The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　Although Dak's victory over Charles also attracted a lot of attention, their identities were sensitive, so it was not appropriate to write about it extensively in the newspapers; it was only mentioned in brief remarks.

　He was halfway through his meal when he flipped to the second page and suddenly saw a report about the "appearance of death" and the "descent of angels" last night, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

　The battle between [Lich] Sloan and the Holy Church was arguably the most sensational event outside of the competition.

　However, the newspapers did not report on this in detail, only stating that it was an angel summoned by the Holy Church, and the "Grim Reaper" summoned by Sloan.

　The former is a real angel, while the latter is a magical spirit. Genuine vs. counterfeit.

　The final result was beyond doubt. Sloan fled in disarray.

　But there was no mention of what happened after that.

　The fact that the Grand Elder, the guardian of the artifact, led his elite forces to infiltrate the underworld to rescue McCarthy and his companions was top secret.

　Pope Sith's willingness to speak frankly about this matter truly demonstrates his great sincerity.

　The intelligence cooperation between the Duke's Palace and the Holy Church can continue.

　“Speaking of the underworld, I really want to go and see it if I have the chance.” Dark finished his breakfast, put down his newspaper, and shook his head with a slight sigh.

　Elder Edmund dared to lead a group into the Underworld, so he must have had some kind of divine artifact to rely on.

　Even so, they cannot stay in the underworld for long and will likely be forced to return within a few days.

　Then we'll know the final result.

　However, it is highly unlikely that Sloan will appear in the dueling arena tomorrow.

　Unexpectedly, before the round of 16 even started, one person was already missing. Unlike the preliminary rounds, the main draw cannot simply fill the vacancy by finding someone from the open qualifiers list.

　Therefore, in tomorrow's first round of the competition, someone will be lucky enough to receive a bye. "I wonder who will get a bye this time."

　seven thirty.

　After making some preparations, Dak planned to go to Diyul's temporary residence and start his attack on him.

　While Deyle's skill level is rated higher than Thompson's, it is lower than Stilwell's.

　He has a high reputation in the professional dueling scene, but his performance in this competition was mediocre. He barely defeated a top 50 player in the first round and lost to Sloan in the second round.

　However, he failed to demonstrate the power of the God Card "Demon Jester" in his duel with Sloan, which is something to be wary of.

　But if his "Demon Joker" and Thompson's "Fire Demon" are not manifestations of a true god, then no surprises will occur.

　If "Demon Clown" and "Fire Hell Demon" are different, then it means that Diyul has nothing to do with this matter.

　After making thorough preparations and assigning Laura, Hannah, and Joliet to accompany him, Dak began his operation.

　But just as he was about to leave the base, new intelligence arrived. Dill and Stilwell had been deployed!

　"Less than two minutes later, Judil and Stilwell emerged from their respective residences. Neither of them carried any luggage nor checked out, indicating that they were not prepared to leave the city."

　After reviewing the intelligence, Dark said, "Investigate further and report back."

　After that, news about Dujur and Stilwell came in very short intervals.

　At 7:27, Judil was having breakfast at a restaurant. At 7:28, Stilwell was buying fast food at the Union Lodge.

　At 7:45, Yudir entered the public restroom and came out in disguise.

　At 7:50, Stilwell came out of the store and changed into the black robes he had bought there.

Chapter 1575 Just call me Duolong (4k)

　"Black robe, hood, mask..."

　After glancing at the intelligence report, Dak made up his mind.

　At this point, Dujur and Stilwell's actions showed a striking consistency.

　Although the two started from different locations, they were clearly heading towards the same destination.

　Simply draw their movement paths on a map and then extend them forward simultaneously to find an intersection point.

　The coordinates of this intersection point should be their destination. "Duel City, Dark Element Region!"

　Duel City has been open to the public since yesterday.

　Visitors can simply purchase a ticket to enter Duel City and explore the various preliminary rounds.

　The interior of Duel City was also decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, resembling a festive celebration, offering a different experience compared to watching the matches inside the arena.

　However, the number of people visiting each competition area varies greatly depending on the environment.

　Among them, the dark-themed competition area had the lowest foot traffic.

　Although the Dark and Light zones are located on opposite sides of the main road, travelers mostly enter directly from the entrances of their respective zones, rather than branching off from the main road to the sides.

　The main reason why the Dark type is not popular is that the overall lighting is too dim and it does not have the haunted house feature like the Ghost type.

　The place is filled with dark elements, and it is dark and dry all around. The buildings and furnishings are also mainly gloomy and somber, exuding an unsettling sense of depression. Only when it is decorated with lights at night does it offer a stunning contrast between light and dark.

　Just like the underground caves in the Rock and Ground type competition area, which are easy to get lost in and not open to the public, the Dark type competition area also has a similar place, located deep underground in the center of the competition area.

　Dark only stayed in the Dark Realm for a short time, so he didn't go deep inside, but he knew it was a place called "Dark Crystal Cave".

　Secrets cannot be carried out openly, so they must be underground. The most likely destination is the "Dark Crystal Cave".

　"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the place," Dark said after a moment's thought.

　"Both Dujul and Stilwell's actions had clear objectives. We need to investigate whether there are any people with similar behavioral patterns."

　His order immediately put the Scorpio Palace's intelligence department into high gear.

　Soon, data on individual movement patterns were filtered out.

　Dak only waited for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and more than ten documents appeared on the table.

　This is the benefit of having the support of a powerful force.

　Dark didn't wait long before picking up the documents and quickly flipping through them. Laura and the others also picked up other documents and started looking through them as well. Soon, they exchanged glances and began to discuss quickly. Even the intelligence department of "Scorpio Palace" couldn't possibly know the movements of everyone in the city. Therefore, these dozen or so documents all came from the players who had performed well in this World Cup.

　Three of them also made it to the preliminary rounds, but two of them were eliminated in the first round, and the other only made it to the second round.

　These people all left home around 7 a.m. this morning, and they were all dressed in black robes with hoods.

　Some of them acted discreetly from the moment they left home, avoiding attention, while others walked openly on the street without hoods, revealing their full faces and showing no sign of anything unusual.

　However, once it was determined that the final destination was the Dark Zone of Duel City, the cover-up during these operations became essentially meaningless.

　No matter how they take detours, they always end up back on that road.

　But these dozen or so people are certainly not all involved in this matter.

　After discussion, the group determined that they were heading to the Dark Element competition area to conduct some kind of gathering.

　Another intelligence report was then transmitted back.

　Dark discovers that Deyul and Stilwell have both entered the Dark Realm. Deyul entered by blending in with ordinary tourists. Stilwell, on the other hand, crossed over from an adjacent region.

　After entering the Dark Realm, both of them quietly put on hoods and masks to conceal their identities.

　This behavior of only beginning to conceal one's identity when approaching the destination feels jarringly incongruous.

　It's as if their concealment wasn't directed at outsiders, but at those who went to the gathering with them.

　“These people don’t really have much contact in their daily lives; many are complete strangers,” Laura said, pointing to the documents. Joliet added, “A rather loosely organized group.”

　Dark nodded slightly and added, "What exactly is the purpose of forming such a loosely organized, temporary organization?"

　Soon, new intelligence arrived.

　But this time, the news that came was unexpected.

　In the underground area of ​​the Dark Element competition zone, multiple paths leading to the "Dark Crystal Cave" are strictly sealed off.

　Someone had set up a very high-level barrier there, using darkness and mist as cover to prevent the maid from sneaking in.

　Therefore, the tracking and surveillance of Dujur and Stilwell were forced to stop.

　"Even Shadow Step won't work," Dark asked.

　Laura shook her head slightly.

　Shadow Stalking is merely a stealth technique that allows one to move in the shadows; it cannot cross barriers or traverse the void.

　Dark frowned slightly: "There's a barrier blocking the way. If we want to continue spying, we'll have to find a way to sneak in."

　Not only can the opponent mass-produce "God Cards," but they have also quietly set up a barrier of this level beneath the Duel City, so they are definitely not someone to be trifled with.

　Furthermore, the sheer magnitude of the price paid suggests that the other party had much grander ambitions.

　Thinking of this, Dark opened the "Orb of Truth" again and glanced at the "Black Eye" sealed inside.

　He speculated that Deyul, Stilwell, and others also had something similar to "black eyes" implanted in their bodies.

　According to intelligence, from last night until this morning, Duyur and Stilwell have remained indoors and have not contacted anyone.

　It is clear that the person behind the scenes most likely conveyed the instructions directly through those "black eyes".

　"If I break its seal, will I be able to receive the corresponding instructions?" Dark couldn't help but ponder.

　But after thinking for a moment, he shook his head again and said, "It claims to be the eye of God, which is a slight exaggeration. But it should still belong to someone, and it has its own consciousness, so there is a risk of it leaking information."

　In short, the seal cannot be lifted; at most, one can carry it on their person to let it emit its aura, pretending that they are also "companions".

　Dak had this plan in mind and had even tried it the day before, but it had no effect.

　But today is different from the day before. There are specific matters to attend to. The destination is clear: to infiltrate by disguising oneself as Thompson, which should allow one to obtain crucial intelligence.

　However, sneaking in alone is somewhat risky and requires caution.

　……

　As more and more people in black robes infiltrated the Dark faction, Dark knew he could no longer hesitate.

　He promptly changed into the outfit he had prepared beforehand: a black robe and hood, along with a mask.

　The masks worn by Stilwell and the others were all different, and many of them were purchased directly from stores, so there should be no special requirements.

　Dark picked out an ordinary mask, took Thompson's card holder, hid his own card holder and "black eyeballs" inside his black robe, and after confirming that everything was safe in front of the mirror, he immediately set off.

　Hannah and Joliet each led their own teams, disguised as ordinary tourists, ready to provide support at any time.

　Lara, on the other hand, is the shadow who infiltrates Dark's ranks and accompanies him.

　While Shadow Step cannot cross the barrier, it might be possible to blend in with Dark inside.

　They were clearly not comfortable letting Dak infiltrate alone.

　8:25.

　Darkdemon appeared inside the Dark Zone, having already pulled up his hood and put on a mask to completely conceal his appearance and physique.

　Thompson had no other identification items on him, and he guessed that the "black eyeballs" were the group's "identity cards".

　If not, he would abandon his spying and launch a full-scale attack! 8:30.

　Dakdimon entered the underground passage from the ground entrance.

　To enhance the atmosphere, the underground passage was dimly lit, with occasional chilly breezes blowing in, creating a creepy and eerie ambiance.

　Dark stepped inside, but felt nothing, probably because several "Scorpio Palace" maids had already sneaked into the passage with him.

　These maids will lurk outside the barrier, ready to provide support at any time.

　The underground caves are interconnected; the entrance to the [Dark Crystal Cave] alone is...

　There are eight.

　However, there weren't many people in black robes and masks; most of them had already entered.

　Within the boundary.

　Dak walked through the passage without encountering a single person.

　He originally planned to extract more detailed information from the people he encountered.

　But now, we're completely in the dark and have to rely entirely on our performance on the day.

　It didn't take long.

　Dak had already ventured deep underground, getting closer and closer to the Dark Crystal Cave.

　Suddenly, all the light in front of us went out, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and a thick black fog appeared.