"Mahad, lend me your strength!"
Yugi raised the card he had retrieved with the power of the "Magician's Rod." Though it was merely a Magic Card, the moment it was activated, it burst forth with a brilliant white divine light.
"Continuous Magic 'Magical Circle,' activate!"
The aura of Ha Des was instantly suppressed, and the darkness was dispersed by a force even more dominant and pure.
Rings of the spell floated in the air, forming a dazzling magic array, its borders seemingly forged from black gold, with intricate magic incantations etched clearly along its circular path. As the array was activated, the rings spun rapidly, a white cyclone rampantly swirling around.
"What is that magical circle?"
The Dark Grand Priest watched the swirling array, beginning to feel uneasy.
What kind of spell is this? Why have I never heard of it?
Could it be a secret technique of the Black Magic lineage?
"The effect of the Magical Circle, upon activation, reveals the top three cards of the deck. You can add one 'Dark Magician' related Magic Trap, or a 'Dark Magician,' to the hand, and the rest are returned to the top of the deck in any order the player chooses."
"A spell that can influence the trajectory of the future?" The Dark Grand Priest waved his arm dismissively, "It's useless! Against the power of the Evil God, these magicians' petty tricks are meaningless!"
Yugi revealed the top three cards of the deck and immediately extracted one of them.
"I'll add the Quick-play Magic 'Illusion Magic' to my hand."
He repositioned the other two cards and placed them back into the deck.
"Then, activate the Quick-play Magic 'Illusion Magic' from the hand!" Before Yugi, a magic card floated directly, "Offering the Spellcaster-Type monster on the field as a tribute, add 'Dark Magician' from the deck to the hand. I'll offer the 'Magician's Rod' as a tribute to add 'Dark Magician' to my hand."
A phantom of bluish-green vanished from the field, and a card shot out from the deck, which he drew and added to his hand.
The players nearby, in the middle of their monster battles, took a moment to express their excitement.
"Here it comes, the Dark Magician's solo show!"
"Let's fast-forward to the Dark Grand Priest ripping cards and fighting."
"..."
At this moment, Yugi revealed the next card: "From the hand, activate the Magic Card - Black Magic Veil! Pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon a Dark Attribute Spellcaster-Type monster from the hand or graveyard.
Once again, fight alongside me, Mahad! Spanning three thousand years of time, my most powerful servant—
——Dark Magician!"
[Yugi, LP 4000 →LP 3000]
Dazzling lines interlaced, outlining a crystal-clear magic array. A slender figure cloaked in black flew out from the array, the surging magic power akin to a high-speed gust, with a green magic staff spinning in the wind.
He raised his hand high, the staff drawing a circular arc before falling steadily back into his grip. The entirely green magic staff swept over slowly and steadily, the tip of the staff unleashing a surge of magic power, forming an inviolable absolute domain.
He floated in the air, the magic staff held like a spear, protecting his master behind him.
[Dark Magician, ATK 2500]
"Mahad." Priestess Isis called out his name softly.
For her, this outcome might be the most cruel. Priestess Isis had feelings for Mahad that went beyond friendship, a fact not kept secret among the priests.
But in the history of three thousand years ago, Mahad also chose to use forbidden techniques to self-destruct, becoming the Pharaoh's eternal servant, never responding to her feelings.
Three thousand years later, the Dark Magician as a spirit and the reincarnated sister Ishizu of Priestess Isis had no interactions in the plot, which was a slight regret.
"Unleash your true power here, Mahad!" Yugi pointed forward, his cape billowing behind him, "The effect of the 'Magical Circle'!
Once per turn, when you summon a 'Dark Magician' on your field, banish one card on the opponent's field from the game!
I will banish 'Dark Ruler Ha Des' from the game!"
The Dark Magician raised his staff, and the magic ring in mid-air whirled as if cheering! Magic power surged and expanded, the light intensely dazzling. The rampaging magic power tore a rift in the space with dominance, the torrent of magic unceremoniously blasting Ha Des into the depths of the breach.
The Dark Grand Priest watched wide-eyed from behind his mask.
"Such a powerful Black Magic!?" he exclaimed incredulously, "Mahad...was he hiding such great power all along?"
The Dark Magician spoke coldly: "For the Pharaoh, I will endlessly become stronger."
Others who overheard this might just shrug it off, but the comedic players felt that the Master was probably not merely speaking.
It's been over twenty years since DM concluded, yet new cards reinforcing the Black Magic Deck still pop up from time to time. According to the animation's worldview, these new cards should be all spells and special abilities mastered by the deck's protagonist, the 'Dark Magician.'
Which is why people often joke, saying you never know how many new forbidden Black Magic techniques the Master has researched in the Netherworld...
"Take this, Aknadin! A strike containing all of Mahad's emotions!" Yugi waved his hand and shouted, "Dark Magic Burst!"
The Master might want to remind his master, saying actually, I don't really want to use this move here for the Pharaoh...
...but it doesn't matter anymore.
The Dark Magician soared, magic power surging from his staff, the dark torrent lifting his robe. The domineering magic wave erupted on the face of the Dark Grand Priest, blasting the old man back, rolling in disarray, as the magic's trajectory shattered the floor into powder.
[Dark Grand Priest, LP 4000 →LP 1500]
The Dark Grand Priest lay blasted on the ground, his armor charred black, with black smoke rising from his body, trembling and unable to get up for a long time.
How could an old-timer like Aknadin withstand such intensity? Given his age, had it not been for the amplification of power granted by the Evil God, such a strike might have already drained his strength beyond recovery.
"Mahad, you stubborn one..." The Dark Grand Priest glared coldly at the Dark Magician opposite, his teeth gnashing.
Yugi drew a card from his hand, and stared at it silently for a long while, seemingly touched by the card itself, feeling a complex mix of emotions, momentarily unsure of what to say.
"Pharaoh, no need to think too much; this is my own resolve," the Dark Magician turned his head and spoke slowly, "This is my choice. If I can eliminate obstacles for you with my meager power, then it will be my honor."
"...I understand."
Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, drawing the card from his hand and directly inserting it into the Duel Disc.
"Set one card face-down on the field, and end my turn."