Chapter 113
Back on the field, Marie was still on one knee panting. She had lost a majority of her life points to the blast and she was weakened due to her earlier fight for freedom. The combo was very stressful to her.
Slowly, she rose though. She stood on shaky legs, but knew the duel wasn't over.
Meanwhile, Gozaburo finally regained control of himself again. He realized the feedback had caused him to black out basically. He growled knowing Marie had caused the massive revolt. He had once again underestimated her strength and determination to be free from his mind control. Then he saw what he had only dreamed of. Illidan and Marie were facing one another in the final round of the 10-way duel. It was both of them going at it, with everything on the line. From what he saw, he figured Illidan had just devastated her with his Chaos Emperor Dragon. Marie was weakly standing there, just trying to hurry and finish the duel. He noticed she was mentally weak as well. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, he tried to invade her mind again with a huge assault of his mental abilities.
She screamed out in pain, causing Illidan to notice immediately that something had happened. He looked up quickly to see Gozaburo concentrating on Marie again.
"STOP IT!" he screamed at Gozaburo. As usual, Gozaburo ignored him. "I SAID STOP IT!" he screamed again. Still, there was no reaction.
Taking this as ignorance, he powered up his Millennium Key and began to concentrate on Marie. Slowly, he entered her mind. There, he saw her being encircled by the darkness of Gozaburo. He was attempting to control her mind again. She was struggling to keep a barrier of light up in order to protect herself, but she was so weak. The barrier was quickly failing, and was almost useless against the darkness. Soon Illidan no longer could see Marie.
"NOOOO!" he screamed mentally. With all his powers within the Millennium Key, he called forth all the light within himself. He then jumped into the darkness, knowing if he failed, Marie wouldn't be the only one controlled. He quickly found her in the darkness, still barely clinging to the little bit of light she had.
He wrapped his protective arms around her with her facing him, and said "Marie, don't be afraid, it's me, Illidan. Don't give into this darkness. You're stronger than him."
She was crying, saying "No, I'm not. I've been trying so hard to stop him, but I can't. He's just too strong for me!"
Illidan quickly hugged her tighter, saying "No, he's not! Never believe you can't win. I know you. You're the strongest person I have ever known, and you've never given up, even when the odds were against you. You're so strong, but you have to believe you are as well. Trust yourself, and know, you will always have my love! That is what makes me so strong. I think of our love, and that gives me the power to conquer anything in my path!"
She realized then that it was their love that had pushed him to protect her and the others that one horrible day in ancient times. The love that made him fight against an impossible foe. It was their love that allowed him to win that day. As well, it was their love that was his driving force in life that allowed him to do all the things he did. This was what made Illidan so strong. It wasn't the fact he was mentally tough or had trained for years. It was their love that pushed him above and beyond everyone else's power.
She then began to fight back against Gozaburo. Her heart was now rekindled with strength like none before. Now she fought with all she had in her heart and soul, for she let the love that continued to drive Illidan forward be the love that drove her forward.
Gozaburo was focusing so hard on beating both with his mental powers. When Marie and Illidan's powers then surged, he was shocked. Suddenly, Marie's power started growing larger than Illidan's even. It was nearing a level closer to the full potential of the Millennium Crown. In it's current state, which he had dubbed dormant, he wouldn't be able to hold back this awesome power. Realizing he was outmatched, he quickly stopped trying to take control of her and Illidan's minds. He quickly jerked back into his own mind, overwhelmed by the fact Marie had just shown more power than before. He was nearing exhaustion due to this, but the Millennium Crown's power kept him going for now.
Once Gozaburo was out of her mind, Illidan sighed, for Gozaburo was gone for now. He stood amazed at the power she had just displayed. Never had he seen such a strong energy level in all his years of training. Even his former master had not shown him this level of power. Marie quite possibly could have been the strongest being alive in ancient times, as well as current times. But the power was uncontrollable from what Illidan saw, for she was falling fast in energy levels. She quickly went down to her normal level, which shocked Illidan. "It's like when you throw gas on a fire. The fire grows in intensity for a moment, but then in an instant, the fire dies down."
Suddenly, she looked up at him, for she was gasping for air. "Let's finish this on the field Illidan." she said slowly.
Illidan nodded and left her mind. He reawakened on the field, still staring at her. She was standing there, still on shaky knees.
She then straightened herself and said "Finish it Illidan, for we know the result already."
Illidan nodded and then made his final move. "I activate my Deck Master's second special ability. At a cost of 1000 life points, I resurrect my Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)!" The mage then reappeared on the field, taking an offensive stance.
"I return one magic card thanks to his resurrection, and it'll be Scapegoat. Now Dark Magician of Chaos, finish this duel by wiping Marie out with Chaos Scepter Blast!" With that, the mage raised his staff. With concern in his eyes, he fired a smaller blast than normal. It was probably one that was one-fourth of his normal blast. It gently hit Marie, dropping her life points to 0. Slowly, she began to fade away.
Before leaving, she looked up at Illidan with tears in her eyes. She then said in a sad voice "Don't forget, it's up to you to save the world now. And never forget this. I will always love you." Then she faded away completely, leaving her Tyrant Dragon behind. Soon enough though, she reappeared on the wall with the others.
Illidan let out a few tears, for he was sad to see this was her fate.
The judge then raised his hand, saying "Illidan Stormrage is the winner of the 10-way duel! Also, he shall now receive the 9 new cards he has won. These cards must be used in your deck Mr. Stormrage." With that, the judge then started walking around, picking up the cards left behind.
This didn't matter to Illidan though. What mattered was the one he loved was on that wall and now at Gozaburo's mercy.
Gozaburo looked down from his throne and began laughing. "So Illidan, fate is throwing you and this crown together again. The only difference this time is I will succeed where that fool failed!" declared Gozaburo.
Illidan only glared at Gozaburo. "He still doesn't realize he is the true reincarnation of Gozaburo of ancient times."
"By the way Illidan," Gozaburo started, "I know about the seal you placed on the Millennium Crown."
Illidan only chuckled, thinking he meant he knew the basics of it. Of course, deep down, Illidan knew the true requirements were met now since he had won this duel. The only thing he could hope for was he wasn't forced to use the 9 new cards he'd won.
"If you think for one moment I don't know the true nature of this seal, you're mistaken." continued Gozaburo.
He chuckled and said "I know that you designed it so that the seal could never be broken, but guess what, it is. I know because I've studied your seal and have determined how to break it."
Sweat formed on Illidan's face. "Has he truly deciphered the seal's instructions? If he has, he knows then how it can be unlocked. I told no one to insure that the secret would remain with only me."
Gozaburo chuckled, knowing why Illidan was sweating. "It's humorous that you thought the seal would hold. And it would have, if not for the fact the 3 Egyptian God Cards were made."
On the wall, Marie asked Yami "What is Gozaburo going on about? I thought you, Illidan, and Gozaburo made the seal."
Yami, whose memory was still fuzzy, shook his head. "I don't know about that Marie. My memories are still fuzzy on the past." he said quietly.
Gozaburo only laughed again at Illidan. "FOOL! Did you honestly think your little seal would hold for all eternity?" said Gozaburo in a mocking voice.
Illidan only growled, hoping that the truth hadn't been discovered, but figured it had been.
Suddenly, Illidan received a mental message from Yami over their link, which had never been disconnected. "Illidan, what is he talking about?" asked his friend.
Illidan sighed, knowing he had to finally tell the whole truth about the seal on the Millennium Crown.
"Come now Illidan, tell your friends how your pitiful seal works, so they can know that you failed them in this life time, just like the last." mocked Gozaburo.
Illidan growled in anger, knowing Gozaburo probably did know. After all, he had said something about the Egyptian God Cards, which means he knew. Sighing, Illidan finally decided he had no choice.
"It's something that I thought would never happen. You see, it all began after the Shadow Powers of Egypt were far too dangerous to be left unchecked. This was determined after an idiot in the army had summoned one of the Egyptian God's to defeat an invading army. He was trying to display the might of Egypt, but instead showed how incredibly dangerous the Shadow Powers had grown. You see, not just anyone could call forth one of the three Egyptian Gods. Only a Shadow Court member, which consisted of me, Yami, Marie, Pegasus, Set, Shadi, Bakura, and Gozaburo, could summon and control the Gods. Of course, that didn't mean someone couldn't summon one of the Gods. It was the matter of controlling them. So, foolishly, this commander of the Egyptian Army summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra to defeat the approaching army. Bakura was there at the time, and watched the whole massacre."
Illidan then paused, sighing, remembering how stupid that commander had been to think he could control an Egyptian God.
"At any rate, the Gods attacked Egypt a few days later. Bakura had thankfully given us a short time to prepare. The Shadow Court fought a mighty battle with the Gods, and in the end, won. As punishment, we sealed them away for all eternity. No one would ever use them again. That then sparked the building of the Millennium Items. We started building them, sealing away the Shadow Powers of Egypt. Eventually, the last item was left. Unfortunately, it would hold the most Shadow Magic due that we didn't want to keep building items. This caused me, Yami, and the others to worry that this item could tip the balance of power and cause the end of the world. And it nearly did the first time. Gozaburo, unknowing of the Millennium Crown's true nature, attempted to use it after he had forged it and locked the powers within it. Fortunately, I was there and stopped him before he was able to do any damage to himself or anyone or anything else. It was then and there that I realized how dangerous the crown was. So, after meeting with Yami, we decided to seal away a majority of its power. I was put in charge of the seal, due that I was the Royal Seal Master of Egypt. Basically, I was in charge of making sure seals remained for as long as necessary. So, I was put in charge of the crown."
Illidan ran his hand through his hair for a moment, while thinking back about what he'd done.
Continuing, he said "I had to think of a seal that would protect Egypt for all time. So, it hit me like a ton of bricks. In order to break the seal, the duelist that wields the Millennium Crown would need to defeat the strongest duelist in the world. This duelist must have the power to wield all three Egyptian Gods as well. This would be proof of that duelist's worthiness to be called the strongest. If the one wielding the crown could defeat this person, the crown's full potential would be unlocked."
Gozaburo smiled and laughed out loud at Illidan. "See how foolish it was now?" he said in between laughs.
Illidan looked at the floor and said "At the time, it wasn't that foolish. The Gods were gone for all eternity, so we thought. Unfortunately, thanks to Pegasus's reincarnation, Maximillion Pegasus, the seal is possible to break. He recreated the 3 Egyptian Gods without any knowledge of the seal. Creating the 3 Egyptian God Cards has now put the world in more danger than he could have imagined."
Gozaburo continued to laugh. Finally, he calmed down and said to Illidan "Now you are the one that controls all three Egyptian God Cards. I expect you to prove that you deserve them though by defeating my associates. If you fail, you will lose your friends, as well as your own soul. And I know how much you care for their very well being Illidan. Believe me, one way or another, I will activate this crown. Whether it is through you or an associate, or one of your friends, is your choice."
Then he looked up at the people on the wall and laughed. "Now, this Shadow Game is over…" he began.
"NO!" cried out Illidan. "Don't hurt them! I'll duel you now if it takes that!" Illidan continued.
Gozaburo only laughed. "No, I'm not sending their souls to the Shadow Realm yet. I'm only storing them for your future duels, muwhaha!" replied Gozaburo. He then waved his hand and the Shadow Realm slowly faded away. All the people on the wall faded away as well.
"MARIE!" cried out Illidan.
As she faded away, she called out "I LOVE YOU ILLIDAN!"
He yelled back "I LOVE YOU MARIE!"
Then the Shadow Realm completely faded away. Nothing was there but an empty tower, Illidan, the judge, and Gozaburo. Illidan stood there, fists balled up and shaking. He glared at Gozaburo who motioned for the judge to hand Illidan something.
The judge walked over and handed him the 9 cards he'd won.
"You must use those 9 cards in your deck Illidan. In fact, you must use the card you wagered as well, so you have 10 cards you must use." stated Gozaburo.
Illidan looked at the 9 cards in his hand. Each had belonged to a person he knew. Each had a different feeling to him. The one that stood out the most though was the Tyrant Dragon card. He looked at it, knowing how much it meant to Marie.
Gozaburo then interrupted his thoughts by saying "Now that you are to duel my associates, you may reconstruct your deck if you wish Illidan."
The judge then handed him a key. "That key allows you into the vault where there is a stored copy of almost every card ever created. Only a few select cards aren't there. Mainly Seto's 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons and the God Cards. A few others as well, but that's beside the point. Just remember, you must use those 10 cards for sure though. Otherwise, do as you wish with your deck. Whatever cards you choose, you may keep also. Once you're done, return the key to the judge. The first duel shall be tonight. You shall face the first of my associates, so prepare your deck before then. You have till 7 P.M. Be here, or lose your friends, muwhahaha!"
With that said, Gozaburo then hit the button on his throne to lower himself into the tower. Illidan glared up at the man as he descended.
"So be it." Illidan said, in a voice of steel.