Hello once more everyone. Sorry for being missing in action the last two days. Sunday, I just had no time to post chapters due that I went with my fiancé up to where she had to start work at, which took all day. It was a freaking 4 hour drive that was supposed to be 2 and half! Damn mountains in West Virginia and Maryland are fucking larger than I remembered! But we got there, but I didn't get to spend much time there before I had to leave. I was rather sad, as was Cindy. She let it show, and I felt so bad for having to leave, but I had work today, so I had no choice. I hadn't realized how much it had been bothering me till I was a mile down the road, where I proceeded to break down and cry for a good while. I've rarely cried, not due that I was trying to be macho or whatever, but just due that things have rarely gotten to me. This is like the second time in the last few months, both over this whole thing. Sigh It may hurt now, but I know things will work out soon. I just hope real soon…

Anyways, then this morning, I tried to post, but stupid was down! I tried, and tried, and tried, but nothing! So, finally I gave up and went to work. When I got home, I had a killer headache and went to bed instead. That now leads me to now, lol.

At any rate, I see I got a good bit of reviews and comments. I'm glad people had things to say. I guess I should try to now respond to them.

CWATZ: Yep, he's a fighter, and will fight till the end, but he has two tough competitors left to fend off. Will he make it or not, you'll find out soon, lol.

Metal Overlord 2.0: Thank you for your comments, but don't worry about it. As I said last time, it don't hurt my feelings one way or another if someone wants to stop reading due that they dislike my opinions. To me, it's stupid to stop reading something good due to the writer's opinion on something, but that's me. But again, thanks for your comments. Lol, your reply reminds me of how I usually reply to stuff.

thehyperactivecow: Lol, yeah, Illidan and Marik fought hard, and Illidan had to think hard to win that one. Marie is one tough girl, so he has to think even harder on her. Actually, Illidan does have cards left. Of course, not many, but some. His deck was about 50-60 cards in size I believe. I actually checked that to make sure it was fair and all, and made sure not to run him out of cards. Thanks for the comments.

Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, he's pretty cooked. He's been dueling so long that it's taking it's toll. And yeah, that's something I thought of as well, but I thought about that before I saw that episode, like I think I was watching when Yami lost his duel when I thought of this idea. Lol, hilariously enough, I when I saw the episode with Joey, I was like "Hey, they stole my idea!" As for writing that duel for you, I sent you a pm about it, and I'll try. If you think it can wait a few days, I might be able to, so let me know either way.

Strawberry Cake: It's alright. I don't mind, but I don't like people to leave mad just due to my opinions. Lol, as I said, I can't see leaving a story that you like over an author's opinion. But it's all good. Yeah, Illidan's worn out, and about dead tired. He may make it to the end… or not, lol.

pink-kiss-candy: Alright, lol. You don't have to respect it, for you could always ignore it, lol. Thanks for the comment though, and yeah, Ryou lasted a while. Lol, poor Marik. Watches Ryou dancing due to happiness.

Tomb Robber Vicky: Yeah, he took the two of them quickly, but had to work hard on Marik. Marie is tough, and that Deck Master of hers just makes it nearly impossible to take her down to zero.

Ultimate Legendary Master: Yeah, Illidan does have quite a dilemma at the moment. Possibly he'll make it though, but who knows. Thanks for your comments as well.

Well, that's all I have for tonight. Hmm, I guess since I didn't post yesterday, today, and I have to post tomorrow, I'll post two chapters tonight, and two Friday. That way, I'll be able to get back into the swing of the seven chapters a week deal. Hmm, wince when did I start posting a chapter a day? Oh well, I don't mind, lol. It's great due that everyone loves this thing. Thanks for all the support guys and girls. Later.

Chapter 99

Marie drew and smiled at her card, and said "It's my move again and I activate the magic card known as Card of Demise. This card allows me to draw five new cards, but I must discard my entire hand in five turns. That shouldn't be a problem though seeing how I have you against the ropes already. Now I sacrifice my two remaining Mystical Shine Ball's in order to summon my secret weapon in this tournament!"

Illidan gave a puzzled look at Marie, curious about what she meant by that. "I have no idea what she means. What secret weapon?" he silently thought.

"I now summon my Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)!" A huge dark orange dragon with massive wings then appeared on the field in a burst of flames. It roared at the remaining monsters on Illidan's side and Marie only smiled.

"This dragon is very special to me, and I'll use it to win this duel, once and for all. You'll see Illidan. You're going down!"

Illidan was still shocked that she had something other than a fairy in her deck. Suddenly it hit him in a memory. This was the monster that had been connected to her soul since ancient times. He smiled, knowing she was trying to reconnect with her past by using this dragon.

With that smile still on his face, he said "We'll see about that one Marie."

She only smirked at his comment and then pointed at the field, yelling "Tyrant Dragon, attack Illidan's Luster Dragon with Tyrant Flame!" The mighty dragon roared and shot a blast of fire at the smaller sapphire dragon. The blast easily incinerated the smaller dragon, causing it to cry out in pain as it finally blew up. Illidan only cringed as he lost life points due that his dragon was in attack mode.

"Now I activate my Tyrant Dragon's special ability. I can now attack a second time as long as you have another monster on the field. So Tyrant Dragon, attack his Gearfried the Swordmaster with Tyrant Flame!" The dragon roared once more and fired another stream of fire, this time at the mighty warrior. He was easily succumbed by the blast, just like the smaller dragon had been.

"Finally, I'll place two cards face down and end my move. I'd be in fear of my dragon, Illidan, for it will be what takes me to the top in this duel." (Illidan 2350, Marie 11500)

Illidan about fell over once she ended her move. He held his head for a moment, for his vision had blurred yet again. His mind was racing, realizing he was nearly out of strength at long last. "No, I can't run out of gas now. I have to keep pressing on."

After a moment, he finally got his vision back to normal and stood back up straight. "If I don't stop her this turn, I may never stop her. I just hope I can draw something useful. Heart of the Cards, please guide me."

He then drew his next card and looked at it. It was his Heavy Storm, the perfect thing to help him win. Smiling, he said "First I set one card face down on the field. Next I'll set a monster in defense. Now I activate my old face down magic card, Exchange. This forces us both to look at one another's hand. We can then each take one card from the other. So, let's do some swapping."

Illidan walked over to the center of the field, meeting Marie in the middle.

Smiling, he said "I'll even let you pick first Marie, so you can see how much of a gentleman I am."

Marie laughed and looked at his hand. Nothing but monsters was in it, so she finally picked Thunder Nyan Nyan, seeing how she had all light monsters.

She then showed her hand to him, saying "Now look at mine." She had Sanctuary of the Sky and Reversal Quiz in her hand.

Smiling with mischief in his eyes, he said "I'll take Reversal Quiz."

He grabbed the card, leaving Marie with a look of worry on her face. With that, both returned to their positions. Looking at his hand one more time, Illidan decided it was worth the risk.

"Now I'll activate the card I just laid face down. It's my Heavy Storm, which destroys all magic and trap cards currently on the field!" A huge gust then blew up, instantly destroying Luminous Spark, which caused the powerful three headed dragon to lose power (4500/3800), and Marie's two face down cards to blow away. When both were blown up, it was revealed that one was Negate Attack and the other was Draining Shield.

She yelled "No! I needed those cards to stop your dragon! Darn you!"

Illidan only chuckled at her frustration, saying "It's about to get worse. Now I activate the magic card I took from you. I play Reversal Quiz! Due to it's effect, I discard my entire hand. Now that I have a nice empty hand, I draw one card from my deck. I have to declare what kind of card it is, which is either monster, magic, or trap. So, here is the moment of truth."

Illidan closed his eyes and hoped he hadn't just ruined his chances at winning the round, let alone the rest of the duel. "No, I have to stay strong. Heart of the Cards, please guide me!"

Smiling, he opened his eyes and said "It's a monster card." He then slowly drew his card. He slowly and painstakingly brought the card up to his face. There it was, his Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End. A big smile came on his face at the sight. He then showed it to Marie, who could only gasp. Suddenly the tables were turned on her and she had no way out.

"Looks like I now switch my life points with you. So, I now have 11500 life points, while you have only 2550 points. It's time to rap things up. I now switch my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Dark Magician of Chaos into attack mode. Now Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack her Tyrant Dragon with Neutron Blast!" Marie had a look of fear on her face as the huge three headed dragon powered up. Each head opened jaws as raw energy started sparking from it. The field was covered in lightening, sending bolts every which way. Finally, the mighty three headed dragon shot a beam each. The three beams combined into one huge blast which struck the large dark orange dragon. It roared in pain as the blast washed over it. The pain was easily put to rest as it exploded.

"It's time to finish this Marie, once and for all. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack her directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" The powerful mage twirled his staff and then fired a huge ball of energy. It struck Marie, who had put her arms up in defense. She slid back and fell down finally to her knees. Her life point counter ran to zero and then her Duel Disk powered down. Hints of tears formed at her eyes but she quickly brushed them away.

Smiling, she said "Congratulations Illidan. Now you have one last test before you win. Good luck."

Illidan nodded and replied with "Thanks Marie. That was an excellent duel."

She then stood back up and walked off the field and towards the stands.

The judge then declared Illidan the winner of the round and granted him an additional 1000 life points. He then declared the final duelist was about to enter. The number two ranked duelist then entered.

Slowly, Yugi walked with a purpose to the field. In a flash of golden light, Yugi transformed into Yami.

The judge then instructed Yami on what to do. Yami shuffled his deck and then proceeded to his spot.

Smiling at Illidan, Yami said "Destiny throws us together again today Illidan. Perhaps this time it's on my side."

Illidan only smirked at his friends comment, saying "We'll know soon enough I guess."

Yami then activated his Duel Disk. Once it had unfolded and lit up, he cried out "Dark Magician (2500/2100), come forth!" The mage in purple robes then appeared at Yami's side. Yami proceeded to draw his 5 cards and nodded.

He said with kindness in his voice "Good luck Illidan."

Illidan nodded back and replied with "Good luck to you too Yami. Let's Duel!"

He then drew his next card. He looked at it and suddenly his vision went blurry again. Shaking his head, Illidan tried hard to concentrate. Lightly growling, he said in his mind "I'm almost there. Come on body, don't give out on me now. I only have to beat Yami and I'm done. I just have to last a little longer."

He then concentrated harder and his eyes focused again. He then looked at his second Spirit Reaper. "I'll set one monster and end my move." (Illidan 12500, Yami 4000)

Yami drew his card and glanced at it, before saying "My move then Illidan. I summon Queen's Knight (1500/1600) in defense mode." A young female knight with blonde hair and pink armor then appeared on the field in a defensive stance. She had her shield and sword ready to intercept any attacks.

"Now I play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light, stopping your attacks for three whole turns!" Swords made of a pure light energy rained down in front of Illidan's monsters and in front of himself.

"Finally, I'll place one card face down. That shall end my move." (Illidan 12500, Yami 4000)

As Yami ended, Illidan's eyes lost focus again. He about fell forward, but luckily caught himself. He put his hand up to his head, realizing he was about to probably pass out if he didn't hurry up and end this duel. "I have a move that can end this right now. I just hope it works. If not, I'll be in real trouble."

Illidan then began to draw his next card, but noticed his hand was shaking and he didn't seem to have the strength to draw the card. Silently gasping, his mind began racing. "This isn't good. I'm so weak that I'm having trouble drawing a card. Come on, I have to hang in there. I can't let this stop me now."

Finally, Illidan summoned enough strength to draw his next card. He glanced at his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior card and placed it in his hand, deciding he had to finish this duel here and now. Grabbing another card, he said "It's time I finish this duel up, and it starts by me summoning this monster. I now remove from play my Jinzo and Blade Knight from my Graveyard, allowing me to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" The huge black dragon with orange hair then appeared on the field. It's black wings spread and it roared at Yami.

"Now I activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's special effect. By giving up 1000 life points, I can now destroy everything on the field and in our hands. Then the total cards destroyed are added up and then multiplied by 300, which is then deducted from your life points. Chaos Emperor Dragon, use your Infinite Blaster!" Quickly flying to the middle of the field, the mighty dragon roared and began to glow with power. Suddenly, the dragon exploded, destroying Yami and Illidan's cards on the field and in their hands.

"I had a total of one card in my hand. I also had five monsters on the field, so a total of six cards altogether. Next you had three cards on the field and three in your hand, making another total of six cards as well. The grand total is twelve cards. Now we multiply that by 300 and get 3600 points. That means you lose all those life points."

Yami's life points then dropped drastically by the news, but Yami chuckled, saying "You've failed to stop me totally though Illidan. I still have a chance to win this duel next turn."

Illidan smiled at Yami's hope. It was only Yami's false hope. His eyes blurred for a second, but focusing quickly, Illidan said "I don't think so Yami. Now I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. I'm allowed to give up 1000 life points in order to special summon one Chaos monster. So, I resurrect my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" The powerful black armor clad mage then reappeared on the field, striking a fighting pose.

"Next I return one magic card from my Graveyard. I'll choose my Mystical Space Typhoon, just in case you try to use your little magic act. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his life points directly with Chaos Scepter Blast!" With that, the mighty mage brought up his staff and fired a large ball of black energy at Yami. Seeing that Illidan had the advantage, Yami took the blast head on, draining him of all his life points. Once the smoke cleared, Yami smiled. His Duel Disk then powered down and the duel was over. Illidan's Duel Disk then powered down as well, signifying he'd won the duel at long last.

"The winner of this round, the Gauntlet, and still dual champion, Illidan Stormrage!" announced the judge.

Illidan barely heard the judge though. His eyes had long glazed over after his attack had hit. He smiled and then fell forward, hitting the floor with a large thump. Yami quickly ran over to help Illidan up. Marie and Yugi's friends, along with a few of the other duelists ran out of the stand quickly to help their fallen friend.

Meanwhile, in his throne, Gozaburo burst out loud laughing, yelling "THAT IS THE FATE OF THAT FOOL! SOON HE'LL BE PERMANETLY OUT OF COMMISSION, MUWHAHAHA!"

With that said, Marie glared at Gozaburo with anger in her eyes. She started walking towards him, yelling "STOP THIS! Illidan didn't deserve this, and neither do the others. Put an end to this torment and leave him and the others be! You have no right to do this, Gozaburo!"

He only laughed at Marie's foolish outburst and replied with "Oh, and I should fear you then Marie? What will you do if I don't stop? Beg for me to end it all like you did to the Gozaburo from ancient Egypt? Or will you cry for me to leave them all be? It doesn't matter what you try to do, it will happen one way or another. All that are here will pay for the torment that Gozaburo from those times suffered. You, Illidan, the pharaoh, Bakura, Shadi, and Seto shall all pay for what you did. And the others shall pay as well, for they will bare witness to the rise of my new world. If you dare to try and stop me, I'll finish the job that the ancient fool couldn't. So, how does that grab you, Marie?"

He then began an evil laugh, enjoying the pain he had caused Illidan when suddenly a raspy voice cut through his laughter, saying "I wouldn't … celebrate … just yet."

Gozaburo stopped laughing and looked up in shock. There stood a very exhausted Illidan. He was barely standing on his own, but he had managed to surprise everyone by standing up again. His eyes looked half glazed, but he was definitely conscious.

Gasping for air, he slowly said "You won't … lay one hand … on them. I will … defeat you, one … way or another."

It was obvious that it was taking everything Illidan had to just stand and talk. He looked completely spent from all the action in the duels.

Gozaburo only laughed at Illidan's threat and then hit the button to lower his throne. He just continued to laugh maniacally as he was lowered down the tower.

After the throne disappeared, Illidan completely passed out. Marie came running towards Illidan as he collapsed, screaming "ILLIDAN!"

He smiled as he was going down and then completely went blank a few inches from the floor.