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

This tactic is too simple and crude, yet convenient and fast.

The opponent had no dueling experience and was instantly defeated before getting a chance to draw a card.

Jonouchi then placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders and pleaded with a crestfallen face, "Please, Yugi! I beg you, don't use the [Exodia] Deck to abuse us..."

Yugi awkwardly replied, "Ahahaha, I understand..."

"Hmm, this tactic unbalances the game for other Duelists. I don't recommend you use [Exodia] when competing against other participants."

Although President Kaiba's arrogant nature wouldn't allow him to speak of retreat, his grim expression betrayed his reluctance to face the Seal of the Orichalcos.

He even planned to create a specific ban list targeting the Seal of the Orichalcos after the Duel City tournament concluded.

Cards like [Last Will] and [Cannon Soldier] would certainly be permanently banned, and he would try to limit card replenishment as well.

In short, President Kaiba would have a headache to deal with from now on.

"Speaking of which, why do I have [Exodia] in my hand? And they're all real cards... Originally, my [Exodia] was thrown into the sea by Moth, and Jonouchi-kun only retrieved two cards... Yet now I have a complete set again. Why is that?"

Yugi was full of confusion.

"It's because you've been recognized by the spirit of [Exodia] itself. When you easily wielded [Exodia]'s power, it pledged loyalty only to you."

A cute, girlish voice sounded in Yugi's ear.

"Huh? In other words, I now have a true [Exodia] that represents its original form?"

Yugi echoed the voice's words.

"That's right. This means ordinary people will be unable to normally use its true power, and it will be very difficult for them to even assemble it."

The voice continued.

"I see, that's really great."

Yugi felt very satisfied.

If others could use it too, the dueling world would quickly descend into chaos.

"By the way, who are you..."

Yugi turned to look at the source of the voice.

A delicate face was very close to his, meeting his gaze, and he immediately blushed.

"It's you, [Dark Magician Girl]!"

Yugi focused his eyes and found a girl he was very familiar with floating beside him, though she looked somewhat ethereal.

"Hmm? What's wrong with it being me, Master?"

The girl tilted her head, looking at Yugi with a hint of natural airheadedness.

"No, it's nothing. In any case, thank you for your explanation just now."

Yugi tried to calm himself down.

"Hehe, you're welcome, Master! It's what I should do!"

Dark Magician Girl smiled sweetly.

Looking at her incredibly beautiful smile, Yugi couldn't help but feel his heart flutter.

This also laid the groundwork for him playing a "shut-in" Deck in the future.

"Hiss--! That hurts--! Anzu, what are you doing~~ Oww~~"

A familiar sharp pain suddenly came from Yugi's waist.

Although Anzu couldn't hear the conversation between Yugi and Dark Magician Girl, she inexplicably felt annoyed seeing Yugi spacing out and smiling foolishly again.

Thus, Anzu delivered a "punishment" to Yugi.

Of course, Yugi couldn't understand why he was being targeted.

After that, Noah and the mobile fortress were taken over by subordinates assigned by President Kaiba, while he himself led the others to the final competition venue.

"Noah, wait for me and Onii-chan. After the Duel City tournament ends, we'll come back for you!"

Mokuba made a promise to Noah on the screen.

"Okay, it's a deal, Mokuba!"

Noah let Mokuba leave with peace of mind.

Inside the cockpit of the Duel Airship, everyone watched as President Kaiba waved his hand.

"The final battlefield, 'Demon Island,' awaits us. Set the course for Demon Island! Fu-ll ☆ Speed ☆ A-head!"

Chapter 55: Dark Marik Awakens

On Demon Island, which was covered in ruins, the only remaining structure was the "Duel Tower."

After arriving on the island via the Duel Airship, they disembarked and headed straight for it.

"Yugi Muto, Marik and I have a favor to ask of you."

Just as Yugi was about to disembark, he was stopped by the sudden appearance of Isis and "Rishid."

Yugi looked confused, "A favor?"

"Rishid" replied, "That's right, my sister and I want to ask you to defeat it."

"It!? And this voice... are you Marik?"

Yugi was at a loss for what to do.

"What are you two doing?"

The King of Games materialized beside Yugi, on guard.

"Pharaoh... I am truly sorry, the two of you. I have done many terrible things to you, and though it is shameless, I can only ask for your help."

Marik bowed his head and pleaded with Yugi and the King of Games.

"What is going on?"

Yugi and the King of Games exchanged bewildered glances.

Marik stepped forward, "Let me explain. I have lost my physical body, and it has been taken over by another Marik."

"Another Marik!? Could it be..."

The King of Games immediately realized something.

Marik continued, "Yes, the one who has taken over my body is my dark personality. Its nature is cruel and violent, more evil than I was before, and I fear it will harm everyone."

Yugi asked worriedly, "This... so you want us to drive it away?"

Marik shook his head and continued, "No, I want you to destroy it."

"Actually, as a child, I longed for the world above. But during a private outing, Rishid was cruelly punished by my father and was near death, which caused my dark personality to awaken. After taking the Millennium Rod, I killed my father, but Rishid regained consciousness in time and suppressed the dark personality again."

"However, I later lost this memory and was misled by a man's words, making me believe that the Pharaoh had killed my father, so..."

At this point, Marik's expression was filled with guilt.

"So that's why you targeted me and the Other Me?"

Yugi rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"Please don't blame Marik, blame me instead. I couldn't bear to tell him the cruel truth!"

Isis bowed deeply to Yugi and the King of Games.

"To be dragged into this for no reason..."

Yugi and the King of Games didn't know what to say.

"Sigh, forget it... Let's put this matter aside for now."

"Let's talk about how to deal with that dark personality."

The two decided to change the subject.

Marik nodded and continued, "Yes, alright. So, going back to what we were saying earlier, after the dark personality awakened, my memories returned, and I should have come to apologize to you in person.

"Unfortunately, my dark power is not as strong as the dark personality's, so I was quickly overtaken. Now I can only temporarily reside in Rishid's body and speak to you through him."

At this point, Isis interjected, "Originally, Rishid was the restraint for the dark personality. As long as he was fine, the dark personality would not awaken. It's just that later, it couldn't bear it any longer, so it forcefully broke free from the restrictions and took over Marik's body."

"However, this came at a cost. Both Marik and the dark personality fell into a weakened state. Now is the best time to defeat it."

Marik bowed his head again, "As for how to deal with it, I only wish for it to disappear completely, even if my physical body is destroyed. I don't want it to harm anyone else, so please, Yugi and the nameless Pharaoh!"

Seeing their sincere demeanor, Yugi and the King of Games couldn't refuse.

So, Yugi and the King of Games exchanged a look, and after confirming that the other was okay with it, Yugi replied, "We, along with the Other Me, accept this request."

Upon hearing Yugi agree without holding a grudge, Marik and Isis's faces lit up with joy.

However, at that moment, a sinister voice came from behind them.

"Hehehehe, so that's how it is. You're teaming up with outsiders to deal with me. You've got quite a lot of nerve."

"Marik," who had been hiding and eavesdropping, stepped out from behind.

He wore a very healthy smile and couldn't help but lick a Millennium Stick.

"Dark Marik!!"

Seeing his disgusting action, the three immediately became wary.

"Oh dear, being surrounded by three people is quite intimidating... Well, there's no need to be so tense. The battle between us is still a long way off, Yugi!"

As he spoke, Dark Marik licked the lollipop again.

"Dark Marik! We won't let you run amok!"

Yugi shouted nervously.

"Dark Marik... huh? That's a good nickname... Yes, you can call me Dark Marik from now on."

"Hehehe, just you wait, Yugi. You'll soon face the ultimate Dark Yami I've prepared for you. Get ready to be sent to your grave by the strongest god, hehehehehe..."

After speaking, Dark Marik walked past the three of them and gradually disappeared from their sight.

Chapter 56: Grouping

At the bottom of the Duel Tower, Anzu and Mai, along with the rest of the cheerleaders, saw the elevators, which were surrounded by four walls, ascend above their heads.

Yugi, President Kaiba, Jonouchi, and Dark Marik, the four semifinalists, stood on their respective elevators.

"Now, we will begin the method for pairing the Duelists!"

Referee Isono had appeared at some point.

"What? What's going on?"

Jonouchi was bewildered by the situation.

"What are you doing, Jonouchi?"

"How should I know! Hey, Kaiba! You explain it!"

Jonouchi could only throw the question to the President.

"Listen quietly. I'll explain it now so even an idiot can understand!"

"What did you say!?"

The President, as usual, was accustomed to arguing with Jonouchi.

At this moment, Isono began to explain the rules: "To achieve the glory of a Duel, the semifinals stage for the true King of Duelists must select a method befitting it to determine the opponents. In other words, the opponents will be decided through Duels."

"The rules are simple. The four Duelists will battle here simultaneously. The two who reach the top first and the two who reach it later will be paired as the two semifinal matches."

This meant a four-way free-for-all.

"The more your Life Points are reduced, the closer you will be to the top of the tower. In other words, the losers will reach the top of the tower first to compete."