## Chapter 245: Marik, the Genius Freeloader
Hayato could swear he had never heard the language Marik was chanting before, and it didn't quite match any language he remembered. Hayato couldn't even repeat the sounds Marik made.
But strangely, he could understand exactly what Marik was chanting right now.
"Divine-Beast of the sky, please heed my call and transform yourself from the sphere of light. Bring me victory in this battle. Envelop the desert with your radiance, and show my enemies your wrath. Unleash your inner power, and together we shall win."
"Appear in this Dark Game, I call your name, The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
As Marik finished speaking, the giant golden sphere in the sky began to transform.
Huge, blade-like wings spread out, covering the sky; Claws extended from its four limbs, looking incredibly aggressive; a ring was placed behind the head formed by The Winged Dragon of Ra's transformation, like a sun.
"That is... Ra!" Ishizu's eyes widened. Although the Egyptian God Cards had the restriction that "those who do not possess a Millennium Item cannot use them," The Winged Dragon of Ra, as the strongest of the three, required even more from its user.
Although Ishizu's Tomb Keepers had kept the Egyptian God Cards since Maximillion Pegasus completed their cards, Ishizu had never seen Ra's true form until today. From the bottom of her heart, she felt awe towards it, reigning over the world like the sun.
"Kobayashi Hayato," Marik said with a smile, "even I must admit that the Monster you possess does indeed have the ability to contend with Slifer the Sky Dragon, one of the Egyptian God Cards. But Ra's power is the strongest among the Egyptian God Cards!"
"Its ATK and DEF become the sum of the two values of the Tributes!"
In the ring behind The Winged Dragon of Ra on Marik's Field, Hayato saw the three Monsters that had been Tributed earlier.
[Youyou][300/100]
[Slifer the Sky Dragon][4000/4000]
After gathering three Monsters, The Winged Dragon of Ra's power is now—
[The Winged Dragon of Ra][10☆/God]
[Divine-Beast Type]
[4600/4200]
"Did it inherit the power of Slifer the Sky Dragon as well? But even Ra, its current ATK is no match for my Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on the Field!" Hayato said calmly.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10][ATK5000]
Thanks to activating its Effect earlier to Destroy [Youyou], Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ATK increased by another 1000 points, making it 400 higher than The Winged Dragon of Ra.
"Heh heh, foolish fellow," Marik said smugly, "you cannot possibly imagine the limit of Ra's power. If the God's power isn't quite enough, then I'll offer my own Life Points!"
"What?!"
Marik raised his hand and pointed at The Winged Dragon of Ra in the sky. "When Ra is successfully Summoned," he declared, "I Activate its Effect! I will fuse myself with Ra, reducing my Life Points to 1, and transferring the rest entirely to Ra's ATK and DEF!"
Watching Marik, enveloped by a beam of light projected from The Winged Dragon of Ra and slowly ascending after his words fell, Hayato subconsciously turned his head and commented to Ishizu, "Wife, call Ox King out to see God together."
"Wife" Ishizu: ...
"Ox King" Rishid: ...
With a displeased expression on The Winged Dragon of Ra's face, Marik ascended along the beam of light to its head. His entire lower body seemed to dematerialize and merge into the God beneath his feet. His Life Points returned to just 1, and in contrast, The Winged Dragon of Ra's aura became stronger.
[The Winged Dragon of Ra][4600/4200→5100/4700]
"This is the power of Ra's complete form! Now receive the scourge of God, Kobayashi Hayato!" Marik's expression was somewhat maniacal as he pointed his hand towards Hayato's Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on the Field. "Obey my command, Ra!" he commanded. "Annihilate that Monster for me!"
"God Blaze Cannon!"
"My Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on the Field can use its Effect when it is Special Summoned by the Effect of an Armed Dragon and its ATK is 100 or more: It cannot be Destroyed by Battle!"
"Although it cannot be Destroyed by Battle," Marik retorted, "you will take all the Damage dealt! The power of a God cannot be completely restricted by the Rules of Duel Monsters! Even if it's just a little Damage, it will feel like your soul is being torn apart!"
"Turn to ash in the solar flames!"
Scorching flames spewed from The Winged Dragon of Ra's mouth. The golden solar flames swept across Hayato's Field in an instant. Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca, seeing the situation was bad, ascended and fled early, leaving Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 and Hayato to be engulfed by the lightning.
Hayato had prepared himself to receive the pain, but as the solar flames fell upon him, unexpectedly, he didn't feel the slightest scorching heat. Instead, the flames surrounding him felt as gentle as the sunlight on an autumn afternoon.
[Hayato: 2000→1900LP]
"Hmm? What's going on?" Marik was also quite strange. Based on his countless experiences of punishing his subordinates with Ra, Hayato should be lying on the ground screaming in pain right now, without even the strength to stand up. But why did Hayato look completely fine?
Unable to find the reason, Marik's first thought was Hayato's Millennium Ring. Compared to other Millennium Items that possessed abilities like Future Sight, seeing through minds, and controlling thoughts, the Millennium Ring was only recorded in the Tomb Keepers' literature as having the useless abilities of interfering with other Millennium Items and finding paths.
"Did you escape a calamity with the Millennium Ring?" "Hmph, I'll finish you off completely next Turn," Marik sneered, returning the Golden Ladybug he had shown earlier to his Hand and Setting two Cards. "Set a Card," he declared. "My Turn ends."
[Marik: 1LP, Hand 1]
[The Winged Dragon of Ra][ATK5100]
[Set Card]X2
It was Hayato's Turn. Hayato temporarily put aside the doubt in his heart and shifted his attention back to the Duel. "My Turn, Drawing Cards!"
This Turn, Hayato only drew a Card of unclear meaning. Casually Setting it, Hayato looked up at Marik, who was fused with The Winged Dragon of Ra in the sky. "Marik, your God is indeed very strong," he said. "And if I'm not mistaken, it should have hidden Effects it hasn't used yet, right?"
"However, I won't give you the opportunity to use them!" Hayato raised his hand and pointed at Marik. "For the sake of pursuing greater power, you abandoned many things you originally possessed, and now, that will be the reason for your failure!"
"Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca, Direct Attack on Marik! Death Singularity!"
"Marik just paid his Life Points down to 1 to increase Ra's ATK!" Hearing Hayato's words, Ishizu also understood what he meant by the weakness. Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca has the Effect of being unaffected by Spell/Trap Cards. If this Attack succeeds, Hayato wins!"
Compared to her past self, who was panicked because the Future Sight had changed, the current Ishizu wanted to see the future change even more. She shouted to Hayato, "Go for it, Hayato!"
Rishid, standing nearby, saw this and remained silent, turning his gaze towards Marik, or rather, the Set Card in Marik's Back Row. He didn't seem worried that Marik would be defeated because of this. 'If nothing unexpected happens, the Set Card in Master Marik's Back Row should be that one Card...'
As expected, Marik had anticipated Hayato using Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca for a Direct Attack. "Fool!" he scoffed. "Did you think I wouldn't think of this move? As the avatar of a God, I have calculated everything!"
"Flip my Set Card!" Marik declared. "De-Fusion! I will separate from Ra, and my Life Points will Recover by the value of Ra's ATK!"
Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca pounced towards The Winged Dragon of Ra, or rather, towards Marik on top of The Winged Dragon of Ra's head. But with the Activation of De-Fusion, Marik separated from within The Winged Dragon of Ra.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Marik stomped forcefully on Ra's head, leaped into the air, and waving his fists, actively launched an Attack towards Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca!
[Marik: 1→5101→5100LP]
Whimpering, Failing to Attack Marik and being repelled, Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca fled back to Hayato's Field, letting out a pitiful cry.
"Hahaha, Weak, weak, weak! This level of Attack, I can keep this up with you all day!" Marik felt the exceptionally abundant life force within him at this moment. He landed with an extremely showy flourish, enduring the pain in his knees, and shouted provocatively at Hayato.
"Roar!" Compared to Marik, who had shared in most of the power after De-Fusion, The Winged Dragon of Ra's state was not good at all. The life force Marik gained wasn't created out of nothing; it was all taken from Ra's body.
[The Winged Dragon of Ra][0/0]
It only contributed 500 points when they fused, yet after De-Fusion, Marik absconded with all the power. Seeing Marik, this genius freeloader, it would be strange if The Winged Dragon of Ra was in a good mood.
"Could this Duelist please not personally enter the Field?" Hayato commented casually, looking at the Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca that returned without success and Marik, who had recovered a large amount of Life Points in one go, feeling slightly troubled.