The instant Hoshino drew a card from her Duel Disk, Savior Mk. II responded almost simultaneously. After scanning and analyzing her move, it performed the exact same action, drawing an enormous virtual card from the Duel Disk mounted on its left arm.
Savior Mk. II was even larger than the entire Kaiba Corporation building. The mere act of drawing a card caused its immense mass to churn up tsunami-like waves beneath its feet.
"So? Will the other side respond?"
As if the very air had frozen, everyone held their breath — waiting, or perhaps praying.
The outcome was completely unpredictable. In the worst-case scenario, everything could already be over before the Duel had even begun.
"They stopped! There's hope!" Akasha shouted excitedly.
After enduring the reflected laser blast from Savior's eyes and hearing Hoshino's formal declaration of a Duel, King Utgarda gradually halted its massive floating body, its advance visibly slowing.
"But… in that form, how is it supposed to Duel?" Eve asked in confusion. "If its body is literally a floating continent and castle, it can't exactly hold a Duel Disk, can it?"
"It worked!" the Dwarf King exclaimed, staring at the screen before her.
Floating before King Utgarda's colossal body, five gigantic stone slabs materialized in the air, representing its opening hand.
"The enemy's Life Points are showing! Finish it, Hoshino!"
DUEL!!
[Hoshino & Yugi LP 8000]
VS
[King Utgarda LP 8000]
"Even with a body that enormous… it still only has 8000 Life Points in a Duel," Yugi remarked.
"And that's our one and only chance to defeat this monster."
As she spoke, Hoshino placed a Spell Card from her hand into the specially designed Duel Disk inside the cockpit.
"I activate the Spell Card Purely Bloom! Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily from my Deck in Defense Position!"
Mirroring Hoshino's action, Savior Mk. II inserted the massive virtual card into the Duel Disk on its left arm.
As Purely Bloom activated, a dazzling projection illuminated the dark sea beneath the night sky.
[Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily ★★★★ (Level 4)][LIGHT][Dragon/Tuner/Effect][ATK 1200/DEF 800]
Materialized through the gigantic Duel Disk mounted on Savior's arm, Saber Lily appeared at the same scale as the mech itself — a truly colossal hologram.
Larger than Duelist Kingdom Island itself, the gigantic girl stood upon the ocean.
To be honest… there wasn't anything "Lily" about her anymore.
Written as Artoria Lily.
Read as Artoria Big…
"Whoa… that's a little over the top."
Although Hoshino had expected Savior's Duel Monsters to be enormous, she still couldn't help but be awestruck by the overwhelming impact of Giant Girl Saber Lily.
"So this is what it's like to have such a gigantic body… it's surprisingly refreshing, Master~"
Saber Lily herself seemed completely unconcerned, eagerly swinging her enlarged golden holy sword.
"I activate Heroic Spirit – Artoria Pendragon Lily's effect! When she's Special Summoned, I add one 'Heroic Spirit' monster from my Deck to my hand!"
After adding the searched monster to her hand, Hoshino immediately launched a second Special Summon.
"The monster I add is Heroic Spirit – Sakurai Okita Souji! Then I discard Heroic Spirit – Festive Wear: Marie Antoinette from my hand to Special Summon her!"
[Heroic Spirit – Sakurai Okita Souji ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 2000]
[You can discard one other "Heroic Spirit" monster from your hand; Special Summon this card.]
"Super! Ultra-Gigantic entrance!! The invincible Super Okita!"
Following the colossal Saber Lily, an even more excited Okita appeared as another gigantic projection, striking an absurd pose while standing atop the sea.
"When Festive Wear: Marie Antoinette is sent to the Graveyard by a 'Heroic Spirit' effect, I draw one card! And when Sakurai Okita is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Heroic Spirit' monster from my hand with its effects negated!"
After replenishing her hand through Marie's effect, Hoshino slammed down a third monster.
"I Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Okita Souji with her effects negated!"
[Heroic Spirit – Okita Souji ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 2000]
Now two ultra-gigantic Okitas stood upon the sea.
Just looking at both of them somehow gave the impression of a hand clogged with high-Level monsters.
"The overwhelmingly victorious Okita squad — double deployment!"
Drawing her gigantic katana, Okita pointed toward King Utgarda floating in the sky.
"With our two strongest ace monsters leading the charge, even a supermassive battleship like you will be cut down!"
"W-Wait, other me… I don't think it's that simple."
Suddenly remembering something unpleasant, Sakurai Okita panicked.
"There are two Okitas on the field… and whenever two Level 7 Okitas gather together…"
"I overlay my two Level 7 Okita Soujis!"
"Xyz Summon!"
Answering the Okitas' "expectations," Hoshino stacked the two Level 7 monsters in her Monster Zone, constructing an Overlay Network.
For the first time on this otherworldly battlefield, the light of an Xyz Summon illuminated the dark sea.
"Xyz Summon! Appear — The Black Knight King, Artoria Pendragon Alter!"
[The Black Knight King – Artoria Pendragon Alter
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Rank 7][DARK][Dragon/Xyz/Effect][ATK 2700/DEF 2200]
"Sorry — but the ones taking the lead are the two Artorias!"
Stepping out from the radiant Xyz light, the Black Knight King swept her gigantic Excalibur Morgan across the sea, sending towering waves crashing in every direction.
"Finally, I Set two cards… I end my turn!"
[Hoshino: 2 Hand Cards | 2 Set Cards]
"Despite piloting the Savior mech for the very first time, she's executing her opening without the slightest hesitation. Hoshino Chiyuki truly is an outstanding Duelist," the Dwarf King said with satisfaction.
"Now… let's see what the other side does."
As Hoshino ended her turn, everyone's eyes turned toward King Utgarda, floating high above, and the five stone slab cards before it.
At the start of its turn, the five stone cards became six as it drew. Without a single word, the moving stone tablets silently carried out the monster's turn.
[King's Proof – Heaven and Earth Continuous Spell Effect: This card cannot be destroyed by card effects.
Once per turn: Add 1 Rock monster from your Deck to your hand.]
"It activated its King's Proof right away?" Yugi exclaimed.
Hoshino nodded cautiously.
"As expected of the King who commands the Rock-Type monsters. We have to be careful."
The gigantic King revealed the Rock monster it had searched — Megalith Ophiel — then immediately activated a second Spell Card.
[Megalith Unformed Quick-Play Spell Effect: Choose one effect.
Ritual Summon 1 "Megalith" Ritual Monster from your Deck in Defense Position, by Tributing monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal exactly twice its Level.]
Although classified as a Quick-Play Spell, it functioned as a Ritual Spell capable of Ritual Summoning directly from the Deck.
Unlike King's Proof, which remained on the field as a Continuous Spell, the stone tablet representing the Quick-Play Spell shattered apart after resolving, signifying that it had been sent to the Graveyard.
Megalith Ophiel (Level 4) was Tributed.
Using the Level 4 monster searched by King's Proof as the Ritual Tribute, King Utgarda Ritual Summoned a Level 2 Megalith monster directly from its Deck.
[Megalith Phul ★★ (Level 2)][EARTH][Rock/Ritual/Effect][ATK 500/DEF 2000]
The bizarre, indescribable giant Rock Ritual Monster emerged from the fractured sky and settled upon the ocean in Defense Position.
["Megaliths? I've never seen Rock monsters like these before… they're awfully abstract. But Ritual Monsters have always shared the same weakness as Fusion Monsters — they consume too many cards."]
Normally, a Ritual Summon required three separate components:
The Ritual Monster.
A Ritual Spell.
Appropriate Tribute monsters.
Without any one of those, the summon couldn't happen.
Of course, there were exceptions — like Advanced Ritual Art, which used monsters from the Deck as materials, or Megalith Unformed, which could Ritual Summon directly from the Deck.
Even so, summoning a single Ritual Monster generally cost at least two cards.
[If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can target 1 Ritual Monster in your GY; this card's Level becomes the Level of that target, then add that target to your hand.]
"Ahhhhhh——!"
Letting out an ear-piercing operatic soprano, Phul called back the Megalith that had been Tributed moments earlier.
Its Level changed to match Ophiel's.
[Phul: Level 2 → Level 4]
Meanwhile, the Tributed Megalith Ophiel returned to King Utgarda's hand.
Then another effect activated.
[During the Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can activate this effect; Ritual Summon 1 "Megalith" Ritual Monster from your hand or Deck by Tributing monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster.]
"Hold it right there!"
Hoshino's eyes went wide.
"The Ritual Monster itself has the effect of a Ritual Spell? And it can Ritual Summon directly from the Deck?!"
The Megalith monsters fundamentally eliminated nearly every weakness Ritual Monsters had traditionally suffered from.
The recovered Megalith Ophiel was Tributed once again.
Using Phul's effect, King Utgarda Ritual Summoned a second Megalith Ophiel from its Deck.
[Megalith Ophiel ★★★★ (Level 4)][EARTH][Rock/Ritual/Effect][ATK 1600/DEF 2500]
[If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can add 1 "Megalith" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Megalith Ophiel".]
Unlike the abstract-looking Phul, Ophiel materialized as an enormous, pristine white goddess statue standing upon the sea.
It searched:
Megalith Hagith
"Ahhhhh~~~~"
The same operatic female voice rang out again.
Holy white light enveloped Ophiel's stone body.
The goddess statue crumbled to dust…
…and from those ashes, another colossal stone monument emerged.
Megalith Ophiel
[During your Main Phase: Tribute this card and any other required monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Ritual Monster's Level; Ritual Summon 1 Ritual Monster from your hand.]
"So it acts as the Ritual Spell… and then sacrifices itself as the Ritual Tribute?" Hoshino frowned.
"What an unnecessarily complicated summoning mechanic… and what's with all this singing? It's so loud!"
[Megalith Hagith ★★★★ (Level 4)][EARTH][Rock/Ritual/Effect][ATK 1300/DEF 2600]
[If this card is Ritual Summoned: Add 1 "Megalith" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand.]
Where Ophiel resembled a sacred goddess, Hagith was the complete opposite.
After Ophiel shattered apart, a pale green demonic stone statue rose from the ritual.
Hagith searched the Field Spell Megalith Portal… and immediately activated it.
After resolving the search, Hagith used the exact same Ritual effect as Ophiel, offering itself as the Ritual Tribute.
"ROOOOOAR!!"
If the previous soprano had merely been irritating…
…the deep, infernal growl emanating from the gigantic demon statue was a genuine assault on everyone's sanity.
The demonic statue shattered.
Along with it, Phul — whose Level had become 4 — was also destroyed.
Together, the two destroyed statues provided a total of 8 Levels worth of Ritual material, allowing King Utgarda to Ritual Summon an even greater monster from its hand.
[Megalith Phaleg ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][EARTH][Rock/Ritual/Effect][ATK 2500/DEF 1200]
Twice the size of the previous Level 4 Megaliths, the winged stone colossus carried an enormous spear, resembling a majestic angelic warrior carved from solid rock.
[While this card is in the Monster Zone, all monsters you control gain 300 ATK/DEF for each Ritual Monster in your Graveyard.]
Yugi quickly calculated.
"It gains ATK based on the number of Ritual Monsters in the Graveyard… Since three different Megaliths have appeared so far, and two copies of Ophiel have been Tributed…"
"…there should be four Ritual Monsters in King Utgarda's Graveyard."
[Megalith Phaleg ATK 2500 → 3700]
"3700 ATK!" Yugi shouted.
"Watch out, Hoshino! It's attacking!"
Having successfully summoned Megalith Phaleg, King Utgarda finally brought its endless chain of Ritual Summons to an end and entered the Battle Phase.
Even though the Heroic Spirits projected by Savior Mk. II were already unimaginably huge…
…Phaleg still towered several times over Artoria.
Its massive stone body carried an overwhelming presence that couldn't even be compared.
Moving amid deafening noise, the gigantic angelic statue hurled its colossal stone spear.
The weapon seemed capable of piercing both sea and sky as it came crashing toward the Black Knight King on Hoshino's field.
"3700 ATK?"
Hoshino smiled.
"Perfect! Time to strike back, Black Knight King!"
As Hoshino raised her hand to declare the counterattack, Savior Mk. II mirrored her movement, swinging its gigantic mechanical arm.
[Black Knight King Effect: Once per turn, during damage calculation involving this card: Detach 1 Xyz Material; this card gains 1000 ATK until the end of the turn. If it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage.]
"I detach Heroic Spirit – Okita Souji as Xyz Material and increase the Black Knight King's ATK by 1000!"
"Roar! The time of infamy has come! This is the Hammer of the Tyrant King!"
A jet-black aurora blade condensed magical energy across the sea.
It roared like the breath of the dragon Vortigern, guardian of Britain.
[Black Knight King ATK 2700 → 3700]
"They're evenly matched! Both monsters have 3700 ATK!" the Dwarf King exclaimed excitedly.
The Black Knight King swung her gigantic Excalibur Morgan with all her might.
A wave of black light many times larger than the sword itself erupted forth, colliding head-on with Megalith Phaleg's enormous stone spear.
"Be consumed by the light… Excalibur!!"