"Furthermore, I pay 1000 Life Points to transform The Winged Dragon of Ra into its Immortal Phoenix mode! Now, perish! I destroy your face-down defense position monster!"
Because Ra's effect could be triggered once per turn by paying 1000 LP, it took on the form of the Immortal Phoenix. Every time the turn ended, it would revert to its standard form, requiring another 1000 LP payment to be reactivated.
Marik's LP dropped by 1000, leaving him with 5300.
Since this was a Shadow Game, the one suffering the physical toll was Marik's other soul, allowing the dark personality to act without the slightest hesitation or care for the cost.
On the field, You Feng's face-down monster was incinerated into ash.
"You Feng! You might as well surrender now! Heh heh, hahahaha!! I set one card and end my turn!" Marik gave a sinister, twisted smile.
"Hold it! Before you reach the end of your turn, during the End Phase, I activate my trap!!" You Feng's previous state of heavy suppression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold sneer. "It's a pity, Marik, but your Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode won't be returning to you!"
"Nani?!" Marik froze.
"I activate the trap card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter! I choose The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode! It is banished from the field until the end of this turn!!" You Feng swept his hand out as his face-down card flipped up, instantly spiraling the golden sphere into a rift in space.
The reason You Feng had waited was precisely to let Marik finish his Immortal Phoenix attack. Had he banished it earlier, he would have left his front line wide open for Marik to strike at his Life Points directly.
"What a shame, Marik! I've disappointed you again. As I said, I have been preparing for this battle for a very long time." A faint, confident smile played on You Feng's lips.
"You Feng... you certainly are stubborn!" Marik bit his teeth in frustration. Since Sphere Mode was currently under You Feng's control, banishing it meant it was treated as his monster. It would not return to Marik's side of the field.
"Yosh!! As expected of You Feng! This is getting my blood pumping! He finds an opening every time things look the most grim!" Joey shouted, his voice thick with excitement.
"I believe everyone here has had their fighting spirit ignited..." Yami Yugi nodded in agreement. To any true Duelist, witnessing such a high-level clash was deeply moving.
"My turn! Draw!" You Feng snapped a card from his deck.
"Due to the effect of Interdimensional Matter Transporter, The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode returns to my field!" You Feng's lips curled upward.
On Marik's side, the Immortal Phoenix had already reverted to its base form, The Winged Dragon of Ra. Its Attack and Defense were both 0, as the Phoenix Mode lasted only for the duration of the turn it was activated. Marik would have to pay another 1000 LP if he wanted to bring the flames back.
In the original anime, the Phoenix form would be sent to the Graveyard at the end of the turn, but clearly, that rule didn't apply here. This version of Ra was both buffed and nerfed compared to the original lore.
The nerf: Its effects could not destroy fellow Egyptian Gods like Obelisk or Slifer.
The buff: Reverting from Phoenix Mode did not require it to be sent to the Graveyard.
Because of this, Marik's claim that Ra was the supreme and strongest god still held some weight.
"I set one monster in face-down defense position!" You Feng declared.
"But I'm not done yet! I pay 800 Life Points to activate the spell card, Premature Burial! I revive Obelisk the Tormentor from the Graveyard!! Awaken!! My loyal servant!! Obelisk the Tormentor!" You Feng roared with a wide sweep of his arm.
The ground shook as the towering blue titan rose once more from the depths of the Graveyard, reclaiming its place on the field.
"You Feng actually brought Obelisk back again?!" Yami Yugi couldn't hide his shock and excitement.
"Good!!" Kaiba shouted. He had been brooding over Obelisk's previous destruction, and seeing the God of Power return to the field filled him with a surge of adrenaline.
"But..." Mai hesitated, a look of worry crossing her face as if she sensed an impending disaster.
"Heh heh, hahahaha... You Feng, the fact that you've lasted this long is beyond my imagination, but you still don't understand! Before the might of The Winged Dragon of Ra, your Obelisk the Tormentor is nothing but a futile struggle!! Hahaha!! I activate Ra's effect! I pay 1000 LP to enter Phoenix Mode and destroy one monster on your field!"
"And the one I choose is The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode! Don't think for a second that this card will protect you!! How does it feel? Does despair taste sweet? I have my God, I have my Phoenix,
and I have Mithra the Thunder Vassal in defense! You have no way to break my ultimate divinity!" Marik's face distorted into a series of grotesque, manic expressions, his hair standing on end as his "Face Art" reached a terrifying peak.
Marik's LP: 4300.
"How regrettable for you, Marik! This turn, you are still going to be annihilated by my Obelisk the Tormentor!!" You Feng sneered, a sharp, piercing light erupting from his eyes.
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