"This battle will be the stage upon which my strongest Evil HERO delivers your complete defeat!"
Inheriting Malicious Edge's cold blades and Infernal Wing's jet-black wings, the Dark Fusion Summoned Evil HERO Malicious Fiend, with its staggering original ATK of 3500, truly possessed the highest base ATK among all Evil HEROes — and arguably among all HERO monsters.
"3500 ATK? But Illya's ATK on Hoshino's field is still higher!" Eve pointed out.
[Illya Testament Form ATK: 4000]
"Even though Evil HERO Malicious Fiend can force monsters to attack it, as long as Illya destroys it first—"
"— Then I activate the Trap Card Fiery Fervor!"
Following Quick Chanting, Supreme King Jaden revealed a second Trap Card, multiplying the power of Malicious Fiend.
[Trap Effect: Target 1 face-up monster you control; equip this card to that target. If your opponent controls a monster with ATK higher than that same monster's original ATK, the ATK of the equipped monster becomes double the equipped monster's original ATK.]
"Because Magical Girl – Illya Testament Form increased its own ATK through its effect, Evil HERO Malicious Fiend, equipped with Fiery Fervor, doubles its original ATK!"
[Malicious Fiend ATK: 3500 → 7000]
Kaiba nodded in approval.
"A Trap that ignores all other modifiers and directly doubles original ATK. It's perfectly suited for Malicious Fiend's naturally high stats."
Yugi added:
"And even if Jaden hadn't drawn Dark Calling for High Speed Aria this turn, this Trap alone could have doubled Infernal Wing's original 2100 ATK to 4200, preventing an immediate defeat despite its current ATK having been reduced to zero."
"Hmph. He left himself enough backup plans for both offense and defense."
Kaiba smirked.
"Supreme King Jaden is not a Duelist to be underestimated."
"You two are talking like this has nothing to do with you!"
Unable to take it anymore, Eve kicked both of them in the backs of their legs.
"Seven thousand ATK! Even if X Alter doubles her ATK, she still can't surpass that! Isn't this incredibly dangerous?!"
Yugi smiled confidently.
"A HERO with an instant 7000 ATK and a forced-attack effect is certainly dangerous."
"But I never said Hoshino couldn't surpass that ATK."
"Surpass it? How?"
"If she uses Hero Creation on Illya, that's only 5000 ATK!"
"And Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity is unaffected by other card effects!"
"That immunity restriction disappeared a moment ago."
Kaiba's voice was full of certainty.
"Hoshino planned from the start to unleash the highest possible damage this turn."
"What do you mean the immunity disappeared? How could that—"
Eve suddenly froze.
She watched as Hoshino Alter threw the Quick-Play Spell Hero Creation — which she had searched this turn — onto the field.
"When I activated Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity's effect this turn, I detached one of its Xyz Materials."
"And that detached material was the other X Alter beneath it — the very card providing its immunity!"
The source of Infinity's absolute resistance was having the original X Alter itself attached as Xyz Material. The moment that material was detached and sent to the Graveyard as the cost for activating its effect, the immunity vanished completely.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Hero Creation!"
"I increase the ATK of Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity by 1000!"
[X Alter Infinity ATK: 3000 → 4000]
"And because X Alter Infinity's Xyz Effect is active, when it battles a monster whose current ATK differs from its original ATK this turn, its ATK doubles!"
"Battle —!!"
Declaring the attack of Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity, the absolute power erupting from the Infinity Gauntlet formed a massive, doubled shockwave that came crashing down upon Supreme King Jaden's Malicious Fiend.
Unlike X Alter Infinity's direct ATK-doubling effect, Malicious Fiend's ATK increase came from Fiery Fervor, which permanently set it to twice its original ATK.
As a result, Supreme King's Castle could no longer further increase its ATK.
In other words —
"Seven thousand ATK is your limit."
"Not mine!"
"Detonation Gem! Mind Stone — activated!"
[X Alter Infinity ATK: 4000 → 8000]
As X Alter Infinity roared, the full power of the Infinity Gems erupted.
The battlefield exploded.
The resulting mushroom cloud shot into the sky as though a miniature nuclear bomb had detonated within Harr's Barrier.
"And the effect of Hero Creation doubles the battle damage caused by an attack that exceeds 7000 ATK!"
[Supreme King Jaden LP 11400 → 9400]
The nuclear blast gradually faded.
Beneath the settling dust stood Supreme King Jaden, his Life Points finally reduced below ten thousand.
And —
[Evil HERO Malicious Fiend].
Despite taking the full force of Infinity's explosion head-on, it still remained on the field.
"How is that possible?!"
Akasha stared in disbelief.
"Evil HERO Malicious Fiend doesn't have any destruction immunity! How could it survive an attack like that?!"
"This is my final face-down card!"
Within the lingering dust cloud, Supreme King Jaden revealed a Quick-Play Spell and declared:
"Quick-Play Spell — Swords at Dawn!"
[Quick-Play Spell Effect: Target 1 Equip Spell in your Graveyard and 1 appropriate monster on your field; equip the selected Equip Spell to that monster. The Equip Spell equipped by this effect is destroyed during the End Phase.]
"Before your attack resolved, I equipped the Equip Spell from my Graveyard to Evil HERO Malicious Fiend!"
"The Equip Spell in the Graveyard?!"
Akasha's eyes went wide.
Flipping the card around, Supreme King Jaden revealed the counterplay he had been preparing against Hoshino Alter's strategy all turn.
"The Equip Spell Vicious Claw was originally equipped to Evil HERO Infernal Wing."
"When Infernal Wing was banished as Fusion Material, the Equip Spell was naturally sent to the Graveyard — allowing it to be retrieved by this Quick-Play Spell!"
The shattered metallic claws reappeared on Malicious Fiend's arms.
The price they paid was absorbing the full force of X Alter Infinity's devastating attack at the very last second.
"Even though Fiery Fervor's fixed double-ATK effect prevents Vicious Claw from providing its ATK bonus, the effect of returning to the hand instead of being destroyed by battle can still activate!"
A black claw-shaped sigil condensed on Supreme King Jaden's field.
As the secondary effect of Vicious Claw, after substituting for destruction, it had to destroy a monster other than the one involved in battle and inflict 600 damage.
"I activate the follow-up effect of Vicious Claw!"
"Destroy Magical Girl – Illya Testament Form!"
A shadowy claw tore through the dust cloud and rushed toward Illya's small figure with enough force to rip her apart.
"Illya's effect activates!"
"I redirect the destruction effect to Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity instead!"
"Eh? You're still redirecting the effect at a time like this, Master?"
Gripping the Claw tightly, Illya couldn't understand.
"X-san doesn't have immunity to card effects anymore. Instead of protecting me, shouldn't you keep X-san on the field? She has the higher combat power!"
"Don't hesitate, Illya!"
Facing the relentlessly approaching Claw, Hoshino Alter furrowed her brows and spoke with quiet intensity.
"Trust me — and trust X-san! This redirection will be our final chance to turn the duel around!"
"Then whatever happens afterward isn't my responsibility anymore, Master!"
Closing her eyes tightly, reluctant as she was, Illya unleashed the dark power of her Testament Form and redirected the trajectory of the Claw attack across X Alter Infinity's body.
[Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity] destroyed
[Hoshino Chiyuki LP 1350 → 750]
The impact of the Claw sent Hoshino Alter sliding backward until her body slammed against the barrier wall. Her heels nearly hung over the edge, as though one more step would plunge her into a bottomless abyss.
"At a moment like this, you're still redirecting the destruction effect? Have you gone mad, Hoshino?"
Supreme King Jaden spoke coldly.
"If you leave behind Illya with 4000 ATK, then according to Evil HERO Malicious Fiend's effect, she must attack this turn."
Because of Malicious Fiend's forced-targeting effect, Hoshino Alter couldn't simply end the Battle Phase and wait until next turn to use Illya's effect to recover an Alter monster from the Graveyard and destroy Malicious Fiend.
"It's over, Hoshino Chiyuki. This Duel is mine."
"Hehehe… what a shame, Supreme King Jaden."
"In this final moment, I've finally caught hold of the undefeated soul."
Placing her fingers against the AR halo materialized over her right eye, Hoshino Alter swapped a black virtual card for a pale-blue one, pushing the power of the Duel Links system to its absolute limit.
"This is the final Infinity Gem!"
"— Desire, Soul!"
Even after X Alter Infinity disappeared, one Gem still remained on the field.
From beginning to end, it was the only Infinity Gem that had never been used —
Soul.
Through the connection of the Soul Gem, the light of the other five Gems reassembled from scattered fragments and returned to the field.
"Activating the final effect of Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter Infinity —!"
[When this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: Special Summon 1 "Mysterious Heroine" monster from your Graveyard.]
"With the power of Infinity, I Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter from my Graveyard!"
After the Xyz Monster was destroyed, the original fused form — Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter — returned to Hoshino Alter's Monster Zone.
The six Infinity Gems floating across the battlefield embedded themselves back into the gauntlet one by one.
[Equip this card to that monster as an Equip Spell that increases its ATK by 3000.]
[Mysterious Heroine X Alter ATK 3000 → 6000]
"Master-san, X Alter has returned to the battlefield and fully activated the power of ∞ (Infinite) Black Bean Paste Trap."
"So strong… such incredible power, X-san!"
Tears welled up in Illya's eyes as she looked at the newly summoned X Alter.
"I see now! Master redirected the destruction effect so that Infinity's power could be completely unleashed!"
"This is the completed form of Infinity — the culmination of everything!"
"Finish this, Mysterious Heroine X Alter!"
"Yes, Master-san."
Slowly raising the gauntlet containing all six Infinity Gems, X Alter fixed her gaze on Malicious Fiend and Supreme King Jaden.
"Heroic Spirit – Mysterious Heroine X Alter's effect — when this card battles a monster whose Level is lower than its own, its ATK doubles."
"And after equipping Infinity, that doubled final ATK becomes —"
[Malicious Fiend LV8 ATK: 7000]
[Mysterious Heroine X Alter LV9 ATK: 6000 → 12000]
The six primal powers.
A wielder blessed with infinite power.
With a single snap of the fingers, half the universe could be transformed into a candy factory.
"Though that sounds wonderful, turning half the universe into a candy factory would create quite a few problems."
"Let's limit the effect to the interior of this barrier."
X Alter pressed her middle finger and thumb together upon the Infinity Gauntlet and took a deep breath.
Then she quietly declared:
"…i am inevitable."
Snap —!
The crisp sound of a finger snap unleashed the full power of the Infinity Gems.
A force capable of shattering causality itself erupted, yet remained confined within the boundaries of the Seven Sins Barrier.
Silent.
Yet immeasurably vast.
In a single instant, it effortlessly shattered the Seven Sins Barrier and reduced Evil HERO Malicious Fiend to nothingness.
[Evil HERO Malicious Fiend] destroyed
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
[Supreme King Jaden LP 9400 → 4400]
"Illya, direct attack!"
"— This is the roar of a soul forged through hatred!"
[Supreme King Jaden LP 4400 → 400]
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