Osiris watched his opponent carefully as he drew his next card. The deity knew the game would end, with the mortal boy as the victor, unless he drew a card that could stop the dreaded Ouija board.
Bakura hoped that Osiris could not draw such a card. But he also knew, and rightfully so, that in the realm of the gods, mercy was not often given to the unworthy.
"This will do nicely. Because I believe I know exactly where your last letter card is."
"No you don't!" Bakura shouted from his chains. "Ryou, don't listen to him! He's just trying to scare you!"
Osiris ignored the outburst, and held up the card he just drew. "My turn is just beginning, and if you think it shall be my last, then mortal, you are mistaken!"
Ryou gulped. His knees clattered against each other as he fought to keep his mind clear of fear.
"First, I play my spirit reaper in attack mode."
A ghastly spirit moved through Osiris, to float above the chamber floor. The purple cloaked zombie swung a double bladed scythe, slicing through the surrounding fog. Its main purpose was that of a ferryman – taking the dead across the Nile. Anubis knew that this was clearly a message from Osiris to his opponent.
"But that is not all. Next, I shall flip my hidden monster into attack mode as well."
It too, was a zombie; a poison mummy, with 1000 attack points.
"And my mummy has a special effect. When it is flip summoned, it deals 500 points of direct damage to you."
Ryou cringed, as he felt five hundred more life points drain from his spirit. It was more painful than the first attack. His life points dropped to 5800, 2000 shy of Osiris, Lord of the Dead.
"But I am not yet finished. Next, I will play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards."
He picked up two cards from his deck, and studied them intensely.
"Yes, this card will do nicely."
Ryou gulped again, echoed by his yami. He could see the strategy in Osiris' eyes. Something powerful was about to take the field.
"I have drawn Monster Reborn, a card that will allow me to bring back a creature from the graveyard." Osiris announced. "And in the afterlife, I am not limited to merely my graveyard. I can also resurrect from yours. And that is exactly what I will do."
He stretched out his hand, and Ryou's first monster, his Archfiend Soldier, came back to the field on Osiris' control.
Anubis, meanwhile, contemplated the irony of such a move. All creatures, at the point of death, join with Osiris.
"And with your own monster, I will attack your face down card!"
Ryou nodded, as the card flipped over, revealing a gigantic single celled organism floating in the chamber. The fiend unsheathed his sword, and sliced through the opposing monster.
"This is my giant germ." He answered. "You might have destroyed it. But not without a price. The… the sickness… it affects you. And you lose 500 life points.
"That's it, host!" Bakura cheered. "Show him what you're made of!"
"And that is not all it does." Ryou added, as Osiris' life points dropped to 7200 from the attacks. "Two more giant germs can appear on the field in face up attack mode to protect my life points…"
Osiris watched as two more germs sprouted from the remains of the killed one.
"If I… I know anything well… It's being sick. Where you have one germ, you're bound to have more…"
This time, it was Bakura who contemplated the irony of the move.
"That will only buy you time." Osiris added. "But it will not bring you victory!"
Upon his command, his poison mummy attacked one of the germs. With their attack strengths both at 1000, both creatures died. Osiris took 500 more points of damage to his life. His phoenix attacked the other, burning a large hole through Ryou's remaining life points.
The deity may have been reduced to 6200 life points, but that was miniscule compared to Ryou Bakura, who stood there with just over half of his life points remaining.
"And now, my spirit reaper attacks your life points directly." Osiris announced, as the zombie lunged at Ryou. The sickle sliced through his chest, taking his life points down to 4100. Ryou coughed, struggling to breathe through the attack.
"Come on, Ryou! You're still alive! Stand back up! As soon as he ends his turn, you win! I win! We get out of here!" Bakura shouted again.
"Quiet, thief." Anubis shouted, taking the chains in his hand. "Osiris is not yet finished!"
"He will be!"
"Nonsense." Anubis shook the chains, yanking the thief's shoulders around. Bakura grunted as he felt them momentarily separate from his spiritual body.
"Exactly. For my spirit reaper has a special ability, and that is why I waited until this moment to attack with him." The deity spoke calmly. "This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle, but when it attacks your life points directly, it allows me to randomly select one card from your hand, and discard it to the graveyard."
Ryou froze.
"I can feel it, and the frightened gaze in your eyes tells me my feelings do not betray me. The card you need is sitting in your hand. All I need to do is find it."
Ryou gulped. His face betrayed the truth of Osiris' declaration. The letter H, the final card in the Ouija board combination, was in his hand.
Osiris strode forward, climbing from his podium. He held his hand over Ryou's set of cards. The god's hand hovered over several cards that Ryou prayed he wouldn't take, especially the final letter of the combination.
Osiris paused, watching Ryou's eyes display the card he wanted.
He reached into the hand, and pulled out the letter H.
"I think your card combination is finished." Osiris added confidently. The rest of the Ouija board vanished. Bakura fell to the ground in despair. The duel would continue. And for Ryou, it would be an even more difficult fight.
"I believe I can end my turn now." Osiris added with a slight grin. "It's your move."
Ryou just stood there, in shock that his yami's most famous combination had failed him.
"Let's see what you have left."