The Protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Might Be the Same Person

"The sight here must have sent shivers down your spine, but that's how Guardian Sphinx's special ability activates. By consuming an opponent's monster, it can transfer half of that monster's ATK to its own."

Guardian Sphinx suddenly transformed into a humanoid form.

[Katsuya Jonouchi: LP 1800 → 400]

[Guardian Sphinx: ATK 2500 → 3050]

"Its ATK is now 3050, and it even transformed! Is this the evolution you mentioned? But..."

Jonouchi suddenly calmed down.

"The effect of Amazoness Fighter, sent to the Graveyard, activates."

This card can be activated when it is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster with 1500 ATK or less from your Deck in Attack Position.

"Come on, Earthbound Swordsman."

A small swordsman was projected in front of him.

[Earthbound Swordsman: ATK 500]

"So, your panicked act just now was all an act? You lured me into attacking by setting up an attack position to leave a sacrifice. Well done..."

"Marik" suddenly realized.

"Tch, you saw through me..."

Jonouchi couldn't help but click his tongue.

"But your Life Points are only 400 now, like a candle in the wind. And Guardian Sphinx will continue to evolve. Your Deck can't defeat it. I advise you to give up on the idea of beating me as soon as possible."

"Marik" began to persuade him to surrender.

"Hmph, you wish! I'm not giving up!"

Jonouchi snorted.

"You want to keep fighting even in this state?"

"Marik" asked, unable to understand.

"Enough talk! I might be struggling pointlessly right now, but I have a responsibility I must bear, so I will fight until my Life Points reach zero!"

Hearing this, "Marik" suddenly quieted down for a moment.

"Admirable fighting spirit..."

He suddenly blurted out the words.

"Huh!?"

Jonouchi was stunned and stared into "Marik's" eyes for a long moment.

"Hey, you're not Marik, are you?"

He asked with a degree of certainty.

Everyone except Yugi and the King was shocked by the question.

"Jonouchi-kun, you noticed that too."

Yugi was relieved.

"Yeah, after all, I never felt that man's dark power from the start. He couldn't possibly be Marik."

The King nodded beside him.

"Don't talk nonsense! Of course, I'm the real Marik! This Millennium Rod in my hand is proof!"

"Marik" quickly pulled out the Millennium Stick and tried to cover up.

"You don't need to pretend. I've already seen through you. Because, unlike that bastard who controlled my will, you haven't used any dirty tricks from the beginning. You're dueling me fair and square, so I'm sure you're not him. You're a true duelist."

Jonouchi no longer believed the other party's lies.

"Stop talking nonsense and let's continue the Duel. My turn ends."

"Marik" still didn't dare to admit it and could only change the subject to cover it up.

"Even if I don't know what hardships you're facing, I won't give up the victory in this Duel."

As he spoke, Jonouchi placed two fingers on his Deck and closed his eyes.

"Although Jonouchi is at a disadvantage now, as long as his Life Points aren't zero, there's still a chance."

Seeing Jonouchi concentrating, the King nodded.

"That's right, Other Me. Moreover, Jonouchi-kun still has three monsters on the field. If he draws the right card, he can deliver the finishing blow."

While Yugi and the King were talking, Jonouchi finally opened his eyes and drew a card.

"Please, my Deck... My turn, Fall!"

[Katsuya Jonouchi Hand: 2 → 3]

"Yosh! I'll decide the winner with this card!"

Seeing the card he drew, Jonouchi immediately got excited.

"I offer [Harpie's Brother], [Fuh-Raid the Iron Knight], and [Earthbound Swordsman] as tributes to summon [Lightning Warrior Gilford]!"

The monsters on his field instantly vanished, and then lightning struck his field as a sturdy figure carrying a greatsword appeared.

[Lightning Warrior Gilford: ATK 2800]

There is an illustration here; you can view it in the updated version.

"A monster summoned by tributing three monsters!?"

"Marik" was greatly surprised.

"Although [Guardian Sphinx] can be used for the Special Summon of God Cards, the outcome of this Duel was decided before that. I activate the special ability of [Lightning Warrior Gilford]!"

If this card is successfully Special Summoned by Tributing 3 monsters. Destroy all monsters on your opponent's field.

"Nani!? All of them are destroyed!?"

At this moment, Lightning Warrior Gilford drew the greatsword on his back and unleashed lightning towards Guardian Sphinx. Guardian Sphinx was instantly disintegrated by the lightning, and now "Marik," without any monsters, had to face Jonouchi's attack directly.

"It's over! I attack you directly with [Lightning Warrior Gilford], Lightning Sword!"

As Jonouchi commanded the attack, Lightning Warrior Gilford unleashed a bolt of lightning towards "Marik."

"Ugh--!"

The lightning strike quickly hit "Marik."

"I lost just like this..."

["Marik Ishtar": LP 2200 → 0]

Chapter 32: Butterfly Effect

"The winner of this Duel is Katsuya Jonouchi!"

After "Marik's" Life Points dropped to zero, Isono quickly declared the match's result.

The Duel Platform also lowered.

"Hmph! A commoner actually won, what a boring outcome!"

Even though Jonouchi won the match, President Kaiba couldn't resist belittling him.

"Hey! Kaiba, you jerk, I knew you wouldn't say anything nice!"

Jonouchi, still reveling in his victory, had cold water poured on him and immediately became unhappy.

The two started bickering again.

"Tsk, how useless, Rishid!"

At this moment, the man who called himself "Nam" suddenly spoke, finally revealing his identity.

Everyone suddenly realized that the man on the platform calling himself "Marik" was actually Rishid, and the real "Marik" was someone else.

"Marik! You idiot!"

Jonouchi had already guessed he was Marik.

"I am truly sorry, Lord Marik."

Rishid on the platform no longer pretended.

"Hmph! I didn't expect you to be the real Marik; I was tricked."

The President's gaze also turned to Marik.

"Marik! What exactly do you want to do?"

At this moment, the King had taken over Yugi's body.

"Never mind, since I've been found out, I don't plan on acting anymore. That's right, I am the real Marik."

Saying this, Marik raised the true Millennium Rod.

"Then who is 'Nam'?"

His companion beside him realized the problem.

"Yugi, that was a disguise to get close to you. I assume you already guessed, right?"

Marik asked the King.

"Yes, after all, besides Rishid, you were the most suspicious. Furthermore, Rishid's temperament is too different from yours, and your voice is the closest to the person we know, so we suspected your identity from the very beginning."

The "we" the King was referring to, of course, were himself and Yugi.

"My voice!? I see... Oh well, we'll have to fight sooner or later anyway. I'll wait for you in the later matches, Yugi! I will torment you to death with the true God Cards, hahahaha!"

Marik burst into laughter, appearing somewhat insane.

"The true God Cards!? Could it be..."

Jonouchi on the platform suddenly realized something and immediately looked at Rishid.

"That's right, that's a duplicate card of [The Winged Dragon of Ra]. If I had actually summoned it, I might have received divine punishment."

Rishid admitted it directly and spoke of the severe consequences of using that card.

"Divine Punishment!? Seriously? You're going this far for a scumbag like Marik?"

Jonouchi asked in disbelief.

"As a member of the Gravekeeper Clan, I am Marik-sama's shadow warrior. Marik-sama is my everything."

Rishid responded with a determined gaze.

"Hmph! A foolishly loyal dog!"

President Kaiba scoffed.

"Enough, let's go, Rishid."

Marik no longer wanted to continue the conversation and turned to leave.

Rishid followed without a word.

"Rishid!"

Jonouchi quickly called out to Rishid as they passed by.

To Jonouchi's voice, Rishid truly shook his head and left without paying attention.

"..."

Jonouchi didn't know how to persuade him.

"What's wrong, AIBO?"

At this moment, the King's attention was not on Marik and his subordinate, but on Yugi, who remained silent in his mind.

"Other Me... How should I put it? I feel like something has changed. Jonouchi seems to have prevented a tragedy from happening."

Yugi said hesitantly.

"A tragedy? Are you saying Rishid might die by Divine Punishment?"