"Finally, signs of civilization."
Azrael breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed at the distant town sprawling before him. The ordeal was far from over, but at least he wasn't stranded on some desolate island.
He still couldn't determine exactly where the secret realm had transported him, but one thing was certain, this wasn't the Empire of Aetherlight.
After leaving the beach, he'd ventured deep into mountainous forests, encountering nothing but wilderness for what felt like hours. The possibility that this secret realm existed on some remote island in the vast ocean had genuinely concerned him. If that were the case, returning to Donglai would be a nightmare, and the dangers of sea travel were considerable for someone in his position.
Fortunately, the settlement ahead proved his fears unfounded. This was no isolated island.
"I need information."
To minimize risks, Azrael decided to have his Shadowkhan capture a civilian for questioning. He only planned to inquire about his location, nothing more.
Soon, spectral soldiers emerged from the shadows, carrying a man who trembled like a leaf in a storm. Upon materializing, the captive immediately began kowtowing frantically, shouting something that sounded oddly familiar to Azrael, yet remained difficult to understand.
The dialect bore similarities to what he'd heard during his previous life, something akin to Korean, but with subtle differences that made comprehension challenging.
This gave him a rough idea of his location, but confirmation was still necessary.
"Quiet him."
Azrael waved his hand with slight irritation, commanding the Shadowkhan to restrain the man and stop his panicked babbling.
However, something unexpected happened. After hearing Azrael's voice, the man's trembling subsided considerably. He simply looked up with fearful eyes and mumbled a few words, still afraid, but noticeably calmer.
Observing the man's expression, Azrael had a strange feeling that this person somehow recognized him.
Just as Azrael puzzled over this development, Luffy, who had been standing beside him looking bored, suddenly perked up. "Azrael, he's asking if you're the Lore Cardian from the Empire of Aetherlight."
Azrael's attention snapped to the straw hat boy. "Luffy, you can understand him?"
Luffy shook his head honestly. "Not exactly, but I understand what he means."
Azrael paused, then suddenly remembered one of Luffy's most remarkable abilities.
[Voice of All Things]: The power to understand the language of all things, a rare gift that could sometimes produce unexpected results.
He'd never anticipated this ability would prove useful in such a mundane situation.
Considering that Roger, who possessed the same power, could allegedly understand the historical texts themselves, it wasn't unreasonable that Luffy could comprehend this stranger's words.
"Ask him where we are."
Azrael immediately decided to use Luffy as an interpreter.
Luffy scratched his head uncertainly. "I'll try."
He began gesturing enthusiastically, attempting to communicate through body language and broken phrases.
Miraculously, the man seemed to grasp Luffy's meaning, responding with excited, "&%￥#."
Luffy paused thoughtfully, then turned to Azrael. "He says this is Korea, and the town below is Jeonju City."
"It really is Korea."
Azrael's suspicions were confirmed. The reason the Donglai Cardian Master Association hadn't located the secret realm was because the spatial rift had manifested outside Empire territory.
Now that he knew his location, Azrael wasted no time preparing to return to Donglai.
However, sensing his intention to leave, the man struggled against his Shadowkhan captor and attempted to kowtow again. Unable to prostrate himself properly due to the restraints, he spoke anxiously at length.
Luffy stared blankly at the exchange before turning to Azrael with a troubled expression. "Azrael..."
"He says the town below is a demon's pen."
"He wants you to rescue the residents."
Azrael frowned slightly, about to respond when a hostile voice suddenly rang out from nearby, "What are you two doing here?!"
"Trying to escape? Today I'll feast on your blood!"
"Tomorrow you'll join your families!"
Azrael's expression turned ice-cold as he turned toward the newcomer, regarding him as if he were already dead.
He'd immediately recognized the speaker's identity, a demon.
Though the creature's speech wasn't standard Empire language, the meaning was clear enough.
Seeing Azrael's gaze fixed upon him, the demon felt an involuntary chill, then roared in anger, preparing to utter another threat.
But,
Swish.
A purple scythe swept through the air, and Shiraori's elegant white legs retracted behind the now-headless demon.
"Excellent!"
"Little Spider, my scythe technique finally succeeded."
Behind the demon's corpse stood Shiraori, having executed the attack with deadly precision.
Witnessing this scene, the man was filled with indescribable excitement. He lowered his head, about to speak his gratitude, when he noticed the grip on his shoulder had suddenly loosened.
Looking up, he found himself alone.
Dejected but understanding, he prepared to leave when he noticed several items scattered on the ground where Azrael had stood.
Three Black Iron-grade materials and a complete set of Lore Cardian crafting supplies lay before him.
He glanced around cautiously, then carefully gathered the items, bowing reverently toward where Azrael had disappeared.
Meanwhile, Azrael, led by Shiraori, was racing eastward at tremendous speed.
He had no time for heroic diversions right now. Even if he wanted to help, he would return to Donglai first. He was the President of the Donglai Cardian Master Association of the Empire of Aetherlight, not Korea.
Besides, Donglai's current situation was likely dire, leaving him no room for delay.
All Azrael could do was leave the Black Iron-grade materials as compensation for the man's assistance with directions.
Heaven helps those who help themselves. How far the man could go depended entirely on his own efforts.
Donglai
Diesel and his two companions panted heavily, their breathing labored. The situation in this district was deteriorating rapidly.
Although reinforcements from other regions had already arrived, without Azrael, they could barely hold their ground against the Gold-level demons led by Li Gang.
More critically, the demons of the Onefold Doctrine showed complete disregard for civilian lives, while the Association couldn't afford such callousness.
The barefoot fear nothing from the shod, the Onefold Doctrine demons operated without moral constraints.
Worse yet, the Onefold Doctrine wasn't the only hostile force in the city. What if those lunatics from the Crimson Oath Society decided to cause trouble now?
That was what Diesel and Oliver assumed. If Godfrey knew their thoughts, he'd probably protest internally.
Didn't he know whether the Crimson Oath Society would cause problems?
After the recent purge, the remaining Donglai Crimson Oath Society members had been carefully selected by him, the Director of Public Security, to serve as a stabilizing force.
Though this was only relative to the previous unstable elements.
Elsewhere, in stark contrast to the grim expressions of Diesel and his companions, Li Gang hummed a Korean folk song while mockingly observing the Association's Lore Cardians struggling desperately.
"The sacrifice should be nearly complete."
"It's unfortunate we can only perform one sacrifice at a time, otherwise the plan would have succeeded already."
Despite some regret, Li Gang remained incredibly confident.
"A long-cherished dream is finally within reach."
He couldn't help trembling at the thought of his imminent elevation.
Lost in these fantasies, he suddenly taunted Diesel, "Who's the cornered dog now?"
However, seeing the three men's expressionless faces, Li Gang felt somewhat disappointed.
"No matter."
"Go to hell and meet your guild leader."
With those words, the Onefold Doctrine members intensified their assault.
Li Gang's [Dangun, Ancestor of the Tranquil Dawn] and [True Spirit Lord, Lord of the Northern Temple] also launched their attacks.
Supported by the Gold-level demons present, Oliver was the first to fall into serious difficulty.
The primary reason was simple, he only possessed one Gold-level card.
Feeling his Gold-level card enter cooldown, Oliver gritted his teeth and summoned the Silver-level cards he'd used during the national competition.
In a one-on-one battle, his Silver-level deck might defeat even the weakest Gold-level monsters, but it wasn't sufficient for the current situation.
Godfrey and Diesel's decks were rapidly being overwhelmed as well.
Though they possessed more than one Gold-level card each, the situation continued spiraling irreversibly downward.
Taking a deep breath, Diesel solemnly addressed Godfrey, "I'll cover your retreat. Find an opportunity to break out of this area and call for reinforcements from headquarters."
Godfrey nodded silently, understanding this was their last resort.
But how could Li Gang be unprepared?
With a sneer, the illusory King's Army of [Dangun] reappeared.
Unfortunately, this time there was no Azrael to stop it.
Seeing their escape route blocked, even Godfrey, who usually maintained a poker face, couldn't hide a flash of despair.
Were they really going to die here today?
Just as a barrage of attacks threatened to overwhelm Diesel and his companions, a cold voice suddenly rang out, "Bakudō #81: Dankū."
A translucent barrier instantly materialized before the three men, blocking all incoming attacks.
Gazing at the defensive barrier protecting them, they felt an indescribable sense of security.
Then, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows beside them.
"Am I too late?"
The familiar voice called out. The three men quickly turned, their faces filled with shock and pure joy. "President?!"
"You're alive?!"
It was Azrael.
Thanks to Shiraori's relentless use of spatial magic, he'd finally returned to Donglai.
Had he been even moments later, he might have reached the battlefield to find only corpses.
In stark contrast to the ecstasy of Diesel and his companions, Li Gang's eyes widened as if he'd witnessed something impossible. "You're not dead?!"
The same words, but conveying vastly different emotions.
The middle-aged man asked in disbelief, "Dick and Menia didn't stop you?"
Perhaps Li Gang had already suspected the answer, but he refused to accept it.
Unfortunately, the next scene shattered his delusions completely, sending ice through his veins.
"Dick? Menia?"
Azrael chuckled with dark amusement, as if hearing something genuinely funny, then fixed the red-robed man with a cold stare.
"Aren't they here?"
As he spoke, two Shadowkhan emerged from the shadows at his feet, kneeling on one knee.
In their hands were the severed heads of Dick and Menia, Li Gang's supposed guarantees.
Bloodstained and eyes still wide with shock.
Seeing this, Li Gang opened his mouth wordlessly, unable to find his voice.
The confident predator had become the prey.