Hey gang! Well, things are finally starting to calm down once again at work. It's only taken a few months, lol, but it's all starting to slow down. I finished up a majority of my project last week, with only a few finishing touches necessary Monday, with some testing on Tuesday. Today, I'm kind of just sitting here for the most part. Hmm, other than that, this week is semi-busy with family and all. Tomorrow is Turkey Day, meaning a trip to my dad's place to celebrate it with his side of the family, which is fun and all. Then Friday, I go see my mom, grandparents, sister, and her boyfriend, which should be fun. I still worry about my grandfather, I guess due to the stuff my grandmother says he talks about. He sees people who have been dead for quite a while, so that worries me due that my step mom's mom (my step grandmother, I suppose, lol) did the same thing when she was close to dying. I really hate thinking about such things, but I know we all have to go sometime or another. (/Sighs\) I don't know, I just feel so confused. I want my grandfather to not die, but at the same time, I know he has to be suffering and wish he could pass on to be free from it.

Ok, enough of that. Too much serious thinking. At any rate, writing wise, I've been trying to get into it the best I can. I managed to crank out this chapter fairly easily this week, thankfully. I still have a lot to do on this story, along with ardee, plus I have my other story, Another, to finish up. I want to finish this story before the end of the year, but I'm thinking more like the end of January now, sadly. As for Another, ha, I wish I could be done that quickly. I just need a few weeks to do nothing but write, lol.

Alright, moving along, time for reviews!

Raymmond Barrett: Thanks, hehe. Yeah, if I had more thumbs too, life would be so much easier, hehe. Glad you liked the chapter, and yeah, Illidan beat both, proving just how much stronger he is. Thanks for the review!

Supreme-Chaos-Angel: Yep, a bit bone chilling. Heh, true, there are a lot of Chaos cards. Really, we began with only a few in mind, but eventually, it progressed to this point. And the kicker is, well, it'll be explained later. It will explain why they are so powerful and all. Heh, true, it would be interesting if Lucifer had a Chaos Deck also, but alas, not so. Or at least I think not… Hehe, gotta keep everyone guessing about it. Lol, blonde power. We'll see, but no promises. Thanks for the review!

x-knight20: It's alright man. That's too bad about your dad. I'm so sorry about it. Real life always takes precedence first, so never feel guilty or bad about not reviewing. I completely understand. Illidan could return to his normal self, but looking at these results, not likely. Thanks about the fusions, and for the review!

Ultimate Legendary Master: Glad you liked the chapter. Heh, yeah, the duel was really long, but good also. Yep, Jaden and Kaiba are gone and spending a relaxing vacation in the Shadow Realm. Two dark halves? Never know. Same for Illidan and Marie facing off. Thanks for the review!

Metal Overlord 2.0: Heh, yeah, better late than never is always good. Thanks for about the quality of our work. We try hard to keep everyone happy with whatever we finish up with. Glad you really liked the chapters. Yep, Illidan has completely changed, along with his deck and strategy. He's no longer the caring person he once was but a person out on a mission apparently. True, he seems to be by far the most dangerous person (thus far) in Dark World at the moment. Yep, the new Chaos fusions are insanely powerful, with each becoming far more powerful than the last. Heh, we're a pretty good team, it's true. Whether we do another story on something or not is still up in the air, I suppose, hehe. Glad the battle kept you guessing. It's all good about not reviewing. I know sometimes you just don't know what to say, or have no time to do so. It happens. Thanks for the review!

Thank you, all five of you, for your reviews. I much appreciate all of them. They're a big boost and great feedback on this story. Again, thank you for that. It's always good to know where the story stands and what it may or may not need.

At any rate, I may or may not have a chapter next week. It depends on how much time I have to write. With work finally getting freed up, I may have one next week, but again, we'll see about it. I still have a chapter for Another to write up. Anyways, I guarantee within the next week or two, there will be a new chapter. Till then, enjoy!

Chapter 42

Quietly running off towards what looked like a large mushroom cloud, Marie, with Zane beside of her, Syrus and Jesse behind her, continued moving towards the explosion. She had felt what seemed like a familiar set of Shadow Powers earlier in the day, but was unsure if she was right or not. Determined to find out, she had gathered up the group and began moving towards it.

The longer the day had dragged on, the more she had sensed something was wrong, till finally she had felt the Shadow Powers of someone she thought was Illidan, but wasn't sure due that the strength of that person's Shadow Powers she felt wasn't quite right for him. Determined to find out who this person was, she had got the group to begin moving faster towards the area she felt the powers coming from. Then it happened, she felt a massive explosion of Shadow Magic and ushered the others into a full run towards the selected area.

Soon enough, she had felt the powers of the Shadows coming forth and creating a Shadow Game. Sensing who was in it, she picked up three signatures, one being familiar enough to identify as Seto, but the other two she was confused about. Both seemed familiar, with the one being Illidan's, but she quickly grew concerned due that the power being output by him was far greater than he could possibly output. The other signature she determined was Jaden's, but again, she was concerned due that the signature seemed too strong for him also.

She had quickly pushed the concerned thoughts out of her head and continued moving the group towards the fight. Within a mile, the group suddenly saw and felt a huge explosion in the area that the fight was taking place. A large mushroom cloud filled the air while the explosion rocked the entire world of Dark World to it's core.

With the smoke dissipating, Marie quickly reached out with her senses, finding that one of the three people were down. Immediately, she realized that the signature that she thought was Jaden's was gone, with Seto's now being weaker than before while the one she believed was Illidan's remained as strong as ever.

Fearing for both her friend and husband, she glanced over at Zane, who seemed to be sensing the same thing she was. Nodding to him, she quietly said "Zane, bring Syrus and Jesse with you. I'm going to go ahead."

"Be careful. Something doesn't seem right." he warned.

Smiling lightly, she softly replied "No need to worry. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Just be careful yourself. See you there."

With that, she summoned up her Shadow Powers and mentally initiated the technique Illidan had shown her long ago called Inner Fire. Finding it and activating it, she instantly increased her speed and raced away from the three young men.

Running towards the battleground before her, she mentally said "Illidan and Seto, just please stay alive till I get there."

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Nearly within sight of the battlefield, Marie sensed a buildup of Shadow Magic within the area, making her realize that the battle was just ending. She immediately sensed that Seto was the one who had lost the ending Shadow Game, which confused and yet deeply troubled her. Arriving, she watched in utter shock as Seto's body was vanishing while beside of his vanishing body was an unconscious Jaden.

Unsure of what to make of the chaos from the fallout of the battle, she glanced across the field to see a familiar person. Her breath instantly hitched in her throat as she took in the form of her husband, wearing a tattered black button up t-shirt with a red dragon on the back of it and a pair of dirty and torn jeans. His brown hair, which was usually brushed out was wild and untamed.

Still confused about the scene, she moved towards her husband and came to a stop with ten feet separating them. "Illidan…" she murmured softly.

Hearing his name, the wild haired duelist turned towards Marie, making her gasp in surprise and shock at him. Looking into his eyes, she saw that his eyes no longer were their normal dark brown color that held happiness and compassion, but now were a crimson red that held anger and malice within them.

In a grunt, Illidan said "Stay away Marie."

"Illidan… What happened to your eyes?" she questioned while ignoring his command.

Not replying, the brown haired duelist turned away and began to walk off, only to hear Marie start moving towards him. Spinning around quickly with a crazed look, he yelled "I said stay away!"

Surprised at his words and attitude, Marie took an involuntary step backwards, but came to a stop quickly. "Illidan, what's wrong?"

"Go away Marie. I have no time for you." Illidan growled out while turning away once more.

Watching her husband starting to leave again, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Not willing to let him walk away, she broke into a deadbolt towards him. Before she was halfway there, the air became thick with Shadow Magic. Unafraid, she continued towards him, only to have a black sphere of energy to slam into the ground before her feet, bringing her to a stop.

Looking up at Illidan with surprised and hurt eyes, she felt her tears wishing to be freed when she saw nothing but anger in his eyes. Shaking her head slightly while trembling, she whispered "Why…"

"Leave now Marie, if you wish to live. I have no desire to see you." he harshly barked out.

With his words said, he turned away once more and began to leave. Unable to hold herself back any longer, Marie broke into another run towards Illidan, only to come face to face with a sphere of Shadow Magic.

"If you insist on continuing to pester me, I will not hesitate to eliminate you, Marie. I have no desire to speak with you, so you'd better leave now." Illidan grit out while anger seethed out from his crimson eyes.

Shaking her head a bit in disbelief, she felt hot tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. In a weak voice, she asked "Why, why are you doing this Illidan!? It's me, Marie! Why won't you acknowledge me!?"

"Because you no longer exist in my heart." he coldly replied. "If that doesn't register in your brain, then I will make sure you realize what I mean when I crush you mercilessly."

"But…"

"No buts! If you wish to live, then go away!" Illidan ground out. "I will not tell you again. Now leave, or I'll finish you off and feed you to the Shadows."

Looking into his crimson eyes, Marie felt her heart twist at what she saw. In them, she saw anger, rage, fury, and hatred, which were things she had rarely ever seen, and when they had been there, were only directed at his enemies, never at her.

"Illidan, what happened to you!? Why, why are you like this!?" she screamed in her mind.

Hearing approaching footsteps, the pair glanced behind Marie to see that Zane, Syrus, and Jesse had finally arrived, with Syrus and Jesse out of breath. Staring in shock at Illidan, Zane glanced around the area, allowing him to easily see the unconscious form of Jaden. Looking back at Illidan, he softly asked "Marie, are you alright?"

Remaining quiet for a moment, she finally muttered "I'll be fine, Zane. I'm not hurt."

"If any of you are looking for a fight, I'd leave." Illidan sternly declared with a touch of anger flashing in his eyes.

Beginning to take a step forward, Zane was stopped when Illidan raised his other hand with a sphere of Shadow Magic swirling within it at him. "Don't tempt me, Zane. I've been interrupted enough today, and to destroy you, along with Marie and the others, I would not hesitate for a moment. I've had enough of these interruptions, so leave with your pathetic lives so I can move on."

"What is it you plan on doing?" Marie's horse voice asked while tears were still in her eyes.

Glancing at her, Illidan harshly replied "That is for me to know. Now stand down."

Reaching up and wiping the tears out of her eyes, Marie quietly said "You're not Illidan, that much I'm certain of."

"You are blind, woman." Illidan fiercely remarked. "I may not be the same person you fell in love with, but I have not forgotten who I am. I am Illidan Stormrage, and I am the one that will set things right. Now stand down, or I'll make all of you."

Remaining quiet for a moment, Marie calmly replied "Whatever has control of you is forcing you to act like this Illidan."

Releasing an insane laugh, Illidan coldly said "You are a true idiot, Marie. There is no one controlling me. I have simply immersed myself into the darkness, allowing me to gain powers far beyond your comprehension."

"So, that explains the reason his signature felt different earlier. If I had to guess, Jaden did the same thing." Marie mumbled within her mind.

Staring her husband straight in the face, Marie calmly said "I see, then I have no choice but to do for you what you did for me. Illidan, I challenge you to a duel!"

"You must be joking." Illidan harshly remarked. "Why should I waste my time with you!?"

Not flinching at his words, Marie icily replied "Because even though you tell me you have no feelings in your heart for me, I can tell, you still do care about me. That's why you haven't killed me yet. No matter what you say, I can tell that a piece of you still loves me, hence you could never kill me."

"You're wrong Marie." Illidan smartly replied. "I have the power to take your life, if I so choose."

Remaining calm, but feeling her heart aching at the same time, Marie quietly said "What do you have to lose in dueling me? If you have any part of your former self left, you'll know that you've rarely lost to me in a duel."

"Why should I bother!? You're nothing but a pest that I could easily eliminate right now!" Illidan snarled with anger flaring in his eyes.

Looking down at the ground to keep herself focused, Marie softly replied "If that is so, why not prove you are beyond my help by dueling me. Once I'm gone, you'd have no one left that could be a threat to you."

Growling loudly, Illidan began to reply, but stopped. Both orbs of Shadow Magic vanished in a flash, with him stepping backwards and holding his left arm out. "Fine, you want to prove something, then come on and prove to me you're not the weakling I know you are! You will never defeat me, so crushing you might prove entertaining."

Slowly raising her gaze to meet Illidan's cold one, Marie quietly said "I want to lay down the rules of this duel first."

"Whatever."

"If I win, you relinquish the darkness and return to the way you were. Plus, you release Seto and undo whatever it is you did to Jaden."

Letting out a dark chuckle, Illidan smartly replied "Agreed, although I don't think I'll release Haou."

Seeing the confused look coming from his wife and the others, the wild haired duelist calmly said "Jaden here gave into his own darkness, allowing a being known as Haou to be reborn. Jaden is his reincarnation, but was never capable of taking control of Jaden's body. Upon entering Dark World, he gained control and took over Jaden's mind and called himself the Supreme King of Dark World. In the end though, the Supreme King proved powerless against me, even with help from Seto."

Watching his wife digest the information, Illidan smirked and added "Now then, time for my rules should you lose. Once you lose, you will join Seto in the darkness of the Shadow Realm, never to return. You understand, this will be the end."

"Fine. I'll just have to not lose." Marie remarked with a touch of confidence in her voice.

"Ah, a little fire still in you, eh Marie?" Illidan taunted. "Good, because I don't want you going easy on me. I won't on you, that's for sure. Come at me with all you have so in the end, you'll know you truly failed!"

Lightly growling, Marie slipped her backpack off and pulled the Duel Disk that was on it's side off. Throwing her bag to Zane, she calmly said "Take care of Jaden you guys, and stay back. I'll handle this."

"Professor Marie…" Syrus mumbled with worry in his voice.

Glancing back at the three behind her, she softly smiled and said "Don't worry guys, I'll be fine. I know Illidan is still in there, somewhere."

"You're a fool to believe my weaknesses will resurface." Illidan barked out, forcing Marie to return her full gaze to Illidan. Holding his left arm out, a dark light began swirling around his arm till a black Duel Disk formed. Pulling a deck out of his right pants pocket, he jammed it into the Deck Slot, causing the Duel Disk to power up and push it's arm out and extend.

Doing the same, Marie placed her deck into it's slot, activating her own Duel Disk immediately. "I won't hold back Illidan. Not now, when I must fight harder than ever to save you."

"You've already lost, fool." Illidan remarked.

"We'll see." Marie murmured.

Staring at one another, the two drew their first five cards simultaneously, shouting out "DUEL!"

Picking up a sixth card, Illidan smartly said "I'll begin, since you challenged me to this duel. And to make things more interesting, I'll begin our little Shadow Game."

"No manners, I see." Marie dryly commented.

Frowning at his wife, the brown haired duelist raised his right hand, calling forth his Shadow Powers and causing a black fog to begin swirling around the field while a barrier entrapped both Illidan and Marie within it. Lowering his hand, Illidan glanced at his cards before selecting two from his left hand. Slapping one onto his Duel Disk and slipping the other into a Spell/Trap Slot, he calmly said "I set this monster and then add one face down card. That's all for me." (Illidan = 8000, Marie = 8000)

"Strange, that's not like Illidan." Marie murmured in her mind. "He prefers to summon an attack mode monster, then allow his opponent to make a mistake."

Glancing at her hand, she looked back over at the top card on her Duel Disk and whispered in her mind "I have to take to the offense early and try to deal as much damage as I can. If I want to win, I have to fight him with all of my heart and soul, no matter what. I just can't give up."

Drawing her sixth card, Marie smiled at it and lightly giggled. "Well Illidan, here's an oldie, but a goodie, Ritual Spell known as Shinato's Ark! To use this card, I first have to send a monster or monsters to my Graveyard with eight stars or more. So, I'll send this, my Majestic Mech – Goryu, who has eight stars exactly!"

Placing the monster card into her Graveyard Slot, Marie watched the card get sucked down into the slot. Picking another card from her hand, she slapped it onto her Duel Disk, saying "Since Goryu is in the Grave, that means I can now special summon this, Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000)!"

Materializing onto the field in a flash was a massive wooden boat. On the front of it was two massive double doors, which suddenly began creaking open, revealing a bright light as they did. The blinding light soon died down as a large dark blue skinned angel with long white hair bound in a pony tail, with six massive golden wings appeared at the doors of the boat. The angel wore a long flowing white cape that fell behind itself, a white skirt that came down to it's knees, and blue and gold chest plate. Behind the angel's head was a seven pointed star that looked more like a crown. Fully onto the field, the angel looked at it's opponent with emotionless eyes while the boat behind it vanished.

"I'm far from done yet though Illidan, for I play the equip spell Premature Burial! With this, I can equip it to a monster in my Graveyard and resurrect it for a mere 800 life points. The monster I choose is the only one I have in my Graveyard, which is Majestic Mech – Goryu (2900/1800)!"

Immediately appearing onto the field was a white dragon like creature. It had many bands of white on it's body, with it's mid-section, which was close to it's head, having a pair of metal wings attached. A majority of it's body appeared to be golden sparkling energy, which was somehow retained in the white bands.

"Don't think I'm finished with you just yet, Illidan, for I have another card to play. You see, when I have two or more Light Attribute monsters on the field, I can special summon another monster of mine. So rise up now, Guardian of Order (2500/1200)!"

Without warning, a brilliant golden glow formed on the field, forcing the group to shield their eyes from the blinding rays of golden light. The light slowly faded, revealing a white armored warrior with golden energy pouring out from the joints of it's armor, with two large blade like shoulder pads sticking out in the air, another set on it's elbows, and a final set coming off of it's hips. The white armored creature was covered head to toe in armor, with it's head having a helmet with a v-shaped decoration.

"Wow, she managed to summon three monsters with 2500 or more attack points in one turn!" Jesse excitedly said.

Nodding, Syrus smiled and added "I bet in no time at all, she'll have Professor Illidan back to normal!"

Staring at the field, Zane remained quiet. Noting this, Syrus looked up at his brother and softly asked "Zane, what's wrong?"

"Something isn't right." the duelist in a black trench coat mumbled. "Illidan would never allow his opponent to get this far ahead of him in the duel."

Frowning, Syrus glanced back at the duel and then back at Zane. "Do you mean Professor Marie is walking right into a trap?"

Remaining quiet for a moment, Zane finally responded with "I'm not sure Sy, but something just isn't right. I hope I'm wrong, but we'll see."

Back on the field, Marie examined Illidan's cards, noting he only had one monster in defense and a face down. "Hmm, those face downs could be anything, but it would be far more dangerous to allow him to keep the advantage. Maybe I'll force him to use up a spell or a trap, or at the least find out what he hid out there."

Pointing at the gold and white energy dragon, Marie called out "Goryu, attack Illidan's face down monster with Golden Radiance!"

Raising it's head up, the white and gold dragon's jaws began filling with golden energy instantly. Just as it was about to lower it's head, Marie calmly said "Oh yeah, and before I forget, I should remind you of Goryu's special ability. Whenever it attacks a monster in defense, the difference in Goryu's attack points and your monster's defense points come straight out of your life points, or if you like slang better, it's Trample Damage! Now then, go on Goryu, toast that monster!"

Throwing it's head downwards, the white and gold dragon released a beam of golden energy at the face down card image. Just as the blast was about to hit, the image vanished and was replaced by the image of an orange and red tomato with sharp fangs protruding from it's mouth, a long tongue, crazy yellow corneas with red irises, and veins on the top of it's forehead. The blast hit it square on, making the tomato shriek out in pain before shattering into millions of pixels and allowing the remainder of the blast to slam into Illidan, who let out a heavy grunt from the blast.

With the blast subsiding, Illidan slightly smirked, saying "Not bad Marie, but you helped me out. The monster you just crushed was Mystic Tomato (1400/1100), who has a special ability of his own when he goes to the Graveyard. Once in there, I can special summon a new Dark Attribute monster to my field from my deck, so long as it has 1500 or less attack points."

Pulling his deck out, the wild haired duelist slowly sifted through it till he selected a card and slapped it onto his Duel Disk. Appearing onto the field instantly was another red and orange tomato with crazed eyes and fangs.

"I choose another Mystic Tomato (1400/1100), so let's see you get through him."

"Not a problem!" Marie declared. "Shinato, slice up that tomato with Divine Halo!"

Raising it's hands above it's head, the dark blue skinned angel released a light blue glow from it's hands, causing seven spheres to surround it's body. The seven spheres slowly began spinning in a circular motion, with each picking up a great amount of speed. After a few moments, the speed was nearly blinding, creating the image of a spinning saw disc. Throwing it's hands forward, the angel sent the glowing disc flying straight for the orange tomato, who stood it's ground. For it's trouble, the tomato was sliced clean through and through by the flying disc, leaving it to begin falling over before exploding into millions of pixels. Flying past the remains of the tomato, the disc continued onwards and slammed into Illidan, making him grunt out from the pain being inflicted.

Glaring at Marie, he icily said "Bravo Marie, but you've once again triggered my Mystic Tomato's effect, allowing me to special summon another Dark Attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck!"

Pulling his deck out once more, he quickly sifted through it till he found the card he desired. Slapping it onto his Duel Disk, the monster revealed was another red and orange tomato with sharp fangs and a slobbering tongue.

Replacing his deck, he calmly said "I choose yet another Mystic Tomato (1400/1100)."

"Those Mystic Tomatoes' are only delaying the inevitable, Illidan." Marie firmly remarked. "Guardian of Order, attack that tomato with Golden Energy Fist!"

Racing forward towards the red and orange tomato, the white armored warrior pulled back it's right hand and fisted it quickly. Golden energy immediately began focusing around it, making it glow with a brilliant light. The glow reflected within the tomato's eyes, which had them wide open at the oncoming attacker. Reaching it's destination, the warrior slammed it's power laden fist into the tomato, making it shriek out in a loud scream before exploding. The ensuing explosion forced Illidan to cover his face in order to keep the sand and dirt from entering his eyes.

With the explosion and debris settling, Illidan smirked and smugly said "Once again, you've triggered my monster's effect, so I get to summon another monster."

Grabbing his deck and filtering through it, he soon found the card he wanted and slapped it onto his Duel Disk. Forming on the field immediately was warrior in wearing a dull grey armored mantel with a helmet, a blue wrap around battle skirt, white pants, and dull grey metal boots that came up to his knees. In his right hand was a strange sword, with a long black blade with a silver trim on the edge of it, and on the other end of the hilt was a small blade sticking out as well. He wore gray gloves, with dull grey metal gauntlets, and a gray cape that came down to the middle of his back in length.

"I choose this, Chthonian Soldier (1200/1400). Are you done?"

Lightly grunting with irritation, Marie muttered "I'm done for this turn, but next turn will be a different story." (Illidan = 3200, Marie = 7200)

"Looks like Professor Marie is going to beat Professor Illidan in no time at all!" Jesse exclaimed with a smile.

Glancing over the dueling field, Zane remained silent. Noticing this, Syrus feverously glanced between his brother and the duel. "Zane, is she going to be alright?"

"I hope so Syrus." was the only words from the duelist wearing a black trench coat. "I really do hope so. She has the advantage, but something is amiss. Illidan never allows his opponent's such advantages. It's like he wanted her to take the lead."

"But what could that mean?" Syrus questioned.

Staring at the duel, Zane mumbled "I don't know…"

Hearing a dark chuckle, the three instantly returned their vision to the field, seeing it was Illidan laughing. Drawing his card, he examined it for a moment before a cruel smirk formed on his face. "I must thank you for last turn, Marie."

"Why is that?" Marie asked with confusion visible.

Smirking once more, Illidan replied "Because, you did exactly what I needed you to do for me. You see, I had hoped you would at the least take out one of my Mystic Tomato cards, but you did something I didn't think you could, which was take out all three. The fact of the matter is, I wanted all three in my Graveyard."

"Say what!?" Zane asked in confusion.

Eyeing Illidan, Marie frowned for a moment before mentally saying "But that makes no sense! If he was going to summon a Chaos monster, he needs a Light Attribute monster in his Graveyard also, unless he summons one of his Chaos monsters using a spell or trap card. Still, he could have done that last turn, so why did he need me to take out his monsters?"

"I can see the confusion and fear in your eyes, Marie." Illidan's voice spoke up, waking her from her thoughts. "And you're wrong if you think I am after one of my Chaos monsters. True, I do need Dark Attribute monsters for it, but I require Light Attribute ones also in my Graveyard. No, that is not my aim."

Selecting a card from his left hand, the wild haired duelist calmly placed it onto his Duel Disk, saying "The monster I wanted to summon could only be special summoned when I have three Dark Attribute monsters in my Graveyard. Since you were so accommodating at placing monsters in the Graveyard for me, I can now summon a card that would have taken a few turns to summon normally. So rise up now, Dark Armed Dragon (2800/1000)!"

A black cloud instantly formed onto the field that obscured what the creature was that was being summoned. After a moment, a tail with four metallic looking joints that had sharp spikes on it rose from the cloud, along with two sharp clawed hands with gray skin. Large blade like wings sprouted out a second later. A few more seconds passed and the cloud dissipated to reveal the full extent of a large dark gray dragon with black metallic armor on it's body, with sharp blades sticking out from the back of it's neck. Staring down the monsters on it's opponent's side of the field, the dragon released a horrific roar, which seemingly shook the entire area.

Looking at the dark gray dragon, Syrus took a step backwards, with fear brimming in his eyes. "That thing, what is it!?"

"Surely Illidan jests if he thinks that card will beat Marie's monsters alone." Zane mentally mumbled. "After all, two out of three of her monsters have 2900 or more attack points. He could take out Guardian of Order, but why bother?"

Eyes widening a fraction, he added "Unless that thing has a special ability!"

"Do you like what you see, Marie?" Illidan smartly asked.

Staring at the dark gray dragon with fierce determination in her eyes, Marie replied "It's a nice card Illidan, but I have two nicer ones, so it looks like you're still outgunned."

"Haven't you heard that it's not the size of your gun but how you use it?" Illidan questioned with a cruel smirk. "You see, my dragon has a very unique ability. For every Dark Attribute monster I remove from play in my Graveyard, I can destroy a card on the field. Here is a demonstration. I remove from play one of my Mystic Tomatoes, allowing me destroy that dark blue skinned freak!"

Whipping it's tail around, the dragon swiped it through the air, sending a series of needles from the end of it flying up into the air. The spikes arced and soon came raining down onto the blue skinned angel. The angel tried to fight off the spikes, but in the end, they pierced completely through it's body, shattering it into millions of pixels.

"Oh no…" Zane mumbled.

Laughing at the destruction of the angel, Illidan pointed a condemning finger at Marie, saying "That was just a small display of my dragon's power. Now for the main event! I remove both of my remaining Mystic Tomatoes from my Graveyard in order to crush those two other creatures! Go Dark Armed Dragon, teach her what fear truly is!"

Releasing a mighty roar, the dark gray dragon swung it's tail into the air once more, sending another stream of spikes into the sky. Quickly, the spikes began raining down upon the white and golden energy dragon, along with the white and gold warrior. With ease, the spikes tore through each, making both howl in pain before shattering and vanishing from the field.

With nothing before her any longer, Marie looked at the two creatures on Illidan's field with slightly widened eyes. Seeing the look she was giving him, Illidan called out "Dark Armed Dragon and Chthonian Soldier, direct attack with Needle Tail Swipe and Chthonian Slash!"

Roaring loudly at the command from it's master, the dark gray dragon charged forward towards Marie. Coming to a stop with four feet between itself and it's target, the dragon pivoted on it's left foot and began spinning itself. The large spiked tail immediately slammed into Marie, knocking her into the air while she screamed out in pain. While in the air, the dull gray armored warrior took after her and slashed her across the chest with his sword, making her cry out once more.

She soon fell to the ground with a dull thud. Laying on the ground on her stomach, she moaned loudly and rolled over onto her back. Examining her chest, she found several blood marks where the dragon's tail had hit her and a single slash mark where the warrior had struck her. Wincing when she touched them, she attempted to sit up, only to find her body was refusing to move.

"Marie, you have to get up!" Zane yelled out with concern visibly in his voice.

"I'd advise you to stay down, Marie." Illidan remarked, making the black trench coat duelist cast a glare at him. Seeing it, the wild haired duelist cruelly smirked back at him and icily asked "Zane, does it offend you that I do this?"

Growling lowly while clenching his fists tightly, Zane screamed back "Let her out of this duel and take me on in her place! You know as well as I do that she can't go on like this!"

"No."

Enraged at the answer he received, Zane yelled back "Illidan, you know she's hurt, so why not let me take her place?!"

"Because she issued this challenge." Illidan flatly remarked. Turning towards his fallen wife, he stared at her with cold and cruel eyes. Finally, he slowly said "I will however do something that I don't think is necessary, but I feel I should do."

Pausing for a moment, he calmly said "Listen well Marie, because this is the only time I will say this. Agree now Marie to call this duel a draw, and I will give you something you desire to have back very soon: Arya."