Almost everyone left the principal's office and chose to carry the key closely on their person. For instance, Judai went back and turned his into an ornament, hanging it on his chest.
Except for Yugen.
After returning, Yugen casually tossed it into the dorm desk, locked it up, and left it there.
Because he knew it wasn't necessary.
The key was just a decoy. What was really needed to break the seal was the Dark Duel. By absorbing enough duel energy, the seal would naturally break.
In the animation, the Black Scorpion Thief Gang from the Seven Stars bypassed the duels and stole seven keys, yet there was no response when they inserted them into the seal, rendering them completely useless.
At the end of this chapter, even though all Seven Stars had clearly been defeated, the seven keys suddenly flew out like they were on autopilot, automatically inserting into the stone lock to break the seal of the Three Phantom Demons.
Collecting duel energy was the true purpose of the Seven Stars. In fact, from the beginning, Kagemaru didn't care if the seven people he assembled would win or lose. Whether they won and took the keys or got them for free was unimportant. What mattered was never the outcome, only the process of the duel.
As long as the Dark Duel generated enough energy, that was fine.
And knowing this in advance gave Yugen another plan.
The simplest, direct method was, of course, as previously thought, to find Kagemaru's location and take him down directly. The problem is that the old man's whereabouts are currently unknown, and even his board hasn't heard from him for a long time; he's not easy to find.
Then there's another way.
Anyway, regardless of how well Kagemaru hides, his ultimate goal is to reveal himself to break the seal and take the Three Phantom Demons.
So, since the goal and method are known, as long as he collects enough energy before Kagemaru and takes those three cards first, won't Kagemaru have to show up in person to snatch them?
Yugen thought this trick was also pretty good, and the two plans didn't conflict. During the process of searching for Kagemaru, there were bound to be duels to be fought, so while executing the first plan, he could collect duel energy, allowing the two plans to proceed simultaneously, mutually serving as backup plans.
Additionally, now he would occasionally team up with Judai after class at night, exploring the Elf Realm in an online format as consciousness projections.
The map of the Elf Realm was truly too vast. Just running through the map was exhausting, but the contents were so rich. The two of them explored a section of the route each night, logging off before midnight to sleep without affecting the next day's studies, gradually identifying the location of Overlord City, while also exploring the side quest of finding City Blade.
And so, a fulfilling week passed, welcoming the first weekend of the new semester.
On Friday night, Yugen left the island after class, heading to the newly established headquarters of the Hanuo Knights for the month.
Although it was a new power, the Hanuo Knights quickly developed by integrating local organizations with the duelist strength that felt like a dimensional reduction strike. Yugen arranged for personnel to use this intelligence network to inquire about the Seven Stars.
Now it seems there's a bit of a lead.
...
...
"Leader Revolver over here."
Kurosaki led the way in front, nodding and bowing to the white-clad leader with a dark glass mask on behind him.
Yugen followed behind him, simultaneously speaking, "Tell me more about this place. You said it's called..."
"Dark Web."
Kurosaki explained with a wide smile.
"The forces are spread all over the world, with business contents including underground Dark Dueling, Rare Cards, and various things that can't see the light of day."
Yugen nodded.
So it was a black market for Dark Duelists.
"Who runs it?" Yugen asked.
"The founder? That I don't know, and nobody knows," Kurosaki shook his head and said. "But everyone says the power behind the Dark Web is unfathomable, with its founder having reached a god-like level in Dark Duel."
"In the past, there have been strong fighters from the Dark World who confidently challenged the authority of the Dark Web, yet the result?...Most would become merchandise traded in this market themselves."
"So impressive?"
Yugen casually said, while already calculating in his heart if there was anyone in the original work who looked like they might do such a thing.
Multiple names flashed through his mind for a moment, but he quickly ruled them out one by one. Mr. Malikma looked a bit like a suspect, but he knew Mr. Malikma had already mended his ways and should no longer be involved in the world of Dark Duelists.
"This Dark Web is a good place. Here, you can buy great things that you can't buy outside no matter how much money you have. For example, rare cards, even those out of print. Of course, they might have been stripped from the previous owner's corpse..."
Yugen was silent.
This was not surprising. Most Dark Duelists were desperados, seemingly living in a modern city while actually following their own set of rules. Killing to seize cards is not uncommon.
Intelligence said that the Seven Stars had recently visited the Dark Web's underground market, especially frequenting the Alchemy Materials Area.
Yugen quickly thought of President Kagemaru's fondness for Alchemy too. Though he seemed to have turned to pursue the power of the Three Phantom Demons after feeling that Alchemy couldn't save him, it was possible he hadn't completely given up, still seeking the possibility of immortality through Alchemy, albeit with dim prospects.
If he could trace his whereabouts from the alchemy materials he purchased, it might be possible.
But Yugen soon noticed that rare items were not limited to just cards.
At first, he saw a few cards hanging at a stall from a distance and felt something odd. He couldn't recall seeing such cards before.
Could it be some original cards he had no impression of?
Curious, he went over to take a look and was immediately stunned.
They were not regular cards used in duels at all.
Each card seemed to bear a person's name, appearing to be from various places around the world.
And on each card image was the likeness of various people.
There were men and women, the old and young. Some looked dazed amidst darkness, while others, in terror, raised their hands, appearing as if they were trapped behind a layer of transparent glass, sealed in a pitch-black prison, their faces of terror and screams frozen.
The stall owner, seeing someone approach, welcomed warmly.
"Oh, has this gentleman found a soul he fancies?"
Yugen frowned.
"What are these?"
"Hehe, is this gentleman new here? These are all prime souls sealed through a Dark Game," the stall owner laughed. "Don't worry, all of them were processed through a Dark Game.
Once released, each one will obey your every command unconditionally, guaranteed to be as obedient as an intelligent doll."
Yugen listened, and without realizing it, knitted his brow, a trace of disgust rising in his heart.
The man seemed to misunderstand, thinking he was dissatisfied with the displayed goods, promptly added, "If you're interested in other types, we have those too!
I have missing Fortune 500 CEOs and children of high-ranking political figures.
Or perhaps you're interested in these? There's a fair-skinned young girl, I assure you, she hasn't even come of age..."
He was enthusiastically pitching, but suddenly found himself unable to continue.
Because, surprisingly, from the white-clad man in front of him whose face was obscured by a dark mask.
He felt a deadly killing intent.