The two figures were naturally Ace and Carl.
"No wonder I didn't notice anything unusual at first," Azrael lamented with genuine frustration.
He and Godfrey had used their mental powers to explore the third floor while positioned on the second floor, conducting their reconnaissance with practiced efficiency. However, to their enhanced perception, the young man and Luke had vanished from the Sanguin Tower as abruptly as if they had never even set foot on the third floor.
It was Shiraori's [Ruler: Wisdom] skill, granted at the maximum level of detection ability, that allowed them to detect some crucial clues. Otherwise, the two Gold-level Lore Cardians might have lost their quarry entirely today.
Godfrey glanced imperceptibly at the white spider beside him, his expression carefully neutral. From his previous battle with Li Gang, he had witnessed firsthand that this spider-shaped card was incredibly powerful in combat alone. But he hadn't expected this card, which he had assumed was dedicated purely to warfare, to possess such formidable detection capabilities as well.
What Godfrey didn't know was that Shiraori possessed several rather underhanded Ruler skills that came with her divine nature. With subsequent advancements, she could also acquire the aura-like [Sloth] and the powerful healing ability [Redemption].
Furthermore, [Ruler: Wisdom], which combines identification and detection capabilities, was a skill specifically crafted for Shiraori by the self-proclaimed evil god D. In other words, it was a unique cheat ability designed for a protagonist, though Shiraori possessed far more divine advantages than most.
When Godfrey first followed Azrael to the third floor, he found nothing unusual about the Sanguin Tower's layout or atmosphere. This remained the case even after he and Azrael searched back and forth several times with methodical thoroughness.
What puzzled them even more were the numerous ordinary employees scattered throughout the third floor, going about their business as if it were truly just a rest area for workers, exactly as the brothel madam had claimed when questioned.
Someone occasionally spotted the two men during their investigation, but inevitably fainted from terror before they could even formulate a proper question to ask.
Their systematic search only ceased when Azrael finally summoned Shiraori to assist with detection.
"Let me take a look, little one," the white spider muttered in her characteristic manner, immediately beginning to sense the surrounding spiritual fluctuations with her enhanced abilities.
The next moment, her compound eyes flashed with recognition. "Found it!"
Of course, this assessment came from Azrael's perspective, who could understand her telepathic communications. From Godfrey's viewpoint, a ferocious white spider monster had appeared, hissing continuously in what seemed like threatening warnings. Finally, its densely packed compound eyes flashed with an ominous scarlet light, leading them directly toward what appeared to be an ordinary door.
It was just an ordinary door, so perfectly, mundanely ordinary that the two Gold-level Lore Cardians had subconsciously ignored its very existence during their search, never even thinking to open it and investigate what lay beyond.
Azrael pushed the door open cautiously and gestured for Shiraori to crawl inside first, allowing her enhanced senses to scout for potential dangers.
Only after entering the concealed room did they finally understand why the third floor of what was supposed to be the Onefold Doctrine's operational base seemed so remarkably unprotected. Wouldn't guarding such a conspicuous, secluded location actually attract unwanted attention from authorities and rival organizations?
Perhaps there were surveillance cameras monitoring the hallway, or perhaps their presence had already been detected through other means. But Azrael and his companion didn't particularly care about such concerns.
They were operating under the banner of the Crimson Oath Society, after all. How could they maintain their reputation as a formidable illegal organization if they didn't occasionally cause some significant disruption?
The Crimson Oath Society had always been like that, unscrupulous and utterly disregarding conventional concerns about collateral damage, unlike the official Association, which had to carefully consider the safety and welfare of ordinary citizens whenever undertaking any major operations.
Although both individuals currently possessed dual identities that served different purposes, they had originally intended to create a public disturbance anyway, thereby providing Godfrey with legitimate grounds to conduct his investigation through his official Association identity later.
While the director of the Public Security Office could potentially fabricate information received from his subordinates in reports, continuously manufacturing such false intelligence over an extended period would inevitably arouse suspicion from his superiors and colleagues.
Due to the effects of Shiraori's [Stealth] ability, a skill inherent to her evolved spider nature, the two individuals occupying the room remained completely unaware of the arrival of the two Gold-level Lore Cardians. Their conversation continued uninterrupted until Azrael chose to announce their presence.
"Well now," Azrael said with deceptive casualness. "Who might you two be?"
Luke, startled by the sudden voice echoing through the room, spun around quickly with obvious alarm. He saw two young men he had never encountered before, accompanied by what appeared to be a menacing white spider of considerable size.
"You two aren't from our Holy Church, are you?" Luke's eyes grew distinctly menacing as he assessed the unexpected visitors. From their casual words and confident demeanor, he could already tell that the two men standing in the doorway were definitely up to no good.
The young debtor, meanwhile, stared blankly at the unfolding situation, his mind still clouded by whatever substances or influences had been affecting his judgment.
"Luke," the young man began to speak hesitantly, but Luke was already summoning his combat card with practiced efficiency.
Unfortunately for him, the unknown humanoid card that materialized was instantly bisected by the spider that appeared behind it with lightning speed. The summoned creature's manifestation lasted barely a second before it was utterly destroyed by Shiraori's devastating attack.
Shiraori wasn't even remotely interested in examining the remains afterward. A bronze-level card held only marginally more value to her than her lesser spider monster siblings.
"You, " Luke's pupils contracted in absolute terror as he felt the card connection suddenly go cold in his mind, leaving no doubt whatsoever about the brutal reality: the spider creature before him was a monster he could never hope to defeat, not even with his best efforts and strongest techniques.
But before he could complete his sentence or attempt any desperate measures, he found himself bound by pale, incredibly strong silk threads and suspended upside down from the ceiling like a helpless insect caught in a web.
The burly figure struggled fiercely against his restraints, thrashing about with all his remaining strength. Unfortunately, the silk spun by the Gold-level Shiraori was clearly far too durable and magically reinforced for a bronze-level practitioner like him to break free through physical force alone.
Luke was now completely drenched in spider silk, with the webbing covering his entire body except for his terrified eyes, which remained visible through the cocoon.
As Luke stared down in absolute horror, Azrael, clearly the master of this fearsome spider card, slowly approached him with deliberate steps. He half-crouched to position himself at eye level and stared directly into the captured man's panicked gaze.
"Can you tell me what exactly you and the Onefold Doctrine are working on in this location?" Azrael asked with a deceptively kind smile that didn't reach his cold eyes.
He gently patted Shiraori beside him in an almost affectionate gesture. "A friend of mine is quite curious about your organization's recent activities."
The silk covering Luke's mouth fell away at Shiraori's subtle manipulation, allowing him to speak freely.
"I don't give a damn about your, " Luke's voice erupted in a stream of profanity that would make seasoned sailors blush.
His colorful, hostile tirade hadn't even finished before Shiraori sealed his mouth again with fresh webbing, cutting off the verbal assault mid-sentence.
Azrael stood up slowly, appearing somewhat disappointed by this predictable response. "Master Godfrey, what should we do with this uncooperative individual?"
Godfrey bowed slightly with formal respect. "Leave this matter to me, Sir Azrael."
"Please, sir, reveal his head so I can work properly."
At Azrael's subtle signal, Shiraori carefully removed the white silk covering Luke's head, exposing his face once more.
Just as Luke attempted to launch into another tirade of insults directed at Azrael's nonexistent family members, a sphere of dark blue water instantly enveloped his head, cutting off his words and oxygen simultaneously.
Godfrey, in his capacity as director of the Public Security Office, was certainly no stranger to the necessity of torture and interrogation when dealing with members of dangerous illegal organizations. His methods were both efficient and effective.
While ignoring the unpleasant but necessary exchange happening nearby, Azrael casually strolled over to examine the young debtor who had also been captured.
Like Luke, the young man had been thoroughly secured by Shiraori's webbing and suspended from the ceiling. However, as an ordinary person without any enhanced constitution, the young man's face had already flushed red from the blood pooling in his head due to his inverted position.
"Foolish boy," Azrael said, looking at the young man with a mixture of genuine sympathy and disappointment. "Don't you think it's rather obvious why your Luke remains merely a bronze-level Lore Cardian if those secret techniques he promised you actually worked as advertised?"
The young man's head cleared slightly at Azrael's pointed words, the fog of desperation and false hope beginning to lift. "You're right. Why would that be?"
He opened his mouth to respond further, but didn't get the opportunity.
"Sir, I've successfully extracted the information," Godfrey announced softly, approaching Azrael with professional efficiency. "According to his confession, he hasn't been stationed in Donglai for very long."
"His primary mission involves coercing and bribing ordinary citizens who harbor dissatisfaction with the Association into joining the Onefold Doctrine through various manipulative means."
"There are several more operational locations like this one scattered throughout the city."
"However, he claims not to know the specific details about the other sites, likely a security measure to prevent total exposure if captured."
"Is that so?" Azrael stroked his chin thoughtfully, processing this intelligence. "Then we should eliminate these witnesses."
Azrael wasn't particularly surprised by this information. For a bronze-level minion operating at the ground level, this amount of intelligence was actually quite substantial and useful for their broader investigation.
As soon as he finished speaking, a dangerous, viscous purple liquid splashed onto the two suspended figures with lethal precision. It was one of Shiraori's corrosive attacks, capable of rapidly dissolving organic matter.
Within moments, only two dark pools of blood and dissolved tissue remained where the captives had been.
"Let's depart immediately," Azrael said briskly. After dealing with the potential witnesses, he grabbed Godfrey's arm and nodded toward Shiraori. "Use spatial magic to take us somewhere safe."
"Hmm?" Shiraori activated her spatial magic abilities, then scratched her head with her forelimbs in obvious confusion. "It seems spatial magic is being actively prohibited in this location."
Azrael's heart sank at this revelation, recognizing the serious implications.
Fortunately, Shiraori's next words provided some reassurance, "But everything should return to normal once we leave this room. I didn't sense any presence of the barrier extending beyond these walls when we entered from outside."
Godfrey looked at the young man in front of him with bewilderment, unable to understand Shiraori's telepathic communications. He had no clear idea what was happening or why they had suddenly stopped moving.
"Let's go. Teleportation is being suppressed within this room's boundaries," Azrael briefly explained the situation to his middle-aged companion, gesturing toward the exit.
Just as the two men were about to leave the concealed chamber, a calm, confident voice emerged from behind them with chilling composure.
"You two killed my subordinates and now want to leave peacefully? Isn't that approach somewhat disrespectful to me?"
Azrael and Godfrey turned around simultaneously to face this new threat. Li Gang and a pale-skinned female demon materialized before them with an aura of dangerous authority.
Shiraori immediately began her assessment process, her Ruler: Wisdom skill analyzing the newcomer.
, , , ,
[Name: Lannide]
[Title: Level 2 Researcher, Demon Army R&D Department]
[Rank: Gold]
[Available Material: Knowledgeable Immortal Species]
, , , ,
Azrael whispered "Demon Army" softly under his breath, and his quiet words were immediately overheard by the female demon identified by Shiraori's analysis as Lannide.
"Oh? You recognize my organization?" Lannide tilted her head with predatory interest. "I don't believe I've had any previous dealings with the Crimson Oath Society, have I?"
Lannide presented as a pale-skinned, white-coated humanoid figure who appeared almost entirely human in her general features. Judging by her professional appearance and demeanor, she seemed like she could easily blend in among human researchers or medical professionals.
Li Gang stared directly at Azrael with obvious hatred, gnashing his teeth as he spoke. "Lannide, this is the individual I was telling you about."
"Is that so?" Lannide tapped her chin with a pale index finger, a wicked smile spreading across her deceptively human features. "Then please stay here a while longer so we can have a proper conversation."
She hadn't even finished her sentence when a powerful wave of malevolent energy suddenly erupted throughout the small but spacious room. Numerous dark energy spheres and spears instantly emerged from the densely packed magic circles that appeared around Shiraori's position, launching a coordinated assault.
Godfrey was no fool when it came to combat situations. As Shiraori began her counterattack, a card unlike any Azrael had ever seen before appeared in front of the middle-aged man with impressive speed.
A blazing torrent of flame roared forth from the summoned card, threatening to reduce everything in the room to smoldering ash and cinders. Clearly, Azrael wasn't the only one who had developed the clever idea of using two completely different sets of cards to separate his light and dark operational identities.
However, if Godfrey continued using his original set associated with his legitimate position, even the most oblivious observer would eventually realize that the director of the Public Security Office was actually a high-ranking member of the Crimson Oath Society.
Lannide watched with obvious interest and amusement as two distinct waves of supernatural attack approached her position simultaneously. With a casual flick of her wrist, a grimoire with an intricate magic circle design on its cover appeared in her pale hand.
The pages flipped rapidly of their own accord, and a massive torrent of water appeared out of thin air, instantly colliding with Godfrey's flames in a spectacular display of opposing forces.
The violent fusion of water and fire generated superheated steam powerful enough to cause severe burns to any ordinary people in the vicinity. A thick white mist obscured all vision throughout the chamber, creating perfect cover for tactical maneuvering.
But Lannide didn't even glance in Godfrey's direction, dismissing his attack as secondary. Instead, she put on a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and stared directly at where Shiraori had been positioned. "Now, sir, that particular card of yours..."
"I've been stationed in the northern territories for so many years, and I've rarely encountered such genuinely interesting cards with this level of power and sophistication."
"A Lore Cardian, how fascinating," she chuckled with genuine appreciation for the craft involved.
As the grimoire's pages turned again with mystical energy, a pristine white defensive barrier appeared directly in front of her position.
"BOOM!"
A violent explosion erupted throughout the chamber, the tremendous vibrations causing the guests inside Sanguin Tower to momentarily mistake the disturbance for a major earthquake.
"Earthquake! Everyone run for your lives!" Many male patrons, without even taking time to properly dress themselves, ran outside in various states of undress, their panic overriding any sense of modesty.
However, when the fleeing customers reached the street outside, they quickly realized there had been no seismic activity whatsoever. There was only a gaping hole blown through the wall of Sanguin Tower's third floor, where fierce flames burned intensely and swirling smoke made everyone in the vicinity cough uncontrollably.
Back in the secret room on the third floor, Lannide looked thoughtfully at the space where Azrael and his companions had been positioned just moments before, now completely empty.
Seeing this result, Li Gang questioned her with obvious dissatisfaction and barely concealed anger. "Lannide, you just let them escape that easily?"
Lannide's contemplative thoughts were interrupted by his accusatory tone. She turned and stared at Li Gang with a cold, completely emotionless gaze that seemed to see right through him. "My superiors simply asked me to assist you in completing your operational plan."
"I am not your subordinate, so I suggest you watch your tone when addressing me."
Li Gang's face darkened with suppressed rage, but he found himself completely unable to refute the female demon's statement. If it weren't for the heavy casualties his organization had suffered in their previous battles with the Crimson Oath Society, he wouldn't have needed to request support from the demon army in the first place.
After all, the more assistance he demanded now, the greater the price he would inevitably have to pay later when the bills came due. But he couldn't entirely blame the demons for this predicament, so he could only pour out his accumulated hatred and frustration on the accursed Crimson Oath Society.
He couldn't understand why these illegal organizations couldn't work together to destroy the Association first, even though they theoretically shared common enemies and goals.
"This location has been completely compromised and is now unusable for our purposes. It appears the implementation of our plan will be delayed once again," Lannide observed with clinical detachment as she glanced at the panicked humans scrambling about below through the newly created opening. She turned away from the scene and disappeared back into the depths of the secret room.
Li Gang stomped his foot in frustrated anger before reluctantly following her lead and withdrawing from the exposed position.
Meanwhile, in the abandoned factory that served as one of their secure meeting locations, two people and a spider appeared out of thin air through spatial teleportation.
"Director Godfrey, please return to your official duties for now. I should have new instructions for you very soon," Azrael said with businesslike efficiency.
"Understood, sir."
Azrael's eyes flashed with calculating intensity as he watched Godfrey depart for his legitimate responsibilities. Today's infiltration and intelligence-gathering mission had fallen apart more dramatically than anticipated, but they had still obtained valuable information.
Just from the demonic aura alone, he could sense that Lannide was terrifyingly powerful, far beyond what he had initially expected to encounter. Any direct battle would definitely not conclude quickly, not to mention that Li Gang would be watching closely and waiting for opportunities to strike at vulnerable moments.
The question that puzzled him was why Lannide hadn't launched an immediate, all-out attack when she clearly possessed overwhelming power. Instead, she had seemed more interested in observing and testing their capabilities.
Therefore, after Shiraori launched her tactical strike, she used her razor-sharp forelimbs to cut cleanly through the reinforced door, creating their escape route. It was only because Azrael operated as a Gold-level Lore Cardian and Shiraori possessed truly formidable abilities that they managed this feat, otherwise, dealing with that magically reinforced barrier would have required considerably more time and effort.
After leaving the secret room that had been specifically warded against spatial abilities, Shiraori was able to transport Azrael and Godfrey to their designated safe location without further interference.
"The identity constraints of the Crimson Oath Society are still proving to be quite limiting," Azrael sighed with genuine frustration at their tactical limitations.
First and foremost, they couldn't engage in prolonged battles or dramatic confrontations. After all, if the Crimson Oath Society and the Onefold Doctrine were genuinely engaged in open warfare throughout Donglai, Azrael, in his capacity as Vice President of the Association, would definitely be expected to make a prominent appearance and take decisive action.
Secondly, the only combat card available to him in this identity was Shiraori. If Misaka and Aizen had been available for summoning, Azrael felt confident that he could have at least severely weakened the demon researcher, if not achieved total victory.
"But a Knowledgeable Immortal Species as crafting material?" Azrael pondered thoughtfully, considering the information Shiraori had identified through her analytical abilities.
Perhaps he now knew exactly where to locate the missing ingredient required for creating the second signature card of his Crimson Oath Society identity. This unexpected encounter might prove far more valuable than initially apparent.