Azrael's gaze immediately locked onto the two figures standing before him: Cory and a young man with an unmistakable green cockcomb haircut. Both had manifested their cards beside them: Cory's familiar, the Green Zombie, and the cockscomb-haired stranger's unknown creature.
Cory sneered as he heard Azrael approach. "I can't beat you alone, but Panchito is here today! I want to see you kneel down and beg for mercy!"
His voice carried a vindictive edge as he continued, "Panchito is a bronze-level Lore Cardian!"
If Cory had been alone, he never would have dared seek revenge against Azrael. That's exactly what this was: revenge. In his twisted mind, Cory blamed Azrael for everything that had befallen him. He refused to acknowledge that his current fate was his own doing. Perhaps deep down, he knew the truth, but he lacked the courage to retaliate against Gabi whose father was a gold-level Lore Cardian. Azrael, however, seemed like an easier target.
Panchito, the cockscomb-haired young man, ignored Cory's theatrical display entirely. His eyes fixed on Azrael with calculating interest. "Azrael, right? Join our Crimson Oath Society, and you can do whatever you want with this pathetic fool."
Panchito had originally come to recruit Cory, but when Cory mentioned Azrael, Panchito's curiosity was piqued. Now, standing face-to-face with the boy, Panchito realized that a hundred Corys wouldn't be worth as much as this single genius, who had seen through the Crimson Oath Society's schemes.
He'd followed Cory here purely to see what this prodigious youth looked like. If Azrael proved worthless, killing him on the spot would be no great loss. However, if Azrael had value, which Panchito suspected he did, bringing him back would surely earn him praise and rewards from his superiors. The cockscomb-haired operative had made this decision entirely on his own, without seeking permission from above.
Cory's face went pale as the implications hit him. "Panchito, what do you mean by this?"
A vicious smile spread across Panchito's face. "Compared to him, you are nothing but a complete and utter waste of space."
Azrael's eyes remained cold as he watched the two enemies turn on each other. Murderous intent boiled inside his chest like molten steel. "Give it up. I'll never join the Crimson Oath Society."
Perhaps the smart play would have been to pretend friendship with Panchito to buy time or gain the upper hand. But Azrael couldn't stomach such deception. He wanted nothing more than to crush both men to dust.
Originally, he had treated Cory's repeated provocations with amused indifference, like watching a clown perform. However, collaborating with the Crimson Oath Society to attack innocent people crossed every line. Now, his own life hung in the balance.
"So tell me, Cory," Azrael said in a voice that carried deadly certainty despite the questioning tone. "You killed your own parents, didn't you?"
Panchito's grin stretched unnaturally wide. "Though he's worthless trash, I have to admire his ruthlessness."
Cory's face contorted with bitter resentment. "Those two old fools actually wanted me to kneel down and apologize to you! Can you believe that? They don't understand me at all!"
His voice rose to a near-shriek. "But now, with the Crimson Oath Society backing me, I have a chance to keep making cards!"
Had Panchito not appeared, Cory might have swallowed his pride and apologized to Azrael and the others. But this unexpected ally had given him hope of a comeback. The society demanded loyalty from its recruits, and by murdering his parents, Cory had burned every bridge behind him. There was no way back now.
Azrael drew a long, steadying breath and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his voice was filled with disgust. "You are a beast, fucking worse than a wild animal."
There was nothing left to discuss.
Panchito's manifested card revealed a pale humanoid figure with wickedly sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. Azrael's tactical mind immediately began analyzing the threat. Most likely a vampire-series card. While relatively rare in the Empire of Aetherlight, they weren't unheard of. The vampire series had an enormous range of power levels, which made it difficult to gauge this particular specimen's capabilities.
But Ken Kaneki remained calm and ready beside him, which gave Azrael confidence that they could handle whatever came. Besides, with all this commotion, the neighbors upstairs and downstairs had probably already contacted the Lore Cardians Association. All Azrael needed to do was stall until reinforcements arrived at the Happy Homes Complex Community.
Suddenly, the vampire exploded into motion, launching itself forward with a devastating right hook that whistled through the air toward Azrael's head.
Clang!
The attack met solid resistance. Black and red, centipede-like tentacles erupted from Kaneki's lower spine. They writhed and coiled through the air, creating a protective barrier around Azrael.
"We need to change locations," Azrael whispered to his guardian. "This space is too confined."
Kaneki's eyes flicked toward Aunt Suzy's unconscious form on the ground, instantly understanding the concern. Without hesitation, Kaneki scooped Azrael up and bounded toward the building's exit in five powerful strides.
"Running away already?" Panchito's face twisted with contempt. "How pathetic!"
He commanded his vampire to give chase. Cory hesitated only briefly before following. As long as Azrael died here and now, Cory believed he could still join the Crimson Oath Society and finally have his revenge.
Once they reached the open area outside the building, Panchito called out with mock curiosity, "That idiot only said you had one purple creature card. He failed to mention you had another."
Azrael had no intention of answering the man.
Kamishiro Rize's black-and-red, razor-sharp tail tentacles lashed out with devastating force, striking directly at the vampire.
BOOM!
The impact filled the area with billowing smoke and debris.
Kaneki tensed, trying to peer through the chaos to assess the damage. Suddenly, a dark shape burst from the smoke and slammed into Kaneki with tremendous force.
The impact left Kaneki completely immobilized, unable to move a muscle.
"A mere black iron-level card thinks it can stand against my shadow manipulation?" Panchito's voice dripped with arrogant satisfaction. "You should feel honored to die by such a technique."
"Perfect opportunity!" Cory's eyes lit up with vindictive glee when he saw that Azrael's protector had been neutralized. He immediately commanded his green zombie to charge at the now vulnerable Azrael.
But the attack was stopped cold by Yoriichi, a black-haired young man who materialized between them.
Cory's composure finally cracked completely. "How is this possible?!" Did you create a second biological card this quickly? And how can you control two cards simultaneously?!"
Thanks to Azrael's extraordinary mental capabilities, he had recently begun to sense the threshold of bronze-level power after spending so many days in this world. Controlling two black iron-level cards at once was well within his abilities.
Yoriichi moved with the same devastating precision he'd displayed during the ranking examination, decapitating the Green Zombie with a single, fluid sword stroke. However, rather than pressing his advantage, he immediately retreated to Azrael's side, staying alert and ready.
After all, Kaneki's situation remained uncertain. If things went badly, Yoriichi would need to evacuate Azrael immediately.
As the smoke gradually cleared, Panchito's full ability became visible. A dark shadow stretched from the vampire's feet to Kaneki's position, binding him in place like ethereal chains.
A bloodthirsty smile slowly spread across the vampire's pale features. The next instant, Kaneki's entire body erupted in crimson mist as the creature's fangs found their mark.
Panchito couldn't help but feel victorious. "Kneel down and beg for mercy now, and I might give you one more chance to reconsider my offer."
Cory stared at him in disbelief. Even after this brutal display, was the cockscomb-haired operative still thinking about recruitment? Just how valuable was Azrael?
As Cory opened his mouth to voice his confusion, he noticed Panchito's eyes widen in shock as if he had witnessed something impossible.
Following Panchito's gaze, Cory saw that an enormous centipede tentacle had impaled the vampire's torso completely and was now writhing with terrifying, predatory grace.
Kaneki stood at the base of the tentacle, very much alive and radiating pure, incandescent fury.
An injury of that magnitude would have instantly destroyed any ordinary Black Iron-level card. But Kaneki was no ordinary card; he was a red-quality, black-iron-level card with abilities that defied normal limitations.
His [High-Speed Regeneration] skill was already working to repair the damage at an incredible rate.
The next moment, the massive tentacle launched toward Panchito like an enraged dragon, ready to deliver judgment.