Just after Azrael and the other two left, a stealthy figure stalked through the shambles of the ruins, patting his chest with lingering fear.
"I was so scared!"
"I didn't expect Kavach to die like that."
It was Sun Jea-Minrun.
He had secretly witnessed the entire assassination attempt on Kavach by the Crimson Oath Society. He hadn't intervened because he knew Kavach would die even faster if he had. After all, as the man who had just assassinated Vice President Azrael the previous day, suddenly coming to Kavach's aid would make it obvious that the president of the Donglai Cardian Master Association was not a clean person.
Furthermore, he doubted that even if he had intervened, he wouldn't have been able to save Kavach.
That Crimson Oath Society monster was too terrifying. If it were him, he would have died in a few rounds.
Thinking of this, Sun Jea-Minrun swallowed an orange to calm his nerves and then disappeared into the shadows.
He had to hurry back to report to the head of the family.
Azrael and the other two returned to headquarters, and this time, Godrick didn't find an excuse to go back.
After all, Donglai only had a few people left now. If he ran away again, there would be no one to work.
"Where has Godfrey been? Why haven't I seen him yet?"
Even so, Godrick couldn't help but grumble.
Azrael calmly brushed off the subject. "Maybe Director Godfrey has something important to attend to."
"Let's not talk about him for now. Think about how to write tonight's report."
Seeing that Azrael didn't intend to inquire about Godfrey's whereabouts, Diesel and Godrick exchanged a glance and tacitly agreed not to bring up the director of the Public Security Office.
They understood the young man's sentiments. With Donglai currently facing a precarious situation, it was best to avoid further conflict.
Even so, they both felt that Godfrey would likely face consequences from higher-ups this time, and future promotions would likely be affected.
The three of them silently arrived at Azrael's office and gathered together to discuss how to report tonight's events.
Given the suddenness of the incident, the Donglai Cardian Master Association was slow to react, which they likely understood.
The key issue was the death of Kavach, the guild's president. His death had implications for many aspects.
First, who would take over as president? Would Azrael take over first, or would someone else be parachuted in?
Secondly, since the Crimson Oath Society dared to attack the association's president in public, would they do something even more daring?
And then there was the Onefold Doctrine. Judging from what they just saw, their influence in Donglai City was growing. If the Crimson Oath Society hadn't assassinated Kavach, these cowards might still be hiding out there.
"So we have those lunatics to thank for this," Diesel and the others thought, puzzled.
And all of this was the mess Kavach left behind.
As for the Crimson Oath Society, Azrael didn't have any particular feelings. He would keep his men in check for a while, ensuring they didn't cause any trouble.
If the Qilu Cardian Master Association asked them to crack down on illegal organizations in the city, he would send in some of the most heinous antisocial elements.
After all, they were bound by the contract, so they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
After a moment's thought, Azrael solemnly said to the two middle-aged men beside him, "No need to sugarcoat it; just tell it like it is."
The young man even hoped to exaggerate the situation, hoping to secure more support from the Qilu Cardian Master Association.
Hearing this, Diesel and the others had no objections. Azrael was the most powerful figure in Donglai, so naturally, his opinion was his. Given the gravity of the matter, the three of them quickly compiled a report and submitted it.
"Thank you both for your help tonight. We still need to maintain order in the city."
"I'll be at headquarters, and notify me if anything happens."
Because this involved a change in the president's position, Azrael suspected the Qilu Cardian Master Association wouldn't respond quickly.
But forget about rest.
With the death of a president, Donglai City would undoubtedly be under martial law tonight.
They couldn't just pat their backs and go their separate ways, could they?
The city under the association's control wasn't some ridiculous country; the declaration of martial law and its lifting took less than half a day.
"Yes," Diesel and Godrick's expressions tightened, and they quickly agreed.
However, both of them felt the young man's second words were familiar, as if the recently deceased Kavach often used the same demeanor.
However, compared to Kavach, they believed Azrael's words were sincere.
This was the reputation Azrael had always earned.
As the two left the Vice President's office, silence fell once again.
Seeing himself alone again, Azrael couldn't help but stretch his muscles.
"Finally dead!"
Though it took some effort, even Azrael couldn't help but feel a surge of joy at seeing Kavach, who had been irritating him since arriving in Donglai, fall to Zoro's sword.
"I'm so tired."
Figuring he wouldn't have anything to do for a while, he prepared to rest for a while on the guest sofa.
Summoning Unohana Retsu, with her gentle demeanor, Azrael unceremoniously rested his head on her voluptuous thigh.
"Sister Retsu, thank you for your help."
Unohana Retsu said nothing, simply placing a soft finger on Azrael's temple.
Azrael looked at the ceiling, which he could only see half of, and his eyelids began to twitch unconsciously.
Seeing the young man on her thigh gradually closing his eyes, the gentle beauty took off her haori and draped it over him.
The morning sun shone through the window of the vice president's office, and unknown wild birds were chirping outside the window.
Azrael slowly opened his eyes in confusion. "Fell asleep?"
Straightening up, the young man noticed the haori with the word "four" on it slipping off his body.
Turning his head, he saw Unohana Retsu looking at him tenderly, just like she did yesterday when he fell asleep.
"Thank you, Sister Retsu."
Azrael didn't ask if her legs were numb after he had rested his head on them all night.
What a joke! This killer, who could slash through Soul Society's Southern 80th District and Northern 80th District without a scratch, you ask her if her legs are numb?
It was worth mentioning that Unohana Retsu, captain of the medical division, had the best massage skills of all Azrael's cards.
Even if she was the only one who knew them.
Azrael couldn't expect Misaka and the others to have such skills, could he?
Speaking of Misaka, the brown-haired girl could cosplay as a certain Dr. Yang and give Azrael an electric shock.
As if sensing the man's disrespectful thoughts, Unohana Retsu's eyes narrowed.
Azrael shrank back, chuckled, and handed the haori back.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Unohana Retsu took the haori back, stood up, and Azrael stretched his stiff body before saying casually, "Come in."
The person who opened the door wasn't Diesel or Godrick, but Godfrey, who hadn't been seen all night.
"Sorry, President."
"I'm late."
Anxious voices echoed through the room, though the speaker's expression remained impassive.
Godfrey, despite his deadpan expression, felt a pang of insecurity.
After all, he had been implicated in the assassination attempt on Kavach last night, albeit on the Crimson Oath Society's side.
And then, not showing up for another night after the incident was truly unacceptable.
Looking at the middle-aged man before him, Azrael asked noncommittally, "Tell me, what were you doing last night?"
Although he knew Godfrey's whereabouts, he still had to ask.
After all, he was now the Association's Azrael, not the Crimson Oaths' Bruce.
Godfrey's heart trembled, and then he spoke with some difficulty. "I went to visit a friend last night."
"My communication device was out of battery, so I didn't receive the message."
The excuse was ridiculous. If Diesel were there, he would definitely not believe it, but Azrael did.
He simply waved his hand and said with feigned dissatisfaction, "Remember to report in advance next time."
"The specific punishment will be determined after we get a response from higher-ups."
Hearing this, Godfrey couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected this matter to be resolved so easily. As for the possible punishment, unless the Qilu Cardian Master Association was willing to parachute several Gold-level Lore Cardians to Donglai, he was confident that he could still be of some use to the Association under the current circumstances.
At most, a salary deduction would be the worst.
"Yes."
Shaking his head, Azrael turned on the computer screen, wanting to see if the Qilu Cardian Master Association had responded.
"This is it."
As he expected, a response had indeed arrived just over half an hour ago, though it consisted of two documents.
One was regarding the assassination attempt on the president's behalf last night, and the other was regarding personnel changes within the Donglai Cardian Master Association.
The first response didn't contain any significant information, primarily directing Azrael and his team to crack down on illegal organizations in the city to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The second personnel change was the more important document.
Azrael had been promoted directly, filling Kavach's position.
"Is there such a good thing?!"
This was a bit unexpected.
He had originally thought he would most likely assume the position of temporary president, with the Qilu Cardian Master Association sending someone to take over later.
Unexpectedly, he had suddenly become president.
Now, Azrael truly held sway in Donglai.
"What about the vice president?" he continued reading.
The person replacing Azrael was Diesel, the director of the Secret Realm Office.
This was both unexpected and reasonable.
After all, if Azrael hadn't arrived, the square-faced middle-aged man would have been the Vice President.
As for the next Director of the Secret Realm Office, Azrael was equally taken aback.
"Oliver?!"
Yes, it was his former teammate from the Pixar University Battle Club.
"He's already reached Gold rank?"
Azrael was initially puzzled, but then realized he was the one who was special.
Oliver was already a junior and had been stuck at Silver rank for quite some time, so his promotion to Gold wasn't particularly surprising.
However, despite the arrival of an acquaintance, Azrael wasn't overjoyed. He simply sighed silently.
He had already discerned some clues from the two documents.
"The situation in northern Qilu isn't looking good."
Normally, the Qilu Cardian Master Association would have sent an experienced and powerful Gold rank Lore Cardian to succeed the president, not the young Azrael.
Furthermore, the Qilu Cardian Master Association hadn't offered any support, seemingly leaving the Donglai Cardian Master Association to fend for itself.
Everything clearly indicated that the Qilu Cardian Master Association was truly short of manpower.
Therefore, seeing that Donglai was barely holding on, they were left to fend for themselves.
Understanding the situation, Azrael immediately notified Diesel and Godrick.
Godfrey watched the young man behind the desk's face change rapidly before he sighed deeply and sent out several messages on his phone.
Diesel and Godrick soon arrived at the Vice President's office.
Upon seeing Godfrey, they were stunned at first, but didn't say much. They simply asked Azrael, "President, you're looking for us?"
Azrael nodded, resting his head on his right hand on the back of his chair. "I just sent the documents. Take a look!"
The three of them simultaneously pulled out their phones and began to check.
As time passed, their expressions grew increasingly strange.
Godrick, for one, wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that he wasn't mentioned in the two documents he'd just reviewed. After all, he hadn't considered promotion in the first place.
What astonished him was that this young man, Azrael, had risen from vice president to president in just a few months.
This was the president of a city's Cardian Master Association. If he were to reach Emerald rank, he'd have the opportunity to become vice president in a larger city.
While it might seem like a demotion from president to vice president, the resources available between larger and smaller cities differed dramatically.
Godfrey was next in line. He was surprised that the Qilu Cardian Master Association hadn't issued any punishment against him, not even a mere salary deduction, as if the events of last night hadn't happened.
He wasn't particularly surprised by the changes in Azrael and Diesel's positions.
Well, he was actually quite surprised.
"I need to report this to the master."
Godfrey lowered his eyes, making it difficult to discern his expression.
The Donglai Cardian Master Association had undoubtedly experienced a major earthquake, and such important information needed to be conveyed to the master as quickly as possible.
Although, after last night's battle, he felt Azrael wouldn't stand a chance of winning against his master.
Unless that idiotic method for destroying Emerald-rank demons could be used again.
Finally, there was Diesel, whose emotions were the most complex.
"Mountains and rivers are so steep and winding that you might think there's no way out, but when you bend the willows and brighten the flowers, you'll find another village."
The square-faced middle-aged man, remembering that he'd initially targeted Azrael over the vice-chairman position, was at a loss for words. The fact that the vice-chairman position had been vacant after Kavach's death left him feeling both amused and annoyed.
After all, it was Kavach who had proposed the move against Azrael.
Perhaps, he wondered, this was a reward for his choice last night.
Glancing at the young man behind the desk, Diesel breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
Just as the three of them were distracted, Azrael spoke up, drawing their attention. "I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you all for the time being."
"As for Director Oliver, who will be taking up his new position later..."
"I'll make sure he's contacted."
Given Donglai's current situation, it certainly wasn't appropriate to hold a welcoming banquet like Azrael had done. Oliver happened to be an acquaintance of his, so having him greet him was naturally the best option. However, Diesel and the other two were unaware of the complexities involved, believing it was Azrael warning them against forming cliques. They quickly bowed their heads and replied, "Yes."
Then, the three of them withdrew to attend to their respective duties.
Seeing the vice-president's office lapse into silence once again, Azrael stood up and went to the president's office next door.
From this moment on, the position of president of the Donglai Cardian Master Association officially changed hands.