"Is that the Dark Magician? So you've finally Summoned your Ace Monster, Mutou Yuugi? But it's too slow, too late!" Pegasus's face twisted into a wicked smile. "Relinquished has already been Summoned by me and has absorbed enough Material to grow. Its ATK far surpasses your Dark Magician!"
"I can see clearly, there are no Cards in your Hand that can further increase the Dark Magician's ATK. And by the next Turn, even your Dark Magician will become Material for Relinquished along with Hayato Kobayashi's Sky Magician!"
"It's true, I don't have any Monsters in my Hand that can help me defeat you," Yugi didn't deny Pegasus's words, but he still firmly pointed his Finger towards the Relinquished on Pegasus's Field. "However, you say my Dark Magician can't defeat Relinquished? That's not necessarily true!"
"Dark Magician, burn with all your fury and Attack Relinquished, Dark Magic Attack!"
"You're seeking death, Mutou Yuugi! Relinquished, Sacrificial Shield!" Pegasus's hair defied gravity and floated upwards. Following his command, Relinquished closed its outstretched Bone Wings, using the Sky Magician it had absorbed earlier as a Shield in front of itself. "The Sky Magician it absorbed has an ATK of 2800 Points. Take this 300 Points of reflected Damage, Mutou Yuugi!"
Watching the Magic Blast fired by the Dark Magician hit Relinquished, Pegasus expected Relinquished to retaliate, but it didn't happen at all. The Energy Cannon released by the Sky Magician only resisted slightly before being Dispersed by the Dark Magician's Attack. The area where Relinquished was located was covered in Smoke.
"How can this be?"
"Heh heh, Pegasus, the reason I specifically Activated Trap Booster just now wasn't just to Activate Reversal of Graves from my Hand." The Pharaoh sneered, picking up a Card. "As the Stakes for Activateing Trap Booster, I Send Dark Ruler Ha Des to the Graveyard."
"When this Card is Send to Graveyard, its Effect can be Activated. It can be Equipped as an Equip Card to any Monster on the Field, and that Monster's ATK is decreased by 500 Points. Since your Relinquished likes taking other people's Cards so much, I'll just help you out."
[Relinquished][ATK 2800 → 2300]
Just as he was about to pick up Dark Ruler Ha Des and Send it back to the Graveyard, Yugi looked at the Duel Platform in front of him and suddenly froze.
"W-why is this happening?" The Dark Ruler Ha Des Card was firmly stuck to the Duel Platform and couldn't be removed. Excluding the possibility of the Duel Platform Malfunctioning, there was only one reason this could happen—
The Relinquished that Dark Ruler Ha Des was Equipped to wasn't Destroyed?!
"Hoo hoo, that was truly dangerous. Excellent Dueling Sense. To be able to convert even the Stakes paid for Activateing a Card Effect into an Effect beneficial to yourself, truly worthy of Mutou Yuugi."
Pegasus clapped his hands, as if praising Yugi's series of brilliant Operations. "But unfortunately, Relinquished is invincible!"
"Although in terms of ATK, the Dark Magician is superior to the Relinquished whose ATK has been decreased, the one who just took the Dark Magician's Attack wasn't Relinquished at all!"
As the Smoke gradually Dispersed, Yugi was astonished to discover that where Relinquished had been hit by the Dark Magician's Attack, a large bulge had appeared. Unbeknownst to him, the Rainbow Kuriboh that had transformed into a rainbow and trapped Relinquished had actually been devoured by it, and even used as a Shield for its "Defense Descent"!
"Ku... ri..." Having suffered excessive Damage, Rainbow Kuriboh let out its final cry of sorrow, turning into Light Points and being Send back to Hayato's Graveyard. Along with it came the Damage caused by the Dark Magician earlier, which should have been borne by Pegasus.
[Hayato: 4000 → 3800 LP]
"Ugh!" Hayato nearly cried out from the sudden sharp pain. It was only 200 Points of Damage, yet it brought a pain far exceeding what the Virtual Projection System could simulate.
He had suspected something was off ever since Pegasus Summoned that Relinquished, and now, having confirmed it with his own Body, it was true...
"Yugi, be careful. Ever since Pegasus Summoned that Relinquished, this game has already become a Dark Game!"
"A Dark Game?!" The Pharaoh was also startled upon hearing this.
Unlike regular Duels where you only feel pain, the physical Burden a Dark Game places on a Duelist is real. In severe cases, if a large amount of Damage is taken at once, even if Life Points aren't Cleared, it could lead to death.
He already knew that he must try his best to avoid taking Damage from now on, but the Relinquished on Pegasus's Field was so powerful. How could avoiding Damage be easy?
"It can not only take Monsters, absorb the Effects and Power of other Monsters, but even reflect Damage onto others?" Yugi looked at Relinquished, feeling for the first time that perhaps Pegasus was right.
Such a powerful Relinquished might truly be an invincible Monster.
"Set two Cards from my Hand. My Turn ends."
[Yugi: 2300 LP, Hand 2]
[Dark Magician][ATK 2500]
[Set Card][Dark Ruler Ha Des][Set Card][Set Card]
"My Turn, Draw a Card." Pegasus drew a Card and casually Set it in his Spell/Trap Zone. His only normal right eye wandered across Hayato and Yugi's Fields, as if searching for the next target to hunt.
"Activate Relinquished's Effect, absorb a Monster as Material!"
Pegasus's eyes were fixed on the only Dark Magician on Yugi's Field. But just as Yugi thought his Dark Magician was about to be absorbed again, Pegasus suddenly looked towards Hayato's Field. "The one I choose is Performapal Sky Pupil!"
"He didn't choose the Dark Magician with higher ATK, but chose Performapal Sky Pupil instead?"
"Heh heh, the existence of Dark Magician poses no threat to the invincible Relinquished. However, Performapal Sky Pupil, which has an Effect to directly Destroy Monsters, is a rather troublesome Monster."
Pegasus smiled wickedly. "Devour Performapal Sky Pupil, Relinquished, Dark Hole!"
Just like when it absorbed Sky Magician, Performapal Sky Pupil was captured by the purple Psychic Power emitted from Relinquished's single eye. Its abdominal Maw opened wide, and with just one gulp, it swallowed Performapal Sky Pupil.
[Relinquished][2300/2000 → 3100/2800]
"ATK, 3100 Points!" Yugi exclaimed in surprise. "It already surpasses Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Go, my strongest Monster, Relinquished! Attack Dark Magician!"
"Illusion Magic Duet!"
On Relinquished's two Bone Wings, the figures of Sky Magician and Performapal Sky Pupil, the Master and Disciple, appeared. Their eyes vacant, they raised the Rings in their hands, and six beams of Mystical Power were fired, instantly engulfing Yugi's Dark Magician.
This chapter is about to end.
There are so few votes, could I get some Recommendation votes, please? Pretty please!
(End of Chapter)