Chapter 394

"Special Summon—Magical Girl Emiya!"

[Heroic Spirit – Emiya ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][WIND] [Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 2300/DEF 2000]

Forced into the frilly magical attire by the Equip Spell, Emiya is Special Summoned to the field. Instead of his iconic twin blades Kanshou and Bakuya, he now wields a magical wand adorned with cute white ears—Ruby.

Ruby bashfully mutters, "Be gentle, Emiya-san. It's my first time, you know~"

"Just leave it to me, Ruby."

With a serious expression, Emiya waves the wand. Determination fills his eyes.

"—It's time, Magical Girl! Transform!"

[Magical Girl's Mystic Code – Equip Spell Effect: The equipped monster's original ATK/DEF becomes 1000. While this card is on the field, the equipped monster is treated as a "Magical Girl" monster.]

Dazzling starlight surrounds Emiya as the transformation sequence begins. His deep crimson attire shifts to a radiant pink.

Soon, his muscular frame is encased in a tightly-fitted magical girl outfit. White ribbons flutter from his exposed "lovely shoulders," creating a jarringly surreal sight that stuns everyone in the arena.

"Ugh—!"

"What the hell?!"

"Damn, my eyes! What kind of monster is that?!"

Commentators: "This truly is—ugh—a spectacular and shocking summon from player Vivian. Truly unprecedented…"

Even the usually expressionless, business-smiling faces in the crowd show subtle signs of discomfort.

[Heroic Spirit – Emiya ATK 1000]

"Magical Girl Emiya is here! I'm ready—let's go, Master!"

Hoshino's eye twitches. She mutters under her breath, "Say, Emiya… don't you have any shame? Why do you seem so used to this?"

"Hmph. Shame? I abandoned that long ago as a hero of justice. The path I walk leads to hell, after all."

"You think a cool line like that gives you a pass? You think that tan skin hides the red blush on your face?"

Ruby: "Let's not say the quiet part out loud, Master~ Emiya-san is trying his best!"

Among the disgusted and confused expressions in the crowd, two faces sparkle with admiration.

"This is the magical girl transformation?! It's so cool!"

"Kawaii! He's just as adorable as my dessert monsters~"

No one expected Akasha and Clara to share such… unique tastes.

Leon's expression twists from shock to fury. "Summoning that ridiculous monster… are you mocking me?! You'll pay for insulting me with your life!"

"Insult? Sorry, but you're not even worth that. Magical Girl Emiya's effect activates—!"

[When this card is successfully Special Summoned, you can equip all Equip Spell Cards on the field, ignoring conditions, to face-up 'Emiya' monsters you control.]

"All your equips—are mine now!"

Magical circuits glow along Emiya's arms, contrasting vividly with his frilly pink outfit.

"Projection, start! Trace on!"

Sword of Dragon's Soul – Projected!

[Magical Girl Emiya ATK 1000 → 1700]

Lightning Blade – Projected!

[Magical Girl Emiya ATK 1700 → 2500]

Fusion Sword Murasame Blade – Projected!

[Magical Girl Emiya ATK 2500 → 3300]

Magnum Shield – Projected!

[Magical Girl Emiya ATK 3300 → 4300]

Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce – Projected!

[Magical Girl Emiya ATK 4300 → 3800]

"And now, the sword born of gathered fantasy is complete—!"

One after another, five glowing swords manifest midair and orbit around Emiya. On the other side, Gilford the Legend is stripped of his gear, his power returning to base stats.

[Gilford the Legend ATK 2600]

Commentator: "Unbelievable! What a massive turnaround. Vivian's monster may look bizarre, but its effect struck Leon's weak point perfectly! With all Equip Cards transferred, Magical Girl Emiya's ATK soars, while Gilford weakens! Note: the Equip Cards still occupy Leon's back row—their control has merely changed."

"Howard, Howard… what is going on?!"

Clara stares in disbelief. Despite Keith's earlier reassurances about Hoshino's skill, witnessing it firsthand leaves her speechless.

Keith forces a smile. "What else? It's the overwhelming difference in strength between them. Looks like Vivian's gotten even stronger since our last duel."

Of course, no one finds the situation more impossible than Leon himself.

"My Gilford… was overpowered by that kind of monster?! No… this can't be happening!"

Hoshino doesn't spare him a glance. She casually waves her hand and moves to the Battle Phase.

"I told you—there won't be a next turn! This one's the end. Magical Girl Emiya, attack!"

In sync with Hoshino's command, Emiya projects his armaments midair—each blade launching like a missile toward his target.

"Take this—'Magical Girl: Multi-Projection Sword Barrage!!!'"

…Is Emiya way too into character? That move name's definitely a ripoff. Illya's probably going to send you a cease-and-desist.

The projected blades streak across the field, piercing through Gilford's armored form and embedding themselves in the ground before Leon.

[Gilford the Legend – Destroyed]

[Leon LP 4000 → 2800]

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

Leon's agonized scream echoes as the shock collar discharges with a violent crackle. Even a hulking man like him is overwhelmed—it might've been worse than any pain from the Dark Duels.

Watching him writhe, Hoshino realizes just how fake her earlier performance had been.

"I'd better avoid taking LP damage from now on… There's no way I could act through that. If I blow my cover, I'm done."

The crowd, stunned into silence during the reversal, finally comes back to life.

"Don't lose, Leon! I bet a ton on you!"

"You disgrace! Losing to a rookie?! Just die already!"

Cheers, boos, and outrage ripple through the crowd, divided between spectators and gamblers.

Leon, kneeling and trembling, growls:

"Damn it… to suffer such humiliation in the end…"

"Still planning to fight? I suggest you surrender… because thanks to the copied effect of Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce, Emiya can attack again. And you know what happens if this continues, right?"

Even 9527 was surprised that Hoshino managed to completely suppress Leon, who had previously won five straight duels. Still, she remained professional and added:

"Leon won't surrender. Even setting aside whether the family would let him live, forfeiting even a single duel would cost him all the points he's earned so far."

This harsh rule had been set by the tournament organizers to prevent duelists from surrendering just to survive. Whether you stick your neck out or keep it low, the blade falls all the same—most would choose to go down fighting.

"I haven't lost yet. Don't underestimate me! I activate a monster's effect from my hand—Swift Scarecrow!"

[Swift Scarecrow – Monster Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack (Quick Effect): You can discard this card; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.]

The Scarecrow materialized on the field, positioning itself between Leon and Emiya—who was about to launch a final direct attack—just barely saving Leon from instant defeat.

"I'm not done yet! I still have a chance to turn this around! I clawed my way to five victories straight out of hell—I won't lose to some rookie like you!"

Hoshino shook her head, conflicted.

"What a pathetic display of resolve. The moment you stepped onto this stage, you should've already made peace with the consequences. So don't blame me."

Flipping her Duel Disk with a flourish, Hoshino activated Magical Girl Emiya's final effect.

Wielding the Ruby wand, Emiya declared seriously:

"Prepare yourself! This is the final—Broken Phantasm!"

Around Leon, the projected swords that had pierced the ground after taking down Gilford began to tremble ominously.

[②: At the end phase of each turn, if this card has any Equip Cards, destroy all of them. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to 500 times the number of Equip Cards sent to the Graveyard this way.]

This ability destroyed all the projected Noble Phantasms, converting their explosion into a massive power surge—an ultimate weapon, fired in one final burst of mana.

"End Phase: Emiya has six equipped cards. Destroying all of them will deal 6 × 500 = 3000 points of direct damage to you!"

Ruby suddenly panicked.

"W-Wait a minute! Six equips... that includes—"

Hoshino confirmed it:

"Of course. Magical Girl's Mystic Code is one of them. For the sake of final victory, I'm afraid you'll have to be sacrificed, Ruby~"

"You're up, Ruby!"

After playing the role of Magical Girl for the entire turn, Emiya—now finally with an outlet for his feelings—hurled the Ruby wand with full force.

At nearly 180 km/h, even a pro baseball pitcher would pale in comparison.

Ruby:

"No... don't—!"

Leon:

"No... don't—!"

The dual screams rang out—but most people only noticed Leon's desperate cry.

Just before Ruby could strike Leon, the swords embedded in the ground exceeded their load limit and detonated in a chain reaction.

The simultaneous collapse of six Equip Cards triggered a scarlet explosion, blooming across the stage like a nuclear blast.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! I don't want to di—!"

[Leon LP: 2800 → 0]

[Duel Over! Winner: Vivian!]

"...Dead."

Thud—!

The moment his LP hit zero, the electricity surging through Leon's body ceased. He collapsed, and the iron bars surrounding the arena retracted automatically.

Then came a deathly silence.

The final, abrupt Broken Phantasm was so sudden and decisive that no one had mentally prepared for it. For a while, the audience sat in stunned silence.

Eventually, the commentator shakily picked up the mic:

"Incredible... this is a miraculous finish! Leon, who had a huge advantage from the start, was taken down in just one turn by our newcomer, Vivian!"

"One turn—that's all it took to kill Leon and end his five-win streak! Vivian is on another level!"

"Maybe it's just luck. Some newbie managed to beat Leon—it's possible she studied his tactics beforehand and designed a specific counter."

"Fuck you, Leon! I lost everything I owned! How are you gonna pay me back?!"

Amid the uproar, a team of medics in white entered the arena in formation and gathered around Leon's collapsed body.

"Unconscious. No breathing. No pulse. Confirmed dead."

"Time of death: 2:13 PM. The Klaus family may now claim the body."

The procedure was so practiced, so coldly clinical, it was as if they were reporting just another casualty—clearly, this kind of death had become routine.

"He's... really dead..."

Staring dazedly at Leon's lifeless body, Hoshino stood on the platform, feeling no joy from her victory—only a wrenching tightness deep in her chest.

Hoshino Alter's voice echoed softly in her mind:

[Partner... I wanted to warn you earlier, but I was interrupted. The real trial you face isn't wagering your life in a duel—it's this: the opponent who dies because they fought you and lost...]

Of course, Hoshino already knew. This was the Death Duel Arena. She had mentally prepared herself.

But no matter how much preparation she made, watching someone who had been alive moments ago die at her own hands was a shock that turned her stomach with nausea.

"Urgh—! Clara, take me to the bathroom... My stomach's killing me too..."

(*****)

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