Under the shroud of pitch-black night, a young man stood concealed in the shadows, methodically peeling an orange while silently observing the distant villa.
The distance ensured that the villa's occupants wouldn't detect his presence, at least not through conventional means.
Beside him, an indistinct figure whispered urgently, "Are you certain you can handle this alone?"
The young man nodded slightly, juice from the orange dripping between his fingers. "If nothing unexpected occurs, it shouldn't pose a problem."
"Besides," he continued, tossing the orange peel aside, "if you were to attack and fail to eliminate him, all our efforts would be wasted."
"There are plenty of people in this city who would recognize your cards immediately, aren't there?"
The two men were, naturally, Sun-Myun and Kavach.
Several days had passed since the Emerald-level demon's appearance had shaken Donglai to its core.
Kavach had originally planned to launch their assault the same night Sun-Myun arrived. After all, Azrael's cards would have been on extended cooldown periods following that massive battle, creating the perfect window of vulnerability.
However, to deal with the aftermath of the demonic incursion, Azrael had been confined to the coastal military camp for several consecutive days.
Besides Azrael, four other Gold-level Lore Cardians were stationed at the camp, making any direct assault suicidal folly.
"But are you truly capable of succeeding?" Kavach pressed, doubt creeping into his voice.
The death of that Emerald-level demon had profoundly shaken his confidence. If a young Gold-level Lore Cardian could eliminate such a powerful entity...
Sun-Myun stuffed the remaining orange segments into his mouth and spoke around them. "My cards are all specialized for assassination. If even I cannot succeed..."
"Then your participation wouldn't change the outcome."
"Speaking of which," he swallowed and fixed Kavach with a calculating stare, "if the assassination succeeds, have you considered what comes next?"
Kavach nodded grimly. After contemplating such a momentous betrayal, how could he possibly lack an escape plan?
"We'll pin the blame on the Crimson Oath Society."
"After all, those lunatics are capable of anything. No one would question their involvement."
"It's unfortunate we can't frame the Onefold Doctrine instead, that would be far more believable."
Donglai naturally had two prime candidates for scapegoating: the Onefold Doctrine and the Crimson Oath Society.
Azrael had previously engaged in numerous conflicts with the Onefold Doctrine, making his assassination seem plausible upon reflection.
However, the problem lay in the Onefold Doctrine's composition. They weren't merely Lore Cardians; they also employed limb-jointing demons, grotesque creatures neither fully human nor wholly monster.
Kavach and his conspirators couldn't acquire such distinctive entities for their false flag operation.
Therefore, they had to settle for framing the Crimson Oath Society.
The Crimson Oath Society wouldn't object anyway, they reveled in their reputation for unpredictable chaos.
"Very well, I'll proceed," Sun-Myun declared, rolling his shoulders to loosen his muscles.
He felt no hesitation. As a loyal operative of the Sun family, even sacrificing his life tonight wouldn't matter. A dedicated soldier required only a target and coordinates, everything else was irrelevant.
Within the villa, Azrael studied the green-haired young man with algae-like hair who leaned casually against the wall, three swords secured at his side.
After completing any card's creation, Azrael naturally summoned them for inspection and evaluation.
Concerning detection, he harbored no worries. Between Zoro's Observation Haki and his own enhanced mental perception, no one in Donglai should be capable of approaching unnoticed.
"Speaking of which..." Azrael mused, "perhaps Zoro should engage in some light sparring with Retsu?"
While the algae-haired swordsman hadn't yet reached his future vice-captain potential, Azrael's Unohana Retsu wasn't a bloodthirsty executioner, merely an enthusiastic combat practitioner.
A controlled sparring match shouldn't pose any real danger.
Just as Azrael contemplated organizing some team-building exercises for his cards, Zoro suddenly frowned and turned toward the window. "Azrael, someone's approaching."
Azrael snapped back to attention, immediately focusing. "You detected them with Observation Haki?"
Seeing Zoro's confirming nod, Azrael's expression grew serious. "Do you recognize them?"
Zoro shook his head slightly. "I haven't encountered them before, but the second presence feels... familiar somehow."
Hearing this revelation, Azrael's wariness intensified exponentially.
If the algae-haired swordsman specifically mentioned this detail, these weren't casual visitors with benign intentions.
Rapidly cycling through his potential enemies in Donglai, Azrael quickly identified two primary suspects, "The Onefold Doctrine? Or Kavach?"
Only these two factions possessed both the motivation and resources to attempt an assassination.
"Understood." After a moment's consideration, Azrael dismissed Zoro with a gentle wave.
It wasn't that he doubted Zoro's capabilities, but the green-haired swordsman's distinctive Three Sword Style was far too recognizable.
Although considerable time had passed since his last public appearance in Velkairos, who could predict what traces or connections might still exist? Discovery would prove catastrophically problematic.
Additionally, Azrael felt no concern that Zoro had detected movement while his own senses hadn't.
Setting aside the fact that Zoro's Observation Haki possessed greater range than his mental perception, card creation was fundamentally designed to compensate for a Lore Cardian's various limitations.
Compared to individuals whose Observation Haki approached genuine precognition, Zoro's mere detection of two skulking enemies wasn't particularly remarkable.
"Let's see who's so eager to court death," Azrael muttered, his eyes darkening as he ascended the stairs toward his bedroom.
Brilliant moonlight streamed through the expansive windows into the spacious bedroom.
A figure lay motionless in bed, apparently lost in peaceful slumber.
As clouds drifted across the night sky, temporarily obscuring the moon, the bedroom plunged into profound darkness.
When the moonlight returned, a shadow stood silently within the room.
Sun-Myun studied the sleeping young man before him, his expression remaining impassive despite inner surprise. So effortless?
His infiltration of the villa had proceeded far more smoothly than anticipated.
He's merely a young prodigy, completely defenseless, he thought dismissively.
Without hesitation, he summoned his cards.
The bedroom's shadows suddenly animated, lunging toward the prone figure on the bed.
However, at that precise moment, the previously sleeping young man's eyes snapped open, and in one fluid motion, he grasped the attacking shadows beside him.
"Tsk, I knew eliminating him wouldn't be so simple," Sun-Myun muttered, his lips curling in sardonic amusement.
If this Azrael were truly easy to eliminate, Kavach wouldn't have agonized over the problem for so long.
Suppressing his irritation, Sun-Myun instantly detected the young man's new position and pursued without hesitation.
Outside, Azrael's expression remained perfectly composed. He had already confirmed that Kavach orchestrated this assassination attempt.
After all, the Onefold Doctrine hadn't previously caused disturbances in the coastal region, making them unlikely to suddenly attempt his assassination now.
Furthermore, if they intended to eliminate him, they wouldn't dispatch a single Lore Cardian.
Just as Azrael organized his thoughts, Sun-Myun materialized before him.
The two exchanged no words, immediately engaging in lethal combat.
However, the outcome quickly became apparent, Sun-Myun was vastly outmatched.
An assassin's greatest failure is missing the killing blow; after all, not every assassin achieves Grand Assassin status.
"Hadō #91: Senjū Kōten Taihō."
Aizen's cold voice resonated as a massive crimson spirit bullet erupted toward Sun-Myun.
BOOM!
The crimson cross-shaped explosion from the spirit bullet illuminated the night sky.
To minimize collateral damage, Azrael deliberately controlled his cards' power output.
With such a commotion, any nearby residents with functioning brain cells would have already contacted the Association.
At that moment, a booming voice rang out, "I'll assist you!"
But it wasn't from some diminutive yellow mascot character.
It was Kavach, the Donglai Cardian Master Association's president.
The instant Kavach appeared, he summoned his cards and launched a ferocious assault against Sun-Myun.
Then he hurried to Azrael's side, his face a mask of concerned authority. "Vice President Azrael? Are you unharmed?"
"I received reports of Lore Cardians fighting in this area, and thinking of you, I rushed over immediately."
Azrael frowned slightly, observing Aizen and Misaka, whose attack rhythm had been abruptly disrupted by this "timely" intervention.
He couldn't help but sneer internally. What a performance.
Events unfolded precisely as Azrael had anticipated. After a few perfunctory exchanges, the assassin vanished.
Clearly, he had escaped safely under Kavach's deliberate protection.
Naturally, casual observers wouldn't notice that Kavach was actually shielding the assassin.
However, Azrael had no intention of exposing the man's duplicity. Without concrete evidence, such accusations wouldn't convince anyone.
But he hadn't planned to pursue formal legal channels anyway.
Rather than enduring bureaucratic procedures, Azrael felt it would be far more convenient to utilize Bruce's identity for a direct resolution.
Before Kavach's arrival, he had actually considered having Aizen employ Kyōka Suigetsu to fake his own death, replicating the brown-haired captain's legendary deception in Soul Society.
However, after careful consideration, he abandoned that strategy.
Who knew what unusual cards Donglai might possess? The risk of exposure remained too substantial.
Since he had already identified the mastermind, there was no need for such elaborate subterfuge.
Seeing Azrael merely frowning at Sun-Myun's escape point while ignoring him entirely, Kavach's eye twitched nervously. "Vice President Azrael?"
"Who do you suspect was behind this attack?"
Hearing this question, Azrael turned his gaze toward the middle-aged man beside him, but remained silent.
Observing this reaction, Kavach, unaware of his complete exposure, brazenly began his analysis, "Vice President Azrael, this person operated alone. Compared to the Onefold Doctrine's pack of demon-worshipping Lore Cardians, the Crimson Oath Society seems far more likely."
Before Azrael could respond, two additional Gold-level Lore Cardians materialized.
They were Godfrey and Diesel.
Both had rushed to the scene after receiving urgent reports of Azrael's attack.
Seeing that Azrael remained unharmed, Diesel visibly relaxed, then turned suspicious eyes toward Kavach, "President Kavach, you arrived remarkably quickly."
"What's this about the Crimson Oath Society?"
The square-faced man had only caught the conversation's final words, but Kavach's presence as the first responder, particularly given his antagonistic relationship with Azrael, struck him as highly suspicious.
Kavach quickly repeated his assessment.
However, this time he didn't merely suggest Crimson Oath Society involvement, he stated it as established fact.
Hearing this accusation, Godfrey's typically stoic expression flickered with genuine surprise.
The Crimson Oath Society?
Why didn't they inform me of plans to assassinate Vice President Azrael?
As one of only two Crimson Oath Society members present, Godfrey found himself genuinely bewildered.