"I didn't expect that in the end, I still couldn't use the 'God Card' properly…"
Marik took the full brunt of Joey's attacks, watching his LP drop to 0.
From his Graveyard, he picked up [The Winged Dragon of Ra]. "It's true I never managed to unleash Ra's ultimate power, but still…"
He held [Ra] in his hand, then glanced at the top card of his remaining Deck, as if unwilling to accept his fate. It was the card he would have drawn next turn—if he'd had one. "[Monster Reborn]… what a cruel twist. If only I'd lasted one more turn…"
Stepping forward, he shook Joey's hand and handed him [The Winged Dragon of Ra].
"According to Duel City's rules, this [The Winged Dragon of Ra] now belongs to you, Joey. I believe you'll earn Ra's recognition someday. However, using Ra requires fulfilling certain special conditions. While the next duel is going on, I'll explain them to you in detail."
······
Watching Marik and Joey walking off the stage together, arms around each other like old friends, Youmi thought that if [Ra] had been swapped for [Slifer], Joey probably wouldn't have stood a chance.
Looking at it that way, [Ra] really was the weakest of the three.
As she was thinking that, Mai Valentine and Seto Kaiba had already stepped onto the dueling platform—the final match of the quarterfinals was about to begin.
Turn 1
"My turn—draw."
Perhaps because of his absolute confidence from possessing an Egyptian God Card, Kaiba didn't bother to seize the first turn.
He casually drew his opening hand—but seeing that his opponent showed no sign of taking the initiative either, he decided to act first after all. Drawing one more card, he declared, "I Normal Summon [Lord of D.]! Then I activate the Normal Spell [Flute of Summoning Dragon]! This can only be activated and resolved while [Lord of D.] is on the field. I Special Summon two Dragon monsters from my hand—come forth, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!"
[Lord of D.] played a haunting melody that stirred dragons into battle. From Kaiba's hand, two magnificent white dragons soared forth, landing by his side.
"Next, I activate [Pot of Greed] to draw two cards from my Deck." Kaiba played the Spell, drew two more cards, glanced at them, and then smirked. "And I'll play two more [Pot of Greed]! Since they're separate cards, I draw four more in total."
After drawing his four new cards, Kaiba gave a satisfied grunt. "I Set four cards face-down and end my turn."
Turn 2
"Setting four cards right off the bat… that's pretty risky…" Mai muttered as she drew her card. "I activate [Harpie's Feather Duster], destroying all Spell and Trap Cards you control!"
"Hmph. Such a direct Spell won't work on me." Kaiba snorted and flipped one of his Set cards. "Counter Trap [Dark Bribe]! I negate your [Feather Duster], and you draw one card."
Mai frowned as she drew. She hadn't really expected to clear all four cards with one move anyway—however, the new card she drew wasn't particularly helpful.
"I discard [Harpie Queen] from my hand to activate its effect, adding [Harpies' Hunting Ground] from my Deck to my hand. Then I activate the Field Spell [Harpies' Hunting Ground]!"
"As long as this card remains on the field, all Winged Beast monsters gain 200 Attack and Defense. Next, I Normal Summon [Harpie Lady 1]!"
"This card's name is treated as [Harpie Lady]."
The field transformed into the [Harpie]s' domain as Mai continued her turn. "[Harpies' Hunting Ground]'s effect activates! When a [Harpie Lady] or [Harpie Lady Sisters] is Normal or Special Summoned, that player targets one Spell or Trap on the field and destroys it. I target your middle card and destroy it!"
Kaiba looked down at the chosen card and didn't react as it was destroyed—it was [Sakuretsu Armor].
"Whew… [Sakuretsu Armor], huh? That makes things a little safer. I activate [Elegant Egotist]! When I control a [Harpie Lady], I can Special Summon one [Harpie Lady] or [Harpie Lady Sisters] from my hand or Deck. Come forth—[Harpie Lady Sisters]!"
"Since [Harpie Lady Sisters] was Special Summoned, I target your leftmost Set card and destroy it!"
This time, Kaiba didn't remain still. He flipped the chosen card open—at the same time, one of his [Blue-Eyes White Dragons] dissolved into countless points of light. "I activate [Burst Breath]!"
"By Tributing one Dragon monster I control, I destroy all monsters on the field with Defense less than or equal to the Tributed monster's Attack. Your [Harpie Lady 1] and [Harpie Lady Sisters] have 1400 and 2100 Defense, even with the Field Spell's 200 boost—still far below the 3000 Attack of [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. Therefore, all your monsters are destroyed!"
The [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] turned into shimmering particles of light, forming the shape of a dragon's head that unleashed a mighty breath—destroying all of Mai's monsters before vanishing itself.
"What?!" Mai stared at her ruined monsters and the [Triangle Ecstasy Spark] in her hand, suddenly finding herself cornered. "I Set two cards and end my turn."
Her Set cards were [Fake Trap] and [Mirror Force]. Even if her opponent used [Heavy Storm] or [Mystical Space Typhoon], she'd be fine. And if Kaiba attacked, she could clear his field instantly—though that would leave her relying on top-decks afterward, at least he'd be in the same boat.
"At the end of your turn, I activate the Continuous Trap [Call of the Haunted] to Special Summon [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] from my Graveyard."
He'd only revived another [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], and with [Lord of D.] granting protection from targeting effects, Mai's heart pounded despite her stoic poker face.
Turn 3
"My turn—draw! I Tribute [Lord of D.] and my two [Blue-Eyes White Dragons] to Tribute Summon!"
Three raging tempests enveloped Kaiba's monsters as lightning flashed. On the trembling Duel Airship, the silhouette of another Egyptian God descended.
"Behold the pinnacle of Duel Monsters—[Obelisk the Tormentor]! Attack, [Obelisk]! God Hand Crusher!!!"
Kaiba's expression grew arrogant as ever. Ignoring Mai's two Set cards, he declared his attack.
"Attack and Defense both 4000… a Level 10 Egyptian God… but—" Though overwhelmed by its divine presence, Mai didn't lose her composure.
Unlike Joey, she hadn't heard from Yugi about the Gods' resistances… and didn't realize she was already doomed. "When your [Obelisk the Tormentor] declares an attack, I activate my Set card [Mirror Force]! Destroy all Attack Position monsters you control!"
A radiant, holy barrier formed in front of Mai, yet it only blocked [Obelisk] for a brief moment before shattering into dust.
"Why wasn't [Obelisk] destroyed?!" Mai gasped as that colossal fist hurtled toward her, the shockwave sending her flying off the stage.
Kaiba snorted again, watching Mai struggle to get up from below the Duel Platform. Turning away, he descended the stairs. "[Obelisk] isn't a monster—it's a God! Magic and Trap destruction effects have no power over it! Remember that well!"
"So strong… truly divine, huh…"
Supported by Joey, Mai looked after Kaiba's retreating figure, her eyes filled with both frustration and resolve—then fainted in his arms.
Joey, who had never seen such a scene before, panicked. "Mai—hey, Mai!?"
"She's fine," Youmi said, waving over several staff members. "She's just exhausted from the God Card's mental strain. A good rest will fix that. Take her to rest, Joey. As for the rest…"
If she managed to claim the Duel King's title in this Duel City tournament, then the rest would no longer concern her.
Perhaps it was time to withdraw, to stop getting entangled with this world's people. Everyone had their own destiny, after all. Ever since learning that this world rejected her very existence, she'd wondered if her interference had harmed Joey and the others.
Now… she felt uncertain.
Still, regardless, uncertainty wouldn't change anything. What she needed to do was simple—keep winning until the very end.
...
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