Shrouded in the pitch-black night, Magnus and Shiraori observed the distant fleet from the shadows, their forms barely visible against the darkness.
"Hey, why did Sixth Master want me to impersonate him?" Magnus, the middle-aged man who preferred to keep a low profile, wore a bitter expression. He hadn't expected such a dangerous mission to be waiting for him. After glancing at the menacing spider deity beside him, he tried to calm his nerves. "It should be fine, right?"
Based on the aura Magnus sensed, the card belonging to Sixth Master was indeed extraordinarily powerful.
However, relying on a single card to test those distant demons felt like pushing their luck.
Indeed, in addition to alerting the Association about the presence of the Emerald-level demon, Azrael had assigned Magnus a specific mission: to take Shiraori and conduct a field test against the maritime demons.
After all, their previous encounter on the coast hadn't even qualified as a proper battle.
This presented an ideal opportunity for Shiraori to use her analytical abilities and determine their enemies' exact capabilities.
"At least Sixth Master said if we're outmatched, we should retreat immediately." Thinking of Azrael's final instructions, Magnus felt somewhat reassured.
Running away was always an option, and frankly, it was his specialty.
Besides, the Spider card beside him had just demonstrated impressive spatial manipulation abilities. While a direct confrontation might prove challenging, preserving their lives shouldn't be too difficult.
Thinking that his survival might depend on Azrael's card, Magnus offered a flattering smile. "Heh, Master Spider, would you like some apples?"
He produced a large bag of apples from the shadows beside him.
The words "Donglai Fresh Market" printed on the plastic bag indicated they were recently purchased.
"Oh! Uncle, you're very thoughtful!"
Shiraori's compound eyes gleamed with delight as she scooped up several apples with her forelimbs and began eating enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, Magnus couldn't understand the spider's language.
However, from her movements and general demeanor, the middle-aged man could roughly tell that Master Spider had accepted his offering.
God knows why he could read a spider's expressions.
"Strange," Magnus mused, watching Shiraori munching on an apple with puffed cheeks. "Why do I feel like this card of Sixth Master's is starting to look... handsome?"
The middle-aged man looked again, only to find several pairs of gleaming crimson compound eyes fixed directly on him.
Magnus froze. "Master Spider, have you had enough? Then shall we proceed?"
Shiraori picked at her fangs with one forelimb. "Since you're being so considerate, this Master Shiraori will ensure your safety."
Magnus still couldn't understand Shiraori's words, but from the series of clicks and hisses, he roughly interpreted it as meaning something like "frozen waters!"
"Then I'll be counting on you, Master Shiraori." The middle-aged man bowed respectfully, then steadied himself and began recalling Sixth Master's typical demeanor.
In the blink of an eye, his previously fawning expression transformed into calm composure.
After all, he'd been operating covertly in Pixar for years, so he possessed genuine skills. A simple disguise, especially impersonating someone he frequently interacted with, was certainly manageable.
With a surge of spatial energy, the man and spider appeared not far from the massive steel warships.
"Who goes there?"
A cold shout echoed across the water, and an enormous sword wave instantly slashed toward Shiraori and Magnus.
In a flash, Shiraori and Magnus vanished from their position.
Wiping nonexistent sweat from her forehead, Shiraori sighed with relief. "Whew, that was close."
The previously calm sea surface was instantly cleaved in two, and moments later, the surging waters rushed back to fill the gap created by the sword strike.
"Lore Cardians?"
Garthy had somehow positioned himself atop the massive ship's mast, which swayed constantly from the churning waters.
Gazing at the strange duo not far away, the sword-wielding young man couldn't help but frown slightly. "No matter, since you're here, don't expect to leave."
With that declaration, several brilliant sword beams streaked across the night sky.
Unfortunately, such straightforward attacks were insufficient to hit Shiraori, who possessed spatial manipulation abilities.
Garthy's frown deepened as he watched the peculiar pair nearby dodge his attack once again, his lips curling in annoyance. "Troublesome opponents."
Shiraori had never encountered Han Tianzun before, otherwise she'd be spouting those "Time doesn't matter, space is king" catchphrases.
Besides, Shiraori wasn't one to simply take attacks without retaliating.
The next moment, a dense array of magical circles materialized above the giant warships.
Countless spherical and spear-shaped energy projectiles rained down on the fleet below.
Gazing at the overwhelming magical array in the sky, Garthy took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his sword. "Infinite seas, nothing remains uncut!"
As he spoke, a sword beam far larger than any before slashed from sea to sky.
"BOOM!"
The dazzling sword light instantly neutralized Shiraori's dark magic.
A violent explosion illuminated the pitch-black night sky.
Such commotion certainly wouldn't go unnoticed by the Association's Lore Cardians stationed along the coastline.
Azrael observed the distant battle scene and thought silently, They've engaged. Good work, Shiraori.
Shiraori had already transmitted the identification data through their mental link.
, , , ,
[Name: Garthy]
[Title: Seven Seas Sword King]
[Level: Gold]
[Available Drop Material: Pirate Swordsman]
, , , ,
Just as Azrael was processing Garthy's information, Diesel beside him asked in a deep voice, "Who's engaging those demons?"
Azrael regained his composure and shook his head. "I don't know."
Godfrey stared at the distant scene, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Diesel frowned as he watched the sword flashes soar toward the horizon. He suddenly asked, "Could it be Lore Cardians from another city?"
He didn't consider the Crimson Oath Society as a possibility. In the square-faced middle-aged man's opinion, it would be miraculous if the Crimson Oath Society, that destabilizing factor, didn't cause trouble, how could they possibly help deal with the demons?
Since the incident had occurred suddenly, no one present suggested investigating directly.
What if it was a trap?
Elsewhere, Shiraori used spatial magic to guide Magnus, dodging the incoming sword strikes.
But simply hiding like this wasn't a viable strategy.
She couldn't help but mutter, "Minister of Magic Number Two, are you ready?"
"Alright, alright, don't rush me."
"Then let him experience the finishing move we prepared for dealing with swordsmen!"
"[Abyssal Magic: Hell's Gate]!"
The next moment, a massive portal topped with a demonic head materialized out of thin air above the sea. It slowly opened, and the surrounding water began pouring into its depths.
As the water was gradually consumed, an immense whirlpool began forming around the anchored steel warships.
Dozens of vessels began spinning uncontrollably in the vortex.
Suddenly, a cold snort rang out.
"Hmph!"
The warships, which had been on the verge of collision, abruptly stabilized.
Despite the turbulent currents, the fleet appeared to be sailing on a perfectly calm sea, and within moments, they had escaped the whirlpool entirely.
"My apologies, Your Majesty." A rather feminine-looking man appeared beside Garthy. "I, "
But before he could finish, Garthy interrupted with a raised hand. "It's fine. Your intervention was understandable."
"Otherwise, we would have lost most of our ships before even launching our operation."
The man nodded slightly and fell silent.
In the distance, watching the commotion escalate, Diesel finally couldn't help but say, "President Azrael, this doesn't look like a trap."
"Should we move in for a closer look?"
After feigning contemplation, Azrael agreed. "Very well, but if anything seems amiss, we withdraw immediately."
Seeing the young man's agreement, Diesel breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared that the person battling the demons might be a Lore Cardian from a nearby city, which would have created complications.
After ordering their subordinates to maintain high alert, the three Gold-level Lore Cardians from Donglai sped toward the battle scene.
However, as they neared the combat zone, they witnessed the massive ships, which had been spinning helplessly in the vortex, suddenly stabilize.
Seeing this, Diesel's pupils contracted sharply. "This...!"
It was no wonder he appeared so shocked.
After all, they had previously believed it was Godfrey's Turtle Prime Minister's ability to create treacherous waters that had driven these demons back during their first encounter.
At least, that's what they had assumed.
But this scene clearly demonstrated that these demons possessed the means to counteract such environmental hazards.
So why had they retreated before? The implications were deeply troubling.
"President," Diesel said grimly, looking at the young man beside him.
"I understand." Azrael frowned, indicating that he had grasped the situation's gravity.
, , , ,
[Name: Timon]
[Title: Fleet Navigator]
[Rank: Gold]
[Available Drop Material: Astrologer Navigator]
, , , ,
At that moment, Shiraori also transmitted the latest identification information.
Sure enough, there's more than one Gold-level demon, Azrael's heart sank.
He had been puzzled during their previous encounter with Garthy. Logically, it wasn't possible for such a large fleet to have only one Gold-level demon.
After all, the secret realm of the [Spellcaster] had contained twenty or thirty Gold-level demons, though most had been relatively weak.
I wonder if there are other Gold-level demons still hiding.
If one could remain concealed, there could be a second and a third.
Caution was always the wisest approach.
Besides, the title of Fleet Navigator already revealed significant information about their organizational structure.
Soon, the three arrived at the battle scene.
Looking from afar at the man and spider facing off against the demons, Diesel and Godfrey's faces flashed with rare surprise. "The Crimson Oath Society?!"
They hadn't expected anyone from the Crimson Oath Society to engage in this battle.
And they recognized the combatant.
It was the young man who had thoroughly defeated Li Gang.
Magnus, standing beside Shiraori, felt a surge of panic upon seeing Azrael and the other two, but his professionalism prevented him from showing it outwardly.
Mimicking Azrael's tone from memory, Magnus's lips curled into a mocking smile. "I thought the Association was full of cowards, hiding on shore and too afraid to engage."
But upon seeing Sixth Master staring directly at him, he couldn't help but feel increasingly uneasy.
After all, this insult technically included Sixth Master as well.
His Excellency is magnanimous. This is all for the mission. Surely he'll understand, the middle-aged man reassured himself.
However, he was overthinking it. Azrael was actually looking at Shiraori.
Hearing Magnus's words, Azrael curled his lips. "How dare you secretive folks from the Crimson Oath Society make such accusations?"
Magnus confirmed with his gaze: Sixth Master, you really mean it, right?
Magnus felt a surge of mixed emotions, then responded defiantly, "Without us, you'd still be stumbling around in the dark."
He ultimately chose to pivot away from that particular topic.
Then Diesel demanded in a deep voice, "What exactly is the Crimson Oath Society planning?"
Godfrey simply observed in silence, uncertain of this individual's true purpose.
Magnus glanced at them with feigned disdain and casually revealed, "One final piece of information: Behind these demons lies an Emerald-level entity."
With that declaration, he and Shiraori vanished in a flash of spatial magic.
Only Azrael and his two companions remained, along with the two demons not far away.
"Swish!"
A merciless sword flash suddenly descended, cutting through all pretense of negotiation.
It was only the presence of three different factions that had made the situation so unpredictable, causing Garthy to suppress his urge to attack.
Now that Magnus had departed, he naturally had no further concerns.
A transparent barrier instantly materialized before Azrael and the other two, blocking the attack.
It was Aizen's barrier technique.
As a precautionary measure, the three had summoned their cards before arriving.
This was exactly what Azrael had intended.
From that moment, Kyōka Suigetsu had been secretly influencing the five senses of the two middle-aged men beside him.
An orange beam of electromagnetic energy tore across the sea, instantly reaching Garthy's position.
Garthy sidestepped the railgun blast with minimal effort.
Just as he turned to retaliate, a massive pitch-black coffin engulfed him entirely.
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!"
"Let's move," Azrael commanded without hesitation, retreating rapidly toward the coastline.
The black coffin that Aizen had manifested was clearly insufficient to seriously harm the two demons in the distance. Its purpose was merely to buy them precious time.
Godfrey and Diesel, naturally recognizing the towering black coffin between heaven and earth as their vice-president's technique, immediately followed Azrael in retreat.
The three vanished in an instant.
In the dark woods, a figure stared at the clearing before them, scratching his head in confusion. "Going back already?"
This figure was, of course, the now-restored Magnus.
Sixth Master shouldn't be angry, right? Thinking of his own rather disrespectful remarks, Magnus felt a pang of anxiety.
But then a realization struck him: Speaking of which, why did Sixth Master come to me instead of someone else?
Could it be, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up with hope, that Sixth Master trusts me?
He raised his fist determinedly. "Stop scaring yourself!"
But that card of his...
To maintain his cover, Magnus had barely used any of his own cards, relying solely on Shiraori.
It was fair to say that while she appeared somewhat intimidating, her combat capabilities were genuinely ridiculously powerful.
Perhaps for the Crimson Oath Society, being intimidating was, to some extent, an advantage in psychological warfare?
The most crucial aspect was those tricky spatial manipulation abilities.
Amazing! Why can't I do that?
As soon as this thought occurred to Magnus, he couldn't help but slap himself lightly. "Magnus, Magnus, don't dream of the impossible."
For someone like him, wielding Purple-tier cards was sufficient achievement, at least he was far better off than ordinary people who weren't even Lore Cardians.
"BANG!"
The pitch-black coffin suddenly shattered into fragments.
Garthy emerged with a gloomy expression, gripping his longsword tightly.
"That technique..." He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Although he remained uninjured, he had sensed a genuine threat from the black-haired man and the white spider creature.
Moreover, everything that had transpired tonight left him deeply confused.
The sudden provocation and abrupt end to the battle made him feel as uncomfortable as performing interrupted training exercises.
Garthy sheathed his sword and asked Timon with dissatisfaction evident in his tone, "When will Vangeance arrive?"
Hearing this, Timon bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, it may take some time for King Vangeance to free himself from his current obligations."
"Tsk." Garthy pulled at the corner of his mouth with displeasure. "Have the subordinates prepare provisions. I'm hungry."
"Yes, Your Majesty."