Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Gorgon Sisters, deploy! No one moves without my permission today!" Hoshino declared. "[Euryale]'s special effect—"

[Once per turn: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; change its battle position.]

Euryale's short bow, perfectly suited to her petite and adorable figure, gleamed in the dawn light. Drawing the bowstring with her delicate arms, she took careful aim.

"Pierce your heart! Eye of the Euryale!!!"

Two pink arrows shot out simultaneously, curving elegantly through the air before striking Cyber Harpie Lady.

The first arrow didn't deal any damage. Instead, upon impact, it burst into a pink heart, forcing Cyber Harpie Lady into Defense Position.

[Cyber Harpie Lady DEF 1300]

Though Cyber Harpie Lady boasted an impressive 2100 ATK, its defense of 1300 left it vulnerable.

"Time to knock you down~♪" Euryale hummed sweetly as the second pink arrow pierced straight through Cyber Harpie Lady's armor.

[Cyber Harpie Lady - Destroyed]

"Your turn, Stheno!" Hoshino called out, signaling for the next attack.

Stheno chuckled seductively, her voice laced with an irresistible charm. "A mere mortal daring to command a beautiful goddess like me? How bold~ But I must admit… serving a human is such a curious sensation~"

[Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses 300 ATK and DEF, and if it does, this card gains 300 ATK, and you gain 300 LP. This effect can be activated during either player's turn.]

Stheno's enchanting smile, as captivating as a rose covered in thorns, cast an ominous glow over the battlefield.

"Fufu~ Sink into despair before my beauty! — 'Smile of the Stheno!'"

That hypnotic smile was as beautiful as it was dangerous. Its seductive charm washed over Harpie Lady 1, making her lithe figure tremble.

[Harpie Lady 1 ATK 1600 → 1300]

[Stheno ATK 1700 → 2000]

[Hoshino LP 4000 → 4300]

Under Stheno's spell, Harpie Lady 1 hardened into stone before shattering into countless fragments.

Stheno's mischievous grin widened. "Oh my, how tragic~ She didn't even stand a chance."

[Harpie Lady 1 - Destroyed]

"With Harpie Lady 1 gone, your WIND-attribute attack boost vanishes! That means Harpie Lady Sisters' ATK drops!"

[Harpie Lady Sisters ATK 2250 → 1950]

The once-mighty Harpie Lady Sisters were now an easy target for Medusa Lily.

"Medusa! Finish them off!" Hoshino commanded.

With a graceful twirl of her purple scythe, Medusa Lily's white over-the-knee socks shimmered under the dawn's light, drawing attention.

"If you insist on standing in my way, I'll deal with you!" She flung her scythe forward, controlling its trajectory with the chains wrapped around her fingers. The weapon slashed cleanly through the floating Harpie Ladies.

"Now… let's end this! Her fingers are iron, her hair is a cage, and her whisper is a sweet poison… this is who I am! Caress of the Medusa!!"

A beam of violet light radiated from Medusa Lily's glowing eyes, engulfing the last remaining Harpie Lady in a dazzling flash.

[Harpie Lady Sisters - Destroyed]

[Mai LP 3300 → 3250]

"And now, [Medusa Lily]'s effect activates! When this card destroys a monster in battle, I can add 1 'Lily' monster from my Deck to my hand!"

With a devastating three-pronged assault, the Gorgon Sisters had completely wiped Mai's field clean, leaving her utterly defenseless.

Valon's eyes widened in shock. "Unbelievable! Mai's full-power opening play was completely dismantled! Hoshino's strength… it's just as Alister said—she wasn't even going all out before!"

Hoshino smirked. "How about that, Mai? This is the power of the Gorgon Sisters! Your Harpie Ladies alone won't be enough to stop me."

With her Battle Phase concluded, she slid two cards into her Duel Disk.

"I set two cards and end my turn. Your move, Mai!"

[Hoshino: 2 Hand Cards | 2 Set Cards]

Mai, however, remained composed. "During your End Phase, the cards you petrified return to normal."

As Hoshino's turn ended, the two stone-like cards slowly regained their original form.

"And now, I activate my Continuous Trap—[Hysteric Party]!" Pressing the activation button on her black Duel Disk, Mai's Trap Card flipped face-up.

[Hysteric Party Continuous Trap Effect: Activate this card by discarding 1 card; Special Summon as many copies of 'Harpie Lady' as possible from your GY. When this face-up card leaves the field, destroy those monsters.]

Discarding her last card, Mai's lips curled into a confident smirk. "Thanks to my Trap Card, my Harpie Ladies return in full force!"

Once again, summoning lights illuminated the battlefield as the five elegant and alluring Harpie Ladies emerged in all their glory.

[Cyber Harpie Lady ATK 1800 → 2100]

[Harpie Lady 1 ATK 1300 → 1600]

[Harpie Lady Sisters ATK 1950 → 2250]

At the same time, Mai's Duel Disk emitted a radiant glow from its Graveyard Zone.

"And I activate the effect of [Hysteric Sign], which I discarded!"

Hoshino's eyes narrowed. "Hysteric Sign?!" She recognized it as the Spell Mai had used earlier to search Elegant Egotist.

[If this card is in the GY because it was sent there from the hand or field this turn: Add up to 3 'Harpie' cards with different names from your Deck to your hand.]

With a swift draw and precise searches, Mai swiftly replenished her hand with four new cards, creating an advantage akin to a power draw engine.

Hoshino clenched her fist. "No wonder she defeated Pegasus... Mai's strength has reached a whole new level."

Sliding a card into her Duel Disk, Mai's smirk deepened.

"This turn, I'll end this Duel, Hoshino! I activate the Spell Card—[Harpie's Feather Duster]!"

As the Harpie Ladies flapped their wings in unison, a violent gust of wind surged toward Hoshino's back row, threatening to wipe out her set cards.

The violent winds generated by the five Harpie Ladies flapping their wings tore through Hoshino's back row, obliterating both of her face-down cards.

[Harpie's Feather Duster – Spell Card Effect: Destroy all Spells and Traps your opponent controls.]

A straightforward yet devastating effect, requiring no cost or conditions—capable of wiping out an opponent's entire back row in a single move. Even outside a Harpie-themed deck, its power remains unparalleled.

Mai smirked triumphantly as the gusts died down, revealing the now-empty field.

"Compared to your little petrification tricks, isn't it much more efficient to just destroy your set cards outright?"

She confidently extended her hand, preparing to seize the momentum.

"This time, you're the one left defenseless, Chiyuki! Now, behold the ultimate power of my Harpies—Spell Card, [Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation]!"

As Mai activated the Spell, the five Harpie Ladies soaring through the sky merged together, their bodies engulfed in roaring flames, forming a majestic, burning phoenix. Its fiery aura illuminated the early morning battlefield.

[Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation – Spell Card Effect: Destroy monsters your opponent controls, up to the number of "Harpie Lady" you control. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total ATK of the destroyed monsters.](Anime Effect)

"This is the Harpie Ladies' ultimate form—Phoenix Formation!" Mai declared, pointing dramatically toward the flaming bird circling above. Her confidence surged.

"Since I control three Harpies, I can destroy up to three of your monsters, Chiyuki! And on top of that, you'll take direct damage equal to their total ATK!"

Valon's eyes widened in shock. "Three monsters wiped out at once, and she takes all their ATK as direct damage?! With Hoshino completely exposed, this could be an instant knockout!"

"Burn, Phoenix Formation! This is the proof of my resurgence—this duel is mine!" Mai commanded.

The blazing phoenix shrieked, diving toward Hoshino's Gorgon Sisters with lethal intent.

Yet, despite the imminent danger, Hoshino merely smiled.

"You really are amazing now, Mai… but there's one thing you got wrong."

Suddenly, an icy chill swept across the battlefield. Unbeknownst to anyone, a creeping frost had spread across the ground. Before the flames could reach their target, a massive pillar of ice erupted from below, freezing the phoenix solid.

CRACK!

The frozen bird shattered into glittering shards, the Harpie Ladies scattering as their fusion was forcibly undone.

Mai's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! You—You expected my Harpie's Feather Duster?!"

Hoshino flipped over one of her destroyed cards, revealing its identity.

"A well-known staple like Feather Duster? Of course, I saw it coming."

The image of a man dressed in blue, pen in hand, shimmered on the card's surface.

"Time to shine, Andersen!"

The diligent author—Hans Christian Andersen—materialized onto the battlefield, grumbling all the while.

"I haven't even been gone a month, and you're already overworking me?!" he huffed. Yet, despite his complaints, his quill moved effortlessly, tracing icy runes in the air.

[Hans Christian Andersen – Card Effect: ①: This card can be Set as a Continuous Trap in the Spell/Trap Zone.

③: If this card in the Spell/Trap Zone is destroyed by an opponent's effect, you can Special Summon this card.

④: If an effect would destroy cards on the field, you can tribute this card to negate that effect and destroy the activating card.]

The moment Andersen shattered free from his frozen state, the flames of Phoenix Formation were extinguished.

"And finally," Hoshino continued, "when a card effect would destroy one or more of my monsters, I can Tribute Andersen to negate that effect and destroy the activating card!"

Sending Andersen's card to the Graveyard, she watched as Mai's Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation flickered before vanishing into nothingness.

"Just like that, Mai—your ultimate attack is nullified."

For the first time, uncertainty crossed Mai's face. "To think… you anticipated and blocked my strongest move…" She clenched her fist, then exhaled sharply, her gaze steady. "Chiyuki, you're as terrifying as ever."

Valon let out a low whistle. "Damn… What an insane duel. It's a good thing both of them are on our side. If we had to face them as enemies…" He shook his head. "Nah. Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that."

But Mai wasn't done. With a fierce flick of her wrist, she slid another card into her Duel Disk.

"Even without Phoenix Formation, my attack isn't over yet!" she declared. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card—[Triangle Ecstasy Spark]!"

The three Harpie Ladies realigned into a perfect triangular formation, surging with newfound power.

[Triangle Ecstasy Spark – Spell Card Effect:Until the end of this turn, the ATK of all "Harpie Lady" currently on the field becomes 2700. Your opponent cannot activate Trap Cards, and all Trap effects they control are negated.] (I'm not sure if this is a China-exclusive effect.)

[Cyber Harpie Lady ATK 2100 → 2700]

[Harpie Lady 1 ATK 1600 → 2700]

[Harpie Lady Sisters ATK 2250 → 2700]

With a burst of energy, all three Harpie Ladies reached their peak strength.

"Even without Phoenix Formation," Mai smirked, "my Harpies will tear through your monsters head-on! Attack, my beautiful Harpies!"

But Hoshino wasn't defenseless yet. "Stheno's effect activates!"

[Stheno ATK 2000 → 2300]

[Hoshino LP 4300 → 4600]

Despite the boost, the Harpie Ladies were too strong. Their coordinated assault ripped through Hoshino's remaining Gorgon Sisters, leaving her field empty.

[Hoshino LP 4600 → 2300]

Mai flipped her golden hair confidently, a victorious gleam in her eyes. "This turn belongs to my Harpie Ladies, Chiyuki!"

With a flourish, she set her last remaining card. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

[Mai's Field: 0 Hand Cards | 2 Set Cards]

Hoshino wiped a bit of dust from her sleeve, completely unfazed.

"Oh, Mai… battles between women don't end that easily." She lifted her hand to her deck. "My turn—draw!"

As the top card slid into her grasp, a brilliant golden light burst from her Graveyard, soaring into the sky.

"The true form of the Gorgon, slumbering in my Graveyard, is about to awaken!"

(*****)

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