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

Even standing at the top of the stairs, he could feel how terrifying the fluctuations of energy coming from below were, making him feel a chill run down his spine.

The howling wind blew from below, sounding like the roar of a demon.

And Izayoi Yuki is very likely waiting for them at this very bottom level.

"Hmm, it looks like we're about to go on a trip to the eighteenth level of hell."

Wendy, munching on a strawberry lollipop, said, "But we can't keep going like this. We definitely can't hold on."

Now that they're in, the road ahead will likely be even more difficult.

The forces stationed outside are only a portion of the [Doomsday Bell]'s strength; there's no reason why no one should remain at this main base. No matter how many attacks and chaos occur outside, those here will certainly not easily leave their posts.

In other words, they are facing a group attack from a force even more powerful than the cultists outside, but they no longer have Yan Xiao or anyone else to help them share the burden.

"Then what do you suggest we do? There's no other way, is there? Isn't that why we're working with Youxi? You haven't suddenly become afraid of dying, have you?"

"I ask Ranpo in the castle, sounding annoyed."

Because of the long-standing conflict between Feng Huo and Xing Feng, he didn't like Wendy and thought she wanted to back out.

"Afraid of death? No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

Wendy waved her hand: "To be honest, you're the one most likely to die first among us, Jonouchi. I think we need to come up with a proper strategy to avoid that situation. Otherwise, even if we're willing to help Yuuki share the firepower, she won't make it to the end. And don't you guys think this staircase is a bit too long? Who knows how long it will take to get to the end?"

Before Ranpo in the city could erupt in anger because of her words, Wendy uttered her next words.

She had to admit she was right; even Youxi and Xingye Wu were drawn to her.

And they quickly realized what Wendy was trying to say.

Xing Yewu's expression unconsciously became strained:

"Wait, Wendy, do you mean...?"

"Hmm, I think there's a method that might be very effective in order to save time and avoid potential ambushes."

Wendy peeked out from behind the railing and pointed to the dark opening—

"Let's just jump off from here."

Chapter 222 If you jump, I'll jump.

"Huh? What is this sound?"

Bunches of torches burned throughout the walls, illuminating everything in the stone hall.

The floor was engraved with countless intricate and mysterious patterns, and in the center of the patterns were cards floating in mid-air.

Below the card is a man wearing a hood and a solemn priest's robe.

It was the high priest who had previously appeared above the deserted island and had a conversation with Izayoi Yuki.

He raised his head and looked upwards.

Despite the ceiling and even the thick layer of soil, he seemed to be able to sense something.

"It seems quite noisy outside."

"It appears that someone has attacked our stronghold."

Logan, who had been quietly waiting in the wings and had put his mask back on, spoke in a deep, cold voice: "There aren't many attackers, but each one is quite strong. The cultists below won't be able to suppress them for a while. Should I take action?"

"Has the outpost been attacked?"

The high priest was slightly surprised to hear this, as their stronghold should have been well hidden, yet it was discovered so quickly.

No, it's normal that they were discovered. There are so many religious activities going on outside these days, leaving too many traces. It's not surprising that someone would follow the clues to find them.

"It doesn't matter."

After a moment of contemplation, the high priest rejected Logan's proposal.

"The stronghold up there is just a smokescreen, used to deceive people. As long as the hidden doors and mechanisms are not discovered, there will be no problem. Even if they are discovered, we have strong enough guards. Right now, the most important thing is to complete the grand ceremony; everything else is insignificant. So, just in case, Eagle, you will guard me outside the door. No matter who comes, kill them without mercy."

"As ordered."

Upon receiving the order, Logan immediately turned and left.

With the sound of the door opening and closing, the high priest refocused his attention on the task at hand.

He waved his hands and muttered something under his breath.

One by one, the soul cards sent to him were enveloped and swallowed by the ghostly blue flames, transforming into an important part of the grand ritual—this would be a sacrifice and nourishment for the strongest god who was about to awaken, enabling it to recover its peak combat power in the shortest time. At the same time, it could also be used to construct a special environment to further enhance the compatibility between the sacrificial child and the god.

Almost there, almost there, everything is progressing smoothly now.

Soon, when the bright moon hangs high in the sky, this grand ceremony will be completed.

……

"Huh? Wait, Xiaoxi, are you really going to jump? Should we reconsider? Maybe there's another way?"

Xingye Wu gripped Youxi's wrist tightly, asking with her last glimmer of hope.

However, Youxi disappointed her this time.

“No, Wu. In every sense, Miss Wendy’s method is the simplest and most effective.”

From the touch of their skin, Yu Xi could clearly feel the girl's body trembling, which was also evident in her complexion.

He never expected that Xing Yewu, who was always fearless, would be afraid of heights; this was the first time he had ever heard of it.

To be honest, he was afraid of Xingye Wu, let alone Xingye Wu.

After all, this is not the height of one or two stories, but a "bottomless abyss" or "eighteen levels of hell" that you can't see the bottom of when you look down.

Faced with this level of difficulty, regardless of willpower, the body's instincts will warn that it is beyond one's control. And You Xi has not yet reached the level of remaining unmoved even when Mount Tai collapses before him.

The thought of falling from such a height and turning into a bloody mess that couldn't be pieced back together makes my legs go weak.

but--

"No matter how scared I am, I have to go."

You Xi said, "We don't have that much time left. Even if it's dangerous, this is the only thing we can do."

“You Xi is right. If we keep dragging this out, all the sacrifices made by the captain and the others will be in vain.”

Ranpo Jounouchi said, "If it really turns out like that, I won't be able to face the captain. If you're really scared, you can go back! But I'm definitely going to jump!"

Wendy glanced at Ranpo Jounouchi's legs: "You make it sound so righteous, it would be even better if your legs didn't tremble."

"That's because you're nearsighted and you're seeing things wrong. I wasn't shaking at all!"

"Mai, what are you thinking?"

You Xi asked Xing Yewu what she thought, and the latter's pale face made him feel a little reluctant. He didn't want to force the girl.

“We really didn’t expect to encounter this at first, but it’s not too late to go back now.”

"What were you thinking? We've already come this far, there's only one choice left."

Xingyewu tried to force a smile that was the same as usual, but it looked somewhat forced at the moment.

“Xiao Xi, if you want to jump, then I definitely can’t just go back like this. So… Xiao Xi, if you jump, I’ll jump.”

Heaven knows how much courage Xing Yewu mustered despite her fear of heights, but the determination in the girl's eyes truly resonated with You Xi.

"I see."

After a slight hesitation, then...

Amidst Xingye Wu's soft gasp, Youxi grasped the girl's hand in return. He tried to convey his thoughts to Xingye Wu through this gesture, hoping to reassure her.

"Then, let's dance together."

"Ah... um, let's jump together, Xiaoxi."

At this moment, Xing Yewu felt her heart beating a little fast, and she couldn't calm it down even after taking several deep breaths.

It wasn't because of a fear of heights; it seemed to be caused by something else. How to put it... if I were with Xiaoxi, even jumping off a bottomless abyss wouldn't seem so terrifying.

The girl silently tightened her grip on the boy's hand.

"It seems everyone has reached a consensus."

Seeing that Xingye Dance, who was the most resistant, had been calmed down by Youxi, Wendy said, "Then I'll start dancing after counting down three times, is that okay? Okay, then—3, 2, 1, dance!"

The moment she finished speaking, Wendy, who was standing on the railing, jumped.

Influenced and propelled by this, Yuki and Hoshino Mai, who were holding hands, and the lone Jounouchi Ranpo also jumped down.

Then, the instant they jumped, uncontrollable screams erupted from the crowd.

"Wa ...

No, no, no, no, no, it just won't work!

The howling wind was like a vengeful ghost, and the gravity of the earth pulled everyone toward the depths of hell.

In just a second, the courage she had just mustered burst like a bubble, and Xing Yewu began to regret her choice.

Why was she so desperate to jump?

That's it, I'm doomed.

Die, die, die!

My tear ducts seemed to collapse at that moment, and everything around me was left behind in the blink of an eye as the speed increased.

In this "extreme bungee jump" without a safety rope, only the warmth of the palms became increasingly clear. Every second felt incredibly long in every sense of the word.

finally--

"The time is now."

As Wendy spoke softly, another gust of wind blew in from below.

Unlike the previous wailing of ghosts, this gust of wind, under the control of Feel fluctuations, intentionally formed a giant, gaseous hand and the shape of the "Wind Emperor." The green-haired girl was the first to fall into the giant hand, followed by Yuki and the other two, and finally Ranpo Jounouchi.

The order was exactly the same as when they jumped off the building.

After being cushioned and deflected by the wind, the potential energy from freefalling from a height of hundreds of meters was largely dissipated, and the four landed safely.

"Hmm, we've reached the bottom in no time."