Chapter 95: The Sacrificial Ritual

Having experienced it once before, You Xuan was somewhat prepared and landed steadily on the ground in a half-crouch.

A pungent odor hit him—the air carried a damp, moldy stench. The surrounding walls, eroded by time, were mottled and cracked; patches of water stains spread across their surfaces, forming abstract, eerie patterns.

It was utterly unlike the lush, green forest environment from his last landing.

“Is this also the Spirit Realm?”

You Xuan glanced around, then turned to see the Silent Magician standing guard beside him, staff in hand, alert.

So he thought for a moment, then stepped forward and reached out to pinch the snow-white cheek.

Hmm, same texture as before.

“So we’re back in the Spirit Realm,” You Xuan mused.

Silent Magician: “????”

Why has my face become some kind of testing device?

She immediately pouted and vanished back into her card deck.

Spirits in the Spirit Realm can also return to their cards, but normally they exist as physical forms here. In the real world, they can manifest physically too, but it consumes extra energy.

Even powerful spirits like Ultraman’s New Space Hero in the later seasons of the anime can only remain active in the real world for a few minutes. Hmm, that actually sounds reasonable.

So You Xuan asked the Chaos Warrior: “Is this still the same Spirit Realm as before?”

The Chaos Warrior shook his head: “No, this is not the world I know. But I can sense the same evil spreading here too—this realm is also poisoned by the Dark God’s influence.”

“Orichalcos? Here?”

Indeed, the Orichalcos snake had a voracious appetite—not only targeting the mortal world but also countless dimensions of the Spirit Realm.

“Yet even the barrier between this dimension and the Duelists’ world has been weakened by the Dark God’s invasion,” the Chaos Warrior said. “If necessary, I can shatter the barrier and return to the real world at any time with my power.”

You Xuan felt slightly reassured. If he could leave anytime, there was nothing to fear.

After all, the Great Opening—the legendary force that forged heaven and earth and wielded Dimension Slash—was reliable. With the Great Opening, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost in other dimensions anymore.

He recalled how Yubel, the final boss in the later arcs of the anime, possessed formidable spatial abilities—even in her incomplete state, with only one awakened hand, she could casually drag the entire Duel Academy into another dimension. He wondered whether the Great Opening’s spatial power could match hers.

“Shall we go?” the Chaos Warrior asked.

“Not yet,” You Xuan stood up.

After all, he was already here.

And based on the scene before the teleportation, although Ten’s two idle roommates were outside the light, Ten should have been teleported alongside him. Perhaps it was because only he and Ten stood on the pattern drawn on the floor, or because both were Duelists with Spirit energy.

Better to look for Ten first and see if he’s nearby.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when he turned—and nearly jumped out of his skin.

He saw corpses.

The bodies of armored warriors, their bloodied blades discarded nearby. A mage in tattered robes, now reduced to a pile of dry bones, his shattered staff lying beside him.

A vast pile of corpses lay heaped here.

Behind him, voices arose—shouts heading toward this place.

“Huh? There’s a survivor!”

“The sacrifice!” another cried. “Stop right there!”

Two figures dashed over. You Xuan squinted—it was two walking skeletons, clad in armor, wielding swords and shields, helmets atop their skulls.

The two skeleton soldiers sprinted a few steps, then slowed as they neared.

Because they realized—the sacrifice showed no intention of fleeing.

“The sacrifice? You mean me?” You Xuan asked.

“Of course. Who else?”

You Xuan pondered. If their teleportation point wasn’t far, Ten might be over there.

“Alright, lead the way. Where’s the ceremony hall?” You Xuan said.

The skeleton soldiers exchanged glances.

This is intense—why does today’s sacrifice seem unusually cooperative?

But it saved them trouble. The two skeleton soldiers flanked him, one in front, one behind, seemingly to prevent escape.

Yet they soon realized their concern was unnecessary. The sacrifice not only didn’t try to flee—he was downright chatty.

You Xuan casually asked, like chatting over tea: “The ceremony… let me guess—it’s an offering to the great Orichalcos God?”

The two skeleton soldiers jolted, turning their heads in unison, stunned.

“Y-you why say that name?” one stammered. “How do you know the true name of the Great Divine?”

Indeed—they were all Orichalcos lackeys.

The taller skeleton soldier turned to his shorter companion in alarm: “Brother, could this man… also be a true believer of our God?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the shorter skeleton replied, equally uneasy, but waved his hand. “Regardless of how he learned the God’s name, there’s not a trace of divine blessing on him.”

The taller skeleton nodded, but his eyes still held suspicion as he stared at You Xuan.

“You guys must have it rough—this place looks like a dump,” You Xuan kept chatting. “Hey, by the way—have you seen another sacrifice? Human, jellyfish hair, red uniform, shouts all the time?”

The two skeletons: “...”

Unfortunately, the two skeletons were too dense to reveal more. After passing through several doors, they entered a dark, vast, damp hall—like the entrance to the underworld. Thick moss covered the walls; at the center stood a massive circular altar, adorned with horrifying ritual items.

Complex magical arrays were drawn on the ground around the altar, each position embedded with glowing gems emitting faint, cold light. Massive pillars supported the dome, carved with ancient incantation patterns.

Several other skeleton soldiers, similar to the two, stood in formation around the hall. You Xuan noticed captives too—each one grimy, wearing shackles.

At the center of the altar stood a priest clad in gray-black robes, his hood revealing a chilling skeleton. On his arms, black mist coalesced into a device resembling a Duel Disk.

Opposite him knelt a golden-haired warrior in armor, also wearing a Duel Disk-like device, clutching his chest as he spat blood.

“Thus it ends! The soul of one defeated in ritual combat becomes the God’s meal!”

The skeleton shrieked.

“I attack directly with myself! ‘Bone King’s’ Attack!”

A phantom detached from his body—a black-robed skeleton soared upward; a towering bone spire erupted from the ground, pouring forth magical energy like a vortex of the undead, engulfing the warrior.

“Aaaah!”

The warrior screamed, toppling backward. Green light flared on the altar; his soul was ripped from his body, drawn upward along a spiraling green beam into the sky.

You Xuan finally recognized the priest conducting the ritual—it was Bone King.

Bone King was a one-star Undead monster belonging to the Bone Deck.

Even the sacrifice ritual requires a duel? This is so Yu-Gi-Oh.

This method seems risky. What if the priest loses the duel and gets sacrificed instead? That’d be hilarious.

“Another soul offered to the Great God.”

The Bone King’s forehead glowed with the Orichalcos mark; hollow eye sockets flared with green light.

“Take him away. Next!”

Another armored prisoner, shackled, was dragged onto the platform. You Xuan observed: before each captive was brought up, the skeleton soldiers removed their shackles—only then did golden light coalesce on their arms, forming a Duel Disk-like device.

“Be grateful—the God only consumes the souls of warriors who die in battle. Thus, you’ve all been granted the chance to fight for your own survival.”

The Bone King raised his Duel Disk, speaking coldly.

“Though, in truth, the outcome is already sealed.”

“Damn it, don’t get too cocky!”

The warrior gritted his teeth and snapped open his Duel Disk.

After watching another duel, You Xuan was certain.

The Bone King was indeed using his own “Bone” Deck.

His opponent, however, was pitifully weak—his deck lacked power, showed no special fate attributes, and his skill level barely matched that of an average duelist outside, worse than a Duel Academy student.

With opponents like these, the Bone King clearly couldn’t lose.

Still, after watching for a while, You Xuan had a clear sense of the Bone King’s skill level.

He might have some fate power, but it wasn’t strong. And since You Xuan already knew his deck, defeating him wouldn’t be hard.

In just a few moves, the second duelist was defeated—his soul sucked upward in a torrent of green light.

Bone King: “Next!”

The tall and short skeleton soldiers escorting You Xuan turned to bring the next sacrifice forward—but froze when they looked at his original position.

Where was the sacrifice?

Confused, they looked up—and saw their assigned sacrifice had already climbed onto the altar himself, right after the previous one was sacrificed.

All the skeletons: “?”

The entire chamber of worshippers stared in shock, all eyes turning to the two skeleton guards—as if asking: Where did you even find a sacrifice with this much initiative?

The tall skeleton opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally blurted to his shorter companion: “He’s definitely a true believer of our God!”

And to ensure the ritual’s success, he willingly stepped forward to offer himself—

The tall worshipper reflected inwardly: such unwavering faith was beyond him. In his eyes, You Xuan’s back on the altar suddenly towered in stature.

Even the Bone King was momentarily stunned. But You Xuan, unfazed, opened his Duel Disk and waited. When the other didn’t move, he grew impatient: “Hey, you gonna sacrifice or not? If not, I’m leaving.”

Bone King: “...”

(End of Chapter)