"Don't even think about it." Just as Vangeance was about to speak, Azrael suddenly vanished into the shadows beneath his feet.
His Shadowkhan carried him through the dark realm, instantly transporting him several kilometers away from the confrontation.
Vangeance turned to observe Azrael, who had become nothing more than a distant white speck against the horizon. A sinister smile spread across his weathered features. "If you won't accept my generous offer, then you'll drink the bitter dregs instead."
Without hesitation, the muscular demon launched himself in pursuit.
Azrael glanced back at the coastline that had become barely visible in the distance before summoning Frieren without a moment's hesitation.
Compared to his Shadowkhan's movement through the Shadow Kingdom, spatial magic offered superior convenience and speed for long-distance travel.
Although Azrael felt confident that nobody would discover his hidden identity even if he summoned Shiraori, he chose caution and opted for Frieren instead.
After all, Frieren had already demonstrated spatial magic capabilities during their previous experiments. Even if discovered, he could simply claim it was a newly created card.
With an imperceptible ripple through space, Azrael disappeared entirely.
"Trying to escape?!" Sensing the complete vanishing of his target's presence, Vangeance's lips curled in disdain. "Let me see what pathetic tricks you little ant have planned."
With that declaration, he too vanished into thin air.
Memphis, observing the sudden turn of events from his position, hesitated momentarily before barking orders to Timon beside him. "Rally the remaining forces here and await Vangeance's and my return."
After issuing his commands, Memphis retrieved a tracking device and set off following the location displayed on its screen.
Somewhere off the coast of Donglai
The salty sea breeze whipped against Azrael's face as he materialized above the churning waters.
"Still pursuing me?" The young man frowned, sensing the overwhelming presence behind him that alternated between drawing closer and falling back.
While this chase aligned with his strategic plan, the oppressive aura radiating from an Emerald-level demon proved genuinely suffocating.
As for why he didn't employ his [Black Cloak] ability...
[Six: Fifth Brother, there's an Emerald-level demon pursuing me. Are you prepared to intervene?]
[Five: Location.]
[Six: I'll notify you once I reach the waters off Velkairos.]
[Five: Understood.]
The moment the Emerald-level demon Vangeance had appeared, Azrael had already formulated his counterstrategy.
If he couldn't defeat his pursuer directly, wouldn't it be better to mobilize others for assistance?
If he used the [Black Cloak] immediately, Vangeance might realize he'd lost his quarry and return to Donglai to vent his frustration on innocent civilians.
This approach represented the optimal solution: maintaining distance that was neither too close nor too far, keeping Vangeance engaged while minimizing collateral damage.
Naturally, mobilizing assistance meant he needed to survive until reinforcements arrived.
His decision to contact Memphis of the Crimson Oath Society stemmed from simple logistics, since he was fleeing across the sea, the Crimson Oath Society was the closest organization with members Azrael could mobilize.
Had he tried reaching Master Corvus, the distance would have made timely assistance impossible.
It wasn't that Azrael couldn't flee to populated areas, using civilians and low-level Lore Cardians as human shields.
But ultimately, he abandoned that option. Such tactics went against his principles.
Besides, Donglai wasn't particularly close to Velkairos, though it wasn't prohibitively distant either.
Spatial abilities were undeniably troublesome to counter.
Without proper countermeasures, pursuers ended up like Vangeance, possessing immense power but unable to effectively deploy it.
"We should be nearly there," Azrael estimated silently, calculating the remaining distance.
But at that crucial moment, a cruel voice suddenly echoed in his ears, "You run impressively fast for such a little ant!"
Simultaneously, two distinct voices, one male, one female, rang out in perfect synchronization.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
"Defensive Magic."
Unfortunately...
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Like fragile blocks of tofu, Azrael's layered defenses crumbled at the slightest contact.
BANG!
An overwhelming force struck him with tremendous impact, sending him flying across the sea surface in a massive splash.
Violent waves rippled outward in all directions, instantly transforming the previously calm waters into a roiling tempest.
Although the attack connected successfully, Vangeance's expression registered surprise rather than satisfaction.
"Hmm?"
"Still alive?"
Vangeance raised an eyebrow as he observed two figures, an elf and a spider, standing defiantly on the sea surface not far away, positioned as if facing a formidable enemy. "Interesting."
"I'll grant you one final opportunity. If you agree to serve as my first mate now, I won't kill you."
Azrael, standing on the seabed, transmitted his coordinates to Memphis via his sub-phone.
As a summoned card, the sub-phone naturally possessed waterproof capabilities.
While Vangeance's earlier attack had successfully struck him, it hadn't inflicted significant damage thanks to Aizen and Frieren's combined defensive measures.
He had also managed to create additional distance between himself and his pursuer.
Even so, Azrael remained cautious, understanding that his opponent hadn't employed full strength.
Honestly, Vangeance's sudden ability to catch up had been somewhat unexpected.
Fortunately...
"This location shouldn't be too far from Velkairos," he thought, activating the [Black Cloak] granted by Aizen's special ability.
His presence instantly vanished from Vangeance's perception.
"It appears you've rejected my generous invitation," Vangeance sighed with mock regret, eyes drifting closed. "Then die."
However, Azrael had already reached the maximum distance for maintaining his summoned cards. He needed Aizen and the others to delay Vangeance until Memphis arrived.
Otherwise, everything he had accomplished thus far would prove meaningless.
As a precaution, Azrael dismissed Frieren, preparing to flee if circumstances deteriorated beyond recovery.
After all, he felt he had performed admirably to this point, luring Vangeance away had already been a life-or-death gamble.
He could have simply donned the [Black Cloak] and escaped from the beginning.
With the time he had spent delaying Vangeance, Donglai should have been able to significantly reduce potential casualties.
At that moment, a figure came rushing from the distance.
But it wasn't Memphis.
It was Garthy, who had been tracking Vangeance's aura.
Garthy approached Vangeance and studied the Shiraori positioned beside Aizen and Misaka. He couldn't help but freeze in recognition. "Isn't that...?"
"The card from that day?"
"Strange, why is it here?"
Vangeance glanced at the sword-wielding youth and asked casually, "What's the situation?"
Hearing Vangeance's question, Garthy immediately recounted the incident from several days ago when the squid and spider had attacked their forces.
Vangeance listened to Garthy's explanation, and a peculiar smile crossed his features. "I never imagined you maintained a double identity."
"You're clearly not as clean as you pretend, yet you refuse to serve as my first mate?"
Garthy finally grasped what was occurring. Obviously, the white spider was also the youth's summoned card.
What had happened previously was nothing more than an elaborate ruse.
"I've been completely deceived!" Garthy drew his sword with an expression of fury, waves of fear rising in his heart.
If the youth had deployed both cards against him during their previous encounter, Garthy wouldn't have survived until Vangeance's arrival.
As dazzling sword light streaked across the sky, the muscular, shirtless man finally decided to end this tedious charade.
"Die first!" With lightning-fast movement, he appeared instantly beside Aizen. "You!"
A thunderous fist tore through the brown-haired man's body, leaving a long white trail across the sea surface.
Though seemingly having successfully eliminated Aizen, Vangeance's expression remained uncertain. "When?"
He hadn't felt any physical impact from his strike.
Undoubtedly, like Garthy before him, he had fallen victim to an illusory technique.
"No matter, if that's the case..."
Vangeance drifted upward into the sky, his gaze turning downward. He casually shattered the abyssal magic and lightning that assaulted him.
Witnessing this display, Garthy startled as if anticipating Vangeance's next action, instantly positioning himself behind the demon.
The next moment...
"Mountain Piercer!"
A terrifying fist descended from the heavens into the sea like a space-based kinetic weapon crashing from orbit. A massive crater instantly formed in the water beneath Vangeance's position.
No, not just in the water.
Even the seabed buried deep beneath the surface shattered into dust from the devastating blow.
Azrael's heart sank as he observed the enormous hole created by the displaced water.
Fortunately, his caution had paid off, and he had maintained sufficient distance from Vangeance, otherwise, he would have perished from this single attack.
Even so, the scattered aftershocks of the punch made his cheek sting with pain.
An ordinary person wouldn't survive even these residual effects.
"This is Emerald-level power."
Azrael, sensing the cooldown periods for Aizen and Misaka's abilities, tightened his grip on the black cloak.
"If only I could generate an item card like [Hōgyoku]."
That way, Aizen could evolve directly. Even the awakened Hōgyoku in its first fusion state would be sufficient to annihilate Vangeance.
At the battle scene, Vangeance couldn't help but frown slightly. "Hmm?"
He sensed a living presence that had survived his assault.
"Wah! I almost died! I was so terrified!" A pitiful hissing voice echoed across the water.
Vangeance looked closer and saw that the white spider still lived.
However, she was now in tatters, several pairs of limbs missing from her body.
"Little Spider has become a disabled spider!!"
With a heartbroken cry, the spider rolled dramatically on the seabed.
[Ruler's Endurance]: Significantly increases the holder's defensive capabilities. When faced with an instant-death attack, the character will survive as long as their magical power remains above zero.
Thanks to this skill, Shiraori hadn't died instantly.
Although she possessed little combat capability at the moment, she had survived.
"A futile struggle," Vangeance sneered, preparing to deliver the finishing blow to the screaming white spider.
Seeing this development, Azrael considered dismissing Shiraori and having Frieren transport him to safety.
Memphis, that unreliable operative, hadn't appeared for so long, proving the Crimson Oath Society's fundamental inadequacy.
"Is he trying to use me as a weapon against someone else?" But just as Vangeance raised his hand, he paused.
He felt something materialize in his right hand.
"Ring-ring-ring!"
A phone suddenly rang with a shrill tone.
Even from such a distance, Azrael could hear it clearly.
"What's happening?"
The unexpected development interrupted Azrael's planned retreat.
Vangeance examined his right hand.
In his palm, a smartphone vibrated and rang, the screen displaying the following message:
Caller: [???]
"A boring trick."
The muscular man instantly clenched his five fingers, attempting to crush the object of unknown origin.
Unfortunately, no matter how much force he applied, the smartphone remained completely unaffected, continuing to ring as if it would persist until he answered.
"Tsk."
Seeing that he couldn't destroy the phone, Vangeance prepared to throw it away.
But the moment he made the throwing motion, an inexplicable sense of mortal danger pricked his nerves.
If he discarded it, he would die.
Vangeance's instincts told him so.
Garthy beside him was in even worse condition. He froze completely in place the moment the phone appeared.
The sword-wielding youth felt an indescribable terror silently observing them both.
Just as Azrael frowned and watched the developments unfold, a familiar presence made him twitch with recognition.
It was Memphis.
Azrael didn't allow him to directly confront the two demons in the distance, but positioned himself to block his ally.
"Fifth Brother."
Memphis startled at the sight of Azrael, draped in his black cloak and apparently unharmed. "Sixth Brother, what's the situation?"
He gestured toward Vangeance and the others in the distance.
Azrael shook his head. "I don't know."
Though he already harbored strong suspicions about what was occurring.
Vangeance, his expression grim, had already answered the phone.
"..."
After a lengthy pause, a faint voice reached him from the other end.
"Oh, could you please spare my child this time?"
Vangeance ignored the request, asking only in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
"Well, I'm not comfortable revealing my identity. Anyway, please spare him, won't you?"
Vangeance glanced coldly at Azrael, who had reappeared in the distance alongside Memphis. "This cunning little ant is trying to manipulate me."
He sensed a threatening aura from the newly appeared Memphis. "So this was his doing?"
Vangeance suspected the man in the black suit was responsible for the current supernatural phenomenon.
With that thought, he prepared to hang up.
Just then, a final voice came from the other end of the line.
"That's unfortunate."
"I put so much effort into this arrangement, after all."
As those words faded, the phone in Vangeance's hand suddenly vanished into nothingness.
"Damn!"
He turned to check on Garthy, intending to order a retreat.
But all he found was Garthy's upper torso.
"Save me!" Garthy stared at Vangeance in horror, unable to comprehend what had happened to him.
As the phone disappeared, his lower body had vanished into thin air like chalk marks erased from a blackboard.
Now his upper body was suffering the same fate.
"Save me!"
"Vangeance!"
Finally, Garthy, now reduced to just a head, stared at Vangeance with wide, terrified eyes, as if witnessing something beyond comprehension.
Vangeance, stunned by Garthy's complete disappearance, now felt uncertain about the source of this supernatural intervention.
He quickly turned his head to stare at Memphis in the distance with growing fear. "You?!"
But Azrael and Memphis were looking at him with equally strange expressions.
Seeing their reactions, Vangeance looked down in confusion.
His lower body was gone, just like Garthy's.
"Impossible!"
He raised his head in terror and immediately tried to attack Azrael and Memphis.
But then...
"Where's my hand?"
Vangeance stared blankly at the empty air before him. His right hand had disappeared without a trace.
"No!!"
His screams cut off abruptly.
Vangeance followed Garthy into oblivion.
Azrael, observing from a safe distance, felt a complex mix of emotions. He had a strong suspicion about what had caused this phenomenon.
Shiraori's unique characteristic.
[The Gaze of the Superior]: To prevent colleagues from discovering her negligence, a certain evil god [D] who had abandoned her duties injected her memories of "playing house" into a small spider monster. From that moment, [D] would always pay attention to the growth of this spider monster. As compensation, Shiraori would receive assistance from [D] in certain special circumstances.
Although he suspected this was the cause, Azrael still harbored many questions.
However, Memphis beside him interrupted his contemplation. "Did you orchestrate this?"
The man in the black suit now wore a complicated expression, having lost his usual emotional control.