]
"No problem at all. Okita, continue attacking!" Moving at high speed again, Okita flashed behind the second Mazinger Nobu Token.
The familiar clash of sword and metal ended with the second token being destroyed.
[Weakness] Counter x2, [Okita Souji ATK → 2300]
Oda Nobunaga LP → 3100
"Cough! This thing is really tough, cutting it is exhausting!" Okita complained about the Mazinger Nobu's toughness as she coughed up blood again. "But it's not over, Okita can keep going!"
With a swift movement, Okita sidestepped the central [Mazinger Nobu] and reached the third Mazinger Nobu Token.
"That's the third one! Cough!" Even while coughing up blood, Okita didn't loosen her grip on the Kiku-Ichimonji.
[Weakness] Counter x3, [Okita Souji ATK → 2200]
Oda Nobunaga LP → 2800
"I will bring victory to Master, just watch, Nobu!" Okita roared, slicing the last Mazinger Nobu Token into three pieces. "Only one left!"
[Weakness] Counter x4, [Okita Souji ATK → 2100]
Oda Nobunaga LP → 2600
Wiping the blood from her mouth, Okita pointed her Kiku-Ichimonji at Mazinger Shin. "Get ready to die, you hunk of junk!"
"Hahaha, Okita, are you out of your mind?" Nobunaga laughed, clutching her stomach as she looked at Okita. "With your pitiful attack power after coughing up blood, you think you can defeat my Mazinger Nobu?"
"Okita's wish, entrusted to the Holy Grail, is to 'fight until the very end.'" Hoshino smiled proudly as she watched Okita stand tall after defeating the four Mazinger Nobu Tokens. "And now that wish has been fulfilled, in becoming a Heroic Spirit, in battling Nobu."
"Don't go spouting cool lines like that, Master!" Nobunaga, waving her right hand dismissively, argued, "In the face of absolute rules, victory isn't determined by mere belief! That's the harsh reality of dueling!"
"That's true. But as long as the rules are followed, even Okita can defeat the invincible Mazinger Nobu." Hoshino's expression grew more confident as Nobunaga became increasingly agitated. "That's the allure of dueling, Nobu!"
"Activate [Heroic Spirit - Okita Souji]'s special effect!"
"Okita has been waiting for this moment, Master!" Okita, gripping her Kiku-Ichimonji, responded excitedly to Hoshino's command.
[④: This effect can only be activated once. When this card has 3 or more [Weakness] counters, you can add 1 [Nameless Three-Step Thrust] from your deck to your hand.]
"Due to Okita's effect, the Quick-Play Spell [Nameless Three-Step Thrust] is added to my hand." Hoshino declared, slamming the card onto the table. "This is the final piece of my victory!"
[Nameless Three-Step Thrust Quick-Play Spell Effect: Can only be activated when [Okita Souji] and [Weakness] counters are on your field. ①: Remove all [Weakness] counters, select 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field; that monster is forced into Defense Position, and its DEF is decreased by 500 for each removed [Weakness] counter.]
"Removing all 4 [Weakness] counters, [Mazinger Nobu]'s DEF is reduced by 2000." Hoshino declared loudly, signaling her victory to Nobunaga. "And with the removal of the [Weakness] counters, Okita's attack power returns to its original value!"
[Mazinger Nobu DEF → 1500], forced into Defense Position.
[Heroic Spirit - Okita Souji ATK → 2500]
"Amazing, Master! Okita is back to her peak condition." Okita looked at her hands in disbelief as the [Weakness] counters disappeared, her eyes becoming sharper. "No, I've surpassed my peak! I can do this now!"
"What?! How can this be?" Nobunaga, unwilling to believe her eyes, watched in disbelief. "My invincible Mazinger Nobu, defeated by someone like Okita... Wait, where is Okita?"
In the blink of an eye, Okita had vanished from the battlefield.
"Of course, I'm using 'Shrinking Earth'! There's no way to win against a giant head-on!" Appearing behind Mazinger Shin, Okita shouted at Nobunaga, who was bewildered.
"You sneaky Assassin! That's underhanded!" Nobunaga slammed the table in frustration at Okita's ambush.
"Calling it underhanded is just an excuse for losers, Nobu!" Okita, feeling no shame for her tactics, raised her Kiku-Ichimonji before her. "Secret Technique!"
A secret sword technique born from unparalleled skill and speed.
"One-Step Beyond Sound!"
Within the [First Thrust], there are hidden [Second Thrust] and [Third Thrust]. This is a horizontal thrust executed "simultaneously" rather than "almost simultaneously" from a Heijigan stance.
"Two-Step Interval!"
The moment the three thrusts are executed, the [First Thrust], [Second Thrust], and [Third Thrust] "exist simultaneously" in the "same location." Even if the [First Thrust] is blocked, the [Second Thrust] and [Third Thrust] will pierce the same spot.
"Three-Step Ultimate Blade!"
Due to this paradox, the tip of the sword induces a "dimensional refraction phenomenon." In essence, the three thrusts become an undefendable sword strike. Using this dimensional refraction phenomenon, it's extremely effective for destroying objects as well.
"With Okita's effect, when attack power exceeds defense power, it inflicts piercing damage!" Slamming the table, Hoshino activated the effect of the spell card [Nameless Three-Step Thrust] again.
[②: When [Okita Souji] attacks the designated monster and deals damage, the damage is calculated three times.]
"Take this and crumble, Mazinger Nobu!" Okita roared as she approached Mazinger Shin's back, her steps echoing three times. "This is Okita's ultimate and most powerful finishing move! Nameless! Ship-Slaying Sword! Three-Step Thrust!"
"Wait! You slipped in a weird name there! Since when did you have a finisher like that?!" Despite Nobunaga's hysterical shouts and complaints, she couldn't change the outcome.
The massive Mazinger Nobu had a huge hole blown through its chest by Okita's three rapid thrusts and slowly collapsed.
"Nobu? Nobunobu!" The frantic Nobu Corps in the cockpit couldn't control the damaged robot and was thrown into the air by the explosion.
"See that, Nobu? This is Okita's true strength!" With her back to the exploding Mazinger Nobu, Okita coolly closed her eyes and sheathed her Kiku-Ichimonji.
"Cough!" [Weakness] Counter x1
Oda Nobunaga LP → 1600 → 600 → 0
"The duel is over, the winner is Hoshino Chiyuki!"
Looking at her zeroed-out LP, Nobunaga trembled and mumbled, "I lost? The mighty Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, defeated by a sick swordsman."
"No, Nobu." Okita shook her head at the disheartened Nobunaga. "It wasn't Okita who defeated you. I just stole the final spotlight. It was Master, fighting to the end with her Heroic Spirits, who truly defeated you."
"Master's... Heroic Spirits?" Nobunaga repeated, staring blankly at Okita.
"That's right, Nobu. Don't trouble Senpai anymore." Mash suddenly appeared on the field, looking worried.
"Oda Nobunaga, haven't you had enough fun?" Cu Chulainn, carrying his spear, also appeared on the field.
"A girl who only causes trouble will be disliked by Master~" Kiyohime covered her mouth with a fan, laughing quietly.
"Come back, Nobu. It's lonely being out here alone, isn't it?" Mata Hari opened her arms, ready to embrace Nobunaga with her ample bosom.
"Everyone..." Nobunaga's eyes filled with tears as she looked at everyone's smiling faces. "Can I play with you all? I want to duel again and help Master win."
"Of course, Nobu." Hoshino gently patted the Heroic Spirit cards on the table. "I used to be a gaming otaku, but after coming to this world, I truly felt protected by all of you. So, Nobu, can you also protect me and then have fun dueling together?"
"Yes!" Nobunaga nodded vigorously, a pure white light glowing from her chest.
In the light, a new card slowly appeared, falling into Nobunaga's hand.
"This is my Heroic Spirit card?" Nobunaga examined the card carefully, wiped away her tears, and smiled brightly again. "It's definitely stronger than Okita's. I'm very satisfied."
(******)
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