If we were to choose the most loyal among the current Seven Priests, Mahad would rank second, and no one would dare claim first place over him.
This fact is apparent to all the priests, and even Simon, the old minister whose hairstyle and eye color closely resemble the Pharaoh's, wouldn't dare say he could compare to Mahad in this aspect.
In his childhood, Mahad once blocked a venomous snake's fangs to protect the then Prince, Dark Yugi. At that moment, without any hesitation, Yugi sucked the venom out with his mouth.
Mahad was shocked and hurriedly said, "How could you, a prince, do something like this for me?"
But the prince merely smiled at him and said, "Mahad, both of us have the same red blood flowing through our veins, how are we any different? My dream is to one day establish a world where everyone is equal..."
...In a slavery society, freedom and equality are hard to believe, right?
It may be an unrealistic dream; it might even be laughable, but Mahad didn't think so.
In front of noble royalty, he was merely a humble servant, a tool. That was the natural order of things. But the person on the throne genuinely considered him an equal friend, a living human being.
From then on, Mahad was determined to use his body as a foundation for the Pharaoh's dream. He wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his head and blood for that dream.
And that's what he's preparing to do now.
The Millennium Ring, known as the "Millennial Navigator," not only helps discern direction but also has tracking and positioning capabilities.
Using its functionality, Mahad had roughly located Bakura. At this moment, he couldn't suppress his urge, donned his sacred Dueling Disc, and immediately prepared to head out to duel Bakura one-on-one.
...only to bump into Youyu.
"Are you... the Pharaoh's friend?" Mahad paused momentarily.
"I suppose so," Youyu replied.
"If you are a friend of the Pharaoh, then you are a distinguished guest. I hope the service of the servants has been satisfactory." Mahad politely bowed.
"Thank you for your efforts, everything's been quite good," Youyu said, pausing as he glanced at the radiant Dueling Disc in Mahad's hand, "Are you planning to go out alone?"
"Just patrolling, a routine task, nothing major," Mahad said, his gaze shifting elsewhere.
With a resigned sigh, Youyu said, "Has anyone told you you're terrible at lying?"
Truthfully, Youyu couldn't quite understand Mahad's strategy of proactively engaging in a one-on-one duel. They had all witnessed Bakura's strength, and since they could track his location, wouldn't it be better to bring some help along?
In the animation, Priest Mahad went up to duel alone and ended up sacrificng himself... Well, not entirely meaningless, as at least he became the spirit of the "Dark Magician," eternally guarding the Pharaoh.
However, the Millennium Ring then fell into Bakura's hands.
Bakura's victory condition in this Darkness Game is to gather the Seven Great Millennium Items to revive his essence, the Great Evil God Sock, with the Millennium Ring being the most important tool among them.
Thus, to prevent the story from following the trajectory of the animation, Youyu couldn't possibly let Mahad go and sacrifice himself.
If Bakura managed to gather the Seven Items and revive the Great Evil God Sok, who could simply smash the Duel Disc and say he couldn't care less about cards, and directly confront people, given Sok's overwhelming strength, things could get genuinely dangerous.
Realizing he was exposed, Mahad decided not to hide any longer: "Indeed, I've found the location of the Thief King. I must go, and I kindly ask you not to inform the Pharaoh to avoid troubling him over this. I guarantee I'll defeat the Thief King and report back."
Youyu shook his head, "You're not his match."
Mahad furrowed his brows slightly, somewhat displeased with his blunt and impolite words.
However, perhaps due to Youyu's association with being "the Pharaoh's friend," Mahad did not react harshly: "You may not be aware of my strength, but rest assured, a mere thief is not my opponent."
He wasn't exaggerating without basis. Indeed, Mahad's prowess was astounding, and usually, a portion of his magic power was sealed. He also possessed an ultimate forbidden technique that could be performed at the cost of his own life, and with a resolute determination to die, he was confident he could defeat the Thief King.
"Is that so? Well, in that case..."
Youyu said no more and directly activated his Duel Disc.
"Are you planning to test my abilities?" Mahad understood.
"Sort of, or you could consider it me trying to make you reconsider," shrugged Youyu, "You see, if you can't even pass my test, then what gives you the confidence to face the Thief King who possesses the Three Evil Gods?"
Mahad contemplated for a moment.
"...Alright," he said, "I accept."
Mahad took a few steps back, stood at one end of the open space, and activated his Alchemy Duel Disc.
"I heard you defeated Priest Set, and it makes me curious about your abilities as well." He smiled faintly, "Let me take this opportunity to prove to you that I possess the power to challenge the Thief King."
Youyu smiled silently,
[Mahad, LP 4000]
[Youyu, LP 4000]
Five stone tablets fell onto the blue stone ground, dust spreading like a transparent wave.
"Then I will start first."
Mahad raised his hand, and the stone tablet fell before him.
"First, using the stone tablet of magic, summon the 'Pot of Greed' sealed within to gain two more stone tablets."
Then I will perform a monster summon—come forth, the magical spirit 'Maha Vailo'!"
The mage in a dark blue robe followed the summoning, appearing on Mahad's field, floating cross-legged in midair.
[Maha Vailo, Attack Power 1550]
Maha Vailo, by its name, should have some connection to Indian Buddhism, which perplexes how it relates to Ancient Egypt. However, in the animation, Yugi once told Anzu that this card was his favorite, and it also played a crucial role in dramatically impacting a duel's outcome for Anzu.
"Then, I'll set two stone tablets on the field; my first turn ends here."
Mahad glanced at Youyu, briefly contemplating.
Though he felt a bit apologetic towards the Pharaoh's friend, Mahad truly intended to give his all in this matchup. Even if it meant adopting a more aggressive approach, he wouldn't abandon his pursuits on Bakura.
For the Pharaoh, he's willing to do anything!
"My turn, I'll draw a card."
Youyu added the drawn card to his hand before selecting another from his hand.
"Magic Card 'Reasoning' activate."
As he watched the green Magic Card appear on the field releasing its magical power, Mahad couldn't help but feel a slight stir.
Indeed, as in the previous battle against the Pharaoh, there was no need for incantations or Dharma Seals to cast spells freely...
Youyu stated, "'Reasoning's' effect allows the opponent to declare a level between 1 to 12. Afterwards, I'll reveal cards from the top of my deck until I reveal a monster that can be normally summoned.
If the revealed monster matches the level declared by the opponent, all revealed cards are sent to the graveyard.
If it doesn't match the declared level, I can special summon the revealed monster, and the other revealed cards are sent to the graveyard."
Youyu gestured a "please" signal.
"Go ahead, pick any level you want between 1 to 12."
Mahad thought for a moment, "Then let's say level four."
Level four is the most common star level for monsters used in dueling.
Youyu revealed three cards from the top of his deck, with the third card being a Monster Card.
"The monster I've revealed is 'Sangan,' level three." Youyu continued, "As per 'Reasoning's' effect, I can special summon it."
[Sangan, Attack Power 1000]
"Alright," Youyu exhaled deeply, "It's time to try out this new power here."