Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

"Hmph, you're satisfied with just this? Your vision is too narrow."

Kaiba Mashiro was clearly very happy about the victory, but she still pretended to be nonchalant and expressed her disdain for Hoshino Mai, who was making a big fuss over such a small achievement.

"This is just the beginning. Our goal is not just to advance. If we're going to fight, we should wipe out everyone here. Ideally, only we should advance."

"Wow, are you going to wipe everyone out? Mashiro-chan's goals are really ambitious."

"That's right! If it doesn't go to this extent, there's no point in forming an alliance."

Bathed in the surprised gaze of Xingye Wu, Kaiba Mashiro crossed her arms smugly, her rabbit-ear scarf swaying on her head.

Xingyewu reached out to touch the loli's silk scarf, and the loli, who was in the mood for something, did not show any aversion or rejection.

"Huh? Wu, it seems like your relationship has improved quite a bit."

"Phew, that'll definitely be a hit."

Yu Xi looked at this scene with some surprise. Xing Yewu stroked Zhenbai's little head and said with a smile, "Think about it, Xiao Xi. As the saying goes, the three most important bonds in life are classmates, fighting alongside each other, and visiting prostitutes. Zhenbai and I are comrades-in-arms who have fought side by side. It won't do if we don't get along."

"Hmph, it's only temporary. Once we get out of here, we'll be enemies again."

Perhaps it was because Hoshino Mai's head-patting technique was just too good, that Mashiro Kaiba didn't refute Hoshino Mai's argument.

She squinted her eyes, revealing an expression of pure enjoyment, and even made purring sounds like a cat, so cute that it brought a smile to anyone's face.

After laughing, Yu Xi rested her chin on one hand and pondered, "But... should we take advantage of this momentum and eliminate all the threatening enemies in one fell swoop? That sounds like a good idea."

"Yes, yes!"

Yuki's approval of his suggestion instantly excited Mashiro Kaiba.

"Look, Yuki said the same thing. So let's hurry up and find the next unlucky guy! This time, Yuki and I will team up, and we'll definitely beat those guys to a pulp!"

She had already imagined what kind of exquisite and perfect teamwork she could put on when she teamed up with Yuki for a duel, and how they could achieve a victory no less than the one they had just won.

However, just as Mashiro Kaiba was enthusiastically planning her next move, an untimely voice rang out.

"Um—should we continue?"

The green-haired girl who had just teamed up with Yu Xi to defeat the enemy's general was munching on potato chips and said, "It's about time we stopped. Continuing might backfire."

"Wendy, what are you saying!"

Upon hearing this, Mashiro Kaiba's brows furrowed, and she angrily rebuked him, "Now is the time to make a big splash! You coward, are you trying to run away?!"

"That's it!"

Xingye Wu, never one to shy away from stirring things up, chimed in, "Wendy-chan, it's been said since ancient times that such disruptive remarks can get you beheaded! Don't forget you're a regular member of Xingfeng, you have to set a good example for us!"

"No, this has nothing to do with Xingfeng or anything like that. I'm just drawing this conclusion from a rational perspective."

Even when attacked by both the teenage girl and the little girl, Wendy's expression remained unchanged. She probably foresaw this scene the moment she spoke.

"Think about it, it's great to use the alliance's advantages to suppress and weaken the enemy's fighting power as much as possible, but this approach is only most effective during the initial surprise attack. Once the intelligence is leaked, everyone will be on guard, and it won't be so easy to achieve the same effect again."

"Miss Wendy, you mean...?"

"For example, you could have someone stand guard and keep watch, and if you judged that you couldn't win, you could sacrifice a few pieces to hold everyone back, while the rest of the people would retreat and move to another position—that's about it. That's what I would do if I were in that situation."

"Ah, that's true."

Wendy's reminder made Youxi realize what was happening immediately.

Among the many teams participating in this "Duel City" melee, there are many newcomers, but also quite a few veterans.

Based on past experience, having also completed their meeting and alliance, they couldn't possibly be without a way to deal with such a powerful attack.

The simplest method, as Wendy just mentioned, is that if the opponent has someone like Yushi who can directly communicate with Pokémon, the defense will be even stronger.

The reason why Cang Lei & Bing Yang were caught off guard was mainly because no one expected that Xing Feng would ally with their team, and You Xi could also use the spirits to find a suitable breakthrough route.

If nothing unexpected happens, with the rout of Cang Lei & Bing Yang and the other teams, the events in this place will most likely spread outwards in a short time, greatly reducing the surprise and unpredictability of Qing Cheng & Xing Feng's attack.

An even worse possibility is that Shenwei and Canglan might be gathering an even larger force to come here and surround and hunt Youxi and the others.

Once they are defeated in the battle and teleported to various parts of the island, their situation will become even more difficult as they fight alone, making it even harder to contend with such a large alliance.

Even if the beacon fire team that the city belongs to is willing to join forces with them, they first need to be able to meet up, and even then, two fists can't fight four hands.

They can handle one against many, but that doesn't mean they'll always escape unscathed.

"So let's keep a low profile from now on."

Wendy suggested, "We already have enough puzzle cards to advance, so we don't need to fight so desperately anymore. Let's just hide until the notification comes, and then advance smoothly."

"What!?"

Wendy's suggestion was quite reasonable, but upon hearing it, Mashiro Kaiba immediately bristled.

"Wendy! What do you mean?! Are you saying we can't beat those guys? Yuki and I are afraid of those defeated opponents?!"

"No, no, I didn't say that."

Wendy waved her hands repeatedly, indicating that she didn't mean that: "It's just that we're like rats in the street, everyone hates us. The longer we drag this out, the worse it will be. We definitely need to get away as soon as possible and fight on a battlefield that's more suitable for us."

“It’s not really appropriate to compare your own people to rats in the street, Wendy.”

Saki, fulfilling her duty as a maid and making the most of the cabinets and other facilities in the house to make the ingredients as delicious as possible, helplessly corrected her teammate's grammatical error: "I can understand Wendy's concerns, but this doesn't fit our original plan."

When Qingcheng and Xingfeng formed their alliance, their goal was to eliminate all the strong teams. Now, they are still far from achieving that goal, and to give up halfway through would be disheartening for anyone.

Moreover, Cang Lei and Bing Yang were only severely injured, so it's hard to say they were completely eliminated.

"Plans never keep up with changes. For now, I don't think continuing to take risks is a good idea. Safety should come first, rather than any so-called greater victory, shouldn't it?"

Wendy shrugged: "Of course, I'll go along with your opinions, but if it doesn't work out, then forget it."

"...Xue, what do you think?"

Since Wendy has gone this far, it's definitely necessary to seriously consider what to do next.

Youxi asked the white-haired girl who had been silent since earlier.

As the captain of the Kiyosumi team, she is undoubtedly the most authoritative person to speak here. When team members disagree, her words are likely to have a decisive effect.

"Well, yes."

Izayoi Yuki had been thinking for quite a while, and only spoke up when she heard Yuki's question.

“Continuing with the current plan is fine, and Wendy’s suggestion is also good; both have their advantages and disadvantages. If it were before, I would probably stick to the former idea. But now… I think it’s better to proceed with Wendy’s plan.”

"Hey hey hey!? Why! Izayoi Yuki! Have you forgotten our goal too?"

Faced with Mashiro Kaiba's dissatisfied protests, Yuki Izayoi calmly replied, "Because I have a bad feeling."

Chapter 190 The Ignition of Ghostly Flames

A bad feeling, or you could say a sixth sense, was an answer that failed to satisfy Mashiro Kaiba.

However, there is an ironclad rule of majority rule. With Yuki and Hoshino Mai supporting Izayoi Yuki, even if Kaiba Mashiro was dissatisfied, she could only choose to obey. With Saki watching, there was no concern that this young lady, who grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, would do anything bad in a moment of impulsiveness.

However, compared to Xingfeng and his group, Youxi and Xingyewu naturally understood that Izayoi Yuki's "bad premonition" was not unfounded.

"Xue, your bad feeling, is it referring to the [Doomsday Bell]?"

After finally managing to appease the sulking bunny-eared loli, Yuki took advantage of Izayoi Yuki's rare opportunity to rest alone and went up to ask her.

Upon hearing a certain keyword in Yuki's words, Izayoi Yuki opened her eyes and nodded slightly.

"Yes, that's what I'm worried about."

Sitting on the bench, Izayoi Yuki accepted the hot coffee Yuki handed her with both hands, thanked her, and then said, "We've been on alert for the [Doomsday Bell], but they haven't made a move yet. To be honest, it's very unsettling."

"I know."

Yuki understood Izayoi Yuki's feelings.

It's not that we're afraid the enemy won't come, it's that we're afraid the enemy won't show up

Knowing that the "Doomsday Bell" would most likely attack the Star Cup venue, Yuki, Hoshino, and Izayoi Yuki were all quite apprehensive. As time went on, this pressure and anxiety only grew stronger.

The most anxiety-inducing thing is not knowing when these lurking enemies will attack.

and--

"Moreover, Uncle Logan hasn't sent me any news yet, which is also something that worries me."

"Uncle Logan's side..."

Upon hearing this, You Xi frowned, a sense of worry rising in her heart as well.

Yes, that's a problem too.

They weren't completely unaware of Uncle Logan's "waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump" plan.

Logan should have made contact with them as soon as the Star Cup main event started.

However, just like the "Doomsday Bell," Uncle Logan disappeared without a trace from the start of the match.

If it were at the beginning of the competition, it would be understandable that the participants would be difficult to contact because they were randomly teleported to various places. But now that they have all arrived and still haven't come to make contact, it's hard to say that something unexpected has happened.

"but!"

You Xi shook her head vigorously and said firmly, "I believe Uncle Logan will be fine. He's not someone who can be easily defeated!"

"I think so too."

Izayoi Yuki said in a low voice, "But in any case, we must be prepared for the worst. In the worst-case scenario, we may have to rely on our own efforts—that's why I plan to take advantage of today's advancement opportunity."

“Using… Ah, I see.”

Yuki immediately realized what Izayoi Yuki was trying to do.

Indeed, that would be a great opportunity to pull the people of [Doomsday Bell] out of the shadows.

……

The Star Cup main tournament, the "Duel City" segment, lasts for three days. All duelists will be notified of the day's qualifying location before 5 PM each day, and the event will open at 5 PM and close at 6 PM.

Only by arriving at the location within one hour and presenting 10 puzzle cards can one be teleported back to the previous hall and become a contestant in the next round of the finals.

Since everyone receives the message, it's only natural to foresee what will happen—

"They've appeared, everyone!"

As the Duel Disk emitted a crisp and loud ringing sound, a gust of wind blew by, and Yu Xi and the others immediately felt goosebumps rise on their skin.