"Now it's my turn," Atem said.
The Pharaoh prepared to draw what could be his final card and as he placed his hand over the deck, doubt started to overcome him, not helped by the presence of Kaiba's six dragons staring down at him. Could this be it? Could this be the day Seto Kaiba finally gets the victory he has sought after all these years? It was then he noticed something on the back of his hand, two thick black arcs running across it. The sight of this spurred a memory, something he had seen before and as he stared intently at it, his hand was overlayed with a smaller hand and around it were three other hands, each covered with the same black mark and together they drew the image of a smiling face. The Pharaoh felt a great comfort and warmth in his heart as around him appeared the ghostly images of his friends from the world of the living.
"Do you remember this?" asked the brown-haired female. "It's the symbol that binds us together."
"You're not alone in this," added the tall delinquent looking lad.
"Yeah, as if we'll let rich boy get the better of you," the blonde young man smiled.
"We're all in this together," the smaller, spikey-haired boy finished.
The friends he knew as Tea Gardner, Tristan Taylor, Joey Wheeler and his soul-carrying vessel, Yugi Muto, appeared in front of Atem and only he could see them.
"My friends, but how?" he asked.
"You may be gone from us, but no matter where you are, we'll always be there for you," assured Tea.
"Life, afterlife, it doesn't matter," said Tristan. "What matters is that you can still count on us."
"We wouldn't have become stronger if it hadn't had been for you," added Joey. "So, it's our turn to lend you a hand in your battle."
"Your fight is our fight," finished Yugi.
Through their words, Atem remembered that he could still depend on them for encouragement and support, having been duelling Kaiba under the impression that it was his battle alone, and now he had the confidence to trust in his friends & the Heart of the Cards and finish his duel with Kaiba, just as he had done the first time.
"My friends," Atem said. "Thank you."
Kaiba scowled at the Pharaoh as it took what felt like an eternity for his rival to draw his card. But to his surprise, Atem regained his smile and Kaiba began to suspect something was off.
"Kaiba, the card I just drew is Symbol of Friendship," said Atem.
"Symbol of Friendship?" Kaiba repeated. "What in the world is that?"
"I can only use Symbol of Friendship if I draw it during my Draw Phase while I have nothing on my field, and you control 3 or more monsters. And since all three requirements have been met, I will activate it here and now."
The Spell Card's image resembled that of the inked smiley face drawn on the hands of Atem and his friends.
"This allows me to add one card from my deck to my hand, and I choose Soul Servant," the Pharaoh continued. "Next, I activate Soul Servant and place a card that mentions Dark Magician from my hand, deck or Graveyard to the top of my deck. I'll take Illusion of Chaos from my deck and place it on top."
"How interesting, Atem," Kaiba remained unfazed despite the suddenness of the plays that were made. "But you have no way of drawing the card you just placed on top of your deck."
Atem smiled. "Guess again Kaiba. Because now I activate the second effect of Soul Servant; by banishing it from my Graveyard I can draw cards equal to the number of Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Palladium Oracle monsters in my Graveyard. Since there are 4 monsters with such names, I can draw 4 cards from my deck."
Resting in Atem's Graveyard was Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Palladium Oracle Mahad and Palladium Oracle Mana. Although Magician of Chaos was also in the Graveyard, his name was treated as Dark Magician and could not contribute to Soul Servant's effect.
Kaiba: 14400 LP - 14900 LP
As Atem drew his 4 cards, he saw the spirits of his four friends appear before him, each with a card in their hands.
"Here, take this," Tea offered.
"This one's from me," Yugi Muto added.
"Hope this helps you," Tristan said.
Last but not least to offer his card was Joey Wheeler. "I'm sure you'll find this card useful. Now, go and kick Kaiba's butt!"
The 4 new cards offered Atem new options, in addition to the Monster Reborn, Magikuriboh and Piercing the Darkness cards already in his hand. Standing out amongst these was a card he had not expected to see: a normal, dark-scaled dragon with ferocious crimson eyes; it was Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Atem could only ponder on how he managed to draw the rare card, for he didn't put it into his deck and thought of it more as Joey's card rather than his, even though he had once used it during Kaiba's Battle City tournament. Despite the oddity of holding a card that had seemingly traversed the boundaries of life and death to be in this duel, Atem could sense the potential being held in the card and had to guess that it held the key to victory against Kaiba's dragons. With Atem's hand replenished to 7 cards, Kaiba began to feel a little uneasy, but held firm with the knowledge of being safely behind his 6 powerful dragons, Negate Attack Counter Trap and having 14,900 Life Points.
"Now, I activate my Continuous Spell, Piercing the Darkness, again." Atem continued with his plays. "Next, I'll activate the effect of Illusion of Chaos in my hand. This allows me to add a Dark Magician or non-Ritual Monster that mentions it from my deck to my hand and then place 1 card from my hand to the top of my deck. I'll add Magicians' Souls and return Illusion of Chaos to the top of my deck."
Atem was fortunate that Magicians' Souls was still in his constantly shrinking deck and that he could replace Illusion of Chaos for it. Kaiba began suspecting that something was afoot and likely would involve the Dark Magician again, though for the time being he remained unconcerned.
"Then I'll activate the effect of Magicians' Souls in my hand. By sending it from my hand and my Level-7 Illusion of Chaos from my deck to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Dark Magician from my Graveyard back to the field."
Ghostly apparitions, resembling Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared on the field and were soon replaced by the familiar sight of Atem's faithful purple robed servant.
Dark Magician – ATK: 2500
"Now that I have summoned a Normal Monster that wasn't a token, Piercing the Darkness' effect now activates, allowing me draw 1 card from my deck. But that's not all, since a monster with 2500 Attack or Defense Points was summoned to my field, I can Special Summon Chronicle Magician from my hand in Defense Mode."
Atem's newest Spellcaster had a style resembling Dark Magician's, yet he was clothed in white robes and his hair & eyes were blue, which also linked him to Dark Magician's rival the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Chronicle Magician – Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/Effect/DEF: 2500
Having resolved Chronicle Magician's summoning, Atem drew his card as per Piercing the Darkness' effect. It was a Spell Card, depicting a wizard emerging from a magic gate or portal. Combined with having Red-Eyes in his hand, Atem could see the intention of the Heart of the Cards. Before he could implement his next move, he had another effect to resolve, that of Chronicle Magician.
"Having Special Summoned Chronicle Magician, its second effect now activates, allowing me to target my Dark Magician and increase his attack power by 2500 until the end of the turn."
The white robed magician chanted mystical texts from his tome and powered-up his fellow dark-aligned spellcaster.
Dark Magician – ATK: 5000
"What are you up to, Atem?" Kaiba muttered.
"You'll see soon enough," Atem smiled. "Because now it's time to bring out a very special monster, Kaiba. But first I must tribute 2 monsters to summon it."
The Pharaoh exchanged looks with the Dark Magician, trying to offer reassurance to his loyal servant, recalling the time he recklessly and soullessly tributed Dark Magician while under the influence of the Seal of Orichalcos. His faithful friend smiled and nodded in approval of his master's intentions.
"So, I tribute my Chronicle Magician and Dark Magician."
Kaiba was overcome with confusion and shock at such a move, as both of Atem's magicians began to disappear. The act of the Pharaoh sacrificing his signature monster (one that was even double in strength) drew parallels with his duel against Ishizu Ishtar during his Battle City Quarterfinals, where he tributed his Egyptian God Obelisk the Tormentor to summon his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He even almost forgot that he had just tributed two of his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragons to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon, although to him it was more tactical than just a seemingly out of the blue random sacrifice.
"But, why?" Kaiba wondered aloud. "What could be worth more by sacrificing your already-powerful magician?"
"Don't you remember Kaiba, no card is ever worth more or worthless," Atem answered. "And now it's time to see this card's true potential. Rise up, the soul of my best friend! Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
A loud screech echoed through the battlefield as the ferocious, dark-scaled dragon soared onto the field to confront its larger white rival cousins.
Red-Eyes Black Dragon – Level 7/DARK/Dragon/Normal/ATK: 2400
Rather than be impressed or afraid of the Pharaoh's newest monster, Kaiba instead began to chuckle, and the chuckle quickly turned into laughter and anger.
"You can summon any monster you wish, but I won't let Wheeler's pathetic fourth-rate dragon stand in the way of my victory!"
"That's where you're wrong again, Kaiba," Atem countered. "It is true Red-Eyes on its own can't compete against your monsters, but its true power lies in its untapped potential and trust me, it's far from 'pathetic'. Which is why I now play the Spell Card, Magicalized Fusion!"
In the middle the playing field appeared the magical gateway depicted on the card. Kaiba had never seen the card before and, as it was a Fusion Card, could only ponder at what its effects were.
"Magicalized Fusion?" Kaiba repeated with heavy uncertainty as to what it did. "What does that do?"
"Remember the Dragon's Mirror Spell Card you played a couple turns ago?" Atem answered with another question. "Well, Magicalized Fusion does for Spellcasters what your Dragon's Mirror does for Dragons."
"And Dragon's Mirror lets me Fusion Summon a Dragon Monster by banishing materials from my field or Graveyard," Kaiba recalled. "No way!"
"That's right, Kaiba. By banish Fusion-Materials from my field or Graveyard I can Fusion Summon a Spellcaster Monster. So, I'll banish Dark Magician in my Graveyard and Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field and fuse them together."
At the sound of Atem's declaration, Dark Magician reappeared on the field and, together with Red-Eyes Black Dragon, entered the magical gateway. To Kaiba's eyes, the silhouette of Dark Magician became overlaid by the shadow of Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"A fusion with Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon?" Kaiba thought to himself, for he had never heard of or seen such a monster.
The glow of the portal began to darken and swirled with black and red magical energies.
"Bear witness, as my Dark Magician's mastery of the arcane merges with the limitless potential of Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Atem announced. "And from this amalgamation, a new unstoppable force is created. Come forth, the Ultimate Magical Dragon Knight: Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon!"
The portal conflagrated as the new Spellcaster made its grand entrance to the field. Outwardly, he resembled Dark Magician, but was dressed in winged black-dragon themed robes, with gold trimmings and red magical orbs and his pale-green head emerged from the mouth of the dragon. Instead of his usual green staff, he now wielded a long dragon-styled spear, the base of it resembling one of the dragon's feet and the jiggered blade almost resembling the dragon's teeth. Kaiba could feel a strange heaviness overcoming him, as if Atem's new monster carried with it an air of oppressive power.
Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon – Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect/ATK: 3000
Kaiba did his utmost to retain his composure, even though he had no idea what it was capable of. "You may have combined your Dark Magician with Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but by banish both monsters to summon it, my Life Points still go up thanks to Soul Absorption."
Kaiba: 14900 LP - 15900 LP
Despite the advantage gained by Kaiba, Atem didn't appear concerned.
"You may have nearly 8 times the Life Points I possess, Kaiba. But everything's about to change," the Pharaoh warned. "Now, I activate my Dragoon's effect. During my first Main Phase, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon can destroy a monster you control and inflict damage to your Life Points equal to its original Attack Power."
With his free hand, the black-clad magician charged an orb of purple magical energy and stared intently at Kaiba's army of dragons, awaiting the word of his master to bring one of them down.
"Dark Dragoon, destroy Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
At the sound of the Pharaoh's command, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon let loose his destructive power and effortlessly wiped out one of Kaiba's triple-headed dragons. Kaiba shielded himself from the painful shower of debris of what was once his Ultimate Dragon.
Kaiba: 15900 LP - 11400 LP
Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon: 6100 ATK
Now there were only five dragons, but crucially for Kaiba there was a space available for his Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon to be summoned and perhaps protect his other dragons for the next turn. He wasn't sure what to expect from Atem's new Fusion Monster but felt as if he needed to do something and regain control of the situation.
"Well played, Atem. Impressive," he complimented. "But since a card on the field was destroyed by a card effect and I have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my Graveyard, my Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon's effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon it."
Emerging from a spiralling vortex was the familiar mechanical head of Kaiba's dragon, the sight of which spelled bad news for Atem, if not for the fact he remarkably calm.
"Not if I have anything to say about," Atem said with confidence. "Because I now activate my Dragoon's second effect."
"Your monster has another effect?"
"Once per turn, by discarding a card from my hand I can negate the activation or effect of a card and destroy it. I discard Magikuriboh from my hand to negate the effect of your Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon and send it back to whence it came."
Absorbing the energies of Magikuriboh, the black dragoon pointed his spear at the emerging dragon and began chanting a hex. The vortex around Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon's head began to destabilize and ultimately imploded, destroying Kaiba's dragon and preventing its summon.
"And as an added bonus for using his second effect, my Dark Dragoon's attack power increases by 1000 points," Atem added.
Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon: 4000 ATK
Kaiba grimaced in frustration so hard that he almost felt as if he was crushing his teeth to dust.
"But my Dragoon isn't quite finished yet. Now I'll use his first effect again to destroy your Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon."
"What? Your Dragoon's effect isn't once per turn?"
"I can use my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon's destruction effect up to as many Normal Monsters I used to Fusion Summon it. And since Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon are both Normal Monsters, I can use Dragoon's effect up to twice per turn."
As before, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon gathered magical energies into a ball of destructive power, only this time it was coloured black with a red interior, as if to resemble the life-force of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, if the purple one was that of Dark Magician. Wasting no time, the Dark Dragoon hurled his magic at the second of Kaiba's Ultimate Dragons and obliterated it with ease, forcing Kaiba to shield himself from his monster's destruction again.
Kaiba: 11400 LP - 6900 LP
Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon: 6400 ATK
Having lost 9,000 Life Points and two of his Ultimate Dragons, Kaiba's victory was starting to look more doubtful with every action Atem made. And having tried to use his Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon's effect, only for it to be negated by the Dragoon, Kaiba could not attempt to summon it again.
"Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn to resurrect my Apprentice Illusion Magician," said Atem.
Emerging from the dead and standing alongside Atem's evolved Dark Magician was the familiar sight of the purple garbed magical girl that Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had earlier atomised, except this time it would be her turn in the limelight.
Apprentice Illusion Magician: 2000 ATK
"Now… it's time to battle and finish this duel. Prepare yourself, Kaiba!"
Having seen Piercing the Darkness in action during Atem's previous turn, Kaiba knew that Dragoon would always be 4,000 Attack Points stronger than even his most powerful dragon, but he could not understand why the Pharaoh chose to summon the female Spellcaster with only 2,000 Attack Points and in Attack Position.
"Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, prepare to strike down Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon."
At the mention of Atem's order to attack, his Continuous Spell Card began to glow in response.
"As I'm sure you're aware, Kaiba, the second effect of Piercing the Darkness now activates; since Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon was summoned using a Normal Monster as a material, his attack strength now increases by that of the monster he's battling."
Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon – ATK: 9500
"Over nine-thousand attack points?!" exclaimed Kaiba.
"But that's just the start," Atem pressed his advantage. "Next, I activate the effect of my Apprentice Illusion Magician. By sending her from my field to the Graveyard, she can bestow a battling DARK-Spellcaster an additional 2000 Attack and Defense points. Since Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon fits both requirements and is battling, I'll choose him to receive the boost."
At the activation of her effect, the young witch transformed into a ghostly purple aura.
"But I'm not finished yet," Atem continued. "Finally, I chain my Quick-Play Spell: Dark Magic Expanded."
Atem's newest card depicted his faithful servants, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl within the ring of Dark Magical Circle, facing-off against a veil of evil spirits.
"This card grants effects based on the number of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl monsters on my field or Graveyard. And since there are two of them, I can use its first two effects."
Out of the cards artwork came manifestations of Atem's Magician of Chaos (whose name was still treated as Dark Magician) and Dark Magician Girl.
"Firstly, for this turn, you cannot activate cards or effects in response to my own Spell and Trap cards, nor can my Spell and Traps be destroyed by your card effects, Kaiba," the Pharaoh explained. "But most important of all, a DARK Spellcaster monster on the field gains an extra 1000 Attack Points until the end of the turn. And once again, I will bestow this extra power on my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon."
Kaiba could only watch in horror as the black-clad dragoon gained more attack power, more than enough to eclipse his Alternative Ultimate Dragon.
Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon – ATK: 12500/DEF: 4500
"12,500 Attack Points?!" Kaiba recoiled.
"Just enough to wipe out your remaining Ultimate Dragon and your Life Points," Atem replied.
The stage was set, Atem had played his cards right and now all that stood between him and victory was a single attack from the combined force of his Dark Magician and Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, attack with all your acquired power, destroy Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon and end this duel," Atem commanded. "Dark Magic Inferno Fire Attack!"
With his mastery of magic, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon charged his blade with black and red magical energies and slashed a fiery wave of destruction at Kaiba's triple-headed creature. At the same time, the spectre that was Apprentice Illusion Magician joined in with a purple-hued blast and the duo that was Magician of Chaos & Dark Magician Girl, representing Dark Magic Expanded, contributed a deadly barrage of green-orbed magic.
Despite the overwhelming power he now faced, Kaiba regained enough composure to smile, but one of defiance rather than defeat.
"Did you forget about the Trap Card I set last turn with my Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon?" Kaiba reminded as a raised his arm over his set card. "Because now I activate my Negate Attack Counter Trap, stopping your attack and ending your Battle Phase. Sorry, Atem, but a miss is as good as a mile!"
Or at least that was what Kaiba had planned, except for the fact his Trap Card remained face-down.
"Must be a glitch in the voice recognition system," Kaiba thought to himself as reached for his trap card for a second time. "Negate Attack, activate!"
Again, his counter trap stayed set as the dragoon's wave of destruction drew closer towards Kaiba's dragon. Kaiba's face became a mask of confusion and frustration, for if he couldn't activate his powerful trap card, he would be finished. For a third and final attempt, he reached out for Negate Attack and ordered it to reveal itself, only for his efforts to end in failure again.
"But why? Why won't my Counter Trap Card activate?" Kaiba asked to no one in particular.
A slight chuckle emanating from his opponent provided Kaiba a clue.
"I guess I should've also pointed out that my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon also has another effect," Atem cryptically answered. "A more passive effect than his other abilities."
"What?!"
"Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects. And since Negate Attack targets the monster in order to use its effect, I'm afraid it's powerless against him."
"But… how were able to raise your dragoon's attack points without targeting it?" Kaiba protested.
"The effects of Apprentice Illusion Magician and Dark Magic Expanded that increase a DARK Spellcaster's attack points don't target the monster they affect, so Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon can gain the attack point boost from both those cards and at the same time unable to be targeted by your Counter Trap."
Kaiba's soul and heart froze with horror as he quickly realized the implication of what he had just learned and there was nothing he could do to prevent the inevitable.
"This isn't happening, this can't be happening," Kaiba protested to himself, as if trying to deny the reality of the inevitable and that this was just another nightmare.
"You fought well, Kaiba," Atem complimented. "But once again, this duel is over."
With nothing to stop it, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon's Dark Magic Inferno Fire Attack overwhelmed Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon. Bathed in fiery dark magic, the once terrifying triple-headed dragon roared in pain as it slowly disintegrated into nothing larger than scales and, like leaves in a hurricane, were carried by the sheer force of the attack. Kaiba's grunts turned into an anguished scream as he felt the full force of the attack and its aftermath, and such was its power that he even began to lose his footing with the floor.
Kaiba: 6,900 LP - 0 LP
As quickly as Kaiba had summoned all three variations of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragons in one turn, Atem had done the near-impossible and destroyed all of them in one turn; much like how Yugi Muto was able to destroy Atem's three Egyptian Gods in one turn. Having witnessed their triple-headed brethren get effortlessly wiped out by the Red-Eyes enhanced Dark Magician, Kaiba's surviving dragons of Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and Deep-Eyes White Dragon lowered their heads in submission as they acknowledged their opponent's sheer power and the fall of their master. Unable to keep his feet on the ground, Kaiba was hurled back; his view being that of Pharaoh Atem, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon with his fellow supporting spellcasters of the ghostly Apprentice Illusion Magician, Magician of Chaos and Dark Magician Girl. To have come this far and still lose infuriated Kaiba even beyond what he would consider normal anger, though he expected nothing less from his eternal rival, having been practising against inferior simulations in his recent past. Yet, despite the fact Kaiba had Atem on the ropes many times throughout the duel, the loss still proved that he had some ways to go before he could potentially best the Pharaoh, especially with Atem once again pulling a sudden victory out of a hopeless situation.
As the solid vision holograms of his remaining cards fizzled from the field, Kaiba remained sprawled on the stone floor and still recoiling from the shockwave of Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon's attack. Amidst the cheering of the palace guards and his blurring vision, Kaiba saw the silhouette of his spikey-haired rival staring down at him and hardly able to see the respectful smile coming from the monarch.
"Atem…" Kaiba struggled to speak. "Not again."
His blurring vision began fading to black as he lost consciousness. But amidst the darkness he distinctly heard the voice of Atem saying: "Feel free to return and challenge me again when you have recovered. I'll be waiting."
As Kaiba slowly came to, he noticed his posture was now in a seated position and when his vision fully returned to him, he was in the cockpit of the craft he had used to reach Atem's dimension. At least, that's what he hoped had happened and that he didn't just doze off and dream the whole duel before even making his attempt at reaching the Pharaoh's realm. A quick check of everything around Kaiba showed all was as it should have been, including the Quantum Cube that was supposedly used to make the journey. There was only one way for him to know for sure if he had succeeded or not.
"To anyone receiving this transmission, this is Seto Kaiba, please acknowledge and respond, over," he said through his craft's radio.
Kaiba was confident that he would get a reply and, as he waited, he now had time to ponder on the duel he had either just played against his royal rival or was potentially foreshadowing what could happen if it really was just a vision of some kind. Either way, he had some idea of what he could expect should he ever face Atem and his loyal servant the Dark Magician again. Kaiba also time to ponder on the moves he played and Atem's new cards, and begin to think if there was a way he could out-manoeuvre his rival's new and potential strategies and if he, the master of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, could have done something to prevent his defeat. Kaiba was also sure that wherever Atem was, he was almost certainly smiling, either from his out-of-the-blue victory or readying himself to face-off against Kaiba again. Either way, one thing was certain: Seto Kaiba would see to it that he would face and duel Pharaoh Atem again.