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

"… whatever you want."

Izayoi Yuki regretted telling Yuki and Hoshino Mai about it, but after the argument during the day, she knew she couldn't persuade them. So she gave up on continuing this futile attempt.

"So, in order to support each other in a timely manner, everyone must keep communication channels open and their phones switched on. We need to contact each other periodically and immediately in case of any abnormalities, is that alright?"

"no problem."

The suggestion of "Sixteen Nights of Snow" is a matter of course, and of course no one could object to it.

So the three of them packed up and, carrying their prepared documents, followed the map navigation, like a group of protagonists in a ghost story who like to court death, heading towards the locations mentioned in various urban legends.

For the next few days, the urban legend investigation team made the most of their spare time during the day to rest and recharge. At night, they discussed information and investigation strategies related to the urban legends and personally visited the locations overnight.

Some urban legends have been proven false by several people, some are simply the work of dueling spirits, and some are exaggerations. Others, as Izayoi Yuki said, are indeed traps set by criminals to lure naive and ignorant people.

In such situations, they will take action or call the police, depending on the circumstances.

The records of urban legends were crossed out one by one, decreasing at a visible rate. Before long, the trio had solved more than half of the urban legends.

Unfortunately, none of these were related to what they were looking for.

Only a few remained, awaiting their arrival.

"Today's target is [Devil's Alley]."

After getting off at the station in the South Fourth District, Izayoi Yuki and her teammates checked the information one last time.

"It is said that in this region, if you walk through the alleys and streets at night, you may encounter a being called the 'Demon Merchant.' After making a deal with the Demon Merchant, you can obtain powerful strength from him and be transformed."

As Izayoi Yuki briefly recounted the gist of this urban legend, Hoshino Mai remarked, "Hmm... this is a typical method of swindling, and most of the related comments online are just hearsay, so it doesn't seem like a big deal."

Having conducted so much research on urban legends during this period, and with the guidance of Izayoi Yuki, a trainee dueling guard, Hoshino Mai has now accumulated some experience.

She could tell at a glance that this trip would most likely be a wasted one.

Yuki did the same, asking the white-haired girl, "Izayoi-kun, how's the progress on Inspector Ushio's side? Have they found anything?"

"Progress is very poor." Izayoi Yuki shook her head. "Uncle Ushio and the others have checked all the migrant workers and haven't found anything suspicious. They have, however, arrested quite a few other wanted criminals. Professor Kno and the others haven't left any traceable clues on their phones either; they've done a very good job of keeping things confidential."

You Xi said knowingly, "So, in other words, we really can't rely on them after all?"

"maybe."

Izayoi Yukido said, "Uncle Ushio has received news that the higher-ups will send an ace to support us. Once the ace arrives, they'll probably have a solution. But by then, it will be too late."

This is the second time the girl has said this.

Her brows were furrowed, her lips were pressed tightly together, and her voice was very soft, but anyone could hear the suppressed anxiety in it.

"Then, let's rely on our Urban Legends Investigation Team to turn the tide!"

Hoshino Mai clapped her hands and said in a cheerful voice, "Although this 'Devil's Alley' sounds pretty far-fetched, maybe it's the real deal this time. So... Yuki-kun, Koyuki, let's, the great detectives, keep our eyes wide open and uncover the truth behind this urban legend today!"

As if her words were adorned with stars, the blonde girl's declaration drew their attention back.

"That's true. This urban legend covers a wide range of topics and might take a long time to resolve. Let's not chat here any longer."

Izayoi Yuki took a deep breath, reopened her eyes, and opened her mouth towards her two teammates.

"Next, let's split up. I'll go to the left, Izumi to the south, and Mai to the right. We'll stay in touch and, once we've completed the rounds, if we don't find anything unusual, we'll return to this station to meet up."

"Ok!"

"learn."

As before, Yuki and Hoshino Mai accepted Izayoi Yuki's request without hesitation. After wishing each other to be careful, they headed towards their respective areas of responsibility.

Then--

The signal for Izayoi Yuki was suddenly cut off.

Chapter 107 The Doomsday Bell – Grafa

The clear moonlight, mixed with dazzling neon lights, spilled across the streets, making Chenguang City, a city that never sleeps, even more lively and bustling.

However, this symbolism cannot illuminate the depths of the alley.

This is a corner of the city, a breeding ground for darkness.

After parting ways with Yuki and Hoshinobu, Izayoi Yuki walked alone in the alley.

As she casually dealt with the thugs and drunkards who dared to hit on her, she used her sharp eyes and her own senses to scan and sense everything around her, trying to find clues related to "Devil's Alley".

This urban legend differs from other urban legends they investigated before. Apart from having to occur at night, it doesn't specify a particular time and covers a very wide range.

The girl was actually prepared to spend the next few days here until she was sure that this urban legend had nothing to do with the "Doomsday Bell".

That's why it will be troublesome for Izumi and Mai.

Because of their own affairs, they barely slept for two nights, and the dueling club's activities had been largely neglected, leaving returning and newly joined members to practice on their own. As the current captain of the dueling club, frankly, this was a serious dereliction of duty.

I'm also very sorry to everyone.

But regardless, things have already come to this point, and Izumi and Mai have already been dragged into this mess. There's no going back and letting everything go to waste. Otherwise, that would be an insult to everyone's efforts.

Moreover, even if there is only a sliver of hope, she doesn't want to give up unless she completely fails.

Give up the chance to catch the "Doomsday Bell".

So, although I feel very sorry for Izumi and Mai, I can only make it up to them properly after the incident is over.

A few fleeting thoughts rose and fell in the girl's mind, but they did not distract her. Izayoi Yuki had already mastered the skill of multitasking in her training with the Duel Guards, and this level of skill was not enough to prevent her from doing both at the same time.

And that's why, when Kame stepped out of the alley, calculating the passage of time and preparing to contact Yuki and the others, Izayoi Yuki, who hadn't lost her vigilance for a moment, immediately noticed something was wrong.

The feeling that permeated her surroundings and enhanced her perception suddenly sent back an unpleasant signal.

It was as if the surroundings had suddenly transformed into another world, an ominous aura spreading out, causing a slight sense of unease. Immediately afterward, Izayoi Yuki sensed another feeling.

This fluctuation of feeling was quite familiar to Izayoi Yuki.

It's impossible that they're not familiar with it.

It should be noted that not long ago, she had sensed the same fluctuations after her duel with Professor Kno.

It was Feel that ignited the dark blue flames, seemingly from hell, that she could never forget.

"Looks like... we've finally found the real culprit!"

A crimson light seemed to gleam in Izayoi Yuki's eyes.

She stared intently at the source of the feeling fluctuation, but did not choose to make any rash moves. Instead, she lowered her head and started operating her phone.

After discovering that his cell phone signal was blocked and he was unable to contact Yu Xi and the Public Security Bureau, he finally started walking forward.

Before they knew it, there were no pedestrians to be seen on the wide street. The pale moonlight shone down, giving off a cold and desolate feeling.

In front of the girl, in the middle of the street, a lone figure sat leisurely behind a table, exuding a tremendous presence.

Bathed in moonlight, the man was draped in a robe adorned with blue patterns, giving him an air of mystery and danger. He resembled a charlatan who enjoyed swindling and deceiving, but a charlatan appearing here seemed unlikely to fit the idiom "swindling and deceiving."

"Hehe, it's rare to have a guest tonight. Good evening, young lady. I am the Demon Merchant. If you are willing to make a small deal with me, I can grant you power far beyond your imagination."

The hooded figure who called himself the Demon Merchant let out a hoarse laugh from deep in his throat. The voice had a demonic quality that perfectly matched the character's aura.

But Izayoi Yuki only glared at the pretentious demon merchant, her voice colder than ever before: "Stop talking nonsense. A small transaction? I doubt anyone who trades with you will survive. And stop this ridiculous disguise. Show me your true form! [Doomsday Bell]!"

"Ok?"

Upon suddenly hearing a word that shouldn't be heard here, the hooded man couldn't help but let out a surprised "Eh!"

He then took another careful look at Izayoi Yuki and recognized the person who had come.

"Hehe, so it's you, the little girl who cornered Keno in the end. I didn't expect you to find this place. I set it so that only those filled with hatred and desire could enter... Oh, does that mean you have a grudge against us?"

"So what."

Izayoi Yuki neither denied the Hooded Monster's speculation, nor was there any need to deny it.

When she saw that the other party did not immediately deny that she was the "Doomsday Bell," she felt a surge of heat, making her almost unable to control her emotions and body.

"I am a Duel Guard from the Security Maintenance Bureau. You rats in the gutter are our prey. Don't think you can escape the Duel League's net! You're from [Doomsday Bell], right? Answer me, where is the truth right now! What is [Doomsday Bell] doing here? What's their conspiracy?!"

A barrage of questions came from the girl's mouth, and she began interrogating the hooded monster opposite her.

The hooded man just let out a strange laugh.

"Hehehe, prey? It's hard to say who the prey is. Although I didn't originally intend to provoke the Public Security Bureau, since you've personally delivered yourself to my door, I can't very well turn you away."

“Little girl, you want to know the truth, right? Sure, I’ll tell you—provided you can still stand up later.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a ghostly blue flame ignited in the hooded monster's palm, coalescing into a deck of cards. The deck seemed capable of absorbing all the surrounding darkness.

"I can't ask for it."

Izayoi Yuki unfolded her Duel Disk and neatly placed her deck.

Amidst the crisp sound effects, the girl coldly declared, "This time you can't escape. I'll make you confess everything."

"Heh heh heh, you'll regret this. I am Grafa, a member of [Doomsday Bell]. Little girl, just remember the name of the person who's about to take your soul—"

"Duel!!"

Chapter 108 mentions the Shapeshifting Jar, and what decks come to mind?

"The signal is down, Ms. Hoshino. Are you able to contact Izayoi-kun?"

"No, I can't get through to Xiaoxue's phone at all."

The blonde girl's voice came through the phone's call port, tinged with worry and anxiety: "Yu Xi-kun, it seems we were wrong before. This 'Devil's Alley' isn't just a fake; there's something real inside."

"Well, now it seems that the disappearance of Izayoi's class reunion can only be due to this urban legend."

Shortly after the Urban Legends Investigation Team began its operation, when Yuki and Hoshino Mai contacted each other at the pre-arranged time, they discovered that Izayoi Yukino was nowhere to be found and that they could not reach her by any means. They immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

If the true form of the urban legend "Devil's Alley" isn't so powerful that even Izayoi Yuki can control it, then perhaps they have truly found the real one.

Neither of them can be ignored.

The next step is obvious—

"Call the police."

Yu Xi uttered a single word: "We can't keep this from Officer Ushio and the others any longer; we have to call the police. And then... Ms. Hoshino, let's meet at the place where Izayoi's signal last disappeared. We should be able to find some clues there."