"Spirit monsters? What kind of monsters are those?"
After seeing the panel information displayed when Ereshkigal materialized, Mokuba found himself unable to understand the never-before-seen "Spirit" attribute, which differed from Tuners, Xyz, Fusion, and the like.
"Spirit, huh… Although hardly anyone uses them nowadays…" Kaiba closed his eyes for a few seconds, thinking back before explaining. "While they possess powerful effects, the common trait of Spirit monsters is that they return to their owner's hand during the End Phase."
Eve asked in surprise, "Even though they have such strong stats, if they return to the hand at the end of the turn, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
"That's exactly why I said they're rarely used now." Kaiba nodded. "But since Hoshino chose to Special Summon a Spirit monster at this moment, she must have her reasons."
Although Kaiba and the others watching understood it that way, Hoshino could more or less guess why Ereshkigal had become a Spirit monster.
["So this is the legend of instant return at light speed… Even becoming a Duel Monster doesn't let you escape it, huh…"]
However, from another perspective, the trait of Spirit monsters returning to the hand during the End Phase actually allowed better utilization of Ereshkigal's own effects—it could also be considered one of the Underworld goddess's authorities.
"I activate the effect of Ereshkigal—when this card is Special Summoned, you can choose 1 card on your opponent's field and send it to the Graveyard."
Ignoring destruction resistance and forcibly sending cards to the Graveyard, combined with her ability to lock the Graveyard, further amplified the authority she wielded from the Underworld.
"Even if Proof of the King grants resistance to destruction effects, if I send it directly to the Graveyard, there's nothing you can do about it!"
Locking onto the Chaos Xyz monster on Hela's field, Hoshino activated Ereshkigal's effect.
"Go, Ereshkigal—drag that Chaos Xyz into a deeper Underworld than the land of the undead!"
"Alright~ Let's send him on his way!" Twirling the spear in her hand, crimson magical energy blossomed as scarlet lightning from the Underworld surged into the ground.
"Sea of Heaven, Prison of Earth! My trampling is the wrath of the Underworld—!"
Faced with the burst of Ereshkigal's Noble Phantasm, Hela decisively activated a Trap to protect her monster. "I will not allow such power to invade the land of death! I activate my set Trap Card—Xyz Wrath!"
[Continuous Trap Effect: Once per turn, if you control an Xyz Monster, when a Level 5 or higher Effect Monster activates its effect, you can discard 1 card; negate that effect and destroy it.]
"Because I control an Xyz Monster, I discard a card from my hand to negate the effect—and deliver the punishment!"
Corresponding to the scarlet lightning in Ereshkigal's hand, the divine lightning of Xyz Wrath fell from the sky, bombarding the desolate land of death.
"Even if this land cannot give birth to gods, within the realm of death, I will never be defeated!"
After discarding the remaining card in her hand to the Graveyard, Hela stared intently at Hoshino.
"You, the girl chosen by the World, who wields the power of demonic Synchro—your very existence is the greatest threat to the World Tree, Yggdrasil!"
"I'll return those words right back to you! Planting the World Tree in the academy and invading the human world—your Nine Realms are the real threat to us!"
Hoshino frowned in irritation. She didn't fully understand whether Synchro power was as dangerous as Hela claimed, but the World Tree being forcibly rooted here clearly meant the other side had started it—yet now they were acting like the victim.
"What makes humans truly terrifying is not merely that they wield power they should not possess, but their ignorance! The effect of Xyz Wrath—negate and destroy the goddess of the Underworld!"
As divine punishment lightning surged, the already ravaged land of the undead became even more devastated.
And yet, in the very next instant, something abrupt occurred—something Hela had never witnessed in her ten thousand years ruling the land of death.
Flowers bloomed.
The black earth beneath their feet—barren, withered, representing death and the undead—burst into colors that did not belong to this world after the lightning of divine punishment.
"—Kur Kigal Irkalla!"
The Noble Phantasm possessed by Ereshkigal was the same type as Ishtar's mountain-shaking strike. Though its power could not match Ishtar's, its true essence lay in "transforming the terrain into the Underworld."
As long as she stood within the Underworld, Ereshkigal—who held immense authority there—would grant powerful protection to all who fought beside her.
"The ground we stand on is no longer the land of the undead. The flowers blooming in the Underworld are the lingering afterglow of radiant memories—memories that will always be cherished, no matter how much time passes!"
"Because of Spell Sanctuary, Field Spell Cards can be activated as Quick-Play Spells! So I can chain to Xyz Wrath and activate the Field Spell Blooming Flowers in Kur!"
Opening the hidden zone of her Duel Disk, Hoshino brought the Underworld into play, directly replacing Hela's Field Spell Zombie World.
"It's our territory now, Ereshkigal!"
"The lightning of divine punishment cannot interfere with my authority over the Underworld!"
[Field Spell Effect: While this card is on the field, "Heroic Spirit – Ereshkigal" you control is unaffected by your opponent's effects, and during the End Phase, you can choose not to return it to the hand.]
With flowers blooming across the Underworld, the miasma of the zombie world was purified. At the same time, Ereshkigal's effect to forcibly send a card to the Graveyard would no longer be negated by the Trap Card Xyz Wrath.
"Ereshkigal's effect—targeting the Chaos Dyson Sphere—send it to the Graveyard!"
The Underworld goddess unleashed her iron judgment across the land, triggering massive tremors and tectonic upheaval—an earthquake powerful enough to collapse entire mountains.
"Don't forget—there is also a god on my field! The effect of God Slime allows it to substitute for my other monsters, taking effects and attacks in their place! Block it!"
With Zombie World destroyed, Hela immediately activated the effect of the "god" on her field, using it as a shield against Ereshkigal. The massive body of the slime braced itself at the center of the field, holding down the raging terrain stirred by Ereshkigal's power.
"Even a slime god is still a genuine god…" Okita murmured in admiration as she watched the scene unfold.
The clash of divine powers erupted. After God Slime absorbed the full force of Ereshkigal's Noble Phantasm, it sank completely into the Underworld.
[Egyptian God Slime is sent to the Graveyard]
"What a shame—the effect to send it to the Graveyard got blocked!" Eve said unwillingly, stepping back.
"No—this is already the turning point!" Mokuba explained excitedly. "With the Field Spell active, Ereshkigal won't be affected by the opponent's card effects. Hoshino can now directly destroy the Chaos Xyz monster in battle!"
"Will it really be that simple to destroy it through battle?" Kaiba asked cautiously.
"Hesitation won't win you the duel, Kaiba!" Hoshino declared confidently as she entered the Battle Phase, swinging her Duel Disk forward. "After all, the legendary Yugi once said—if you don't go on the offensive, you'll never know whether your opponent has set a trap!"
Atem scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Did I really say that? And Hoshino, you don't have to call me 'legendary'…"
"What's wrong, Yugi? Doesn't the combination of 'Yugi' and 'legendary' sound especially cool?"
As the battle began, after exchanging a glance with Ereshkigal, Hoshino pointed her attacking spear straight at Number C9: Chaos Dyson Sphere.
"Mana Burst—release the stored magical energy and break through in one strike, Ereshkigal!"
"Leave it to me, Master. I will carry this out with dignity!"
Stepping on the magical energy condensed from the Underworld, Ereshkigal leapt toward the Dyson Sphere on the opponent's field.
"Just as I expected—you've taken the bait, Hoshino Chiyuki! I activate my set Trap Card—Generaider Boss Fight!"
At the exact moment Ereshkigal declared her attack, Hela flipped her face-down card, shattering and replacing the battlefield for the fourth time.
"Remember this—even without the effect of Zombie World, I am still the ruler of this land of death!"
[Trap Effect: Activate 1 "Generaider" Field Spell directly from your Deck or GY, then your opponent draws 1 card.]
"I activate the Field Spell Generaider Boss Stage, destroying your Field Spell!"
The rapidly shifting scenery changed once more—from the Bound Gods, to the Golden Land, to the Zombie World, to the blooming Underworld—until it finally returned to the Duel Tower on the island.
The Field Spell representing the Nine Realms had no concrete form; only a mysterious power connected to the distant World Tree filled the field.
[Blooming Flowers in Kur] is destroyed.
"This is bad—if the field is gone, doesn't Ereshkigal lose her absolute immunity?" Eve said in a panic.
"So this is why she chained it at this timing—to bait Hoshino into attacking the Chaos Xyz," Atem analyzed. It was a familiar tactic, just like when he had used a 0 ATK Slifer last turn to lure Hela into attacking.
"After Slifer, now another god? Hmph—devour everything!"
Opening its mechanical maw, the Chaos Xyz activated its effect. Without the Underworld granting absolute immunity, any monster that battled it would be forcibly overlaid and turned into Xyz Material.
"Taken the bait? No—this is exactly as planned! I'm counting on you, Ereshkigal!" Hoshino ordered her to charge straight into the gaping maw, as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.
"I was mentally prepared… but this is still a bit scary."
Ereshkigal's delicate expression shifted slightly. Facing the abyss-like, black hole-like terror of the Abyssal Star, even she looked troubled.
"Just this once, alright? I won't agree to something like this again—definitely not!"
Taking a deep breath, Ereshkigal tightened her grip on her spear, closed her eyes, and plunged headfirst into the monster's devouring mouth.
"All that bold talk, and in the end, the goddess of the Underworld is nothing special~"
Feeling Ereshkigal's card successfully become Xyz Material beneath the Chaos Xyz, Hela smiled smugly.
"And now I activate the effect of the Field Spell Generaider Boss Stage! I can Special Summon myself in Defense Position and summon as many Generaider Tokens as possible!"
[Hela, Generaider Boss of Doom DEF 2800]
[Generaider Token DEF 1500] ×2
The situation reversed instantly—destroying the Underworld field, devouring Ereshkigal, and filling the field in one move. Hela looked at Hoshino. "I've won. To prevent Ragnarok, I must end you here!"
"This won't be where I fall!" Hoshino shot back, staring at the Chaos Xyz that had devoured Ereshkigal. "You've swallowed two Underworld gods in a row—what an appetite!"
"Of course. Whether gods or monsters, none can resist my Chaos Xyz—Dyson Sphere!"
"Then I'd like to see just how much it can eat! Your turn, Okita!"
To everyone's surprise, Hoshino continued the Battle Phase, ordering Okita to attack the Chaos Xyz.
"Huh? I have to go too? Well… I guess it can't be helped…" Okita sighed, inheriting Ereshkigal's will as she charged forward.
"Have you already lost your mind? The effect of Dyson Sphere—devour this monster as well!"
Hela gave the command without hesitation. After all, if it could swallow divine gods and Ereshkigal, adding Okita was nothing.
"Still hungry? Then next—Ideal King of Knights, Artoria, attack!"
"Hoshino, what are you trying to do?!" Even Atem couldn't understand this seemingly reckless act of feeding her own monsters to the opponent.
"Isn't it obvious, Yugi? I'm doing this to win!"
Without hesitation, she continued attacking. Even the radiant light of the holy sword was swallowed by the black hole-like maw of the Dyson Sphere.
On Hoshino's field, only one monster remained—Illya in Defense Position, barely holding the final line.
"Are you full now, monster?!"
At Hoshino's bizarre assault, Hela sneered. "Foolish behavior, Hoshino Chiyuki. You've lost your dueling sense—there's no chance left for you."
"Lost my mind? Queen of Zombies—I've never been more certain that I want to defeat you!"
Pointing straight at Chaos Dyson Sphere, which had devoured gods and Heroic Spirits alike, Hoshino grinned mysteriously.
"Did you really think divine power is so easy to digest? Now it's time for you to pay the price for everything you've swallowed!"
"Pay the price? Don't make me laugh—"
Refusing to believe her, Hela suddenly noticed something strange. The Chaos Xyz—Dyson Sphere, which should have closed its mouth after feeding, seemed to glitch. Inside its massive body, crackling bursts of mechanical electricity erupted nonstop.
"Watch closely—this is my finishing move!" Hoshino drew a card and slammed it onto her Duel Disk. Behind her, the imagined origin point manifested into reality.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell—Celestial Inverted Moon!"
[Quick-Play Spell Effect: Discard 1 card to activate. From the Xyz Materials on either field, send the Fusion Materials specified by a "Heroic Spirit" Fusion Monster to the Graveyard, then Fusion Summon that monster from the Extra Deck.]
"I send all Xyz Materials attached to Chaos Dyson Sphere to the Graveyard!"
The Dyson Sphere violently expelled all the monsters it had devoured. Its body seemed hollowed out in an instant, its chaotic form visibly shrinking.
"Even though she had Phantasm Summon to Fusion Summon directly, she chose this method instead…" Atem's eyes widened in realization. "Hoshino—you're planning to—!"
Breaking free from the Dyson Sphere, the thunderous roar of Slifer shook the field.
Osiris, the god of the Egyptian underworld, and Ereshkigal, the goddess standing upon the crimson dragon—two divine authorities of the Underworld overlapped.
"Intertwined divine powers—Ereshkigal and Slifer! Their fusion shall now bring down the judgment of the absolute Underworld god!"
