Chapter 9: The Third Duel

Ishizu didn't need to turn to know Shadi was standing behind her. It wasn't that he gave off some mystical presence she could feel; she'd simply looked into the future before ever climbing aboard the blimp.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" Her quiet words were frosted with contempt.

"Very rarely."

Shadi moved around the table, reached for the second chair on what seemed to be instinct, then smiled ruefully as his hand passed through.

"From your greeting"—he flexed his fingers before lowering them—"I will assume the encounter about to unfold does not end well for the pharaoh. Or have you suddenly developed a concern for your fellow Ishtars that surpasses duty?"

In a rare display of emotion, Ishizu surged to her feet, pressing her hands to the table.

"I have always cared for my family," she spat. "Marik's safety is the reason I uphold my duty."

"Of course. Safety is the reason you forced him to take the initiation that, by rights, killed you all."

As if Shadi had any right to speak about her motives when his own were so corrupt.

"And what of you?" She laughed with amusement she didn't feel. "You go against the gods' will to save your pet but still pretend loyalty." She narrowed her eyes. "Even with his faults, Marik is a better tombkeeper than you."

"He'll be touched, I'm sure. Since he cares so very much about being a good tombkeeper."

The barb stung more than Ishizu wanted to admit. She could still remember the first time Marik had seen Father's back, how he'd cried in her room afterward and asked her if she thought it would hurt.

"Not at all," she'd lied. "You're serving the pharaoh and the gods, and no faithful service goes unrewarded. They'll take the pain away. You won't feel a thing."

Her lie had carried him for years, until he was too old for blind faith. At that point, he'd stopped confiding in her completely, instead saving such confidences for Odion. Ishizu knew why. When Marik confessed to her that he didn't want to be a tombkeeper, she never even let him finish the thought. She spoke about duty and privilege and tradition until she was blue in the face, until she'd bullied him into agreement. If he expressed doubts about the gods' care for humanity in general and tombkeepers in specific, she berated him for blasphemy.

And that was to say nothing of her most severe betrayal of his trust.

"I'm not a traitor," she whispered, eyes burning. Her greatest fear had always been that Marik's path would take him away from his duty and that he would be punished for it greatly, whether by gods or their father. She'd foolishly thought unwavering dedication on her part would inspire the same response in him.

Her tactics were no surprise; she was her father's daughter, after all.

"There is still time," Shadi said, his voice very nearly gentle, "and Marik is still within reach. Reconciliation now could make all the difference."

His lie was as flawed as hers had been all those years ago.

She sat calmly, composed her skirt, touched the Millennium Necklace with clear meaning.

"There is no 'could.' All is set in stone."

Shadi shook his head. "I had hoped I could convince you to reason, but the Ishtars have ever been a stubborn line."

Stubborn and soon-to-be dead, unless Ishizu acted with precision. Her mother and father were already gone; she and Marik were all that remained of the pure lineage. She had begged guidance from the shadows and been shown only one opening to save her brother. She couldn't risk reckless action for any reason.

Her only regret was the sacrifice required; she couldn't save both Odion and Marik. The last time she'd tried, her father had paid the price.

"Tears?" Shadi lifted an eyebrow. "On the topic of pointless acts, mourning a loss entirely preventable seems fitting."

Ishizu turned away, touched her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

She tried to think of a scathing response for him, but by the time she'd composed herself and turned back, the spirit was gone.

Yami had hoped to fight Marik in his duel of the semi-finals, but his bodyguard Ghoul was the next best thing. He noted with some surprise that the man introduced himself as Odion Ishtar when they shook hands.

"Marik's brother?" Yami asked, commenting on the shared surname.

But Odion gave no response, offering his deck to be cut. Yami traded decks with him, and his surprise only increased as he noticed the Ghoul's gentle touch on the card edges. He'd expected Marik's right-hand man to be the most corrupt of the Ghouls, but instead, he recognized the first signs of an honorable opponent.

Still, he wouldn't hold out hope. Let the duel speak for itself.

As Yami took his place on the field, facing the wind, Joey bellowed loudly from the spectator platform below:

"Kick his bald, Egyptian butt, Pharaoh!"

While the others teased Joey about descriptive word choice, Yami glanced over and caught Yori's eyes. Her smile was beautiful even while subdued, and her wink set his heart racing. She'd offered to return his jacket to him for the duel, but he'd insisted she keep it, and he was glad he had: She looked far more comfortable on the platform now than she had during the opening duel.

Having the support of two people he cared about greatly—not support for Yuugi, but support for him—caused Yami's earlier greed to again rear its head. But now was not the time for any thoughts of the future.

On the platform to his left, Marik watched the proceedings with a face empty of emotion. The only indication to his thoughts had been the way he'd clapped his companion on the shoulder after the numbers were drawn. Maybe he was done playing tease and was ready for decisive matches.

So be it.

"What do you think?" Yuugi asked, standing next to him, sizing up their opponent.

/First impressions,/ was Yami's reserved response.

"Let the match begin!" the referee shouted.

Odion made no claim to the opening turn, so Yami drew an additional card and played Alpha the Magnet Warrior [1400/1700] in defense mode. He considered adding a facedown card but refrained. Let him see how the Ghoul would respond to an open target.

With a "You've got this," Yuugi disappeared to allow him to concentrate.

/Thanks, partner./

Odion's first card was a field spell, Temple of the Kings. Behind him, a set of yellow stone stairs shimmered to life, lined with matching pillars the size of elephant legs. The temple itself was simple in design, not much more than a roof on pillars. But there was a large altar at the top of the steps that was pure gold, every inch of its surface covered in hieroglyphs. An Eye of Horus and Eye of Ra had been carved into the wall above the altar, a watchful gaze to protect the contents of the altar, and a statue of Anubis stood guard on the stairs before it.

The altar would be the key to the card's power.

Sure enough, Odion slid a second card into the field spell slot and said, "I'll seal this monster within my temple's sacred altar."

Yami set his jaw. "Now, that wouldn't happen to be your god card, would it?"

"In three turns, the monster will emerge without a sacrifice. Then you may witness for yourself."

So much for the strategy of forcing him to discard the god from his hand while he gathered the needed sacrifices. Yami's best hope now was to destroy the temple.

Odion played two cards facedown, ending his turn without summoning a monster. He'd done nothing to take Yami's open bait, and he hadn't played incautiously or like an amateur. More than likely, his facedown cards were both traps; he was holding a fort, waiting for Yami to come to him.

Yami completed his draw phase, studying the six cards in his hand. Heavy Storm would wipe out all magic and trap cards on the field; it seemed like the straightest path forward. There was a risk, of course, since Yami couldn't lay any traps of his own without destroying them, but it was a risk he would have to take since he only had three turns in which to destroy Odion's temple.

"I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts [1500/1200]," Yami said, "in attack mode."

The single-horned lion roared as it appeared on the field, and as Yami switched his first monster into attack mode as well, the magnet warrior shouted a battle cry to match.

"I'll also activate the magic card Heavy Storm."

Odion's face remained as stoic as ever, showing no recognition of the card name. Yami slid Heavy Storm into place, and its hologram rose on the field before him. A tornado of wind erupted from the card, sweeping across the field.

But the instant it touched the first temple step, it vanished. One of Odion's trap cards rose, revealing a glowing canine figure.

"Now you will suffer the Judgment of Anubis," Odion said gravely.

Yami gritted his teeth.

"Your spell is destroyed, as are your monsters, and further punishment is cut from your life."

As Odion made the declaration, Yami's two monsters howled before shattering on the field. He felt the burn in his arm, hissing as his lifepoints dropped to 2550. It was still his turn, but he had an empty field, and he'd already expended his normal summon for the round.

Odion narrowed his eyes. "I have drawn first blood, Pharaoh."

Yami was sure if he would have glanced to the side, he would have seen triumph in Marik's face. But he kept his eyes on the field.

"Well." He smiled. "Now I have a feel for your strategies. Time you got a taste of mine."

The pharaoh played one card facedown before ending his turn. Like everything else in life, when Odion had set his mind to learning Duel Monsters, he'd given his full dedication. He was a skilled enough player to recognize a bluff when he saw one; and even if it wasn't a bluff, no single card would be enough to fully stop Odion's planned attack.

After completing his draw phase, he played two cards facedown.

And then, thanks to the field benefit of Temple of the Kings, he activated all three of his facedown traps.

The three Embodiment of Apophis cards rose one after another, casting white light across the field. A purple-and-black serpent twice the size of a man slithered from the first, fangs bared at the pharaoh. It reared up and sprouted human arms and a human head at the center of its body, armed and outfitted like a warrior. Two matching monsters emerged from each of the subsequent cards.

The panic on the pharaoh's face was obvious.

/It seems your temple's trap benefits have thrown our poor pharaoh for quite a loop./ Even in Odion's mind, Marik's voice held a smirk. /Spineless as well as nameless./

A twinge of pain gripped Odion's chest, but his face remained stoic.

"Hey!" The loud, blonde spectator decided to be vocal again, jabbing a finger at Odion's side of the field. "That temple card is way too O.P. lettin' baldie activate traps without waitin' a turn! I bet it's a fake the Ghouls made up. Those—"

"All moves within the match have been legal to this point," the referee declared, stopping him short.

"Your field is empty, Pharaoh," Odion announced. "And this duel is over."

Each of Odion's trap monsters had an attack strength of 1600. Two would have been enough to wipe out the pharaoh's remaining lifepoints. Three was overkill, but Odion had taken the precaution in case his opponent's single facedown card had any power behind it.

"On the contrary." The pharaoh's face had returned to calm, and it was impossible to tell if the panic had been the bluff or if the current calm was. "It has one surprise left."

He activated his facedown card, De-Spell. It destroyed Odion's Temple of the Kings in a flash of light. Odion grimaced as the smoke cleared. The compartment on his Duel Disk popped open, and he slid his field spell into the graveyard beneath his deck holder. The god card he'd sealed within his temple altar returned to his hand, and he swallowed hard as Osiris's eyes pierced him no matter how he tried to look another direction.

Although he'd obeyed Marik and added the god card to his deck, he'd never summoned it. He never would.

"Oi, Pharaoh!" the blonde shouted. "The building's a building, but you didn't do anything about the freaky snakes!"

It was true; Odion's win was still secure. All he needed to do was attack.

He raised a hand, opened his mouth.

And then Marik's voice rang through his mind: /Summon the god, Odion./

Odion should have done so immediately. For years, an immediate "Yes, Master Marik" had been his response to every request. It was the duty his mother had charged him with, the obedience her husband had beaten into him.

But before he'd ever said, "Yes, Master Marik," he'd said, "Yes, Master Ahmed." Before Marik's birth, Odion had been dedicated heart and soul to the man he'd prayed would see him one day as a son. That day had never come; instead, Ahmed had looked Odion in the eye and told him the truth: Odion could never be an Ishtar, could never be a tombkeeper. His was a disgraced lineage. His birth mother had abandoned her duty to the clan along with her duty to him, and as head of clan, Ahmed had been forced to take Odion in and provide for him, but the only duty Odion could ever claim was the duty to atone for his birth mother's failings.

Playing a god card invoked the vicarious power of a true god, and for a tombkeeper, such a thing was allowed.

For Odion, such a thing would be sacrilege.

So he did not sacrifice his three monsters to summon a god.

Instead, he ordered them to attack.

Marik's exclamation of rage pressed against Odion's skull as the three snake-warriors slithered forward. One after another, their swords sliced through the pharaoh while he grimaced through the pain. The duel was over. No matter the means, Odion had defeated the pharaoh, and in time, Marik would hopefully forgive him. It was unlikely the gods would ever do the same.

Except.

Amidst the attacks, the pharaoh slid a card into his graveyard. And when Odion's monsters retreated to his side of the field, the pharaoh's lifepoints remained untouched.

"By discarding Kuriboh [300/200] from my hand," the pharaoh said, "all battle damage I've taken this turn becomes zero."

A chorus of cheers rose from his friends on the observation platform.

Marik was ominously silent.

The pharaoh smirked. "I'm certain your trap strategies give you the immediate upper-hand against most opponents."

He left the obvious unspoken: He wasn't most opponents. He'd destroyed Odion's temple and neutralized his wave of trap monsters, but that wasn't the worst of it; Odion was a trap master, yet he'd walked right into both.

"One question remains." The pharaoh's intense gaze was as unsettling as a god card's. "With three monsters on the field and no expended tribute summon, why didn't you call out your god?"

Odion said nothing, but he was well aware he'd given himself away.

After adding a single facedown card to the field, he ended his turn.

Odion was being a fool again. He was always a fool when it came to matters of family and birthright and duty, always quick to fall on the condemning sword he was the only one holding. Marik had hoped that by giving his brother Osiris, Odion would come to see reason. Apparently, he hadn't. And if Odion lost to the pharaoh, Marik would kill him for his insolence.

No.

He wouldn't.

He never would.

Marik's fingers itched for the rod, and he rubbed his thumb across the top of its orb. Odion would summon the god, and he would defeat the pharaoh. Although Marik ached for his personal revenge, there would be time later. For now, it was two birds with one stone; breaking the pharaoh's confidence and strengthening Odion's.

/Summon the god, Odion,/ he insisted again.

Odion wouldn't look at him. The unrest in his mind was like a boiling pot, and Marik could feel the steam without even extending his hand. If he kept up with his foolishness, the pharaoh would get the best of him.

Marik would overtake Odion's mind and duel for him before he allowed such a disgrace to happen.

When the pharaoh went on the offensive, Odion played a trap that allowed him to replace his field spell, and he sealed the god card once more within his temple—not as a means of summoning it, but as a means of putting it out of sight and out of mind. Fool. The pharaoh destroyed two of his monsters, and Odion used the remaining one to tribute summon the Mystical Beast of Serket [2500/2000]. Fool. Serket would gain half the attack strength of any monster it destroyed, but the pharaoh stopped its attack and sacrificed his own monsters to summon his Dark Magician [2500/2100].

Before Marik could think better of it, he gripped the rod and sent his mind out.

Not to Odion.

To the girl who'd disturbed his peace.

"You have an older brother," he said, sitting next to her in the auditorium her mind used as its center for thought. "How do you convince him to obey when something is in his interest?"

Anzu seemed to have adjusted to his invasions—at the very least, she didn't comment on this one.

"The doctor said Ryou will be fine, thanks for asking."

"Just answer the question." His fingers drummed against his knee, the same rhythm vibrating his skull with the concentration required to actively keep track of her and the duel simultaneously.

"How do I convince Taro to be smart?"

"Yes."

"No one can convince an idiot to be smart."

Marik glared at her through half-lidded eyes, and she smiled.

"What?" She shrugged as if she were helpless in the matter. "He's an older brother; it's in the job description. If Odion's being an idiot, be happy. It means you're really brothers."

She'd picked up more from his mind than he'd expected. Perhaps more than he should have been comfortable with.

"Hey," she said to his silence. Her voice had changed. Softened. She leaned across the seat arm dividing them, close enough he might have felt her breath in the real world. "I think you need to hear something, and I'm nothing if not a blunt friend, so you're about to hear it from me."

"I don't want to hear it," he said flatly. He didn't even know what she would say. She was just too close. Much too close.

"What happened when you were a kid wasn't your fault," she said.

"Stay out of my mind." It was really the least intelligent thing he could have said considering he was currently in her mind and the only times she'd been in his had been completely his own doing. But he had to say something to close the cover before she could keep reading.

He returned to reality, blinked the world back into focus, and fixed his eyes on Odion. The duel had advanced to a point of no return, and the lifepoints were tied, 1000 to 1000. The pharaoh had Buster Blader [2600/2300] on the field in addition to two facedown cards. Odion's field was empty except for his temple and the god waiting to be called from within. It was his turn.

There was no option left but to summon the god.

Where persuasion failed, threats wouldn't. Marik had learned that from his father.

/Summon the god, Odion. Or I'll do it for you./

Marik had never completely overtaken Odion's mind before, never controlled him. But as they locked eyes across the open space, he made sure his expression left no room for doubt that he would if he must.

"You've been an honorable opponent," the pharaoh said. Already anticipating his win. The bastard.

Marik whipped the rod from his belt, raised it at Odion with fire in his eyes.

And Odion finally bowed his head in acceptance.

"Earlier in the duel," he declared, "I sealed a card within the altar of my sacred temple."

Murmurs hummed through the audience. The pharaoh's eyes widened. Marik smirked.

"I am now able to summon it without sacrifice. Behold: Osiris, the Great Storm God!"

As Odion raised a hand to the sky, an immense crack of red lightning split the stars. Wind howled across the blimp's surface, and sparks of crimson electricity hissed in the air, branching and connecting like netting spilling from the open temple altar. The electricity took on the pattern of scales, and the scales filled with solid color the shade of blood. An enormous snake-like dragon took form, wrapped in coils that crushed Odion's temple to rubble, barbed tail spilling off the side of the blimp, double-mouthed head poised above the dueling field. Its twin mouths roared in a wave of thunder that brought everyone to their knees.

Including Odion.

"Master," he cried, eyes wide and terrified, "it's too powerful!"

But Marik laughed. He clung to the railing of the viewing platform, rod clenched tightly in his hand, wrist pressed to the side of his head while his eardrums sang with the after-echo of unbridled supremacy.

"How will you stand against the wrath of a real god, Pharaoh?!" he shouted above the wind. Odion would crush the pharaoh where he stood.

Lightning struck the center of the dueling platform, scorching the metal black.

"Master, I can't control it!"

Of course he could. All he had to do was—

"Attack!" Marik shrieked. He hauled himself to his feet, pointed at the pharaoh.

Trembling, Odion stood, but his face was resigned, not triumphant.

Another blinding flash of light, and the pharaoh collapsed, smoke rising from his clothing. But it wasn't an ordered attack. His lifepoints didn't zero out.

"Yami!" one of the girls screamed.

The dragon roared. The sky flashed red. The air itself shivered.

As the next bolt struck, Marik felt the thunder in his spine.

And he felt Odion's scream in his soul.

Note: Next chapter update will be Thursday, Inktober 3rd.