Chapter 42
"Now, let's duel!" Dark Marik bellowed. "I summon Vampiric Leech! Attack him directly!"
"No!" Yami cried. I winced as I felt him lose life points.
"You've probably figured this out, but my Leech can attack instantly!" Dark Marik laughed. "You just lost of your life points, pharaoh. But that's not all." Yugi started screaming in pain, and I nearly cried out from it as well.
"Yugi!" Yami glared at Dark Marik. "What have you done, Marik?"
"When you lose life points, your friend will lose a piece of himself to the darkness!" Dark Marik laughed again.
"That's madness!"
"That's ingenious. Now when your life points reach zero, not only will I win the duel, but Yugi will be gone forever! And the same rule applies to my former self."
"That's so cruel," I muttered. There had to be a way out of this, but I could not think of one.
"I won't duel!" Yami declared.
"You have to!" Yugi said.
"He's right, pharaoh," said Dark Marik. "You must duel! I'm in control of this Shadow Game!" Yami growled in response. "We're in my world. Remember, I can banish Yugi to the Shadow Realm any time I wish!"
He's right, I said. If you refuse to duel, he'll just get rid of Yugi now.
Yami narrowed his eyes at his opponent. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
"I disagree," said Dark Marik. "It is you who shall pay!"
We can do this! Yugi said to Yami through our mind link. Ever since you and I first met, we've faced everything together as a team. This Shadow Game is no different!
You're right... said Yami.
I'm still right here next to you... And we can defeat Marik together. He'll never win this!
I'm with you too, I said.
Yes! said Yami. The future of so many depends upon our victory. We can't let them down. He looked at Marik. "Hmm?"
"Failure is not an option!" Dark Marik said with a laugh.
"That jerk!" said Duke. "Only Marik could think up a game this sick!"
"You can beat this guy, pal!" said Tristan.
The duel continued. Yami Queen's Knight and used it to destroy Vampiric Leech. Then he set two cards down and ended his turn. Dark Marik summoned Juragedo and attacked Queen's Knight with it. He also set two cards down and ended his turn.
Yami drew, and Dark Marik activated a trap card that allowed him to add a magic card from his deck to his hand at the cost of discarding his other cards. He selected Monster Reborn. Yami activated Exchange, allowing them both to take a card from the other's hand. Yami took Monster Reborn, and Dark Marik took De-Fusion.
Yami played Monster Reborn and brought back Queen's Knight. Then he summoned King's Knight. With both them on the field, he special summoned Jack's Knight. He ended his turn without attacking. Dark Marik drew and set one card down. He played a magic card that made both players draw until they had six cards in their hands. He switched Juragedo to defense mode and ended his turn.
"All right, Marik, my move!" Yami said.
"Go ahead, pharaoh," Dark Marik said haughtily. "Summon your Egyptian god card... if you can! Let's see what the great Slifer can do."
"I sacrifice my Jack's Knight, my Queen's Knight, and my King's Knight in order to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon! Reveal yourself, my all-powerful beast!" I shuddered as the mighty dragon appeared and roared.
"Just as I thought. The war begins!"
"All right!" said Tristan.
"Yeah!" said Tea.
"Cool!" said Duke.
"Way to go, Yug!" said Joey. "Slifer's got your back now! And with 6,000 attack points, you're set!"
"Marik's move backfired!" said Tristan. "No matter what he does, that freak is toast. So, attack him and win this duel, pal!"
"I'm not so sure," I murmured. Dark Marik felt way too calm. He had to be up to something. Glancing at Kaiba, I knew he thought the same thing.
"Behold the power of Slifer..." Yami said, "and its Thunderforce Attack!" Dark Marik started laughing. "Huh?
"Your monster's nothing," said Dark Marik. "I have this! Reveal magic card - Dark Spell Regeneration!"
Yami felt horrified. "No!"
"Hey, Seto, what's that?" Mokuba asked his brother.
"It's a rare card," said Kaiba. "With it, Marik can move any magic card he wants from the card graveyard back to the field now."
Mokuba gasped. "Any one he wants?"
"Yes, and we both know what that means."
"And now..." said Dark Marik. "I'll choose to play Monster Reborn, pharaoh, which allows me to revive my mighty Winged Dragon of Ra! Now, my dragon, emerge in your unstoppable phoenix mode!" I shuddered as the dragon appeared and roared. Yami gasped. "My Egyptian god has neutralized the power of yours! In this mode, Ra is immortal for one whole turn, so nothing you do can stop it!" Dark Marik laughed wickedly. I shivered as the dragon appeared.
"That thing is nuts!" Duke exclaimed.
"Thanks to the fiery wrath of Ra, little Yugi will soon be consumed by darkness, and absolute power will be mine!" Dark Marik laughed again.
"Now, Marik..." said Yami. "My Sky Dragon's special ability shall rid the field of your Egyptian god card. Go, Slifer! Destroy Ra with your second mouth now!" Slifer attacked but was repelled. Dark Marik laughed while Yami was confused. "Huh?"
"Nice try, pharaoh!"
"Oh no! Slifer's ability didn't work!"
"Did you honestly think you could destroy a creature as powerful as my Winged Dragon of Ra that easily? Sorry... but Ra is invincible. Now my divine creature will unleash its fiery wrath! I shall surrender 1,000 of my life points now... Such a small price to pay. Ha ha ha! Especially when it's my weaker self that's paying the price... with his body."
"Marik!" I cried as I felt his pain. He looked at me but said nothing.
"Now, pharaoh... I can activate the Winged Dragon's most devastating ability. Behold...the rage of Ra as it rids the field of your Slifer!" Ra attacked Slifer, and the field was engulfed in flames. Yami, Yugi, and I all cried out in pain.
"This is what happened to me!" Joey exclaimed.
"Yugi!" Tea called out. "Stay strong!"
"Sorry, pharaoh!" said Dark Marik. "But your Egyptian god card is no more!"
"No way!" Duke cried.
"Yugi!" Tristan shouted. "Don't give up!"
"That's just the beginning!" Dark Marik said haughtily.
"What?!" Yami said with a glare.
"You heard me. I plan to prolong your anguish for as long as I can. Until the Shadow Realm has claimed everything that you now possess! Ha ha ha!"
Yugi! Yami said mentally. Please tell me you're alright.
Don't worry about me, Yugi said. I'll be fine. You need to concentrate on defeating Marik. Cause if he wins, the entire world will suffer!
Let me give you some of my strength, I said to Yami.
No, said Yami. You're suffering too.
Because that is who I am. My job is to help you.
Yami hesitated. Very well.
I smiled slightly. Thank you. I focused on transferring some of my energy and positive emotions to him.
No, thank you.
"My Winged Dragon has completed its task," Dark Marik said. "So, I shall return it to my graveyard." With that, Ra disappeared.
"Yeah, that's right!" Joey said. "Marik used his Monster Reborn to bring back Ra! That's why it was only on the field for one turn."
"Right!" said Duke. "That means Yugi's safe for now."
"But I'm sure that creep has something else planned for him," said Tea.
"Agreed," I said. Dark Marik felt way too confident for this to be the extent of his plan.
Dark Marik laughed. "That was a small taste of what lies ahead! But I assure you the worst is yet to come. I'll destroy your life points one by one, as the darkness slowly consumes your body. Sorry, pharaoh... but I'm afraid you haven't seen the last of my Egyptian god card. Ra will return to me!"
Dark Marik activated a trap card that allowed him to steal a magic card from his opponent's graveyard. Of course, he chose Monster Reborn. The trap card also allowed Yami to draw a card. While Yami hesitated, Dark Marik pulled the Millennium Ring out of his cloak. A wave of pain struck me in the chest.
"This item is my trophy for eliminating your friend," Dark Marik said haughtily. "And when I win this game... I'll be adding your Millennium Puzzle to my collection!"
Yami glared at him. "Never!"
"Have you wondered what your defeat will be like? You'll face the same downfall as your friend, Bakura. You'll enter the shadows screaming just as he did. And then you shall join the ranks of my other victims, pharaoh! No one has been able to stop the destructive rampage of my Winged Dragon of Ra. And when it releases its rage upon you... you'll be cast into the dark abyss while I receive the ultimate prize - the boundless power of the pharaoh! Now then. Draw your card so the suffering can continue!"
You've got this, I told Yami silently.
Yami's hand hovered over his deck. Then I felt magic come from his deck as light flashed across the sky. He drew a card and set it face down without even looking at it. I could tell he had strong faith that he drew the card he needed, and I relaxed.
Dark Marik laughed. "It seems that the impending threat of the Shadow Realm has clouded your thought process. You must have given up! Why else would you place a card on the field without looking at it first, pharaoh?"
Yami narrowed his eyes at him. "Marik! You wouldn't understand!"
"Hmm. All right, back to the duel!"
Dark Marik played Monster Reborn to bring back Ra. He activated the special ability like he had during his duel with Bakura, allowing his body to dissolve as he transferred all but one life point to Ra and giving it 4699 attack points. I tensed as he ordered Ra to attack.
"It's all over, pharaoh!" Dark Marik said haughtily.
"Sorry to disappoint you!" Yami said with a smirk.
"What?!"
"I reveal my face down card, Fiend's sanctuary! Behold the Magic of Fiend's Sanctuary. Watch and learn."
Dark Marik was horrified. "No! What do you think you're doing, pharaoh?"
"This magic card was given to me by a friend... To help me take you down! Now, meet the instrument of your destruction." A magic symbol appeared on the field.
"What is that?" Tea asked.
"It's called a Metal Fiend Token," Kaiba explained. "Thanks to my magic card, Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra will attack that metal token instead of attacking Yugi's life points."
"Keep your eye on the field!" Yami said.
"Aah!" Dark Marik cried. "That token is casting a reflection of me!"
"Yes! That's precisely what it's doing, Marik. You know why? Because I am no longer the target of your Egyptian god card's attack. Now it shall attack you!"
"Aah!"
"And if I remember correctly, you've given all but one of your life points to Ra... which means you'll be wiped out by the hands of your own creature, Marik!"
Dark Marik narrowed his eyes at him. "Ra won't destroy me!"
"With only one life point to protect you... I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice in the matter now!"
"Aah!"
"You go, boy!" Tristan cheered.
"We knew you'd outsmart that freak!" Joey said. "Nice move! You the man, Yugi! Now, go ahead and finish this guy off!"
"I don't know," I said softly. "This seems too easy."
"Unh! Aah! " Dark Marik cried.
"Marik!" said Yami. "As soon as your attack hits my token, this duel's over!" Ra attacked the Metal Fiend Token, creating a bunch of smoke. But, when the smoke cleared, Dark Marik was still standing.
"Nice try, pharaoh!" Dark Marik said wickedly. "It looks to me like your little magic card didn't work! You were a fool to believe you'd win this duel that easily? You were never in control. I've been toying with you the whole time. Ha ha ha!"
Yami felt shocked. "How did you survive? That's impossible!" In response, Dark Marik started cackling.
"I don't get it," Joey said. "Marik should of lost the duel after that attack just now!"
"How did you escape that blast?"
"I played a magic card... just like you," said Dark Marik. "And it stopped Ra's attack before it destroyed me."
"Impossible! What magic card?"
"It was the De-Fusion magic card I took from your deck, pharaoh! It separated me from my Winged Dragon of Ra just before its attack. That cancelled out the battle before it began, thus saving my life points. Ha ha ha! So your strategy failed. And now I'm stronger than ever!"
While disappointing, at least this meant that the real Marik was safe for now. I watched as he regained his body. I tried to speak to him through our minds. Are you alright?
I need Odion, Marik said, sounding weak.
I frowned. Odion is not awake.
Ra returned to the graveyard again. Dark Marik placed a card face down and ended his turn. Yami paid 1,000 life points to keep Metal Fiend Token on the field. Then he used a magic card to increase the number of Metal Fiends to three. This horrified Dark Marik. I knew what he was planning too.
"I sacrifice my three Metal Fiend Tokens to play this..." Yami said, "Obelisk the Tormentor! Behold, the Egyptian god card I won from Kaiba. Stare into the face of defeat, Marik!" I shuddered when Obelisk appeared.
"This is awesome!" Tristan exclaimed, grabbing Duke around the neck to celebrate. "Obelisk will crush Marik!"
"I knew Yugi would turn things around!" Tea said happily.
"Hey, get a load of Marik, guys!" Joey said. "He's so scared his hair is standin' up! Oh wait, he always looks like that."
"How could I let him do this?!" Dark Marik cried.
"Alright, my Egyptian god monster," Yami said, "attack Marik's life points now!" I braced myself for the impact.
"Aah! Aah!"
"My Obelisk the Tormentor has eliminated 4,000 of your life points! Now you're only one attack away from defeat. Marik, you shall never attain the power that you desire."
"Nice one, Yugi!" Tea cheered.
"Yeah!" Tristan shouted. "Way to back that evil freak into a corner, dude!"
"See that?" said Joey. "Marik didn't even know what hit him out there. He's in a complete daze!"
"Kinda like you are every day," said Duke.
"That was so awesome!" Mokuba said excitedly.
"Hey, wait," said Tea. "Yugi's not looking so good, guys."
"Yeah, you're right," said Joey. "But what does he have to worry about? He's one step away from defeating Marik and winning the Battle City tournament."
"At the cost of the good Marik," I said. Besides, Dark Marik's emotions were not those of someone about to lose. He must still have been planning something.
"Impressive, pharaoh," said Dark Marik, "but it will take more than that to keep me down. Perhaps you've forgotten who really suffers when I lose life points. Just look. Thanks to you, my weaker side has almost completely lost himself to the Shadow Realm!"
"Oh, no!" Yami said in alarm.
Marik! I cried. My friend looked at me but seemed unable to respond.
"Ha ha!" Dark Marik chuckle. "You're supposed to save mankind, but based on your actions in this duel, I'd say you're destroying it. And I'm sure my other half would agree with me... as he slowly slips away, thanks to you! And to think that poor soul was once your loyal servant. It's nice to see he's getting repaid by his exalted king." He laughed. "Feel free to attack us, pharaoh, so my weak side can sacrifice more of himself."
Please be careful! Yugi said. We have to protect Marik's good side. We promised Ishizu and Samia he'd be saved!
I know, said Yami, but if his evil side prevails, the whole world will be destroyed.
You can accomplish both, I said.
She's right, said Yugi. There's got to be a way to save the good Marik and the world, and get rid of his evil side for good. We just have to figure out how.
You've been in this situation before. Remember when we first met and you dueled the Spirit of the Millennium Ring? Defeating him meant sacrificing Bakura, but you found a way around that! You can do the same thing here.
Maybe... said Yami.
Come on, don't you think there's a reason why we've made it this far? said Yugi. It's because we're destined to stop this madness!
Yes.
Just like you did 5,000 years ago!
You can do it! I agreed.
"You should feel honored, pharaoh!" Dark Marik taunted. "Of all the lives I've destroyed, yours has been the most amusing to crush. And the worst is ahead. What I'm about to reveal will horrify you, for I have a card that will shock you to your core!"
"You have nothing to protect you!" Yami said.
"Ha! Is that so? You seem to be forgetting about the face down card that you activated with your last attack - a trap with the power to stop an Egyptian god!"
Yami narrowed his eyes. "But how? That's impossible!"
"Yeah, right!" said Joey. "There's no way Marik has a trap card powerful enough to stop Obelisk!"
Dark Marik smirked. "It's time for me to unveil my secret weapon, pharaoh. By causing me to lose more than half of my life points, you've allowed me to play this card. It's both a trap and a monster. Say hello to Metal Reflect Slime!" A weird slimy creature appeared on the field.
"What is that thing?" said Yami.
"It's a creature made of plasma, giving it the ability to take on the shape of the monster that just attacked me. So, my slime monster will now morph Into the likeness of Obelisk the Tormentor!"
Yami gasped. "No! A clone of an Egyptian god?"
"Whatever it is, that thing is gross!" said Tea.
"That thing's gonna be a big slimy Obelisk!" said Joey.
"That giant booger's gonna become an Egyptian god?" Tristan said in disbelief.
"Hey, guys, don't look now, but I think it's working," said Duke. I watched as the slime took the shape of something large. "That's Obelisk!"
"It's true," said Dark Marik. "Pharaoh, meet my Egyptian God Slime! You'll never stop him."
"Marik made an exact copy Of Yugi's Obelisk the Tormentor!"
"Does that mean they're equal in strength?" Tristan asked.
"No!" said Joey. "Marik's is just a cheap copy of the original. His wannabe Obelisk only has 3,000 defense points, so the real Obelisk can knock it into next week with one blow!"
"Yugi's gonna destroy that fake next time he attacks, right, Seto?" said Mokuba.
"Not quite," said Kaiba. "I'm sure there's more to Marik's monster than meets the eye, Mokuba. Just keep watching."
"Your carbon copy pales in comparison to the original, Marik!" said Yami.
"My Egyptian god slime is more powerful than you think, pharaoh," said Dark Marik, "but you'll find that out soon enough. Now finish your move so my assault can continue!"
"Fine! I'll place one card face down. It's your move!"
"Very well, fool!" Dark Marik summoned Revival Jam. Then he activated Polymerization to fuse Revival Jam and God Slime together. He ended his turn.
Yami played Big Shield Gardna in defense. Then he attacked God Slime with Obelisk, but the monster regenerated itself, having obtained Revival Jam's ability. He ended his turn, and Dark Marik drew a card.
"It's over for you, pharaoh," said Dark Marik. "All you can do at this point is wait, for soon you shall witness the return of the most powerful Egyptian god card - the Winged Dragon of Ra! And even if you could attack me, it's my weaker half who pays the price. I've wanted to banish him into the shadows for some time now, so feel free to do that for me. Thanks to you, he's suffered quite a bit already. Most of his body has vanished."
"Oh no," I murmured as I looked at Marik.
"Please, pharaoh," Marik said weakly. "Defeat my dark side at all costs."
"You can't give up!"
Marik looked at me sadly. "It's tool late for me."
"No!"
"All right," said Dark Marik. "I place one card face down, and then I summon Boganian in defense mode."
"What is that?" said Yami.
"A creature with the ability to remove of your life points each turn, causing you know who to suffer!"
Yami gasped. "Yugi."
"I'll be fine, I promise," Yugi said.
"How touching!" Dark Marik said mockingly.
Yami sacrificed Big Shield Gardna to summon Dark Magician Girl and attacked Boganian with her. Dark Marik activated Jam Defender, redirecting all attacks to God Slime. I clenched my teeth in pain as Yami lost life points and Yugi suffered. I did not know how much either of us could take of this.
"No!" Yugi shouted. "Are you all right?"
"It's you I'm worried about!" said Yami.
"Don't. I'm fine."
"And you, Samia? Perhaps you should head out of here."
Dark Marik laughed. "No one can leave this Shadow Game - even the spectators!"
"I'll be fine," I said. "Just keep going."
"The shadows are feasting on little Yugi, and Samia is suffering as well. Lose a few more life points and your friend's body will be completely gone. And then... all Egyptian god cards will belong to me, along with all of your power, pharaoh! Soon everyone on earth will bow down before me!" Dark Marik laughed evilly.
"Come on!" Joey called out. "I know you can beat this guy, Yugi!"
Samia, I need you to help me, the real Marik said to me.
Help you? I said.How?
Speak to Yami for me. I am too weak to do it myself. Speak out loud so everyone can hear me.
I swallowed hard. Okay. I took a deep breath and called out to the dueling arena. "Yami! The real Marik wants to talk to you!"
"'The real Marik?'" Duke repeated. "What are you talking about?"
"You can talk to him?" Joey said, confused.
I sighed. "Forget about it." I did not have time to explain magic to these guys.
"Go ahead, Samia," Yami said, looking down at me calmly. "I'm listening."
"This should be good," Dark Marik muttered.
I nodded. "I'm going to speak using his voice." I paused to listen to what Marik had to say. "Listen, please. You must overpower my dark side at all costs, and don't worry about protecting me."
Yami gasped. "What?"
"What are you talking about?" said Tristan.
"I am trying to reason with you," I said. "Destroy my evil half and let the shadows take me." I wince at his words. I want to argue with Marik myself, but that is not my role right now.
"Oh, no!" Ishizu cried.
"Seto?" said Mokuba. "What's going on?"
"Please forgive me, pharaoh," I said for Marik. "My family and I were charged with protecting your tomb until your return, and I always resented this task. So, he was born as a result of my anger!" I pointed at Dark Marik. "Now he must be destroyed, and I shall go with him."
"You'll what?" Joey said in confusion. I did not bother responding to him.
Dark Marik chuckled. "What a pathetic sight. You've rejected the pharaoh for your entire life, and now you beg for his forgiveness? I'm afraid it's a little too late for that, you fool. You've already created me, and now your body belongs to me, and you barely exist. Just look at yourself! You're a mere shadow of the person you once were. You can never stop me. So, let me finish what you started!"
Marik, don't do this!" Ishizu said. "Please don't."
"Do what?" I said.
"Surrender your own life to stop him."
"Sorry, sister, but there isn't another way. You must take down the evil force that now controls my body, pharaoh! And if destroying him means destroying me, then so be it."
"Isn't that poetic?" Dark Marik said mockingly. "My weaker self would rather be swallowed by the shadows than see me win. However, I'm afraid this is all just a waste of time. There's no way I can lose. Now, then, let's get back to your defeat, shall we? My move!"
What do you think? Yami asked me.
Marik is right that you need to stop his dark side no matter what, I said after a moment of hesitancy. If he dies too, it won't be your fault. But I still think there may be a way to save him.
I agree, said Yugi. He's giving up too quickly.
I will find a way, Yami said with confidence. Everyone deserves a second chance.
I felt a wave of relief. I knew he could do it. Thank you.
Try to make Marik see it too, said Yugi.
Right. By then, Dark Marik had obtained Monster Reborn again, and I knew what he would do with it. I focused on speaking to his light side. Marik, it's not over for you yet.
Yes, it is, Marik said with sadness. You need to forget about me, Samia.
No! You're my friend, and I can't forget about you! We may not have a magical bond, but we still have a bond that can't be broken, and it's just as important to me as my bond with Yami. Can't you feel it? Can't you tell how much I care about you? Let me show you. I focused on pushing my emotions onto him. I felt his surprise.
Samia...
Yami will find a way to save you and defeat your dark side, alright? Just have some faith in him. Marik did not respond, but at least he did not object.
Dark Marik set a card face down and then summoned Swallowtail Spike Lizard in defense. As long as it remained in defense mode, his life points increased by 1,000 each turn. He planned to use his life points to strengthen Ra and defeat Obelisk.
Why is Yami hesitating? Marik asked me. Why are he and Yugi so reluctant to destroy me after everything I've done?
Because they're good people. They believe the world would be better if there were more kindness and understanding. Yugi always knew this, and now Yami does as well. It's like I tried to tell you before. The world doesn't have to be run by power and control. We can all help each other instead. We can choose love and forgiveness over hatred and revenge.
I sensed conflict from Marik. Then, I suppose it's time to find out if love is stronger than hatred.
It is. Just watch.
Yami set two cards face down, summoned Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, and ended his turn. Dark Marik used Monster Reborn to summon Ra in its God Phoenix form. Ra attacked Obelisk, but Yami quickly activated a set card.
"What's this?" Dark Marik said. "Impossible!" Obelisk still stood... and Slifer was there with him., tumbling to the ground after getting hit by an attack. "What? Slifer the sky dragon? Huh? But where did he come from, pharaoh?"
"While you were calling out your attack, I was activating a magic card to stop it from destroying Obelisk the Tormentor," Yami said. "So, I played... Monster Reborn! I used it to revive Slifer and save Obelisk!"
"Awesome!" said Tristan. "He used one Egyptian god card as a shield to protect the other!"
"Yeah, leave it to Yugi to come up wit a move like that!" said Joey.
"Hmm..." Kaiba murmured. "Quite impressive. He saved himself, at least for now."
"Hey, Seto, look!" said Mokuba. "Slifer was hit by Ra! And Obelisk escaped without a scratch. I wonder what Yugi's gonna do now."
Ra returned to the graveyard. Dark Marik played a magic card that allowed him to replay his attack. Ra revived again, appearing as a huge sphere hovering over the Duel Tower. Dark Marik chanted the spell, and Ra turned into its dragon beast form. Then the two merged together, giving Ra 699 life points. Dark Marik sacrificed his monsters on the field to bring Ra's attack points to 6899.
"No one can escape the fury of the Winged Dragon of Ra," Dark Marik said. "Not even you, pharaoh."
"Hmm. We'll see about that!" said Yami.
"What?"
"I activate the magic card Soultaker!"
"Hey, Seto, what card's that?" said Mokuba.
"Just what Yugi needed," said Kaiba. "While it may grant Marik 1,000 life points, it allows Yugi to sacrifice one of Marik's monsters. I just wonder which one of Marik's monsters Yugi will choose. Wait. I think I know!"
"You do realize that I can sacrifice any monster I wish," said Yami.
"Does this mean you're going to sacrifice Ra?" Dark Marik said in surprise.
"Anything's possible, Marik!"
"This will never work, pharaoh! Your magic card is no match for my Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Yami appeared confident. "I never said that I was targeting your dragon."
Dark Marik was surprised. "You're not?"
"I have something better planned! All right, I choose... Your indestructible Egyptian God Slime!"
"But why him? That won't save you!"
"Well, I disagree. Your Egyptian God Slime Is made up of two monsters, so I'll be making a double sacrifice!"
"Then what? I still don't understand the point of all this!"
"It's simple. Obelisk the Tormentor's special ability requires two sacrifices!"
"You're going to activate the hidden powers of Obelisk?"
"Yes, to wipe you out!"
Dark Marik felt horrified. "You can't do this! You'll never take down my Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Yami was confident. "Too late for that!"
"And I'll destroy you with it!"
"Wait, pharaoh. There's still time for me to make one last move. I sacrifice my Boganian and my Spike Lizard. Now I can add their attack points to Ra. Plus, thanks to your Soultaker magic card, I get a 1,000 life point boost, which also gets added to Ra. My Egyptian god card's attack points have risen to almost 5,000!"
"That glowing eyeball on your forehead must be fryin' your brain!" Joey said. "Ra is still weaker than Obelisk!"
"This duel is over," Yami said as the two gods clashed. When the smoke cleared, though, Ra still stood. "Oh, no! Ra should have been destroyed! What's going on?"
"I activated a magic card to protect it, pharaoh!" Dark Marik declared. "It's called Class System!"
"No! This can't be!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but thanks to this card, only a monster with more stars than the Winged Dragon of Ra can destroy it, and I'm afraid your Obelisk doesn't qualify."
"So, Ra was spared from Obelisk's assault!"
"Very perceptive. Now my monster is stronger than yours! And it's my move. Good try, but not good enough."
"So, now that Obelisk's power is no longer infinite, it can be easily trampled by Ra," said Kaiba. "Guess you missed your chance, Yugi!"
"So, Yugi's gonna lose?" Mokuba said sadly.
"Time for you to fall by the mighty hand of Ra!" Dark Marik said. He laughed. "All right! This duel is done. Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy him!" I flinched as the dragon attacked. "I win!"
"Not exactly!"
"Huh?"
"Now I activate this, Magical Dimension! I need a spellcaster to activate it. My Dark Magician Girl will do. Now, there's only one part left. I must sacrifice two of my monsters - Gazelle and Obelisk!"
Dark Marik was stunned. "What's this? You're sacrificing an Egyptian god?"
"Yes! Obelisk has served me well, but I must give him up in exchange for one last chance!"
"This is interesting," I murmured.
"You were a fool to sacrifice Obelisk," Dark Marik said. "Without the power of your Egyptian god monster to protect you, you have nothing left. You're done!"
"I have plenty left," said Yami. "Look around! I still have every one of my friends to give me support, and I still have the heart of the cards to give me strength." Suddenly, a golden cask rose from the field.
"What's going on?"
"My magical dimension card also allows me to summon any Spellcaster from my hand!"
"No!"
"I'm afraid so. Now I play... My Dark Magician! Now I play my final card. Behold! Ragnarok! Watch closely as my two magicians unlock this card's magic. Once this great power is released, every monster on your side of the field will be crushed, including your Winged Dragon of Ra! And since you and Ra are fused together, you will be destroyed as well."
"That may be, but the devastation caused by your attack will also destroy what's left of my weak side. Just look! The shadows have most of him already! One more attack from you will finish him off!"
"That's not true. Once Ra is gone, he'll still have one life point left!"
"That means nothing! Once he's that weak, the force of the Shadow Realm will be too strong for him to resist. Go on. Attack me and break the promise you made to Ishizu by destroying her brother!"
What if our move does send Marik's good side to the Shadow Realm? Yugi asked in worry.
It won't, I said. I'll give Marik the strength to hold on. I won't let him disappear!
"Well?" Dark Marik taunted, a wicked smile on his face. "Go ahead and make your move, and crush an innocent soul!"