"Presumptuous!"
Marik's words immediately provoked a strong reaction from the priests.
"The Egyptian God is a divine spirit that only the chosen Pharaoh can wield. Your evil soul would be annihilated the moment you dared to touch it!"
Though no one spoke, there were priests present who realized a chilling detail upon reflection.
...How does this person know the name of the Egyptian God!?
Before Dark Yugi appeared, not even the previous Pharaoh knew the names of the Gods. Though the three divine beasts had always been inscribed on the stone tablets within the Guardian Divine Hall, no one had ever summoned them before.
Yet this unknown man with exaggerated expressions actually knows the names of the gods?
Still, the Pharaoh didn't show any surprise, and so the priests remained silent.
"The Darkness Game between you and me has already begun, Pharaoh." Marik chuckled lightly, "Last time, there were third-party interferences in Duel City, and we never got to face off. This time, let's make up for that regret!"
"Alright, I accept, Marik!"
Yugi leaped off his horse and gestured for the priests behind him to stand back.
"Let me shatter your ambition and darkness here!"
"Duel!" x2
[Yugi, LP 4000]
[Marik, LP 4000]
However, Yugi, the ancient Pharaoh, was using the futuristic Duel Disc that AIBO had specially sent him, while Marik, the time traveler from the future, was using the ancient alchemical dueling disc that Bakura had snatched for him, only able to summon cards via stone tablets...
"I'll go first." Marik habitually licked his lips, "Hehe, first up is this guy... I set a monster facedown onto the field!"
A stone tablet was set face down with a crash in front of him.
"Next, I set two more cards facedown, ending my turn."
Opening with three set cards, it seemed like this six-year-old contestant, though offline for a long time, still retained his signature eerie style, with that classic Marik-style smile being the ultimate symbol of health.
"My turn, draw!"
Yugi glanced at the card he drew, his eyes narrowing, his gaze like a blade directed at Marik.
"I don't have time to waste with you. Let's speed this up and finish it here." Yugi swiftly played a card, "Magic Card 'Painful Choice'.
This card allows me to select five cards from the deck to show to the opponent, from which they choose one to add to my hand, and the rest are discarded to the graveyard."
Here it comes, one of the strongest Divine Cards from the early DM era.
Choose any four cards to precisely send to the graveyard, plus one to add to the hand, a monster-level Divine Artifact indeed. In comparison, the eternally limited card "Foolish Burial" can only send one Monster Card from the deck to the graveyard, even losing one card from the hand, utterly unimpressive.
The card's name is truly fitting. "Painful" choice refers to the opponent.
After all, the opponent must find a way to choose the most dignified option from five death positions...
Yugi quickly revealed the five cards he chose from the deck, which were "Dark Eradicator Warlock", "Dark Magician Girl", "Breaker the Magical Warrior", "Magic Guide Warrior·Defender", and "Illusionist".
Five Spellcaster-Type cards.
Marik's expression briefly changed, thinking for a moment before pointing to "Dark Magician Girl".
"That one." he said.
Dark Magician Girl is a High-Level Monster and doesn't work with Magic Trap Cards as well as "Dark Magician", so she shouldn't be summoned immediately.
In simpler terms, she's a mascot that clogs the hand...
(Dark Magician Girl: Barely getting by through cuteness QAQ)
"Then, I'll add 'Dark Magician Girl' to my hand, and send the remaining four cards to the graveyard." Yugi shoved the four cards into the graveyard "Next, I summon 'Magician's Valkyria'!"
A magician dressed skimpily, resembling Dark Magician Girl, appeared on the field, her pale face stern and serious.
[Magician's Valkyria, ATK 1600]
"From my hand, I activate the Magic Card – Magicalized Fusion!" Yugi declared, "Banish Fusion Material Monsters from the field and graveyard from play to Fusion Summon Spellcaster-Type Fusion Monster!
I fuse the 'Dark Eradicator Warlock', 'Breaker the Magical Warrior', 'Magic Guide Warrior·Defender', 'Illusionist' from the graveyard, and the 'Magician's Valkyria' on the field for Fivefold Fusion!"
Marik's eyelid twitched: "Fivefold Fusion!?"
This was typical of a viewer who hasn't kept up with a season, such cards printed after Duel City were unseen by Marik.
Five magicians turned into five beams of light, shooting into a vortex in mid-air. The grand magic array rapidly unfolded, magic rings encircling each other gleaming in the sky.
"Breaking the shackles of time and space, ruling all as the ultimate magician—
——Quintet Magician!!!"
The divine mage in a wide robe descended gracefully, landing lightly in front of Yugi. His face was cold, golden hair flowing under a spell-caster's hat, hands holding two short magic staves, surrounded by five rotating arrays like a spinning windmill.
[Quintet Magician, ATK 4500]
"Quintet Magician's effect." Yugi declared, "Upon successful summon, destroy all cards on the opponent's field! Fivefold Magical Burst!"
Five arrays simultaneously activated, accelerating their spin. The sound produced resembled the low hum of engines, the magician's two staves acting like conductor's batons, weaving a grand symphonic magic score.
"Open the Set Card!" Marik gestured, flipping up a stone tablet, "Trap Card - Dark Sacrifice! Negate the effect 'destroy all cards on the field', then send a Level 3 or lower Dark Attribute Monster from the deck to the graveyard."
Numerous virtual stone tablets appeared before Marik, seeming to represent his deck. He reached out, selecting one, which then dissolved into golden flecks.
A mass of deep darkness swiftly released, consuming all of Quintet Magician's magical blasts like stones sinking into the sea, disappearing without a trace.
"Heh, quite unfortunate, Yugi. With a direct attack from 4500 attack points, I'd be done in immediately." Marik chuckled, licking his lips, "But don't rush, the duel's only just begun. Let me enjoy it properly."
"Then combat." Yugi ignored him, "Quintet Magician, attack the face-down monster!"
The magician raised the wand in his right hand, a magical bullet burst forth! The stone tablet abruptly flipped, revealing the monster hidden within...
...was a slimy, gooey Slime!
[Revival Jam, DEF 500]
"Hahaha! Remember this guy, Yugi?" Marik laughed, "Revival Jam is an indestructible monster; when destroyed, it can immediately return to life!" (Anime effect)
The magical bullet shattered the Slime into bits, but those pieces quickly reassembled, reforming into the soft, squishy Slime form.
"Seems like it's not working, Yugi." Marik sneered, "To hit harder, you'll need more power."
Yugi frowned: "I set a card face down, ending my turn."