Since he had the experience from the first time, Yugen was somewhat prepared this time, landing steadily on the ground in a half-squat.
The pungent smell hit him in the face, and the air seemed to carry a moist and moldy odor. The walls around were mottled and corroded by time, with patches of water stains spreading on the walls to form abstract and bizarre patterns.
This was completely different from the lush forest environment when he landed last time.
"Is this also the Elf Realm?"
Yugen looked around, and when he turned back, he saw the Silent Magician, holding her magic staff, guarding him vigilantly by his side.
So he thought for a moment, then reached out to pinch her snow-white cheek lightly.
Ah, still the same feeling.
"We've indeed arrived at the Elf Realm again," Yugen pondered.
Silent Magician: "???"
Why has my face become a testing device?
She immediately pouted, then quickly slipped back into the card deck.
The elves in the Elf Realm can also return to their cards, but usually, they exist physically here. While they can manifest in reality as well, it requires extra energy.
Even strong elves like Judai's late-game Ultraman (Neos) can only maintain physical form for a few minutes in reality... yeah, that sounds about right.
So Yugen asked the Chaos Warrior, "Is this still the previous Elf Realm?"
The Chaos Warrior shook his head, "No, this is not a world I am familiar with. But I can sense that the same evil is spreading in this dimension, a world also poisoned by the forces of the Evil God."
"Orichalcos? Here?"
Indeed, Orichalcos's Cheating Snake has a large appetite, eyeing not only the present world but also countless dimensions of elves.
"However, the dimensional barriers of this dimension and that of you Duelists' have already weakened significantly due to the invasion of the Evil God," said the Chaos Warrior. "If necessary, I can use my power to break through the barriers and return to reality at any time."
Yugen felt a little more assured. Since he could get out at any time, there was nothing to fear.
After all, the Great Opening, known for creating worlds and mastering the power of Dimension Slash, is reliable. With the Great Opening around, it seems there's no need to worry about getting lost in the Other Dimension in the future.
He recalled that Yubel, the late-game boss in the anime, also had considerable spatial abilities, even in an incomplete state with only one hand awakened, could casually drag the entire Duel Academy into Another Dimension. Wonder if the spatial power of the Great Opening could rival that one day.
"Shall we go?" the Chaos Warrior asked.
"No rush," Yugen stood up.
After all, he was already here.
And according to the picture before the teleportation, although Judai's two idle roommates were outside the light, Judai should have been teleported here with him. Not sure if it was because only he and Judai were standing in the room's pattern on the floor at the time, or if it was related to their status as Duelists with Elf Power.
Let's look around and see if Judai is nearby first.
Rising and taking only a few steps, he turned his head and was almost frightened.
He saw corpses.
Corpses of warriors clad in armor, with blood-stained blades discarded nearby. There were also mages whose magic robes had turned into skeletons, with broken magic staffs thrown aside...
A large pile of corpses was heaped here.
Then came voices from behind, calling out in this direction.
"Hmm? There's actually a fish that slipped through the net!"
"A sacrifice for the ritual!" Someone else shouted, "Stop, don't run!"
Two figures came running over. Yugen took a closer look, they were two walking skeletons, clad in armor and wielding sword and shield, with helmets on their heads.
The two skeleton soldiers hurriedly ran a few steps, but slowed down as they approached.
Because they discovered that this sacrifice... didn't seem to have any intention of escaping.
"The sacrifice for the ritual, are you referring to me?" Yugen asked.
"Of course, who else could it be?"
Yugen was thoughtful. If their teleportation drop point wasn't far, Judai might be on that side.
"Alright, lead the way, let's go, where's the venue?" Yugen said.
The skeleton soldiers exchanged glances.
This was unexpected, why did today's sacrifice seem... kind of eager?
But that saved them a lot of trouble. The two skeleton soldiers positioned themselves in front and behind him, seemingly to prevent him from escaping.
However, they soon realized that such concerns were unnecessary. The sacrifice not only showed no intention to escape but was even quite chatty.
Yugen casually asked, as if making small talk, "The ritual... let me guess, it's a ritual to offer sacrifices to the great Orichalcos God?"
The two skeleton soldiers shuddered, turning their heads to look at him in shock.
"How... why would you say that name?" one of the skeleton soldiers exclaimed, "How do you know the name of the great True God?"
Sure enough, they were all underlings of the Cheating Snake.
The taller skeleton soldier was taken aback and looked at his shorter comrade, "Big brother, could this person also be a believer of our True God...?"
"Don't talk nonsense, how could that be possible." The shorter skeleton was also uncertain, but still waved his hand, "Though we don't know how he learned the True God's name, he has no trace of divine blessing... "
The tall skeleton nodded but still looked at Yugen with some suspicion.
"Your work must be rather tough, this place looks quite challenging," Yugen continued chatting, "Oh by the way, have you seen another sacrifice? A Human like me, Jellyfish Head, red uniform, likes to shout loudly..."
The two skeletons: "..."
Unfortunately, the two simple-minded skeletons couldn't offer more information. After passing through several doors, they arrived at a dark, vast, and damp hall, like an entrance to the Underworld. Thick moss covered the surrounding walls, and in the center stood a large circular altar with ominous sacrificial items laid out.
Intricate magic arrays were drawn on the ground around the altar, inlaid with glowing gems that emitted a faint and chilly light. Several massive pillars supported the ceiling, engraved with ancient spell symbols.
Many similar skeleton soldiers were stationed around. Yugen noticed some captives, each with disheveled hair and shackled.
On the altar stood a priest dressed in a gray-black Magic Robe, with a sinister white bone beneath the hood. Its arm transformed from Black Fog into an object resembling a Duel Disc.
Opposite it was a blonde warrior in armor, also with a similar Duel Disc, half-kneeling on the ground clutching his chest and coughing up blood.
"This ends here! The soul defeated in the ritual of battle will become nourishment for the god!"
The White Bone shouted.
"I use myself for a direct attack! 'White Bone King' attack!"
An illusion split from its body, forming a clone. The black-robed bones leaped up, a towering bone edifice rising from the ground, the Magic Power surging like a spiraling vortex of the undead engulfing the warrior opposite.
"Ugh!!!"
The warrior let out a miserable scream, falling backward. The altar emitted a green light, and the soul was drawn out from his body, spiraling into the sky.
Only then did Yugen recognize the priest conducting the ritual. It was actually the White Bone King...
The White Bone King was a One-Star Undead Monster, belonging to the White Bone Deck.
A sacrificial ritual that needed to be conducted through card games—how very Yu-Gi-Oh!
Thinking about it, this method seems a bit risky. What if the duel is lost and the priest is offered as a sacrifice—wouldn't that be a joke...
"Another soul sacrificed to the Great God."
The White Bone King bore the Orichalcos mark on its forehead, and green light emitted from its hollow skull eyes.
"Take him away, the next one!"
Another shackled warrior was brought onto the stage. Yugen observed that before each captive was brought on stage, the skeleton soldiers would unlock their shackles, and after unlocking, a burst of golden light would condense on their arms, transforming into a form similar to a Duel Disc.
"Be grateful, for the god only enjoys the souls of warriors who die in battle. Therefore, you are all granted the chance to fight for your survival."
The White Bone King lifted the Duel Disc, speaking sinisterly.
"Of course, the outcome is actually predetermined."
"Damn it, don't be too arrogant."
The warrior gritted his teeth and unfolded the Duel Disc with a snap.
After watching another round, Yugen was convinced.
The White Bone King indeed used its own "White Bone" Deck.
And the opponents it faced were not impressive. The decks had no significant power, nor did they seem to have any special Destiny Power attributes, their level possibly average compared to ordinary duelists outside, even less than Duel Academy students.
With opponents like these, it was clear that the White Bone King was unlikely to fail.
However, after observing for a while, Yugen got a sense of the White Bone King's priest's level.
Maybe it had some Destiny Power skills, but not very strong. Besides, knowing the opponent's deck in advance, the difficulty of winning shouldn't be high.
After a few moves, the second person also lost, and the soul was absorbed into the sky along the soaring green light.
White Bone King: "Next!"
The tall and short skeletons responsible for escorting Yugen turned around to prepare to bring the sacrifice up, but were stunned when they saw his original position.
Where did the sacrifice go?
When they looked up, they were surprised to see that the sacrifice they were responsible for had consciously climbed onto the altar by himself after the previous one was sacrificed.
All the skeletons: "?"
This development left the entire room of believers a bit bewildered, and they all turned their questioning gazes to the tall and short duo. It was as if asking, where did you find such a proactive sacrifice?
The tall skeleton even opened his mouth, hesitated for a while, and finally couldn't help but say to the short skeleton beside him, "He really is a believer of the True God!"
And for the success of the ritual, he's even willing to offer himself without hesitation...
The high-believers self-reflected, realizing that such firm faith was something they could never achieve. Yugen's back on the altar seemed to grow taller in his eyes.
Even the White Bone King was momentarily stunned upon seeing this. It wasn't until Yugen unfolded his Duel Disc, waiting for a moment without any action from the opposite side, that he became impatient: "Hey buddy, are you going to offer or not? If not, I'm leaving, okay?"
White Bone King: "..."