Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't post over the weekend, but I was rather busy. Saturday, I went to see Cindy, and we got her stuff ready to take back to her new apartment. Then Sunday, we spent the early part of the day traveling back up north to her apartment, and then relaxed a little. I left here at nearly 5 am yesterday, so I had no time to really write my reviews, or even think about posting a chapter. At any rate, I'm glad everyone liked the last duel. Time to get down to answering those reviews.

Metal Overlord 2.0: Lol, yeah, it finally came out. It's a great card, but hard to bring out. It pends on so much is why it's rarely used I figure. Yep, I figured I'd have Nesbit summon Cyber End Dragon, just to throw a curve ball in. Yes, Gozaburo Tark has revealed himself now. If everyone thought Gozaburo Kaiba was bad, wait till Tark starts unleashing his evil. He's by far worse than Kaiba. Yep, it's been a long and hard tournament, and now it's up to Illidan to put all he's learned up against Gozaburo. Thanks for the comments.

Isis the Sphinx: Yeah, they came in to help. After all, Illidan has control of them. They'd about have to, lol.

Tomb Robber Vicky: Yes, it's coming soon. I have no doubt he'll try something. Wait, I'd know whether he did or not, lol. Silly me, hehe.

Ultimate Legendary Master: Indeed, the final duel is here. Soon all will end, maybe, lol. Yes, I know what you mean about people. I experience that with my wonderful family.

x-knight20: No, there wasn't anything that used Tark last time, well, other than the crown itself. The power of the crown is what corrupted Tark so much last time, and the feelings of obsession over Marie were amplified many times over. Hope that helps.

Ryon Nakura: It is? Actually, that's a fair price, hehe. Looks at cops bursting in. See, you should have paid me. I could stop them for you if you had. Watches cops beat Ryon to the ground and kick him many a times before finally cuffing him and throwing him in back of cop car. He'll be back… maybe, lol.

Berry Kisses: Yeah, once and a while. He's nicer than a cobra though. More like a rattlesnake, lol. Laughs at note. See, he cares.

Fire Princess: LOL! Yes, you'll get used to the fiery feeling eventually Ryou. Just give it time, hehe.

Strawberry Cake: No, I'm not insane. It's a fair price for half demon protection. Yes, I'm half nice, and other times I'm demonic. That's why they happen to call people like that half demons, lol. Lol, no Ryou, not as evil as you in this reality or another.

Brianna Ishtar: Yes, I believe Marik and him had a good time. At least Marik did. He kept laughing and saying something about how much fun it was torturing Ryon till the point of insanity setting in on Ryon. Ah, at least he gave you a hug at last Brianna, lol.

sweetxokissesxo: Or like saying "That's only a bomb about ready to explode."

pink-kiss-candy: Lol, I take it he's scarred for life now thanks to Marik. Well, maybe it's better this way, hehe.

Ok, that's it for me today. Just so everyone knows, the 18th will be the day that this story comes to an end. Reason one is I have just the right amount of chapters to end it then. Reason two is it's going to be a very special day for me and Cindy. We decided to marry that day, so before I make the trip up to get married with her, I'll post my final chapter of this story. Now, don't think there are exactly however many days left between now and the eighteenth amount of chapters. There is one day I'll probably skip, most likely next Sunday due that I got to do a few things that will consume me all day. But other than that, I should post a chapter a day from here on, except next Sunday.

Well, that's all I have this morning. Gets dreamy eyed. Two weeks… Such a short time, yet a long time. At any rate, later all, and enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 129

Illidan stood out in the rain till nearly 3 P.M. About that time, he realized soaking in the rain wouldn't help him win his final duel against Gozaburo. Slowly, he went to the elevator and headed to his room. Once there, he quickly stripped out of his soaking wet clothing and headed for the shower with a fresh set of clothes.

He stood in the shower for about an hour, just letting the warm water hit him. There he stood, feeling the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. It was like no matter what he did, something came up. Gozaburo was now fully aware of who he was, and was much more dangerous than before. Now Gozaburo knew all of Illidan's weaknesses. In a way, Illidan wished he hadn't pushed so hard to make Gozaburo remember who he was. If Gozaburo had remained as he was, maybe he wouldn't have been as dangerous, but he had forced him to remember for a reason.

That reason was due to Gozaburo Tark's extremely large ego. In ancient times, while wearing the Millennium Crown, he thought of himself as a god. Now that he was back, he had the same thoughts. Those were the same thoughts that had caused his downfall against Illidan the first time, and it would be the same again.

The thing was, Illidan had to be careful. Gozaburo wouldn't set this tournament up to where one person had the three Egyptian God Cards unless he had a plan to use against them. No one was foolish enough to face someone wielding all three. At least Illidan hoped he wouldn't be that stupid.

Finally, Illidan had enough standing in the water. He finished washing off and then stepped out of the shower, slowly drying himself off. Looking around, Illidan found the clothes he had brought in and dressed. He then went back to the main room and looked for something to eat.

After grabbing a pack of Ramen Noodles, he quickly ate. Once finished, he went over to the laptop he had. Slowly, he searched through the card database that was stored on the network. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for. It was the card he anticipated Gozaburo to use. The same monster that 5000 years ago had become Gozaburo's soul monster, much like how Dark Magician of Chaos had become Illidan's soul monster. The monster that was Gozaburo's soul monster was none other than the powerful Exodia Necross. In ancient times, it was a powerful monster, and as a card, it was just as powerful. Staring at the effects and stats of the card, Illidan began to think about how he could beat it, and what cards Gozaburo would have to use to make Exodia Necross invincible.

He then added to his search what types of cards were used to make a deck with Necross in it. The computer then showed him the most likely cards to be used. Examining them, Illidan decided more than likely Gozaburo wouldn't make it that easy. He would throw some kind of curve in. Something bothered him though.

"Gozaburo wouldn't take on the three Egyptian God Cards with Exodia Necross alone. Not even he is that foolish. What has he got that makes him so confident to face them I wonder." Illidan said softly to himself.

Slowly, he waded through card lists, trying to find something, if not anything, that would stand up to three Egyptian God Cards. In the end, he found nothing that could truly fight off all three. That left one question to be answered then.

"What is making him so confident that he can beat all three Egyptian Gods?" Illidan said to himself.

Finally, he checked the time. It was already 6 P.M. Slowly, he stood and went over to his deck. Looking through it, he found the all nine cards he had won from his friends. There was Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Yami's Slifer the Sky Dragon, Seto's Obelisk the Tormentor, Keith's Perfect Machine King, Bakura's Dark Ruler Ha Des, Noa's Yamata Dragon, Marik's The Winged Dragon of Ra, Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady, and finally, and more than likely most importantly to Illidan, was Marie's Tyrant Dragon. He stared at the nine cards he had pulled from his deck and thought of each person that he had won them from. Those nine cards had helped him win each of his duels against Gozaburo's associates. Now he would need all nine more than ever in this final duel.

Finally, he looked at his own Dark Magician of Chaos. This monster had been his soul monster over 5000 years ago, and it seemed even now he was protecting him. Illidan then said to himself "This is it. What I've been working for since I arrived here on this island. It's to fulfill my destiny by finishing what was started 5000 years ago. Gozaburo will be stopped once and for all this time. No matter what, I must save my friends and the world, even if that means I must give my own soul up. I won't allow him to destroy a world that had nothing to do with what happened to him back in those times, and I won't allow him to plunge this world into darkness for his own selfish desires. It ends here today, one way or another."

Illidan then placed each of the ten cards he had pulled out back into his deck. Slowly, he shuffled it and then placed it in his deck holder. Then he grabbed his Duel Disk and strapped it on. He then turned to the door, walking with a purpose. He left his room and headed for the elevator.

"I'm coming Marie. I'm coming to save you and the others, and I promise this nightmare is about to end!"

As he walked, he silently thought about all that had happened since he had met Marie again in these times. How much joy they had found with one another, and how happy he was when he was with her. Then he thought about his new friends, how he was so happy to have them, and to get to know each. Then he thought about how hard he had fought to get to this point. It had been a struggle at times, but he fought on. Now he had one last task to complete, and then this nightmare would end.

At last, he arrived at the elevator. It was already 6:30, so he was truly early. He entered the elevator, taking a deep breath and closed his eyes as the doors closed. Now he had to complete his final task. That final task was to beat Gozaburo, and end his attempt to revive the Millennium Crown. Once Illidan had beat him, he would get one wish, but he already knew what wish he wanted. It was to send that item into a great abyss, where no one could ever use it again. He would have it destroyed by its own power.

Suddenly the elevator arrived at the top. He opened his eyes to see the top of the tower already had someone waiting. There stood the judge at his usual position, but in the opponents position stood Gozaburo with his arms crossed. He then opened his eyes and smiled evilly. The Millennium Crown glowed slightly at Illidan's arrival. Illidan then stepped out and onto the top of the tower. Slowly, he strode straight towards the main dueling ring. He then stopped.

The judge glanced at both and said "If you're both ready, we'll begin the…"

Before he could finish, Illidan interrupted with "I don't know how you got free from the Shadow Realm Gozaburo Tark, but I'm sending you back. Your evil shall not remain here on earth for long."

Gozaburo only began an evil laughter, pointing at Illidan, saying "You're curious how I did it, aren't you?"

Illidan slowly replied with "Yes, I am. You should have been trapped in the Shadow Realm for all eternity. Somehow or another though, you escaped. How did you do it?"

Gozaburo only chuckled evilly and finally said "I guess I could explain before our duel. Before I was sent to the Shadow Realm by you, I made a small link to the Millennium Crown. The link allowed me to one day return, if the item was ever able to reawaken someone who was a descendant of me. Of course, as you know, Gozaburo Kaiba was a descendant…"

Illidan interjected "He was you reincarnated."

Gozaburo only chuckled again and replied with "Don't insult me Illidan. As you knew, I was sealed in the Shadow Realm. He wasn't my reincarnation, but a descendant that happened to look the part. That was the whole plan. I knew one day, one of my descendants would find the Millennium Crown. It was only a matter of time. The power thirst that I had was present in my family. Only I was able to claim power from my family line in those times, but they were not capable of it. I did know though that one day someone in my family would find a way to claim it though. Over time, the Tark's lost their name, but that was fine. Eventually, the fool known as Gozaburo Kaiba came a long. His insensational quest to find power eventually led him to the Millennium Crown. When he found it, he found yet another surprise, but I'll get to that one later. But there was a problem. Possessing the crown did not guarantee my revival. No, it would take a great push to remember who my descendant truly was from in order for me to be reborn. My memories were in the crown, no denying it. It was filled with my anger and hatred for you, and he had total memory of that. I had designed my link to allow me to return only when descendant would truly realize he was my descendant. I believe I have you to thank for reawakening Gozaburo Kaiba to that fact. So, does that help you with wondering why I'm back?"

Illidan only nodded, saying "Yes, it does. And now, I'm here to put you back where you belong. I won't allow you to plunge this world into darkness. So prepare yourself!"

Gozaburo only chuckled evilly and then signaled the judge to begin. "Duelists, the following duel is for the right to call yourself winner of the Tournament of Power. As well, this duel is for the Intercontinental and World Championships. Now, please both of you step forward and hand one another your deck. Then shuffle your opponent's deck and then shake hands. Once you finish, head back to your starting positions."

Both Illidan and Gozaburo walked to the middle. Illidan pulled his deck from his deck holder and handed it to Gozaburo, and Gozaburo did the same to Illidan. Both then shuffled one another's deck. When both were satisfied, they handed the other their deck back. They both then shook hands. Gozaburo had a firm hand shake, but Illidan was squeezing back just as hard.

Finally, both then headed back to the starting positions. Illidan then took a deep breath and remembered what all he was fighting for. He was fighting for his friends, for Marie, and most importantly, the world. He couldn't let them all down, no matter what.

The judge then said "Duelists, activate your Duel Disks and bring out your Deck Masters. Then draw your first five cards. Mr. Gozaburo shall begin this duel, so begin when ready."

Both Illidan and Gozaburo then brought their Duel Disks online. Simultaneously, the Duel Disks unfolded and the came to life.

Gozaburo grinned evilly and said "Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200), come forth and help me finish this fool!" A woman with purple hair and black flowing robes then appeared.

Illidan was a bit shocked that Gozaburo had chosen that monster for his Deck Master. He was expecting something else, but not that. "Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500), help me bring this madness to an end!" called out Illidan. His large soldier in shining black armor then appeared. He swung his sword and brought his shield up, showing readiness to fight.

Both Gozaburo and Illidan drew their first five cards then, and stared one another down. Both then screamed "LET'S DUEL!"

Before Gozaburo drew a card though, he began to laugh evilly and said "Illidan, we shall duel in the Shadow Realm!" Suddenly the Millennium Crown glowed brightly and a sphere of darkness encircled the tower.

Illidan only lightly chuckled, saying "Can't just fight fair, can you?"

Gozaburo only chuckled, saying "It's fair due that we're fighting how this game was truly meant to be played. Now, to tell you the terms of this duel, but first we need our spectators!"

Slowly, all of the people on the wall of the Shadow Realm then appeared, and as well as a sphere of flames. Illidan breathed a sigh of relief that they were alright, for now.

"Here is how this Shadow Game shall be played. Notice I've put your friends in a circle this time around the field. Notice that also there is a flaming sphere in the center. This time we'll be playing a game with this roulette."

Suddenly, Illidan noticed one person was missing. "WHERE IS MARIE?" he demanded.

Gozaburo only chuckled and replied with "Since there were 19 people, I couldn't do this game fairly, so I had to take one person out of it. Now that there are 18 people, it's a fair game. The game is simple. I'm going to spot you 100 extra life points, thus giving you 8100. Lose 450 or more life points, and the roulette activates. Whatever person it lands on is then fed to the Shadow Realm! That means even lose one life point, and the roulette shall activate, muwhahaha!"

Illidan looked around in great fright. "That means I can't lose one single point! If I do, someone will be sent into the Shadow Realm. That is not good." "Still, you haven't answered my question. Where is Marie?" demanded Illidan again.

Gozaburo only chuckled lightly and said "Right where she belongs; on my side!" Suddenly, Marie appeared on his left side. The Millennium Symbol was glowing brightly on her forehead, and her eyes had a glazed over look. She was smiling quite evilly as well.

Illidan slightly gasped, knowing exactly what Gozaburo had done to her. He had taken over her mind, yet again. "Let her go Gozaburo! It's not her you want, it's me!" Illidan cried out.

Gozaburo only laughed, and said "She wanted to be on my side Illidan, isn't that right my dear?"

Marie then replied "Yes it is my love! Illidan, you shall no longer deceive me! Gozaburo has shown me how you deceived me and used me all those years ago! Now I'm with the one I truly loved in those times, and the one I truly love now."

This felt like a knife going through Illidan's heart. The woman he loved was now professing her undying love for his greatest enemy. It hurt, even though Illidan knew she was under Gozaburo's control.

"Now I'll tell you what the deal is with her on my side. When I lose life points, a part of Marie's body shall drift into the Shadow Realm. But that won't happen, cause I'll protect Marie!" called out Gozaburo.

Illidan was horrified by the terms of this Shadow Game. Now he had to fight Gozaburo, but if he did do damage to Gozaburo, Marie would suffer. If he did nothing and let Gozaburo beat him, his friends and the world would suffer. The ultimate Shadow Game was now on, and Illidan was left with the ultimate decision of his life.