Marik raised his hand, voice rising to a scream."O Almighty Sun God, Ra—grant me your ultimate power! Smite all who stand against me! Burn the unworthy to ash!"
Ra threw back its head and roared, the sound a thousand storms colliding. Its eyes glowed with liquid fire. The golden wings stretched wide enough to engulf the entire field in flame.
The entire blimp seemed to shudder. Monitors flickered. Every Duel Disk in the audience sparked briefly as the system tried to regulate the sheer energy surge.
Then, silence—save for the crackle of divine heat.Marik lowered his hand slowly, eyes locked on Jason. His grin was stretched thin, almost trembling. "Now, my God stands above all creation!
ATK 11,199!"
Jason tilted his head slightly, one hand resting casually in his coat pocket. "Interesting. Over eleven thousand attack points… certainly impressive on a statistical level."
Marik snarled, sweat rolling down his temple. "Statistics won't save you! The Winged Dragon of Ra—burn him to nothing! Ra's chest ignited, golden energy compressing into a sphere the size of a sun. The roar that followed was primal, ancient—an echo of divine judgment unleashed.
Jason didn't even flinch. "Countermeasures are part of the experiment," he said softly.At the last moment, the aura of three ethereal maidens appeared before him—Waboku—their shimmering barrier intercepting the solar blast in a bloom of blue light. The explosion rocked the field but left Jason untouched.As the flames receded, Jason stood motionless amid the smoke, his coat smoldering at the edges, his Duel Disk glowing faintly from the heat.
Marik's grin twitched, faltering for just a moment. "What—?!"Jason's voice, calm and cool, cut through the haze.
"Even a god's fury is predictable, Marik. You paid your life for Ra's strength… but you've left yourself with one point—one breath between existence and annihilation. I'd call that… a flaw in your equation."
The scientist adjusted his glasses, the reflection of Ra still burning within the black lenses. His tone softened into something unnervingly serene."Now," he murmured, "let's test a different hypothesis."
Marik snarled, his Duel Disk trembling slightly as the last of the flames died away. "You can hide for one turn, but it won't matter. Fusion Destiny will destroy your Dangerous at the end of the turn!"The scientist nodded once. "Correct."As the turn drew to its end, Destiny HERO – Dangerous knelt, light fading from its armor before disintegrating into digital ash.
The arena floor dimmed, flickering under the God's unrelenting presence. Marik exhaled slowly, satisfaction crawling back across his face. "It doesn't matter. You've only delayed the inevitable. Ra's light burns forever."
Jason adjusted his collar with unhurried precision. "Forever is a relative term."Marik's grin sharpened again, but behind the gleam of his eyes there was something else—a shadow of doubt. Jason's calm had not cracked once, not even before a god. That made the Pharaoh's spectators uneasy.
Jason's fingers hovered over his Duel Disk for a single, deliberate second—then flicked two cards into motion with cold precision.
"I activate the Spell Card—Double Summon!" he announced, voice clear, cutting through the arena's lingering heat.
The holographic glyph of the spell glowed in front of him like a burst of white energy, before dissolving into motes of light around his hand.
"This allows me to perform an additional Normal Summon this turn."
He drew a second card from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Disk with an echoing click.
"I Normal Summon Destiny HERO – Drilldark!"
A wave of dark steel energy erupted as Drilldark shot up from a vortex of shadow, landing with a sharp metallic step. Its twin drills spun on each arm, whirring like turbines ready to pierce fate itself. (ATK 1600)
"Drilldark's effect activates," Jason continued, the gleam of intellect behind his voice now laced with anticipation. "When he's summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Destiny HERO' monster from my hand."
He slid another card forward. "Come forth—Destiny HERO – Celestial!"
A bright flash of violet light burst from the ground, and Celestial appeared, blades drawn, eyes glowing like molten gold under her visor. She landed beside Drilldark, the two heroes standing shoulder-to-shoulder, their dark energy syncing in a rhythmic pulse. (ATK 1600)
The audience murmured, tension rippling through the crowd.
"Two monsters at once…" Joey muttered under his breath. "He's setting up for something big."
Jason's hand moved again, smooth and mechanical. "I banish Destiny HERO – Malicious from my Graveyard," he declared, "to Special Summon another copy from my Deck."
The digital image of Malicious disintegrated into particles, sucked into a vortex that ripped open midair. From the swirling darkness, a clawed hand burst outward, dragging forth another Destiny HERO – Malicious. The creature's armor glowed with the eerie red symbols of its kind.
It landed with a low snarl beside Drilldark and Celestial, completing the trio. (ATK 800)
"Why would Jason load up his field like that?" Rebecca whispered, frowning as the three HEROes aligned in perfect symmetry. "He's not just swarming the field—he's preparing a sacrifice…"
Joey's eyes widened. "Wait—he's got three tributes lined up. Don't tell me—"
Jason's calm voice sliced through the murmurs, cold and analytical:
"Marik… you're not the only one with divine monsters."
Marik's grin faltered, just a flicker of surprise cutting through his arrogance. "What?"
Jason raised his head, the overhead light glinting off his dark glasses. Beneath the black lenses, no emotion showed—only calculation. His voice softened, almost friendly.
"I'll admit, Marik… this duel has been enlightening. But I have no need to use the Millennium Eye to read your mind—or the Millennium Necklace to see your future for me to win this duel."
He stepped forward, the weight of his words echoing through the arena. "You really think I would let anyone wield a stronger divine beast than me?"
Marik's jaw tightened, his hand twitching near his Duel Disk. "You're bluffing."
Jason smiled faintly, tilting his head as though correcting a child's math. "I lied when I told you, back then, that Ra was the strongest."
That sentence hit like a thunderclap.
Odion's stoic mask broke for the first time—his brow furrowed deeply, a frown cutting across his face. Something in Jason's posture, the relaxed precision of his movements, the ghost of a smirk curling one corner of his lips… it all felt too familiar, too orchestrated. Like he'd seen this moment before.
Jason's hand swept across his field. "I Tribute Drilldark, Celestial, and Malicious."
Marik's eyes went wide. "No… you can't be—!"
Jason's voice rose—not in anger, but in reverent calm.
"From the depths of the void, from where light itself is devoured, I call forth a power greater than any god you've ever worshiped—"
The entire arena darkened instantly. The light from Ra's flaming body flickered and died, as though swallowed by an unseen maw. The temperature dropped sharply, a sudden chill cutting through the stifling heat. Even the air felt heavier, thick with gravity and dread.
A deep hum filled the silence. The floor panels of the holographic stage warped as pure darkness began to pool at Jason's feet, expanding outward in a slow, deliberate circle.
"I Tribute Summon… The Wicked Avatar!"
The shadows rose into the air, swirling together until they formed a colossal, perfect sphere—smooth, featureless, utterly black. Its surface reflected nothing. The arena's lights bent around it, swallowed whole. Ra's radiant aura collapsed inward as if the sun itself were being consumed.
The audience went dead silent. Even Ra's flames dimmed, its golden body flickering under the gravitational pull of the dark presence now standing opposite it.
Jason's lips parted into a grin, faint but unmistakable—a glimmer of pure satisfaction breaking through his composure. His voice dropped to a chilling whisper that still carried through the silence.
"The Wicked Avatar's attack and defense are always one hundred points higher than the highest ATK on the field."
The display screens lit up with crimson digits:
The Wicked Avatar – ATK 11,299.
Jason's sunglasses caught the glow as he tilted his head slightly. His tone softened, almost tender. "Which means, Marik, your precious Ra is already obsolete."
Marik's face twisted with disbelief. "No—no! That can't be! Ra's power is absolute!"
"Absolute?" Jason repeated, his smile widening. "Then consider this… your final experiment in hubris."
He stepped forward, each motion slow and precise. "While the Avatar remains on my field, you cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards for the next two turns."
The words hit Marik like a punch. He recoiled, eyes wide. "W-What?"
Jason's head tilted toward Odion, as if consulting an old colleague. "Which means, I believe the proper clinical term for his condition is…" He paused, almost politely.
Odion's jaw tightened. "Limited."
Jason gave a faint nod of acknowledgment. "Exactly."
The Avatar loomed silently behind him, its presence crushing. Even the faint hum of the blimp's engines was gone, replaced by a low vibration that set the audience's bones on edge.
Ra flickered again, its flames struggling to burn in the unnatural void around its opponent.
Jason raised his hand, the light glinting off his glasses. His voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of dark satisfaction.
"I think, Marik… fate favors me."
The words fell like a verdict.
Marik clenched his fists, sweat beading along his temple. The sight of his once-glorious God flickering, dimming under the presence of something that should not exist, filled him with disbelief and fury. "You dare betray me"
The air was heavy — suffocating under the pull of The Wicked Avatar's presence. The void around the black sphere seemed to drink in light itself. Even Ra's divine flames dimmed, reduced to flickers of gold struggling against the endless shadow.
Jason stood perfectly still, one gloved hand tucked into his lab coat, the other raised calmly toward the featureless god beside him. His sunglasses gleamed faintly in the dying light."
The Wicked Avatar," Jason said softly, almost as if instructing a patient in a controlled experiment, "finish this duel."The black sphere pulsed, and gravity itself seemed to shudder. A soundless wave of pressure swept across the arena — not flame, not lightning, but pure force — crushing and absolute. It expanded outward from the Avatar like the heartbeat of an eclipse.
"Wipe out the rest of Marik's life points," Jason finished.The crowd gasped as the black pulse lashed forward, enveloping the blazing form of The Winged Dragon of Ra. The golden god howled as its body began to collapse in on itself, light being swallowed by the perfect blackness consuming it. For a brief moment, Ra's roar echoed through the blimp — a dying sun devoured by void.Marik's eyes widened, disbelief warring with horror. "No… Ra—fight back! You're the God of the Sun! You can't—"Jason's voice cut through the chaos, calm and cruel.
"Physics doesn't bend to faith, Marik. Not even yours."Ra's body fractured into shards of gold, then vanished entirely — gone, erased as if it had never existed.Marik staggered backward, clutching his Duel Disk as the backlash hit. The wind from the collapse tore at his clothes and hair. "I'm not going to let you get away with ruining my life!" he shouted hoarsely, his desperation cracking through the bravado.He drew with a trembling hand.
"During your Battle Phase, I can Special Summon Juragedo in Defense Mode!"A streak of blue light formed before him as the monstrous fiend emerged, coiled and ready, its claws scraping the holographic floor.
(DEF 1300)
"And when I do," Marik added, his voice trembling but defiant, "I gain 1000 Life Points!"His Duel Disk beeped.
Marik's Life Points: 1 → 1001.
Jason tilted his head, lips curling slightly. "A flicker of resistance. How quaint."The Wicked Avatar's gravity pulsed again, the air warping around it. Jason extended one gloved finger, pointing straight at Ra's fading remnants."Avatar," he commanded, voice low but firm, "attack The Winged Dragon of Ra. End this farce."The black sphere drifted forward silently, growing brighter at its core. The energy built to a deafening crescendo — then erupted outward in a ripple that tore across the dueling platform.Ra's remaining essence shattered, and Marik's Life Points fell once more:1001 → 901.
The crowd's breath caught. Even Yugi, standing at the rail, could feel the oppressive aura pressing against his spirit. Connor and Rebecca exchanged a look of disbelief, Mai's jaw tightening as she stepped slightly in front of them. Odion clenched his fists, expression unreadable.
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