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

Following their instincts and senses, they all looked in a certain direction.

In the distance, a golden circular doorway floated in the sky, visible to anyone, regardless of their location, and instantly recognizable as the portal used for advancement.

At five o'clock, the portal will open and a beam of light will descend.

Those duelists who are eligible to advance can be teleported back once they enter.

The only problem left is one thing—

"I activate the Spell Card: Spiral Fusion! I fuse 'Spell Knight Gaia' and 'Dragon of Inferno'! Fusion Summon 'Dragon Spell Knight Gaia'. This card's ATK becomes 5200 due to the Spell Card's effect, and it can attack monsters twice during the same Battle Phase. Furthermore, when 'Dragon Spell Knight Gaia' destroys an opponent's monster by battle, its ATK increases by an additional 2600."

"Dragon Demon Knight Gaia" attacks, "Dragon Demon Spiral Shot Kill!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

With Yuki's declaration, a swift lance pierced through the monster's body, sending the enemy flying with screams echoing everywhere.

Nearby, the bunny-eared loli waved and announced, "I'll set link markers on the five 'Dragon Maids' on the field, linking and summoning L-ink5, 'Link Dragon'!"

"If 'Dragon Link Summon' is unaffected by other card effects and is successfully Link Summoned using monsters of any of the five Attributes other than LIGHT as Link Material, destroy all cards on your opponent's field! Then attack immediately! [Doomsday Roar]!!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"

A terrifying dragon with five heads emerged from the portal, unleashing a deadly dragon breath upon the enemy ranks, destroying everything and utterly crushing the foe.

On the other side, the crimson dragon, in coordination with the flower dragon, successfully suppressed the enemy.

With a flash of light from the teleportation portal, You Xi wiped the sweat from his chin and asked the others, "Everyone, are you all alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine here, Xiaoxi."

"Same here."

"no problem."

Xingyewu was the first to respond to Youxi, followed by the others who each expressed that their progress was going well.

Saki, who was protecting Kaiba Mashiro from the side and rear, remarked, "I really didn't expect there to be so many enemies. Luckily, none of them are particularly strong."

"Yes, this is indeed a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Upon seeing the door, You Xi and the others, who had already finished resting, immediately set off from their hiding place toward the door.

But along the way, they encountered many duelists.

Aside from those who lost all their puzzle cards and were temporarily eliminated, almost all the contestants who still had puzzle cards were rushing towards the door.

Yuki's Duel Spirit looked down from the sky and saw hundreds of people converging on one location from different directions, like swallows returning to their nests.

Of course, not every participant who gathered here received 10 puzzle cards; most were still struggling to get them. However, this didn't stop them from becoming obstacles for others, acting as troublemakers.

If they know in advance who the likely qualifiers are and have coordinated with each other, they can use forced duels to slow down the latter. And because their path is blocked, almost anyone who wants to advance will have to face this hurdle.

This is also one of the biggest challenges in the Star Cup competition.

Collecting enough puzzle cards isn't enough to make things easier; you also have to find a way to overcome this final hurdle to truly advance.

Fortunately, the battlefield was chaotic and large enough, and Yu Xi's group wasn't the only strong enough to meet the advancement requirements. With others diverting their forces and Xing Feng's lingering influence, the combined forces of Qing Cheng and Xing Feng weren't under too much pressure.

Moreover, such a battlefield is actually an excellent opportunity to hunt for puzzle cards.

When opportunities arise, it's not uncommon for people to betray each other and take advantage of loopholes.

These all became loopholes that Youxi and his group could exploit.

"After defeating these people, we'll be just a little bit away from our destination. Let's hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon."

After carefully putting away the puzzle cards they had won from their opponents, Yu Xi gave everyone one last encouraging word.

Then he took the lead and walked towards the pillar of light that was only a few dozen meters away, but at that moment—

A ghostly blue flame suddenly ignited!

Chapter 191 The Proclamation of the Doomsday Bell

"Whoa! What is this!?"

Just as Qingcheng and Xingfeng's teams were about to reach the pillar of light after dealing with the last group of obstacles, as if by surprise, a ghostly blue flame suddenly ignited.

This flame doesn't feel hot; instead, it's cold and terrifying, evoking thoughts of death and the underworld.

The flames transformed into a high wall, burning fiercely and surrounding the entire pillar of light in the center, blocking everyone's path.

Some people mustered up their courage and reached their hands into the flames, only to be burned and scream in agony.

"Damn it! What's going on?! Why did something like this suddenly appear?!"

"Could this also be part of the competition? How come I've never heard of it before?!"

Complaints and doubts came from all directions, forming a gradually expanding disturbance. However, Yu Xi and his companions remained calm amidst the chaos.

Rather, this scene unfolded exactly as they had anticipated.

He exchanged a glance with Izayoi Yuki, who was standing nearby.

There's no mistake, the feel emanating from this ghostly blue flame is exactly the same as the feeling I had when I first encountered Grafa.

"It's indeed here."

"Yes, this trick is indeed very useful."

"Huh? What? What?" Standing between the two, Mashiro Kaiba was completely bewildered, shaking her head from side to side, trying to get an answer from someone. "Yuki, what are you two talking about? What? It's finally here!"

"So that's how it is."

Compared to Mashiro Kaiba, Saki and Wendy quickly realized something from Yuuki and the others' reactions.

"You Xi, is this why you agreed to advance so readily?"

Although it was a question, Wendy's tone was quite certain: "To force this thing out."

"Haha, you can't say that."

Xing Yewu chuckled and smoothed things over, saying, "We were just taking a gamble, hoping it would really develop this way, and it turned out just as I guessed. How should I put it... we didn't really want to see this happen either."

Assuming that Izayoi Yuki is indeed the sacrificial child that the Doomsday Bell desires, then they probably wouldn't want Izayoi Yuki to advance to the next level and leave the island on the very first day.

Therefore, from this perspective, as long as they show their desire to advance, [Doomsday Bell] will definitely step in to stop them.

This can be considered a calculated, overt strategy.

Simple, crude, yet effective.

But this is also something that Youxi and the others don't really want to see.

If they don't appear, it means their schemes might have been a battle of wits with thin air from beginning to end, which is actually a good thing.

Conversely, if it happens, it means that the previous premonition may very well become a reality.

Uncle Logan is really in grave danger.

"I'm sorry, Mashiro, Saki, and Wendy."

You Xi apologized to Xing Feng and the others, saying, "I should have told you about this sooner. But I was worried it would have the opposite effect, so I kept it from you."

“No, the one who should apologize to them is me.” Izayoi Yuki shook her head. “I told Yuki not to say it. Blame me.”

"Well, there's no point in talking about this now."

Wendy looked up at the rising wall of flames and said calmly, "It's not that I can't guess why you're not telling me. After all, this is a live broadcast, and nobody knows if there are hidden cameras. It wouldn't be good if the secret were leaked to so many people outside. But shouldn't you be more concerned about explaining the situation to us as soon as possible?"

"That's true, actually this flame is..."

There was no need to continue speaking once You Xi had already spoken.

The burning flames suddenly changed again, spreading outwards and gathering to form a huge human figure.

The figure wore a hood, revealing a smooth chin. Because of the flames, the difference in skin color between the figure and clothing was indistinguishable, but the solemnity and sanctity of the robes were still evident.

The man lowered his head slightly, looking down at all living beings on the earth—

"Nice to meet you all."

His voice was loud and clear, and it was likely that not only in this area, but also in other duelists across the island who were unable to make it.

"I am the leader of the Doomsday Bell, and you may call me the High Priest."

"We have come here today for no other reason than for our great aspiration—the end of the world is coming, and only those who obey destiny and are chosen will be able to survive in the new world and establish a completely new order. That is why we have come here. On the one hand, we want to select the seeds that can survive in the new world; on the other hand, we also want to be better prepared to welcome the end of the world and the arrival of that new world."

"Those of you who have overcome numerous obstacles to participate in this Star Cup main tournament are all future pillars of the Eastern Finals. You can be considered the elite selected from thousands of people, and I believe there must be some among you who are qualified to become a part of the new world. However, whether you can pass the selection or become a sacrifice to the gods depends on your individual efforts—that's all I have to say."

"Then, the friendly and uneventful 'Duel City' shall come to an end. From now on, we, the [Doomsday Bell], will take over this place. So, everyone, do your best in the Trials of the Chosen."

After the man who called himself the high priest finished speaking, he turned back into flames and disappeared into the wind amidst a sea of ​​shocked and horrified gazes.

As he disappeared, countless feelings of panic, confusion, and bewilderment spread among the contestants everywhere.

"Who is that person anyway? What kind of nonsense are they spouting?!"

"Is this a special procedure prepared by the authorities? I heard that there used to be a character setting called 'puzzle card killer'."

"Wait, something's not right. I feel like I've heard the name 'Doomsday Bell' somewhere before..."

The eerie blue flames continued to burn, trapping the entire teleportation pillar within, preventing anyone from passing through the wall of fire to enter. This island was no longer the stage for selecting those who would advance in the Star Cup; it had become a battlefield many times more dangerous.

"The emergency escape device is useless."

Saki tried a button on the Duel Disk, but found that nothing happened after pressing it. That button was supposed to forcibly remove duelists from the island if they were in mortal danger.

"Since this safety device produced by Haima Technology has become useless, we probably can't expect the authorities to provide timely assistance."

Wendy tried it too, but quickly gave up struggling.

She turned to You Xi and asked, "You Xi, did you foresee this situation all along?"

"No, that's not the case."

You Xi shook his head: "We guessed that [Doomsday Bell] might make some moves, but we didn't expect it to be this big."

They had originally thought they would go straight for Izayoi Shelley, but now it seems they have no intention of letting any of them go.

No, actually this is the kind of behavior that terrorist organizations should have.

"Hmph, so what!"

Kaiba Mashiro stood with her hands on her hips, showing no fear or worry about the current situation, but rather full of enthusiasm.