Chapter 44

Final Face-Off: Part 4

Obelisk's Anger

Up at the top of the Duel Tower, the evil half of Marik chuckled. "One more turn. That's all I need in order to activate my Monster Reborn, and I'm sure you're aware of what happens after that, right, Pharaoh? My Winged Dragon of Ra will return to the field, and once my Egyptian God Monster makes his appearance, you're done. My plan was foolproof!" he said.

"You may have built a powerful defense by creating a clone of Obelisk the Tormentor, but I'll break through it." Yami stated. "Really?" the evil one asked. "Yes. And not only will I defeat you, but I'll spare your good side from the Shadow Realm." Yami replied. "That's impossible. You know that when I lose life points in this Shadow Game, my weaker half loses a piece of himself to the darkness. I shall place one card face down, then..." the evil one responded.

"Go on." Yami said. "I summon my Granadora in defense mode." the evil one continued before his creature, a level four, Water attribute reptile/effect monster with 1900 attack points and 700 defense points, appeared. 'As long as it remains in defense mode, I receive 1000 life points each turn. And since I plan to use my life points to strengthen The Winged Dragon of Ra, this is just the boost I need to crush Obelisk the Tormentor. And once his Egyptian God Monster is gone, I'll use mine to finish him off!' he thought.

"Alright, now its my move, Marik." Yami said. "Be careful." AJ warned. "You have to crush this freak with everything you've got before he can bring back The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Rainbow shouted. "Hold on a second, I think Yugi's got a big dilemma here." Joey pointed out. "I see your point, Joey. If Yugi wins, Marik's good half will go to the Shadow Realm." Twilight confirmed. "Still, we wouldn't be in this mess if Marik hadn't gone seeking ultimate power like he were some comic book supervillain." Rainbow stated.

"Please, Rainbow." Ishizu said, clearly not too pleased with her choice of words. "It's alright. I've done nothing but cause them pain and they should be angry with me." Marik replied. "You got that right, trusting someone who forced two friends to fight a duel where the loser would get dragged into the ocean isn't a wise choice." AJ stated. "So why do you have a sudden change of heart?" Rarity asked. "Because I simply want to help Yugi defeat my dark side and I needed Tea's body to speak with him because I'm unable to." Marik answered.

"Well, I have to agree with Rainbow on one thing, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess." Spike said. "You're right. And for that, I'm truly sorry. But there's still a way for Yugi to prevent my dark half from winning this duel. I hope he finds it." Marik replied. "I know he will, Marik." Tristan said. "He has to, or we'll all be heading to the Shadow Realm soon." Duke added. "Yugi, this may be your last chance to save us and the world." Fluttershy said, hopefully.

Right at that moment, Marik released Tea from his control. "Hey, did I just doze off or something?" she asked. "I'll explain later." Pinkie replied. "What are you waiting for? Its your move, so why don't you attack me, Pharaoh?" the evil one asked with a chuckle. "Have you realized that you're out of options?" he pondered. 'The pharaoh won't attack him because he knows it'll destroy me. But I put him through such misery. I sent my Rare Hunters to take his possession, one of them was even tasked to kill him. Then I took control of his friends and his beloved and turned them against him. How could he be so forgiving?' Marik thought.

'Hey, I got an idea. Remember how Marik fused himself with The Winged Dragon of Ra?' Yugi said, mentally, to Yami, prompting them both to remember that moment. 'I'm sure Marik's planning to do that again, he's building up his life points so that when he merges with Ra, he'll be unstoppable. But, that also means Marik becomes a monster himself, giving him all the weaknesses of a monster! And that could be our only hope!' he continued.

"Make your final move, Pharaoh." the evil one said before Yami drew. 'We can do this!' Yugi said, mentally. "First I'll set two cards face down, then I'll summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode." Yami said before his creature appeared. "That ends my turn." he concluded. "Not quite. It doesn't end until my Bowganian takes 300 of your life points, so fire your crossbow at once, my beast!" the evil one stated before his creature fired, bringing Yami's life points down to 700.

"There goes a little more of your friend, into the dark abyss of the Shadow Realm!" he added before laughing. "Yugi. I promise, I won't let you slip away." Yami vowed. "You have no choice. In just a few short moments, Yugi will be gone!" the evil one stated. 'Now that its Marik's turn, he can activate Monster Reborn to bring back The Winged Dragon of Ra. As good as he is, Yugi doesn't stand a chance.' Seto thought. "You can do it, Yugi!" Fluttershy called out. "We may be on the sidelines, but we're all right here with you!" Rainbow shouted. "Rainbow's got a point, so take him down!" Duke cried before the evil madman laughed.

"My move." he said as he drew. "This will come in handy shortly, but first I have other things to take care of, then I'll send whatever's left of your friend to the Shadow Realm with this!" he continued. "Marik. Just go." Yami said, impatiently. "Very well, but first, my Granadora's special ability grants me 1000 life points." the evil one replied before his life points increased to 1700. "And now, I'll activate the magic card that will end this duel, Monster Reborn! It's over!" he continued before his card began to bring The Winged Dragon of Ra back from the grave.

"Behold, as I bring back The Winged Dragon of Ra in its supreme form!" he shouted before his creature returned in its Immortal Phoenix mode. "The Immortal Phoenix has returned." Yami simply said. "Next I'll give up the 1000 life points I just gained to activate Ra's special ability!" the evil one declared before he life points returned to 700. "Now, my Great Beast of the Sky, destroy Obelisk!" he commanded before the creature made its approach. "No! That won't work!" Yami declared.

But the attack landed and prompted the evil one to laugh. "Your life points are wide open! Obelisk is gone!" he declared, but soon got a shock. "What's this?! Impossible!" he shouted as he saw Obelisk was still standing. He then got a double shock when he saw Slifer the Sky Dragon protecting Obelisk, Yami, Yugi, Gazelle and Dark Magician Girl. "What?! Slifer the Sky Dragon?! But where did he come from?!" the evil one asked.

"While you were calling out your attack, I activated a magic card to stop it from destroying Obelisk the Tormentor! So I played, Monster Reborn!" Yami answered. "I used it to revive Slifer, and save Obelisk!" he explained. "Talk about fast thinking! He used one Egyptian God Monster to protect the other!" Tristan said in pleasant surprise. "Leave it to the King of Games to come up with a move like that!" Pinkie shouted.

"Quite impressive. He saved himself, at least for now, by using the same tactic Marik used to bring back Ra, and it worked." Seto said. "Yeah, and now Slifer's going back to the graveyard while Obelisk remains on the field without a scratch." Mokuba added as Slifer vanished. "What's Yugi gonna do now?" he wondered. 'If he's smart, he'll tap into the true power of Obelisk. At this point, its his only chance of survival.' Seto thought.

"Your strategy was impressive, I will admit. So for now, Ra must return to the graveyard." the evil one said before his creature returned to where it came from. "My great beast may be gone, but I can assure you it'll be back." he added. "We'll see." Yami replied. "Yes, we will. In fact, my Egyptian God Monster will return to the field sooner than you think. Watch, for I'm about to give my dragon a second chance, by turning back time and repeating my attack again! And its all thanks to this magic card!" the evil one declared before showing it to Yami.

"Have you ever seen it?" he asked. "That's Surprise Attack from Beyond!" Yami said in surprise. "Well, I suppose I'll take your response as a yes. This card allows me to replay the attack I just made against Obelisk." the evil one replied. "It may be a sanctioned card, but that's just unfair!" AJ shouted. "AJ's right, that's just a cheap move, Marik!" Joey concurred. 'Now Marik has another chance to wipe out Yugi's defense with his Winged Dragon of Ra.' Seto thought.

Back at Kaiba Craft 3, Odion was slowly but surely exiting, determined to save his master. "I must save Marik, before its too late!" he said as he looked up at the Duel Tower and the sphere of dark shadow magic surrounding the top. Up at the top, the evil side of Marik was ready to replay the attack that just backfired. "Arise, my Winged Dragon of Ra!" he commanded before his creature began to rise once more. 'This time, you have no way to protect yourself, Pharaoh!' he thought before the creature reappeared. "Behold the return of my Egyptian God Monster!' he bellowed.

"Your dragon is in its sphere form!" Yami said in disbelief. "That's right, and only I can release it, so stand back as I recite the ancient chant to unlock Ra." the evil one replied before crossing his arms. "Oh, mighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please, heed my cry! Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. Envelope the deserts with your glow and cast thy rage upon my foe. Unlock thy powers from deep within so that, together, we may win. Grace us with your presence and appear in this Shadow Game as I, first, call out thy name; Winged Dragon of Ra!" he declared.

In moments, the sphere unlocked and The Winged Dragon of Ra was released. "Now I shall merge with my creature, transferring my power to The Winged Dragon of Ra." he continued before all but his left eye was left visible on the field while his life points decreased to 1. "Now all but one of my life points will be turned into Ra's attack points!" he declared as Ra's attack points increased to 699. "Prepare for my final assault. The moment is here, I shall finally drain you of your ancient powers! And I shall rule as pharaoh." he added.

'This is our last chance to stop him!' Yugi thought. 'And save mankind from his evil.' Yami added, mentally. "There's still more. Next, I plan to sacrifice every one of my monsters and transfer their power to Ra, giving my beast almost 7000 attack points!" the evil one revealed. "That's more than enough to destroy Obelisk and wipe out what's left of your life points! No one can escape the fury of The Winged Dragon of Ra! Not even you, Pharaoh." he continued.

"We'll see about that." Yami replied, confidently, surprising the evil being. "I activate the magic card, Soul Taker!" he declared before his card activated. "Seto, what kind of card is Soul Taker?" Mokuba asked. "Just what Yugi needed. While it may give Marik 1000 life points, it allows Yugi to sacrifice one of Marik's monsters. But which of Marik's monsters Yugi will choose is the question." Seto answered, before he realized what his rival intended. "Wait! I think I know!" he shouted.

"You do realize that I can sacrifice any monster I wish with this card." Yami said, shocking the evil Marik. "Does this mean you're going to sacrifice Ra?" he asked, worried. "Anything's possible, Marik." Yami answered as a whirlwind started forming around The Winged Dragon of Ra. "What's going on?" Rarity asked. "I know what Soul Taker does, it allows Yugi to sacrifice any one of Marik's own monsters, and since Marik has merged with Ra, when his monster goes, so does he!" Spike shouted, realizing Yami's plan.

"This will never work, Pharaoh! Your magic card is no match for my Winged Dragon of Ra!" the evil one shouted. But Yami smirked. "I never said I was targeting your dragon." he revealed, shocking the evil one again while also puzzling him. "You're not?" the madman asked. "I have something better planned." Yami replied. "Okay, now I'm officially lost." Rainbow admitted. "But if he's not going to sacrifice The Winged Dragon of Ra, what IS he going to sacrifice?" Twilight asked.

"Alright. I choose, your indestructible Egyptian God Slime!" Yami declared. "But why him? That won't save you!" the evil one replied as the whirlwind began to surround the creature. "Well, I disagree. Your Egyptian God Slime is made up of two monsters that are fused together, so I'll be making a double sacrifice!" Yami revealed as the creature was split apart back into the two creatures used to form it, Metal Reflect Slime and Revival Jam.

"Then what?! I still don't understand the point of all this!" the evil one shouted. "Its simple. Obelisk the Tormentor's special ability requires two sacrifices." Yami replied, revealing his true intentions. "You're going to activate the hidden powers of Obelisk?!" the evil one asked. "Yes, to wipe you out!" Yami answered. "You can't do this!" the evil one shouted in defiance before Obelisk absorbed both creatures to make its power INFINITE.

'When two monsters are sacrificed, Obelisk's attack force becomes infinite! Now Yugi can destroy all of Marik's monsters!' Seto thought. "You'll never take down my Winged Dragon of Ra!" the evil one shouted. "Too late for that! And I'll destroy you with it!" Yami replied as Obelisk UNLEASHED its attack. "Wait, Pharaoh! There's still time for me to make one last move! I sacrifice my Bowganian and my Granadora!" the evil one declared before his two monsters vanished. "Now I can add their attack points to Ra! Plus, thanks to your Soul Taker magic card, I get a 1000 life points boost, which also gets added to Ra!" he added.

'Why is Marik boosting the power of Ra?' Twilight wondered as Ra's attack power increased to 4899. "My Egyptian God Monster's attack points have risen to almost 5000!" the evil one declared. "That glowing Eye of Anubis on your forehead must be burning your brain, because Obelisk is as strong as Exodia right now!" Rainbow shouted. In moments, the blow landed, with the force causing the whole island to shake.

"Did Yugi win?" Joey asked. "This duel is over!" Yami declared, before he saw how wrong he was. "Oh, no! Ra should've been destroyed! What's going on?!" he said in shock. "I activated a magic card to protect it, Pharaoh." the evil one replied before showing which card it was. "It's called Class System." he added. "No! This can't be!" Yami shouted in disbelief. "Sorry to disappoint you, but thanks to this card, only a monster with a higher power level than The Winged Dragon of Ra can destroy it, and I'm afraid Obelisk doesn't qualify." the evil one explained.

"So Ra was spared from Obelisk's assault." Yami said. "Very perceptive. Now my monster is stronger than yours, and its my move! Good try, but not good enough." the evil one replied as Obelisk's attack points returned to normal. "Now that Obelisk's power is no longer infinite, Ra can easily trample it. Guess Yugi missed his chance." Seto said. "So Yugi's, gonna lose?" Mokuba asked. "No, he won't." Fluttershy replied. "I don't know how, but I know that Yugi will NOT lose this." she added.

"Time for you to fall by the power of Ra!" the evil one declared as his dragon roared. Down on the ground, Odion continued to make his way toward the Duel Tower. 'I must save Master Marik from the wrath of his dark side.' he thought before making his way inside the tower, still stiff as a board. Up at the top, the evil half of Marik laughed in triumph.

"Alright, this duel is done!" he declared. "Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy him!" he commanded before the creature's attack launched. "I win." he said, thinking the game was done. "Not exactly." Yami retorted. "I now activate this! Magical Dimension!" he declared before his card was revealed. "I need a Spellcaster to activate it. My Dark Magician Girl will do." he added before his best girl got into position. "Now there's only one part left, I must sacrifice two of my monsters, Gazelle and Obelisk!" he continued before his creatures began to vanish.

"What's this?! You're sacrificing an Egyptian God Monster?!" the evil one asked in shock. "Yes, just like Kaiba did during his duel with Ishizu. Obelisk has served me well, but I must give him up, in exchange for one last chance!" Yami answered as the attack missed. Meanwhile, Odion had reached the elevator. 'Master Marik. It was your powerful words that enabled me to awaken.' Odion thought as he remembered the moment his young master spoke with him. 'It is my sworn duty to protect Master Marik. I must not allow his dark side to prevail.' he thought as he rode the elevator to the top of the Duel Tower.

"You were a fool to sacrifice Obelisk." the evil one said before chuckling while everyone else took in what just happened. "Without the power of your Egyptian God Monster to protect you, you have nothing left! You're done!" he shouted. "I have plenty left! Look around, I still have every one of my allies and friends to give me support, and I still have the Heart of the Cards to give me strength." Yami replied before olive green mist started to rise.

"What's going on?" the evil one asked before a casket appeared from it. "My Magical Dimension card also allows me to summon any Spellcaster from my hand!" Yami explained. "Oh, no!" the evil one said in horror. "I'm afraid so." Yami replied before the casket opened. "Now I summon, my Dark Magician!" he declared before his ace monster appeared. 'Well, well. Looks like Yugi's a lot smarter than I thought. No wonder he makes a great rival.' Seto thought with a smile, clearly impressed.

"And now I play my final card. Behold, Ragnarok!" Yami declared as his card was revealed. "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." he continued. "And since you and Ra are fused together, YOU will be destroyed as well!" he shouted. "That may be, but the devastation caused by your attack will also destroy what's left of my weak side." the evil one said with a chuckle before looking towards his other half, or what was left of him.

"Just look. The shadows have most of him already. One more attack from you will finish him off!" he stated. "That's not true. Once Ra is gone, he'll still have one life point left." Yami replied. "That means nothing! Since he's that weak, the force of the Shadow Realm will be strong for him to resist!" the evil one retorted with a wicked laugh. Back in the elevator, Odion continued up. 'I won't allow your inner evil to overpower your good heart, Master Marik. Ever since the day you were bit by a cobra, I pledged my word to your father that I would watch over and serve you. All my life since before you were born, I longed to be a Tombkeeper like you. This is my chance to fulfill that wish, by saving you, Master.' he thought.

At the top of the duel tower, the game neared its end. "Go on! Attack me and break the promise you made to Ishizu by destroying her brother!" the evil one taunted. 'What if our move does send Marik's good side to the Shadow Realm?' Yugi wondered while the evil one laughed. "Well? Go ahead and make your move, and crush an innocent soul!" the evil one dared as Odion made his way up the stairs to the arena. 'I hope I'm not too late. If I were to let Master Marik slip into the shadows, I could never forgive myself.' he thought before his thoughts went back to the moment his young master spoke with him.

With a few final steps, Odion FINALLY reached the arena. "MASTER MARIK! I SHALL PROTECT YOU!" he shouted, catching everyone's attention. "It's Odion!" Ishizu said in surprise while the evil half of Marik was shocked and horrified at the same time. "What's that fool doing here?!" he asked before growling in anger. 'That voice. But it can't be.' Marik thought before he saw Odion. 'It is! Odion!' he continued, surprised to see his protector on his feet again.

"Master Marik, please don't give up. There's still time!" Odion said, weakly. "Nonsense! The darkness is here to stay! There's no turning back now!" the evil one responded, defiant and determined not to let Odion push him down again.