Compared to Diesel's current panic, Azrael appeared remarkably calm.
While Diesel might be worried about being attacked simultaneously by both the Onefold Doctrine and the Crimson Oath Society, he wasn't concerned at all.
After all, Magnus and the others had come to assassinate Kavach on his direct orders.
Although it couldn't exactly be called an assassination at this point, Azrael's attention was now focused on the figures behind him.
They were demons.
And they seemed strangely familiar.
"Could it really be that after beating the old, the young ones are coming?" he mused with dark amusement.
He wasn't surprised by this development. After all, Li Gang had been thwarted so many times in Donglai and still refused to retreat, so there must be something special about this place that attracted him.
If that was the case, then it was only natural that the demon army in the north would continue to send troops to support Li Gang, their partner, since Azrael had previously killed Lannide.
"I just don't know what their true motivations are."
Azrael didn't think the demon army would help without expecting something in return, but he was certain they had other intentions toward Li Gang.
Shiraori transmitted the identification information at the perfect moment.
, , , ,
[Name: Cliff]
[Title: Level 1 Researcher, Demon Army R&D Department]
[Rank: Gold]
[Available Drop Material: Knowledgeable Immortal Seed]
, , , ,
[Name: Dick]
[Title: Seven Seas Weapon Master]
[Rank: Gold]
[Available Drop Material: Pirate Master Craftsman]
, , , ,
[Name: Menia]
[Title: Seven Seas Desire]
[Rank: Gold]
[Available Drop Material: Feast of Pirates]
, , , ,
However, after reviewing the information, Azrael was taken aback.
One of the demons was indeed, as he'd expected, from the Northern Demon Army, and even had a higher rank than Lannide.
Lannide had been a Level 2 Researcher, while Cliff was a Level 1 Researcher.
However, the origins of the other two demons were somewhat surprising. Like Garciwell and the others, they came from the same secret realm.
"They've merged forces?"
Azrael recalled the information he'd initially extracted through torture. It seemed the minion's revelation was correct.
Including the deceased Garciwell and the other two, there were exactly four kings from that realm.
"But thankfully, there aren't any Emerald-level demons."
Azrael breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been worried there might be more than one Emerald-level demon in that secret realm like Vangeance. Now it seemed there weren't any among this group.
He wasn't sure exactly when Shiraori's ability, [Ruler: Wisdom], would trigger its next evolution. Plus, the system hadn't generated items like [Black Cloak] this time. If he encountered another Emerald-level demon again, he'd have no choice but to flee.
"That being said, Li Gang has some impressive connections in Korea."
He didn't think Li Gang had just randomly found a few Gold-level demons to collaborate with.
Just as Azrael was lost in thought, two demons named Dick and Menia glanced at the wounded Zoro with obvious confusion. The green-haired swordsman struck them as strangely familiar.
Then, they turned their calculating gazes to Azrael in the distance.
"Is he the Lore Cardian you mentioned who killed Vangeance?" they whispered to the middle-aged man beside them, their voices filled with barely concealed fear.
Li Gang nodded slightly, confirming their suspicions.
Seeing this, the two demons' fear of Azrael reached a new level. After all, while outsiders might not be aware, how could they not know Vangeance's true strength?
Of the four kings who had descended this time, Vangeance alone could have overwhelmed the other three combined.
Yet, such a powerful being had died so silently.
They didn't even know what methods Azrael had used.
Dick hesitated, glancing nervously at the people around him before asking hesitantly, "Are we really going to fight?"
With just a few of them and their current demon allies, they probably wouldn't be enough to handle that one person.
But Li Gang simply waved his hand dismissively and whispered with confidence, "I'm certain we can succeed."
Having observed the situation from the shadows for so long, he had developed a thorough understanding of the tactical landscape.
In fact, they had discovered the Crimson Oath Society's assassination attempt on Kavach not long after it began. They hadn't revealed themselves from the start because they feared the Association and the Crimson Oath Society would become wary of their presence and cease their conflict.
Just like the current situation.
After the Crimson Oath Society's successful elimination of Kavach, the battlefield had become unbalanced, and it was naturally time for the Onefold Doctrine to make their move.
With this strategic thinking in mind, Li Gang loudly addressed Magnus and the others, "How about this? Let's put our feud aside for now and clear out these Association lackeys together."
The middle-aged man in the red dragon robe was confident the Crimson Oath Society would agree. After all, if they joined forces, the association's two remaining Gold-level Lore Cardians would be no match for their combined strength.
By then, all of Donglai would be ruled by these two organizations.
Moreover, in Li Gang's opinion, if Azrael's so-called Emerald-level killing methods were truly available, Kavach wouldn't have been killed by the Crimson Oath Society right in front of him.
Unfortunately, he was unaware of the bitter feud between the president and vice president of the Donglai Cardian Master Association, nor did he know that Azrael was secretly the Sixth Master of the Crimson Oath Society.
Therefore, upon hearing Li Gang's proposal, Magnus was stunned for a moment, then said seriously, "Your proposal is indeed tempting."
"But..."
"I refuse."
His loyalty to the Sixth Master was evident to all, and he asked the Onefold Doctrine to stop trying to disgust him with such offers.
A sudden, uncomfortable silence fell over the battlefield, as if no one had properly heard Magnus's words.
Diesel and Godfrey seemed to have not expected Magnus's blunt response.
Li Gang's confident smile froze completely. Feeling the strange, almost invisible gazes of several demons burning into him, he suppressed his rising anger and asked Magnus in a deep voice, "Why?"
"You should know this is the best tactical option, right?"
The middle-aged man could even agree to make concessions to the Crimson Oath Society's unreasonable demands. After all, the plan was nearing completion, and once it succeeded, what became of Donglai would be none of his business.
Hearing this, Magnus scoffed with obvious disdain, "We have no interest in working for your Onefold Doctrine. We're only here tonight because Kavach was throwing mud at us."
"What I hate most are people who make false accusations against others."
"Besides, our Crimson Oath Society's goal is to promote love and peace throughout the land, and we can't possibly associate with your kind."
With that declaration, he turned and left without even glancing at the others' shocked reactions.
Godfrey followed suit, but before departing, he pondered silently: Is the Crimson Oath Society truly a benevolent organization dedicated to upholding moral order?
But a glimpse of Kavach's lifeless body in the distance made the typically expressionless middle-aged man decide to remain diplomatically reserved about such questions.
For a moment, only the Association and the Onefold Doctrine remained facing each other on the devastated scene.
Feeling the three cards return to his mental space, Azrael said coldly to the distant Onefold Doctrine members, "You stray dogs, do you still want to continue this charade?"
"I'll gladly accommodate you to the very end."
Upon hearing this direct challenge, Li Gang cast a calculating glance at Aizen and Misaka, who stood protectively in front of Azrael, and said unwillingly, "Let's withdraw."
Dick and Menia could barely contain their expressions of disbelief, both speechless at the middle-aged man beside them. He had just spoken so boldly, but now, just as the young man had predicted, he was fleeing in disgrace like a beaten dog.
But Li Gang had his own pressing concerns. Besides the uncertainty of quickly overwhelming Azrael's two powerful cards in battle, another crucial reason was that reinforcements from the Association were almost here.
If the Crimson Oath Society had agreed to cooperate, victory would have been assured. Cliff, the new member of the Demon Army who was with him, was capable of holding off multiple low-level Lore Cardians, and the remaining fighters would be able to wear down their opponents through attrition.
The problem was that the Crimson Oath Society had refused outright, and judging by their hostile reaction, Li Gang feared those fanatics might secretly plot revenge against him later.
Just as the Onefold Doctrine members were about to make their tactical retreat, Cliff stepped forward with scientific curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "Lannide died at your hands, didn't she?"
Seeing Azrael staring at him silently, he continued with obvious fascination, "You're quite an interesting specimen. I'd really like to dissect your anatomy and study your capabilities."
Just as Azrael was about to respond with his own threats, Cliff suddenly looked toward the east with sharp awareness. "How quickly the reinforcements arrive!"
"I was planning to leave you some memorable gifts, what a shame."
With that ominous promise, the Onefold Doctrine members vanished into the night, leaving only Azrael and Diesel standing among the smoking ruins.
Diesel was startled to realize cold sweat was running down his back as the immediate danger passed. "President."
"President Kavach's death, I'm afraid this needs to be reported immediately to higher authorities."
The death of a figure of the regional Cardian Master Association president's stature was a catastrophic event, and it truly needed to be reported to the provincial Cardian Master Association.
Azrael nodded slightly, then pinched his brow with a slight headache as he considered the political implications.
While tonight's events were somewhat unexpected, they were generally considered a positive development for his long-term goals.
The Onefold Doctrine, which had been hiding like turtles in their shells, had been drawn out by the assassination he had orchestrated. Otherwise, he might not have discovered that the northern demon army had sent a new demon researcher to the region.
And that the Onefold Doctrine had already formed an alliance with the demons from the secret realm across the sea.
Just as he was mentally composing how to write the follow-up report, an unexpected figure appeared before him.
It wasn't Godfrey.
Godfrey wouldn't show up tonight according to their carefully planned script.
Rather than appearing immediately after the assassination, it would be more tactically sound for him to show up tomorrow morning.
Then, under Azrael's political cover, he could find a plausible excuse to avoid suspicion.
The person who came was Godrick, the Director of Human Resources.
Seeing him arrive, Diesel was genuinely stunned. "Old Godrick, why are you here?"
Godrick rolled his eyes with exasperation. "Old Godfrey couldn't be located anywhere, so I had to come personally."
Then he saw Kavach's motionless body sprawled in the wreckage.
The middle-aged man, who had been notably absent since Azrael's arrival in Donglai, looked through a complex sequence of emotions, dissatisfaction, surprise, and then grim seriousness. "The Crimson Oath Society would actually go this far?!"
He genuinely hadn't expected Kavach to end up dead.
Although the man's character was indeed questionable, his strength was undoubtedly ranked first in the Donglai Cardian Master Association.
At least in the top two.
Godrick glanced at Azrael, who maintained a perfectly calm expression beside him, then turned to the silver-level Lore Cardians behind him and ordered efficiently, "Clean up the scene as quickly as possible."
"Yes, sir."
Seeing that his subordinate Lore Cardians began to work diligently, Azrael, who had remained silent for a long time, finally spoke with measured authority, "Let's return to headquarters and discuss how to report this to the higher authorities."
Hearing this practical suggestion, Diesel and Godrick couldn't help but exchange meaningful glances.
They both clearly realized the same sobering truth:
Donglai was about to undergo a dramatic transformation.