At dusk the next day, Kira boarded a flight with the Egyptian Archaeological Bureau and arrived in Ancient Egypt together with Ishizu.
After a brief conversation with her colleagues at the bureau, Ishizu parted ways with them and took Kira to a car. They drove for about thirty minutes from the airport, leaving the city behind, and soon arrived at a mountain valley.
At first, Kira didn't recognize the place, but after getting out at the main entrance, he realized where they were.
This was where the curtain fell on the very first Duel King—the site of the ceremonial battle where the Pharaoh, having fulfilled his mission, fought his best friend in the present world. The soul that had wandered for three thousand years finally returned to its resting place.
The Tomb Keepers had guarded this place for three thousand years, waiting for the Pharaoh's return. But after the Pharaoh's last battle, its purpose faded. The stone tablet embedded with the seven Millennium Items shattered, sank into endless darkness, and vanished, while the ceremonial battleground collapsed.
Originally, this place had long become ruins. But a few years ago, Seto Kaiba tracked it down, sent people to excavate the ruins, and spared no expense to recover every piece of the Millennium Puzzle, all to find his only acknowledged rival.
That's why the once-buried entrance was now exposed again. But Kaiba's wish was fulfilled, and he later chased his rival to the Underworld to continue dueling, so the construction here was abandoned. KaibaCorp had long since withdrawn, leaving behind an empty palace.
Marik Ishtar was already waiting at the entrance.
Kira got out and, introduced by Ishizu, met Marik. They shook hands.
Marik smiled, "After all these years, it's an honor to finally meet the next Duel King after Yugi. I've been wanting to for a long time."
Kira replied, "Mr. Marik, the man who mastered the Winged Dragon of Ra—I've admired you for a long time, too."
Though their compliments sounded like mere courtesy, Kira was being sincere. He had indeed wanted to meet Marik, hoping for an opportunity to learn from him—and maybe even pay homage to the Tomb Keeper family's card vault.
The three entered through the gate. Inside, traces of past collapses could still be seen. In fact, two years after the ceremonial duel, Kaiba and the movie villain Aigami even fought atop the Pharaoh's tomb—where Kaiba famously drew Obelisk from his old rival's grave.
Many years had passed, but the place was still a mess.
"."
"The Evil God's Tablet?" Kira wondered aloud.
Marik said, "No, not exactly. At least not the kind of stone tablet we usually mean. You know, the original Duel Monster cards in modern times were made from excavated stone tablets—ancient people used these as their form of Duel Monster combat, which is no different from the cards we use today.
But this time, what we found isn't a tablet containing the three Evil Gods themselves. It's more like the 'Memory of the Pharaoh' tablet, recording certain events involving the Evil Gods."
Kira said, "Then let me guess—there's a key message on the tablet?"
Marik and Ishizu exchanged glances.
Ishizu said, "The tablet predicted this day would come. The Evil Gods would be released; the seal could never be permanent. Even if driven back for a time, they will always return.
One day, the Evil Gods will devour everything and turn the world to wasteland."
Marik added, "There's only one way to prevent this."
Kira stayed silent, waiting for them to continue.
"The Evil Gods... need a master."
Kira raised his eyebrows, a little surprised.
Ishizu explained, "It's not strange. Just as the three Egyptian Gods could only be truly controlled by the Pharaoh, even the gods needed restraint, let alone the inherently evil Evil Gods.
If they cannot be properly controlled, then no matter how many times you seal them, it's all just an endless cycle. Sooner or later, the Evil Gods will break free and bring irreparable harm to the world."
Kira thought for a moment. "Maximillion Pegasus?"
Pegasus was the only original holder of all three Evil Gods. While people like Keith Howard and Yako Tenma also used the Evil Gods, at the time, they were under Pegasus's control, acting on his orders. That's the only reason they could use the Evil Gods' power.
But Marik shook his head. "Even Pegasus couldn't resist the Evil Gods' power. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to destroy the cards and reseal the Evil Gods back then."
Kira said, "Wait, you're not saying... me?"
The siblings were silent, but their reactions seemed to confirm it.
Kira frowned. He wasn't uninterested in the power of the gods—but being interested and being qualified were two different things. He was already among the top duelists in the world, but whether he had what it took to subdue the Evil Gods, he wasn't so sure.
"It's not us who chose you, but fate," Ishizu said. "You've arrived at the crossroads of destiny with the Evil Gods. Maybe you're the right one."
"But if possible, I'd like to confirm that myself."
As Marik spoke, he walked to a table where a duel disk was already placed.
It was obvious Marik hadn't dueled anyone in years—the duel disk was an old model from Battle City, long since obsolete.
"You want to confirm it through a duel?" Kira asked.
"Of course, if you're willing," Marik smiled. "I've always wanted to duel with the new King."
Kira smiled back. "What a coincidence. I've always wanted that, too."
He activated his own duel disk.
Ishizu silently stepped back, giving them space.
The two took their positions on the very battlefield where the ceremonial duel had once taken place. Only, the old friends were gone, and the Millennium Stone no longer existed.
"Duel!" x2
[Kira, LP 4000]
[Marik, LP 4000]
Marik said, "Then I'll go first. Draw!"
"First, I play the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity.' Draw three cards, then discard two."
Marik revealed another card in his hand.
"I summon 'Vampiric Leech!'" (Anime Card)
A monster with the vibe of a sunny boy—a gigantic, wriggling maggot with a terrifying maw, its gaping mouth opening and closing in a chilling display.
[Vampiric Leech, ATK 500]
"Vampiric Leech, direct attack!" Marik declared.
Kira raised his eyebrows.
A direct attack on the first turn?
"Vampiric Leech possesses a unique ability among all Duel Monsters," Marik said smugly. "It can attack on the first turn!"
Kira: "…"
As expected of Marik's card—it even breaks the rules.
…