In Donglai City, Diesel and the other two watched in bewilderment as Azrael was enveloped in a blue cube and vanished before their eyes.
"Mr. President?!"
Three panicked shouts rang out simultaneously, the sudden turn of events plunging everyone present into confusion and chaos.
However, Diesel and Godfrey, having worked together for so long, finally managed to regain their composure after the initial shock.
Could the current situation possibly be worse than the last time they faced an Emerald-level demon?
Trust him first!
They took deep breaths and surveyed the Onefold Doctrine members surrounding them.
Leading the group was their old adversary, Li Gang.
Li Gang said with mild regret, "You're a little late. Otherwise, I could have let you accompany him on his journey."
While the teleportation device Dick had provided earlier wasn't disposable, it still required a lengthy recharge period before it could teleport again.
Furthermore, if the target remained on guard, repeating the previous incident would prove significantly more difficult.
Li Gang's words caused their hearts to sink with dread.
Diesel scowled darkly. "A stray dog's barking only adds to the absurdity of this situation."
He didn't bother asking what had happened to Azrael, because the square-faced middle-aged man didn't believe the Onefold Doctrine scoundrel would honestly answer his questions anyway.
Asking would only serve to unsettle the Association's Lore Cardians further.
Most importantly, Diesel didn't believe Azrael would die so easily. After all, if it were truly a lethal weapon, why would Li Gang have waited until today to use it?
Li Gang wasn't offended by this response, merely raising an eyebrow with amusement. "You've managed to maintain your composure admirably."
In his mind, Azrael was already a dead man walking.
He admitted that the young man was undoubtedly a skilled fighter, but what good would that do him now?
Li Gang didn't think anyone could survive in such a dire situation.
Then, Li Gang waved to the Onefold Doctrine members around him and commanded with authority, "Attack!"
The next moment, countless bizarrely limbed monsters, acting in perfect coordination with the Onefold Doctrine's Lore Cardians' summoned cards, suddenly charged toward the Association's members with terrifying speed.
Seeing this assault unfold, the Association's Lore Cardians immediately summoned their own defensive cards.
A few heartbeats later, the two sides collided in a fierce and chaotic melee.
Amidst the swirling battlefield mayhem, Li Gang's mood brightened considerably. "In that case..."
"We only have one final opportunity left."
He then looked at Diesel and the other two who had pursued him, his eyes filled with mocking contempt. "Your courage is certainly commendable."
"Too bad Azrael's gone! What can you possibly do to stop me now?!"
As he finished speaking, several demonic figures emanating golden auras appeared behind him with menacing presence.
In the secret realm, Azrael stood expressionless before a vast spatial rift that seemed to tear reality itself apart.
In the distance lay Menia and Dick, their bodies covered in wounds of varying sizes and severity, while the remaining demons gathered protectively around them.
Menia's left hand clutched a massive, bleeding wound on her abdomen, while her charred right hand gripped the bright silver dagger with trembling determination.
As for Dick, his arms were bent at unnatural angles. The hands that had once been the pride of a master craftsman had clearly lost their original power forever.
Menia spat out blood, her lips curling up to reveal bloodshot teeth. "I never thought a big fish like you could hide in such a small, insignificant place."
"How utterly ridiculous."
Then she glanced at Dick beside her with grim amusement.
"Dick, are you scared?"
Menia hadn't expected their once foolproof battle plan to go so drastically wrong. If she had known this catastrophic outcome would occur, she and Dick would have simply led their forces to Donglai to support Li Gang directly.
At least then the young man would have been hesitant to use his full destructive power.
Hearing Menia's pointed question, Dick, suppressing the excruciating pain shooting through his mangled body, paled and trembled as he spoke, "You crazy woman! Any normal person would be terrified right now, wouldn't they?"
"I'm scared to death!"
He spoke the absolute truth. As a researcher who rarely engaged in direct combat, he relied mostly on his subordinates for protection.
But who could have imagined that this time they would face such an overwhelmingly tough opponent, rendering their human wave strategy completely ineffective?
Hearing Dick's blunt words, Menia's eye twitched involuntarily. She'd wanted to say something fierce to boost her flagging fighting spirit, but Dick's brutal honesty completely deflated the moment.
But recognizing his inherently pragmatic personality, she sighed heavily and tightened her grip on the dagger.
The next moment, as Dick further enhanced the weapons of the demons present with his abilities, Menia and the remaining demons rushed desperately toward the secret realm's entrance.
However, Azrael, standing calmly at the entrance, simply watched the scene unfold with a cold, calculating expression.
"Boring."
Before him, six cards launched their coordinated attacks once again.
A dense array of magic circles instantly unfolded in mid-air, a riot of colorful magical energy relentlessly washing over the surrounding battlefield like a devastating storm.
The next moment, two members of the Straw Hat Pirates emerged from the billowing smoke of the explosion, their dark fists and gleaming swords continuously striking down the pirates and demons present with ruthless efficiency.
Soon, only Menia and Dick remained alive on the blood-soaked battlefield.
Looking at the slowly advancing cards, Menia's bloodshot eyes widened with desperate fury, and she roared with her remaining strength, "Azrael!!"
"You think killing us can fix everything that's happened?"
"Too late!"
The female pirate said with a malicious, twisted smile, "Your fellow Association members are probably all dead by now!"
"With so many Association lackeys buried alongside us, we're not really at a disadvantage!"
"Hahahaha, "
Her crazed laughter abruptly ended, cut short by Aizen's icy, emotionless voice.
"Hadō #99: Goryūtenmetsu."
A colossal purple dragon descended from the heavens, suddenly devouring the two severely injured demons in one devastating attack.
At this moment, the earth shattered under the dragon's tremendous impact, and the very air seemed to wail in agony.
A moment later, two lifeless pirate demons appeared before Azrael's eyes, their threat permanently eliminated.
Glancing at Luffy and the others, who were all injured to varying degrees from the prolonged battle, Azrael immediately summoned Unohana Retsu, having the captain of the Fourth Division heal his remaining cards with her masterful medical abilities.
While the biggest immediate problem had been resolved, he couldn't simply walk away just yet.
After all, he didn't know if there were any other elusive creatures lurking nearby in the shadows.
Azrael didn't want to expose his identity as a member of the Crimson Oath Society and become a pariah within the Association.
While a complete search of the entire secret realm wasn't possible in such a short period, he had to ensure that no living demons remained within several dozen miles of the entrance.
With his enhanced mental power, Misaka's electromagnetic detection waves, and Luffy's advanced Observation Haki, it was clear that no demon could successfully hide from their combined surveillance.
After systematically dealing with any remaining elusive creatures, Azrael prepared to depart and return to Donglai.
However, just as he was about to leave the secret realm behind, a faint vibration in his mind suddenly caught his attention.
"This is..."
"Nel?"
He couldn't help but pause, intrigued by this unexpected development.
At this moment, Azrael could sense the presence of [Young Antelope Nel] in his mind, constantly emitting spiritual waves as if urgently guiding him toward something significant.
After a moment's careful deliberation, Azrael decided to investigate this anomaly. It wouldn't require much additional time.
With this decision made, he immediately had Shiraori use her spatial magic to teleport him in the precise direction Nel indicated.
It wasn't long before Azrael discovered the target Nel had been sensing.
"Field Materials?!"
He stared in genuine surprise at the materials floating mysteriously in mid-air before him, momentarily bewildered by this unexpected discovery.
The last time Azrael had obtained Field Materials was when he entered the Welfare Secret Realm while studying in Pixar.
He hadn't expected to encounter such valuable Field Materials again in this situation.
"But why Nel?"
A new question quickly formed in his analytical mind.
This secret realm was filled with pirate-like monsters, completely unrelated to Nel's Hollow card nature.
Even if Venue Cards were destined to appear, logically they should have resonated with Luffy and the others instead.
Confused but intrigued, Azrael used his mental power to carefully draw the mid-air venue material into his hands.
It was a Gold-level venue material: [Land of Chaos] (Red).
"No wonder."
As soon as the material reached Azrael's hand, he immediately understood its deeper meaning and significance.
Chaos, the survival of the fittest.
It certainly resembled the harsh living environment of Hueco Mundo, yet had little direct connection to Luffy and his crew.
If he truly wanted to create a venue card related to the Straw Hat Pirates, it would more likely symbolize friendship, adventure, and unbreakable bonds.
"What a pleasant surprise indeed."
Azrael felt a surge of genuine satisfaction. He hadn't expected to find such a crucial piece to his Shinigami card puzzle hidden within this secret realm.
"It's a pity that I only have Nel right now, and she's of limited use in her current state."
Nel was currently only Silver-level, and her next advancement required reaching Emerald rank.
Even if he created the relevant venue card immediately, it wouldn't provide much practical benefit in the near term.
He carefully stored [Land of Chaos] away, planning to create additional cards after this dangerous incident was completely resolved.
Led by Shiraori, who possessed advanced spatial magic abilities, Azrael quickly returned to the secret realm's entrance.
Stepping out of the secret realm portal, what greeted him was an unfamiliar stretch of pristine beach extending into the distance.
Although he had long anticipated that this secret realm would be located far from Donglai, Azrael's heart still inevitably sank with concern.
"What the hell is this? Is this still within the Empire of Aetherlight?!"
"Forget it. The most urgent priority is to find someone to determine where this location is, and then rush back to Donglai based on the correct direction."
"Has the message been successfully sent?"
Godfrey asked Diesel beside him with obvious embarrassment and growing concern.
Hearing this inquiry, Diesel's face displayed bitter disappointment. "No, the bastards of the Onefold Doctrine were clearly well-prepared for this scenario, and our communication messages couldn't be transmitted at all."
"Tsk." Godfrey said with irritation. "If it weren't for President Azrael being ambushed so suddenly, we wouldn't have ended up in this desperate situation."
Diesel and Oliver didn't respond verbally, but simply watched the unfolding battlefield situation in tense silence.
"You're not still counting on Azrael to rescue you, are you?" From a distance, Li Gang, observing the three Gold-level Lore Cardians from the Association conversing desperately, suddenly spoke up with cruel amusement. "Give up that foolish hope! It's been so long, he's probably already dead by now."
Li Gang had originally planned to create some diversionary chaos, then withdraw strategically once the sacrifice ritual was complete.
But now he'd completely changed his tactical approach.
Without Azrael's interference, he felt confident he could even completely annihilate the Association's forces. Once the Association was thoroughly crippled, he'd have absolute authority over all of Donglai.
While this victory wouldn't conceal the situation indefinitely, the Qilu Cardian Master Association would eventually notice something was seriously amiss and dispatch high-level Lore Cardians to investigate.
But by that crucial time, his master plan would have reached completion, and he'd already be long gone from Donglai.
The thought of his scheme succeeding filled Li Gang with overwhelming elation.
And it must be said, the demons' technological support system was incredibly advanced and powerful.
They were pirates, yet they possessed such astonishing technological capabilities that defied conventional understanding.
Upon hearing Li Gang's taunting words, Diesel and the other two felt their hearts sink with growing despair.
Perhaps, deep in their hearts, his cruel words contained an uncomfortable grain of truth.