Chapter 411: Even a God Can Be Slain!

Tip of the iceberg?

Nami's confident remark made Yami Yugi raise an eyebrow. A strange look flickered in his eyes.

This girl Nami… she seems to have great faith in Mai…

Yugi wasn't the type to underestimate others, but considering the sheer power of the Egyptian God Cards, he found it hard to believe that Mai could stand a chance against Marik Ishtar.

Was this the confidence of the truly strong?

Or the arrogance of the ignorant?

Suppressing his thoughts, Yugi opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent.

Nami, too, turned her gaze back to the battlefield, focusing entirely on Mai's duel. She had no intention of conversing further.

To her, Marik and Yugi were simply marked prey—targets she had set her sights on.

She had no reason to grow too friendly with Mai's companions.

After all, she would eventually have to take their cards. And even if she felt just a little guilty about it… guilt wouldn't change a thing.

As for the outcome of the battle before her, Nami had already decided it in her mind.

Because—

With the power of fate attached, she had invested a staggering 30,000 points into Mai!

To put that into perspective—

In an ordinary world of combat power, those 30,000 points would be enough to annihilate an entire city.

Of course, the power of the Three Egyptian Gods was leagues beyond 20,000 points, but Marik himself was not a god.

He was merely a duelist—one who could barely wield a fraction of a god's projected power.

If Mai couldn't win under these circumstances, then Nami seriously needed to get her eyes checked—because she would have clearly chosen the wrong person as a subordinate.

And as she expected, Mai would not disappoint her.

Mai Valentine wasn't on the same level as the Yugi or Kaiba, the so-called "geniuses" who carried the weight of thousands of years of destiny on their shoulders.

But among ordinary duelists, she and Jounouchi were already at the pinnacle—the "Krillins" of the Yu-Gi-Oh world.

Now, with the power of another world coursing through her—

She might not be able to defeat Frieza, but she could at least take on Vegeta!

Mai's sharp eyes locked onto Marik's smug expression.

"My turn—Draw!"

Ignoring Marik's usual smug taunts, she pulled a card from her deck, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Enough with that disgusting face of yours."

Her gaze flickered toward the [Multiply Slime] on Marik's field. A light chuckle escaped her lips as she revealed the card in her hand.

"You're planning to use Slime Tokens to summon your God Card?"

Mai's eyes gleamed with confidence.

"If a simple strategy like that actually worked, then I wouldn't deserve to be standing here!"

She slammed the card onto her duel disk.

"I activate [Harpie's Feather Duster]—wiping out all your Spell and Trap Cards!"

A fierce gust of wind howled across the field.

As one of the most overpowered Spell Cards in existence—dubbed by fans as the "True Egyptian God Card"—its destructive power was absolute.

In an instant!

Marik's [Multiply Slime] and a hidden face-down card shattered into pieces.

Mai smirked as she reached for another card in her hand.

"I Normal Summon [Amazoness Trainee]!"

A young warrior emerged from the card—a tan-skinned beauty clad in simple yet elegant battle gear. The meteor hammer in her hands gleamed under the arena lights as she stepped forward, her expression tense but determined.

"Next, I activate the effect of [God Tree Sapling]—changing [Amazoness Trainee]'s race to 'Ninja'!"

From the towering God Tree, a chakra fruit dropped into Amazoness Trainee's hands. She carefully examined it for a moment before quickly devouring it.

[Amazoness Trainee: ATK 1500 → 2000]

Mai's confident smirk deepened.

"Impressive! Another monster with over 2,000 ATK on the field!"

The audience—those present and those watching—burst into cheers and praise.

Marik, however, merely shrugged, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

But as his gaze flickered toward his Regenerator Slime, he relaxed once more.

Even with 2,000 ATK monsters, breaking through the slime's regenerative defense wouldn't be easy.

But Mai wasn't finished yet.

"Now that I have two 'Ninja' monsters on the field, I activate the effect of [God Tree Sapling]—allowing me to draw two [Ninjutsu] cards from my deck!"

Click. Click.

Two cards popped out of her deck, sliding neatly into her hand.

Her bright eyes flashed with excitement.

"Oh? Now these are some interesting Ninjutsu techniques~"

With a confident flick of her wrist, she revealed one of them.

"I activate the Spell Card—[Ninjutsu: Shadow Imitation Technique]!"

She turned her gaze toward Marik, her lips curling into a challenging smile.

"The effect of this card allows me to select a 'Ninja' monster on my field— then make the performance of the monster on the opponent's field the same as the monster we selected, and it cannot be changed!!"

"And once changed—its form cannot be reverted!"

Mai's expression sharpened as she turned toward her strongest warrior.

"Cyber Harpie Lady—use Shadow Imitation!"

A powerful aura burst from Cyber Harpie Lady's eyes.

Then, with practiced ease—

She formed a seal, her hands moving fluidly in an intricate ninjutsu pattern.

The shadow beneath Cyber Harpie Lady's feet suddenly stretched into a black rope, slithering across the ground like a living creature. It shot toward the shadow of [Regenerator Slime] on the opposite side, latching onto it in an instant.

A split second later, the liquid slime's expression twisted in shock. Its gelatinous form began to morph—slowly shifting from an amorphous lump into a shallow puddle, signaling its forced attack stance. 

[Regenerator Slime, ATK 1500]

——

"Alright!!!"

"With this, Mai's attack will go through and deal damage to Marik!"

"What a powerful Ninjutsu card!!!"

In the audience, Jounouchi clenched his fists excitedly, unable to hold back his cheers as he watched Mai execute her strategy with precision.

Meanwhile, Marik, who had always reveled in controlling others, found himself on the receiving end of such manipulation for the first time. A strange sense of disgust bubbled up within him, like a twisted parody of his own methods.

"Tch—"

Clicking his tongue in irritation, he spat to the side, feigning indifference toward his opponent's strategy.

But Mai wasn't done yet.

With a graceful flick of her wrist, she drew another card from her deck.

"I activate the Spell Card—[Ninjutsu: Earth Clone Jutsu]!"

A confident smirk played on her lips as she revealed the card.

"This card allows me to choose one Ninja-type monster on my field and summon an identical Earth Clone!"

Her slender fingers reached toward her monsters—but rather than selecting the Cyber Harpie Lady, which boasted higher attack power, she pointed instead at Amazoness Trainee.

"I choose—Amazoness Trainee!"

The battlefield trembled as Mai activated the second effect of [Ninjutsu: Earth Clone Jutsu].

"When the chosen Ninja-type monster has the Earth attribute, the number of Earth Clones summoned increases to three!"

In response to the card's effect, Amazoness Trainee lowered her meteor hammer, her hands flashing through a series of intricate seals.

Almost immediately, three mounds of earth erupted from the ground beside her. The soil churned and condensed, taking shape until—

Three identical clones of Amazoness Trainee stood beside her!

[Earth Clone - Amazoness Trainee, ATK 2000] × 3

With that, Mai's entire monster zone was filled—five monsters standing ready for battle.

Unlike the original, the Earth Clones lacked her unique effects, but they retained her attack and defense stats.

Essentially, they were powerful derivative copies—just without special abilities.

But that wasn't all.

"Now, let me explain something about Ninjutsu cards," Mai said with a knowing smirk.

"Every Ninjutsu Spell requires a specific Ninja monster to activate. But—if the selected monster shares the same attribute as the Ninjutsu, the technique becomes even stronger."

She pointed at her clones.

"For example, the original effect of [Ninjutsu: Earth Clone Jutsu] only creates one Earth Clone. But because my [Amazoness Trainee] is an Earth attribute monster, the technique is enhanced—summoning three clones instead!"

The crowd murmured in awe, processing the mechanics behind the powerful effect.

Jounouchi's eyes widened in realization.

"So that means… different attributes trigger different enhancements?!"

Mai nodded.

"Exactly. Take [Ninjutsu: Shadow Imitation Technique], for example—it belongs to the Darkness attribute. The Darkness attribute corresponds to 'Dark Monsters.' If I had used a Dark monster to activate it, I could have controlled all of my opponent's monsters at once!"

She paused, letting that sink in.

"Or consider [Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Technique]—a Water attribute Ninjutsu. If a Water monster activates it, all my monsters would become untargetable!"

Jounouchi and the others exchanged astonished glances.

"That's crazy… So each Ninjutsu can be amplified if used by the right type of monster?!"

Mai gave him a knowing smile.

"That's not all. In some cases, Bloodline Ninjutsu—like Magnetic Release—requires two attributes instead of one. Take 'Magnetic Release,' for example. It's a combination of Earth and Wind attributes. If I used a monster with either Earth or Wind, I could trigger its effect."

The realization left the audience stunned.

Even Jounouchi, usually more about instinct than strategy, felt a deep admiration for the level of skill and planning Mai had developed.

He suddenly glanced toward Nami, who remained calm and composed.

"Why…?"

A lingering question surfaced in his mind.

"Why would someone as powerful as Mai join Nami's Card Hunter team?"

That thought refused to leave him.

And on the battlefield.

Mai's golden eyes gleamed coldy as she pointed forward.

"Battle Phase! Cyber Harpie Lady—attack Regenerator Slime!"

Clang!

A metallic hum resonated through the air as Cyber Harpie Lady's metal wings trembled, releasing an intimidating aura.

In an instant, she vanished—only to reappear behind the slime, her sharp claws slicing through its body effortlessly.

"Guh…!"

Marik's eyes widened in pain as his Life Points took a direct hit.

[Marik, LP 4000 → 3200]

Despite the damage, Marik sneered.

"Hmph. It's pointless! My slime possesses the power of regeneration. No matter how many times you cut it down, it will always return!"

As if on cue, the shattered slime liquefied into a pool of water, quickly reforming into its original shape.

But Mai only chuckled.

"So what?"

She raised a hand, exuding an air of confidence.

"That just means I get to beat you down a little longer."

With a graceful wave, she signaled the rest of her monsters forward.

The Amazoness Trainee and her three Earth Clones surged toward the slime—like school bullies ganging up on a helpless victim.

Chains lashed. Fists pummeled. The slime was smashed into pieces over and over again.

[Marik, LP 3200 → 1200]

"D-Damn it…!"

Watching his slime get mercilessly brutalized, an unfamiliar emotion churned within Marik's chest.

Shame.

Originally, he had intended to toy with Mai, breaking her spirit bit by bit.

But now—

He was the one being toyed with!

At this moment, Marik had only one thought—

He wanted to kill Mai Valentine!

But Mai didn't even spare him a glance. She moved at her own pace, calmly setting down two face-down cards before ending her turn.

"Damn woman!"

Now, it was Marik's turn—yet he didn't immediately draw his card.

Instead, from seemingly out of nowhere, he produced a golden scepter—an ancient relic from the depths of Egypt's history.

The Millennium Rod.

Its golden surface gleamed ominously, exuding an eerie power.

Marik's eyes darkened.

"You've forced my hand."

His grip on the artifact tightened.

"The warm-up is over."

A wicked smile twisted across his lips as he raised the rod high.

"Now… let's embrace true darkness!"

Whoosh!

A terrifying wave of dark energy erupted from the Millennium Rod, surging forth like a living entity.

A massive barrier formed, instantly engulfing the entire duel arena.

The space around them distorted as thick black mist poured in from all directions, swallowing everything in sight.

"This is…!"

From the audience, Anzu Mazaki's expression twisted with anxiety.

She quickly turned toward Mai, shouting—

"Mai! Be careful! This is a Shadow Game!"

But no matter how loud she cried out, her voice never reached Mai's ears.

The veil of darkness had already severed their connection.

"Yugi, what's going on!?"

Jounouchi's voice was tense, his fists clenching.

His eyes darted toward the black mist, a sense of déjà vu creeping in.

"This… this fog… it's just like what happened in the Duelist Kingdom!"

Fear spread among the spectators.

The last time they had witnessed a Shadow Game, Pegasus had used it to steal the souls of countless duelists.

For ordinary people like them, such supernatural power was beyond comprehension. It shattered their understanding of reality—and the memory still haunted them.

[Note: A Shadow Game is a concept originating in ancient Egypt in which sorcerers could use their magical skills to bring their games to life.]

Within the shroud of the Shadow Game, the world had changed—

Yet Mai remained unshaken.

She stood calmly, her golden locks gently swaying as she surveyed her new surroundings with curiosity rather than fear.

Even though she had heard about Shadow Games from Nami, witnessing this eerie transformation firsthand was an entirely different experience.

A small smirk played on her lips.

"So this is a Shadow Game?"

She murmured softly, a flicker of intrigue in her voice.

"Interesting."

Marik's brows furrowed at her reaction.

"Hmph? You already know about the Shadow Game?"

Mai shrugged, her tone light and unbothered.

"Of course I do."

Then, she tilted her head slightly.

"By the way… what are the rules of this game?"

Marik's lips curled into a sinister grin.

"Hah. So eager to know?"

His golden eyes gleamed ominously as he sneered—

"Let me enlighten you, then."

He raised the Millennium Rod, its ancient engravings pulsing with a foreboding glow.

"As the host of this Shadow Game, I set the rules."

His voice was laced with cruel amusement.

"So I advise you to brace yourself… because what comes next will not be pleasant."

Mai placed a hand on her hip, lips quirking up in amusement.

"Oh?"

She arched a brow.

"And here I thought you were about to say something impressive."

Marik's smirk faltered for a moment.

Then, his expression darkened.

"Jiejiejiejie… what's wrong? Are you scared already?"

He laughed maliciously, mistaking her mocking tone for fear.

But Mai merely chuckled, exuding pure confidence.

"Scared?"

She tilted her head slightly, her amused smirk widening.

"The only thing I'm worried about… is that you'll scream too loudly when you lose."

"Wouldn't want you to ruin my beauty sleep."

A brief silence followed.

Then—

"You…!"

Marik's expression twisted with fury.

His grip on the Millennium Rod tightened as its golden eye began to glow.

"Tch… enough talk!"

A wave of golden energy surged upward, illuminating the darkness like a beacon of judgment.

He thrust the scepter forward, and his voice rang out—

"Then let's see if you can still run your mouth after this!"

"The Rules of the Shadow Game!"

"From now on—ANY Life Point damage taken will manifest as REAL pain upon the duelist's body!"

"And when a player's Life Points reach zero…"

His voice dropped into a dark whisper.

"Their soul will be PERMANENTLY devoured by the darkness!"

A blazing golden light erupted from the Millennium Rod, shooting skyward before dispersing into the surrounding shadows.

In that moment—

The rules of the Shadow Game were set in stone.

Whoosh!

Without warning, the Millennium Rod slashed downward, its power piercing through the air as it aimed directly at Mai.

Marik's voice echoed, filled with twisted delight.

"Woman—enjoy the fleeting moments you have left in this world!"

He let out a low chuckle, his eyes gleaming with madness.

"Because next… I'll show you…"

He spread his arms wide, his voice rising with theatrical intensity—

"THE WRATH OF GOD!!!"

At his declaration, Mai remained unmoved.

She pursed her lips, her eyes sharp and unwavering.

Then, she chuckled.

"God?"

Her smirk deepened.

"Then you better pray you don't fall before your so-called 'god' even appears."

She flicked her wrist, her nails tapping against her duel disk.

"Because in this duel…"

Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper—

"I'll show you something even 'gods' should fear."

She raised her head, her golden eyes flashing with cold determination.

"With my Ninjutsu…"

A gust of wind swirled around her, as if responding to her words.

"Even a god…"

She pointed directly at Marik.

"Can be DESTROYED!"