Could there be a second invalidation!?
However, through the "Exchange of the Spirit," Youyu discarded most of his card deck, so it's no surprise he would throw a second Gate Guardian away...
"Impossible... impossible!" Six-year-old was truly panicking this time, gritting his teeth, "Could it be that I really will lose to this guy? Lose to a guy like this?"
Slifer the Sky Dragon roared at him as if to say—
—Isn't that obvious? Don't you have a sense of reality about whether you can win or not?
The crowd, including Honda, Shizuka, and others, were now in awe of Youyu, even professionals like Yugi and the president couldn't help but admire him.
"It's as if this person's duel is meticulously planned," Yugi said, "Using Exchange of the Spirit to leave the opponent with no cards to draw... and he even prepared for the backup plan if this tactic failed.
Even the one-turn kill combo with Monster Reborn on the Winged Dragon of Ra was blocked. Marik has been completely suppressed by him from the start. Now Marik has only one card left in his deck, and honestly, I don't see any way for him to turn the tables."
Jonouchi looked at Youyu with a complex expression: "So he was this strong..."
Marik gritted his teeth.
Damn it, are you kidding me! Could it really be that I'm going to be buried by this guy in the Darkness Game?
I was supposed to be seeking revenge, and now I won't even get a chance to fight the Pharaoh unless I'm taken out by some foot soldier from the roadside, what kind of joke is that!
... Wait, there's still one last move.
He still had hope.
Marik gritted his teeth and covered one of his remaining two cards: "I... I cover one card, then activate the Magic Card - Goblin's Secret Remedy! Recover 600 LP for myself!"
[Marik, LP 500 → LP 1100]
Youyu narrowed his eyes.
By recovering 600 LP, Marik's LP returns to above 1000, fulfilling the activation condition for the effect of the Divine Phoenix.
So indeed, could it be that Marik has another method to resurrect the Sun God?
However, it doesn't look like he's very confident from his reaction.
"My turn, draw a card!" Youyu pointed upwards, "At this moment, Slifer's attack power increases again!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon, ATK 5000 → ATK 6000]
Slifer let out a majestic roar towards the sky, seemingly growing more confident as its master's hand increased.
"Battle!"
"Slifer attacks!" Youyu ordered, "Superconductive Wave - Thunder Cannon!"
The Sky Dragon slowly opened its lower mouth, golden light glimmering within, and a massive impact, accompanied by countless lightning bolts, was looming large!
"It's not over yet! I still have this... This is my true move for reversal, to awaken the sleeping Egyptian God in the graveyard and bring a real end to this farce!"
Marik raised his hand and shouted: "Quick-Play Magic - Dark Regeneration activates!" (Anime card)
Youyu narrowed his eyes, noticing yet another card he hadn't seen before.
"Dark Regeneration allows the use of a Magic Card from the opponent's graveyard at the moment of the opponent's attack declaration!" Marik said in a deep voice, "You have that card in your graveyard, don't you?"
Youyu remained silent.
From Marik's earlier flustered reaction, it was clear that he wasn't sure if Youyu's graveyard contained that card. So this was a gamble on his part, his final struggle.
After all, unlike in animations, in reality, players can't confirm each other's graveyards.
But his luck was good, and he guessed right.
"I want to use... 'Monster Reborn' from your graveyard!"
In an instant, a golden light burst from Youyu's Duel Disk Grave Zone, and a pillar of light soared skyward on Marik's field, forming the Rune of Life of Monster Reborn!
"Hahaha! Your graveyard indeed has Monster Reborn!" Marik laughed, "Success! I will use Monster Reborn from your graveyard!
Sun God resting in the grave, resurrect in the form of the Divine Phoenix and burn everything in existence!
The Winged Dragon of Ra—Divine Phoenix, descend!"
The pillar of light soared into the sky, with a spiraling column of fire materializing the entity of the Undying Phoenix, the infernal Winged Dragon descended once more!
[The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK 0]
"Block Slifer's attack for me!" Marik ordered.
The Sky Dragon unleashed a divine golden light from its mouth, a swirling impact dragged with bolts of lightning and fiercely collided with the fiery shield enshrouding the Phoenix.
The Sun God's flames surged high, the formless impact erupting, knocking away the beams spat out by Slifer in all directions. Yet the flames around the Phoenix remained, seemingly unaffected by the powerful blow.
"Hahaha, such an attack has no effect on the Divine Phoenix!"
The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Six-year-old felt reinvigorated.
"Throughout the entire round that the Divine reincarnates as the Phoenix, it won't be destroyed by battle, the damage it does to me is also 0!"
"It isn't over yet!" Youyu interrupted his laughter, "Because your field has Special Summoned a Monster, Slifer's special ability is activated as well! Thunderforce Buster!"
[The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK 0]
The Thunderforce Buster that Youyu now wielded with Slifer had weaker effects than the anime version; its effect allows it to reduce the summoned or Special Summoned opponent's Monster by 2000 ATK, destroying them if their ATK is less than 2000.