"You said you want to make The Winged Dragon of Ra... exit the stage?" Marik looked incredulous.
"If you don't believe it, then watch closely now." Youyu pointed to the ground, "Trap Card activated, Magician Navigation! Special Summon one 'Black Magician' from my hand, and then Special Summon a Level 7 or lower Dark Attribute Spellcaster-Type monster from the deck.
Come forth! Black Magician, Magician's Robe!"
The trap flipped, and the pitch-black array unfurled. The red-robed Magician flew out, guided by the emerald Magic Staff, followed closely by the illusionary robe draping down.
The first Black Magician was banished earlier due to the effect of the Magic Card "The Buried Sacrifice", but fortunately, Pandora managed to deliver a second one to Youyu just before meeting his end, so he still had a Black Magician to use now.
[Black Magician, Attack Power 2500]
[Magician's Robe, Attack Power 700]
"Oh, summoning Black Magician in this situation?" Marik sneered, "But then what? This kind of monster before The Winged Dragon..."
"It's not over yet!" Youyu continued to operate, "Magic Card, O - Oversoul! Special Summon a 'Elemental Hero' Normal Monster from my graveyard!
Come forth, 'Elemental Hero Sparkman'!"
[Elemental Hero Sparkman, Attack Power 1600]
Although it had been quite some time since it last appeared on the field, this hero had once been Youyu's "ace monster" for a brief period. With bated breath and head held high, this Sparkman seemed determined not to disgrace its owner.
"Ha, even if a new weakling monster appears... wait," Marik frowned, "could it be that you intend to..."
At this moment, Youyu suddenly felt a new power within the card box hanging on his waist, power he had never experienced before. It was as if something deep inside was shouting at him, and an overwhelming divine power surged up.
In a trance, the dueling arena before his eyes, along with Marik and the image of The Winged Dragon of Ra, disappeared from his sight.
Youyu saw a blurred image, saw dazzling thunder, rolling black clouds, and within it, a heaving red body. A massive mouth roared at him with the cry of the supreme king!
Youyu instantly understood.
That was Slifer!
The Slifer the Sky Dragon, which had previously insisted on maintaining its dignity as an Egyptian God and had pridefully refused to act, now seemed to be giving him a mental hint...
...meaning it was willing to lend him its power?
Youyu seemed to suddenly grasp something.
Perhaps Youyu's exceptional performance against the Millennium Rod and The Winged Dragon of Ra had gained divine approval, or maybe Slifer felt that its own holder (even if it did not admit it) being pummeled by its big brother, The Winged Dragon, was a shame for it as an Egyptian God.
In any case, this proud dragon seemed finally willing to lower its head and voluntarily lend Youyu its power.
At this moment, Youyu was amazed to see the effect description on his weakened version of the Sky Dragon in his hand gradually modify itself in lines of golden light effects!
Awesome! Is this the power of a god? Even card effects can be rewritten?
No wonder it's the Yu-Gi-Oh World, is this the traditional ability of legendary series protagonists across different eras?
"Slifer the Sky Dragon, Level 10, Divine Beast-Type, Attack Power? Defense Power?
Effect: This card's summon and effect cannot be negated. When summoned successfully, no Magic, Trap, or Monster effects can be activated.
As long as this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be targeted by effects of monsters below Level 10, is unaffected by Trap Card effects, and cannot be destroyed by card effects other than those of Divine Attribute monsters.
This card's Attack and Defense power increases by 1000 for each card in your hand.
If an opponent's monster is successfully summoned or special summoned in attack position, its attack power decreases by 2000. If its attack power falls below 2000, it is destroyed.
If this card is special summoned, it is sent to the graveyard during the End Phase."
Compared to before, it simply gained a line stating "cannot be targeted by effects of monsters below Level 10, is unaffected by Trap Card effects, and cannot be destroyed by card effects other than those of Divine Attribute monsters," adding a layer of resistance.
Though it still falls short of the full strength of a god, this is already quite powerful!
At least in the Duel Monsters environment, being unaffected by Trap Card effects means that attack declaration-type traps are ineffective against Youyu's Slifer—such traps are especially common in this environment now.
Resistance to destruction by card effects may seem ordinary years later, but in this environment, it is a resilience that could stand its ground as a major monster.
This instantly upgraded Youyu's Sky Dragon from being a discarded card to a major monster worthy of its status as an Egyptian God!
Youyu raised his head, looking toward the divine bird in the sky, and said quietly to the card in his hand, "Then I'll briefly borrow your power."
Marik: "?"
"I offer Black Magician, Magician's Robe, and Elemental Hero Sparkman as sacrifices..."
Marik's expression shifted drastically: "Three monsters as sacrifices, you are really going to...!?"
"Wait a minute!" Yugi hurriedly spoke from the audience, "If an ordinary person uses an Egyptian God, the consequences will be..."
President Kaiba said nothing, but he too widened his eyes to watch the dueling arena intently.
He believed that as long as they were true duelists, they could handle even Egyptian Gods, and those supernatural theories could just go to hell!
"Descend amidst the chaos of thunder, the god that pierces the Netherworld and reality—" Youyu slapped the card in his hand, "—The God of the Netherworld! Slifer the Sky Dragon!"
Thunder descended, and a pillar of red light fell from the sky, as if tearing the entire space of the Darkness Game in half!
A pair of gigantic red wings emerged amidst the pitch-black clouds, followed by a writhing red body. The sacred and majestic dragon appeared among the thunderclouds, its head peeking out from the other side of the dark clouds, fearlessly facing the Winged Dragon before it, emitting a hissing roar!
The God of the Netherworld, Slifer the Sky Dragon, is summoned!
"This is the Netherworld God, Slifer the Sky Dragon," Kaiba looked up at the towering dragon, muttering.
Watching Slifer appear obediently before Youyu, Yugi couldn't help but frown, thinking to himself: "Wasn't it said that only those related to the Millennium Items could command the Egyptian Gods? Could it be that Youyu... is also secretly connected to the Gods, just like Kaiba?"
Even though Ishizu had foreseen this possibility with the power of the Millennium Necklace, seeing it with her own eyes was still shocking: "He really... can command an Egyptian God..."
Marik was questioning reality: "Impossible! Impossible! How can someone as ordinary as you..."
Slifer roared at him. The Winged Dragon, not to be outdone, also bellowed, as if to say, don't get cocky, no matter how flashy your entrance, I'm still the big boss, you better behave.
Slifer roared again... but this time, it seemed a bit less imposing, as if it had lost a bit of its nerve.
Why, you ask...
[Slifer the Sky Dragon, ATK 3000]
Six-year-old swiftly snapped out of his shock at the God's unexpected descent and snorted, waving a big hand: "Even though I don't know what trick you used to make 'Slifer' listen to you, the outcome of this situation won't change either way!
Slifer's attack power depends on the player's hand size. Now you have only three cards in hand, such attack power can't defeat..."
"That's not necessarily true," Youyu chuckled lightly.
"Nani?" Marik felt as though this conversation seemed familiar.
"You think I wouldn't prepare at all and would just summon Slifer directly?" Youyu pointed at his feet, "I have two more cards here that I haven't used yet."
Marik was stunned: "Those were covered just before the Treasure from Heaven..."
"That's right, let me tell you what these two are! Activate Set Card!" Youyu waved his hand, "Magic Card - Pot of Avarice! Target five Monsters in your Graveyard, return them to the deck and shuffle, then draw two cards from the deck!"
A hideous large purple pot appeared, and five Monster Cards were ejected from Youyu's Graveyard, which he then returned to the deck, shuffled, and drew two more cards.
"At this moment, Slifer's attack power increases accordingly!"
[Slifer the Sky Dragon, ATK 3000 → ATK 5000]
Marik gritted his teeth: "To think you still had such a card hidden..."
"Activate Set Card!" Youyu wasn't finished, "Fifth Hope! Return five 'Elemental Heroes' from the Graveyard to the Deck and then draw two cards from the Deck!"
"Nani!!?" Marik once again involuntarily roared from his soul.
"So that's it!" Yugi suddenly realized, "With 'Reversal of Reality and Netherworld,' the entire Card Deck was sent to the Graveyard, ensuring a large number of monster resources in the Graveyard!
'Pot of Avarice' and 'Fifth Hope' not only utilize these resources to shuffle monsters back into the Deck, but also accelerate card drawing to convert into Slifer's attack power..."
"It's... it's amazing..." Even Shizuka, who didn't understand at all, had little stars in her eyes, "As expected, this big brother is amazing..."
Jonouchi's companion, Mai Kujaku couldn't help but sigh: "This strategy... did he calculate it this far? He's truly a terrifying duelist."
Player duo: "Youyu-san is awesome!" (Continuing to crack their voice)
[Slifer the Sky Dragon, ATK 5000 → ATK 7000]
[The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK 4900]
Six-year-old continued to question reality: "...Impossible! Impossible!"
The immensely powerful Slifer quickly stood up tall, seemingly growing even larger, roaring at the Winged Dragon in a way that seemed to say—
—Big brother, what were you saying earlier? The wind here is a bit strong, I couldn't hear you clearly...
"Battle!" Youyu swung down his arm, commanding loudly, "Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack! Overpower the Winged Dragon! Superconducting Wave—
—Thunder Cannon!!!"