Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

[Heroic Spirit – Li Shuwen ATK 3000]

In his youth, Li Shuwen possessed peak physical strength. However, it was in his later years that he truly mastered martial arts. He came to understand that true mastery wasn't merely about physical power but the strength derived from unwavering conviction and belief.

Locked in the killing intent emanating from Li Shuwen, Paradox felt a chill run down his spine, a bead of sweat trailing along his back.

"A Synchro Monster I've never seen before… So this is your new power, Hoshino. Very well, let's see if it's enough to challenge me!"

Beside Hoshino, the mischievous young form of the evil god chuckled, her lips curling in amusement.

"When did you learn this summoning method, girl? It's way too cool! And that chant—did you make it up on the spot? You've got to write one for me too!"

"Just sit back and watch!" Hoshino's ruby eyes darted to the two monsters on Paradox's field.

"Li Shuwen, battle! Target: Malefic Cyber End Dragon!"

"Yang governs life, Yin governs death. Yang opens paths of life, while Yin seals the gates of demise!"

Assuming his stance, Li Shuwen activated the Intersect of Yin-Yang. Though his later years leaned more toward yang, he hadn't lost the fierce claws of yin—ready to switch at an instant and cut down his enemies effortlessly.

"Challenging my Malefic Cyber End Dragon with only 3000 ATK against its 4000…?" Despite the apparent numerical disadvantage, the suffocating pressure of Li Shuwen's killing intent sent a sense of impending doom through Paradox.

"Now, let's break through—"

"Li Shuwen's special ability activates!"

[Once per turn, when this card declares an attack on a face-up monster, its ATK increases by half the ATK of the target monster until the end of the turn.]

"Since Malefic Cyber End Dragon has 4000 ATK, Li Shuwen gains an additional 2000!"

[Li Shuwen ATK 3000 → 5000]

"To exert one's power while utilizing the opponent's strength—that is martial arts, that is the way of life!" This ability, mirroring his younger self's, had evolved with a higher base power to unleash devastating attacks.

Li Shuwen's refined skill had ascended to the level of a Noble Phantasm. With a light step, he closed the distance in a flash, bringing Malefic Cyber End Dragon into his range.

"My Bajiquan needs no second strike… Bleed from every hole in your head! One Strike!"

His peerless punch carried an indescribable destructive force. In the blink of an eye, Malefic Cyber End Dragon's mechanical body erupted into internal flames, unable to withstand the immense impact.

[Malefic Cyber End Dragon destroyed]

"Due to Li Shuwen's effect, any battle damage dealt to the opponent is doubled! Furthermore, since Li Shuwen is a Level 10 monster, he benefits from the Mound of the Bound Creator field spell, inflicting an additional 1000 damage upon destroying a monster in battle!"

The evil god exclaimed excitedly, "Nice! Girl, that's a whopping 3000 damage! Now your Life Points are even!"

[Paradox LP: 3500]

Hoshino frowned slightly. "Why hasn't his Life Points decreased?"

"Interesting!" Paradox clapped his hands, an amused smile forming on his lips. "Your first Synchro Summon, and it's already this impressive. Your dueling talent is undeniable, Hoshino. But unfortunately, you're still one step short… Trap Card, activate!"

As Malefic Cyber End Dragon was destroyed, Paradox revealed all his set cards: Malefic Tune and Rainbow Life.

[Malefic Tune: If a face-up "Malefic" monster(s) you control is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: Draw 2 cards.]

[Rainbow Life: Discard 1 card; until the end of this turn, each time you would take damage, gain that amount of LP instead.]

"I discard my remaining card from the previous turn. Instead of taking 3000 damage, I gain that amount instead!"

[Paradox LP: 3500 → 6500]

The evil god sighed in frustration. "What a reversal—double damage ended up giving him even more Life Points!"

"Haha!" Li Shuwen, standing with his hands behind his back, laughed heartily. "A resilient young man, indeed. I wonder how many more punches you can withstand."

"So, it won't be that easy to end things, huh?" Far from discouraged, Hoshino's excitement only grew, the fire of challenge blazing in her crimson eyes.

"Don't give up too quickly, Paradox. I'm not even fully accustomed to this new summoning yet." Her taunting words were a clear provocation, and Paradox's expression darkened—she was treating him like practice fodder for refining her new deck.

"Turn end."

With her hand emptied at the start of her turn and no further actions available after battle, Hoshino ended her turn.

[Hoshino's Field: 1 Hand Card | 3 Set Cards]

"My turn, draw!"

Paradox examined his newly drawn card, a confident smile returning to his face.

"Don't get too cocky—Synchro Summoning isn't exclusive to you! I activate the Spell Card: [Malefic Selector]!"

[Malefic Selector Effect: Banish 2 "Malefic" cards from your GY; add 2 "Malefic" cards from your Deck to your hand.]

"By banishing Malefic Cyber End Dragon and Malefic Tune, I add Malefic Paradox Gear and Malefic Stardust Dragon to my hand!"

Hoshino's eyes narrowed. "Malefic Paradox Gear… So it's finally coming."

"I discard Paradox Gear to Special Summon Malefic Parallel Gear, and at the same time, I add Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand!"

[Malefic Parallel Gear ★★ (Level 2)][DARK] [Machine/Tuner/Effect] [ATK 0/DEF 0]

"Next, I Special Summon Malefic Stardust Dragon and Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand. Then, I Synchro Summon using Parallel Gear and Malefic Blue-Eyes!"

He raised his hand toward the sky.

"Arise, the darkness that transcends space and time! Synchro Summon—[Malefic Paradox Dragon]!"

[Malefic Paradox Dragon ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK] [Dragon/Synchro/Effect] [ATK 4000/DEF 4000]

With precise execution, Paradox effortlessly brought Malefic Paradox Dragon onto the field.

"As long as Malefic Paradox Dragon is on the field, your monsters' attack power will be—"

"I knew you'd summon that thing!" Hoshino cut him off, a sly smile forming as her finger hovered over her set cards.

"It's exactly what I was waiting for!"

"Trap Card, activate—[Origin Bullet]!"

She pointed forward.

"It's your turn, Kiritsugu!"

Kiritsugu's shadow flickered across the battlefield. Accompanied by the deafening roar of a fired bullet, the Origin Bullet struck the wings of Malefic Paradox Dragon. Its "origin" was severance and connection—cutting away and discarding countless things while desperately seeking to connect even more.

"The effect of Origin Bullet nullifies Paradox Dragon's abilities for three turns, starting from this one!"

"ROARRR!!"

The newly Synchro-summoned Paradox Dragon let out a furious roar as the bullet burrowed deep into its core, fully enraging the mighty beast.

"Even with Paradox Dragon's effect nullified, do you think your monsters stand a chance? Battle Phase!"

On Paradox's field stood two formidable monsters with 4000 ATK, with Malefic Stardust Dragon providing a protective shield against effect destruction—a near-perfect offense and defense.

"Attack, Malefic Rainbow Dragon—Dark Rainbow Stream!"

The Malefic monster's attack power far exceeded Leonidas I, whose defense mode prevented its destruction in battle. Naturally, the real target was Li Shuwen.

Li Shuwen's effect allowed him to destroy monsters with up to 6000 ATK during his own attack declaration, but not during the opponent's turn.

"Your Life Points are like a flickering candle. Against the power of Malefic Rainbow Dragon, they're as good as gone!"

"Paradox, while your deck may be powerful, you lack actual dueling experience!" Hoshino smirked mischievously, flipping over one of her set cards.

"You just uttered the ultimate taboo phrase in a duel! Quick-Play Spell, activate—[Buddhism of Emptiness]!"

Paradox frowned, confused. In his era, these so-called "taboos" had long been forgotten.

Before his eyes, Li Shuwen vanished from the field, replaced by a strikingly beautiful female swordsman. She wielded dual blades, yet her aura carried the same suffocating killing intent.

[Buddhism of Emptiness – Quick-Play Spell Effects: (1) Tribute 1 monster on the field; Special Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit – Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu" from your hand or Deck. If this card is Special Summoned this way, its ATK increases by half the original ATK of the Tributed monster.]

"Emptiness is Void, severing even thoughts and desires!"

[Heroic Spirit – Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)][WIND][Warrior/Effect][ATK 3000 → 4500 / DEF 2900]

"Counterattack, Musashi! Show him your prowess!"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

With a single movement, Musashi's dual blades sliced through space itself, severing light. Her sword aura transformed into a dragon, its radiant energy tearing Malefic Rainbow Dragon apart.

[Malefic Rainbow Dragon – Destroyed]

[Paradox LP: 6500 → 6000]

Musashi marveled at her own blades. "That old man's power is impressive, isn't it?"

Hoshino, standing firm, sneered. "Paradox, you can neither defeat my Musashi nor break through Leonidas I. My so-called flickering Life Points are completely out of your reach!"

Caught off guard by Musashi's unexpected strength, Paradox narrowed his eyes. "In that case, I'll end the Battle Phase." He extended his hand, revealing a new card. "Then I activate the effect of [Malefic Selector] in my hand—banishing Malefic Paradox Gear and Malefic Parallel Gear from my Graveyard to add Malefic Claw Stream and Malefic Paradigm Shift to my hand!"

The nearby Evil God gnawed at her fingers instinctively. "This guy just searched for two troublesome cards."

Paradox confidently inserted three cards into his Duel Disk. "Finally, I set all my remaining cards and end my turn!"

[Paradox's Hand: 0 | Set Cards: 3]

"My turn, draw!"

Hoshino drew her next card, eyes sharp with determination. She pointed forward. "Attack, Musashi! Target—Malefic Stardust Dragon!"

Paradox smirked. "Hmph, as expected, you wouldn't dare attack Paradox Dragon." His arrogance irritated Hoshino.

"But I won't let you attack so easily! Trap Card, activate—[Malefic Claw Stream]!"

[Malefic Claw Stream – Normal Trap Effect: Activate only if you control a face-up "Malefic" monster. Select 1 monster your opponent controls, and destroy it.]

"Since Musashi is only Level 8, she doesn't benefit from Mound of the Bound Creator!"

Dark energy surged toward Musashi like clawing talons, seeking to rip her apart.

Musashi exhaled sharply, sheathing her blades mid-charge. "Unfortunate, huh? But…" Her aura flared with divine light. "I have my own way of fighting!"

"Namu, Tenman Daijizai Tenjin! Hayagrīva!!"

She didn't need to unsheathe her swords. Her sheer killing intent alone invoked the image of a divine warrior. A colossal four-armed Buddha, wielding glowing blades, shattered the energy wave from Malefic Claw Stream.

"So, you were targeting Musashi—just as I expected." Hoshino lifted her Duel Disk with a smug smile. "The effect of [Buddhism of Emptiness] in my Graveyard activates!"

[Buddhism of Emptiness Effect: (2) If "Heroic Spirit – Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu" on your field would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish this card from your Graveyard instead.]

Musashi's eyes gleamed as she raised her sword. "Tenman Shrine, deity of absolute freedom. Hadōkannon, use my rage to sever all evil. This one blade is my path of emptiness, the culmination of my life! … Ishana, Daitenshou!!"

A blade imbued with the power to sever karma, curses, and even fate emerged. The four-armed Buddha, now wielding radiant weapons, cleaved through Malefic Stardust Dragon in a dazzling display of swordsmanship.

[Malefic Stardust Dragon – Destroyed]

[Paradox LP: 6000 → 4000]

"It's not over yet! Musashi's effect activates—when she destroys a monster in battle, you must choose: send one card from your field to the Graveyard, or allow her to attack again!"

Sword energy gathered, forming a blade so brilliant it seemed to pierce the very fabric of space-time.

"Make your choice, Paradox!!"

Paradox bared his teeth, roaring defiantly. "Go ahead and attack if you dare, Hoshino Chiyuki!!"

That was his answer.

"Niten Ichi-ryū—!"

The luminous blade descended.

A single strike.

Malefic Paradox Dragon was cleaved apart.

[Malefic Paradox Dragon – Destroyed]

(*****)

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