A duelist never gives up!

"Maybe it's telepathy." Ai suddenly appeared and said.

"telepathy?"

"If the Dueling Spirits and Duelists have a very high degree of compatibility, their voices will unconsciously reach the Duelist's brain," Ai explained. "Xuefeng might have heard the Dueling Spirits' cries for help."

Yuan Qi repeated Ai's words and then asked, "Can you sense where the cry for help is coming from?"

Xuefeng hesitated for a moment, then pointed deep into the forest.

"The depths of the forest are very dangerous." Sera, who had been so enthusiastic just now, suddenly said coldly, "They must have been bullied by the powerful Duel Elves. This is the survival law of the Duel Elves. It's best for humans not to interfere."

"What do you think, Xuefeng?" Yuan Qi asked.

"I..." Xuefeng looked at his companions beside him, then gazed into the depths of the forest, feeling somewhat hesitant. Although he wanted to find the source of the cry for help, if it put everyone in danger...

"Have you forgotten something?" Julie said calmly, "Didn't I tell you before we entered the forest? You should follow my instructions."

"Then tell me what to do." Sera said.

"Of course we're heading deeper into the forest," Julie said matter-of-factly. "Danger and opportunity coexist. The greater the danger, the stronger the Duel Elf. Aren't powerful Duel Elfs exactly what we need?"

"But my legs are so sore. I'm full and want to lie down for a while before going back to school," Sera complained.

"You are the one who has too many things to do. Let's go." Julie stood up first.

"Junior, can you carry this lovely senior on your back?" Sera looked at Yuan Qi expectantly.

"No." Yuan Qi refused decisively.

"Really? Senior sister's body is very soft and comfortable, isn't it?" Sera blinked mischievously.

Yuan Qi glanced at Ai, whose eyes were cold, and said nothing.

"Senior, how about I carry you?" Xuefeng squatted down.

"You're so nice, junior!" Sera jumped onto Xuefeng's back without hesitation, holding an umbrella. "As a reward, I'll help you block the sun. Let me tell you, sunlight is a woman's natural enemy. You'll see when we get back to school. Julie's face will definitely turn black as charcoal..."

Just as Sera said, her body was very light and soft, like a child, and Xuefeng felt it was effortless to carry her on his back. At this moment, she heard the cry for help again.

“It hurts so much… It hurts so much… Who can… Who can…”

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you." Xuefeng thought to himself.

“Who…who are you?”

"Can you hear me?" Xuefeng asked happily.

"My name is Yukikaze, and I'm a Duelist. Where are you? What happened?"

The sound suddenly stopped, and then became sharp and piercing, like the roar of a wild beast:

"Yukikaze... Duelist... Duelist... Human... Human!"

"Human! Human! Human!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

“Go to hell!!!”

Chapter 68: The Second Dark Duel

"Phantom Rabbit, please."

"No need to say more, protecting the lord is my duty." As the Phantom Rabbit spoke, he raised his long sword in his hand, and with a flick of his sword, another duel elf fell to the side of the road.

"Phantom Rabbit is so strong." Julie couldn't help but admire it from the side, "It's worthy of being a hand pit monster owned by top duelists."

"Your Dragon Death is not bad either." Yuan Qi glanced at the huge monster standing next to Julie.

The two of them sandwiched Xuefeng and Sera on the left and right, and continued to explore forward. The deeper they went, the more powerful duel elves there were. Fortunately, Phantom Rabbit and Dragon Death were always acting as guards, otherwise it would be dangerous.

"Xuefeng, can we communicate with the other party now?" Yuan Qi asked.

"No." Xuefeng smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It has been cursing humans since the beginning and has completely ignored me."

"Could we have encountered a hunter?" Sera guessed on Xuefeng's back.

"Hunter?" Xuefeng tilted his head, somewhat puzzled.

"They specialize in hunting Duel Pokémon and selling them on the black market," Julie explained. "Instead of imprinting them on cards, they prefer to tie them up with traps and ropes, or even inflict scars on them."

"Why do you do this?"

"Dueling Pokémon that look pitiful or angry due to injuries are easier to sell. And the targets aren't necessarily duelists, but rather nobles and wealthy businessmen." Julie paused and continued, "Simply put—high-level pets."

"Stop for a moment." Yuan Qi raised his index finger and put it to his lips. "There seems to be someone talking up ahead."

Yuan Qi said as he walked forward lightly. Through the gaps between the trees, he saw the scene ahead: "It seems... we guessed right."

"Are they really hunters?" Julie came closer. In front of a lake, there were several figures in black holding long whips and whipping several scarred little girls.

"Little girl?!" Sera couldn't help but exclaimed when she saw this scene.

"No, it's a humanoid Duel Elves." Julie's eyes flashed with disgust. "Ever since the slave trade was banned, the nobles have turned their attention to humanoid Duel Elves because the law doesn't protect them."

"Then what should we do?" Sera asked, tilting her head.

"Of course, save them," Xuefeng said anxiously. It was meaningless. The duel elves that had been crying for help and cursing in her mind were these scarred "little girls" in front of her.

"But hunters are considered a gray profession. The Empire doesn't have any clear laws regarding this." Sera sighed. "They haven't committed any crime, so we have no reason to stop them."

At this moment, the leading woman suddenly swung the whip in her hand and hit a duel elf, saying viciously: "Tell me, where is your gathering place!"

The duel elf stared at the woman with red eyes, gritted his teeth, and refused to say a word.

"Boss, it's good enough to earn this much. Let's call it a day for today." A tall, thin man at the side advised, "It will be difficult to leave the forest after dark."

"Idiot! These humanoid duel elves usually live in groups. There must be others of her kind around here. If we can find where they gather, we'll never have to worry about money again!" the woman said disdainfully. "Keep fighting! I don't believe I can't pry open this little thing's mouth today!"

"Even if I die, I will never let you damned humans get what you want!" One of the duel elves with short pink hair said stubbornly.

"Snapped!"

The whip hit the delicate skin, but the duel elf did not feel the burning pain. She raised her head in confusion, and a figure stood in front of her without her knowing when.

"Stop!" Xuefeng stood in front of the duel elf and blocked the whip with his arm.

"Huh?" The leading woman narrowed her eyes. "Where did this little sister come from? This is not a place for children to play."

"Bah, a bunch of despicable people, how dare you bully the weak in broad daylight? I, Yuan Qi, will teach you a lesson today."

"Senior, can you please not use my name when you threaten me?" Yuan Qi said unhappily to Sera who was hiding behind him.

"Ahem, isn't it because you, my junior, are stronger than me?" Sera said with two dry coughs.

"Bullying the weak?" The woman sneered, glancing at the few people who had suddenly appeared. "What are you waving about the banner of justice? It makes me want to vomit. I think you've also taken a liking to these dueling elves, right?"

"That's right." Julie stepped forward and said calmly, "We've got our eyes on these dueling elves. Get out of here!"

"Pfft." The woman couldn't help laughing. She said to the men beside her, "Did you hear what that little girl said?"

"Boss, she actually wants to steal our goods." Another man said with a forced smile.

"I want the green-haired one. She reminds me of my old daughter." A thin man licked his lips.

"Hehehe... I can hunt souls again."

"Since you want to steal something, you should understand the rules of the underworld, right?" The woman said, and black mist surged in her hands.

"Dark Duel?" Xuefeng couldn't help but screamed as she looked at the familiar black mist. Before she could react, the woman's black mist wrapped around her wrist.

"Not good." Yuan Qi frowned. From the conversation, it could be seen that the woman was obviously the leader of this group, and the strongest one. If Xuefeng was asked to deal with her, something might happen unexpectedly.

"You should worry about yourself." The man who had just smiled with a fake smile also pestered Yuan Qi.

"Hehehe...your soul...is very dirty." The skinny woman laughed coldly at Julie.

"I don't have the ability to see through souls, but your appearance does disgust me." Julie said, holding up her duel disk.

"Eh? Do I want a Dark Duel too? Do I want a Dark Duel too?" Sera looked at the black mist on her wrist and said in distress, "This is my first time doing a Dark Duel. I have no experience in this area."

"Don't worry, this is your last dark duel." The man said, holding up his duel disk. "Come on."

"Duel!" x8

Xuefeng looked at the familiar black fog around him, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet into the top of his head.

This time... classmate Yuan Qi is not with me. Can I win?

"Human...are you here to hunt me and my people as well?"

A familiar voice sounded in his mind. Xuefeng subconsciously turned his head and found that for some reason, the tied-up pink-haired little girl was sitting next to him, staring at him with her emerald green eyes.

"No, I'm here to save you." Xuefeng let out a long breath and gave the little girl a bright smile.

Chapter 69: Attack first and win half the battle

Once you take the initiative, the duel is half won.

This is not a famous saying of a highly skilled duelist, but the consensus of the vast majority of duelists.

Therefore, when he took the initiative in this extremely dangerous dark duel that concerned souls and involved lives, Yuan Qi's tense expression relaxed slightly.

"I enter the main phase and Normal Summon Madeline Witch!"

The words that had been repeated countless times were uttered once again, and Miss Witch once again floated on the field riding on a long silver fork.

"Then, I used the effect of Madeline Witch to retrieve a Puppet Dessert Monster from the deck." Yuan Qi said, glancing at his opponent.

"Qi, you're overthinking it." Ai patted Yuan Qi's shoulder. As his partner, she certainly understood what Yuan Qi was thinking. "Hand Pit is a rare monster card that only a few top Duelists possess. It's not that easy to come across."

Yuan Qi looked at the ghost rabbit in his hand and said nothing.

"In that case, I'll add Jelly Angel from my deck to my hand."

"Immediately afterwards, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card - Emergency Teleport, and Special Summon Psychic Wheelman from the deck."

"I will synchronize the Stars of the Psychic Wheelmaster and Madeline Witch on the field, and summon them in Defense Position—Formula Athlete Lightning Track Champion!"

Silver coherent particles lit up in the dark fog like lightning. With a burst of dazzling white light, the Formula One athlete electric track champion appeared on the duel field.

"Next, I cover a card and the turn ends." Yuan Qi ended his turn in this way.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, so young and yet he possesses a Synchro Monster? No wonder he had the leisure to care about his companions just now," the man standing across from Yuan Qi quipped. "He's duelling in this black fog without the slightest trepidation or nervousness. His movements are so smooth and effortless. I'm sure he's very confident in his abilities, right?"

"But I've seen many gifted brats like you." The man's mouth seemed to split open, and the corners of his mouth seemed to bend up to his ears. "Let me tell you the difference between you and me!"

"My turn, draw a card!" With a loud shout, the man drew a card from his deck. "I enter the Main Phase and activate the Spell Card - Foolish Burial, sending a monster from my deck to the Graveyard."

"Chain activate the effect of Formula One Lightning Race Champion. Once per turn, you can only activate it when your opponent activates the effect of a Spell or Trap card. The Level of this card is reduced by 1 points, and the activation is negated and destroyed." Hara Nana said in a chain.

"We don't even know what deck the opponent has. Is it okay to hand it over so easily?" Ai asked worriedly.

"If I don't pay it now, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to pay it later." Yuan Qi explained.

"Is this the effect of your monster?" The man sneered nonchalantly. "It's quite good, but it's a pity that if it only works once per round, it won't be able to stop me."

He then inserted another card into the Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card - Hand Break. Both players send two cards from their hands to the Graveyard. After that, each player draws two cards from their deck."

Yuan Qi looked at the three cards in his hand, hesitated for a moment, sent the Jelly Angel and Rescue Cat he had just retrieved to the cemetery, and then drew two more cards.

"Then, I normally summon the Minotaur." The man summoned a monster that Hara Qishi was very familiar with onto the field.

"Ox-headed ghost? Is he also the Immortal Jun?" Yuan Qi frowned. Unfortunately, he couldn't check the other party's graveyard, and didn't know what he had just wiped out with his hand.

"Then I activate the Minotaur's effect, selecting an Undead monster from my deck and sending it to the Graveyard. I choose... Bone Prince!"

"Huh?" Yuan Qi suspected that he had heard it wrongly.

"Hmph, that's right. Unlike the Puppet Dessert deck your noble lady enjoys admiring, mine is the Skeleton King series, renowned for its high attack power!" The man waved his hand arrogantly. "Tremble before the Skeleton King's high attack power!"

"I activate the effect of Bone Prince. This can only be activated if this card is sent to the Graveyard. I send one each of 'Bones' and 'Bones Lady' from my hand and deck to the Graveyard. Then, I activate its second effect, banishing this card and Special Summoning it from my Deck—Bone King!"

The Skeleton King, dressed in purple, appeared on the field with his arms spread out, emitting a cold aura in the black fog.

"Bone King's original attack power becomes the number of Bone Kings and Bones in your Graveyard x 1000. Since I have Bones and Madam Bone in my Graveyard from the previous card severing, the Bone King's attack power on the field is 2000!"

"..."

"I'm not done yet. I activate the effect of Bone Nightmare, discarding this card from my hand and choosing 1 of my "Bones" or "Bone Nightmare" removed from play, returning it to my Graveyard. Since this card's name counts as a "Bones" as long as it exists in the Graveyard, I now have four "Bones" in my Graveyard, and my Bone King's ATK will become 4000!"