"So what you're saying is… the reason the Shadows of the King's appeared is because of the World Tree rooted in the academy?"
Back in the president's office of Kaiba Corp, after hearing Hoshino's general explanation of the Nine Realm incident, Yugi fell into deep thought.
"I see…"
Mokuba, who had only known vague details from Kaiba before, finally began to piece things together.
"A few days ago, the ancient text you asked us to translate from the stone tablet, Hoshino… it was basically a declaration of war from the Nine Realm Kings in advance."
Hoshino Alter clenched her fist.
["Now that I think about it, that really does seem to be the case. Seriously—not only did they invade our world so openly, they even sent a challenge letter. Are they looking down on us that much?"]
"Whether they're looking down on us or not, the fact is we're being beaten without any ability to fight back," Hoshino said bluntly.
"With the current level of duelists in our world, trying to oppose the Kings is still pushing it."
Sitting back in his office chair, even with his body completely exhausted, Kaiba still maintained the posture of a company president.
"No—we haven't lost yet. Even if there's only the slightest possibility, we'll wager everything we have to carve out a path toward victory!"
"Wager everything we have…" Mokuba looked at Kaiba in shock.
"Brother, don't tell me you're planning to…?"
"We'll lift the restrictions on Xyz Summoning and use all of Kaiba Corp's available data resources to support duelists still fighting across the world!"
"Are you sure about this, Brother? If we do that…"
"It doesn't matter. I'll take full responsibility."
The exchange between the Kaiba brothers left Hoshino feeling puzzled.
"Is it really that serious? I've been wondering this for a while—if the overlay network is already complete, why limit Xyz Summoning to only two uses per duel in the first place?"
Originally, Hoshino suspected it was just Kaiba Corp's marketing strategy—introduce a new summoning method, let everyone get excited, then restrict it to only two uses per duel.
Once duelists got used to it and became dissatisfied with the limitation, craving more, that's when the full version would be released.
But judging from Mokuba's troubled expression, it clearly wasn't something as simple as that.
"Hoshino… even though the overlay network is complete, Xyz Summoning is still something beyond this era. The computational resources required are enormous—on a completely different scale. If we remove the restrictions recklessly, Kaiba Corp might…"
"Might what?" Hoshino swallowed nervously.
"…go bankrupt."
"(ﾟﾛﾟﾉ)ﾉ Bankrupt?! That's not okay! If Kaiba Corp goes bankrupt, wouldn't the academy shut down too?!"
Duel Academy had two major sponsors: Kaiba and Kagemaru.
After the Three Sacred Beasts incident, even if Kagemaru survived, he definitely wouldn't continue funding the academy. If Kaiba Corp also collapsed, the academy's finances would fall apart—teachers would lose their jobs, and students would lose their place to study.
"I already said—I'll take responsibility for everything!" Kaiba repeated firmly.
"And if you care so much about the academy, Hoshino, then go back and cut down that damn Tree instead of wasting time here."
Hoshino shot him an annoyed glare.
"The Duel King herself is here backing you up, and instead of being grateful, you're still complaining? Besides, do you really think something like the World Tree from myth is that easy to deal with?"
Mokuba quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Brother, Hoshino stayed because she's worried the Kings might attack here again."
"Hoshino, how about you leave this place to Kaiba and me, and head back to the academy?"
Yugi, who had been thinking silently, finally spoke up.
"If we keep putting all our strength into passive defense, nothing will ever be resolved."
"…Well, if it's you, Yugi, I can trust you with it."
Along the way, Hoshino had already noticed something—Yugi, or rather Atem, had grown far stronger than before. At the very least, his strength had reached an EX-level tier.
"But… now still isn't the time for me to return to the academy."
Standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling window in Kaiba's office, overlooking Domino City, Hoshino murmured softly.
...
"Senpai, we found it—the Relic!"
Mash suddenly materialized before them, her voice filled with excitement.
"So the legendary Star Relic really is in Domino City…"
Hoshino had been waiting for Mash's contact this whole time.
After arriving in Domino City, the Priestess Eve had sensed the presence of a hidden Relic nearby.
Even though Eve didn't seem particularly reliable, according to Kaiba Man, the Star Relics were key items tied to the main storyline. So Hoshino had entrusted Mash to accompany her and locate the relic.
(Incidentally, after returning from the Elf Realm yesterday, Kaiba Man had disappeared without a trace—just as Hoshino happened to arrive at Kaiba Corp today.)
Thinking about that, Hoshino cast a suspicious glance at Kaiba, trying to confirm whether that masked weirdo and this man were actually the same person.
"Star Relic?" Yugi asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"It's said to be a power of the stars capable of opposing the Nine Realm," Hoshino explained.
"Though I haven't personally seen it yet."
"To think something that important is hidden in Domino City… what a coincidence," Mokuba said.
"Maybe it's not a coincidence," Kaiba suggested, resting his chin on his hands.
"Anyway, just like we said earlier—Yugi, I'll leave Kaiba Corp in your hands for now in case the Kings attack again. I'm going to check out what this 'Star Relic' really is."
"Alright. Leave things here to me, Hoshino," Yugi nodded.
Hoshino then tapped Mokuba on the shoulder.
"Mokuba, you're coming with me."
"Huh? Me?" Mokuba pointed at himself in confusion.
"I mean, I don't mind… but can I really help?"
Hoshino smirked and glanced back at Kaiba and Yugi, who remained in the office.
"I just thought I'd give the two of them some alone time. After all, it's been so many years—they probably have a lot to talk about~"
["Honestly, I think if those two stayed together, they wouldn't say a single word… Aibo, you're pretty mischievous."]
Domino City Harbor —
"Over here, Master!"
Following Mash's lead, Hoshino arrived at the location within Domino City where Eve had sensed the presence of a Star Relic.
["So it's actually this place… this really brings back memories, Aibo."]
"…How should I put it? It's a mix of good and bad feelings."
Back then, after her mind had been twisted by Marik, Hoshino's battle against Yugi and Kaiba had taken place right here at the harbor.
It was also in that battle that she fully awakened the power of the Evil God—And from that moment on, she ended up being stuck with a certain gothic Evil God.
"Over here, over here, Hoshino!"
Spotting her from afar, Eve bounced energetically, brimming with excitement.
"Eve, if you've got that much energy, how about helping me gacha one more time? Maybe the improvement would be even greater than what the Star Relic gives."
"0Д No way! Wouldn't that make me just a gacha tool?! The Star Grail Priestess didn't descend for something like that!"
"Tch~" Hoshino clicked her tongue in annoyance.
The 200+ Saint Quartz she earned yesterday from Queen Mardel—she had no intention of wasting any of it. Her plan was to dump it all into Eve and squeeze her dry.
But despite how airheaded Eve usually seemed, she was unexpectedly sharp about this. Sensing danger, she absolutely refused to grant Hoshino any summoning blessings.
"Let's not talk about that right now, Hoshino!"
Eve shuffled her feet excitedly against the ground.
"This is definitely the power of a Star Relic—no doubt about it! It's absolutely right here!"
"I thought you could only detect a general direction, but this is surprisingly precise," Hoshino praised.
"But where is the Star Relic?" Mokuba tilted his head.
"This just looks like an empty lot."
["I don't think it's just an empty lot, Aibo."]
"…So you remember too, my other self…"
Hoshino and Hoshino Alter exchanged silent thoughts.
Although her memories from seven years ago were a bit hazy, the exact spot Eve was standing on… Hoshino could vaguely tell—it was where she had stood during that duel.
"…It's probably just a coincidence, right?"
Eve clasped her hands together. Her waist-length blue hair gently floated upward as magic began to rise.
"I'm about to begin, Hoshino. By linking to the power of the Star Relic—if we can successfully bring it into the world, we'll be able to counter the World Tree, Yggdrasil."
For just a brief moment, Eve truly looked like a sacred Star Grail Priestess—radiant and divine.
Magic seeped up from beneath her feet, intertwining with the starlight surrounding her, tracing soft and brilliant paths through the air before slowly converging.
Then—
A strangely shaped, cup-like object with a dazzling core of light appeared before them.
"Yadaze! We did it, Hoshino! It's the Star Relic – 'Star Grail'! To obtain the Star Grail as our very first relic—heaven really is on our side!"
Eve's excitement grew even more as the glowing Star Grail floated before them.
"So this… is a Star Relic?"
Feeling a mysterious pull, Hoshino slowly raised her hand, instinctively reaching out toward the Star Relic—Star Grail.
But the moment she touched it—
The gentle light it had emitted just a second ago instantly turned into a surge of pitch-black energy she knew all too well.
"Careful, Senpai!"
With quick reflexes, Mash lunged forward and pulled Hoshino back into her arms.
["What's with this? Does anything called a 'cup' have to come with black mud or something?"]
"As expected… the guardian spirit of the Star Relic wouldn't let us take the Star Grail so easily."
Hiding behind Hoshino and Mash, Eve peeked out cautiously.
"I'll leave the fighting to you, Hoshino. As everyone knows, the Star Grail Priestess has no combat ability."
"…Guardian spirit? It's not something like that."
Hoshino stared intently at the black aura as it took on a human form, murmuring under her breath.
["Aibo… did you notice something?"]
"Why the Star Relic appeared here… and why the Star Grail chose me—this might not be a coincidence at all."
The black aura transformed into the figure of a girl—like a shadow Servant.
Everyone present except Hoshino was left stunned.
"Senpai…?" Mash's eyes widened as she looked at the shadow girl holding the Star Grail.
Though her features were unclear, the silhouette was unmistakably Hoshino.
"No… she looks more like Hoshino from a few years ago. At least in terms of physique," Mokuba analyzed.
"…That's me from seven years ago—the one who fought here."
Hoshino frowned slightly as she confirmed it.
"No one understands me better than myself. There's no mistake."
The shadow girl unfolded a black Duel Disk and raised her hand in a provocative gesture.
Though she couldn't speak, her perfectly mimicked posture made her intent crystal clear.
["She wants to duel us, huh? Let's take her on, Aibo. You can't chicken out against your past self!"]
Back then, Hoshino had defeated Yugi and Kaiba using the power of the Wicked Avatar.
But that was years ago. Compared to now, the level of dueling back then was worlds apart.
"Don't rush… things might not be that simple."
Opening the deck in her Duel Disk, Hoshino reflected on the brief moment she touched the Star Grail—because in that instant, she had glimpsed the true meaning behind the Star Relic.
"Up until now, I thought Eve's explanation was just a joke."
(Eve: "Because both 'Star Relic' and 'Hoshino' start with 'star' (hoshi), that's why you were chosen~!")
"But now… it doesn't seem like a joke anymore. The so-called 'Star Relics'… might really be 'the relics of Hoshino Chiyuki.'"
As she spread open her deck, the cards—completely transformed after touching the Star Grail's light—appeared before her.
—Qin Shi Huang, Xiang Yu, Li Shuwen…
The Synchro deck she had only used once—during her decisive battle against Paradox.
After so many years, it had returned to her hands once more… drawn back by the power of the Star Relic.