"Hmph, struggle all you want, nameless Pharaoh. No matter how hard you try, only a God can defeat a God. If you can't Destroy [Slifer the Sky Dragon], you will die next Turn." After uttering a harsh remark, Marik Declared, "I Set a Card and end my Turn."
[Marik: 2100 LP, Hand 5]
[Slifer the Sky Dragon] [ATK 6000 → 5000]
[Regenerating Slime] (Call of the Haunted) [DEF 500]
[Card of Safe Return] [Black Snake Diarrhea] [Set Card]
Although he had blocked Marik's wave of Attack, as Marik said, Yugi's situation was quite critical at the moment.
With the incredibly high ATK granted by a large Hand and [Black Snake Diarrhea] accelerating the Duel by inflicting Damage every Turn, Marik was practically forcing Yugi into a choice—either Struggle and be crushed by a God, or Turtle up in Defense and be slowly eroded away by [Black Snake Diarrhea].
However, a true Duelist is not limited by the choices their opponent gives them. Yugi's gaze was firm as he Drew a Card: "My Turn! Draw!"
"I Activate the Effect of [Magic Attacker] from my Hand! By Banishing one Spell Card from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand!" Yugi took a Spell Card from his Graveyard and then Special Summoned the Card he had just Drawn to the Field. "[Magic Attacker] can Attack the opponent directly, and any Battle Damage I would take from its Battles is 0."
"Since I can't defeat [Slifer the Sky Dragon] head-on and I can't clear [Regenerating Slime] from the Field, then I'll just Attack you directly, Marik!"
Under Yugi's gaze, the miniature [Magic Attacker] appeared on his Field, looking brave and mighty. But before it could strike a pose, even though it was Yugi's Turn, [Slifer the Sky Dragon] suddenly opened its upper mouth. A Thunder Force bolt fell onto Yugi's Field, blasting the newly appeared [Magic Attacker] to pieces.
"This is?!"
Seeing Yugi's confusion, Marik laughed wildly, "Mudada, mudada, mudada! If [Obelisk the Tormentor] symbolizes the Power of a God and [The Winged Dragon of Ra] symbolizes the God's Eternity, then [Slifer the Sky Dragon] symbolizes the God's Majesty!"
"When a Monster is Special Summoned to your Field, [Slifer the Sky Dragon] automatically Activates its 'Thunder Force' ability, decreasing that Monster's ATK or DEF by a full 2000 points, depending on its Battle Position." Marik pointed at Yugi. "In other words, weak Lackeys don't even have the Qualification to stand before a God, and even Monsters with a bit of Power will be firmly suppressed by a God!"
"Decrease ATK or DEF by 2000 points..." Yugi frowned, realizing something quite bad.
This Effect of [Slifer the Sky Dragon] might not be a strong counter against everyone's Deck, but it seemed to heavily counter Yugi's Deck. In his Deck, there weren't many Monsters whose ATK or DEF could exceed 2000, and the key ones were high-level Monsters that required Tributes to Summon.
Even if he managed to Summon them, a simple "Thunder Force" from [Slifer the Sky Dragon] would instantly weaken them to the point of being useless. Even Yugi couldn't think of a good way to defeat this troublesome red Giant Dragon for a while.
"I change [Dark Magician Girl] to Defense Position and end my Turn." Turning the [Dark Magician Girl] on his Field sideways, all Yugi could do now was minimize the Damage he took and hope the next Draw would bring him a chance to win.
[Yugi: 2300 LP, Hand 0]
[Dark Magician Girl] [DEF 1700]
[Set Card]
"Heh heh, so you're out of options, nameless Pharaoh." Marik reached out and Drew a Card, a smile plastered on his face. "No need to worry, because you'll soon forget your worries in the face of the Pain I bring."
"During my Standby Phase, the Effect of [Black Snake Diarrhea] Activates again, deducting 200 Life Points from both players. Also, starting from the Next Turn, the Damage we take will double!"
As Marik's voice fell, a sharp Pain shot through Yugi's hand, making him grit his teeth. Enduring it, he Looked Up at the gloating Marik.
[Marik: 2100 → 1900 LP]
[Yugi: 2300 → 2100 LP]
"Oh dear, that looks a bit bad. Why are my Life Points slightly lower than yours? That won't do." Marik tilted his head, looking at his Life Points. He Drew a Card from his Hand, placed it in front of him, and like a pervert, stuck out his tongue and licked the Card before inserting it into his Duel Disk to Activate it. "I Activate the Spell Card [Supreme Fruit]."
"Because my Life Points are currently lower than yours, I can Recover 2000 Life Points with the Effect of [Supreme Fruit]!"
[Marik: 1900 → 3900 LP]
"He actually recovered the Life Points he lost, that Marik!" In the Audience Seats, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but grip the railing. "Don't lose to that guy, Yugi!"
Hearing Joey Wheeler's cheer for Yugi from the Audience Seats, Marik sneered at Yugi. "Such touching friendship, isn't it, nameless Pharaoh? Too bad, this Turn, your life will vanish before your friends' eyes!"
"I Activate the Spell Card [Magic Planter], Sending [Call of the Haunted] from my Field to the Graveyard, then Drawing two Cards from my Deck." As Marik Sent [Call of the Haunted] to the Graveyard, [Regenerating Slime], which was only able to remain On the Field due to [Call of the Haunted]'s Effect, was instantly Destroyed and Sent to the Graveyard along with it.
"Because [Call of the Haunted] left my Field, [Regenerating Slime] will be Destroyed, and then due to its own Effect, [Regenerating Slime] will Revive and return to the Field. I will also Draw three Cards from my Hand due to the Effect of [Card of Safe Return]." Marik said smugly, Drawing three more Cards from his Deck.
[Regenerating Slime] [ATK 1500]
Because he kept replenishing his Hand, he only had 6 Cards in Hand at the start of the Turn, but now his Hand size had increased to a full 9 Cards. As his Hand increased, even [Slifer the Sky Dragon]'s ATK increased again!
[Slifer the Sky Dragon] [ATK 9000]
"I Activate the Equip Spell Card [Steel Shell]. This Card can only be Equipped to a WATER Attribute Monster. I Equip it to [Regenerating Slime]." Marik played a Card, and a shell like a spiky Turtle shell appeared on the soft, slime-like [Regenerating Slime], which [Regenerating Slime] used like a gauntlet.
[Regenerating Slime] [1500/500 → 1900/300]
"Battle Phase! First, [Regenerating Slime] Attacks [Dark Magician Girl]!" Marik commanded, a twisted grin on his face. "After Destroying this Monster, you'll have no barrier left to block a God's Attack!"
[Dark Magician Girl] [DEF 1700]
Just then, Yugi flipped over the Card he had Set on the Field earlier.
"At this moment, I flip my Set Card! Trap Card [Soul Shield], Activate!"
Facing the [Regenerating Slime] that charged with its Turtle shell, [Dark Magician Girl], who only held a fragile Magic Staff, chanted a spell. A sturdy shield suddenly appeared in her hand. [Regenerating Slime]'s Attack hit the shield like cotton hitting tofu, completely unable to Destroy it, and ultimately returned without effect.
Simultaneously, Yugi's Life Points began to decrease.
[Yugi: 2100 → 1050 LP]
"The Effect of [Soul Shield] is to pay half of my Life Points to Negate Battle Destruction and End the Battle Phase."
Having paid half of his already low Life Points, leaving only a little over 1000, Yugi's voice sounded slightly weak. "Because it targets the Battle Phase itself and not the God, even if the God has Trap Card Protection, it cannot Attack this Turn."
Marik glared at Yugi, annoyed. "Hmph, you managed to cling to life again. Your Life Force is truly tenacious. Delaying again and again only makes me more eager to use a God to end your life, nameless Pharaoh!"
"Heh, before that, your Hand size is already 8 Cards, right? The Hand limit is 6 Cards. You need to Discard 2 Cards before you can End Turn."
Hearing Yugi's words, Marik showed a contemptuous smile. "Did you think I wouldn't have considered something like that? I told you, a God's Power is infinite, and correspondingly, my Hand size is also infinite!"
"I Activate the Continuous Spell Card [Endless Hand]. As long as this Card is On the Field, both players have no Hand size limit." Placing the Card in his Spell & Trap Zone, Marik smugly waved the Cards in his Hand. "Because of [Endless Hand], even though I still have 7 Cards in my Hand, I don't need to Discard any Cards. End Turn."
[Marik: 3900 LP, Hand 7]
[Slifer the Sky Dragon] [ATK 7000]
[Regenerating Slime] (Steel Shell) [ATK 1900]
[Set Card] [Black Snake Diarrhea] [Card of Safe Return] [Endless Hand]
Marik was signaling to Yugi, showing him that he didn't need to Discard his Hand and could keep stacking the God's Power infinitely. To maximize [Slifer the Sky Dragon]'s Power, he had specifically filled his Deck to the brim; he still had a thick stack left in his Deck even after Dueling this long.
But when Yugi heard Marik's words, he couldn't help but think of something.
(This chapter is finished)